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With a first glance at these strengths
and weaknesses it may seem best to keep Samus as far from your
opponent as possible and, when in close combat, stay on the
ground as much as possible. While this is actually not too far
from the truth, on the battlefield there are always exceptions.
Samus' aerial attacks were actually a large strength in the
original SSB. However, shifts in game and character design actually
make the lower ground in Melee more valuable than attacking
from above. On the improvement side from the original SSB, Samus
has been made incredibly more nimble in her movement, especially
on the ground. Her original SSB dodge, for example, was far
too slow to keep up with an enemy in a dodging chess match.
Her slow speed would allow the opponent to eventually out-dodge
her. Now in Melee, Samus dodge is on par with the rest of the
pack and she can hold her own in the speed department 
To put it simply, Samus is best
described as a positional/defensive character. Her attacks are
very directed and require good knowledge of where her opponent
is and where they are going. Aside her positioning, Samus' defense
is the highlight of her power. Looking again at her strengths,
one can see the defensive powerhouse she is. One of the best
strategies I have found using Samus is to attack your opponent
from afar with repeated straight missile shots (as opposed to
homing) and continually position yourself for a sharp attack
if your opponent makes a mistake. (Some characters with their
own distance attacks may have an advantage in the distance attack
department; see opponent analysis section at end for alternate
strategy.) Eventually, the battle will become close quartered.
most likely due to your opponent rushing you out of frustration
with your incessant missile barrage. When your opponent attacks,
stay defensive. React to the actions of the enemy and counter
attack when Samus has the positional advantage. When an advantage
is reached or you can pull off an unsuspecting move, attack
swiftly and violently. Samus' forward A button shoulder ram
is very good at beginning an offensive salvo from the ground,
and her forward A fire spread is one of the only high priority
offensive air attacks she has. Her extremely swift forward smash
and long range downward smash are also staple attacks that should
be used frequently. Keep the heat on while you have the advantage
and position. Yet another excellent move is Samus' down A fire
burst; use it often. If the playing field is leveled again,
retreat back into the defensive posture. Dance like a butterfly,
sting like a bee. 
Samus' normal A button moves should
be utilized just as regularly as any other character and her
smashes used frequently. They are the backbone of her damage
dealing. However, her B button special attacks are the moves
which keep your opponent on their toes and set up A button attacks.
Below is a list of ways to get the most out of Samus' B moves.
Normal B charge shot - This is any
opponent's worse fear. Connecting one of these babies with your
enemy not only demoralizes them completely. It's also great
fun! One of the best ways to use this weapon, however, is actually
to not fire it all! Having the charge shot ready to blast puts
your opponent on the defensive. His moves will be limited due
to his necessity to avoid the direct line of sight with your
cannon. Simply by keeping the gun charged, you gain an advantage
by knowing where your opponent cannot move. Now is the time
to take the offensive and charge in with unsuspecting A button
attacks. This is especially good against a Fox, Falco, Mario
or any character with a B button reflect move. Their constant
reflecting sets them up perfectly for a quick regular attack.
Contrary to initial thought, this is not Samus' best range weapon.
The shot is slow and easily dodged if fired from afar. The best
chance of hitting your opponent with it is actually in close
quarters. During a dodging/evading dance with the enemy, try
pausing for a moment and letting one loose. Or, if you happen
to jump in close to your enemy, let one fly then to reduce the
time he has to react to it. If you do fire the charge shot from
afar, try this nice, simple combo. First fire a straight missile
and follow immediately with a charge shot. Trust me on this
one, it works wonders. 
Forward B missile - First off, I
must say Samus' homing missiles are next to useless. Use them
very sparingly for they are slow and don't pack much of a punch.
Instead, use the forward smash B straight missiles over and
over like there is no tomorrow. It is this attack that gives
Samus her range power and is excellent defensively for keeping
your opponent at bay. The straight missile is also very useful
when retreating an engagement with your opponent. This should
be your staple far to mid range "annoyance" attack. Combo it
up with the charge shot as explained above! 
Down B bomb - This is by far Samus'
most underrated move: the ultimate juggle/combo breaker. Use
this when you're trapped either in the air or being rushed from
the ground. Not only does it deal damage to the enemy, it usually
will stall their movement and pop you up out of the way of danger.
Let 2 or 3 of these off in rapid succession and you'll be out
of harms way in no time. Equally as important in their use is
to throw off an opponents timing. If you're in the air and there
is someone below you ready to up A smash you, use a bomb or
two and watch it throw off his timing. This is also good for
getting back to the playing field after being knocked off. Timing,
timing, timing.. Its so important in this game and the down
B bomb takes it away from almost any opponent.
Up B screw attack - Ah, the classic
screw attack. In the original SSB this was the move I'd do over
and over until my friends would throw their controllers in disgust.
This move, in the old days, would garble enemies up and spit
them out like a loogie. In Melee, it's almost like a quick razor
burn. It has lost a bit of its flare, but it's still a good,
quick attack for easy damage. Be careful when using this move,
however, because your quite vulnerable once you reach the peak
of the screw attack and are falling back to the ground. 
The battle environment can be just
as important to understand as the characters themselves. While
favorite stages are really just a matter of personal preference,
I have found certain stages that suit Samus better than others.
The underlying principle for a good Samus stage is a larger
stage with fewer obstacles. Stages such as Final Destination,
Corneria, and Hyrule Temple are good for defensive, distance
playing. These stages also don't require much jumping, a weakness
of Samus due to her sluggish aerial control. As for poor stages,
I have found that vertical, small levels such as Venom and Icicle
Mountain along with jumping levels such as Poke Floats and Big
Blue are not the best for our armored heroine.
Mode of play also determines how
well Samus will fare in battle. As a defensive character, stock
mode is far more suited to the positional style of play. Samus'
patient style coupled with her lack of a group KO mega move
of any kind makes it a bit more troublesome to win the all out
brawls that are timed matches. This also leads into the fact
that Samus is a much greater one- on-one dueler than a 4 player
free for all character. There are times, though, where cheap
Samus B moves (either a barrage of straight missiles or a well
timed charge shot) can grant easy KO's. On another positive
note if there are 4 players in battle, if the mode is on teams,
Samus is completely dominant. Samus can support almost any team
partner perfectly by allowing the teammate to engage in close
combat while Samus can sit back and lob straight missiles into
the fray. Samus' positional style mixed with an aggressive,
offensive partner spells big trouble for any other opposing
team. 
Against Ganondorf or Falcon: The
positional/defensive style works to perfection here. The lack
of projectiles from these two make them highly susceptible to
range attacks. Even the grapple beam grab (which should almost
never be used) can be used positively. If you can correctly
anticipate a Falcon (and Ganondorf) Falcon kick move, the grapple
beam will suck them right up. This correct anticipation of a
"charge" by any opponent (either by Falcon kick here or a running
charge by any other character) can lead to good usage of the
otherwise worthless grapple beam grab. One major concern with
these two, particularly Ganondorf, is that their aerial moves
have much greater physical range and priority over Samus'. 
Characters with projectiles themselves:
Characters like Mario, Fox, etc. can be irritating from afar
and may deal more damage to Samus than she can return. Its cases
like these where more mid-range fighting and more frequent charges
are in order. Keep playing defensive and positional. Against
a Mario who is standing on the ground shooting fireballs, Samus'
straight missile actually has the advantage here. Against a
Mario jumping and shooting fireballs, try to run underneath
your opponent to have the lower ground advantage. Against a
trigger happy Fox, simply run right through his blasts and shoulder
ram him. These are just a sample of tactical moves Samus can
use against fellow shooters. 
Falco: From my experience, Falco
is Samus' toughest competition. His blast stuns enemies which
prevents Samus from running right through them and his heavy
weight/fast falling trait makes him tough to get under for the
lower ground advantage. He is swift, heavy, and a range fighter.
Not to mention he has a built in reflective shield making this
guy seem to have been made to be the anti-Samus. From experience,
however, and by using such things as the charge shot "fake"
move explained earlier (making Falco reflect more often) you
can turn Falco's advantages into yours. I do feel Samus is the
better character, but this is one tough fight.
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