Rocann
Smash Lord
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction
II. Who is Captain Olimar?
III. Pros/Cons… Why Olimar?
III. Moveset
IV. Some More Stuff
I. Introduction
This is what I want to become a very in-depth guide for both people who do not know who they want to main and are considering Olimar for the job, and also those who already know the character well and are looking to up their game. Eventually, this guide will include character matchups, stage discussion, in-depth move analysis, overall strategies, and nifty ideas to try out in your matches. It will be a conglomeration of the best ideas of our most respected Olimar mains here at SWF, as well as a select few others in the community. Don’t be afraid to throw your hat in too; everyone can help.
It was reading NC-Echo’s guide before the game came out that had me hungering to play Olimar when it was finally released stateside. That guide, however, has become outdated. I feel like it’s our responsibility to give back and hopefully attract more players to the glory of Captain Olimar. That said, here we go.
II. Who is Captain Olimar?
Captain Olimar is the main character in the games Pikmin and Pikmin 2 for the Nintendo Gamecube. His ship, the Dolphin (the codename for the Gamecube!) crashlands on a "Distant Planet," where Olimar is forced to seek assistance in the form of the small, vegetable-like creatures he names Pikmin for the PikPik carrots on his home planet of Hocotate. Olimar is the only brawler to have a wife and children, which just shows how confident he is in his ability to get home safely. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, (who would've thought?) spending time with his pal Louie, and skanking the night away to some Streetlight.
In Brawl, his fighting style consists mainly of attacking using the Pikmin he can pluck from the ground. Whether it's bashing them into his opponent, sending them forth to grapple, or just plain chucking them, it is obvious that they see him as a capable leader with whom they can trust their lives.
III. Pros/Cons… Why Olimar?
Pros:
- From 0 to 60 in… 3 seconds? With a Pikmin or two stuck on your opponent during a grab combo, you can easily go from 0% to 50 or 60% and sometimes even more. This is not only practical for the obvious reasons, but also demoralizing. Imagine feeling like you’ve only been hit twice, but it’s 10 seconds into the game and you’re at 50%. It’s not uncommon to have that feeling playing against Olimar.
- Crouching Olimar, Hidden Hulk. His dsmash, usmash, and fsmash as well as uthrow and bthrow are all viable kill moves at anywhere from 70% to 120% depending on which character you’re fighting and which Pikmin is doing which move. Couple that with his incredible ability to tack on percentages, and you’ve got one of the biggest powerhouses in the game in one of the smallest packages.
- The Rayman effect. Almost *all* of Olimar’s attacks are disjointed hitboxes. Every aerial except nair, every smash, all the grabs, his up + B. Olimar can therefore form effective walls with retreating fairs or uairs coming from under the stage without worrying about his progress being impeded. Most of these moves have very high priority as well, particularly the uair.
- Use that C-Stick! Olimar’s smashes are incredibly quick (Try just hitting fsmash repeatedly. You’ll almost taste the brokenness.) and have very high knockback. They are all well-ranged (except with purple Pikmin) and have very interesting uses. For instance, his usmash can be spammed through platforms making for a very tricky escape, and his fsmash can hit people hanging off edges with no danger of being punished. Also, he and Snake are the only characters with smashes that are technically projectiles (Snake’s usmash, Olimar’s everything.) The Pikmin completely separates from Olimar and any attack used on it will *not* slow Olimar down in any way, while possibly clanking with the opponent. This gives us the ability to spam quick, powerful, fairly high priority smashes like no other.
- Reach out and grab somebody! Olimar’s grab is seriously one of the best moves in the game. First: the range is ridiculous. It can grab straight through moves that otherwise would wall Olimar off, like Pit’s side + b. It can *grab people HANGING OFF THE EDGE.* It combos into itself at low percents. It can kill. It can feed the hungry and cure cancer. It can *grab people HANGING OFF THE EDGE.* And so much more. More on the grab below in its own section.
- PHEW PHEW PHEW PHEW. The sound of Skittle-themed soldiers hurtling into battle. Olimar’s side + b (Pikmin Toss) is one of the best projectiles in the game. The Pikmin will latch onto your opponent and begin to damage them, and they will have to knock them off by attacking. You can fill the air with such a volume of Pikmin that it will really throw off your enemy’s game, and that’s your opportunity to launch into one of Olimar’s extremely painful combos. More on this in its own section below.
-
+
Cons:
- YOUMUST CAN’T RECOVER! There is much talk about Olimar’s awful recovery, and unfortunately, some of it is true. When an opponent is hanging off the edge, Olimar’s up + B, the Pikmin Chain, can only knock them off. It will not grab on, however, leading to your demise. This combined with Olimar’s light weight makes him an easy target for gimps. However, we can remedy this by putting to use well Whistle Armor and having good foresight for airdodges, as well as simply attacking our opponent with our disjointed aerials, whether they are hanging off the ledge or coming out to intercept. Also, a well-aimed purple Pikmin will knock your adversary off the ledge just long enough for you to grab on, possibly stage-spiking them.
- Trouble vs. high priority low aerial moves with quick follow ups. I couldn’t think of anything funny to write for this one. Basically, when a character (Peach, Luigi, Marth, and Yoshi in particular) comes at us from the right angle above and in front of us, we have few options and it makes it difficult to get them off our backs. Liberal use of pivot grabs and nairs/retreating fairs can counter this to an extent, making this much less of a weakness to smarter Olimar players.
That’s it! Only one major weakness! As you can see, Olimar really is a fantastic character with many strengths and few shortcomings. Plus, he’s just plain fun to play, and can come as a surprise to many. I highly recommend him to anybody looking to win and have a great time doing it.
IV. Moveset
Before you go any further, click here to visit Kyas's amazing guide on Pikmin!
Jab (A,A) (3% - 15%)
Description:
Olimar bobs his head down, and brings it back up forcefully.
Attributes and Application:
On the first jab, the Antenae has a hitbox that extends further than that of the helmet. It is possible to hit only with the Antenae, providing a hit of 3% with no knockback. The helmet does 2% and has light stun. On the second jab, when Olimar brings his head back up, if the opponent is in front of him it will do a full 10% damage undiminished, bringing the total possible damage to 15%. There is actually moderate knockback on the second jab, making it a great “get away from me” move. Couple that with it also being his fastest move (hitbox emerges on the 4th frame) and it’s possibly his greatest option when someone is really up on the pressure. Another nifty little fact about the jab is that on the second part, he actually hits behind him. Knockback is minimal and it only does 5% damage, but anyone trying to roll behind you on jab will get surprised and you’ll be able to GTFO.
Forward Tilt (>A)(6%)
Description:
Olimar drop kicks his opponent without fear or remorse.
Attributes and Application:
This move moves Olimar forward a little bit. There is a laggy get-up time afterward and for only 6% and it’s too much knockback and lag to use in combos, but not enough to ever kill until close to 175% or so on light characters. It is only truly useful when you are out of Pikmin or they are still coming back to you, and your opponent is playing just out of jab range. It is just quick enough to surprise someone, and can be useful for mixups in Olimar dittos. Otherwise, it is just made obsolete by the other tilts, jab, and the dash attack.
Down Tilt (vA) (2%-8%)
Description:
Olimar inchworms at them. There’s really no other way to describe it.
Attributes and Application:
This move, like ftilt, moves Olimar forward quite a ways. It is much more useful than ftilt in that respect because Olimar drops to the floor and can slide under projectiles. It’s no Snake-crawl, but it’ll do. The helmet has a hitbox with light knockback that does 6%, and the antenna hits for 2% with no knockback. The light knockback allows for an opponent to be “carried” in some cases like in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS1g3ILZUU8
The greatest application of the dtilt, however, is to out-prioritize attacks that would otherwise cause trouble. For instance, Luigi’s tornado. It has trouble stopping fully-charged projectiles such as Lucario’s aura sphere, though. It is worth noting that around 70%-80% it is Olimar’s best pop-up move for a uair combo, and even at low percents can combo into a dsmash or usmash, although there are other moves that would suit the purpose better.
Up Tilt (^A)(11%)
Description:
Olimar extends his arms into a T and leaps gracefully into the air, twirling in infinite circles and hurling those who would oppose him with the strength of 10 Grinches, plus two.
Attributes and Application:
The Up Tilt is probably Olimar’s most useful tilt. It hits many times, ending in more than enough knockback to get some breathing room at low percents. It is an even better spotdodge punisher than the jab, and has shield-poking potential. The knockback isn’t so high that it loses combo potential, as it leads well into nair/uair. This move has deceivingly great priority, and therefore is one of Olimar’s only options against Peach’s floating dair approach as well as a good counter for Fox’s drill approaches. The priority at the tip of the jump is enough to outprioritize Wolf's fsmash. It also has the interesting property of jumping over some down-tilts and dsmashes. It is a safe bet out of a spotdodge; it works like R.O.B’s dsmash in that it is difficult to punish. Personally, I prefer the mobility of a short-hop nair, but this IS quicker and by default a better option in some situations.
Forward Smash (>>A)(9%-18%)
Description:
Olimar points. Pikmin dives. Enemy feels the pain.
Attributes and Application:
The fsmash is one of Olimar’s best moves. It takes full advantage of his range and speed. The Pikmin that leaps forth will barely have touched the ground before Olimar is able to send the next one out. It has too many good things to write in paragraph form, so here’s a SparkNotes version:
- Powerful knockback, especially with red Pikmin. Will kill as early as 100%.
- Long-lasting hitbox when the Pikmin falls down, will hit spotdodgers! After the Pikmin stops moving forward, however, the sweetspot is over and the move will do less damage and knockback.
- When the Pikmin falls, anyone hanging off an edge will be hit. This also holds true for people standing beneath you and you’re on a platform, if they’re tall enough. Remember, after the Pikmin stops moving forward, the sweetspot is over and the move will do less damage and knockback.
- Excellent move for spacing. Fairs/Pikmin Tosses/Fsmashes can keep people at bay all day long. Retreating fair -> fsmash is too good.
- Great combo starter at low percents. An fsmash will lock someone there so you can rush in for a grab, dash attack, usmash, or even just use another fsmash. Almost every ground move and dthrow will lead into this well.
- This will protect you from projectiles. Any Pikmin flying OR walking back to you will eat the Aura Sphere, Charge Shot or what have you.
- Can lock up against a wall. See this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwL3MR7E2dE
Down Smash (vvA)(6%-15% uncharged)
Description:
Olimar looks to the ground and points hardcore to both sides of him, knowing he is protected by his loyal soldiers. What a badass.
Attributes and Application:
Dsmash is another excellent kill move. It is great for when you are up close and personal with someone, and works amazingly coming out of your own spotdodge as well as for punishing their spotdodge or roll. You can spam these, but that’s only good up-close; fsmash is far better for spacing. There is a sweetspot with the dsmash where you will actually do double the damage, get the elemental effects of both Pikmin, and send them very far in one direction. It's worth noting that the dsmash is the only move that the purple Pikmin has the same range as all the others.
Up Smash(^^A)(6%-15% uncharged)
Description:
Olimar points to the sky and, seeing this, a valiant Pikmin is filled with uncontrolled rage and unbridled fury… before hopping upward, not very menacingly. When the opponent is hit with this move, that raw emotion is transferred into him and he rockets skyward.
Attributes and Application:
This is probably your most reliable kill move. It’s quick, powerful enough to kill the lightest characters as early as 70% with a purple, and has decent priority. Further adding to the power of the usmash is the fact that there is actually a horizontal hitbox about the distance of another Olimar. As with the other smashes, the smash is strongest right when the Pikmin leaps. Other excellent applications of the usmash are after a dthrow. Dthrow -> usmash -> uair is a legitimate combo on much of the cast from 0%. It's also a great move to use versus people that like to airdodge at you, because it'll hit if they airdodge high with the lingering hitbox, and it'll hit of course if they airdodge late. Try waiting until they hit the ground, as in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEWVGiLCLcI
Use usmash a lot.
Nair (really?)(12%)
Description:
Copypasta from utilt, except in the air and you can move around. If you look closely in the movie Twister, you can see Olimar in the middle of the tornado doing this move.
Attributes and Application:
Nair is a great, underused move. It has high priority and stays out for a long time. That makes it a great move to follow up a shorthop latch or fair, whether they go high or stay low. It starts combos and ends combos. It is an EXCELLENT followup on large characters if they airdodge a uair. You can uair at them (you’re basically invincible) and if they airdodge, bang nair suck them in. Broken. If you are above MK when he nados, you can knock him out of it using this move and this move alone. This is also your best bet when you’re coming at somebody’s shield from above. It’s similar to GnW’s turtle in that it will poke shields. When using that technique, consider this (and consider this anyway!): NAIR COMBOS INTO USMASH/DSMASH ON ONE CONDITION. You have to make sure you hit the ground before the “knockback” hit comes out. The best way to do this is to start your nair the right distance away from the ground and fastfall immediately afterward. You may break through their attack/shield or punish their spotdodge. If so, they’re yours with a kill move of your choice. It's worth noting that if you're in the air and being pressured hard and catch them in a nair, an Up + B is a good followup to really win that space you need.
Fair (5%-15%)
Description:
Olimar grabs a Pikmin and swings him at his opponent, starting just above his head and ending slightly below and behind. Said Pikmin magically floats to the back of the line.
Attributes and Application:
Fair is a goodie. It’s hard to even say where this move’s best use is. It forms one of the basic dthrow combos, dthrow -> fair. At 0%, that can be followed up by many a move depending on the other character. A shorthop latch(optional) -> fair is excellent for spacing, even moreso when followed with an fsmash. It is fairly powerful knockback-wise with red and purple Pikmin, and since most do not expect Olimar to edgeguard very aggressively, a fair can be an effective way to end a stock early. A quick way to get back on the stage when an opponent is coming to edgeguard is to Pikmin chain -> quickly hit A -> quickly ledgehop fair. It’s easy to catch your opponent off-guard here due to Pikmin chain’s quick suction to the stage from great distances.
Uair (9%-24%)
Description:
Olimar whips out a Pikmin and holds it straight up, where it devours all life. If you hit the ground while the Pikmin is doing the devouring, Olimar will do a little cute butt-bounce. It’s my favorite taunt.
Attributes and Application:
First and foremost, the Uair has amazing priority and ability to hit people out of dairs, or any aerial coming from above for that matter. GnW key? No problem. MK above you? He’s not hitting you till he gets back on the side. (The only thing you have to watch out for on moves like Kirby’s dair is that you don’t jump into them too fast, it’ll hit you on the other side of uair.) It is multi-hit as all hell, which makes it great for when somebody is on a platform above you. They can spotdodge, shield, or drop through and uair will suck them up or poke them. If you’re falling at the same speed, this move beats airdodge and if not, you still have nair for after. Uair's incredible priority and disjointyness makes it amazing for ledgehops to get them off you, and can hit through almost every stage. On Lylat, it can go through the whole thing anywhere you can reach and hit them through it.
On certain characters, uair combos into uair, like this. Dthrow -> usmash -> uair -> uair -> possible Up + B. Mucho damage. Uair is fun times and should always be used if your opponent is above you, whether you bait an airdodge first or not.
Bair (5%-13%)
Description:
Fair but backwards and worse.
Attributes and Application:
Bair basically has the same uses as Fair. It's going to be used for spacing and such with fsmash and grabs or even a dtilt if you're feeling so inclined. The only thing you have to watch out for is that it won't cancel immediately upon hitting the ground, so there is a liiitle bit of lag. It's good for keeping your fair undecayed (RAR into a bair every once in a while instead of fairing, it has a good vertical sweep too, starting below and moving up - Blackwaltz) and is perhaps put to best use in just a basic scramble when you're trying to land a hit and both players are dodging everything. I also use bair when somebody lands behind me with a laggy move hitting my shield. It's faster than a fsmash or turnaround grab.
Dair (8%-16%)
Description:
Olimar quickly extends a Pikmin straight below him before flipping back to right-side-up.
Attributes and Application:
Dair spikes. It has a sweetspot right before Olimar right as he performs the move that sends the opponent careening downward. I don't recommend leaping out and trying to spike people though due to Olimar's easily-gimped nature and how many recoveries in the game attack for the player. If the sweetspot is not hit, there is another bit of time and place where the opposing player will be sent out and upwards pretty far; it's not rare to kill with this around low-100s with a Purple. It then has ANOTHER moment where it will result in a "flub." Dair is probably put to better use if used sparingly in situations such as using the lingering hitbox to do a SHdair to a spotdodge-happy player (and you land with no lag!) or spiking through the edges of stages on a recovering player while staying safe. Dair pretty much sucks to use when falling onto someone and you have much better options in the form of your whistle, nair, or basically anything else.
Everything else coming soon! Up next: rest of the moves, including pictures!
Also! Come into our chat room to discuss your opinion on anything, or ask the very knowledgeable people there whatever questions you may have!
I. Introduction
II. Who is Captain Olimar?
III. Pros/Cons… Why Olimar?
III. Moveset
IV. Some More Stuff
I. Introduction
This is what I want to become a very in-depth guide for both people who do not know who they want to main and are considering Olimar for the job, and also those who already know the character well and are looking to up their game. Eventually, this guide will include character matchups, stage discussion, in-depth move analysis, overall strategies, and nifty ideas to try out in your matches. It will be a conglomeration of the best ideas of our most respected Olimar mains here at SWF, as well as a select few others in the community. Don’t be afraid to throw your hat in too; everyone can help.
It was reading NC-Echo’s guide before the game came out that had me hungering to play Olimar when it was finally released stateside. That guide, however, has become outdated. I feel like it’s our responsibility to give back and hopefully attract more players to the glory of Captain Olimar. That said, here we go.
II. Who is Captain Olimar?
Captain Olimar is the main character in the games Pikmin and Pikmin 2 for the Nintendo Gamecube. His ship, the Dolphin (the codename for the Gamecube!) crashlands on a "Distant Planet," where Olimar is forced to seek assistance in the form of the small, vegetable-like creatures he names Pikmin for the PikPik carrots on his home planet of Hocotate. Olimar is the only brawler to have a wife and children, which just shows how confident he is in his ability to get home safely. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, (who would've thought?) spending time with his pal Louie, and skanking the night away to some Streetlight.
In Brawl, his fighting style consists mainly of attacking using the Pikmin he can pluck from the ground. Whether it's bashing them into his opponent, sending them forth to grapple, or just plain chucking them, it is obvious that they see him as a capable leader with whom they can trust their lives.
III. Pros/Cons… Why Olimar?
Pros:
- From 0 to 60 in… 3 seconds? With a Pikmin or two stuck on your opponent during a grab combo, you can easily go from 0% to 50 or 60% and sometimes even more. This is not only practical for the obvious reasons, but also demoralizing. Imagine feeling like you’ve only been hit twice, but it’s 10 seconds into the game and you’re at 50%. It’s not uncommon to have that feeling playing against Olimar.
- Crouching Olimar, Hidden Hulk. His dsmash, usmash, and fsmash as well as uthrow and bthrow are all viable kill moves at anywhere from 70% to 120% depending on which character you’re fighting and which Pikmin is doing which move. Couple that with his incredible ability to tack on percentages, and you’ve got one of the biggest powerhouses in the game in one of the smallest packages.
- The Rayman effect. Almost *all* of Olimar’s attacks are disjointed hitboxes. Every aerial except nair, every smash, all the grabs, his up + B. Olimar can therefore form effective walls with retreating fairs or uairs coming from under the stage without worrying about his progress being impeded. Most of these moves have very high priority as well, particularly the uair.
- Use that C-Stick! Olimar’s smashes are incredibly quick (Try just hitting fsmash repeatedly. You’ll almost taste the brokenness.) and have very high knockback. They are all well-ranged (except with purple Pikmin) and have very interesting uses. For instance, his usmash can be spammed through platforms making for a very tricky escape, and his fsmash can hit people hanging off edges with no danger of being punished. Also, he and Snake are the only characters with smashes that are technically projectiles (Snake’s usmash, Olimar’s everything.) The Pikmin completely separates from Olimar and any attack used on it will *not* slow Olimar down in any way, while possibly clanking with the opponent. This gives us the ability to spam quick, powerful, fairly high priority smashes like no other.
- Reach out and grab somebody! Olimar’s grab is seriously one of the best moves in the game. First: the range is ridiculous. It can grab straight through moves that otherwise would wall Olimar off, like Pit’s side + b. It can *grab people HANGING OFF THE EDGE.* It combos into itself at low percents. It can kill. It can feed the hungry and cure cancer. It can *grab people HANGING OFF THE EDGE.* And so much more. More on the grab below in its own section.
- PHEW PHEW PHEW PHEW. The sound of Skittle-themed soldiers hurtling into battle. Olimar’s side + b (Pikmin Toss) is one of the best projectiles in the game. The Pikmin will latch onto your opponent and begin to damage them, and they will have to knock them off by attacking. You can fill the air with such a volume of Pikmin that it will really throw off your enemy’s game, and that’s your opportunity to launch into one of Olimar’s extremely painful combos. More on this in its own section below.
-
Cons:
- YOU
- Trouble vs. high priority low aerial moves with quick follow ups. I couldn’t think of anything funny to write for this one. Basically, when a character (Peach, Luigi, Marth, and Yoshi in particular) comes at us from the right angle above and in front of us, we have few options and it makes it difficult to get them off our backs. Liberal use of pivot grabs and nairs/retreating fairs can counter this to an extent, making this much less of a weakness to smarter Olimar players.
That’s it! Only one major weakness! As you can see, Olimar really is a fantastic character with many strengths and few shortcomings. Plus, he’s just plain fun to play, and can come as a surprise to many. I highly recommend him to anybody looking to win and have a great time doing it.
IV. Moveset
Before you go any further, click here to visit Kyas's amazing guide on Pikmin!
Jab (A,A) (3% - 15%)
Description:
Olimar bobs his head down, and brings it back up forcefully.
Attributes and Application:
On the first jab, the Antenae has a hitbox that extends further than that of the helmet. It is possible to hit only with the Antenae, providing a hit of 3% with no knockback. The helmet does 2% and has light stun. On the second jab, when Olimar brings his head back up, if the opponent is in front of him it will do a full 10% damage undiminished, bringing the total possible damage to 15%. There is actually moderate knockback on the second jab, making it a great “get away from me” move. Couple that with it also being his fastest move (hitbox emerges on the 4th frame) and it’s possibly his greatest option when someone is really up on the pressure. Another nifty little fact about the jab is that on the second part, he actually hits behind him. Knockback is minimal and it only does 5% damage, but anyone trying to roll behind you on jab will get surprised and you’ll be able to GTFO.
Forward Tilt (>A)(6%)
Description:
Olimar drop kicks his opponent without fear or remorse.
Attributes and Application:
This move moves Olimar forward a little bit. There is a laggy get-up time afterward and for only 6% and it’s too much knockback and lag to use in combos, but not enough to ever kill until close to 175% or so on light characters. It is only truly useful when you are out of Pikmin or they are still coming back to you, and your opponent is playing just out of jab range. It is just quick enough to surprise someone, and can be useful for mixups in Olimar dittos. Otherwise, it is just made obsolete by the other tilts, jab, and the dash attack.
Down Tilt (vA) (2%-8%)
Description:
Olimar inchworms at them. There’s really no other way to describe it.
Attributes and Application:
This move, like ftilt, moves Olimar forward quite a ways. It is much more useful than ftilt in that respect because Olimar drops to the floor and can slide under projectiles. It’s no Snake-crawl, but it’ll do. The helmet has a hitbox with light knockback that does 6%, and the antenna hits for 2% with no knockback. The light knockback allows for an opponent to be “carried” in some cases like in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS1g3ILZUU8
The greatest application of the dtilt, however, is to out-prioritize attacks that would otherwise cause trouble. For instance, Luigi’s tornado. It has trouble stopping fully-charged projectiles such as Lucario’s aura sphere, though. It is worth noting that around 70%-80% it is Olimar’s best pop-up move for a uair combo, and even at low percents can combo into a dsmash or usmash, although there are other moves that would suit the purpose better.
Up Tilt (^A)(11%)
Description:
Olimar extends his arms into a T and leaps gracefully into the air, twirling in infinite circles and hurling those who would oppose him with the strength of 10 Grinches, plus two.
Attributes and Application:
The Up Tilt is probably Olimar’s most useful tilt. It hits many times, ending in more than enough knockback to get some breathing room at low percents. It is an even better spotdodge punisher than the jab, and has shield-poking potential. The knockback isn’t so high that it loses combo potential, as it leads well into nair/uair. This move has deceivingly great priority, and therefore is one of Olimar’s only options against Peach’s floating dair approach as well as a good counter for Fox’s drill approaches. The priority at the tip of the jump is enough to outprioritize Wolf's fsmash. It also has the interesting property of jumping over some down-tilts and dsmashes. It is a safe bet out of a spotdodge; it works like R.O.B’s dsmash in that it is difficult to punish. Personally, I prefer the mobility of a short-hop nair, but this IS quicker and by default a better option in some situations.
Forward Smash (>>A)(9%-18%)
Description:
Olimar points. Pikmin dives. Enemy feels the pain.
Attributes and Application:
The fsmash is one of Olimar’s best moves. It takes full advantage of his range and speed. The Pikmin that leaps forth will barely have touched the ground before Olimar is able to send the next one out. It has too many good things to write in paragraph form, so here’s a SparkNotes version:
- Powerful knockback, especially with red Pikmin. Will kill as early as 100%.
- Long-lasting hitbox when the Pikmin falls down, will hit spotdodgers! After the Pikmin stops moving forward, however, the sweetspot is over and the move will do less damage and knockback.
- When the Pikmin falls, anyone hanging off an edge will be hit. This also holds true for people standing beneath you and you’re on a platform, if they’re tall enough. Remember, after the Pikmin stops moving forward, the sweetspot is over and the move will do less damage and knockback.
- Excellent move for spacing. Fairs/Pikmin Tosses/Fsmashes can keep people at bay all day long. Retreating fair -> fsmash is too good.
- Great combo starter at low percents. An fsmash will lock someone there so you can rush in for a grab, dash attack, usmash, or even just use another fsmash. Almost every ground move and dthrow will lead into this well.
- This will protect you from projectiles. Any Pikmin flying OR walking back to you will eat the Aura Sphere, Charge Shot or what have you.
- Can lock up against a wall. See this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwL3MR7E2dE
Down Smash (vvA)(6%-15% uncharged)
Description:
Olimar looks to the ground and points hardcore to both sides of him, knowing he is protected by his loyal soldiers. What a badass.
Attributes and Application:
Dsmash is another excellent kill move. It is great for when you are up close and personal with someone, and works amazingly coming out of your own spotdodge as well as for punishing their spotdodge or roll. You can spam these, but that’s only good up-close; fsmash is far better for spacing. There is a sweetspot with the dsmash where you will actually do double the damage, get the elemental effects of both Pikmin, and send them very far in one direction. It's worth noting that the dsmash is the only move that the purple Pikmin has the same range as all the others.
Up Smash(^^A)(6%-15% uncharged)
Description:
Olimar points to the sky and, seeing this, a valiant Pikmin is filled with uncontrolled rage and unbridled fury… before hopping upward, not very menacingly. When the opponent is hit with this move, that raw emotion is transferred into him and he rockets skyward.
Attributes and Application:
This is probably your most reliable kill move. It’s quick, powerful enough to kill the lightest characters as early as 70% with a purple, and has decent priority. Further adding to the power of the usmash is the fact that there is actually a horizontal hitbox about the distance of another Olimar. As with the other smashes, the smash is strongest right when the Pikmin leaps. Other excellent applications of the usmash are after a dthrow. Dthrow -> usmash -> uair is a legitimate combo on much of the cast from 0%. It's also a great move to use versus people that like to airdodge at you, because it'll hit if they airdodge high with the lingering hitbox, and it'll hit of course if they airdodge late. Try waiting until they hit the ground, as in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEWVGiLCLcI
Use usmash a lot.
Nair (really?)(12%)
Description:
Copypasta from utilt, except in the air and you can move around. If you look closely in the movie Twister, you can see Olimar in the middle of the tornado doing this move.
Attributes and Application:
Nair is a great, underused move. It has high priority and stays out for a long time. That makes it a great move to follow up a shorthop latch or fair, whether they go high or stay low. It starts combos and ends combos. It is an EXCELLENT followup on large characters if they airdodge a uair. You can uair at them (you’re basically invincible) and if they airdodge, bang nair suck them in. Broken. If you are above MK when he nados, you can knock him out of it using this move and this move alone. This is also your best bet when you’re coming at somebody’s shield from above. It’s similar to GnW’s turtle in that it will poke shields. When using that technique, consider this (and consider this anyway!): NAIR COMBOS INTO USMASH/DSMASH ON ONE CONDITION. You have to make sure you hit the ground before the “knockback” hit comes out. The best way to do this is to start your nair the right distance away from the ground and fastfall immediately afterward. You may break through their attack/shield or punish their spotdodge. If so, they’re yours with a kill move of your choice. It's worth noting that if you're in the air and being pressured hard and catch them in a nair, an Up + B is a good followup to really win that space you need.
Fair (5%-15%)
Description:
Olimar grabs a Pikmin and swings him at his opponent, starting just above his head and ending slightly below and behind. Said Pikmin magically floats to the back of the line.
Attributes and Application:
Fair is a goodie. It’s hard to even say where this move’s best use is. It forms one of the basic dthrow combos, dthrow -> fair. At 0%, that can be followed up by many a move depending on the other character. A shorthop latch(optional) -> fair is excellent for spacing, even moreso when followed with an fsmash. It is fairly powerful knockback-wise with red and purple Pikmin, and since most do not expect Olimar to edgeguard very aggressively, a fair can be an effective way to end a stock early. A quick way to get back on the stage when an opponent is coming to edgeguard is to Pikmin chain -> quickly hit A -> quickly ledgehop fair. It’s easy to catch your opponent off-guard here due to Pikmin chain’s quick suction to the stage from great distances.
Uair (9%-24%)
Description:
Olimar whips out a Pikmin and holds it straight up, where it devours all life. If you hit the ground while the Pikmin is doing the devouring, Olimar will do a little cute butt-bounce. It’s my favorite taunt.
Attributes and Application:
First and foremost, the Uair has amazing priority and ability to hit people out of dairs, or any aerial coming from above for that matter. GnW key? No problem. MK above you? He’s not hitting you till he gets back on the side. (The only thing you have to watch out for on moves like Kirby’s dair is that you don’t jump into them too fast, it’ll hit you on the other side of uair.) It is multi-hit as all hell, which makes it great for when somebody is on a platform above you. They can spotdodge, shield, or drop through and uair will suck them up or poke them. If you’re falling at the same speed, this move beats airdodge and if not, you still have nair for after. Uair's incredible priority and disjointyness makes it amazing for ledgehops to get them off you, and can hit through almost every stage. On Lylat, it can go through the whole thing anywhere you can reach and hit them through it.
On certain characters, uair combos into uair, like this. Dthrow -> usmash -> uair -> uair -> possible Up + B. Mucho damage. Uair is fun times and should always be used if your opponent is above you, whether you bait an airdodge first or not.
Bair (5%-13%)
Description:
Fair but backwards and worse.
Attributes and Application:
Bair basically has the same uses as Fair. It's going to be used for spacing and such with fsmash and grabs or even a dtilt if you're feeling so inclined. The only thing you have to watch out for is that it won't cancel immediately upon hitting the ground, so there is a liiitle bit of lag. It's good for keeping your fair undecayed (RAR into a bair every once in a while instead of fairing, it has a good vertical sweep too, starting below and moving up - Blackwaltz) and is perhaps put to best use in just a basic scramble when you're trying to land a hit and both players are dodging everything. I also use bair when somebody lands behind me with a laggy move hitting my shield. It's faster than a fsmash or turnaround grab.
Dair (8%-16%)
Description:
Olimar quickly extends a Pikmin straight below him before flipping back to right-side-up.
Attributes and Application:
Dair spikes. It has a sweetspot right before Olimar right as he performs the move that sends the opponent careening downward. I don't recommend leaping out and trying to spike people though due to Olimar's easily-gimped nature and how many recoveries in the game attack for the player. If the sweetspot is not hit, there is another bit of time and place where the opposing player will be sent out and upwards pretty far; it's not rare to kill with this around low-100s with a Purple. It then has ANOTHER moment where it will result in a "flub." Dair is probably put to better use if used sparingly in situations such as using the lingering hitbox to do a SHdair to a spotdodge-happy player (and you land with no lag!) or spiking through the edges of stages on a recovering player while staying safe. Dair pretty much sucks to use when falling onto someone and you have much better options in the form of your whistle, nair, or basically anything else.
Everything else coming soon! Up next: rest of the moves, including pictures!
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