New Technique: Platform Cancelled Dair (PCD)

[Ulevo]

Hey guys. So I was playing with Lucario in training mode and something dawned on me. Lucario's dair has extremely generous landing lag. So much so that you can use it for combos out of a buffered dair. However, it also has the unique property of halting Lucario's vertical momentum. These two properties combined together gave me the idea for using Lucario's dair as a pseudo-waveland on platforms.

The concept is pretty simple. You jump through a platform, and just as Lucario manages to pass through, you dair. If you do it properly, Lucario should perform only the first kick of his dair, and immediately land on the platform in his neutral stance. This is incredibly useful because you can act out of it almost instantly with anything you want. What is also very interesting about this technique is that it buffers a dash even if you do not try this technique from a dash or run. Simply jump, hold the stick left or right as you jump, C-Stick dair, and Lucario will buffer a dash.

This is by far Lucario's best way for managing platforms, and in my opinion is a mandatory technique to use on platform based stages. It is essentially a Lucario only Platform Cancel, much like in Brawl, but for any platform, not simply ones in motion.

I expect players who become good with Lucario to master this technique. It will allow for faster gameplay, and I also think there will be combos and follow ups possible only with this technique much like with wavelanding in Melee on platform based stages.

Discuss.

 

[Auramaniji]

Ulevo, this technique sounds unbelievable. I can't wait to practice it the second I get the chance.

I can't say much other than that though, as i'm still learning lucario.

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

This has been known...but not for platforms as such.

Lucario can do it on the ground and combo multiple into Force Palm and other moves. Still very interesting, I'll see if I can make a video of it.

 

[Zee'mmoro]

Interesting! I'll try it myself this evening.

 

[Loota]

I thought this was known since day 1, just being underused at the moment. But yeah, it's something everyone should try out at least, it's an interesting option and definitely surprising in today's meta. It's a bit disappointing though that majority of the game's platforms are really high up and our vertical speed isn't the fastest so it's usefulness varies a lot depending on the stage. At least Battlefield's platforms are cool.

 

[Ulevo]

I thought this was known since day 1, just being underused at the moment. But yeah, it's something everyone should try out at least, it's an interesting option and definitely surprising in today's meta. It's a bit disappointing though that majority of the game's platforms are really high up and our vertical speed isn't the fastest so it's usefulness varies a lot depending on the stage. At least Battlefield's platforms are cool.

I've watched a fair amount of Lucario footage and I haven't seen any of them utilize this the way they probably should be. What other stages do you think would be good to utilize this with. Lylat Cruise?

 

[Loota]

I've watched a fair amount of Lucario footage and I haven't seen any of them utilize this the way they probably should be. What other stages do you think would be good to utilize this with. Lylat Cruise?

Yeah, Lylat Cruise has some of the lowest platforms in the game so that's good, though the tilting can make the timing a bit harder and more unreliable than on stable stages.

Any stage with platforms gives this option to us to utilize so, unsurprisingly, any stage aside from FD is generally good to go. The best ones are probably Battlefield, Lylat Cruise and Halberd mainly because of platform height. Delfino Plaza, Town & City, Castle Siege, Kongo Jungle 64 and Skyloft have a plenty of different height platforms too even if they're inconsistent in varying degrees and some are so high up that it's harder to pressure and trap opponents above us. Smashville is something in between since it's platform is higher than the ones in the first group while still being consistent unlike the ones in the second group. Meanwhile Duck Hunt is pretty useless.

I'd also say that short platforms are generally better than longer ones for us since it's a lot easier and safer to get off of them back to base level (going on a platform is a commitment after all) and shielding opponents are easier to catch too if they start rolling around. It could still be that platforms like Halberd's come into play more often giving us more chances to utilize it despite the things I just mentioned.

That's about it. On a side note, I'd also suggest people to try practicing instant fastfalled aerials after platform dropthrough (hold control stick down and input a c-stick aerial), they seem to make our lives easier navigating around platforms especially with platform cancelling.

 

[Nysyr]

It's been known since day 1 just not used a lot since Lucario is pretty slow getting to the peak of his jump and it will take you too long to get thru the platform so you get grabbed before you can do the cancel. Better to just shark with Uair.

 

[RT]

I...don't think this is new. I recall someone posting something about this before.