Esquire
Smash Cadet
Hi guys! Mii Brawlers are pretty rare due to both the budding/uncomfortable shift to Custom rulesets and the general inconsistency of Mii formats at tournaments. However, I have some good experience with the character (I wrote the Mii Brawler guide on-site), so I'll try my best to highlight what Mii Brawler can do in this match-up. I can't really speak for what Lucina can do in practice, but I'll try my best to approximate the match-up.
For reference, if you're discussing Mii Brawler, you should be discussing SHORT/THIN. This is by far the most prominent Mii Brawler custom size selection. Short/Fat is also viable and has certain advantages and disadvantages. Short/Fat has more hitstun and damage than Short/Thin, but Short/Thin is super mobile (arguably the most mobile character in the game). Both Short/Fat and Short/Thin have roughly the same gameplan and tactics, though, so you could get away with a general analysis for both at the same time.
As for customs, here's a list of the common custom moves you'll be seeing in a competitive environment:
Shotput (Neutral 1) - A heavy projectile that has two purposes: one is for spacing (it can be B-reversed), and the other [most useful] is for gimping.
Ultimate Uppercut (Neutral 2) - A chargeable punch that is used for its general utility. Kills at around 85-90% on most characters and has super armor that allows it to act as a pseudo-counter.
Onslaught (Side 1) - Most comparable to Captain Falcon's Raptor Boost, this is used to punish rolls and spot dodges. Deceptively strong knockback-wise, can kill in the 105-110% range.
Helicopter Kick (Up 2) - This is Mii Brawler's most powerful Special move and is infamously known for being his combo ender. Kills extremely early as a combo ender, as low as 50-55% near the edge of stages. Also can catch air dodges. Recovery is generally horizontal in nature with little vertical movement.
Piston Punch (Up 3) - Infamous due to the One Inch Punch tech, but is really only useful against extremely light characters. Helicopter Kick is generally superior.
Feint Jump (Down 2) - Most comparable to ZSS' Flip Jump. Covers less vertical height and is much, much less invincible. However, covers more horizontal distance and the kick can also be used to travel further for recovery purposes. One of Brawler's most useful mobility/recovery moves.
BEST SET AGAINST LUCINA: I would say that you will be seeing 1122. Shotput helps against Marth and Lucina's vertical recovery options and prevents them from playing the spacing game all day. 2122 is also good for super armor, however, so prepare for both.
Let's now get into the specifics of the Mii Brawler MU:
Brawler's General Gameplan: Brawler will want to literally have you in his hands (that means a grab). DThrow is a crucial part of Mii Brawler's gameplan, and thanks to his insane mobility and amazing pivot grab, it is not really hard to land a grab. Lucina in the air above Mii Brawler is also really good for it, as you pretty much cut out the need to use DThrow by putting yourself in range of UAir and FAir. In general, DTilt, UTilt, DThrow, and the Dash attack are used to start aerial combos, so being in these short ranges is a bad idea for Lucina. Since Mii Brawler is one of the few characters in the game that has multiple true combo set-ups, Lucina can't do a whole lot to combat combo strings as she lacks a quick "get off me" aerial interrupter. In short, if Brawler is in Lucina's face or has you in a grab, you're going to be taking either a lot of damage or will be KO'd.
Ground Game: Mii Brawler's ground game strategy against Lucina is all about waiting for Lucina to commit to a move and miss. Lucina, as a sword user, naturally has the reach advantage against (especially) a Short/Thin Mii Brawler, so an aggressive Mii Brawler actually struggles to simply run in and get a hit or grab. However, Mii Brawler is extremely fast (Captain Falcon fast on the ground), so as stated, waiting for Lucina to make the first mistake is the right choice for Brawler. I am unsure if you've had this MU discussion yet, but playing Mii Brawler on the ground is like playing Little Mac on the ground. You must play /very/ conservatively, emphasizing your safe options over trying to make hard reads and punishes. Creating a wall of space between Mii Brawler and your body by using safe sword swings is your best bet on the ground, and it does work wonders. I will say, though, that Lucina isn't really as threatening as Marth when it comes to hindering Mii Brawler's approaching options on the ground, as precise spacing for Mii Brawler becomes less of a burden/risk when there's no tipper involved.
Air Game: Mii Brawler's air game is arguably better than his ground game. NAir is stupidly active (starts on Frame 3 and ends on Frame 28), FAir combos into everything (including itself), UAir is the same, BAir is a solid, meaty move, DAir is safe and can spike: Mii Brawler in the air is frightening. Luckily, much like his ground game, his reach is still subpar, so the ability to out-range him with FAir, BAir and UAir comes in handy. You must also treat Lucina's air game like her ground game by making sure you swing your sword at the correct length, as swinging too early or too late means you'll at best eat a sourspot NAir. Mii Brawler does struggle to approach vertically from the air against sword characters in general, so use that to your advantage. Basically, when Mii Brawler is in the air, you either want to stay on the ground and use your long anti-airs or try and FAir its NAir precisely.
KO Options: Mii Brawler has three primary ways of killing. One, Mii Brawler can kill through his confirmed combos. DThrow -> FAir -> Helicopter Kick is an example of a quick and easy KO set-up for Mii Brawler at lower percentages. In truth, once you're locked into a DThrow, you have to pray to the DI gods that you pick the right direction to DI in and hope the Brawler chooses the incorrect aerial. DTilt -> FAir, UTilt -> UAir, etc. can also lead into Helicopter Kick KO's. Two, Mii Brawler has strong Smash attacks. This is probably the less effective way of the two to secure a KO, but Mii Brawler's Smash attacks are very powerful and can kill at low percentages. FSmash kills as early as 85%, DSmash at 110% with the sweetspot back hit, and USmash 115%. Thing is, these options are generally unsafe and/or telegraphed. If a Brawler is throwing out Smash attacks without it being a punish, feel free to Counter it for a free hit. Otherwise, punish the misses however you see fit. Three, Onslaught and Ultimate Uppercut can kill on their own. For Onslaught, Shielding is your best option. Do not roll or spotdodge, or else the animation will catch you. It is hugely punishable if completely shielded. Ultimate Uppercut can be treated like a Smash attack. If it's charged up, DO NOT THROW OUT SMASH ATTACKS. UU can eat an attack and retaliate for massive damage/a KO. Mii Brawler will try to Jab -> Jab -> Ultimate Uppercut. Use the slight break in between to use Counter if you feel like this is coming, but watch out for grab mix-ups.
Offstage and Ledge: Mii Brawler has fantastic horizontal recovery. Feint Jump + Helicopter Kick pretty much ensures that Mii Brawler is returning to stage (if not Feint Jump alone). The area in which Mii Brawler is most vulnerable is at the end of Feint Jump. Try to score a FAir here, as after Feint Jump has been used once in the air, it cannot be used again. Gimping Brawler for the KO is not easy, but hitting him while he's offstage for damage is not if you can manage to eliminate his Feint Jump. Lucina's long sword is good, as it can hit Brawler before his kick can connect with Lucina. On the ledge, Mii Brawler has both a short attack get-up and a short roll animation. Take advantage of this by standing a few feet away from the ledge, so that the tip of Lucina's blade can hit the ledge. Brawler will struggle with any recovery except jumping from the ledge. With Lucina recovering or on the ledge, expect tons of Shotput action. Gage the distance that Mii Brawler is from the ledge and study the arc in which the ball will travel. Good Mii Brawlers will let the ball bounce once or twice to make it behave like Villager's FSmash, so your best bet is to read the distance of the projectile. If far, air dodge and then recover. If short (like the bowling ball), recover quickly and above the ledge (Shotput's recovery frames mean that you won't get punished for going over). Mii Brawler can gimp and specializes in BAir pressure to stage spike, but against Lucina and her increased sword range, he's probably better off letting you recover to the stage if he lacks Shotput.
MATCH-UP CONCLUSION: This is a tricky one. I think that Lucina, in essence, is a lot like Marth for Mii Brawler, but with less fear of her spacing options. The fact that spacing doesn't reward Lucina as much as Marth, and doesn't hinder Brawler nearly as much, allows Brawler to throw out his bread and butter with a bit of impunity. With that said, sword users naturally have the reach advantage against Mii Brawler. If you want to beat Brawler with Lucina, ironically, you need to start playing her like Marth and space her attacks precisely. Otherwise, an aggressive or ill-spaced playstyle means that Mii Brawler can quickly punish mistakes and set up combo strings.
I'd give this match-up a 45:55 Mii Brawler. Marth I see as 50:50 due to the threat of his tipper and ability to space, while Lucina has the latter only. When Brawler is in advantage, Lucina struggles mightily and have little recourse to escape. Lucina in advantage is very good, being able to space out and avoid most of what Mii Brawler throws out. The issue is that patient Mii Brawler play will counter good sword spacing, and Lucina's sword and general mobility is not enough pressure for Mii Brawler.
Phew! Hope this helps, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
For reference, if you're discussing Mii Brawler, you should be discussing SHORT/THIN. This is by far the most prominent Mii Brawler custom size selection. Short/Fat is also viable and has certain advantages and disadvantages. Short/Fat has more hitstun and damage than Short/Thin, but Short/Thin is super mobile (arguably the most mobile character in the game). Both Short/Fat and Short/Thin have roughly the same gameplan and tactics, though, so you could get away with a general analysis for both at the same time.
As for customs, here's a list of the common custom moves you'll be seeing in a competitive environment:
Shotput (Neutral 1) - A heavy projectile that has two purposes: one is for spacing (it can be B-reversed), and the other [most useful] is for gimping.
Ultimate Uppercut (Neutral 2) - A chargeable punch that is used for its general utility. Kills at around 85-90% on most characters and has super armor that allows it to act as a pseudo-counter.
Onslaught (Side 1) - Most comparable to Captain Falcon's Raptor Boost, this is used to punish rolls and spot dodges. Deceptively strong knockback-wise, can kill in the 105-110% range.
Helicopter Kick (Up 2) - This is Mii Brawler's most powerful Special move and is infamously known for being his combo ender. Kills extremely early as a combo ender, as low as 50-55% near the edge of stages. Also can catch air dodges. Recovery is generally horizontal in nature with little vertical movement.
Piston Punch (Up 3) - Infamous due to the One Inch Punch tech, but is really only useful against extremely light characters. Helicopter Kick is generally superior.
Feint Jump (Down 2) - Most comparable to ZSS' Flip Jump. Covers less vertical height and is much, much less invincible. However, covers more horizontal distance and the kick can also be used to travel further for recovery purposes. One of Brawler's most useful mobility/recovery moves.
BEST SET AGAINST LUCINA: I would say that you will be seeing 1122. Shotput helps against Marth and Lucina's vertical recovery options and prevents them from playing the spacing game all day. 2122 is also good for super armor, however, so prepare for both.
Let's now get into the specifics of the Mii Brawler MU:
Brawler's General Gameplan: Brawler will want to literally have you in his hands (that means a grab). DThrow is a crucial part of Mii Brawler's gameplan, and thanks to his insane mobility and amazing pivot grab, it is not really hard to land a grab. Lucina in the air above Mii Brawler is also really good for it, as you pretty much cut out the need to use DThrow by putting yourself in range of UAir and FAir. In general, DTilt, UTilt, DThrow, and the Dash attack are used to start aerial combos, so being in these short ranges is a bad idea for Lucina. Since Mii Brawler is one of the few characters in the game that has multiple true combo set-ups, Lucina can't do a whole lot to combat combo strings as she lacks a quick "get off me" aerial interrupter. In short, if Brawler is in Lucina's face or has you in a grab, you're going to be taking either a lot of damage or will be KO'd.
Ground Game: Mii Brawler's ground game strategy against Lucina is all about waiting for Lucina to commit to a move and miss. Lucina, as a sword user, naturally has the reach advantage against (especially) a Short/Thin Mii Brawler, so an aggressive Mii Brawler actually struggles to simply run in and get a hit or grab. However, Mii Brawler is extremely fast (Captain Falcon fast on the ground), so as stated, waiting for Lucina to make the first mistake is the right choice for Brawler. I am unsure if you've had this MU discussion yet, but playing Mii Brawler on the ground is like playing Little Mac on the ground. You must play /very/ conservatively, emphasizing your safe options over trying to make hard reads and punishes. Creating a wall of space between Mii Brawler and your body by using safe sword swings is your best bet on the ground, and it does work wonders. I will say, though, that Lucina isn't really as threatening as Marth when it comes to hindering Mii Brawler's approaching options on the ground, as precise spacing for Mii Brawler becomes less of a burden/risk when there's no tipper involved.
Air Game: Mii Brawler's air game is arguably better than his ground game. NAir is stupidly active (starts on Frame 3 and ends on Frame 28), FAir combos into everything (including itself), UAir is the same, BAir is a solid, meaty move, DAir is safe and can spike: Mii Brawler in the air is frightening. Luckily, much like his ground game, his reach is still subpar, so the ability to out-range him with FAir, BAir and UAir comes in handy. You must also treat Lucina's air game like her ground game by making sure you swing your sword at the correct length, as swinging too early or too late means you'll at best eat a sourspot NAir. Mii Brawler does struggle to approach vertically from the air against sword characters in general, so use that to your advantage. Basically, when Mii Brawler is in the air, you either want to stay on the ground and use your long anti-airs or try and FAir its NAir precisely.
KO Options: Mii Brawler has three primary ways of killing. One, Mii Brawler can kill through his confirmed combos. DThrow -> FAir -> Helicopter Kick is an example of a quick and easy KO set-up for Mii Brawler at lower percentages. In truth, once you're locked into a DThrow, you have to pray to the DI gods that you pick the right direction to DI in and hope the Brawler chooses the incorrect aerial. DTilt -> FAir, UTilt -> UAir, etc. can also lead into Helicopter Kick KO's. Two, Mii Brawler has strong Smash attacks. This is probably the less effective way of the two to secure a KO, but Mii Brawler's Smash attacks are very powerful and can kill at low percentages. FSmash kills as early as 85%, DSmash at 110% with the sweetspot back hit, and USmash 115%. Thing is, these options are generally unsafe and/or telegraphed. If a Brawler is throwing out Smash attacks without it being a punish, feel free to Counter it for a free hit. Otherwise, punish the misses however you see fit. Three, Onslaught and Ultimate Uppercut can kill on their own. For Onslaught, Shielding is your best option. Do not roll or spotdodge, or else the animation will catch you. It is hugely punishable if completely shielded. Ultimate Uppercut can be treated like a Smash attack. If it's charged up, DO NOT THROW OUT SMASH ATTACKS. UU can eat an attack and retaliate for massive damage/a KO. Mii Brawler will try to Jab -> Jab -> Ultimate Uppercut. Use the slight break in between to use Counter if you feel like this is coming, but watch out for grab mix-ups.
Offstage and Ledge: Mii Brawler has fantastic horizontal recovery. Feint Jump + Helicopter Kick pretty much ensures that Mii Brawler is returning to stage (if not Feint Jump alone). The area in which Mii Brawler is most vulnerable is at the end of Feint Jump. Try to score a FAir here, as after Feint Jump has been used once in the air, it cannot be used again. Gimping Brawler for the KO is not easy, but hitting him while he's offstage for damage is not if you can manage to eliminate his Feint Jump. Lucina's long sword is good, as it can hit Brawler before his kick can connect with Lucina. On the ledge, Mii Brawler has both a short attack get-up and a short roll animation. Take advantage of this by standing a few feet away from the ledge, so that the tip of Lucina's blade can hit the ledge. Brawler will struggle with any recovery except jumping from the ledge. With Lucina recovering or on the ledge, expect tons of Shotput action. Gage the distance that Mii Brawler is from the ledge and study the arc in which the ball will travel. Good Mii Brawlers will let the ball bounce once or twice to make it behave like Villager's FSmash, so your best bet is to read the distance of the projectile. If far, air dodge and then recover. If short (like the bowling ball), recover quickly and above the ledge (Shotput's recovery frames mean that you won't get punished for going over). Mii Brawler can gimp and specializes in BAir pressure to stage spike, but against Lucina and her increased sword range, he's probably better off letting you recover to the stage if he lacks Shotput.
MATCH-UP CONCLUSION: This is a tricky one. I think that Lucina, in essence, is a lot like Marth for Mii Brawler, but with less fear of her spacing options. The fact that spacing doesn't reward Lucina as much as Marth, and doesn't hinder Brawler nearly as much, allows Brawler to throw out his bread and butter with a bit of impunity. With that said, sword users naturally have the reach advantage against Mii Brawler. If you want to beat Brawler with Lucina, ironically, you need to start playing her like Marth and space her attacks precisely. Otherwise, an aggressive or ill-spaced playstyle means that Mii Brawler can quickly punish mistakes and set up combo strings.
I'd give this match-up a 45:55 Mii Brawler. Marth I see as 50:50 due to the threat of his tipper and ability to space, while Lucina has the latter only. When Brawler is in advantage, Lucina struggles mightily and have little recourse to escape. Lucina in advantage is very good, being able to space out and avoid most of what Mii Brawler throws out. The issue is that patient Mii Brawler play will counter good sword spacing, and Lucina's sword and general mobility is not enough pressure for Mii Brawler.
Phew! Hope this helps, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!