Kyas
Smash Journeyman
After reading all of the Olimar guides on this site, I noticed that all of them lack anything but barebones information about the different colors of Pikmin that Olimar utilizes. I decided to make my own comprehensive guide on the subject. After you have read what I know on the subject, I think you will agree that it is important information for any Olimainer. It's also in TECHNICOLOR for all you ADD folks out there. If there is anything wrong with the information below, don't hate, contribute.
Elemental Pikmin Properties:
Elemental pikmin are capable of dealing damage of their element and are immune to damage from their element. If a pikmin is attacked by their element, they will absorb the attack and out-prioritize it. For instance, I have Faired with a blue pikmin and absorbed the entire, charged water gun attack of a squirtle. So, it follows: yellows always out-prioritize electrical attacks, reds fire attacks, blues water attacks (what few there are). Also, the pummel attacks and throws of elemental pikmin have a hitbox, thus dealing damage to those nearby, as well as to the one grabbed.
Having trouble figuring out what element an attack uses? There are two things you need to pay attention to: sound effect and damage animation. Each element has a distinctive sound effect accompanying any attack of it's type. The "damage animation" is how the attack affects your character's appearance. Did your character burst into flames or sparks?
Now, to the colors.
Red Pikmin
Element: Fire
Durability: Normal
Important info: Red pikmin provide Olimar with the most powerful aerial attacks. If you have ever KO'ed someone with an fair, you probably did it with a red pikmin. Any explosive is considered of the fire element. Red pikmin have first priority when Olimar whistles, always reordering to the front of the line. (By priority I mean whistle priority, which refers to the order the pikmin automatically assume the first time Olimar whistles a line.)
Tactics: Basically, the most useful aspect of red pikmin is their element (one used by alot of attacks in Brawl). Remember, when opponents are brought up to around 180 to 200%, that reds can KO with fair.
Yellow Pikmin
Element: Electricity
Durability: Normal
Important Info: Though lacking the strength of some other pikmin types, yellow pikmin have other ways of remaining potent. Like any electrical attacks (here's looking at you, Pikachu), all yellow attacks command very high priority, partly due to their disjointed hitboxes and ability to stun. I have been able to actually halt Kirby's down B (after he'd already turned into a rock) midair by uairing with a yellow pikmin, allowing me to escape from underneath it. Also, the hitboxes of all pikmin attacks are upgraded in size when a yellow is used. While yellow airial hitboxes are only slightly extended in girth and length, yellow smash hitboxes are, while no longer than others, dramatically wider. For example: using a yellow pikmin, Olimar's upsmash has a significant increase in size, able to catch a grounded opponent in an upsmash when they are not even touching Olimar. This increase is also evident in forward smashes, which are capable of catching airborne opponents from below in much the same manner. Since the upsmash still sweetspots at this distance this makes for a kill move that few expect. When thrown, yellow pikmin will travel in a higher, more arcing trajectory than other pikmin, sending them a shorter distance at a higher angle. Yellow pikmin have second priority when Olimar whistles, reordering to the front of the line if red pikmin are absent.
Tactics: Bigger hitboxes mean bigger sweetspots. Coupled with their characteristic high priority, yellow pikmin are great for spikes and upsmashes. Uair is most effective when a yellow pikmin is used, as elaborated above. The increased hitstun of electrical attacks allows Olimar to more easily combo opponents with Yellow pikmin. Learning to time your attacks a bit earlier when handling the larger hitboxes of yellows is important to the development of a good Olimar metagame.
There are two things to keep in mind about the higher trajectory of yellows:
Firstly, that yellows can easily latch an opponent who is camping the ledge.
Secondly, the SH pikmin throw technique is best performed if you have a yellow pikmin followed by another color of the latching variety. This is because, if done properly, the two pikmin which you have thrown will reach their intended target at the same time, thus maximizing the effeciency of the technique and allowing Olimar to perform it with limited space.
Blue Pikmin
Element: Water
Durability: High
Important info: Beyond compare to the throws of most other pikmin, the back throw of a blue will kill a majority of opponents at around 140% from the center of Final Destination. If you have one of these guys next in line, go for the grab, regardless: their grab range, along with whites, is the longest of all pikmin. Blues are the only pikmin that can actually swim; all other colors will drown after a short time in deep water. Blue pikmin have third priority when Olimar whistles, reordering to the front if both red and yellow pikmin are absent.
Tactics: Because both fthrow and bthrow are potential kill moves with blue pikmin, it's best to save both until your opponent is at a deathly percent. I recommend simply confining yourself to downthrow for the most part until then. The reason for saving upthrow is made clear in the purple section. The backthrow of a blue pikmin is more powerful than its forward throw. Remember that blue backthrow can kill from the edge of the stage at around 100 percent. Don't forget that there are times when forward/back throw can be used well to space and throw opponents offstage, just be sure to save it up if you see an enemy approaching a critical percent.
Purple Pikmin
Element: Normal
Durability: Very High
Important Info: Purple's are slow, heavy, and have short range. They make up for this with power, raw power. Purple pikmin have the most powerful ground attacks Olimar can use, hitboxes that are slightly wider than those of other pikmin (except yellow), and a bunch of health to boot. The extra weight of purple pikmin also gives them the most powerful upthrow of any pikmin, more than a match for the fthrow and bthrow of blue pikmin, KOing fresh at around 115% on most characters (for the exact kill percent of a certain character, please view the chart below). Consequently, purple grabs are easily broken at low percents, and grab breaks will sometimes occur before the pikmin has even pulled the opponent to Olimar. Purple pikmin do not latch when thrown, instead, they become a high-priority projectile that wont stop unless shielded, multihit, or the pikmin is destroyed. This makes purples useful for stopping an opponent's advance or breaking an edgehog's grip. Keep track of these guys in your line in order to adjust your game for their unique characteristics, otherwise, you may be in for a rude suprise when you find yourself sending a purple pikmin comically short of your intended target. Purples follow and sync with Olimar slower than any other pikmin. If a purple is next in line, its a good idea to make sure that he's keeping up with Olimar; if your next attack is an aerial, the purple ability to say synced while at a slight distance may cause you to whiff it. Purple pikmin have last priority when Olimar whistles, always reordering to the back of the line.
Tactics: Dsmash is the only move that purple pikmin will perform at the same speed and range as any other pikmin, while retaining the damage boost given to other purple smash attacks.
White Pikmin
Element: Poison
Durability: Very Low
Important Info: White pikmin don't have priority or knockback, health or weight. No, white pikmin are all about damage and speed. Latch a white pikmin onto an enemy and they will deal damage twice as fast as any other pikmin (totaling at up to 36% with a single latched white). Olimar throws whites faster, farther, and with less arc than any other color. White pikmin have the most powerful pummel attack (3-4% per hit) and short throws. They also have a grab distance equaling that of blue pikmin, and cover that distance even faster than blues can. Keep track of your whites in your line; accidentally using one in a smash attack could ruin a golden opportunity for a KO. When on the tip of Olimar's tether, a white pikmin seems to ledgespike edgehogging opponents more easily than other colors. Also, whites are the quickest at following and syncing with Olimar. White pikmin have fourth priority, only reordering to the front if purple pikmin compose the remaining line.
Tactics: Because white pikmin have a particularly damaging pummel, try to get in the maximum number of hits when you grab with them.
Based on what pikmin is next in line, Olimar can handle like a different character. With an in-depth knowledge base for all things concerning your pikmin, you can begin to develop your tactics based on the coloration of your line, using each color to the utmost of its efficacy, and making your tactics more successful in general.
Moving on to Important Move Info...
Kyas' Kill Percent Chart
Well, I've decided that since these are, after all, Pikmin attacks, I feel that I can safely add them into the guide without losing focus from the subject matter. Since I do not have a Wii, only the kill %s for purple upsmash are tested in-game. All of the other percents, however, have been calculated to within 1% of the real lethal level.
Heres what those letters mean:
BT= Back Throw
UT= Up Throw
US= Up SMash
Note: All of these kill percents are from the center of Final Destination, with fully refreshed and uncharged attacks, sans DI.
Master Knight DH's Moveset Chart
Note: All of these kill percents are on Mario from the center of FD, sans DI. Range is based on the percentage of a BF platform that the move covers. Kill percents in parentheses are for charged smashes.
Pikmin Tether
Pikmin tether is far more than a simple recovery; it's Olimar's most prioritized attack. The thin line of pikmin that our captain can send out punches through just about anything, including Metaknight's tornado, Ness' spike, and even solid steel! During the initial frames of this attack Olimar's pikmin will be fully extended, even if it means piercing the dorsal wing of the Great fox or the ceiling of Spear Pillar Cave. If your opponent is within range of this technique, you can hit them with it. The order of pikmin in the tether will reflect the order of the pikmin in Olimar's line, with the next pikmin at its very end. There is a sweetspot hitbox at the very tip of the tether that appears only once it has fully extended which will send opponents flying at a slightly downward angle, with greatly increased lateral knockback capable of KOing at high percents. Red has, so far, proven one of the most powerful pikmin to sweetspot tether with. As before mentioned, it is possible to stagespike edgehogging opponents (a.k.a. ledgespiking) with the tether, though it will result in Olimar's own death. Contrary to many rumors, all colors are capable of ledgespiking when at the tip of the tether, and all of them fail to save Olimar in the process. If you use a smash attack and immediately tether, it will cause the smashed pikmin to return to the front of the line.
Pikmin Throw
Pikmin throw is undoubtedly one of Olimar's most important moves. Latching Pikmin onto an opponent can distract them and make them more predictable, raise their damage, even decay their attacks while refreshing yours! That's right, Pikmin latch attacks refresh Olimar's moves equivalent to the number of Pikmin thrown, while every time your opponent attacks a Pikmin, his or her attack is degraded! This makes Pikmin Throw just as important at the end of a match as it is at the beginning.
One of the techniques I believe it's a good idea for any Olimainer to master is Pivot Pikmin Throw, or PPT, as I decided to call it (yes, it's ugly, but at least you'll remember it). There is the normal, forward DI spam move, but this can screw up your spacing and make you vulnerable if your opponent is approaching, which they likely are if you are throwing pikmin. After tinkering around with Brawl's pivoting special attacks, I have induced what is probably the most manageable way to throw pikmin in midair that does not use B-sticking, which would make little sense, since B-sticking forfeits the ability to boost your hyphen smash. To PPT, first DI towards the direction opposite your opponent with the analog stick and press B. Before Olimar throws the Pikmin smash the stick towards your enemy, quickly returning it to the original direction after the Pikmin has been thrown. If you're having trouble, just think of it as though your flicking pikmin at your opponent with the analog stick. Olimar should subsequently DI away and then slightly back towards his opponent, maintaining either the same position or actually increasing the distance between them. This technique makes pikmin throw easier to successfully use as a strategy on an approaching opponent.
Also, it is important that any Olimainer practice doing a variety of moves immediately after performing a SH Pikmin Throw, which minimizes Olimar's vulnerability after using it.
Gimping with pikmin throw is also possible with certain matchups. For instance, a thrown pikmin will stop Ike's Quickdraw, and a well-placed pikmin on a recovering Ness will absorb his PK thunder.
That's my two cents on the subject. For more information on Pikmin Throw and the rest of Olimar's camping game/techniques, check out DanGR's nifty guide about it. There's also a guide by Hyde about latching points that's good to read.
Pikmin Pluck
While it may seem a rather simple move, there are underlying complexities to the unassuming Pikmin Pluck. Sakurai wasn't lying when he said that different environments affect what color Pikmin are plucked, adding a whole other dimension to Olimar's counterpicking strategy. For a full run-over of Pikmin Pluck's intricacies, see Hilt's Excellent Pikmin Pluck % Chart.
Now, to other little things.
Coming to another side note, I'd like to mention the effects of separation anxiety on Pikmin. If a pikmin is rendered incapable of returning to Olimar, they will die after an extended period of time desynched from him. I have yet to determine if the pikmin health bar actually deteriorates while they are separated from olimar, but they should be whistled back immediately, regardless. I know this sounds like common sense, but that's what it takes to call this thing a comprehensive guide, and it doesn't hurt to know.
Flower Pikmin.
The effect of Fowering pikmin: They look pretty.
Which one is next?
One of the easiest way to determine which pikmin in next in line without moving or using tether is to remember that, from standing position, the pikmin that comes to rest furthest to the left is more likely than not the next one in line. If it isn't, then it will be the next furthest to the left.
No Pikmin = Ledge Magnet. When Olimar has less than 3 pikmin and cannot return to the ledge using his double jump, it is sometimes best to throw all of the pikmin away. If done properly, Olimar will ledgegrab from approximately a pikmin and a half's distance away after using his upB, combined with his boost to give Olimar a recovery range of approximately 3 pikmin. This only happens when he is depleted of pikmin, and will often catch opponents off guard.
Ghost Pikmin are Olimar's worst nightmare. Through fluke occurrences, some of the pikmin in Olimar's line can be transformed into blank spaces in Olimar's line. These "ghosts" follow the order of the line, but do no damage and instead force Olimar to whiff his attack when they are up. It is believed that ghost pikmin appear due to some sort of interaction with ledges, and that tethering to or whistling at the ledge where the ghost pikmin formed will get rid of it. (This remedy has yet to be fully tested.)
Involuntary Desyncing.
This is something crucial for every Olimar to be aware of.
There are times, the parameters of which we are not yet entirely aware, at which Olimar's pikmin will desync on their own. We are beginning to understand this phenomenon better. Firstly, involuntary desyncing doesn't seem to happen when Olimar is on the ground. It happens most often after Olimar is in midair and has been hit off of the stage by an attack. The best way to avoid involuntary desyncing is to keep an eye out for it and whistle when it happens (pikmin should be out of line and all over the place).
Elemental Pikmin Properties:
Elemental pikmin are capable of dealing damage of their element and are immune to damage from their element. If a pikmin is attacked by their element, they will absorb the attack and out-prioritize it. For instance, I have Faired with a blue pikmin and absorbed the entire, charged water gun attack of a squirtle. So, it follows: yellows always out-prioritize electrical attacks, reds fire attacks, blues water attacks (what few there are). Also, the pummel attacks and throws of elemental pikmin have a hitbox, thus dealing damage to those nearby, as well as to the one grabbed.
Having trouble figuring out what element an attack uses? There are two things you need to pay attention to: sound effect and damage animation. Each element has a distinctive sound effect accompanying any attack of it's type. The "damage animation" is how the attack affects your character's appearance. Did your character burst into flames or sparks?
Now, to the colors.
Red Pikmin
Element: Fire
Durability: Normal
Important info: Red pikmin provide Olimar with the most powerful aerial attacks. If you have ever KO'ed someone with an fair, you probably did it with a red pikmin. Any explosive is considered of the fire element. Red pikmin have first priority when Olimar whistles, always reordering to the front of the line. (By priority I mean whistle priority, which refers to the order the pikmin automatically assume the first time Olimar whistles a line.)
Tactics: Basically, the most useful aspect of red pikmin is their element (one used by alot of attacks in Brawl). Remember, when opponents are brought up to around 180 to 200%, that reds can KO with fair.
Yellow Pikmin
Element: Electricity
Durability: Normal
Important Info: Though lacking the strength of some other pikmin types, yellow pikmin have other ways of remaining potent. Like any electrical attacks (here's looking at you, Pikachu), all yellow attacks command very high priority, partly due to their disjointed hitboxes and ability to stun. I have been able to actually halt Kirby's down B (after he'd already turned into a rock) midair by uairing with a yellow pikmin, allowing me to escape from underneath it. Also, the hitboxes of all pikmin attacks are upgraded in size when a yellow is used. While yellow airial hitboxes are only slightly extended in girth and length, yellow smash hitboxes are, while no longer than others, dramatically wider. For example: using a yellow pikmin, Olimar's upsmash has a significant increase in size, able to catch a grounded opponent in an upsmash when they are not even touching Olimar. This increase is also evident in forward smashes, which are capable of catching airborne opponents from below in much the same manner. Since the upsmash still sweetspots at this distance this makes for a kill move that few expect. When thrown, yellow pikmin will travel in a higher, more arcing trajectory than other pikmin, sending them a shorter distance at a higher angle. Yellow pikmin have second priority when Olimar whistles, reordering to the front of the line if red pikmin are absent.
Tactics: Bigger hitboxes mean bigger sweetspots. Coupled with their characteristic high priority, yellow pikmin are great for spikes and upsmashes. Uair is most effective when a yellow pikmin is used, as elaborated above. The increased hitstun of electrical attacks allows Olimar to more easily combo opponents with Yellow pikmin. Learning to time your attacks a bit earlier when handling the larger hitboxes of yellows is important to the development of a good Olimar metagame.
There are two things to keep in mind about the higher trajectory of yellows:
Firstly, that yellows can easily latch an opponent who is camping the ledge.
Secondly, the SH pikmin throw technique is best performed if you have a yellow pikmin followed by another color of the latching variety. This is because, if done properly, the two pikmin which you have thrown will reach their intended target at the same time, thus maximizing the effeciency of the technique and allowing Olimar to perform it with limited space.
Blue Pikmin
Element: Water
Durability: High
Important info: Beyond compare to the throws of most other pikmin, the back throw of a blue will kill a majority of opponents at around 140% from the center of Final Destination. If you have one of these guys next in line, go for the grab, regardless: their grab range, along with whites, is the longest of all pikmin. Blues are the only pikmin that can actually swim; all other colors will drown after a short time in deep water. Blue pikmin have third priority when Olimar whistles, reordering to the front if both red and yellow pikmin are absent.
Tactics: Because both fthrow and bthrow are potential kill moves with blue pikmin, it's best to save both until your opponent is at a deathly percent. I recommend simply confining yourself to downthrow for the most part until then. The reason for saving upthrow is made clear in the purple section. The backthrow of a blue pikmin is more powerful than its forward throw. Remember that blue backthrow can kill from the edge of the stage at around 100 percent. Don't forget that there are times when forward/back throw can be used well to space and throw opponents offstage, just be sure to save it up if you see an enemy approaching a critical percent.
Purple Pikmin
Element: Normal
Durability: Very High
Important Info: Purple's are slow, heavy, and have short range. They make up for this with power, raw power. Purple pikmin have the most powerful ground attacks Olimar can use, hitboxes that are slightly wider than those of other pikmin (except yellow), and a bunch of health to boot. The extra weight of purple pikmin also gives them the most powerful upthrow of any pikmin, more than a match for the fthrow and bthrow of blue pikmin, KOing fresh at around 115% on most characters (for the exact kill percent of a certain character, please view the chart below). Consequently, purple grabs are easily broken at low percents, and grab breaks will sometimes occur before the pikmin has even pulled the opponent to Olimar. Purple pikmin do not latch when thrown, instead, they become a high-priority projectile that wont stop unless shielded, multihit, or the pikmin is destroyed. This makes purples useful for stopping an opponent's advance or breaking an edgehog's grip. Keep track of these guys in your line in order to adjust your game for their unique characteristics, otherwise, you may be in for a rude suprise when you find yourself sending a purple pikmin comically short of your intended target. Purples follow and sync with Olimar slower than any other pikmin. If a purple is next in line, its a good idea to make sure that he's keeping up with Olimar; if your next attack is an aerial, the purple ability to say synced while at a slight distance may cause you to whiff it. Purple pikmin have last priority when Olimar whistles, always reordering to the back of the line.
Tactics: Dsmash is the only move that purple pikmin will perform at the same speed and range as any other pikmin, while retaining the damage boost given to other purple smash attacks.
White Pikmin
Element: Poison
Durability: Very Low
Important Info: White pikmin don't have priority or knockback, health or weight. No, white pikmin are all about damage and speed. Latch a white pikmin onto an enemy and they will deal damage twice as fast as any other pikmin (totaling at up to 36% with a single latched white). Olimar throws whites faster, farther, and with less arc than any other color. White pikmin have the most powerful pummel attack (3-4% per hit) and short throws. They also have a grab distance equaling that of blue pikmin, and cover that distance even faster than blues can. Keep track of your whites in your line; accidentally using one in a smash attack could ruin a golden opportunity for a KO. When on the tip of Olimar's tether, a white pikmin seems to ledgespike edgehogging opponents more easily than other colors. Also, whites are the quickest at following and syncing with Olimar. White pikmin have fourth priority, only reordering to the front if purple pikmin compose the remaining line.
Tactics: Because white pikmin have a particularly damaging pummel, try to get in the maximum number of hits when you grab with them.
Based on what pikmin is next in line, Olimar can handle like a different character. With an in-depth knowledge base for all things concerning your pikmin, you can begin to develop your tactics based on the coloration of your line, using each color to the utmost of its efficacy, and making your tactics more successful in general.
Moving on to Important Move Info...
Kyas' Kill Percent Chart
Well, I've decided that since these are, after all, Pikmin attacks, I feel that I can safely add them into the guide without losing focus from the subject matter. Since I do not have a Wii, only the kill %s for purple upsmash are tested in-game. All of the other percents, however, have been calculated to within 1% of the real lethal level.
Heres what those letters mean:
BT= Back Throw
UT= Up Throw
US= Up SMash
Note: All of these kill percents are from the center of Final Destination, with fully refreshed and uncharged attacks, sans DI.
Master Knight DH's Moveset Chart
Note: All of these kill percents are on Mario from the center of FD, sans DI. Range is based on the percentage of a BF platform that the move covers. Kill percents in parentheses are for charged smashes.
Pikmin Tether
Pikmin tether is far more than a simple recovery; it's Olimar's most prioritized attack. The thin line of pikmin that our captain can send out punches through just about anything, including Metaknight's tornado, Ness' spike, and even solid steel! During the initial frames of this attack Olimar's pikmin will be fully extended, even if it means piercing the dorsal wing of the Great fox or the ceiling of Spear Pillar Cave. If your opponent is within range of this technique, you can hit them with it. The order of pikmin in the tether will reflect the order of the pikmin in Olimar's line, with the next pikmin at its very end. There is a sweetspot hitbox at the very tip of the tether that appears only once it has fully extended which will send opponents flying at a slightly downward angle, with greatly increased lateral knockback capable of KOing at high percents. Red has, so far, proven one of the most powerful pikmin to sweetspot tether with. As before mentioned, it is possible to stagespike edgehogging opponents (a.k.a. ledgespiking) with the tether, though it will result in Olimar's own death. Contrary to many rumors, all colors are capable of ledgespiking when at the tip of the tether, and all of them fail to save Olimar in the process. If you use a smash attack and immediately tether, it will cause the smashed pikmin to return to the front of the line.
Pikmin Throw
Pikmin throw is undoubtedly one of Olimar's most important moves. Latching Pikmin onto an opponent can distract them and make them more predictable, raise their damage, even decay their attacks while refreshing yours! That's right, Pikmin latch attacks refresh Olimar's moves equivalent to the number of Pikmin thrown, while every time your opponent attacks a Pikmin, his or her attack is degraded! This makes Pikmin Throw just as important at the end of a match as it is at the beginning.
One of the techniques I believe it's a good idea for any Olimainer to master is Pivot Pikmin Throw, or PPT, as I decided to call it (yes, it's ugly, but at least you'll remember it). There is the normal, forward DI spam move, but this can screw up your spacing and make you vulnerable if your opponent is approaching, which they likely are if you are throwing pikmin. After tinkering around with Brawl's pivoting special attacks, I have induced what is probably the most manageable way to throw pikmin in midair that does not use B-sticking, which would make little sense, since B-sticking forfeits the ability to boost your hyphen smash. To PPT, first DI towards the direction opposite your opponent with the analog stick and press B. Before Olimar throws the Pikmin smash the stick towards your enemy, quickly returning it to the original direction after the Pikmin has been thrown. If you're having trouble, just think of it as though your flicking pikmin at your opponent with the analog stick. Olimar should subsequently DI away and then slightly back towards his opponent, maintaining either the same position or actually increasing the distance between them. This technique makes pikmin throw easier to successfully use as a strategy on an approaching opponent.
Also, it is important that any Olimainer practice doing a variety of moves immediately after performing a SH Pikmin Throw, which minimizes Olimar's vulnerability after using it.
Gimping with pikmin throw is also possible with certain matchups. For instance, a thrown pikmin will stop Ike's Quickdraw, and a well-placed pikmin on a recovering Ness will absorb his PK thunder.
That's my two cents on the subject. For more information on Pikmin Throw and the rest of Olimar's camping game/techniques, check out DanGR's nifty guide about it. There's also a guide by Hyde about latching points that's good to read.
Pikmin Pluck
While it may seem a rather simple move, there are underlying complexities to the unassuming Pikmin Pluck. Sakurai wasn't lying when he said that different environments affect what color Pikmin are plucked, adding a whole other dimension to Olimar's counterpicking strategy. For a full run-over of Pikmin Pluck's intricacies, see Hilt's Excellent Pikmin Pluck % Chart.
Now, to other little things.
Coming to another side note, I'd like to mention the effects of separation anxiety on Pikmin. If a pikmin is rendered incapable of returning to Olimar, they will die after an extended period of time desynched from him. I have yet to determine if the pikmin health bar actually deteriorates while they are separated from olimar, but they should be whistled back immediately, regardless. I know this sounds like common sense, but that's what it takes to call this thing a comprehensive guide, and it doesn't hurt to know.
Flower Pikmin.
The effect of Fowering pikmin: They look pretty.
Which one is next?
One of the easiest way to determine which pikmin in next in line without moving or using tether is to remember that, from standing position, the pikmin that comes to rest furthest to the left is more likely than not the next one in line. If it isn't, then it will be the next furthest to the left.
No Pikmin = Ledge Magnet. When Olimar has less than 3 pikmin and cannot return to the ledge using his double jump, it is sometimes best to throw all of the pikmin away. If done properly, Olimar will ledgegrab from approximately a pikmin and a half's distance away after using his upB, combined with his boost to give Olimar a recovery range of approximately 3 pikmin. This only happens when he is depleted of pikmin, and will often catch opponents off guard.
Ghost Pikmin are Olimar's worst nightmare. Through fluke occurrences, some of the pikmin in Olimar's line can be transformed into blank spaces in Olimar's line. These "ghosts" follow the order of the line, but do no damage and instead force Olimar to whiff his attack when they are up. It is believed that ghost pikmin appear due to some sort of interaction with ledges, and that tethering to or whistling at the ledge where the ghost pikmin formed will get rid of it. (This remedy has yet to be fully tested.)
Involuntary Desyncing.
This is something crucial for every Olimar to be aware of.
There are times, the parameters of which we are not yet entirely aware, at which Olimar's pikmin will desync on their own. We are beginning to understand this phenomenon better. Firstly, involuntary desyncing doesn't seem to happen when Olimar is on the ground. It happens most often after Olimar is in midair and has been hit off of the stage by an attack. The best way to avoid involuntary desyncing is to keep an eye out for it and whistle when it happens (pikmin should be out of line and all over the place).
MUAHAHAHAHAAA 
