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** OLD ** Official Pikachu Critique Thread

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KuroKitt10

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There has recently been a decent number of users requesting critique and advice on their Pika skills. ESAM suggested, and the Pika community agreed, that it would be a good idea to have an official thread where users can post videos of their Pikachu and get advice from other members of the community on how to improve their game. Hopefully we can keep the Pika Boards a little bit cleaner this way.

If you want advice on how to improve in your games with Pikachu, this is the place to post your videos.

For anyone without a capture card or other video capture device, PUNK9 has offered to capture and upload videos for anyone who needs it! His thread can be found here: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=255636

I would also like to remind anyone who gives advice that it's important to be respectful and considerate when doing so and refrain from flaming or insulting anyone. Also, for those who are asking for advice, remember that no one is trying to be mean! If someone thinks that you could improve your game somehow, don't take it as an insult, but instead just give it a shot. You never know, it might be just the thing you needed to fix!

Happy tjolting!

Meow!
 

KayLo!

Smarter than your average wabbit.
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Looks good, Kitt.

Hopefully I'll have some new videos next week..... or maybe after this weekend? I'm going to a tourney, but I dunno if they'll be recording or not. :confused:
 

Ussi

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Pikachu does not go meow...

chu...

EDIT: To anyone who leaves videos to be critiqued... I will NOT critique WIFI videos. I do not play wifi therefore i do not know what to do on wifi.
 

KuroKitt10

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This is a really good idea, I just wish I could put some video's up:urg:
Yeah, I'm in the same spot. I don't have any way to record my matches. How do the rest of you usually record them? It occurs to me that it might be a good idea to include a small little mini guide in the OP so that people know how to upload/create videos.

Mew.
 

KayLo!

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Yeah, I'm in the same spot. I don't have any way to record my matches. How do the rest of you usually record them? It occurs to me that it might be a good idea to include a small little mini guide in the OP so that people know how to upload/create videos.

Mew.
You need a recording device (like a Dazzle) to get replays onto your computer, so unless people have the necessary equipment.... they won't be able to.
 

Ussi

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If you have replays, You can ask someone who can record, to record them for you by sending your replays to that person via the Wii. (Something Nintendo did right)

I'll offer to do it if you have repays. I recorded KLo's matches too :) (Well they were in person though lol)

getting replays is also much easier, since you just need an SD card which does not cost 50 dollars for the cheapest capture card.
 

KayLo!

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I guess I'll start... this is a new one...

vs. Moogle (Fox)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWikLs0PQQE
Lol @ your comeback. The CG is just too good.

I really only have two pieces of advice, especially considering the matchup.

For one, in this particular matchup, I would suggest being a little less aggressive than you were in the beginning. You took a lot of damage by jumping in and attacking Fox's shield. Granted, your opponent obviously knew about the CG and was trying his best to avoid getting grabbed, but since Pika can avoid Fox's laser pretty well, he has no choice but to approach eventually. Especially on a stage with lots of platforms (so you can avoid reflected tjolts), harrass him with jolts and QAC tricks until he reacts and makes a mistake, then punish with the grab.

Love your use of uair. You did well taking advantage of his staying on those upper platforms.

Less Skull Bash for recovery, especially on a stage like Lylat where the tilting can mess up your aim. You ended up landing on the stage three times when I assume you were going for the ledge. Luckily you only got punished for it once iirc (on your last stock, ouch), but more aggressive opponents will easily take advantage of its cooldown lag and predictable trajectory.


I have a couple matches, but they're all wifi matches, so don't critistze to harshly (if harshly is even a word):

vs. smashbros.maniac (Lucas) match 1 > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WsIpoiYg8E&feature=channel_page

vs. smashbros.maniac (Lucas) match 2 >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZv_9Az__zc&feature=channel
'Kay NOVA, I just finished watching your matches. I'll try to keep in mind that these were wifi.

In general your Pika is decent, but in both matches, you seem like you need a little work on your spacing. You completely whiffed a lot of attacks (sometimes when Lucas wasn't even moving), especially fsmash and nair, and it happened most notably in the beginning of the first match. You would also randomly attack at nothing when Lucas was pretty far away. I get the feeling that you might have been hoping he would walk into your attacks, but if a mindgame doesn't work the first few times, try something else. Also, learn the range of Pikachu's moves and go for more accuracy in the future; had he been more aggressive, you would have been punished every time.

More fair > combo, especially crossing your fairs behind the opponent (so you don't get shieldgrabbed) and following up with a utilt.

I would also use less QAC, or at the very least learn when to use it. It worked for you once for a QAC > thunder kill (or maybe twice and I just didn't note the second time), and your retreating QACs were fine, but QAC is easily punished when it's used offensively. Your offensive usage of it just didn't seem very effective.

Now here are the notes I made for each match. If anything doesn't apply, btw, ignore it. It's hard to critique wifi matches because it's impossible to tell how much lag you were experiencing..... :ohwell:

Match 1

I laughed at the simultaneous trip animations, teehee. :laugh:

Ouch @ getting hit with Lucas's usmash on the ledge. It extends down to his feet..... but in general you should never stay on the ledge too long. If you can't get back on the stage right away, drop down and QA back up to get your invincibility frames back or let go and immediately Skull Bash back on (somewhat tricky to do correctly). Both options will prevent you from getting hit and possibly stage spiked.

More grabs. When Lucas didn't get the ledge from his PK Thunder or otherwise missed an attack, you'd often punish with tjolt or fsmash. That's fine, but in many situations a grab is a better option, because a) the pummeling refreshes other moves, and b) fthrow and dthrow can set up combos/strings at low-mid percentages.

Dsmash stage spike.... too good.

In this match (and the other one somewhat, but I noticed it more here), you paused a lot, and I could tell when you were thinking about what to do next. Maybe it was the lag, I can't tell, but there should rarely be a point in a match where you're not spacing yourself or setting up for something. I had the same issue when I first started and still do sometimes, but it'll get easier with more experience.

Match 2

On Delfino, when someone's in the water, just keep tjolting. Most of the time the jolts will keep hitting them and make it REALLY difficult/annoying for them to get out of the water. Since Pika doesn't have a spike, there's no reason to jump out after them.

QAC > thunder kill was really good. Every Pika loves those.

You grabbed Lucas from his failed PKT recovery, but going into a combo with uair would have been better than thundering.

The ending was amazing, lolol.
 

Pika_Cam

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I have a couple matches, but they're all wifi matches, so don't critistze to harshly (if harshly is even a word):

vs. smashbros.maniac (Lucas) match 1 > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WsIpoiYg8E&feature=channel_page

vs. smashbros.maniac (Lucas) match 2 >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZv_9Az__zc&feature=channel
Wifi explains some of the slow reactions to punish Lucas for his landing lag.

You seem to have most of the techniques down. I would approach with fair a little more because it can be a great introductory move to a combo. I would also use nair a little less, so when you really need the kill, it won't be stale. Other than that, you used your tilts and QACing well. It would be easier to critique if we could see an offline match where you lose.

Nice pika.
 

ChibiLoner

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I remember seeing you at CoT4, KayLo. ^^ You definitely seem to be quite knowledgeable.

I'm a Pika main as well. I'm really not that good at Brawl, but I really want to get better (but school usually hinders me from playing more XP). If I ever somehow get to upload vids, I'd appreciate critique from anyone. ...Though I'm kinda embarrassed to... ^^;
 

Ussi

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I know KayLo knows her Pika vs Fox match up well :p

I guess I'll start... this is a new one...

vs. Moogle (Fox)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWikLs0PQQE
You were trying to QAC'd too hard. NEVER EVER AIM QA UPWARDS When trying to QAC. You won't reach the ground and will end up vulnerable for a good second. You were probably trying to QA through the opponent, but going Upwards is a bad idea. Of course its possible to QAC that way, but you were doing it ineffectively so my statement stands.

You were too aggressive, as KayLo mentioned. What surprised me the most was that video was ONE MATCH. 6 minutes against a Fox? NOT RIGHT!! Do you know how easy it is to set up a grab against Fox?

Fair > grab
grab as a punishment
utilt > grab <-- THIS WORKS!! since Fox is a fast faller, he will get grabbed as a true combo for the first 2 utilts. You can be facing the WRONG way when hitting him with utilt and still turnaround to grab him.

You kept jumping into the ****.

Don't skull bash to recover so often. Just like KayLo said, the stage tilts messing up your aim getting you punished. You should have lost a stock at times but he did nothing.

4:25 is the best failed QA I've seen ever lol.

This match up is just grabbing fox to usmash. But you still had a hard time finishing off fox because you were too aggressive. You need to be more patient then strike when you see an opening. Fox dies early too, and don't be afraid to follow with thunder. Just make sure you're not under it or a platform is above you.

I remember seeing you at CoT4, KayLo. ^^ You definitely seem to be quite knowledgeable.

I'm a Pika main as well. I'm really not that good at Brawl, but I really want to get better (but school usually hinders me from playing more XP). If I ever somehow get to upload vids, I'd appreciate critique from anyone. ...Though I'm kinda embarrassed to... ^^;
We never got to hang out ;o I still have your number too lol. If you want I could train your pikachu a bit like I did with KayLo, (Of course she had more than just me helping her)
 

Pika_Cam

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Ok, I know I have a great matchup against Fox, but I just want to be clear: I was facing Moogle. He's number 5 in AL and he could take stocks off of Isai in 64.

Given that, I will take all of your critique into advisement Ussi. Thank you for watching the video.
 

Ussi

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Your opponent does not matter, skill in another game is irrelevant. Everyone leaves openings and makes mistakes. This is Pika vs Fox.. grab, usmash, thunder, and if that doesn't kill, then use nair or fsmash (harder to land though) to kill.

If you see Fox side Bing to the stage, punish him with an appropriate move. You can use any attack to hit Fox out of his side B too. His hurtbox travels before his hitbox. (Just one thing that is common to punish, there are much more things you can look for)
 

AranOcean

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Wifi explains some of the slow reactions to punish Lucas for his landing lag.

You seem to have most of the techniques down. I would approach with fair a little more because it can be a great introductory move to a combo. I would also use nair a little less, so when you really need the kill, it won't be stale. Other than that, you used your tilts and QACing well. It would be easier to critique if we could see an offline match where you lose.

Nice pika.
Thank you for the critique. :)

I don't really have people that are my skill level near my neighborhood and I haven't gone to a tournament in a long while. I need to start getting some offline matches.
 

Pika_Cam

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Your opponent does not matter, skill in another game is irrelevant.
What I mean is that he knew the matchup. He knew not to get grabbed. And he has skill in brawl too. He's number 5 in the state in Brawl. I know to some of you guys that means nothing, but to a small-town pika it's a lot O.o

What's a good move to punish his side B? You said any move, but is there a specific move I should use? And I mean to get him out of it, not just punish him after he lands.
 

KayLo!

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I remember seeing you at CoT4, KayLo. ^^ You definitely seem to be quite knowledgeable.

I'm a Pika main as well. I'm really not that good at Brawl, but I really want to get better (but school usually hinders me from playing more XP). If I ever somehow get to upload vids, I'd appreciate critique from anyone. ...Though I'm kinda embarrassed to... ^^;
=O!! Fellow Pika that I didn't meet at CoT4? Awww, I'm sorry I missed seeing you in person. I thought I got to talk to every Pika main there. :(

Since you live around the Philly area, we should get together and play sometime. Or you could attend some of the smaller tournies around here.... there's usually something being held by either my old crew (UFB) or my current crew (ToS), and I'm usually there unless I have work johns. I'm not anywhere near great at Brawl, but I like to help out where I can, and I could always use the extra practice too.

Definitely post vids if you get them. Being critiqued isn't fun, but it'll only help you improve, and (mostly) everyone here is nice about their criticism.

There's also a new Pikachu guide coming out very soon, so keep checking the forums for that.

@NOVA, check my last post. I edited in my critique for you.
 

Ussi

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=O!! Fellow Pika that I didn't meet at CoT4? Awww, I'm sorry I missed seeing you in person. I thought I got to talk to every Pika main there. :(

Since you live around the Philly area, we should get together and play sometime. Or you could attend some of the smaller tournies around here.... there's usually something being held by either my old crew (UFB) or my current crew (ToS), and I'm usually there unless I have work johns. I'm not anywhere near great at Brawl, but I like to help out where I can, and I could always use the extra practice too.

Definitely post vids if you get them. Being critiqued isn't fun, but it'll only help you improve, and (mostly) everyone here is nice about their criticism.

There's also a new Pikachu guide coming out very soon, so keep checking the forums for that.

@NOVA, check my last post. I edited in my critique for you.
She lives in Toms River which is an hour to the east of me in NJ. But she goes to college in philly, however thats on 20th street and market or something IIRC [I fail at remember the name...]. She was too busy beforehand when i tried to meet up with her xD You two should get along, two female using Pikachus ;o

We could all meet up at drexel ;o.. or meet at someone's apartment.. (Since the lounge is closed on weekends, IIRC)
 

ChibiLoner

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=O!! Fellow Pika that I didn't meet at CoT4? Awww, I'm sorry I missed seeing you in person. I thought I got to talk to every Pika main there. :(

Since you live around the Philly area, we should get together and play sometime. Or you could attend some of the smaller tournies around here.... there's usually something being held by either my old crew (UFB) or my current crew (ToS), and I'm usually there unless I have work johns. I'm not anywhere near great at Brawl, but I like to help out where I can, and I could always use the extra practice too.

Definitely post vids if you get them. Being critiqued isn't fun, but it'll only help you improve, and (mostly) everyone here is nice about their criticism.

There's also a new Pikachu guide coming out very soon, so keep checking the forums for that.
IIRC, I watched you play doubles friendlies at one point, but I think you used Snake. *shrug* My bad though, I should've introduced myself. I've entered a couple tournies, but I'd rather just practice and improve because I realize until I get better, entering is kinda throwing my money away. (and giving it to M2K, lol) So I usually end up just going to support my boyfriend and play friendlies when I can. But I definitely still want to get better. (fighting spirit! XD)

But yeah, it's all good. I appreciate it. ^^ If I see you at a tourney again, I'll be sure to ask for some friendlies and advice. =D

She lives in Toms River which is an hour to the east of me in NJ. But she goes to college in philly, however thats on 20th street and market or something IIRC [I fail at remember the name...]. She was too busy beforehand when i tried to meet up with her xD You two should get along, two female using Pikachus ;o

We could all meet up at drexel ;o.. or meet at someone's apartment.. (Since the lounge is closed on weekends, IIRC)
Can't believe you still remember all that. STALKER!! lol. I go to UArts on S. Broad St. Which is still killing me this semester. >_> School johns. XP We'll see, I suppose.
 

Ussi

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>_> Leave my good stalking skills alone. <_<;;

Well, you still have my number right? Just send a text if a good time arises and i'll try to get all 3 of us together ;o (Or maybe we can have a mini smash fest and get more people to come too!)
 

M15t3R E

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I had the idea to make a thread for this exact purpose months ago... but never did because I didn't think new Pikachus would see it every time and because at the time there wasn't an abundance of people asking to be critiqued.

Oh well... you still beat me to the punch.
 

AranOcean

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'Kay NOVA, I just finished watching your matches. I'll try to keep in mind that these were wifi.

In general your Pika is decent, but in both matches, you seem like you need a little work on your spacing. You completely whiffed a lot of attacks (sometimes when Lucas wasn't even moving), especially fsmash and nair, and it happened most notably in the beginning of the first match. You would also randomly attack at nothing when Lucas was pretty far away. I get the feeling that you might have been hoping he would walk into your attacks, but if a mindgame doesn't work the first few times, try something else. Also, learn the range of Pikachu's moves and go for more accuracy in the future; had he been more aggressive, you would have been punished every time.

More fair > combo, especially crossing your fairs behind the opponent (so you don't get shieldgrabbed) and following up with a utilt.

I would also use less QAC, or at the very least learn when to use it. It worked for you once for a QAC > thunder kill (or maybe twice and I just didn't note the second time), and your retreating QACs were fine, but QAC is easily punished when it's used offensively. Your offensive usage of it just didn't seem very effective.

Now here are the notes I made for each match. If anything doesn't apply, btw, ignore it. It's hard to critique wifi matches because it's impossible to tell how much lag you were experiencing..... :ohwell:

Match 1

I laughed at the simultaneous trip animations, teehee. :laugh:

Ouch @ getting hit with Lucas's usmash on the ledge. It extends down to his feet..... but in general you should never stay on the ledge too long. If you can't get back on the stage right away, drop down and QA back up to get your invincibility frames back or let go and immediately Skull Bash back on (somewhat tricky to do correctly). Both options will prevent you from getting hit and possibly stage spiked.

More grabs. When Lucas didn't get the ledge from his PK Thunder or otherwise missed an attack, you'd often punish with tjolt or fsmash. That's fine, but in many situations a grab is a better option, because a) the pummeling refreshes other moves, and b) fthrow and dthrow can set up combos/strings at low-mid percentages.

Dsmash stage spike.... too good.

In this match (and the other one somewhat, but I noticed it more here), you paused a lot, and I could tell when you were thinking about what to do next. Maybe it was the lag, I can't tell, but there should rarely be a point in a match where you're not spacing yourself or setting up for something. I had the same issue when I first started and still do sometimes, but it'll get easier with more experience.

Match 2

On Delfino, when someone's in the water, just keep tjolting. Most of the time the jolts will keep hitting them and make it REALLY difficult/annoying for them to get out of the water. Since Pika doesn't have a spike, there's no reason to jump out after them.

QAC > thunder kill was really good. Every Pika loves those.

You grabbed Lucas from his failed PKT recovery, but going into a combo with uair would have been better than thundering.

The ending was amazing, lolol.
Thanks for the critique.
Btw, the ending on the second match was pure luck on my part. :laugh:
 

Electric-Sachiel

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Alright fellow Pikas. My game has gone to a new point of stagnation and i feel my Pika to be weak and insignificant once again. Maybe it was nervousness or perhaps fatigue i had during these matches but i got crushed bad in these matches against this ZSS user.
Does anyone here have any good suggestions on how i can counter ZSS?

It was partly my fault. I missed some opportunities to punish in some matches as evidenced below, however, even so the match still would have been close.

Please watch all the videos below before commenting and giving your own opinions. :)


Behold Exhibit A (Match 1):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amt7BaFwmZM


Exhibit B (Match 2):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFjSPRC7LEI


Exhibit C (Match 3):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smkrpnbOnVw
 

Pika_Cam

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Alright fellow Pikas. My game has gone to a new point of stagnation and i feel my Pika to be weak and insignificant once again. Maybe it was nervousness or perhaps fatigue i had during these matches but i got crushed bad in these matches against this ZSS user.
Does anyone here have any good suggestions on how i can counter ZSS?

It was partly my fault. I missed some opportunities to punish in some matches as evidenced below, however, even so the match still would have been close.

Please watch all the videos below before commenting and giving your own opinions. :)


Behold Exhibit A (Match 1):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amt7BaFwmZM


Exhibit B (Match 2):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFjSPRC7LEI


Exhibit C (Match 3):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smkrpnbOnVw
You really need some offline matches because it's hard to tell how good you are with the wifi lag. I'll try my best anyway.

First off, don't smash so much. You are not only staling them out, but you are also getting punished for it. Use tilts more.

Learn grab combos. Yes, I saw you use fthrow chaingrab a few times, but dthrow can lead to great combos as well. There's dthrow + utilt followed up with some uairs. You can dthrow + usmash. Depending on the character, you can also dthrow chaingrab. It works wonders on fast falling characters. There are other grab combos, but I'll let you look them up.

Approach more with fair because it's a great combo starter. Fair to grab is one example. Fair to utilt is my personal favorite though.

Last thing, you got yourself punished because you used thunder too much. Try to ease up on your thunder usage.
 

Electric-Sachiel

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You really need some offline matches because it's hard to tell how good you are with the wifi lag. I'll try my best anyway.

First off, don't smash so much. You are not only staling them out, but you are also getting punished for it. Use tilts more.

Learn grab combos. Yes, I saw you use fthrow chaingrab a few times, but dthrow can lead to great combos as well. There's dthrow + utilt followed up with some uairs. You can dthrow + usmash. Depending on the character, you can also dthrow chaingrab. It works wonders on fast falling characters. There are other grab combos, but I'll let you look them up.

Approach more with fair because it's a great combo starter. Fair to grab is one example. Fair to utilt is my personal favorite though.

Last thing, you got yourself punished because you used thunder too much. Try to ease up on your thunder usage.

Indeed. I got punished for using too much thunder. Thanks for the combo techniques. I'll try those next time. But still in a manner of speaking even if i did everything you just mentioned I think it would have been an awfully close match.

Any other opinions on how to approach ZSS users in particular? Yes i need fresh advice since the ZSS match up thread didn't do wonders for me at all..... It was a half baked thread. Surprised more Pikachu mainers here don't fight ZSS users.......
 

Electric-Sachiel

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Nothing too special, I feel like I've become better since these were recorded. But I would still love any critiques, there are some pretty obvious mess-ups in them but I'd like to hear your feedback anyway. Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN7jcHdOkPk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IVq8kbMWkg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igmltg0NfKU

Indeed those matches are nothing too special. I don't feel that Ganon was any good. In fact he was pretty bad. You were clearly just playing around with him with the overuse of things like thunder and dsmash.

I really can't judge how good you might be until you face off against a better player. Perhaps if you battled that ZSS user i showcased in my vids above this post you might be forced to try harder.....:ohwell:
 

KayLo!

Smarter than your average wabbit.
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Indeed those matches are nothing too special. I don't feel that Ganon was any good. In fact he was pretty bad. You were clearly just playing around with him with the overuse of things like thunder and dsmash.
I agree. The Ganon wasn't good, and you obviously weren't playing seriously, so I really can't critique you. Videos of you playing at your best -- or at least around your normal level -- are better, preferably in which you lose.

Electric-Sachiel, I'll watch your videos and critique them as soon as I can. I saw that they're wifi, which is unfortunate, but I'll do my best.

EDIT: Kitt, maybe you should add something about "soft requirements" to the OP? I don't wanna tell people that they can only post certain kinds of vids, but it really sucks when someone wants critiques on laggy wifi videos or videos where they're messing around and beasting their opponent. It's extremely hard to critique in those cases, and they won't really get much out of it.
 

Pika_Cam

Smash Ace
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
593
Location
Auburn, AL
Indeed. I got punished for using too much thunder. Thanks for the combo techniques. I'll try those next time. But still in a manner of speaking even if i did everything you just mentioned I think it would have been an awfully close match.

Any other opinions on how to approach ZSS users in particular? Yes i need fresh advice since the ZSS match up thread didn't do wonders for me at all..... It was a half baked thread. Surprised more Pikachu mainers here don't fight ZSS users.......
Well, I mean, if all else fails, I would approach her with QAC to go right behind her and then do an uair. You could run up, shield and wait for her to attack, then punish her for the lag. You could approach from higher in the air so she won't use her side B. You could lead in with a tjolt. There's a plethora of ways you could approach her.
 

KayLo!

Smarter than your average wabbit.
Joined
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Alright fellow Pikas. My game has gone to a new point of stagnation and i feel my Pika to be weak and insignificant once again. Maybe it was nervousness or perhaps fatigue i had during these matches but i got crushed bad in these matches against this ZSS user.
Does anyone here have any good suggestions on how i can counter ZSS?

It was partly my fault. I missed some opportunities to punish in some matches as evidenced below, however, even so the match still would have been close.

Please watch all the videos below before commenting and giving your own opinions. :)

Behold Exhibit A (Match 1):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amt7BaFwmZM

Exhibit B (Match 2):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFjSPRC7LEI

Exhibit C (Match 3):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smkrpnbOnVw
All right, E-S, I got around to watching your videos. I kept in mind that these were wifi, which makes them harder to critique.... if anything I say is null because of lag johns, ignore it.

I originally did match-specific notes, but then I looked back and realized that everything pretty much applies to every match.

  • Firstly, I'm assuming this was because of your nerves or fatigue, but you really just didn't look like you wanted to play, tbh. You spent a lot of time in your shield/spotdodging/rolling, and when you got combo'd, you kind of just.... let yourself get hit around, especially at the beginning of the first match. I don't know much specifically about this matchup, but as a general rule: when you get combo'd, DI away and jump or nair. Nair comes out after only two frames, so at worst, you'll get combo'd anyway; at best, you can hit them out of their next attack.

  • Be more aggressive. You'd have bursts of aggression where you'd deal a fair amount of damage all at once.... do that more often. FF Fair to approach into combos at low percentages (I saw zero combos from Pika :ohwell:) or short hop > airdodge (SHAD) behind your opponent and punish their reaction.

  • If you prefer to play defensively, make sure to punish! Because you were in your shield a lot, ZSS ended up attacking it at times, but you'd miss the opportunity to shieldgrab or attack out of shield (dair & nair are good options). Dthrow & fthrow lead into combos at low percentages, or you could bthrow her off the stage to set up an edgeguard. In general, you should grab more often.

  • When you approach, short hop vs. full hop sometimes. Full hopping every time is basically telegraphing to your opponent that you're coming in with an attack.... and it gives them a lot more time to react.

  • You tjolted a lot when you were close to ZSS, and she'd side-b you while you were still lagging from it. Even if she gets hit by the jolt, it's not a fair trade at all.... retreat your tjolts if you're within side-b range or make sure you're spaced so that it'll hit her before she can pull out the move.

  • When you were coming down from the air, you fell into a lot of ZSS's attacks. Being above her is bad, so when you're coming down, by the time you're around her usmash's range, QAC away to reach the ground. QA makes Pika's movements more unpredictable and will keep you from getting juggled as often.

  • When you're recovering up high (end of second & third vids), please don't jump. :( You scared me when you did that, lol. Learn how to momentum cancel.... jumping that high will KO you at some point.

  • At the end of your third video, you got desperate for the kill and started nairing like crazy, playing worse and more predictably as a result. Never go too hard for the kill.... it makes it so easy for the opponent to read you and punish your attempts, especially since Pika's KO moves take some setting up or a certain degree of surprise.
I noticed that you used these moves too often:

Bair. It's a fun move, but it doesn't lead into anything and is easily punished if you miss. Many of the times you used it, fair would have been better.

Dash attack. Easily shieldgrabbed, has a ton of cooldown lag, and even if it hits, the knockback isn't enough to keep you safely out of range.

Thunder. You used it a lot on stage when it would have been better to save it for edgeguarding or when ZSS was high above you. She punished you for it nearly every time.

Dsmash. A lot of your dsmashes could have been replaced with grabs, actually. Or you would dsmash too far out of range, which left you open for punishment. :( It's hard to not use it a lot when you're panicking, but it will only backfire if you do.

Rolling/spotdodging. From one roller/spotdodger to another, trust me: they'll start to predict it. And punish it. Every time.

Moves you didn't use enough:

Grabs. Mentioned before, but I'll mention it again: grab more! Pummels refresh moves and add quick damage, and at low percentages, dthrow and fthrow are combo starters.

Fair. Combo starter, low lag, shield poker. Can lead into usmash or nair for the kill.

Utilt. You want ZSS to be above you as much as possible, and at high percentages, this is your best setup for thunder kills.

Uair. Once you have her up there, uair is fast and good for harassing her from below.

Nair. When you're being combo'd, you can DI away and nair. Also, nair is a great combo ender in the air after one or two uairs.

That's all I can think of.... wifi videos don't showcase talent very well, so if you get any offline ones against good opponents, that would be fantastic. :)

Like ESAM said in the other thread, it just looked like you didn't know the matchup well in general. I suggest reading his post here, where he analyzes the matchup in detail extremely well.

Keep reppin' the 'chu! Good luck against any Zero Suits in the future.
 

Electric-Sachiel

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Aug 11, 2008
Messages
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3DS FC
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Thanks for the long detailed analysis KayLo. To be brief i did read the match-up closely in that threat that ESAM posted. But for a lack of a better reason i abandoned what i was going to initially do and resorted to panicked snap judgement attacks.

This wasn't the first time i had matches against this ZSS user, so i really can't say what happened during these matches. Lag, fatigue (my eyes were strained and partially blurry) could have all contributed to the problem.


But yeah VERY VERY good points you made with regards to what moves i used too much and which ones i should use more of. thanks a bunch man. I'll try these out next time and re-review what ESAM said in that ZSS match-up thread. :chuckle:
 

King~

Smash Champion
Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Messages
2,454
Location
Chi-town, come at me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJOjz6TchY

tear it apart rawr
this is a set with one of my partners in crime, it was a friendly set but we tried to take it as serious as possible.

obvious mistakes:
headbutt recovery r2
QA recovery r2
stayin in my shield to long r1
anymous thunders(im used to him springing after certain things :/)
im also not sure why i kept chargin upsmash like that game 2


i think i was tryin to be diffrent game 2 and just failed at it.
 

Ussi

Smash Legend
Joined
Mar 9, 2008
Messages
17,154
Location
New Jersey (South T_T)
3DS FC
4613-6716-2183
Well, i think i'll ask for some critique for the first time in my life.. I really got my self handed to me in these matches so I'm asking for some help.

Ussi vs Ak (DK)

Match 1
Match 2
Match 3
Match 4
Match 5

Ussi vs Beat (Ike)

Match 1 <- Not worth critiquing but tell me WTF to do right so I don't drag the match too long.
Match 2


Warning 1: I suicide quite a bit
Warning 2: annotations are on the DK videos.
Warning 3: I can't meteor cancel...
 

Pika_Cam

Smash Ace
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
593
Location
Auburn, AL
The only thing I'd really note Ussi is that you didn't utilize your speed against DK or Ike the way you could have. You barely used your tilts at all. I saw you use utilt during grab combos, but that was about it. You need to incorporate ftilt and epecially dtilt. Dtilt has saved my life on so many occasions because of the range and speed.
 

Ussi

Smash Legend
Joined
Mar 9, 2008
Messages
17,154
Location
New Jersey (South T_T)
3DS FC
4613-6716-2183
>_> I know I didn't use dtilt.. I was a bit off today. I did use ftilt though.

And the times i should have used a tilt i used dsmash in panic.
 

Ussi

Smash Legend
Joined
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Messages
17,154
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New Jersey (South T_T)
3DS FC
4613-6716-2183
You kept reading me like a book. Just wait till next time *shake fist*

And I had some unfortunate recovery problems >_>
 
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