Serpit
Smash Journeyman
Granted, it's not been long, but I've been playing extensively, and here are my impressions:
Lucas is good. Not Top Tier material, but good nonetheless. He's got really smooth Aerials that don't really work as finishing moves though, but all of his 3 smashes are deadly. Generally, he seems better than Ness in nearly all aspects.
Moveset:
AAA: 3 fast kicks. Pretty nice, it seems like msot standard A combos in this game are quite good.
Dash A: Lucas pulls his hand back and releases a brust of PSI-Energy in front of him. It's got a bit of inital delay, but it's quite good and works as a launcher and even a KO move at very high percents.
F-Tilt: Lucas sends a quick PSI shock in front of him. Very, very fast, and decent knockback. Can also KO at very high percents.
U-Tilt: The mentally powered flipkick. Good range, pretty fast, and a nice alternative to the much slower Up-Smash. It looks cool as well.
D-Tilt: Rapid ground kicks, Lucas spins around. Good against the wall, but not all that useful.
N-Air: Lucas spins around rapidly, releasing lots of PSI energy. Low knockback and not that useful, but I'e not been using it much, so it could be better than I think.
F-Air: A smaller version of Zelda's Lightning Kick. Very fast, good damage and knockback. Can be used as a combo move at low percents and a finisher at higher ones. Nice aerial.
U-Air: A headbutt. It's fast, has good power, and it carries the momentum of your jump, allowin for a quick "teleport" upwards. Pretty neat.
D-Air: A great move. 3 rapid , each sending down bursts of PSI. The first hits have low damage, no knockback and minor stun, the last hit however does good damage and spikes.
B-Air: Back Aerial? More like Bread and Butter Aerial. Very fast, 180 Degree range, and 3 disjointed hitboxes. The initla one is kinda weak, the second one does good knockback and the last one spikes as well. Very sexy aerial.
F-Smash: It's... a... stick? Well, it's an awesome stick! It got a much better KO power than the majority of F-smashes, and it's fast. The downside is it's low range though, but it's a great move and one of Lucas' most reliable finishers.
D-Smash: Downsmash hits only one side? Think again. Lucas creates 3 rapid explosions at the ground, each one doing great damage and great knockback (again, far above average for D-smashes). It's also got much more range than you'd think, including a small invisible hitbox that even hits opponents that stand behind Lucas, but they must be close.
U-Smash: Rather slow startup, huge lag, and MASSIVE damage. One of the most powerful smash attacks in the game (The only stronger ones I can think of belong to Dedede, Ivysaur and Ike), and probably the U-smash with the biggest range (it covers more horizontal distance than the F-Smash). Lucas pulls a needle out of the ground, unleashing a huge explosion of PSI above him. It's kinda slow and very punishable though, so be careful. Then again, it's the perfect pinisher, and using it out of the shield or while running is awesome. Oh, did I mention it's got Super Armor frames at the beginning of the attack?
Grab: Lucas' rope snake is nice. It's much faster than Link's hookshot or Samus' grapple beam, but also shorter. It being usable as a Tether Recovery also eliminates one of Lucas' weaknesses.
Grab Attack: Lucas literally pummels his victims. It's extremely fast and does nice damage as well. Probably the best thing about his throws is how much damage you can deal while holding them.
U-Throw: A straight upwards throw. Can KO at high percent, but not much more. You can actually try to follow it up with PK Thunder, since that attack has got quite some knockback. I actually managed to kill some people a few times with this combo.
D-Throw: Can be followed up with one or two aerials at low percents, only U-Air later on, and gets less useful in the higher percentages. Still a nice throw, though.
F-Throw and B-Throw: Pretty similar. Good power, but very heavily influenced by the victim's DI: They can throw the opponent almost completely horizontal (very deadly this way) or almost completely vertical (not so deadly this way). Not the best throws, but it works.
B: PK Freeze. It's great and fun in FFA as it's very fast, but it doesn't seem really useful in 1on1. You can't freeze someone and drop him off the stage because the Freeze sends them upwards first. It seems to work best with direct hits of weak charges, as this actually leaves the opponent open for an attack, possible a well-times Up-Smash finisher.
Side B: PK Fire. It's fast and furious. Okay damage, okay knockback. Actually works as an edgeguarding move of some sorts, and it's pretty spammable. I like this incarnation of PK Fire. Would be better with a tad bit more range, though.
Down B: PSI Magnet. Only covers the front now, but comes out extremely fast and has virtually no lag afterwards. Also, when it activates and hits the opponent, it does low damage, but a surprising knockback. Actually scored me a kill once, but it's not really a viable KO move.
Up B: PK Thunder. It's a bit slower than Ness', but it's better to control, passes through enemies, has nice launch power and can score multiple hits. This time it's even usable as an edgeguard, and it works much, much faster when used for Recovery. Lucas' does about 24% when hitting with a PK Thunder ram, first rapid hits, then big knockback.
Final Smash: PK Starstorm. It's really not as bad as people make it out to be if you set it up right. Basically, it's Hit-or-Miss: A hit at the beginning will lead to more hits and to a KO. It's an awesome FS in FFA, but needs some thought in 1on1. At the ground, you can dodge it pretty well. I recommend using this FS after launching the opponent upwards (with a throw, for example) or when the enemy is off-edge or somehow disabled. Not the best Final Smash, but really not the worst.
Okay, generally, Lucas kills with his Smash attacks. His grabs are okay, but nothing great (as with most characters in Brawl, it's hard to get a combo out of them). Some of his aerials can kill, but only at higher percents or in the case of a spike, which is actually a highly recommended method. Aerials act mostly as damage-dealing moves and to combo into finishing Smashes. Counting all 3 of them together, Lucas probably got the most powerful Smash attacks in the game. Yes. So use them, darnit!
My main form of attack was a fast aerial game consisting of B-Airs and F-Airs. grabs, dash attacks, tilts and PK fire inbetween are useful as well. Of course, Smashes are always good. The F-Smash is probably my most used one. Don't try U-Smash before the enemy has at least ~30%, otherwise he could probably get back at you during your lag >_< As awesome as Lucas' U-Smash is, don't spam it, or you will get punished. Instead, use it to punish, to tech-chase and to kill.
More precisely, my aerial game consists of mainly B-Airs. With Lucas' fast shorthops, his aerial maneuverabiltiy and his huge disjointed range of his B-Air, you can play him with a Wall of Pain-like style. SHFF'd Back-Airs are a great way to deal damage, pressure the opponent and be relatively safe. That's why I called it his Bread & Butter. It's that awesome.
For edgeguards, you have to be aggresive: Jump out and knock the opponent back with F-Air, B-Air or PK Fire, or go for a Spike with the 3rd hits of B-Air and D-Air. D-air is also a very versatile move, as it reaches far below you. A tactic I regularly used was fastfalling through an opponent with the initial hits of the D-Air, leaving them slightly stunned, then instantly F-Smashing after I hit the ground. It works pretty well, but you have to time it so the attack is more or less over when you reach the ground.
Besides his lack fo aerial killing power, another weakness is Lucas' recovery. Even though PK Thunder is much faster than Ness', it can still be interrupted by fast edguarders. That's where the Rope Snake comes in, although it's range is rather limited. The good side is that PK Thunder blasts Lucas very, very far, much farther than most. Try to make the best out of it.
Lucas = Dominating in the air, lethal on the ground. A well-rounded character that enters the stage on a walking tea-table. Classic.
Lucas is good. Not Top Tier material, but good nonetheless. He's got really smooth Aerials that don't really work as finishing moves though, but all of his 3 smashes are deadly. Generally, he seems better than Ness in nearly all aspects.
Moveset:
AAA: 3 fast kicks. Pretty nice, it seems like msot standard A combos in this game are quite good.
Dash A: Lucas pulls his hand back and releases a brust of PSI-Energy in front of him. It's got a bit of inital delay, but it's quite good and works as a launcher and even a KO move at very high percents.
F-Tilt: Lucas sends a quick PSI shock in front of him. Very, very fast, and decent knockback. Can also KO at very high percents.
U-Tilt: The mentally powered flipkick. Good range, pretty fast, and a nice alternative to the much slower Up-Smash. It looks cool as well.
D-Tilt: Rapid ground kicks, Lucas spins around. Good against the wall, but not all that useful.
N-Air: Lucas spins around rapidly, releasing lots of PSI energy. Low knockback and not that useful, but I'e not been using it much, so it could be better than I think.
F-Air: A smaller version of Zelda's Lightning Kick. Very fast, good damage and knockback. Can be used as a combo move at low percents and a finisher at higher ones. Nice aerial.
U-Air: A headbutt. It's fast, has good power, and it carries the momentum of your jump, allowin for a quick "teleport" upwards. Pretty neat.
D-Air: A great move. 3 rapid , each sending down bursts of PSI. The first hits have low damage, no knockback and minor stun, the last hit however does good damage and spikes.
B-Air: Back Aerial? More like Bread and Butter Aerial. Very fast, 180 Degree range, and 3 disjointed hitboxes. The initla one is kinda weak, the second one does good knockback and the last one spikes as well. Very sexy aerial.
F-Smash: It's... a... stick? Well, it's an awesome stick! It got a much better KO power than the majority of F-smashes, and it's fast. The downside is it's low range though, but it's a great move and one of Lucas' most reliable finishers.
D-Smash: Downsmash hits only one side? Think again. Lucas creates 3 rapid explosions at the ground, each one doing great damage and great knockback (again, far above average for D-smashes). It's also got much more range than you'd think, including a small invisible hitbox that even hits opponents that stand behind Lucas, but they must be close.
U-Smash: Rather slow startup, huge lag, and MASSIVE damage. One of the most powerful smash attacks in the game (The only stronger ones I can think of belong to Dedede, Ivysaur and Ike), and probably the U-smash with the biggest range (it covers more horizontal distance than the F-Smash). Lucas pulls a needle out of the ground, unleashing a huge explosion of PSI above him. It's kinda slow and very punishable though, so be careful. Then again, it's the perfect pinisher, and using it out of the shield or while running is awesome. Oh, did I mention it's got Super Armor frames at the beginning of the attack?
Grab: Lucas' rope snake is nice. It's much faster than Link's hookshot or Samus' grapple beam, but also shorter. It being usable as a Tether Recovery also eliminates one of Lucas' weaknesses.
Grab Attack: Lucas literally pummels his victims. It's extremely fast and does nice damage as well. Probably the best thing about his throws is how much damage you can deal while holding them.
U-Throw: A straight upwards throw. Can KO at high percent, but not much more. You can actually try to follow it up with PK Thunder, since that attack has got quite some knockback. I actually managed to kill some people a few times with this combo.
D-Throw: Can be followed up with one or two aerials at low percents, only U-Air later on, and gets less useful in the higher percentages. Still a nice throw, though.
F-Throw and B-Throw: Pretty similar. Good power, but very heavily influenced by the victim's DI: They can throw the opponent almost completely horizontal (very deadly this way) or almost completely vertical (not so deadly this way). Not the best throws, but it works.
B: PK Freeze. It's great and fun in FFA as it's very fast, but it doesn't seem really useful in 1on1. You can't freeze someone and drop him off the stage because the Freeze sends them upwards first. It seems to work best with direct hits of weak charges, as this actually leaves the opponent open for an attack, possible a well-times Up-Smash finisher.
Side B: PK Fire. It's fast and furious. Okay damage, okay knockback. Actually works as an edgeguarding move of some sorts, and it's pretty spammable. I like this incarnation of PK Fire. Would be better with a tad bit more range, though.
Down B: PSI Magnet. Only covers the front now, but comes out extremely fast and has virtually no lag afterwards. Also, when it activates and hits the opponent, it does low damage, but a surprising knockback. Actually scored me a kill once, but it's not really a viable KO move.
Up B: PK Thunder. It's a bit slower than Ness', but it's better to control, passes through enemies, has nice launch power and can score multiple hits. This time it's even usable as an edgeguard, and it works much, much faster when used for Recovery. Lucas' does about 24% when hitting with a PK Thunder ram, first rapid hits, then big knockback.
Final Smash: PK Starstorm. It's really not as bad as people make it out to be if you set it up right. Basically, it's Hit-or-Miss: A hit at the beginning will lead to more hits and to a KO. It's an awesome FS in FFA, but needs some thought in 1on1. At the ground, you can dodge it pretty well. I recommend using this FS after launching the opponent upwards (with a throw, for example) or when the enemy is off-edge or somehow disabled. Not the best Final Smash, but really not the worst.
Okay, generally, Lucas kills with his Smash attacks. His grabs are okay, but nothing great (as with most characters in Brawl, it's hard to get a combo out of them). Some of his aerials can kill, but only at higher percents or in the case of a spike, which is actually a highly recommended method. Aerials act mostly as damage-dealing moves and to combo into finishing Smashes. Counting all 3 of them together, Lucas probably got the most powerful Smash attacks in the game. Yes. So use them, darnit!
My main form of attack was a fast aerial game consisting of B-Airs and F-Airs. grabs, dash attacks, tilts and PK fire inbetween are useful as well. Of course, Smashes are always good. The F-Smash is probably my most used one. Don't try U-Smash before the enemy has at least ~30%, otherwise he could probably get back at you during your lag >_< As awesome as Lucas' U-Smash is, don't spam it, or you will get punished. Instead, use it to punish, to tech-chase and to kill.
More precisely, my aerial game consists of mainly B-Airs. With Lucas' fast shorthops, his aerial maneuverabiltiy and his huge disjointed range of his B-Air, you can play him with a Wall of Pain-like style. SHFF'd Back-Airs are a great way to deal damage, pressure the opponent and be relatively safe. That's why I called it his Bread & Butter. It's that awesome.
For edgeguards, you have to be aggresive: Jump out and knock the opponent back with F-Air, B-Air or PK Fire, or go for a Spike with the 3rd hits of B-Air and D-Air. D-air is also a very versatile move, as it reaches far below you. A tactic I regularly used was fastfalling through an opponent with the initial hits of the D-Air, leaving them slightly stunned, then instantly F-Smashing after I hit the ground. It works pretty well, but you have to time it so the attack is more or less over when you reach the ground.
Besides his lack fo aerial killing power, another weakness is Lucas' recovery. Even though PK Thunder is much faster than Ness', it can still be interrupted by fast edguarders. That's where the Rope Snake comes in, although it's range is rather limited. The good side is that PK Thunder blasts Lucas very, very far, much farther than most. Try to make the best out of it.
Lucas = Dominating in the air, lethal on the ground. A well-rounded character that enters the stage on a walking tea-table. Classic.
