Q&A Ask about Pikachu! Hosted by Axe and N64! feat. dkuo!

[Max?]

Axe, I was so impressed by your play at KoC. Massive props man, can't wait to see more

 

[iRobinhoood]

Axe you are a reason people will train and strive to improve. It's nice to see examples of what hard hard work can do.

 

[Divinokage]

I just have to say:

Thank you all so so so much for the congrats and everything. It really means a lot to me. This weekend was so amazing

I've been training so hard and I'm so glad it's all paying off.

Know that I was giving you my energy from far away and had your back on the stream, . But for real now, great job! I was impressed.

 

[Bing]

Good **** Jeffrey. Glad to see you're getting into shape for Apex.

Also, earlier someone commented that they were using Pikachu at ROM 5 and Falco at Apex... just thought I'd drop my two cents in the wishing well and say that if you're going to be using Falco at Apex, you should probably be trying to get as much practice with Falco against OoC/OoS players as possible. If Pikachu is just a fun side project, save it for locals or smashfests.

 

[oukd]

I mean, yes, that would be the smart thing to do...but I'm not interested in doing that

 

[Captain Smuckers]

If you wanted to do what is really like, the smartest thing to do regarding character usage, you would main falco and not play pika <_<. Are there actually any matchups that are better for pika than falco? As a falco, there really isn't a reason to switch to pika lol. Thats what I'd say if I were a loser that only cared about winning and didn't understand how amazing it is to beat people up with a little yellow rat.

I definitely think that pikachu is a great character to keep in the pocket though (cause he's a pocket monster). Say you manage to win a really tight game against someone of very similar skill and then you either lose the next match or are worried that you might, that's when switching to pika would be a good idea. It would almost definitely throw whoever you're playing off their game and catch them off guard.

 

[oukd]

im just doing it because im stubborn lol, im 100% absolutely a falco main but i can't help but play pika at tournaments from time to time. add that onto the fact that i have a thing against cp'ing characters, and yeah...

i think the only matchup pika does better than falco is vs fastfallers on fd

 

[Jolteon]

Pikachu does better vs Marth.

 

[Captain Smuckers]

I used to think that axe was good at the match matchup, now I know it's just cause he uses a cheap character that automatically wins though

(During Axe's match against PPU)
"Ken, what would you do if you were PPU?"

"I'd give up"

Damn Pika, you so cool.

Edit:
Ironically, PPU did end up quitting...lol. Ken knows everything

 

[Jolteon]

Ken knows everything

 

[AXE 09]

Lol!!

Ken said the matchup for Pika v Marth is like 65/35 Pika hahaha.

You guys have no idea how much of a fangirl I was to meet ken. I was so pathetic lol

 

[Tee ay eye]

axe sucks

zeldafreak ***** <3

 

[Captain Smuckers]

He said it was like 65-35 for pika, but then went on to say that it was practically unwinnable for marth. I won't question it though

 

[AXE 09]

Zeldafreak does indeed ****.

And Tai is a loser lol

 

[Strong Badam]

oh my goodness
can we make this a meme
please let's make this a meme

 

[AXE 09]

Hey guys

I know I've shown you this edge cancel a long time ago, but I've been practicing it and trying to use it in actual matches lol. I'll keep practicing it until I can be more confident with it, cuz it's actually really useful. Hopefully it can give people some ideas or something haha

I do it here, and one more time later in the same match lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIvvyuhzXKY#t=39m45s

Keep in mind you don't have to fall off the platform after you edgecancel, so it's pretty cool to tech chase somebody onto the top platform, or even reset a missed tech with your quick attack.

 

[Jolteon]

Lol!!

Ken said the matchup for Pika v Marth is like 65/35 Pika hahaha.

You guys have no idea how much of a fangirl I was to meet ken. I was so pathetic lol

I felt the same way and I was only watching the stream. I wish I could have gone.

oh my goodness
can we make this a meme
please let's make this a meme

Only Ken could achieve this.

 

[indigestible_wad]

Axe, it's really funny that you have everybody in arizona conditioned into fighting an agressive, hyper-technical style pikachu. They're not used to fighting a less technical, defensive pikachu, and I was getting away with a lot of stuff I'm not used to getting away with. At one point, I killed cori's samus because she used her upb too low, expecting me to upb gimp her. It's too bad you weren't there, but good job getting third in cali. That was really cool.

 

[oukd]

yea if anyone knows how to deal with techy pikas, it's az...i really want to play them to see how badly i get wrecked lmao, since i play *sort of* like that. apex should be good for that

also regarding axe's edgecancelling thing on ys, i think you can do something similar on fod when you're just slightly off the ground (or maybe my angles are bad, idk). which is cool because i prefer that stage a lot more lol

imo id rather go up via wavelands/jumping for techchases, but upb cancelling off plats is a good misdirection technique

 

[Captain Smuckers]

I've thought about learning crap tons of up b ledge cancels, but I feel like they're pretty gimmicky. Unless, of course, you did actually become so good that you could ledge cancel like, all the time lol. They definitely freak people out at first, but I feel like they get used to them, so I gotta agree with Dkuo and say that I prefer to just waveland. Still a neat ledge cancel though.

By the way, Axe, I saw on the stream that you shield drop nairs a lot. Nairs are like the only one I really have trouble shield dropping early enough so that I hit a person on the same platform as me(I think it's pretty obvious why they'd be harder), may I ask what method you use to shield drop them? Like, do you actually just push down the perfect amount in your shield, or do you tilt the stick (one of the shai dropping methods). I was just curious of which one you think is the best. I think it depends a bit on the situation, but yeah.

 

[oukd]

from my experience, in your mind you have to be confident about timing to land shielddrop nairs

im not axe but tilt>drop imo is much preferable because consistency is much easier to achieve

 

[Captain Smuckers]

yeah, I use tilt drop. I never thought of using nairs out of a shield drop much, because I didn't think I would hit people, so I never really practiced them. I generally just use up airs as pikachu, but I'll start workin on nairs too I guess. Expect them at rom.

 

[oukd]

oh yeah i wanted to mention this a while ago

on dreamland if you're on a side platform and walk off towards the center of the stage and do a 45° upwards angled upb in the same direction at the right time you'll cancel off the opposite side of the top platform. pretty neat angled cancel, but you could also do the jump > horizontal cancel which is the same thing but faster, although harder to do imo

sorry if anyone already mentioned this lol <_<

edit: hm might have to take that back, im trying it now but i cant seem to get it anymore. i could on my old controller i swear...:/

 

[AXE 09]

Shield drop Nair someone on the same platform as me? I usually Uair if they're on the same platform as me lol. If I try to Nair, it usually misses. I'll Nair if they're under the platform though. It's awesome cuz you can start a combo on someone under the platform with a shield drop Nair. They think they have the advantage and then BAM! Out of nowhere you start a combo lol. Love it

The way I shield drop is to be shielding while having my control stick all the way to the left or right, and then I roll the control stick downwards to that 45 degree notch (I roll it down kinda quickly actually. I think most people think you have to do it slow but you actually do it pretty fast).

So if you look at my shield when I'm on a platform and I'm about to shield drop, my shield is ALWAYS angled either all the way left, or all the way right.

This has been the easiest method for me to master for shield dropping, although its weakness is that you can get shield stabbed a lot since you'll be angling your shield before you fall through. I think the BEST method is to just tilt downwards on a platform while shielding, but that's way harder for me to learn than the method I have now. This method has been giving me the most success.

 

[knightpraetor]

marth's uptilt would pierce that so easily since it will come up from behind if you DI your shield forward..but what other moves would be problematic for angling your shield forward? It seems just strictly better against most chars as long as you have full shield.

 

[Captain Smuckers]

I could have sworn I saw you shield drop nair someone on the same platform during the stream... I dunno, maybe I'm crazy.

 

[oukd]

its already really hard to simply platform drop nair someone on a platform lol

 

[Captain Smuckers]

Thats why I was so baffled at how he did it (I thought). I mean, I wouldn't put anything past Axe at this point, but it's pretty freakin difficult lol. I also just always figured that using up airs was better anyway. Gonna try a bit of experimenting though I guess

 

[AXE 09]

Haha I'll usually only Nair if they're under the platform and at mid-high percents. If they're at a low percent, then I'll uair to not get punished by their ASDI down.

 

[Captain Smuckers]

I see. Well, while we're on the topic of shield dropping, when you guys do a dash drop (run->tilt stick->shield->drop) do you have more difficulty with one side than the other? If I'm running to the left I can do it really well, but doing it towards the right is a bit more difficult.

 

[oukd]

that's normal
i think it's controller dependent actually

 

[V3ctorMan]

oooooopppps

 

[V3ctorMan]

Totally did it. Here it is for your reading pleasure. :D Unfortunately I had to focus on the technical details of how a combo video is made, but I made sure to put some AXE love in the conclusion. Hope you enjoy! :D

[collapse=The AXE Effect]The AXE Effect

In the video game community, there are many talented people who can make some of the most imaginative and unique creations. One of these creations, a “combo video,” is a video compilation of a player’s best attack combos that usually lead to the defeat of another player. In the video “The AXE Effect” by V3ctorMan, several factors(what are?) combine to make this video an example of the perfect combo video. To make a combo video, tournament organizers record game matches and edit them into clips, then they combine the best clips into a video with background music that syncs with the attack moves. This makes the video not only entertaining to watch but also a showcase of both the featured player’s skill and the video creator’s talent.

The very first part of any combo video is the introduction, or intro. Intros differ widely among videos and really depend entirely on the creator’s personality. Common intros include animated text with the name of the video and the creator with a black background. However, if the creator is more experienced, he or she will make a much more detailed and skillful intro with many visual elements. These kinds of intros can include tiny clips, a picture, or just a much fancier version of the common intro. For “The AXE Effect,” V3ctorMan produced a very professional intro, including more textual information and a streaming line of clips that eventually led into the first one. This is a very stylish intro and one that is rarely seen, as this is the mark of a very talented and professional combo video maker. Another way to determine if the video is a professional work is to analyze not only the types of songs they use, but also the way the music is arranged.

The music used is usually of a techno style, and rarely has words or dialogue in it. Depending on how long the video is and how many songs would fit into the final version, different types of songs are used. For example, if it is a long video, three songs could be used. These include a fast, catchy song to start, a slower and more paced song in the middle, and another fast song at the end for excitement. This order makes the video much more memorable because of the way the songs catch interest, continue it, then leave excitement at the end. If it was a shorter video, the video can have one or two songs. Typically, if a video is short enough for only one song, the song will be fast and exciting. Interest is key, and fast songs accentuate gaming. Things can get much more complicated, though, if the song has to have two songs but cannot fit three. In this case, more searching needs to be done for songs that are slow at the start and then become catchy at the end. The first song will always be fast, but the second song must slow down to give more variety and uniqueness to the video. In “The AXE Effect,” V3ctorMan chooses three songs that include a fast song, a slower song, and then another fast song at the end. This was appropriate because of the length of the video, and the songs all come together very well. His choices of songs with a similar style keep the video very interesting throughout the entire length. All in all, choosing songs is a tricky process, but what requires even more concentration is the syncing of the songs to the player’s gaming clips.

Clip syncing is relatively easy in some regard, but it requires a good compilation program and a focused mind. The songs have their own specific beats, and putting the clips together in a way that accentuates those beats can be a very challenging process. The clips must be watched several times in order to figure out where to put them on a timeline. Depending on the song chosen and the game clips available, this can be the most time consuming part of the creation. Because of the timing of the moves in the game and the relative slowness of music in some parts of the songs, de-syncing can happen easily, and must be watched out for. Many moments can be synced, including the points that moves hit and the times that the opponents are knocked out. For this part of the video, V3ctorMan decides to focus on syncing the times that opponents were defeated, and positions the clips around an intense point of the song (usually a single beat) that marks the defeat of the other player. This makes the video more vivid and makes that moment stand out to the viewer most, maintaining their excitement. Although there were times where these moments were de-synced, that is to be expected, as combo videos that have no de-syncing are few and far in between. He did a better job than most, however, and was able to work with the clips that he did have.

Clips, the visual part of the video, are the most diverse part of the video. These clips are the main feature and are chosen from many of a player’s recorded matches. They are generally very limited, as most matches go back and forth between players and do not feature only one player dominating the scene. The clips are picked from the few times in matches where one player is able to get multiple hits on the other, and usually is able to defeat them. Their move combos vary widely, but in the case of a very skilled player with lots of experience, they can follow a general pattern. In AXE’s combo video, V3ctorMan uses several clips with common patterns in the fast parts of the song, and then uses different combinations for the slower song in the middle and the faster song at the end. He carefully puts similar clips in certain patterns so that the clip where the player was defeated would sync with the right spot in the song. The choosing of clips also depends on the style of the player- if the player is playing aggressively, those clips will go with the fast songs, but if the player is playing defensively, those clips will go in the slower song. AXE is usually a very aggressive player so there were many common combinations in the clips with the fast songs, but there was much more variety in the clips with the slow songs. V3ctorMan made the best choices for the clips that he used, and he organized them in a style that was both interesting and thrilling to watch.

In conclusion, this combo video is an example of one of the best. Featuring a clever intro, a skillful composition, and a personalized ending, the video is truly a thrill to watch. Few videos can combine these three elements in the way that V3ctorMan has, and he devised the project in a way that makes it a feature among combo videos. For a truly great combo video, however, the player also has to be good. AXE is one of the most skilled players of Pikachu in Super Smash Bros. Melee in the country, and his combo video shows his vast expertise in the game. Together, AXE and V3ctorMan were able to create a truly exhilarating video in which all aspects are of quality, and they made it both pleasurable and exciting to watch.[/collapse]

Ever get one of those days, and you RE-Read an ENTIRE thread, today was one of those days for me, and this^ still gets me...

/motivated to make more CV's

EDIT: Shield dropping is useless...

 

[oukd]

about a week before i started posting, i read the entire 'ask about pika' thread once through

i wonder how much has been posted in this thread since then...

edit: holy **** me and captain smuckers had our 1st posts in this thread literally right next to each other

http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?p=12218253#post12218253

lmao

edit: god i gave terrible advice back then T_T and nobody called me out on it for some reason
why did i even bother giving advice when ive only played for half a year

 

[Divinokage]

One of my first posts, I said I wanted to kick everyone's *** lol.

 

[Sapphire Dragon]

ever get one of those days, and you re-read an entire thread, today was one of those days for me, and this^ still gets me...

<3 <3 <3

You guys really are that inspiring. Keep at it and always keep improving.

 

[Captain Smuckers]

Lol, wow Dkuo, we both play falco/pikachu, started in 2010, and posted our first posts right next to each other. Rival accepted. Lookin forward to playing with you tomorrow though, I've heard that you're a tall asian guy so I'll find you lol. I know what you mean about the bad advice thing though, I generally tried not to give much advice when I was still a new player. Hell, I still don't even give that much, because I always feel like someone more qualified than me should answer lol.

 

[oukd]

yea! looking forward to it

idk about being rivals though, unfortunately i haven't really been keeping up with melee as much as I should be v_v plus ill probably only be going to rom5 and apex as my only smash events in the next year or so

i always feel underqualified to give advice, but i do it anyways since it also helps me consolidate information in my mind...and if i say something wrong then someone will (hopefully) correct me

 

[Captain Smuckers]

edit: god i gave terrible advice back then T_T and nobody called me out on it for some reason
why did i even bother giving advice when ive only played for half a year

Sound to me like they don't. I bet you single handedly held pikachu player's back from being the best there ever was with your terrible advice that I never listen to. Way to go Dkuo

For sure I know what you're talkin about though. Like, whenever people ask for advice on matches, I find that it helps me to right up a critique like play-by-play style. It helps me realize that I often do the same things that I'm telling others not to and then I can fix it.

Also, Rom and Apex are the only ones I have my sights set on as well lol, there isn't much else. I don't even have my driver's license so I couldn't travel too much even If I wanted to. Should be seein you at both though, which is cool.

 

[Bing]

For my first 100-300 posts everyone thought I was dense. For my next 3000 or so people thought I was a troll and played the entire cast.

See people, heres the thing about giving advice about low tier characters, the average player has no idea what they're talking about, so when noob A: Posts giving advice based on his experience against level 9 Fox, noob B reads this and takes it too his drawing board, aka against level 9 Falco on FD and ***** ****. Both Noobs are happy, A is because he gave advice and was thanked for it and now feels intelligent, Noob B now has a new strategy and becomes excited to **** all them Falco's on FD at his first tournament. Thus, the life of maining a character that only like 6 other people main. Thank God the Pika boards have Jeff and N64, unfortunately they're not around too often, so bad advice slips by.

Anyways I'm done.