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Data PacMan's M & Ms (Metagame and Match-Up) Discussion Thread

dragontamer

Smash Ace
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dragontamer5788
I discovered recently (not sure if it's already been discovered by the Pacs as a whole) that if you're fighting luma close to the ledge and Rosa is far, you can ftilt spam to do chip damage on Luma (8 ftilts and luma goes flying with the next attack of any sort killing Luma outright) if you're not facing the ledge, and if you are and close, ftilt x2 -> dtilt will send Luma off.
Honestly, the best way I'm aware of is DAir and then combo Luma off the stage. The last hit of DAir always puts Luma into tumble animation, and a very easy "combo" into Fair will knock Luma off the edge.

I almost never chip Luma to death in Rosa / Luma matchups. Its almost always a gimp. Put Luma into tumble, then gimp him.
 
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Nu~

Smash Dreamer
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I no longer have as much time as I used to, but a stronger drive to win than ever.

That combined with the fact that I seem to find more stuff on my own than I learn digging through the forums means that I spend most of my free time in the lab or at tournaments rather than on here. This seems to be paying off as both my Pac and Cloud are improving quickly.

In a silly move that is probably going to split my attention, I've been starting to get into PM as well.
Mind dropping some pacman knowledge?
 

TomaHawk_Hoax

Smash Rookie
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Jan 3, 2016
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South Pasadena, CA
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MrBashguy
Honestly, the best way I'm aware of is DAir and then combo Luma off the stage. The last hit of DAir always puts Luma into tumble animation, and a very easy "combo" into Fair will knock Luma off the edge.

I almost never chip Luma to death in Rosa / Luma matchups. Its almost always a gimp. Put Luma into tumble, then gimp him.
The only issue I take with that is that the Rosa player would see this go in for punishes which Dair puts you in a state for since it doesn't autocancel and fairs I believe take Luma out of tumble putting him back in control of the Luma player. But I will check first. The only reason I say chip is because most of Pacs moves don't launch Luma outright and the ones that do are unsafe, that's why I go for chip and just treat fighting Rosa as fighting 2 people, discount Ice climbers with one being bigger and the other having simple dependent AI. Plus it builds awareness.
 

Splebel

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
398
Location
Maryland
What are Pacman's bread and butter combos/frame traps on fast fallers? (Sheik)
Let me tell you something. Apart from upair to upair and possibly backair to backair Pac-Man doesn't have anything special against fastfallers that he can't do against nonfast fallers. His BnB combos are as follows:

  1. Fowardair to Forwardair
  2. Forwardair to Neutralair
These are his standard combos. In my opinion Pac-Man doesn't have anything like ZSS's neutralB to grab to downthrow to upair to upair to upB to uptaunt and honestly I don't want anything like that.

Against Sheik specifically use hydrants a lot as the only move sheik really has that can launch the hydrant on its own is her forwardsmash if both hits connect and she hasn't used it too much.
 
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Direspect only!

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Sep 14, 2015
Messages
136
What should you do against characters that nullify hydrant? Either through reflecting it, or breaking it in an unpunishable manner?
 

Direspect only!

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Sep 14, 2015
Messages
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Landing isn't the problem. Your fruit options give you plenty of ways to Land for free. I'm asking how do you incorporate hydrant into your projectile game when they can just remove it whenever they please.
 

Splebel

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Messages
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Landing isn't the problem. Your fruit options give you plenty of ways to Land for free. I'm asking how do you incorporate hydrant into your projectile game when they can just remove it whenever they please.
Don't launch it. Chances are they will be compelled to launch it and you can punish it with a key or something like that. Don't try that against Ness or Lucas though because their main way of launching it is also a reflector.
 

Direspect only!

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Sep 14, 2015
Messages
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Just some first thoughts based on some friendlies. I think we win the MU die to bayonettas inability to continue long term pressure. She has to constantly reset to neutral.
 

Splebel

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Just some first thoughts based on some friendlies. I think we win the MU die to bayonettas inability to continue long term pressure. She has to constantly reset to neutral.
I would wait until Bayonetta players start to know what they're doing before coming to that conclusion cause she's hard to use at first. Corrin is also weird to fight cause of that side B.
 

Direspect only!

Smash Apprentice
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Sep 14, 2015
Messages
136
Combining water tactics with hydrant breaks has lead to some very positive results. I'm still working on a demonstration video, I'll upload some examples by the end of the week.
 

Direspect only!

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Messages
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Water tactics plus hydrant breaks have been giving extremely positive results for me. I'll be uploading a video by the end of the week for some examples, but overall since it's such an underused strategy, it's pretty useful. I've found it to be most effective against spacers and zoners. Rushdowns it's a bit situational, but still useable.
 

Froggy

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A local Pacman player has been using jab jab to upsmash, i haven't seen him miss it yet. Is this a real thing?
 

Jalil

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Jan 12, 2015
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A local Pacman player has been using jab jab to upsmash, i haven't seen him miss it yet. Is this a real thing?
No it's not but I use it and get it pretty consistently. It's a good mixup against characters who don't have quick "get away" moves.
 

Hxey

Smash Cadet
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
45
Just sharing some tech. If you don't know, at low %s, Hydrant>Fair is a true combo if you make the hydrant hit them up and forward, which is relatively easy. After the fair hits (fastfall it), if they don't mash jump you can jab combo>utilt because the water will push you right after jab 3 finishes.

Imagine the announcer says go and your opponent runs straight towards you to grab or dash attack. A possible option would be to wait until he gets close, short hop above him, then sequence together a string that looks like this;

Hydrant (9%) > Runoff-Fair (5%) > Jab Combo (9%) > Water Pushes You Straight Toward The Hitstunned Opponent > Utilt (7%)

I have a pretty high success rate with this 30% string, and it can be extended to 40%+ by Uairing or Bairing after the Utilt connects and continuing from there. Go try it in training, it's stupidly easy to hit, it looks stylish, and it's potent. I suggest practicing it, as well as finding variations of your own. I've found quite a few good Hydrant>Aerial strings, strictly because of the water pushing me into the opponent. Use it to your advantage.

Try to keep in mind you need a good amount of space when the water pushes you forward, or you'll fly off the edge before you can Utilt
 
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Skyfox2000

War it never changes...
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Hello fellow Pac-Man mains. I'm not a Pac-Man main. I'm a :4cloud:and :4sonic:main. The reason why I'm here for is that I was looking for some insights on how :4cloud:and :4sonic:do against :4pacman:? My friend mains Pac-Man and I can't help to think that Pac-Man goes even with both Cloud and Sonic. I would like to hear both of you guys opinion on the match-ups
 

Aaron1997

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Hello fellow Pac-Man mains. I'm not a Pac-Man main. I'm a :4cloud:and :4sonic:main. The reason why I'm here for is that I was looking for some insights on how :4cloud:and :4sonic:do against :4pacman:? My friend mains Pac-Man and I can't help to think that Pac-Man goes even with both Cloud and Sonic. I would like to hear both of you guys opinion on the match-ups
Go cloud all the way. It will Probably be a free win for you. Cloud is Pacman's worst match-up
 

WeirdChillFever

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Hello fellow Pac-Man mains. I'm not a Pac-Man main. I'm a :4cloud:and :4sonic:main. The reason why I'm here for is that I was looking for some insights on how :4cloud:and :4sonic:do against :4pacman:? My friend mains Pac-Man and I can't help to think that Pac-Man goes even with both Cloud and Sonic. I would like to hear both of you guys opinion on the match-ups
Cloud is Pac's hardest matchup for these reasons:

-One of the few matchups where Pac-Man has to approach.
Cloud's ideal tactic is charging Limit and shield fruit on reaction.

-Cloud kills way earlier than Pac-Man, so even if Pac-Man has the percentage lead, Limit Cross Slash puts Pac-Man at a disadvantage again.
 
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Skyfox2000

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I always thought it was a rough match-up for both sides. Because Pac-Man gives Cloud a real rough time off the stage and I find Pac-Man's traps real hard to deal with.
 

Purpledebo

Smash Cadet
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Jul 8, 2015
Messages
41
I always thought it was a rough match-up for both sides. Because Pac-Man gives Cloud a real rough time off the stage and I find Pac-Man's traps real hard to deal with.
Cloud vs Pac-Man should be un-winnable for Pac. it's 25-75

Cloud can block all the fruits with N-air, his projectile game is arguably more useful is this MU

Cloud can also juggle pac and his setups with Up-air.

against traps? just drop from the edge and U-air the hydrant trap (+which ends up damaging Pac most of the time) oh, and limit charge, that too.
to be frank, you dont really need advice to beat Pac-Man, it's almost auto-pilot beating him you know. I'd suggest going to the Cloud boards and searching for useful tech, maybe that'll help.
 

Froggy

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Cloud vs Pac-Man should be un-winnable for Pac. it's 25-75

Cloud can block all the fruits with N-air, his projectile game is arguably more useful is this MU

Cloud can also juggle pac and his setups with Up-air.

against traps? just drop from the edge and U-air the hydrant trap (+which ends up damaging Pac most of the time) oh, and limit charge, that too.
to be frank, you dont really need advice to beat Pac-Man, it's almost auto-pilot beating him you know. I'd suggest going to the Cloud boards and searching for useful tech, maybe that'll help.
Idk man, I'm starting to reconsider this after watching Shinji repeatedly beat Clouds lately.

Its a matchup I definitely needs to lab more. But i have some loose ideas in my head about how Pacman should play the matchup. Not concrete enough to make a post about it though
 

Hxey

Smash Cadet
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Jan 30, 2014
Messages
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I disagree that it's 25-75. It's 40-60 at worst for Pac. If you shield-dash up to the ledge, wait for Cloud's recovery to not snap ledge, then drop shield and ftilt, it's over for him after about 25% if has no limit. On top of that, an orange, melon, or key hit when he's offstage will also gimp him stupidly early. If he always airdodges it, bait it out then runoff Nair or start a fair string (double fair is a true combo offstage at like mid to semi high %). He won't be able to make it back. And jab beats clouds Neutral B, basically taking it out if the equation.

In this MU pacman just has to be wary of dropping hydrant above cloud when he's uairing, and has to have a read on what cloud does when he's approached while charging. Overall, this MU isn't that bad for Pacman when played smart
 
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Fruit_Hax

Smash Rookie
Joined
Mar 23, 2016
Messages
23
Honestly the more awkward your mixups are. The better you'll do against cloud. I like timing my attacks so one thing will happen and then I just pressure, our offstage game is too strong for cloud. A lot of times a 50/50 will kill him at 40%. Direct orange or orange off the wall.
 

Nu~

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I just want to clear up the misconception that cloud "wins at far range" because limit.

He doesn't​

If he charges limit off the bat, then charge to key and begin your z dropping shenanigans. Pacman is one of most powerful characters in the game when fully set up and cloud gives us that opportunity when he takes his time to charge.
 

Froggy

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Yeah this may be one matchup where I actually start z dropping for. Stopping Cloud from charging limit sometimes is effective. But chasing him down probably won't work for you in the long run.

Gotta practice edge guarding him a little better. I think if Cloud does up b and low as possible, then shielding f tilting isn't going to reach him.

a very important thing to do in this match up is to anti air him with hair and not dair. Clouds love to full hop air which bair beats, as long as you run back a bit before jumping.
 
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Hxey

Smash Cadet
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
45
A few more things I've learned in this MU and about Pacman in general is that side b is an extremely useful tool at stopping projectiles, sometimes multiple with just one use. If you're camping a Cloud out and he starts sending Neutral Bs at you, a simple side b can stop waves of them from hitting you. The pellet will be hit out of Pac's hand when it clanks with the Neutral B and remain there a for a stupid amount of time. Even grounded it will stop all projectiles that hit it for as long as it remains on the field. This forces cloud to change tactics, whether it be rushing in for the pellet (or you) or charging limit. Either way, dealing with neutral B (and more importantly, dealing with a HUGE chunk of the projectiles in this game) has just gotten much simpler for Pacman.

A few tips would be;

Try to use the pellet as close to yourself as you can, to prevent the enemy from grabbing it. Try to treat it like power shielding. Let the projectile get dangerously close before you press side b.

Remember that you don't necessarily have to pick the pellet up off the ground. It can remain there as a shield. Having tunnel vision on picking it up to heal can get you stuffed or grabbed. It's only 2% and isn't always worth it.

Remember that even if the pellet is on the ground, you can still use side B again while it's out. This is useful when the opponent sends a projectile over the grounded pellet. You can just side b again to block that one too.

Lastly, if you miss the read on a projectile and find yourself about to side b into your opponent, turn the trail upwards as soon as possible to avoid hitting shield at getting punished.

P.S this is so stupid vs Megaman. Pretty sure grounded everything except leafshield gets beaten by the pellet.
 
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Fruit_Hax

Smash Rookie
Joined
Mar 23, 2016
Messages
23
So after showing my friend the MU to make it fair. I don't see a lot we can do against fox other then to gimp his recovery. Any tips?
 

luke_atyeo

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May 10, 2008
Messages
7,215
hey dudes, I'm trying to collect a bunch of quick easy info graphics on essential character knowledge to make a quick reference guide for commentators (we all hate it when a commentator says something that is wrong)
This shulk thing here is an example of the kinda stuff I am looking for


I'm going around to all the character boards and it'll be a little messy for me to try and check them all, so if you have any cool things like that, or just some useful info that I could turn into a similar picture, please send me a message. Cheers lads.
 

WeirdChillFever

Smash Hero
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Jun 10, 2014
Messages
6,497
Location
Somewhere Out There
hey dudes, I'm trying to collect a bunch of quick easy info graphics on essential character knowledge to make a quick reference guide for commentators (we all hate it when a commentator says something that is wrong)
This shulk thing here is an example of the kinda stuff I am looking for


I'm going around to all the character boards and it'll be a little messy for me to try and check them all, so if you have any cool things like that, or just some useful info that I could turn into a similar picture, please send me a message. Cheers lads.
IT'S NOT A FLAN IT'S A BELL.

A description of each Bonus Fruit
Deal 13% to an Hydrant to smash it away
Trampoline ignores shield
Pac's fruits can't be grabbed after they're thrown (though they can after they're Z-dropped)
Trampoline is frame 1
 

med470

Smash Rookie
Joined
Apr 12, 2016
Messages
1
does anyone have tips for facing cloud his range and speed and little ariel lag making punish and approaching him very hard
 

BSP

Smash Legend
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May 23, 2009
Messages
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Louisiana
Sinji Sinji I'm watching you vs Zero and I want to give some input, and this can go for you too M med470 since you just asked about cloud.

Game 1:

@1:26 - sleeves are ugly
@1:51 - I don't know how the stage striking went, but I would not take Cloud to SV G1. I'd prefer battlefield or dreamland, and you'll see why later. If you got stuck with SV, that's alright I guess.
@ 1:57 - stage control > fruit. Did you know Zero was going to charge at you? Are you going for cherry infinites? I understand if either of those were the case, but otherwise i think you're better off trying to get some stage control when the match starts. LEss than two seconds in, Zero has you at the ledge basically.
@2:04 - this is why I think SV, FD, and DH are bad. Your trampoline is unsafe on hit. Again, I understand if you got stuck with SV, but this is why I'd avoid it.
@2:07 - normally I'd say mash trampoline here, but you just got punished on hit so I understand your apprehension.
@2:09 - you double jump to fruit charge instead of getting back to the ground, opening yourself up for further pressure from cloud aerials. Zero waits for your hydrant, blocks it, and then hits you because he knows you're super limited and can't hit him in that situation, and if you airdodge he'll recover before you and still hit you. Don't DJ -> Fruit charge, and if you're going to insist on it, master BF cancel -> phantom fruit so you don't always hydrant out of it.
@2:12 - I like that you tried to apply pressure, but the Fair was bad in that case because it set your hydrant to be launched at you. @2:20 - If you don't have to go airborne against cloud, don't. Nice tech right after though. But think about this situation. You had a red trampoline in front, so Zero isn't going to run at you, and if he really wanted to get limit, he would've ran farther away. Jumping didn't accomplish much except put you in a position to get Dair'd.
@2:30 - sigh, that trampoline nerf alone knocked pac down two tiers. It infuriates me to this day, but this is why you need stationary platforms if you can get them.
@2:35 - ledge ump fair is super smart, good job not getting destroyed at the ledge for the most part.
@2:37 - if you were throwing this galaxian to counter launch, it was too early of course. If you were throwing it to prime the hydrant, it wasn't the best idea because zero has been super aggressive towards your hydrant so far. @2:02 he Ftilted it, then jab launched it immediately. @2:12 he ftilted it the moment after you hit it. @2:37 he goes for a Fsmash lol. With the way you threw the galaxian, i'm leaning towards you were trying to prime it, and my response is to watch how your opponent handles your hydrant closely. Again, Zero has been aggressive towards it (dash attacks it right after), so you trying to prime => it's ocming back in your face.

@2:39 - I recommend trying to Fair your hydrant if it's launched at you like that. Zero did trap you nicely there.
@2:57 - again want to point out how aggressive he is towards your hydrant
@3:03 - that galaxian combo was nice, you did 30% in less than a second. However, I don't understand your choice right after. Instead of looking to keep pressure on zero, you put a hydrant and let him land + give up the stage control you just obtained. Cloud's landing isn't the best if he's facing you and can't autocancel Dair, so i'd recommend trying to stay closer when you have him in the air.

@3:13 - good job not trying to punish that, and even better job for not getting spooked by limit and jumping.
@3:!6 - here is the decision making that pac man players do that i have a problem with. You just landed a jab combo and have cloud in the air after hitting him, but instead of chasing him and pressuring his landing, you charge to a bell which promptly gets blocked after you let zero land. IMO you should be chasing after him once you land hits. If you would've been looking to continue pressure, you would've been free to move and possibly punish zero from the side when he DJ -> Dair'd after realizing what an awful spot he was in.

@3:23 - misjudged the disappearing time?
@3:30 - if you go for the trampoline, either don't commmit to a direction at all and wait for the second bounce, or fully commit to a direction after bounce 1 or you end up easily punished.
@ 3:39 - I would've been hesitant to prime the hydrant right here given zero's track record with it, but you get away with it.
@ 3:43 - again let me commend your ledge play. Most people would be getting destroyed by zero at the ledge.
@3:56 - I don't know if you threw that bell in anticipation of zero Filting the hydrant. If you did, excellent play because you capitalized on his habit of responding to it.
@3:59 - why didn't you get the galaxian? You have easy 0-40% conversions on cloud.
@4:03 - good job staying tricky, but idk if you should actually put yourself on the ledge. Luckily zero opted to charge limit, but that could've turned out bad.
@4:05 - I think you could've turned around after the DA, hit zero with full hop revrse Uair, and had time to combo into Nair. You have a good bit more frame advantage with reverse nair, so try to land it when you can.
@4:06 - if you would've stayed at galaxian when you had the chance to charge, you could've gotten it in your hand here, and subsequently be able to threaten with huge punish potential.
@4:11 - nice guts
@4:16 - let me bring up decision making once again. You just hit zero with your launched hydrant, but you choose to remain on the far right of the stage and charge your fruit instead of taking stage control. Get stage control first. If you would've ran to center stage, but 4:17 you possibly could've had zero scared on a platform, but instead you let him take control back by not moving until zero can mount an offense back.
@4:26 - you got baited here. Consider falling without hydrant sometimes, or going straight to the ledge from the get go.

Game 2 - I don't know what zero banned, but FD is the last place i'd take him. I'd go back to SV before going to FD.

@4:59 - you did it again. The first thing zero did G1 was rush you and take stage control, and you let him do it again. BF is a commitment, even if it is small. Get stage control first.
@5:02 - I think you're picking up on zero's aggresion to your hydrant. Good.
@ 5:50 - reverse SH uair may have hit here
@5:06 - double jump to fruit charge, relinquishing all stage control you just gained and putting yourself in a juggle situation along with expending your hydrant.
@5:13 - good idea going to the ledge, since Sakurai wanted pac-man to be punished on hit for some reason.
@5:15 - don't do Nair getting up because you are committed for so long. Fair was working fine imo.
@5:16 - why did you double jump before doing that hydrant? You limited yourself quite a bit and didn't have much of an option to avoid zzero's nair.
@5:18 - Nair is your combo breaker bro. If i sound like i'm being picky, it's because the little things matter. n a matter of a few seconds, you went from being in the lead to down 24%.
@5:24 - if cloud is falling at you like that, i'd block. Also definitely don't run because that leaves you liable to getting hit out of your initial dash.
@5:27 - you double jump to fruit charge again. Even if it is small, BF is not a commitment you should be making while you are in disadvantage.
@5:33 - that was not the time to charge fruit. You were at the ledge under a lot of pressure. It got you grabbed. If you were trying to throw that fruit, do the double tap throw so you throw it 4 frames faster.
@5:36 - if that was a counter launch attempt, good try. Zero is still hitting your hydrant a lot.
@5:38 - why did you run forward? You know zero has been aggro on your hydrant and will most likely launch it at you. You would have been fine if you ducked, waited for the tilt, and then tried to deal with him.
@5:44 - that's what you need to do when you hit cloud, chase him, take stage control + apply pressure. Right after you read zero's jump , so good work.
@5:52 - idk about using i frames to charge fruit. That's free time to pressure cloud while you're invincible.
@5:57 - you stop chasing him to charge to the bell. I know the bell is valuable, but i still think you're better off trying to pressure the landing harder than just charging a distance away.
@6:02 - Again, consider decision making right here. You just knocked Cloud into the air without a double jump, and instead of going to pressure his landing yourself, you go for a hydrant launch trap, which Zero jumps right over. Stop letting people land.

@6:11 - i believe cloud is safe in that sitation if he autocancels dair, so good job not throwing your bell.
@6:25 - misinput?
@6:28 - again, decision making. Was the fruit charge supposed to be a bait? You were better off not doing it imo.
@6:31 - I like the idea. Inky can beat cloud's dair if you time it correctly. Alternatively, run to cloud's landing spot, block, and FH Nair when he lands.
@6:33 - DJ fruit charge, putting yourself in a juggle situation yet again.
@6:35 - notice zero going ham on your hydrant. At this point i would've considered walking to the hydrant and Fsmashing it.

@6:39 - you messed up BIG right here IMO. You have Zero falling into you without a jump with a bell in your hand. You should thrown the bell to either force zero to airdodge in order to avoid the stun or perform an aerial to cancel it, and then punish him for whatever option he picked. If he didn't outright die from your punish, he would've at least burned limit. Alternatively since he's coming down without a jump, you could've thrown the bell down at the ledge and forced him to burn limit in order to recover.

However, instead you try to go for a trampoline trap when you don't have the time to do so, ultimately letting zero grab the ledge for free. Instead of zero dying or at least not having limit, he ends up back over the stage, with a jump and limit. He does a Dair which would negate your bell, does a quick confirm, then kills you with finishing touch after reading your airdodge. You've got to know when to press your advantages + do traditional edgeguards and not go for traps, because that key decision right there really cost you a lot.

Game 3

@7:19 - PAC MAN PLAYER DECISION MAKING. Your first move should be to get on the ground, not charge fruit. Sigh, we've got to get better about this. For the third time in a row, zero rushes straight at you and you let him take control.
@7:34 - that chage was fine, but i would've been looking for zero's aggressive hydrant launch option.
@8:02 - do a reverse FH Uair, and then you should have enough time to combo into Nair
@8:10 - you insist on charging in the air. At least get the cancel down please. That side B after the hydrant was super dangerous, because Zero could've attempted to 2 frame your trampoline jump after.
@8:12 - that was zero's first trump attempt. Good job not falling for it.
@8:14 - your best bet is to fall into the ground and tech, and then hope cloud does not read your tech option.
@8:24 - I have to say this was a poor decision. Instead of pressuring zero on the platform after your hit, you stayed on the right side and then put yourself offstage in order to charge fruit. You need to take stage control when you can.
@8:54 - if that charge was a bait, good job because it worked.
@9:10 - IMO you should've thrown the galaxian the moment you hit it, and then set a trampoline under a platform. Instead you put yourself offstage as zzero ran right up to you.
@9:23 - Utilt out of DA is smart, good thinking.
@9:32 - take the trampoline hit right there
@9:41 - is there a reason you didn't jump up with an Uair?
@ 9:46 - again, look into reverse Uair out of DA

@9:49 - smart move right there, cross up with Fair then hydrant the jump
@9:50 - but then you ruin the ride by burning your DJ and putting yourself offstage to charge fruit. Please stop doing this.
@9:59 - good job trying to have the water cover you
@10:11 - im sorry if these are baits and i'm not picking up on them, but i recommend you stop going for fruit charges unless you know it'll be safe for a bit.
@10:13 - you shouldn't have double jumped after that hydrant. You should've fell down with nair because you had a legitimate chance to gimp zero right there.
@10:23 - please, please, please stop burning your jump offstage to charge
@10:28 - that's the power of BF right there. Pac's best stage imo.
@10:31 - i know you don't want to let him charge limit, but jumping at cloud is a bad idea. Also, is there a reason you went for Key? Bell -> smash would do a lot of work at the % he's at
@10:37 - it's stupid how fast cloud is on the ground
@10:45 - you do run up SH Fair a lot. I'd mix it up with run up trampoline, or stop running early and wait for a response.
@10:49 - you didn't put yourself at too much risk, but DJ lower because you were dangerously close to the ledge.

That's all I've got for now. You made the MU look winnable, but there's more you could've done. Keep at it.
 

Sinji

Smash Master
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Sinji Sinji I'm watching you vs Zero and I want to give some input, and this can go for you too M med470 since you just asked about cloud.

Game 1:

@1:26 - sleeves are ugly
@1:51 - I don't know how the stage striking went, but I would not take Cloud to SV G1. I'd prefer battlefield or dreamland, and you'll see why later. If you got stuck with SV, that's alright I guess.
@ 1:57 - stage control > fruit. Did you know Zero was going to charge at you? Are you going for cherry infinites? I understand if either of those were the case, but otherwise i think you're better off trying to get some stage control when the match starts. LEss than two seconds in, Zero has you at the ledge basically.
@2:04 - this is why I think SV, FD, and DH are bad. Your trampoline is unsafe on hit. Again, I understand if you got stuck with SV, but this is why I'd avoid it.
@2:07 - normally I'd say mash trampoline here, but you just got punished on hit so I understand your apprehension.
@2:09 - you double jump to fruit charge instead of getting back to the ground, opening yourself up for further pressure from cloud aerials. Zero waits for your hydrant, blocks it, and then hits you because he knows you're super limited and can't hit him in that situation, and if you airdodge he'll recover before you and still hit you. Don't DJ -> Fruit charge, and if you're going to insist on it, master BF cancel -> phantom fruit so you don't always hydrant out of it.
@2:12 - I like that you tried to apply pressure, but the Fair was bad in that case because it set your hydrant to be launched at you. @2:20 - If you don't have to go airborne against cloud, don't. Nice tech right after though. But think about this situation. You had a red trampoline in front, so Zero isn't going to run at you, and if he really wanted to get limit, he would've ran farther away. Jumping didn't accomplish much except put you in a position to get Dair'd.
@2:30 - sigh, that trampoline nerf alone knocked pac down two tiers. It infuriates me to this day, but this is why you need stationary platforms if you can get them.
@2:35 - ledge ump fair is super smart, good job not getting destroyed at the ledge for the most part.
@2:37 - if you were throwing this galaxian to counter launch, it was too early of course. If you were throwing it to prime the hydrant, it wasn't the best idea because zero has been super aggressive towards your hydrant so far. @2:02 he Ftilted it, then jab launched it immediately. @2:12 he ftilted it the moment after you hit it. @2:37 he goes for a Fsmash lol. With the way you threw the galaxian, i'm leaning towards you were trying to prime it, and my response is to watch how your opponent handles your hydrant closely. Again, Zero has been aggressive towards it (dash attacks it right after), so you trying to prime => it's ocming back in your face.

@2:39 - I recommend trying to Fair your hydrant if it's launched at you like that. Zero did trap you nicely there.
@2:57 - again want to point out how aggressive he is towards your hydrant
@3:03 - that galaxian combo was nice, you did 30% in less than a second. However, I don't understand your choice right after. Instead of looking to keep pressure on zero, you put a hydrant and let him land + give up the stage control you just obtained. Cloud's landing isn't the best if he's facing you and can't autocancel Dair, so i'd recommend trying to stay closer when you have him in the air.

@3:13 - good job not trying to punish that, and even better job for not getting spooked by limit and jumping.
@3:!6 - here is the decision making that pac man players do that i have a problem with. You just landed a jab combo and have cloud in the air after hitting him, but instead of chasing him and pressuring his landing, you charge to a bell which promptly gets blocked after you let zero land. IMO you should be chasing after him once you land hits. If you would've been looking to continue pressure, you would've been free to move and possibly punish zero from the side when he DJ -> Dair'd after realizing what an awful spot he was in.

@3:23 - misjudged the disappearing time?
@3:30 - if you go for the trampoline, either don't commmit to a direction at all and wait for the second bounce, or fully commit to a direction after bounce 1 or you end up easily punished.
@ 3:39 - I would've been hesitant to prime the hydrant right here given zero's track record with it, but you get away with it.
@ 3:43 - again let me commend your ledge play. Most people would be getting destroyed by zero at the ledge.
@3:56 - I don't know if you threw that bell in anticipation of zero Filting the hydrant. If you did, excellent play because you capitalized on his habit of responding to it.
@3:59 - why didn't you get the galaxian? You have easy 0-40% conversions on cloud.
@4:03 - good job staying tricky, but idk if you should actually put yourself on the ledge. Luckily zero opted to charge limit, but that could've turned out bad.
@4:05 - I think you could've turned around after the DA, hit zero with full hop revrse Uair, and had time to combo into Nair. You have a good bit more frame advantage with reverse nair, so try to land it when you can.
@4:06 - if you would've stayed at galaxian when you had the chance to charge, you could've gotten it in your hand here, and subsequently be able to threaten with huge punish potential.
@4:11 - nice guts
@4:16 - let me bring up decision making once again. You just hit zero with your launched hydrant, but you choose to remain on the far right of the stage and charge your fruit instead of taking stage control. Get stage control first. If you would've ran to center stage, but 4:17 you possibly could've had zero scared on a platform, but instead you let him take control back by not moving until zero can mount an offense back.
@4:26 - you got baited here. Consider falling without hydrant sometimes, or going straight to the ledge from the get go.

Game 2 - I don't know what zero banned, but FD is the last place i'd take him. I'd go back to SV before going to FD.

@4:59 - you did it again. The first thing zero did G1 was rush you and take stage control, and you let him do it again. BF is a commitment, even if it is small. Get stage control first.
@5:02 - I think you're picking up on zero's aggresion to your hydrant. Good.
@ 5:50 - reverse SH uair may have hit here
@5:06 - double jump to fruit charge, relinquishing all stage control you just gained and putting yourself in a juggle situation along with expending your hydrant.
@5:13 - good idea going to the ledge, since Sakurai wanted pac-man to be punished on hit for some reason.
@5:15 - don't do Nair getting up because you are committed for so long. Fair was working fine imo.
@5:16 - why did you double jump before doing that hydrant? You limited yourself quite a bit and didn't have much of an option to avoid zzero's nair.
@5:18 - Nair is your combo breaker bro. If i sound like i'm being picky, it's because the little things matter. n a matter of a few seconds, you went from being in the lead to down 24%.
@5:24 - if cloud is falling at you like that, i'd block. Also definitely don't run because that leaves you liable to getting hit out of your initial dash.
@5:27 - you double jump to fruit charge again. Even if it is small, BF is not a commitment you should be making while you are in disadvantage.
@5:33 - that was not the time to charge fruit. You were at the ledge under a lot of pressure. It got you grabbed. If you were trying to throw that fruit, do the double tap throw so you throw it 4 frames faster.
@5:36 - if that was a counter launch attempt, good try. Zero is still hitting your hydrant a lot.
@5:38 - why did you run forward? You know zero has been aggro on your hydrant and will most likely launch it at you. You would have been fine if you ducked, waited for the tilt, and then tried to deal with him.
@5:44 - that's what you need to do when you hit cloud, chase him, take stage control + apply pressure. Right after you read zero's jump , so good work.
@5:52 - idk about using i frames to charge fruit. That's free time to pressure cloud while you're invincible.
@5:57 - you stop chasing him to charge to the bell. I know the bell is valuable, but i still think you're better off trying to pressure the landing harder than just charging a distance away.
@6:02 - Again, consider decision making right here. You just knocked Cloud into the air without a double jump, and instead of going to pressure his landing yourself, you go for a hydrant launch trap, which Zero jumps right over. Stop letting people land.

@6:11 - i believe cloud is safe in that sitation if he autocancels dair, so good job not throwing your bell.
@6:25 - misinput?
@6:28 - again, decision making. Was the fruit charge supposed to be a bait? You were better off not doing it imo.
@6:31 - I like the idea. Inky can beat cloud's dair if you time it correctly. Alternatively, run to cloud's landing spot, block, and FH Nair when he lands.
@6:33 - DJ fruit charge, putting yourself in a juggle situation yet again.
@6:35 - notice zero going ham on your hydrant. At this point i would've considered walking to the hydrant and Fsmashing it.

@6:39 - you messed up BIG right here IMO. You have Zero falling into you without a jump with a bell in your hand. You should thrown the bell to either force zero to airdodge in order to avoid the stun or perform an aerial to cancel it, and then punish him for whatever option he picked. If he didn't outright die from your punish, he would've at least burned limit. Alternatively since he's coming down without a jump, you could've thrown the bell down at the ledge and forced him to burn limit in order to recover.

However, instead you try to go for a trampoline trap when you don't have the time to do so, ultimately letting zero grab the ledge for free. Instead of zero dying or at least not having limit, he ends up back over the stage, with a jump and limit. He does a Dair which would negate your bell, does a quick confirm, then kills you with finishing touch after reading your airdodge. You've got to know when to press your advantages + do traditional edgeguards and not go for traps, because that key decision right there really cost you a lot.

Game 3

@7:19 - PAC MAN PLAYER DECISION MAKING. Your first move should be to get on the ground, not charge fruit. Sigh, we've got to get better about this. For the third time in a row, zero rushes straight at you and you let him take control.
@7:34 - that chage was fine, but i would've been looking for zero's aggressive hydrant launch option.
@8:02 - do a reverse FH Uair, and then you should have enough time to combo into Nair
@8:10 - you insist on charging in the air. At least get the cancel down please. That side B after the hydrant was super dangerous, because Zero could've attempted to 2 frame your trampoline jump after.
@8:12 - that was zero's first trump attempt. Good job not falling for it.
@8:14 - your best bet is to fall into the ground and tech, and then hope cloud does not read your tech option.
@8:24 - I have to say this was a poor decision. Instead of pressuring zero on the platform after your hit, you stayed on the right side and then put yourself offstage in order to charge fruit. You need to take stage control when you can.
@8:54 - if that charge was a bait, good job because it worked.
@9:10 - IMO you should've thrown the galaxian the moment you hit it, and then set a trampoline under a platform. Instead you put yourself offstage as zzero ran right up to you.
@9:23 - Utilt out of DA is smart, good thinking.
@9:32 - take the trampoline hit right there
@9:41 - is there a reason you didn't jump up with an Uair?
@ 9:46 - again, look into reverse Uair out of DA

@9:49 - smart move right there, cross up with Fair then hydrant the jump
@9:50 - but then you ruin the ride by burning your DJ and putting yourself offstage to charge fruit. Please stop doing this.
@9:59 - good job trying to have the water cover you
@10:11 - im sorry if these are baits and i'm not picking up on them, but i recommend you stop going for fruit charges unless you know it'll be safe for a bit.
@10:13 - you shouldn't have double jumped after that hydrant. You should've fell down with nair because you had a legitimate chance to gimp zero right there.
@10:23 - please, please, please stop burning your jump offstage to charge
@10:28 - that's the power of BF right there. Pac's best stage imo.
@10:31 - i know you don't want to let him charge limit, but jumping at cloud is a bad idea. Also, is there a reason you went for Key? Bell -> smash would do a lot of work at the % he's at
@10:37 - it's stupid how fast cloud is on the ground
@10:45 - you do run up SH Fair a lot. I'd mix it up with run up trampoline, or stop running early and wait for a response.
@10:49 - you didn't put yourself at too much risk, but DJ lower because you were dangerously close to the ledge.

That's all I've got for now. You made the MU look winnable, but there's more you could've done. Keep at it.

Honestly I want to use both Mario and Pac-Man for Cloud. I see what your saying when you said Battlefield is good for Pac-Man.

Another problem I have with Cloud is when he Fairs the hydrant. Zero didn't do it in this set but when it's done it lauches in one hit and tumbles making it impossible for me to do anything to punish. That's an issue I have with the match up. I don't know what to do after that.

Zero banned lylat

Should I use Mario for SmashVille? I have a solid Mario. I just didn't know the Diddy Kong match up for Mario just in case he counter pick Diddy on me.

I understand when you say maintain stage control after hitting him with the hydrant. Thanks

Do you know what stages I should use Mario and Pac-Man for against Cloud?
 

BSP

Smash Legend
Joined
May 23, 2009
Messages
10,246
Location
Louisiana
Honestly I want to use both Mario and Pac-Man for Cloud. I see what your saying when you said Battlefield is good for Pac-Man.

Another problem I have with Cloud is when he Fairs the hydrant. Zero didn't do it in this set but when it's done it lauches in one hit and tumbles making it impossible for me to do anything to punish. That's an issue I have with the match up. I don't know what to do after that.

Zero banned lylat

Should I use Mario for SmashVille? I have a solid Mario. I just didn't know the Diddy Kong match up for Mario just in case he counter pick Diddy on me.

I understand when you say maintain stage control after hitting him with the hydrant. Thanks

Do you know what stages I should use Mario and Pac-Man for against Cloud?
All you can really do about Cloud Fair instant launch is launch it first yourself with Key or a Smash, of if you're close try to hit Cloud first.

As for Mario v Pac, I'm sure Mario has a better MU with Cloud in general, but I think you should go whoever you think you have a stronger feeling with. I'm guessing you're more familiar with Pac than Mario, and you didn't get completely blown out by Zero even though Pac v Cloud is a tough MU. Cloud players will most likely know the Mario MU more than the Pac MU as well.

I think the MU is completely winnable for Pac-Man though. If Cloud goes aggro, it's tough to get around his hitboxes but he doesn't have the best approach game in the world. If he tries to limit camp, I think Pac-Man with fruit in hand isn't that far behind him in terms of potential reward. Solid galaxian combos do ~40% put Cloud in a juggle situation. As you did in one of your games, a single Bell or two could have you taking stocks at around 100%, or possibly earlier if you force Cloud offstage into a gimp situation. It's easily in Cloud's favor but not impossible for Pac.
 

Sinji

Smash Master
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Brooklyn New York
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All you can really do about Cloud Fair instant launch is launch it first yourself with Key or a Smash, of if you're close try to hit Cloud first.

As for Mario v Pac, I'm sure Mario has a better MU with Cloud in general, but I think you should go whoever you think you have a stronger feeling with. I'm guessing you're more familiar with Pac than Mario, and you didn't get completely blown out by Zero even though Pac v Cloud is a tough MU. Cloud players will most likely know the Mario MU more than the Pac MU as well.

I think the MU is completely winnable for Pac-Man though. If Cloud goes aggro, it's tough to get around his hitboxes but he doesn't have the best approach game in the world. If he tries to limit camp, I think Pac-Man with fruit in hand isn't that far behind him in terms of potential reward. Solid galaxian combos do ~40% put Cloud in a juggle situation. As you did in one of your games, a single Bell or two could have you taking stocks at around 100%, or possibly earlier if you force Cloud offstage into a gimp situation. It's easily in Cloud's favor but not impossible for Pac.
I got double eliminated by to a cloud today and placed 5th. They were off stream. I went all mario and lost in game 3 of winners. In losers I started with Mario and lost game one. Game 2 I went Pac-Man and beat him on Duck Hunt. Game 3 he took me to battlfield ( Should have banned ) and lost with Pacman. I guess I have to work on my power shielding. I'm not getting the punishes I want on cloud because his moves are safe on hit if not powershielded.
 

Hxey

Smash Cadet
Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Messages
45
Something I'd recommend doing if they 1hit your hydrant, is fairing the hydrant (it nullifies the hitbox) or shield dashing up to it (also nullifies it). Out of shield, you can act as needed. Out of fair, I'd recommend watch the opponent. He'll likely be on the aggresive
 

EODM07

Smash Hero
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EODM07
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Greetings Pac-Mains! I descended from the glorious location that is the Zelda Social! Don't worry, not here to cause any trouble or anything. :secretkpop:

I'm here through the wonders of research to provide you all with some tech (Which was probably found a while ago) that Pac-Man is capable of. Which I've called the PUA or "Platformed Up Air".

Pac-Man's Up Air caught my attention a while ago back when I was going through some testings with moves that could platform cancel. Like Corrin's Side B and Ganondorf's Down B. However, Pac-Man's UAir real stands out, since while it can be used as a way to gain some extra height to get onto platforms more easily; it could potentially be used as a mindgame tool and combo tool as well when used on a platform.

Not so sure whether these can help with the Pac-Man Meta or not, but thought I'd at least drop what I found here.

"Pac-Man's Platformed UAir Tech"
"Pac-Man's PUA Combos"

Apologies if the quality is not good or if this knowledge was not helpful.
 
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