Meta SSB4 Falco Matchup Discussion 52 - Lucas - Flight to Anywhere

[Ffamran]

Welcome to the Lucas matchup discussion.

All credit goes to Quas-quas for the original images.​

Here's a link to the main post: SSB4 Falco Matchup Discussion - Main Post. This will be more for general matchup discussions like making a suggestion and such. Or, you could head over to the social thread and ask there: Where We Prefer The Air And The Points Don't Matter!. Or PM me if you really have to, but don't make a habit out of it.

Oh, and if you guys and girls want to play each other to have fun or learn about the MU, check out the NNID and FC sharing thread on the Falco boards: http://smashboards.com/threads/anyone-want-to-exchange-nnids-or-friend-codes.386513/.

There's also the regular NNID and FC sharing threads in the Online discussion if you just want to ask anyone to play.

Notice: Some rules, guidelines, and tips. Some of these are a given since you joined any forum.

1. Be respectful of each other. No insults, no trolling, no flaming, or any of that nonsense.
2. Be aware that some of the discussions can and will be old, so don't call out someone for "wrong" data if that post was referring to say, patch 1.0.3 stuff.
3. Be impartial; learn to see things from other sides. So, don't boast about all the advantages. Notice weaknesses and strengths from both parties.
4. Stay on topic.
5. Have fun.

And here is a frame speed ranking of their regular attacks and grabs - no Specials yet, sorry - to clear up on things since sometimes a move may feel slow, but it's actually fast and vice versa. Plus more information doesn't always hurt. Data from Lucas's Frame Data and http://sixriver.web.fc2.com/ssb4/Character_data.htm - search for リュカ.

As of patch 1.1.4.

Move Hit Frames||
Jab|2-4, 10-12, 17-21, 22-26, 27-31, 32-36, (infinite), 41-42|2-4, 10-12, 20-22
Dash Attack|8-11 or 12-19|15-16
Ftilt|6-8|7-9
Utilt|5-9, 12-16|4-4, 7-10 or 11-14
Dtilt|7-9|3-4
Side Smash|17-19 or 20-20|14-15
Up Smash|7-12, 13-20|28-28, 30-32 or 33-37 or 38-42 or 43-47 or 48-52 (midair target)
Down Smash|7-9|20-21 or 29-30 or 39-40
Nair|3-5, 6-9, 14-17, 21-24|7-23, 26-26
Fair|10-13, 14-17, 18-21, 22-25, 26-27, 28-29|9-10 or 11-12
Bair|4-5 or 6-11|15-20
Uair|7-11|7-9
Dair|16-19 or 20-31|10-12, 18-19, 26-27, 34-35
Zair|N/A|9-12 or 13-19
Grab|8-9|12-19
Dash Grab|10-11|14-21
Pivot Grab|11-12|12-19

 

[Nessimator]

I haven't played this MU before, but I have a feeling this is somewhat in Lucas's favor. Here's why:

The (kinda) Good!

Falco's reflector hurts Lucas's neutral since he can't really depend on PK Fire too much and his grab is a tether, but Falco already struggles in the neutral just in general due to his less-than-average spacing options. I'm not sure what to say about their neutral vs each other except that Falco doesn't struggle as hard as he normally does. Watch out for Z-air though!

Both have a greatly rewarding punish game due to their extensive combos. Both of them have combos that can start from throws and from aerials. I feel like Lucas's combos can extend further while it's easier to start one with Falco due to his better grab.

The Bad!

While both are good at off-stage edge-guarding overall, Falco will be easier to exploit here. Thanks to the tether, Lucas can mix up his recovery options better making him difficult to properly edge-guard. Falco on the other hand, with his more linear recovery, will always have to worry about Lucas edge-guards thanks to PK Thunder, 2 aerial spiking options, and the fact that Lucas can recover from about anywhere, so he can go almost as deep as he wants for the edge-guards.

Lucas can kill Falco notably earlier than Falco can kill Lucas. Falco's B-air is probably better at killing than any of Lucas's aerials. However, when you consider kill throws Lucas has stronger throws. The initial grab may be less reliable than Falco's, but the throws themselves surely outclass Falco's throws. Not only do Lucas's Up and Back throws kill earlier than Falco's, they also are more reliable than Falco's. Both of Falco's kill throws involve lasers which can be DId away from to avoid death and survive about 50-60% longer than normal. Of course, since Lucas's throws don't have this limitation, they are much better. THEN we consider that Falco is lighter and slightly larger than Lucas, so with all this in mind Lucas can often kill Falco more effectively.


The conclusion?

While Falco and Lucas both can play against each other without too much trouble in the neutral, and they both get good reward off of punishes, Lucas is allowed to make more mistakes than Falco. At high %s and off-stage Lucas's advantages against Falco start to show up more clearly. Overall, Lucas is no counter pick, but he shouldn't struggle much against a Falco.

*The match-up is 4:6 in favor of Lucas*
(That's how I see it anyways.)