Information for Pikachu? (Questions)

[Insightful]

First I would like to say I went to the Q&A section but it kind of confused me since I couldn't post a thread. I posted a comment on the thread however and got no response so I decided to make a thread.

My question isn't so quick because I can't understand what I'm doing wrong. Today I went on For Glory for the first time and I literally went 2 wins and 70 loses. I was ranging like hell so I would like to post questions on here just to make sure my general understanding of Pikachu is correct.

First I'd like to start with Pikachu's most effective combo's. I will post all of the ones that and I know and I just want to know if I'm missing any.

Also I'd also would like to know if these combos vary based on what character you're fighting against.

Okay so here's my combo list for Pikachu:

1. Down Throw + SH Fair. (First combo)
2. Back Throw + Back Air (Second combo)
3. Up Throw + Down B (Third combo)
4. Up throw + Up air (Fourth combo)
5. Up Throw + Up Air [2x] + Nair (Fifth combo)
6. Up Smash + Fair [Low percent] (Sixth combo)
7. Up tilt + Up Air + Up Air (Seventh combo)
8. Up tilt + Up Air [2x] + Down B

These are what I would think are the most effective Pikachu combo's. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

My second question: Can someone please enlighten me on good ways to approach character's with Pikachu? Or post match up stats if possible that I can read.

Third question: How important is quick attack? Is it just good as a recovery or in general as an attack?

Fourth Question: What is Pikachu's Forward B good for?

Fifth Question: How good is Perfect Pivoting and RAR for Pikachu, is it needed to compete in top tier tournaments?

Last but not least. How exactly do you practice? Do you practice against Level 9 bots? Do you practice in FG? Or do you practice in Training Mode? What is the most effective way to practice?

What tactics do people use? What is most effective for Smash 4? Zoning? Hit n Run? Endless combos and aggressive?

Stuff I generally know about Pikachu:

Pikachu's Fair can be VERY punishable if it's blocked by a shield because it has a lot of lag.
Pikachu's doesn't have a lot of kill options with throws.
Pikachu's down throw and, and up throw are the most important for combos.
Back throw is good to throw someone off the stage.
Forward throw is good to rack up damage.
Quick attack is very effective if used correctly.


[If I need to know a lot more please let me know what I am lacking. I am trying to improve and compete in the tournaments with people like Esam and ZeRo. Thank you.]

Also for some reason I can't seem to SH in FG for some strange reason.
Is that because of the lag? Or is it just me? Lol

 

[Emuchu]

Also I'd also would like to know if these combos vary based on what character you're fighting against.

Okay so here's my combo list for Pikachu:

1. Down Throw + SH Fair. (First combo)
2. Back Throw + Back Air (Second combo)
3. Up Throw + Down B (Third combo)
4. Up throw + Up air (Fourth combo)
5. Up Throw + Up Air [2x] + Nair (Fifth combo)
6. Up Smash + Fair [Low percent] (Sixth combo)
7. Up tilt + Up Air + Up Air (Seventh combo)
8. Up tilt + Up Air [2x] + Down B

These are what I would think are the most effective Pikachu combo's. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes, the combos depend on weight. For a fast faller like Fox, for instance, you can Utilt him all the way up to 40%. For a floaty like Jiggly, you often have to end strings early. Pikachu typically isn't known for standard combos, but at low percents, it's good to keep in mind that Uair and Fair can combo into itself. So, if you land Dthrow > SH Fair, the last hit pops them up and you can land and instantly perform another SH Fair and eventually end with FH Fair into DH Fair. Sometimes, you'll have to end an Utilt string with a Nair, Bair, or Fair depending on DI. It's less about knowing Pika's combos and more about being able to adapt your strings to your opponent's DI.

My second question: Can someone please enlighten me on good ways to approach character's with Pikachu? Or post match up stats if possible that I can read.

Use Quick Attack. See below.

Third question:

How important is quick attack? Is it just good as a recovery or in general as an attack?

Quick Attack is Pikachu's most important attack. It's mad-flexible: use it to recover, use it to attack your foes, use it to cross over to the other side of your opponent, use it to land faster, use it to get around projectiles, fake an approach and Ftilt their whiff... I have a longer post on this somewhere. It's seriously the reason Pika's considered top tier.

Fourth Question:

What is Pikachu's Forward B good for?

It's generally terrible and gimmicky as an attack. As recovery, it's good when you get knocked off the screen so that you can save your second jump and quick attack for maneuvering around your opponent. On the other hand, Heavy Skull Bash is godlike if you're running customs.

Fifth Question:

How good is Perfect Pivoting and RAR for Pikachu, is it needed to compete in top tier tournaments?

Perfect Pivoting is great, but not essential. It allows you to cover ground in a more incremental way than foxtrots or dashing, and perfect pivot Utilt is a great punish on shield, but not many players fully utilize it, even at the top level. However, regular pivots and RAR is pretty strong on Pika, and not too hard to perform. You get access to retreating Fsmash, retreating Ftilt, RAR Uair, and RAR Bair, which increase your options on offense and defense.

Last but not least. How exactly do you practice? Do you practice against Level 9 bots? Do you practice in FG? Or do you practice in Training Mode? What is the most effective way to practice?

As a general rule, I wouldn't recommend practicing exclusively against Level 9 CPUs. While challenging, they're mostly hard because they read your inputs, and not so much because they're smart. It's easy to develop habits and patterns by playing a machine. The BEST practice to be found is from finding someone around your skill level, picking just ONE thing to practice for a week, and concentrate on applying that ONE thing. If that's not possible, For Glory is the next best thing, but your goal shouldn't be "winning". Rather, keep a really specific goal as your goal for the week, like, "this week, I'm going to practice applying shield grabs as a punish tool, even if I lose most of my matches." Once that's solid, move on to something else, like counting out the pummels on your throws based on percentage.

What tactics do people use? What is most effective for Smash 4? Zoning? Hit n Run? Endless combos and aggressive?

Pikachu is the best at hit-and-run. He can't play fully aggressive, because he actually isn't all that great at challenging shields due to the high endlag of his landing aerials, and he can't fully zone, either, because his Tjolts are rather slow and have a large recovery, allowing your opponent to advance on you easily. If you land an Utilt or a grab, though, Pikachu is great at bullying people in the sky and on landing, so you can go nuts then.

Also for some reason I can't seem to SH in FG for some strange reason.
Is that because of the lag? Or is it just me? Lol

Yes, there's lag online. You have to commit the SH motion to muscle memory, and not rely on your eyes or visual cues to input commands properly.

 

[Insightful]

Yes, the combos depend on weight. For a fast faller like Fox, for instance, you can Utilt him all the way up to 40%. For a floaty like Jiggly, you often have to end strings early. Pikachu typically isn't known for standard combos, but at low percents, it's good to keep in mind that Uair and Fair can combo into itself. So, if you land Dthrow > SH Fair, the last hit pops them up and you can land and instantly perform another SH Fair and eventually end with FH Fair into DH Fair. Sometimes, you'll have to end an Utilt string with a Nair, Bair, or Fair depending on DI. It's less about knowing Pika's combos and more about being able to adapt your strings to your opponent's DI.


Use Quick Attack. See below.


Quick Attack is Pikachu's most important attack. It's mad-flexible: use it to recover, use it to attack your foes, use it to cross over to the other side of your opponent, use it to land faster, use it to get around projectiles, fake an approach and Ftilt their whiff... I have a longer post on this somewhere. It's seriously the reason Pika's considered top tier.


It's generally terrible and gimmicky as an attack. As recovery, it's good when you get knocked off the screen so that you can save your second jump and quick attack for maneuvering around your opponent. On the other hand, Heavy Skull Bash is godlike if you're running customs.


Perfect Pivoting is great, but not essential. It allows you to cover ground in a more incremental way than foxtrots or dashing, and perfect pivot Utilt is a great punish on shield, but not many players fully utilize it, even at the top level. However, regular pivots and RAR is pretty strong on Pika, and not too hard to perform. You get access to retreating Fsmash, retreating Ftilt, RAR Uair, and RAR Bair, which increase your options on offense and defense.


As a general rule, I wouldn't recommend practicing exclusively against Level 9 CPUs. While challenging, they're mostly hard because they read your inputs, and not so much because they're smart. It's easy to develop habits and patterns by playing a machine. The BEST practice to be found is from finding someone around your skill level, picking just ONE thing to practice for a week, and concentrate on applying that ONE thing. If that's not possible, For Glory is the next best thing, but your goal shouldn't be "winning". Rather, keep a really specific goal as your goal for the week, like, "this week, I'm going to practice applying shield grabs as a punish tool, even if I lose most of my matches." Once that's solid, move on to something else, like counting out the pummels on your throws based on percentage.


Pikachu is the best at hit-and-run. He can't play fully aggressive, because he actually isn't all that great at challenging shields due to the high endlag of his landing aerials, and he can't fully zone, either, because his Tjolts are rather slow and have a large recovery, allowing your opponent to advance on you easily. If you land an Utilt or a grab, though, Pikachu is great at bullying people in the sky and on landing, so you can go nuts then.


Yes, there's lag online. You have to commit the SH motion to muscle memory, and not rely on your eyes or visual cues to input commands properly.

Thanks man! I was going to ask you this but I didn't want to bother you xD.