gallax
Smash Hero
Falco
General Discussion:
Falco is one the the three space animals, also known as the laylat trio. Falco relies on his lasers, shine, and quick moveset to win. Paired with his speed, he has good priority, two useful spikes, a descent recovery, and a chaingrab that can be very annoying. The one thing about this matchup is that pika can take away some of falco's advantages, like his laser and his shine by ducking underneath them. But, due to pika's weight, falco has an easier time killing than in other matchups.
Pika's Advantages:
1.) fsmash can outprioritize/outrange most of falco's moves
2.) dsmash can stop falco's illusion(>B)
3.) can duck under lasers AND shines(no matter how close pika is)
4.) pika can CG falco till about 40%
5.) falco's spike is almost rendered useless if using the QA
Pika's Disadvantages:
1.) pika's projectiles(thunder tjolt) can be reflected
2.) light weight= easier KO
3.) falco's airiel game> pika's airiel game
4.) dsmash can be grabbed while still smashing
5.) falco can spike
6.) cannot run under lasers(people thought this to be true on another thread)
Strategy for Winning:
Projectiles/Shine
In this matchup between falco and pikachu, the match will probably start out with both characters using their projectiles(the lasers and the tjolt). For pika, I would suggest starting out with a full hop tjolt. (This applies for stages where falco is on the same platform as you, like FD) The reason for the full hop tjolt is because falco's laser is very fast and can travel any distance. If you start out with a full jump then you can safely send a tjolt, stop the lasers from coming, and safely dodging the leftover lasers. But, remember that falco can also jump and hit you with 2 lasers. He can also not use his lasers and do a running usmash which can get you up to 20%.
If the opponent ever decides to start spamming the lasers then just duck below them and start crawling. There is still a chance that you will get hit by them, but that chance is low and moslty dependent on when you duck as compared to when they fired the shot. If you crawl be sure to time it so that your tail is up when there is no laser. Otherwise you will get hit by them. Another thing with crawling is that is can be used to avoid the thrown shine. If you ever feel a shine coming on just duck. This leads very easily to a dtilt or a fsmash if you are close enough. But, remember that the shine can also trip, which can lead to a CG at lower percents, or a sliding upsmash at higher percents.
Attacking/Being Attacked
When playing falco, they will try and use their ftilt(or even the dtilt or AAA combo) to keep you out of range of using your dsmash effectively. When they do this be sure to watch out for the fsmashes and any airiel attacks(namely the nair/fair). When falco does get you out of dsmash range and decides to stick on the offensive, spotdodge>dsmash/grab. Let him be aggresive and predictable. Be sure to watch out for him spotdodging your grab though if you do decide to take that route. Stick to mostly dsmashing since he gets hit even if he dodges. If he decides to let you be offensive one, remember that he has enough time to use his reflector if you tjolt.
When Falco dashes towards you and uses his Running A and you shield to set him up with some lag to counter-attack, more and more Falcos are discovering that they can immediately Up Smash our block attempt. The sad thing to this is that the move is without lag. I'm not sure what they have to do to perform the move, I just know that they can do it and that this could lead into some serious mind game problems for Pikachu.
What mind games? Alright, a Falco player now has two options when his Running A is blocked. They can immediately go into an Up smash, or wait a second as if the he did have lag to cancel and then gain a free attack on us. The reason I say free attack is because I and most Pikachus have been used to immediately counter-attacking out of a shield block, BUT facing this new threat, our first instinction would be the shield just a bit longer to block the upsmash. Well what if the time we chose to block an upsmash was a time where Falco did not attempt to attack us? He now has the possibility to go for a 100% connect grab or to hope we let down our shield to counter-attack so that he may unleash something more deadly, maybe a shine into some forsaken combo.
The only was I have been able to block this is, don't shield block his Running A. This by far is the easiest of all choices, you can simply roll, jump, or run. One that is a bit harder is to keep the same technique; however, you must be on your toes to get ready for a shield grab. This requires timing, and a little bit of a 6th sense to predict your opponent's move. This of course is harder to do, but still within the power of our character. The last thing to do is to avoid shielding all together, but to actually just counter with a Down Smash. I haven't generated a list but I do know that Pikachu's Down Smash has a good amount of priority over MOST of the other character's Running A attacks. Of course not against any sword users. He mainly has priority with this move if the opponent has to make physical contact with his body, such as Pikachu, Mario, Sonic, etc.
Another thing that was discvoered was that whe being chaingrabbed by falco, you can use your dair to knockback falco at around 30%. This improves your chances at beating falco immensely. DI back and use your dair. But, if the falco is on his toes, he can just shield it and continue the CG. Also, after the last CG, he can dair you, and depending on how you DI, he may be able to get another grab in.
When going on the offensive, there are a few different ways to approach falco. First is from the air. A good combo is the FF Ffair>dsmash/grab. If you find that you won't be able to combo then use your nair/fair and then back off. Get away. The nair has good knockback so be sure to use this often when in the air.Falco can easily punish untimed/laggy moves. The uair should not be used much in this matchup, use it sparingly. The bair should also be used less in this matchup due to landing lag(if you do not time it). Falco can grab you/smash you and really punish your mistakes.
The second approach is from the ground. This is where pika should shine in this match. Fsmash can kill, dsmash/ftilt/dtilt can disrupt, utilt can lead to airiel combos, and the QAC is amazing. The first thing that you should keep in mind in the beggining of the match is to try and get falco in a grab and then CG him across the board. Fthrow/Dthrow are your best friends here. Fthrow can lead to CG's and eventually get him of the stage, which leads to edgeguarding(later in this section). The dthrow can be comboed into an usmash>thunder. Even if you don't use the thunder, you still got the usmash in. Use the dthrow once the CG becomes impossible(around 40%). Grabbing can be/is the winning factor in this match.As for attacking, do not go running in to attack unless you are doing a running usmash. Play mindgames. Run in, shield, rolldodge, jump around, etc... Try and be unpredictable, which is pika's best advantage. The QAC is great for mindgames and great for getting in close to punish. Just be sure to watch out for the fsmash.
Killing/Edgeguarding/Recovering
Knowing how to kill falco is also very important. The easiest way is to get him in the sweetspot of the fsmash,, thunder him, or at higher percentages, run>usmash. Dsmash can kill too but it can be DI'ed out of, so don't be afraid to use it. Rolling into a dsmash can be effective. When falco is trying to recover, he has 2 means of getting back to the stage. The first is the firebird. Easily gimpable. Use your invincibilty frames when hanging on the ledge. The other is the illusion. Very fast and can also be used on the ground to disrupt you. There are 3 things you should be doing to stop this recovery. (1.) Thunder[most important/used] (2.) dsmash[ if you can't use the thunder then go to where falco will be and dsmash (3.) fsmash[used the least because its very hard to time. but, the reward is great.] Try and use your thunder as your edgeguard though.
Another thing you should try to do when the falco is recovering is make him go under the level. Once he is under the level and is required to up-b, you can run out and hit him with the weak part of nair for a gimp since falco has an utterly horrible up-b. If the falco knows what he is doing, he will quickly try to forward-b, and possibly cancel it so you are stuck using a D-Smash so he get a free hit, which is a very bad thing when fighting a falco.
Falco's killing potential is enormous. Up-smash will kill at around 90-100%, Sweet-Spotted F-Smash (which range is very deceiving) can kill you at 60-70% when near the edge, or more like 90-100% when in the middle of the stage. His spike can kill you at around 70% since the falco can then grab the ledge and spike you again if you go too high, or uair, which is another powerful attack, can kill at around 110%. (This section is thanks to ESAM)
As for pika's recovery, using the skullbash can lead into a spike(dair)/fsmash from falco. Use the skullbash situationally. The QA is much more useful and harder to edgeguard.
Side note: Falco can reflect the thunder right back into you. Do not thunder spam if you let the thunder hit you. Try and always wavebounce so that just in case he reflects it you will not be hurt by it.
Video:
Anther(Pikachu) vs DBS (Falco)(Anther contribution)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7frCsAAum7E
Overall matchup:
Pikachu=Falco
General Discussion:
Falco is one the the three space animals, also known as the laylat trio. Falco relies on his lasers, shine, and quick moveset to win. Paired with his speed, he has good priority, two useful spikes, a descent recovery, and a chaingrab that can be very annoying. The one thing about this matchup is that pika can take away some of falco's advantages, like his laser and his shine by ducking underneath them. But, due to pika's weight, falco has an easier time killing than in other matchups.
Pika's Advantages:
1.) fsmash can outprioritize/outrange most of falco's moves
2.) dsmash can stop falco's illusion(>B)
3.) can duck under lasers AND shines(no matter how close pika is)
4.) pika can CG falco till about 40%
5.) falco's spike is almost rendered useless if using the QA
Pika's Disadvantages:
1.) pika's projectiles(thunder tjolt) can be reflected
2.) light weight= easier KO
3.) falco's airiel game> pika's airiel game
4.) dsmash can be grabbed while still smashing
5.) falco can spike
6.) cannot run under lasers(people thought this to be true on another thread)
Strategy for Winning:
Projectiles/Shine
In this matchup between falco and pikachu, the match will probably start out with both characters using their projectiles(the lasers and the tjolt). For pika, I would suggest starting out with a full hop tjolt. (This applies for stages where falco is on the same platform as you, like FD) The reason for the full hop tjolt is because falco's laser is very fast and can travel any distance. If you start out with a full jump then you can safely send a tjolt, stop the lasers from coming, and safely dodging the leftover lasers. But, remember that falco can also jump and hit you with 2 lasers. He can also not use his lasers and do a running usmash which can get you up to 20%.
If the opponent ever decides to start spamming the lasers then just duck below them and start crawling. There is still a chance that you will get hit by them, but that chance is low and moslty dependent on when you duck as compared to when they fired the shot. If you crawl be sure to time it so that your tail is up when there is no laser. Otherwise you will get hit by them. Another thing with crawling is that is can be used to avoid the thrown shine. If you ever feel a shine coming on just duck. This leads very easily to a dtilt or a fsmash if you are close enough. But, remember that the shine can also trip, which can lead to a CG at lower percents, or a sliding upsmash at higher percents.
Attacking/Being Attacked
When playing falco, they will try and use their ftilt(or even the dtilt or AAA combo) to keep you out of range of using your dsmash effectively. When they do this be sure to watch out for the fsmashes and any airiel attacks(namely the nair/fair). When falco does get you out of dsmash range and decides to stick on the offensive, spotdodge>dsmash/grab. Let him be aggresive and predictable. Be sure to watch out for him spotdodging your grab though if you do decide to take that route. Stick to mostly dsmashing since he gets hit even if he dodges. If he decides to let you be offensive one, remember that he has enough time to use his reflector if you tjolt.
When Falco dashes towards you and uses his Running A and you shield to set him up with some lag to counter-attack, more and more Falcos are discovering that they can immediately Up Smash our block attempt. The sad thing to this is that the move is without lag. I'm not sure what they have to do to perform the move, I just know that they can do it and that this could lead into some serious mind game problems for Pikachu.
What mind games? Alright, a Falco player now has two options when his Running A is blocked. They can immediately go into an Up smash, or wait a second as if the he did have lag to cancel and then gain a free attack on us. The reason I say free attack is because I and most Pikachus have been used to immediately counter-attacking out of a shield block, BUT facing this new threat, our first instinction would be the shield just a bit longer to block the upsmash. Well what if the time we chose to block an upsmash was a time where Falco did not attempt to attack us? He now has the possibility to go for a 100% connect grab or to hope we let down our shield to counter-attack so that he may unleash something more deadly, maybe a shine into some forsaken combo.
The only was I have been able to block this is, don't shield block his Running A. This by far is the easiest of all choices, you can simply roll, jump, or run. One that is a bit harder is to keep the same technique; however, you must be on your toes to get ready for a shield grab. This requires timing, and a little bit of a 6th sense to predict your opponent's move. This of course is harder to do, but still within the power of our character. The last thing to do is to avoid shielding all together, but to actually just counter with a Down Smash. I haven't generated a list but I do know that Pikachu's Down Smash has a good amount of priority over MOST of the other character's Running A attacks. Of course not against any sword users. He mainly has priority with this move if the opponent has to make physical contact with his body, such as Pikachu, Mario, Sonic, etc.
Another thing that was discvoered was that whe being chaingrabbed by falco, you can use your dair to knockback falco at around 30%. This improves your chances at beating falco immensely. DI back and use your dair. But, if the falco is on his toes, he can just shield it and continue the CG. Also, after the last CG, he can dair you, and depending on how you DI, he may be able to get another grab in.
When going on the offensive, there are a few different ways to approach falco. First is from the air. A good combo is the FF Ffair>dsmash/grab. If you find that you won't be able to combo then use your nair/fair and then back off. Get away. The nair has good knockback so be sure to use this often when in the air.Falco can easily punish untimed/laggy moves. The uair should not be used much in this matchup, use it sparingly. The bair should also be used less in this matchup due to landing lag(if you do not time it). Falco can grab you/smash you and really punish your mistakes.
The second approach is from the ground. This is where pika should shine in this match. Fsmash can kill, dsmash/ftilt/dtilt can disrupt, utilt can lead to airiel combos, and the QAC is amazing. The first thing that you should keep in mind in the beggining of the match is to try and get falco in a grab and then CG him across the board. Fthrow/Dthrow are your best friends here. Fthrow can lead to CG's and eventually get him of the stage, which leads to edgeguarding(later in this section). The dthrow can be comboed into an usmash>thunder. Even if you don't use the thunder, you still got the usmash in. Use the dthrow once the CG becomes impossible(around 40%). Grabbing can be/is the winning factor in this match.As for attacking, do not go running in to attack unless you are doing a running usmash. Play mindgames. Run in, shield, rolldodge, jump around, etc... Try and be unpredictable, which is pika's best advantage. The QAC is great for mindgames and great for getting in close to punish. Just be sure to watch out for the fsmash.
Killing/Edgeguarding/Recovering
Knowing how to kill falco is also very important. The easiest way is to get him in the sweetspot of the fsmash,, thunder him, or at higher percentages, run>usmash. Dsmash can kill too but it can be DI'ed out of, so don't be afraid to use it. Rolling into a dsmash can be effective. When falco is trying to recover, he has 2 means of getting back to the stage. The first is the firebird. Easily gimpable. Use your invincibilty frames when hanging on the ledge. The other is the illusion. Very fast and can also be used on the ground to disrupt you. There are 3 things you should be doing to stop this recovery. (1.) Thunder[most important/used] (2.) dsmash[ if you can't use the thunder then go to where falco will be and dsmash (3.) fsmash[used the least because its very hard to time. but, the reward is great.] Try and use your thunder as your edgeguard though.
Another thing you should try to do when the falco is recovering is make him go under the level. Once he is under the level and is required to up-b, you can run out and hit him with the weak part of nair for a gimp since falco has an utterly horrible up-b. If the falco knows what he is doing, he will quickly try to forward-b, and possibly cancel it so you are stuck using a D-Smash so he get a free hit, which is a very bad thing when fighting a falco.
Falco's killing potential is enormous. Up-smash will kill at around 90-100%, Sweet-Spotted F-Smash (which range is very deceiving) can kill you at 60-70% when near the edge, or more like 90-100% when in the middle of the stage. His spike can kill you at around 70% since the falco can then grab the ledge and spike you again if you go too high, or uair, which is another powerful attack, can kill at around 110%. (This section is thanks to ESAM)
As for pika's recovery, using the skullbash can lead into a spike(dair)/fsmash from falco. Use the skullbash situationally. The QA is much more useful and harder to edgeguard.
Side note: Falco can reflect the thunder right back into you. Do not thunder spam if you let the thunder hit you. Try and always wavebounce so that just in case he reflects it you will not be hurt by it.
Video:
Anther(Pikachu) vs DBS (Falco)(Anther contribution)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7frCsAAum7E
Overall matchup:
Pikachu=Falco