Early on when MultiVersus was running, Taz was quite the controversial character. Due to his tornado move having some abusable properties, he was an early target for nerfs. Those nerfs came in, and exposed a lot of issues with the rest of Taz’s kit (and the game in general). Now that some more adjustments have come his way (and the hit/hurtbox overhauls), Taz is back in action as a viable choice.
Actually, after multiple MultiVersus character guides and regularly playing the game since the Open Beta, Taz is the closest thing to a “main” I have. These guides are still far from being high level, aimed at more of a mid tier or high casual sort of player, I think I have a very solid handle on Taz. It probably helps that he’s a Bruiser class, which means you mostly just Do Violence. But Taz does have some nuance, making him way more fun to play than someone like Batman.
Anyway, here’s how I approach Taz in MultiVersus.
Taz Multiversus Character Guide
(Not So) Reckless Abandon
So the biggest problem Taz has is reach. His moves either have some big startup windows that leave him vulnerable, or his moves barely cover the area past his snout. So you really have to (easier said than done) find a balance between aggression and care. You absolutely must be in the mix to be effective, but you also can’t just mash buttons and expect to actually land any hits.
Flavortown
The most recent adjustments to Taz really made his “Tasty” ability an asset. When trying to approach a scrap with Taz, your best tools are his down special and neutral air attack. Both of these attacks provide some coverage and apply stacks of Tasty, not only helping you get other hits in but setting you up for longer-term destruction. Those stacks add up faster than you’d think, and now that the chicken transformation is softer and slower it’s a much more effective kill condition.
Tornado Warning
Obviously, Taz’s biggest move is still the Taz-nado. But it’s governed by a cooldown you really need to respect. It also has some serious startup time and vulnerability, meaning you really can’t just throw it out. But thanks to the control you have over it, you can really get tricky with baiting opponents or catching them from odd angles. All you have to do is clip someone with it and they’re sucked into the damage and knockback vortex.
Dogpile Devastation
Taz’s secret weapon is the Dogpile. This cartoon dust cloud of doom does a ridiculous amount of knockback, has a deceptively big radius, and is far less vulnerable than the Taz-nado on approach. The perk that lets allies make the cloud bigger makes it even easier to connect with, and either way this thing is a nasty edge-guarding tool. As long as you’re not just throwing it out recklessly you can practically guarantee KOs landing it on the sides of a stage.
Anvil Addendum
Normally I recommend the Dogpile perk over the anvil perk, despite how nasty anvils can be. That’s because it’s far less reliable. Opponents can easily react to this perk on sight, taking control away from you. That said, some opponents have no choice but to use projectiles, and in some cases (Tom and Jerry especially) you can shut down a lot of their moveset by eating things. In those cases the anvils are awesome. Yes, you can eat Jerry, and no, it never stops being hilarious.
Otherwise, Taz’s neutral special has more risk than reward, since it can be tough to land unless you really catch people off guard. Taz’s basic projectile (the apple core) also has a lot of utility as mentioned earlier, so replacing it with other things can actually be a drawback.
For the moment, Taz is definitely my favorite character in MultiVersus. He hits hard, but you have to pay attention and plan your approaches to get those hits. The Tasty gimmick is as useful as it is hilarious and the kill moves Taz has are so satisfying to land. There’s a lot going on with Taz despite his relative visual simplicity, and he’s also the only character you can get KOs with while [fart sound] is displayed on the screen with subtitles on. What’s not to love?
