Thunder

[Bash]

im referring to pikachu's down+b first off. I know this move is mainly used to get to a star ko. but does anybody here let the thunder hit pika and use it as a punisher for lag or is it not worth it to you. For me personally i do use it but only if my opponent made a serious mistake and/or i want a fancy lookin kill. Thats me tho what do u guys do?

[ledjin]

yeah, what u said is right, using it as a sexy way to stock ur oponent, but also, u can cut the lag when u do it airborne, and it DOESN'T hit you, so the thunder keeps fallinf and u can do whatever u want. And for edgeguarding, it also does the trick, though it has to be well timed, and there are 2 options: let it hit you while standing at the edge, so the other player gets shocked byt touching the blue glowing sparks from ur body [not the thunder itself], OR u can [very quickly] jump outside, do the thunder while falling, hit him with the thunder this time, and u get back with quick attack. You can die, yes, but it can be mastered and it's a great show-off method :p

I dunno if anyone else agrees? or would add something? Hope this helps Bash ^_^

[AS Money]

ya ledjin is right you can jump off but i dont like takeing the risk. but i find useing pikachus spike is most effective. or if you cant get the timeing right a good dair or nair if they are at a high enough %

[ledjin]

u know, a friend of mine just pissed because I owned him really bad, and well... it's just a game, and I think with this "don't take the risk" thing that it should be fun. And hell it's fun to kill someone this way, and u're mocking and laughing... and the next moment u just couldn't make it back and u fall... when that happens to me I just laugh but cuz it's funny, I mean, yeah there are some matches that can be serious or something, but I like to make it a fun game, for both players [or 4 hahaha], so if you don't do it cuz u might die, then u're missing the whole point of the game: to have fun. And yeah, u could win but, it's just a game!!!! :D well, enough of my philosophy moment, I just wanted to write it cuz it's true and even though AS Money is right to say it's dangerous [as I also said ;) ] just take the "risk" and do it, it's just for fun, rite?

[LIF2]

Just use it when you feel the situation calls for it.

It's all a matter of the old 'Pika Instinct'. But I certainly wouldn't suggest spamming thunder, unless your oppoent is a scrub.

Using it to KO is indeed sexy.

[W.Jr]

You can use it as a combo on fast fallers or as other said by the edge.

[Zig-Zag!]

Best used when you know a fox or falco will recover onto the edge with an illusion. If you time it right, you can edgeguard as the fox/falco fly right into the thick of the attack.

[AS Money]

ledjin im talking about in tourny play. for fun do whatever you want it how you get better

[Dark Fire]

Thunder is the best way to deal with Doctor Mario when you're attacking from the air, because his up-smash will out prioitize your n-air. Also you can use it to block a Charge Shot. Not to be used on a regular basis because it's hard, but it is a good way to humiliate a Samus.

[JuggleGuy]

AS Money, Pikachu has no spike, so I dunno what the move you were talking about is. I agree that using this move over the edge and dodging it is effective. It pretty much creates a huge shield that can't be jumped through.

[RaptorHawk]

JuggleGuy, Pikachus Uair is a spike. As for the whole thunder off the ledge thing. Though it is a good move...in most cases its not the best choice as they will be hit upwards making it easier for them to come back.

[Pratikah]

...hmmm... When i use the thunder where I dont let it hit me., its usually because im getting juggled so I use it as a fence. You dont let it hit you so your not standing next to them when its finished. There is no change in lagtime if you dont get hit by it. Try it out. No matter what you cant move until after the strike is gone, the main difference is that if it doesnt hit you your enemy is atleast a few "feet" away. *I hate it when I drop a gate and they get under it so theyre on my side. *shakes fist** As for the launching off the edge and dropping it behind you, only do it if 1) Youve got more lives than them so you can take it, or 2) Youll be in next match anyway. See, in our circle, *college* Theres always atleast like 10 people waiting to play. If were doing only winner stays in and everyone else passes, it ISNT worth the risk.

[JOVAN]

The thunder off the ledge would not be the best idea when playing Mario, Dr.Mario, Peach those kinds of characters due to time delay and priority. The best bet is to use the simple air+a it use it when people have around a hunderd and it most of the time ko's them. or wait for them, wavedash and do the forword+a attack. That works well too.

[Lange]

I mainly use it to counter moves, and attack when people try to use ariels on me.

[Tyson651]

a friend of mine uses it sometimes as a defensive shield.

what he does is he does a jump backwards as the enemy is approaching and use thunder and the lightning will strike in front of where pikachu/pichu lands. NOT hitting the character its self, but in front of it.

[Capital T]

i use it constantly, i'm good with it, and my friends are wary of being above me now. ^_^

what i like to do is grab somebody, toss em up and, if they're not quick enough, hit em with thunder.
Or, if we're in a FFA game and there are two or three guys in one isolated area duking it out (on the engine side of corneria), i'll jump over them, hit down+b and if timed correctly, i'll have the thunder hit me as soon as i land in the middle of the group, sending them flying.

[Lange]

Yeah thats a really good technique, its good just to jump in the middle of two guys and hit them with the thunder.

[Tyson651]

uhh i dont kno if thats sarcastic or not, cause thunder has horrible lag time after, and the problem is, if the people ur vsing actually had some experience on pressing the shield button.. well, ur on the receiving end of two smash attacks

[commonyoshi]

i only use it to annoy and as a substitute for taunt

[pikaville]

What about a short hop backwards right beside the edge into thunder,(less lag) and also if you time it right you can hold your opponent in the thunder with your up b if you do it right to left(or the opposite if on left ledge)

[T Bird]

there's actualy another discussion on speciffically edge gaurding if you would like to check it out. Technichaly Pika's U-air isn't a spike, it's a pseudo spike that works kinda like shine spike or a ganaon u-air spike. It's kinda difficult to get it down, but once u do u can get it pretty consistently. It is considered the tail spike and a staple of any good pika players arsenal. As for thunder on the stage while your opponent is grounded, mostly ignore that u even have a b-down. A really lagy attack may allow you to land this move with some effectiveness, but upsmash or forward smash will always be a better choice.
Now if you're playing on hyrule, illegal in tournaments anyway, you can stand below and use thunder to hit enemies on the upper portion of the stage. This will probably only work once, but the cloud is the strongest part of the attack and will be the part that hits.

[Tyson651]

T-Bird - i thought the blue part (i think thats the colour) of the thunder around where pikachu's feet when it hits pikachu is the strongest, but not entirely sure. can someone confirm this please?

[T Bird]

Pretty sure it's the cloud, but how often do u actualy hit with it? Of course power could refer to knockback or damage, but i believe it does more of both.

[Tyson651]

im going to try it out right now..

EDIT - ok i tried it out and here are the results,

(due to multiple tries, the power of thunder got weaker so, ill post it statistical comparison)

at the cloud, it combos the character about 4 hits, doing damage 2 times the amount of thunder at the sole of pikachu's feet.

however, the knockback much greater, about 2.5 times the amount at the sole of the feet, where the blue colour is. also sends them at a low trajectory.

[AshumsTheMoose]

I think that Down+B is a good defensive move. Especially when your opponents are trying to gang rape you.