Crownerang

Crownerang
King K. Rool using Crownerang in Ultimate.
User	King K. Rool
Universe	Donkey Kong

“	Throws his crown like it's a boomerang. Can't be thrown again until it is picked up.	”
—Description from Ultimate's Move List

Crownerang (クラウンスロー, Crown Throw) is King K. Rool's side special move.

Overview

K. Rool takes his crown off of his head and flings it forward as a projectile. True to its name, the crown acts like a boomerang. During the throw, K. Rool is granted armor to moves dealing less than 10%, which is distinct from his character-specific Belly Super Armor and should not be confused with it. While the crown is in play, King K. Rool will not be able to use the move again until he retrieves it.

The Crown has very, very high priority while being thrown by K. Rool, with it having the first hit negated at worst when colliding with a projectile (except moves with transcendent priority, such as Wolf's Blaster). As a result, the move can be used as a form of projectile defense rather than just as a zoning tool. Nothing will stop the Crown from moving in its general direction unless it is reflected, thus making it a very consistent and reliable attack when used correctly.

If K. Rool doesn't retrieve the crown and it hits the floor, it can be picked up as an item if K. Rool fails to pick it up quickly. As a result, it can also be pocketed, pulled in by Gravitational Pull or abused by other item-related moves. Should this happen, K. Rool will be unable to use the attack again until he regains his crown. Or in the case of it being pocketed, the opponent losing the stock. The Crown deals 9% to King K. Rool when smash thrown at an opponent as an item, and deals a decent amount of knockback. However, it does not have the same priority as being thrown by K. Rool anymore, instead being cancelled out even by the Blunderbuss Kannonballs.

When a player has the crown, generally it is seen as one of the worst (albeit preventable) things that can happen to a King K. Rool player. He has very few counterplay options to the Crown as the move is his main form of defense against projectiles in the first place. Gut Check reflecting the crown is usually his only option. However, he can also dash attack through while also executing a Crown Cancel, shield, or jump out of the way and attempt a punish. However, all of these have a heavy commitment behind them, unlike the opponent throwing it. In many matchups this can not only generate more projectile pressure than usual but also lock K. Rool out of a lot of his options. This is not only due to being a whole special move down, but also because the crown itself locks down K. Rool extremely hard.

If the crown is thrown by another player, it will act as a normal item, constantly respawning whenever it crosses a blast zone or disappears over time, although it is usually close to K. Rool, often in a way he won't need to put in much effort to find it. If K. Rool touches the crown in general, he will perform a short, 17 frame uninterruptible animation of him placing it back on his head (unless he is performing another uninterruptible animation, such as another attack, reeling, jumpsquat, shielding). However, there are roughly 30 frames prior to this that K. Rool can pick it up with no lag. Due to these prior factors, K. Rool is unable to pick up his own crown like a normal throwing item, as any contact will result in the crown being put back on his head; he can pick up a crown from another K. Rool as a throwing item, however.

Crownerang also requires good precision to not be punishable. If used from close range, the 26 frame startup - while there's the aforementioned armor from Frame 6 all the way to Frame 63 - it isn't infallible. Players can simply jump over or shield the crown and punish it for misuse, often taking K. Rool out of the projectile range and causing it to become an item. It's not difficult to jump over, grab him, and abuse throw invincibility to force the Crown back onto his head either, neutralizing the threat completely. As a result, a King K. Rool player should always be using the move from mid to long range depending on the matchup to ensure they aren't punished.

Once Crownerang is out, high level players typically think of it as an "option select" situation: generally a player will have a multitude of opportunities presented by Crownerang's interactions with King K. Rool. He has a multitude of advanced techniques, and sometimes jumping over the crown and attacking a player attempting to punish is seen as a good option. There's also Crown Cancelling through attacks such as forward tilt or forward aerial in a way that increases his overall defense while retrieving the crown. Awaiting a returning crown hit and capitalizing on it is also one of the best options K. Rool has available, especially in tandem with the advanced techniques he has. Forward throw can also combo into the returning hit for high damage combos. Option awareness is one of the most important aspects of the crown, and should be taken into consideration when playing the character.

Techniques

King K. Rool's Crownerang, while simple in execution, holds numerous advanced techniques. These tend to make use of the Crown Pickup animation from execution (with a FAF of 18, which at 0% from a Returning Crown Hit results in +8 hit advantage), which is not to be confused with the animation from the item pickup (with a FAF of 28). These techniques all have unique uses and execution, although they vary in viability. Players looking to make use of K. Rool's technical side tend to lean towards Crown Sliding and Crown Bouncing for their versatility in neutral.

Crown Cancelling

King K. Rool executing a Crown Squat to perform a neutral aerial. The cancel occurred during the 2nd frame of jumpsquat.

If an uninterruptible animation such as an attack or knockback is in effect while the crown is coming back, K. Rool's head will flash green as the crown appears on his head. This completely skips the 17 frame crown pickup animation, leaving K. Rool less open for punishment. This is referred to as Crown Cancelling by the K. Rool playerbase, and there are many ways to exploit this.

For example, by using Crownerang to force shield on the opponent, K. Rool can run in with a dash grab to not only Crown Cancel, but also get a grab off of it. This is extremely potent for making the opponent not shield, and force approaches later in the game. A successful grab can potentially close out a stock if the opponent is at a high percentage thanks to down throw's kill confirms, so this is useful to keep in mind when trying to break the opponent down.

Using up tilt or forward tilt with the tech is also very useful for punishing a reckless approach, as a lot of opponents tend to try and jump in when Crownerang is being used. Both of these also have a chance of sending an opponent into a returning Crown while also initiating a Crown Cancel, which can lead to a very long combo. Forward aerial is also considered to be one of the safest offensive Crown Cancels, as it is often enough to gain advantage and stage control just by landing it.

Shielding is often considered to be one of the better options if Crownerang is misused, as it usually makes an opponent such as Lucina attempt to engage with a forward aerial and press advantage. This can allow for a very heavy punish from K. Rool. Staying in shield while waiting for it to come back is not recommended, however. The fact spotdodging can Crown Cancel makes this a great defensive measure against tomahawking opponents as well, especially considering how King K. Rool's spotdodge is the same as the likes of Bowser and Ridley's. As a result a potential punish can turn into a Down Tilt hard punish on characters with worse grabs (most notably Palutena), and likely a KO. Even if this doesn't work, King K. Rool's dash attack works on almost every character in the game if he spotdodges correctly.

There is a sub-category of this tech known as Crown Squatting, discovered by Plague von Karma, which involves the crown landing on K. Rool during his jumpsquat. If done on the first frame, there will be no green flash to indicate a successful Crown Cancel. This aids in confirming back aerial kill confirms from a returning crown, or generally increases momentum in the match by saving 17 frames. The most notable application for this is to immediately use Crownerang again, allowing King K. Rool to control the stage in a surprisingly efficient way.

List of moves that can initiate Crown Cancel;

• All attacks apart from Crownerang's "No Crown" Animation.
• Grab attempts
• Pummeling and/or throwing the opponent
• Knockback animations such as Tumble and Reeling
• Holding shield
• Rolling
• Spotdodging
• Airdodging
• Any ledge option (attack, neutral getup, ledgejump)
• Teetering on the ledge
• Jumpsquat (Crown Squatting)
• Dazed animation
• Footstooling an opponent
• Being footstooled himself

Hard and soft landing lag does not initiate a Crown Cancel, although a move's landing lag will.

Crown Sliding

King K. Rool executing a Crown Slide to perform a Down Smash. This works from around 0% if the crown hits from midrange.

Crown Sliding was found by ChaosBlasta and popularized by Phantom Phoenix. If the player does an initial dash (including foxtrot or dash dance) into the crown while the move is active, King K. Rool will "slide" while picking it up.

This is usually used for enabling combos from Crownerang, such as Crown Slide into down smash at 0% or an early up tilt at low to mid percentages. This can also go into Up Smash at Mid%s, potentially killing on stages with low ceilings. If a reverse input (usually done with the c-stick for ease of access) is used, it will reverse the slide, allowing for a sweetspotted forward smash during the combo. It can be charged for a period of time as well, greatly increasing its power. This can also be used for a down tilt aerial hitbox, forward tilt and up tilt on all variants of the slide.

It is possible to reverse a Crown Slide through inputting the opposite direction right after doing the normal input. This is known as a Reverse Crown Slide. This is made far easier with the C-Stick, although it is not required. If inputted correctly, King K. Rool will slide back roughly the length of his character backwards. This is a very important mixup option in tandem with forward smash, as it not only brings back K. Rool at a perfect distance, but also helps abuse the disjoint the move has harder than usual. Reverse Crown Slide also enables his neutral attack as a true combo at 0% for 33.6% in 1v1, while also generating a tech situation. As a result it is very possible to deal an upwards of 50% out of the gate abusing this tech and the situations Jab provides. Forward tilt and forward smash are also possible out of this, but they are generally considered to be suboptimal due to inconsistencies.

Up smash is true out of a Reverse Crown Slide on most characters from 20% all the way to around 85%, even regardless of DI with the correct spacing. It also works on lightweight characters from 0%, also hitting with the plank hitbox due to the low knockback in this scenario. It is also a kill confirm on said lightweight characters due to how long it lasts. The combo's consistency and power has lead to the playerbase calling this "Gang-Planking".

Crown Sliding is also a somewhat useful movement option in niche scenarios, being able to be used as a mixup option for getting around the stage or catching opponents off-guard. The short lag period leaves K. Rool a bit vulnerable however, making its usage debatable when approaching outside of chasing off-stage without a plan in mind. However, Reverse Crown Slide is a great tool in neutral and advantage, as the spacing it provides is perfect for mindgames and reads. As a combo enabler, Crown Sliding is a mainstay in King K. Rool's game plan and should be kept in mind by those looking to get into his technical side.

Crown Landing

King K. Rool executing a Crown Pickup variant of Crown Landing to use Crownerang again. Notice how he snapped to the Idle Animation.

A tech discovered by Plague von Karma, Crown Landing enables King K. Rool to significantly reduce - or if frame perfectly, completely erase - his landing lag. This is executed in two ways, referred to as the "No Crown" and "Crown Pickup" variants by the playerbase.

To execute the No Crown Variant, the player must input Crownerang when the Crown isn't on K. Rool's head 45-35 frames before landing. This will have K. Rool land a few frames before the "No Crown" animation ends (which lasts 36 frames), converting into his landing lag in an unnatural way. If done perfectly, this will leave K. Rool with either 1 frame of landing lag (rather than 6 from the hard landing), or snap him into his idle animation. Thus, it is possible to land and then immediately perform another action.

To execute the Crown Pickup Variant, the player must collect the Crown 35 frames before landing. This will almost always leave the player with 1 or 0 frames of landing lag, being much more generous - albeit situational - than the No Crown Variant. The biggest benefit of this is being able to use Crownerang immediately after landing, enabling a lot of horizontal pressure reminiscent of Crown Squatting. This enables a lot of pressure around Battlefield's platforms, as they provide a very safe way of executing this tech.

Crown Bouncing

King K. Rool executing a Crown Bounce. This is the basic one, simply B-Reversing Crown Pickup in the air.

Crown Bouncing, discovered by DkDavy,, is also very notable. It is essentially an aerial dash dance, requiring a reverse input on the control stick when jumping into the crown. It is similar to a B reverse, thus carrying some initial momentum during the "bounce". This is best used with platforms, but can be used on the ground in the same manner. By trying to Crown Slide again during the input sequence, it can also cause K. Rool to B Reverse the animation, increasing utility significantly through the wavebounce-like effects. In a similar manner to Crown Sliding, it is possible to execute a Reverse Crown Bounce through utilizing the C-Stick. This serves as a mixup to reduce the distance a normal Crown Bounce would send a player, although overall it is far less notable compared to other Crownerang options.

Crown Bouncing is also used during recovery in circumstances where it is possible, as it adds another bit of horizontal distance that can be great if the requirements are met. This is because there is only 17 frames of lag performing this, which in edgeguard situations is more difficult to intercept than on land. This also allows for buffer options to be performed through the Crown Pickup animation, enabling Propellerpack to be used at the first possible frame. While opportunities are few and far between, there is no question that Crown Bouncing is an important aspect of recovery when it's possible. Crown Bouncing can also help confirm back aerial meteor smashes due to the spacing it provides, with it being reasonably consistent from around 40%.

Crown Bouncing can also interact with Crown Pickup Crown Landing in niche circumstances, although the momentum typically makes it difficult to do consistently. It is a very good approach option when a player sets up their situations perfectly, however, as opponents will typically shield and be forced to take a grab. As a result, in situations where it works, this can be a very good play to consider.

Crownless Bounce

King K. Rool executing a C-Stick Macro Crownless Bounce, utilizing the Wavebounce variant.

King K. Rool executing a C-Stick Macro Crownless Bounce, utilizing the Pivot Jump variant.

This tech makes use of King K. Rool's "No Crown" animation. Through executing a Short or Full Hop at a specific point with Side Special, it's possible to execute different jumps. Crownless Bounces are very, very powerful when combined with Crown Landing. It actually turns them into incredible movement options! The pivot jump can allow for some very useful platform control, as K. Rool will land at the perfect time for his landing lag to cancel on Battlefield's side platforms Due to the utility of this maneuver, it's been dubbed Crownless Bouncing.

It is also possible to Crown Bounce via C-Stick Macro Specials while not having the crown at all (thus using the crown pickup animation). This is known as a C-Stick Macro Crownless Bounce. This allows for a wavebounce or pivot jump depending on the inputs; the traditional input causes the pivot jump, while inputting two forward or backward inputs instead of the traditional way causes the wavebounce to occur. While the pivot jump is a movement mixup at best (most notably for back aerial meteor smashes), the wavebounce is notable for how far it sends K. Rool back. This aids him in zoning, being able to follow up with a wavebounce into Blunderbuss after throwing the crown out.

However, Crownless Bouncing on its own comes with risks. The "No Crown" animation lasts 36 Frames: there is a lot of lag to this when it's executed. Thus, Crown Landing must be executed correctly whenever it is being performed, or there is a very real risk of being punished. While options can be buffered through it, it's not necessarily helpful when an opponent is on the offense. This means that the technique on its own is limited to slower matchups or situations where opponents can't stop him.

Crownless Bouncing allows for great use of up tilt to anti-air, or control the top platform if the Pivot Jump is used. The wavebounce allows for many funky approach or retreat options, such as the aforementioned Blunderbuss zoning. It can also allow for approaches with neutral attack, instant dash attack (forward + forward on c-stick), or the previously mentioned up tilt. It can also function as a tomahawk option, allowing for interesting reads and plays.

Crown Pickup Variant

King K. Rool executing a Crownless Bounce into a returning Crown, thus enabling him to perform a Crown Pickup Crown Landing to erase landing lag.

The Short Hop variant of Crownless Bouncing has been used along with a thrown Crownerang to quickly collect it, and then proceed to continue moving due to it triggering a Crown Pickup Crown Landing. This almost always triggers 0 landing lag, and the Crown Pickup allows for buffer strategies as well. Thanks to this, K. Rool gets another movement setup that is surprisingly quick and very applicable in certain matchups. This adds a new layer of options out of the attack, such as the aforementioned Jab or Grab. There are also very good shield cross-ups here, especially when used with Pivot Grabs.

Giant Crown Glitch

When K. Rool throws his crown, and the crown touches solid ground while he is in an egg from Yoshi's Egg Lay, the crown will become almost as large as Yoshi himself. The crown will retain its massive size even if an opponent holds and throws it as an item, and it will only revert back to normal size if the K. Rool picks up his own crown. The glitch is functionally similar to previous Egg Lay-related glitches, such as the one which increases the size of Jigglypuff under the effects of the regenerating terrain glitch, and a glitch in Smash 4's Multi-Man Smash that caused giant opponents to turn gargantuan if caught by Egg Lay.

This glitch was removed in 3.0.0.

Origin

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong fighting King K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country.

This move is based on King K. Rool's main attack from the final boss fight against him in Donkey Kong Country. In the fight, K. Rool would throw his crown to attack the Kongs, usually to conclude a cycle of other attacks, especially later in the fight. True to K. Rool's bumbling nature, this attack also provided the only opening for the Kongs to damage him, as he was completely invincible at all other times.

Gallery

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  Crownerang as shown by a Skill Preview in Ultimate.

References

King K. Rool's special moves

Neutral special	Blunderbuss
Side special	Crownerang
Up special	Propellerpack
Down special	Gut Check
Final Smash	Blast-o-Matic