Pika Q&A/FAQ Thread: Ask a Quick Question, Get a Quick Answer!

[!Boom!]

I would love to say that I never do, but the truth is.... secretly.... I do, every once in a while.

I'm not sure if I hold my controller funky (I realized the other day that sometimes I tilt it to the left or the right if I'm sitting to one side of the TV... weird), but sometimes I don't angle the second part of the QA enough and end up only getting the first part. Which leads to dying.

But it happens very rarely, and I've actually trained myself out of it by learning to enjoy ledgecamping sometimes during a match. Forcing myself to get better at playing from the ledge made QA'ing properly a necessity.

But ideally, at high-level play, it should never happen. We're only human, but in a tournament, it should just... never happen.

Well, online, messing up will occur much more often. Tournaments, where QACing and recovering perfectly matter the most, it shouldnt happen, but may happen a few times. Its happened to me many times. But like KayLo said everyone messes up, even Anther sometimes (cmon Anther, admit it). All we can do is know exactly when to QAC and at what angles and how far the QAC goes.

 

[K 2]

It's really easy once you understand how to use it. Once you understand how far it goes and what angles it moves in, you shouldn't mess up QAC very often.

 

[Zylar]

It's also easy to grab the edge due to pika's large sweetspot on the ledge. That helps even more.

 

[Roxas215]

It's also easy to grab the edge due to pika's large sweetspot on the ledge. That helps even more.

I must be doing it wrong then cause im trying to qac to ledge and i just end up killing myself.

 

[K 2]

Just practice.

Are you not reaching the ledge, or are you getting stuck under the stage, or what?

 

[Luigi player]

Copied and Pasted from Static-intense: The pikachu guide

Forward throw:

Bowser - 0%-60%
Captain Falcon - 0%-60%
DeDeDe 0%-60%
Donkey Kong - 0%-60%
Falco - 0%-60%
Fox 0%-50%
Ganondorf - 0%-60%
Ike - 0%-60%
Link - 0%-60%
Sheik - 0%-70%
Snake - 0%-60%
Wolf - 0%-60%

Down throw:

Captain Falcon - 0%-80%
Fox 0%-70%
Sheik - 0%-60%
Wolf - 0%-30%

Thanks. And wow, not bad. Why did I never ever see a Pikachu doing those? XD

Are they tested and work 100 % sure? Like you can't DI somewhere to escape, or dodge or something? I tried to test it myself, but that doesn't really work with only two hands...

 

[M15t3R E]

Thanks. And wow, not bad. Why did I never ever see a Pikachu doing those? XD

Are they tested and work 100 % sure? Like you can't DI somewhere to escape, or dodge or something? I tried to test it myself, but that doesn't really work with only two hands...

You betcha. These numbers have been confirmed by more than just the Pikachu board.

 

[K 2]

Yes, I think snake might be able to pull a nade in between grabs, but he has to have spot on timing.

 

[elpermic]

2v2 help?

Ok, so me and my friend play 2 of my other friends in a bet..

The ones who wins a best of 7 gets money.

Now we beat them 4-0, but they asked for a rematch, and we lsot to them 6-0 best of 11..

I was using Pikachu, my friend used Zelda/Shiek, and also used Ike..

My other friends used Toon link and Sonic/Luigi, but after we started the best of 11 match, one of them switched to Kirby, who kept spaming b-up before I could use the pikachu launcher.. We always lost whenever he had Kirby, so now I need help on how to counter and win me some money..

My team: Pikachu&Zelda
Others:Toon link&Kirby

Stratagies? Tips?? Help appreciated.

 

[KayLo!]

Ok, so me and my friend play 2 of my other friends in a bet..

The ones who wins a best of 7 gets money.

Now we beat them 4-0, but they asked for a rematch, and we lsot to them 6-0 best of 11..

I was using Pikachu, my friend used Zelda/Shiek, and also used Ike..

My other friends used Toon link and Sonic/Luigi, but after we started the best of 11 match, one of them switched to Kirby, who kept spaming b-up before I could use the pikachu launcher.. We always lost whenever he had Kirby, so now I need help on how to counter and win me some money..

My team: Pikachu&Zelda
Others:Toon link&Kirby

Stratagies? Tips?? Help appreciated.

I have two questions.... first, by pikachu launcher, do you mean Skull Bash (side-b)?

And also, do you have team attack on or off? I assume you have it on, but if they're just casual matches I know some people play with it off.

 

[elpermic]

YEs, I mean side b

Team attack is off.

 

[M15t3R E]

Ok, so me and my friend play 2 of my other friends in a bet..

The ones who wins a best of 7 gets money.

Now we beat them 4-0, but they asked for a rematch, and we lsot to them 6-0 best of 11..

I was using Pikachu, my friend used Zelda/Shiek, and also used Ike..

My other friends used Toon link and Sonic/Luigi, but after we started the best of 11 match, one of them switched to Kirby, who kept spaming b-up before I could use the pikachu launcher.. We always lost whenever he had Kirby, so now I need help on how to counter and win me some money..

My team: Pikachu&Zelda
Others:Toon link&Kirby

Stratagies? Tips?? Help appreciated.

Try using dtilt and tjolts against Kirby. Also, if you haven't already, learn fair/grab combos.
I like to use my Marth against Kirbys so you or your partner can try that if you want.

 

[KayLo!]

Also, if he's truly spamming his up-b, just jump over it and fastfall f-air him on your way down. Like Mr. E said, it can lead into combos, and he'll leave himself wide open for them if he keeps using that move over and over.

Since you have team attack off... if your friend is using Ike, try grabbing Kirby (or TL), then holding him while your partner f-smashes him to his death. Ike is pretty beastly in team attack off battles as long as he doesn't get gimped. As Pika, you can help him out in this area by edgeguarding with thunder if you see someone trying to shut down his recovery.

 

[!Boom!]

Lol @ Team Attack Off

 

[elpermic]

The thing is, if I grab Kirby and my friend uses Ike, my other friend(Toon Link) will just attack us.

 

[KayLo!]

The thing is, if I grab Kirby and my friend uses Ike, my other friend(Toon Link) will just attack us.

Well, it obviously won't work every time (or hardly ever if they're really good), but if you see the opportunity.... it's a very satisfying one to pull off.

Or he could use Ike's usmash. It has range all around his body, so TL will have to shield or spotdodge. And if he tries to grab Ike afterwards, you can just interrupt it before Kirby comes back (assuming he gets star-KO'd, which takes longer).

 

[elpermic]

Kirby is REALLY good.. My other friend either damages us alot or kills us, while the other does all the damage, we do the same thing..

TL usually uses his boomerang, bombs, or arrow.

Whenever we lose, they both had 1 life each, the thing was we couldn't get over the hump.. Sometimes my friend will spam Kirby's b-up, but he will also just attack us, also it seems like Tl and Kirby jsut NEVER die whatever % damage they are.. I constantly use my go-to move for Pikachu(Thunder) and they STILL SURVIVE!

 

[KayLo!]

Save your kill moves (fsmash, usmash, n-air) for when you're sure they'll kill. Thunder KOs, but it's hard to get a sweetspotted thunder at the base around Pikachu, and most people know to airdodge through the bolt. I would advise only doing it when you send someone in the air and they're still stunned from the hit. Don't be predictable with it.

Since you should be using thunder to edgeguard, it'll probably be stale/degenerated by the time you want the KO, so I wouldn't rely on it for kills unless they're high in the air. N-air is also a common damage-racking move, so most of the time it too will be stale and will probably only kill closer to the edges of the stage.

I actually just started a project that shows when specific characters will die from Pikachu's KO moves: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=211095

To save you the trouble of reading all that, here's the general info for TL & Kirby. These are from the middle of the stage on Final Destination:
Kirby dies at around 104% from a fresh fsmash, 113% from a fresh usmash, and 148% from a fresh n-air.
TL dies at around 113% from a fresh fsmash and 123% from a fresh usmash.

I hope that helps.

It sounds like you just need to learn your Pika combos and save your kill moves. Don't spam thunder (it's best used for edgeguarding)... it's better to spam jolts if anything, but use your moves wisely and plan what you're doing. Don't mindlessly use any one thing or your opponent will predict what you'll do and punish you accordingly.

Good luck beating your friends. Also, read the stickies here in the forum. They were mostly written with 1v1 in mind, but they contain a lot of basic Pika knowledge that will help you tremendously.

 

[Roxas215]

Just practice.

Are you not reaching the ledge, or are you getting stuck under the stage, or what?

A bit of both. Sometimes i just miss the edge and just fall to death. Sometimes i miss it but still land on the stage. Sometimes when i try to qac to the egde from a recovery to gimp my opponent i get stuck on the edge.

But i agree it's just a matter of me practicing.!

 

[M15t3R E]

A bit of both. Sometimes i just miss the edge and just fall to death. Sometimes i miss it but still land on the stage. Sometimes when i try to qac to the egde from a recovery to gimp my opponent i get stuck on the edge.

But i agree it's just a matter of me practicing.!

You mean to say you ledgegrab with your QA? That is dangerous, and rarely worth attempting.

Or do you mean you are having trouble QA'ing to the ledge? That will take practice. In time, your instincts will guide your QA's to the ledge and you'll never miss.

 

[K 2]

QA onto the ledge is sexy. It's a fancy way to edgehog someone and its one of the most suicidal things you can do in brawl, but it looks so flashy....

 

[kirbysprite]

Okay, I HAVE TEH WORST PIKACHU EVAR!!! I ACTUALLY GOT 3 STOCKED BY FOX!!!!

So, I'm gonna ask a bunch of questions, please answer and thank you.

Dair > Dsmash does work at high percentages. Which is how he kills me.

I have absolutely no use for the QAC. What are the uses for that? I only use it for Nair (never hits Fox. QAC > Thunder, now knows when I'm about to use it, and when I do use it, he dodges it, and kills me. QAC > Dair how is this useful? Using QAC for mindgames, nope I don't get how.

How do I kill him? The Fox barely makes any mistakes, so I can't wait for any, because I can never spot any. Yet, I make more mistakes than him.

What do I use for edgeguarding? Since fox can double-jump fair to not only get more air, but he uses that for protection against edgeguarding.

How should I approach him? When I play, I usually let him approach me. Is that good? Is the only approach FF Fairs? What are good approaches using the QAC? If I do FF Fair, what should I use to combo into it?

Is the jab useful? When should I use that?

Also, I don't know what will Fox do, when he approaches, whenever I think he'll Jump > Dair, he grabs, whenever I think he grabs he Jumps> Dair. What should I do?

I usually die getting killed while I'm getting back to the stage from the edge. If I'm on the edge how should I get back?

 

[Raezor]

Okay, I HAVE TEH WORST PIKACHU EVAR!!! I ACTUALLY GOT 3 STOCKED BY FOX!!!!

I have absolutely no use for the QAC. What are the uses for that? I only use it for Nair (never hits Fox. QAC > Thunder, now knows when I'm about to use it, and when I do use it, he dodges it, and kills me. QAC > Dair how is this useful? Using QAC for mindgames, nope I don't get how.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sySJK0B_VZU

Now for my question.

I have a major tournament coming up in two months, long enough for me to start training with a different control scheme or different controller entirely. So, what do the pro's use for a controller? Wiimote, Wiimote w/ Nun, Classic, GC Controller, or Arcade Stick?

Along with that, what is the control scheme you have set up, default, or other?

 

[5ive]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sySJK0B_VZU

Now for my question.

I have a major tournament coming up in two months, long enough for me to start training with a different control scheme or different controller entirely. So, what do the pro's use for a controller? Wiimote, Wiimote w/ Nun, Classic, GC Controller, or Arcade Stick?

Along with that, what is the control scheme you have set up, default, or other?

95% of the people will say Gamecube.
Stick with gamecube.
Why spend 2 months getting used to a new control scheme, when you can spend 2 months PERFECTING your old one.
<_<

 

[rinoH]

so true 5ive

 

[KayLo!]

I have a major tournament coming up in two months, long enough for me to start training with a different control scheme or different controller entirely. So, what do the pro's use for a controller? Wiimote, Wiimote w/ Nun, Classic, GC Controller, or Arcade Stick?

Along with that, what is the control scheme you have set up, default, or other?

5ive is right... stick with the GC controller. Especially in a tournament setting with a lot of consoles, wiimotes can get interference or lose battery life or any number of annoying things. Plus they're just not as easy to use, imo.

Control settings are completely personal preference. I have tap jump off (easier u-tilts/smashes), default c-stick (smashes), and my L button set to jump (helps me do QAC->aerials more fluidly)... but sometimes I still use X/Y to jump.

There's no right or wrong way, though, just do what feels most comfortable to you.

Okay, I HAVE TEH WORST PIKACHU EVAR!!! I ACTUALLY GOT 3 STOCKED BY FOX!!!!

So, I'm gonna ask a bunch of questions, please answer and thank you.

Dair > Dsmash does work at high percentages. Which is how he kills me.

I have absolutely no use for the QAC. What are the uses for that? I only use it for Nair (never hits Fox. QAC > Thunder, now knows when I'm about to use it, and when I do use it, he dodges it, and kills me. QAC > Dair how is this useful? Using QAC for mindgames, nope I don't get how.

How do I kill him? The Fox barely makes any mistakes, so I can't wait for any, because I can never spot any. Yet, I make more mistakes than him.

What do I use for edgeguarding? Since fox can double-jump fair to not only get more air, but he uses that for protection against edgeguarding.

How should I approach him? When I play, I usually let him approach me. Is that good? Is the only approach FF Fairs? What are good approaches using the QAC? If I do FF Fair, what should I use to combo into it?

Is the jab useful? When should I use that?

Also, I don't know what will Fox do, when he approaches, whenever I think he'll Jump > Dair, he grabs, whenever I think he grabs he Jumps> Dair. What should I do?

I usually die getting killed while I'm getting back to the stage from the edge. If I'm on the edge how should I get back?

My family's slowly waking up for gifts, so this'll be quick, but here's a few things off the top of my head:

- QAC is very very useful. If you know its uses (and it sounds like you have a general idea) and you're not hitting your opponent, that probably means you're being predictable. The joy of QAC is that you can mix it up so easily, so your opponent will never know what's coming.... if he does, he's either psychic or you need more variety.

- QAC -> thunder should really only be used when they're up high enough that they can't punish you if it misses.

- Have you been CG'ing Fox? Dthrow CG on Fox is beautiful and will get him 60-70% easy. If you end with a dsmash, he'll probably fall into it and get even more damage. That pretty much puts him into kill range (and you haven't even staled any moves yet!).

- I barely ever jab. Sometimes I'll surprise my opponent with it because it has more range than people expect -- and it causes tripping -- but I never really... plan to use it.

- Thunder for edgeguarding. Hop out, jump back, & thunder on your way back to the stage. Or jump out and thunder, then recover. It doesn't matter how much air Fox has if there's a bolt coming down from the sky.

- Being able to predict him is a skill you just have to develop on your own. If you know your opponent has multiple options, use your best judgment to predict what he'll do. Mistakes will happen (unless you're clairvoyant), but as you play more and more people, you'll develop this skill naturally.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

the best way to end a cg is with a usmash or utilt. sets up for thunder.

 

[Mangme]

How should I play against a PT?

 

[super_bacon807]

Oops I accidently posted on my brother's account, let me change to my account.

 

[kirbysprite]

- QAC -> thunder should really only be used when they're up high enough that they can't punish you if it misses.

I always get punished if I miss the thunder, are you able to shield it right when the thunder hits right?

- Have you been CG'ing Fox? Dthrow CG on Fox is beautiful and will get him 60-70% easy. If you end with a dsmash, he'll probably fall into it and get even more damage. That pretty much puts him into kill range (and you haven't even staled any moves yet!).

Yep, I have been CG'ing Fox. I can only do utilt to him after a CG, because he shields an Usmash, but I never tried a Dsmash, I'll try it. But I'll also utilts too.

- Thunder for edgeguarding. Hop out, jump back, & thunder on your way back to the stage. Or jump out and thunder, then recover. It doesn't matter how much air Fox has if there's a bolt coming down from the sky.

Okay, I remember when I started to use that, it never worked... He would always illusion back, dodging the thunder.

- Being able to predict him is a skill you just have to develop on your own. If you know your opponent has multiple options, use your best judgment to predict what he'll do. Mistakes will happen (unless you're clairvoyant), but as you play more and more people, you'll develop this skill naturally.

I guess no one can help me with that then...

 

[K 2]

If he shields the usmash, just grab him.

Don't worry, I got 2 stocked by anther's fox (does he even use fox?) on wifi...then I lost to his sonic. How do you lose to sonic?!?!

 

[Anther]

Of course I do!

 

[KayLo!]

the best way to end a cg is with a usmash or utilt. sets up for thunder.

True story, but I've had people airdodge through my utilt (maybe I hesitated before doing it? I don't know, maybe someone can answer that), so ever since that happened once or twice, I've just automatically done dsmash and saved usmash for when it would definitely KO. That could be unnecessary caution on my part.

I always get punished if I miss the thunder, are you able to shield it right when the thunder hits right?

Well... if you're specifically talking about Fox, if he's high in the air (I'm talking near the top of the screen), he has nothing he can do to punish you before thunder ends. He falls fast, but not that fast.

Okay, I remember when I started to use that, it never worked... He would always illusion back, dodging the thunder.

This is where variety comes in. No move should always be used in a particular situation unless it's truly inescapable. Thunder to edgeguard until he expects it and starts to illusion, then anticipate the illusion and punish. When he starts to catch onto that and stops using illusion, go back to thunder. If you're confident, try chasing him off the edge with an n-air or d-air.

Be unpredictable, and it'll force him to hesitate before he recovers. Hesitation = good for you.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

reverse your utilt. a usmash comes out faster then a utilt if you face them while utilting. turning around then utilting will make it even faster then a usmash.

 

[K 2]

Of course I do!

Oh good. I thought you chose fox to taunt me. I couldn't even win a 90-10 matchup. =''''''(

 

[KayLo!]

reverse your utilt. a usmash comes out faster then a utilt if you face them while utilting. turning around then utilting will make it even faster then a usmash.

Ahh, you're right. So simple and I never even thought of it.

Thanks! I'll try this from now on.

 

[kirbysprite]

Well... if you're specifically talking about Fox, if he's high in the air (I'm talking near the top of the screen), he has nothing he can do to punish you before thunder ends. He falls fast, but not that fast.

I wasn't talking about getting punished when using thunder to edgeguard there. I was talking about getting punished when using QAC > Thunder. Is it punishable?

This is where variety comes in. No move should always be used in a particular situation unless it's truly inescapable. Thunder to edgeguard until he expects it and starts to illusion, then anticipate the illusion and punish. When he starts to catch onto that and stops using illusion, go back to thunder. If you're confident, try chasing him off the edge with an n-air or d-air.

I can't edgeguard using nairs or dairs. He always gets passed that. The Thunder edgegaurd works a lot, thanks!

 

[KayLo!]

I wasn't talking about getting punished when using thunder to edgeguard there. I was talking about getting punished when using QAC > Thunder. Is it punishable?

Any thunder is punishable if you miss and your opponent is close to the ground. It has ending lag. QAC > thunder is no exception.

 

[IxxI]

How is Jedstwiilite in the high voltage clan? He sucks. <:o

 

[Masky]

What are the characters Pikachu can grab release to dtilt/ftilt/anything?