Pichu after 11.0

[Snarky Sceptile]

So 11.0 has come, and Pichu has gotten a few buffs. To be specific, partial nair invincibility (on the ears) and they took back the self-damage nerfs from 3.1 for some reason. So, would these be game-changing in any way? Dare I ask, is Pichu better than Pikachu now?

 

[Wigglerman]

I don't think Pichu is better than Pikachu but has been slid back closer than before thanks to the back peddle on the self damage. Pichu was generally considered better than Pikachu early on due to Pichu's hurtboxes being even smaller and his pancaking was better. Though they did fix Pichu's hurtboxes I believe early on so his biggest advantage overall is still gone.


Pichu still suffers from being so darn light that it'll KO way earlier than Pikachu which will always be a glaring problem.

Pichu still has no hit box on their quick attack which is a strong tool for Pikachu that Pichu will always lack. Also T-Jolt still hurting you will continue to be a problem for Pichu as it's a core neutral tool for both the rats but only Pichu constantly damages itself for using it. Over the course of a single stock, upwards of 15%+ just for using your neutral tool just gets you one or two hits away from death.

I'm not an expert on either character but I'd wager it's still a safe bet that Pika is still better than Pichu by a good margin. Pichu still has a stigma of being 'better' due to early Ultimate meta TBH. And from what I've gathered Pichu is usually considered a counterpick. Pichu, for some reason, might do better in some match ups than Pika.

 

[Janx_uwu]

With some nerfs to his self-damaging and buffs to his kill potential, it may be possible for him to become the better rat. But I'd rather them not buff Pichu as I think he's a fairly well-balanced character as of now.

 

[Rain0]

I don't think he is better than Pikachu, but he does have potential.