CarbuncleHero
Smash Cadet
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
- Messages
- 54
Hello, I frequently lurk around smashboards (usually only here in the pikachu threads and in the competitive discussion board) and I've noticed something that I haven't seen get any discussion:
Pikachu retains his intial dash's momentum when he performs a Perfect Pivot into C-stick forward smash. In other words, a sliding forward smash. This move goes significantly further than stutterstep>fsmash.
Sorry if this is already known, but I feel like it is an important tech that should be discussed. I really think this should be a staple pikachu technique, and I'll why explain briefly, but in case this isn't common knowledge for pikachu mains, I'll show you how it's done.
For starters, I want to stress that this is SUPER easy to learn, you'll rarely have any trouble with getting it down consistently after a few tries, so don't be intimidated by the "perfect pivot" part (I've seen a lot of people on reddit who are). Those aren't getting it are just going at it wrong.
inputs: --> >>> <-- + -->cstick
To do PP>Fsmash you want to face the opponent, tilt the control stick slightly past neutral position towards the opponent, and then as you quickly pull the control stick backwards (the perfect pivot), also push the c-stick in the opposite direction. If done correctly pikachu should slide while in the starting frames of fsmash. To test this, choose Flat Zone X (Omega), roll to either edge to use the blocks to measure.
PP>Fsmash done correctly should travel to the next block, stutterstep only moves about half. If you didn't pass the blue line, but landed immediately in front of it, then your timing was slightly fast, but the distance is trivial so it doesn't matter much. I've tested with a lot of other characters (not all), and pikachu is the only one I noticed that slides during fsmash; most characters don't even travel half of a block, but I amittedly only ever practice pikachu so I'm not even sure if I did their stuttersteps as comparison correctly :\. It appeared to have some very slight distance over SS for some characters, like marth and the captain, but since they don't slide they will get more out of letting the entire animation finish before fsmashing. But again, there could be a mistake.
(((You can also do this backwards by fsmashing the same way you push the control stick, or even without the c-sick at all, but there is no reason to do it backwards when there is pivot fsmash (you gain a little more distance so it could help land the sweetspot at the tip) and doing it without the c stick will perform it correctly with the A button, but backwards.)))
Okay now that the explanation of how to do the tech is out of the way, there are two reasons why this should be a staple pikachu technique (assuming other characters don't actually slide; then it would be an everyone technique :O)
First and most obivious reason: it gives pikachu's most ranged attack more range.
How much? Enough to give R.O.B. enough feeling to cry. Using Flat Zone X's blocks as measurement (at the edge of a block instead of at edge of the stage this time), pikachu's fsmash hit over 1.5 blocks, PP>Fsmash is about 2.5 blocks. In comparison, R.O.B.'s fsmash only reaches slightly below 2 blocks. It also out-ranges Dedede's ftilt and shulk's fsmash.
I think that means pikachu now has the longest standard ground attack out of the cast, plus it's disjoint and has little startup! A few of the pika mains here are having trouble with sword characters, this should help ease the pain. Now if they whiff a move, you can punish easily with a sliding fsmash. You can bait an attack with empty hops, ppfsmash can be done easily out of fox trot, or if you are close enough you can backwards roll then punish with PPFsmash. Sword characters now have to watch their spacing as much pika has to watch his. The tables have turned!! (scales have been tipped...)
Second and why I made this whole thing in the first place: foward throw > PPfsmash is a combo at low percents.
PPfsmash is faster than foxtrot fsmash and longer than SS fsmash, and it is quick enough to catch the opponent out of foward throw for an easy ~25 damage at below 50%. It still connects at above 50 percent but the opponent can jump out if they DI well.
Please note I only had lvl 9 ai to test this on so DI could factor in, the cpu teched once so it isn't guaranteed. Using this as a followup is great, however, not just because of the damage but because pika already has followups at low percent from dthrow. Mixing up these throws, should make escaping either throw difficult. Lighter opponents that can escape dthrow strings easily might still fear fsmash; Large opponents eat a lot of damage from ft>ppfsmash since they can be hit out of it for longer. If this truly cannot be DI'ed out of then pika's grabs a low percents become much scarier.
I'm going back to lurking after this post but if this isn't clear or you have questions just post it this thread and i'll answer. And sorry this already known and hasn't been deemed useful.
edit: if you dash attack backwards you messed up the perfect pivot, if you only stutterstep fsmash, without sliding, you cstick'ed too late (early?). If you slide only just a little your name is sonic the hedgehog and you should switch mains...
edit#2: fthrow>ppfsmash isn't reliable. the throw can be teched, and some characters (diddy, jiggly) get pushed too far away after even just a little damage. it can still be used, it's just not easy damage for most characters. it basically forces opponent that do land in range of fsmash to tech as far as i can tell but i wouldn't know how this would work on a human player
reddit post with gifs
Pikachu retains his intial dash's momentum when he performs a Perfect Pivot into C-stick forward smash. In other words, a sliding forward smash. This move goes significantly further than stutterstep>fsmash.
Sorry if this is already known, but I feel like it is an important tech that should be discussed. I really think this should be a staple pikachu technique, and I'll why explain briefly, but in case this isn't common knowledge for pikachu mains, I'll show you how it's done.
For starters, I want to stress that this is SUPER easy to learn, you'll rarely have any trouble with getting it down consistently after a few tries, so don't be intimidated by the "perfect pivot" part (I've seen a lot of people on reddit who are). Those aren't getting it are just going at it wrong.
inputs: --> >>> <-- + -->cstick
To do PP>Fsmash you want to face the opponent, tilt the control stick slightly past neutral position towards the opponent, and then as you quickly pull the control stick backwards (the perfect pivot), also push the c-stick in the opposite direction. If done correctly pikachu should slide while in the starting frames of fsmash. To test this, choose Flat Zone X (Omega), roll to either edge to use the blocks to measure.
PP>Fsmash done correctly should travel to the next block, stutterstep only moves about half. If you didn't pass the blue line, but landed immediately in front of it, then your timing was slightly fast, but the distance is trivial so it doesn't matter much. I've tested with a lot of other characters (not all), and pikachu is the only one I noticed that slides during fsmash; most characters don't even travel half of a block, but I amittedly only ever practice pikachu so I'm not even sure if I did their stuttersteps as comparison correctly :\. It appeared to have some very slight distance over SS for some characters, like marth and the captain, but since they don't slide they will get more out of letting the entire animation finish before fsmashing. But again, there could be a mistake.
(((You can also do this backwards by fsmashing the same way you push the control stick, or even without the c-sick at all, but there is no reason to do it backwards when there is pivot fsmash (you gain a little more distance so it could help land the sweetspot at the tip) and doing it without the c stick will perform it correctly with the A button, but backwards.)))
Okay now that the explanation of how to do the tech is out of the way, there are two reasons why this should be a staple pikachu technique (assuming other characters don't actually slide; then it would be an everyone technique :O)
First and most obivious reason: it gives pikachu's most ranged attack more range.
How much? Enough to give R.O.B. enough feeling to cry. Using Flat Zone X's blocks as measurement (at the edge of a block instead of at edge of the stage this time), pikachu's fsmash hit over 1.5 blocks, PP>Fsmash is about 2.5 blocks. In comparison, R.O.B.'s fsmash only reaches slightly below 2 blocks. It also out-ranges Dedede's ftilt and shulk's fsmash.
I think that means pikachu now has the longest standard ground attack out of the cast, plus it's disjoint and has little startup! A few of the pika mains here are having trouble with sword characters, this should help ease the pain. Now if they whiff a move, you can punish easily with a sliding fsmash. You can bait an attack with empty hops, ppfsmash can be done easily out of fox trot, or if you are close enough you can backwards roll then punish with PPFsmash. Sword characters now have to watch their spacing as much pika has to watch his. The tables have turned!! (scales have been tipped...)
Second and why I made this whole thing in the first place: foward throw > PPfsmash is a combo at low percents.
PPfsmash is faster than foxtrot fsmash and longer than SS fsmash, and it is quick enough to catch the opponent out of foward throw for an easy ~25 damage at below 50%. It still connects at above 50 percent but the opponent can jump out if they DI well.
Please note I only had lvl 9 ai to test this on so DI could factor in, the cpu teched once so it isn't guaranteed. Using this as a followup is great, however, not just because of the damage but because pika already has followups at low percent from dthrow. Mixing up these throws, should make escaping either throw difficult. Lighter opponents that can escape dthrow strings easily might still fear fsmash; Large opponents eat a lot of damage from ft>ppfsmash since they can be hit out of it for longer. If this truly cannot be DI'ed out of then pika's grabs a low percents become much scarier.
I'm going back to lurking after this post but if this isn't clear or you have questions just post it this thread and i'll answer. And sorry this already known and hasn't been deemed useful.
edit: if you dash attack backwards you messed up the perfect pivot, if you only stutterstep fsmash, without sliding, you cstick'ed too late (early?). If you slide only just a little your name is sonic the hedgehog and you should switch mains...
edit#2: fthrow>ppfsmash isn't reliable. the throw can be teched, and some characters (diddy, jiggly) get pushed too far away after even just a little damage. it can still be used, it's just not easy damage for most characters. it basically forces opponent that do land in range of fsmash to tech as far as i can tell but i wouldn't know how this would work on a human player
reddit post with gifs
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