Generating A Win: An Electrifying Guide to Pikachu

[Mawootad]

Not sure if this is already known, but I just found out today that you can use thunder to reverse Pikachu's horizontal momentum (vertical momentum is unaffected). If you activate thunder while moving horizontally in the air and then immediately jam the analog stick opposite to the direction of Pikachu's movement, Pikachu's horizontal momentum will be reversed (the timing is a bit tricky, though...). If anyone wants to try, I find it pretty easy to do in practice on 1/2 speed by jumping forwards and then pressing b + quarter-circle back.

 

[Spiritbomb]

Pika's Strengths:

- Good running speed
- Small size = small target
- Can combo well
- Good grab game
- Good aerials
- Excellent recovery
- Has two great projectiles
- Can effectively edgeguard and/or gimp most characters
- Diverse movement options
- Duck/crawl are somewhat useful
- Very good at annoying the opponent
- Most attacks have little lag
- Has an adorable face

LMAO! That's the winning point, you don't want to kill pikachu, he's too cute!

 

[altairian]

Not sure if this is already known, but I just found out today that you can use thunder to reverse Pikachu's horizontal momentum (vertical momentum is unaffected). If you activate thunder while moving horizontally in the air and then immediately jam the analog stick opposite to the direction of Pikachu's movement, Pikachu's horizontal momentum will be reversed (the timing is a bit tricky, though...). If anyone wants to try, I find it pretty easy to do in practice on 1/2 speed by jumping forwards and then pressing b + quarter-circle back.

Yeah it's a technique called wavebouncing, it can be done with B moves on a lot of characters, for pikachu I think it's only tjolt and thunder. Unfortunately it's not a very useful technique for pikachu other than for lulz.

 

[KayLo!]

Unfortunately it's not a very useful technique for pikachu other than for lulz.

Whatchu talkin bout?

Wavebouncing thunder is really useful for edgeguarding.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

its also really useful for killing yourself, so watch out when you use it. you could bounce yourself offstage to your death

 

[altairian]

Whatchu talkin bout?

Wavebouncing thunder is really useful for edgeguarding.

But you can accomplish the same thing with a double jump without the worry of messing up the wavebounce. Granted I lack tech skill so that's probably less of a worry for other people, but I generally avoid being fancy when there's a simpler alternative.

 

[KayLo!]

its also really useful for killing yourself, so watch out when you use it. you could bounce yourself offstage to your death

If that happens, that's the player's fault, lol. I've never attempted a wavebounced thunder and ended up bouncing offstage and dying..... that sounds like a major **** up.

But you can accomplish the same thing with a double jump without the worry of messing up the wavebounce. Granted I lack tech skill so that's probably less of a worry for other people, but I generally avoid being fancy when there's a simpler alternative.

*shrug* I don't find wavebouncing all that difficult. It's just rotating the control stick. x.x

I prefer saving my second jump in most situations, and a lot of the time, I think wavebouncing positions you better than a DJ thunder does.

EDIT: Wtf, sentence structure fail.

 

[altairian]

How often would you need your second jump after a wavebounced thunder though? >_>
I generally SH when I'm gonna be using a wavebounce thunder for an edgeguard so I'm pretty much forced to land anyway. I do agree it tends to position the thunder a bit better though, if you mess up a DJ thunder you just harmlessly hit the stage with it ><

I know it's not difficult but it's not that hard to rotate too slow/late (for me, at least) and just keep flying out in to space with thunder lag

 

[KayLo!]

How often would you need your second jump after a wavebounced thunder though? >_>

Well, ya see, there are these things called platforms. x.o Sometimes they're high in the air, or sometimes they move, in which case you can DJ > aerial after the thunder in case the opponent airdodges through (or if you just plain miss).

 

[Stealth Raptor]

long before i got good at brawl i did that all the time, and i didnt know what i was doing to cause it, it killed me more times then you think. i dont do it anymore thankfully

 

[altairian]

pfft who recovers high

>_>

<_<

k point taken lol

I think I just thought of a good way to thunder edgeguard ikes/anyone that recovers low while I was in the shower just now (top NYS PR is an ike so this is a pretty important issue for us lol) that I need to test out...it's probably riskier in reality than it is in my head, but I'm gonna give it a try next time I play a decent ike and see how it goes.

 

[AtrixWolfe]

What about abusing b-sticking to spam QA and QAC's? I am trying it however it is a wee bit peculiar though it makes it obtainable for me to do things I normally couldn't do or wouldn't do, such as the the QAC lock, randomly I short hop or full jump mid QACing, timing has or may have something to do with it but I am unsure. I know I am not the first to have this idea so I was wondering what other's experiences were. Eliminating the quick change to up and b by using up c and the directional stick only makes maneuvers consistent that never were before, if I can over come the jump problem, even with tap jump off however it reoccurs time and time and over and over again.

 

[KayLo!]

The random jumping thing is one of the main reasons why it's pretty much a bad idea to b-stick. The pros are faaaar outweighed by the cons.

Just practice with the control stick and you'll get it eventually.

 

[AtrixWolfe]

The random jumping thing is one of the main reasons why it's pretty much a bad idea to b-stick. The pros are faaaar outweighed by the cons.

Just practice with the control stick and you'll get it eventually.

Is it truly random though? I can MAKE myself short hop in some situations. So I am assuming it is obtainable.

For instance if I dash then hit up on the bstick, i always hop.

 

[KayLo!]

I'm sure it's not programmed to be random, but if you're playing normally, it "randomly" happens because of the nature of how you'd be using the b-stick. I think if you double-tap the b-stick, that also inputs a jump. Buffering too early is another thing that might cause it.

Regardless, I highly recommend that you don't b-stick. There's a reason nobody uses it. It's unnecessary and not useful.

 

[AtrixWolfe]

Practice is one thing, but any way to make something easier results in consistency. Practicing a more consistent way vs. practicing a harder way nets you better abilities. imo. I'm gonna try to figure it out. ;p

 

[KuroKitt10]

Practice is one thing, but any way to make something easier results in consistency. Practicing a more consistent way vs. practicing a harder way nets you better abilities. imo. I'm gonna try to figure it out. ;p

It's a bug in the code that causes it. If there is any rhyme or reason to it, it's very arbitrary and finicky. Learning to control it would take just as much time and effort as learning to do it without b-sticking, and would still leave room for errors, making it just as inconsistent, if not more so.

You're really not saving yourself any effort, practice or time trying to work around the glitch.

Mew.

 

[AtrixWolfe]

It's a bug in the code that causes it. If there is any rhyme or reason to it, it's very arbitrary and finicky. Learning to control it would take just as much time and effort as learning to do it without b-sticking, and would still leave room for errors, making it just as inconsistent, if not more so.

You're really not saving yourself any effort, practice or time trying to work around the glitch.

Mew.

I'm after the end result, effort and practice I am not afraid of What I hope for is a method more reliable at the end of practice. I am getting it down, if you double input before the event happens you jump. It is metronome timing. Seeing as how the pure directional button method takes also metronome timing and a good deal more dexterity, I feel more consistent results can be obtained with the b sticking method. I of course, am inexperienced and may completely be wrong, but I have gone against the grain my entire life so I don't expect to just take peoples word for things now

 

[KayLo!]

Kitt just told you point blank that there's a bug in the coding that makes it not work consistently.

But whatever, b-stick away.

 

[AtrixWolfe]

Kitt just told you point blank that there's a bug in the coding that makes it not work consistently.

But whatever, b-stick away.

If it ends up not working, it ends up not working.
I need to try tho to see it with my own eyes.
She didn't say it was a bug, just that it most likely is.
I really appreciate your guy's feedback though, it is priceless

 

[altairian]

She didn't say it was a bug, just that it most likely is.

It's a bug in the code that causes it

Classic case of hearing what you want to hear...

My #1 reason not to b-stick: fair is really good, and bair is really bad (lag-wise), and moving the analog stick forward to use fair while trying to retreat in the air can result in lots of bad things happening to you. c-stick or tilt-stick are superior for that reason alone imo

 

[KayLo!]

B-sticking really just isn't a viable control scheme in comparison to c/a-sticking. x.x

But whatevs, he can do what he wants. He'll learn.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

If it ends up not working, it ends up not working.
I need to try tho to see it with my own eyes.
She didn't say it was a bug, just that it most likely is.
I really appreciate your guy's feedback though, it is priceless

also kitt isnt a she

 

[KuroKitt10]

also kitt isnt a she

I'm not?

Mew?

 

[Stealth Raptor]

i thought i heard you werent? O.o nvm then

 

[KuroKitt10]

i thought i heard you werent? O.o nvm then

Wait, now I am a she?

I'm so confused.... >.<

Mrew =3

 

[Stealth Raptor]

gfiubqwgtbqg5f never mind, you are getting confusing

 

[AtrixWolfe]

"If there is any rhyme or reason to it, it's very arbitrary and finicky"

Not hearing what I want to hear. Clearly speculative here.

I wish I was good at both so I could make a calculated comparison. I don't see any evidence supporting that B-sticking ISN'T viable. Just people saying they don't use and the community doesn't use it. Honestly I'm kinda dissapointed, shouldn't the Pika community thoroughly explore something like the B sticking "Glitch" before dismissing it entirely? I have yet to see any points to someone doing thorough research on the matter.

 

[KayLo!]

It's been tried and dismissed by countless people before..... do a search for "b sticking" in this forum, and you'll find that we've talked about it already.

B sticking is glitchy and provides no benefits that make it worth it to learn. There is no reason to b-stick. None whatsoever, and all you get in return are glitchy jumps and the inability to do aerials with reverse momentum (which is bad). Anything you can do with b-sticking, you can do with default controls with minimal practice. The opposite isn't true.

Without c-sticking/a-sticking, how are you gonna do retreating aerials consistently? Oh wait, but you can wavebounce thunder easily, woohoo (which isn't even that hard with the B button).

No pros use b-sticking. Barely anyone, period, uses b-sticking, and there is a reason why. The community's been here for well over a year, dude..... and you're far from the first to try this. Listen to the people with more experience.

You're wasting your time. Which is fine if you wanna do it, but don't come here acting like we don't know what we're talking about, lol.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

the argument isnt over how viable it is, its how practical it is, and its uses using it to not using it. kaylo summed it up the best

 

[PK-ow!]

It's been tried and dismissed by countless people before..... do a search for "b sticking" in this forum, and you'll find that we've talked about it already.

B sticking is glitchy and provides no benefits that make it worth it to learn. There is no reason to b-stick. None whatsoever, and all you get in return are glitchy jumps and the inability to do aerials with reverse momentum (which is bad). Anything you can do with b-sticking, you can do with default controls with minimal practice. The opposite isn't true.

Without c-sticking/a-sticking, how are you gonna do retreating aerials consistently? Oh wait, but you can wavebounce thunder easily, woohoo (which isn't even that hard with the B button).

No pros use b-sticking. Barely anyone, period, uses b-sticking, and there is a reason why. The community's been here for well over a year, dude..... and you're far from the first to try this. Listen to the people with more experience.

You're wasting your time. Which is fine if you wanna do it, but don't come here acting like we don't know what we're talking about, lol.

It still makes perfect sense if you play Lucas.

When are you ever going to do a retreating aerial?



Oh, and there's still one technique that no one has done without B-sticking, for Ness. The fact that it could be a relevant technique is very.. well, relevant to his meta.

 

[KayLo!]

Um, okay?

It's a good thing we're talking about Pikachu and not Ness or Lucas.

 

[GodlyOwnage]

Really appreciated the guide thanks very much. I find that b-sticking is easier to start off with but I try to stay to the defalt controls as much at possible. Except for setting my X-button for attack that is.

 

[Tulat]

Not trying to sound rude, only trying to help. but isin't it 4th and not 4rd?

Chaingrabbing (CGing) -- Pikachu has the 4rd best CG game in Brawl

 

[Bolty]

Wow thanks Kaylo thats an awsome guide right there Rock ON!!

 

[Jdietz43]

I've recently picked up Pika as a secondary, and I must say: This guide is EXCELLENTLY formatted... oh and helpful I guess. But the formatting! Between the individual 4 letter quick find search keys and the way you labeled each move's preferred uses before the description gave the mindset the move should be viewed in immediately. Things are neat, nice, highlighted without being aggravating, and well defined (some guides let you guess at what abbreviations stand for, which never helps). Overall it was a smooth read, and besides all that was relatively helpful for my game. The occasional bits of non-interruptive humor were appreciated as well. (I guess I'm kind of an efficiency nerd sometimes, but this is head and shoulders above other guides on organization by far)

 

[AvalancheBarrage]

Awesome guide, I learned quite a lot.

Now I can stop doing ff fair > utilt > uair all the time.

 

[Anonymous Brawler]

Great guide! I'm thinking to make Pika one of my mains, but I can't QAC!
But it probably is just pratice to learn, just like SHDL

 

[altairian]

QAC is pretty easy to learn, not as easy as SHDL but not much harder. It's not the backbone of pika's game by any means, but it definitely gives you more options.

 

[lucy!JOE!]

=DDDDD **** i learned alot Verde has to practice some techs =]
p-p-p-pikka LOL =P