Despite the uproar of the Smash community against sword-based heroes, Nintendo sent out an invitation to Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles as the fourth selection for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Fighters Pass Volume 2.
Here’s what SSBU pros think about Pyra and Mythra joining the Smash roster.
Pyra and Mythra add onto SSBU’s endless sword-based roster
SSBU may boast a dense multi-franchise roster of 80 fighters, but it suffers from the repetitive appearance of sword-based users. Even in its base game, players will find an abundance of Links (Young, Toon, Normal) and a battalion of Fire Emblem characters who are more than willing to swing their swords.
Just from the two Fighters Passes, Nintendo has already introduced Hero from Dragon Quest XI, Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy XII so to add Pyra and Mythra just doubles down on SSBU’s preference of sword fighters.
Of course, Nintendo’s main audience is its home country of Japan so the addition of JRPG characters is unavoiable but many pros have voiced out discontent to see another sword character come through instead of someone more outside the Nintendo box.
Jigglypuff specialist Juan Manuel “Hungrybox” DeBiedma said he enjoyed the character’s render and understood what Nintendo was going for, but he had high hopes for a possible appearance of a more unique character like Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog.
Pyra and Mythra can take turns on the battlefield
While the two may echo the same styles of the sword-slashing cast of SSBU, the duo look to be more than just your ordinary swordswomen.
Just like Pokémon Trainer’s ability to swap between three different Pokémon, Pyra and Mythra can swap mid-battle to deliver two different playstyles to a match.
From the looks of it, Mythra looks to be the fast-paced character of the two, dashing through enemies and landing quick pokes, while Pyra and her fire attacks will swap in to confirm the final smash.
In his first look at the duo, pro player William “Leffen” Hjelte said that he’s very interested in her dual mechanics and sees her as a “sword version” of Pokémon Trainer.
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Their move list looks stacked with OP abilities
When looking deeper into the power of the Aegis sword, Pyra and Mythra definitely look too good to be true. As two sword-users in one character, you can expect quick switches to deal a massive amount of damage.
EVO 2019 SSBU champion Leonardo “MKLeo” Lopez Perez had nothing but praise when he first saw Pyra and Mythra. In his video, he could easily call out Pyra’s flashy moves such as her flaming smash attack and her Flame Nova (up-B) that catches enemies around her in a fiery cyclone.
As for Mythra, Leo talked about her Foresight ability to dodge opponent’s attacks with a phase shift of sorts. Unsure of the actual move, he said that it might be a unique spot dodge or roll that grants a longer dodge distance from the attacking enemy.
On top of their own abilities, their teleport swap actually grants some invincibility frames. In the trailer, you can see Mythra swap mid-air to Pyra to dodge one of Link’s attacks. Though it may be a simple defensive mechanic, it adds another layer to how the duo can be played.
While Pyra and Mythra will become one of the many sword fighters to grace the SSBU battlefield, the pros seem to have a solid liking to her dual mechanics and her overall design. The next question to ask might be whether or not she is actually tournament-viable.
Pyra and Mythra will join the SSBU roster sometime in March.
You can watch Pyra and Mythra’s full reveal down below:
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