Pika Q&A/FAQ Thread: Ask a Quick Question, Get a Quick Answer!

[KayLo!]

Uhh. Generally, CPing a character's best stage vs. them is a bad thing..... x.o

I wouldn't advise Halberd for Snake. Frigate's good, and imo, Castle Siege works well too -- just be careful on the first transformation. Personally, I'm also a fan of good ol' FD, but a lot of people disagree on that one (for good reason, I suppose)..... I just feel really comfy on that stage.

 

[Kantō]

NO not halberd for snake lol. i would pick japes to be a ******* hahaha

 

[Frio]

I just know for a fact that the snakes im vsing will ban FD. I'm not to sure about Castle siege since 2 of the three transformations have small sides. frigate does seem nice because of the no edge thing. I was thinknig about PS 1 though. can I infinte snake in the rock stage hole thing?

Edit: Jungle Japes just ins't my stage :/

 

[Kantō]

u can CG snake too, so flat stages arent bad...

 

[KayLo!]

I just know for a fact that the snakes im vsing will ban FD. I'm not to sure about Castle siege since 2 of the three transformations have small sides. frigate does seem nice because of the no edge thing. I was thinknig about PS 1 though. can I infinte snake in the rock stage hole thing?

The first transformation of CS is the only one that's sorta bad. The last transformation tilts, so it'll mess with his nade/mortar slide spacing, and the ceiling isn't especially low (which is the major thing to avoid with Snake) like it is on Halberd. The tilting can also aid you in additional CG'ing/combos. I dunno. Combined with the many walk-offs and second transformation, I like it. *shrug*

PS1 is..... meh. The details of the stage and multiple, quicker transformations can make C4s and nades hard to see/keep track of, and there're so many places where Snake can sit there and make an impenetrable wall via platforms, tilts, and explosives. The only stage that's really beneficial for us is the rock stage, and he can still drop nades and C4s on your head if he's careful. If you decide to camp on the right side instead, he can avoid tjolts and make it impossible to approach since his tilts cover that entire little rock hole you're talking about. He can also absolutely **** with the windmill during the water stage.

Japes.... well. It's not legal here anymore, so I got nothin to say about it.

 

[PUNK9]

downn here inn FL. Japes is legall.
so is Ranbow Cruise :/.
wtf.?
lol

 

[Kantō]

japes is legal in WNY, so im forced to play on it all the time and i hate it!
but, if you get lucky you can beat oppenents that are much better than you sometimes. like goggles beating san ha.

 

[Frio]

Thanks for the tips guys. I think I'm going to go with frigate.

 

[Kantō]

so ive been practicing my QAC locks a lot and have seeing some things that i have questions for:

1. i notice that some one has to be fallen on the ground for the QAC lock to work. what are pikas best moves to cause your oppenent to fall onto the ground to initiate the QAC lock?

2. i mainly want to use this technique against ice climbers. i have the QAC locks on them but sometimes popo will be the only one fallen on the ground in the lock and nana will just be standing in the lock. can and will she attack me? does one get up before the other?

3. can i only do a raising nair out of a QAC? i try to do one at standing level but i get pika's tumble animation i guess i would call it. looks like his nair and makes the sound, but doesnt actually hit.

 

[KayLo!]

1. i notice that some one has to be fallen on the ground for the QAC lock to work. what are pikas best moves to cause your oppenent to fall onto the ground to initiate the QAC lock?

Pika doesn't have that many ways to force a missed tech, tbh.

- Dsmash can work if they DI out early and don't tech, but it really depends on their DI..... if they DI out and up, they'll just go in the air instead.

- Dtilt can work at higher percentages.

- Nair/dair/bairing people off of platforms when they have their shield up will usually end with them on the ground. Bair is especially good for this since it lasts a long time, so you can literally drag people off while their shield is up.

- Uair > footstool works well since they can't tech the footstool.

- Weirdly, at high percentages, a lot of people don't tech tjolts. x.x But by the percentages this would work at, you should be going for KOs, not locks.

- The windmill on PS1 is really good for this, but it's extremely hard to QAL there while the windmill's spinning, and the changing terrain during transformations will probably mess you up.

The most reliable ways are bairing people off of platforms and uair > footstool. Otherwise they'll probably tech. Footstooling's especially good since it's impossible for them to tech, so it's a guaranteed lock opportunity.

2. i mainly want to use this technique against ice climbers. i have the QAC locks on them but sometimes popo will be the only one fallen on the ground in the lock and nana will just be standing in the lock. can and will she attack me? does one get up before the other?

Nana will probably **** you over, lol. I've never tried the lock on ICs, but if she's just standing there while you're going back and forth, a human player would be able to use her to hit you out of it.

3. can i only do a raising nair out of a QAC? i try to do one at standing level but i get pika's tumble animation i guess i would call it. looks like his nair and makes the sound, but doesnt actually hit.

Yeah, you can only do rising aerials out of QAC. Or jump > aerials. The only exception is dair.... if you do dair right after QAC (without jumping), you'll get the ground shockwave.

 

[DUB]

I've been practicing Pikachu on Norfair lately. I love how mobile Pikachu can be on this stage. Would it be a viable CP against Snake?

 

[KayLo!]

Norfair's good if it's legal in your area, although Snake can **** with dthrow tech chases on platforms that small. Just something to be aware of if you take him there.

It's not legal in PA, though, so I haven't played on that stage in a while.

 

[Kantō]

thanks so much kaylo. your info has been very useful.

now, more practicing to do...

 

[PUNK9]

Down heree Norfair is illeagle. D:
but honestly. i think thats one of pikachus best stages.
lots of platforms.
Great place to QaC on,
but the only down side is that t-jolts dont really work heree.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

tjolts work amazing there. in a place where having the lower area is where you want to be, a way to send projectiles into that area from above is very nice to have

 

[DUB]

Sort of a scenario question. If a MK is running PS my T-Jolts on a open stage such as Final D or Smashville, what are my options when he gets too close for comfort.

If I don't acknowledge his advance my Jolt will get PSd and I'll eat an aerial.

I stop T-Jolting and now have to deal with MK in close range backed up against an edge. What are some good tools to stop a MK when he is trying to disrupt your " projectile spacing".

Also, how is Pika's OoS game? Do I have efficient options to punish a badly spaced attack OoS? What moves can I use OoS to relieve pressure and reset the situation?

 

[Kantō]

whats good strategy against yoshis?

 

[Legendary Pikachu]

if you have a broken up b (marth, mario, samus) most yoshis tend to flail jabs at point blank. Point blank is tougher against the better ones.

The next thing are the eggs. You just have to fully airdodge through them and space yourself in the air high or low and either point blank or very far away to avoid landing punishments (smashes, and grab/pivotgrab shenanegans). QaC through yoshi and following up with u-air is pure gold especially if you get him off guard. Yoshi's shield sucks too bad to counter it from shield in any way and so long as you don't warp right into a smash from yoshi, you're pretty much safe (if you do it before the eggs come out).

In terms of grabs, those are yoshi's main metagame i think. Just, if in doubt, land near the ledge and spotdodge. Yoshi has a far risker grab just dashing forwards. You'll get into too much trouble if you allow yoshi to space his pivot grabs. I'd t-jolt spam the yoshi out of the grabbing mood.

Just watch out for egg damage, keep aerialing, and punish a point blank opening (when yoshi is not jabbing ^_^).

 

[Lord Thunder]

Hi everyone

I'm having trouble using double and triple thunder off the sides of stages. My problem is, I keep fast falling when I go to use the move and wind up ko'ing myself. Is double/triple thunder effective enough seriously use, or does the risk outweigh the reward? Would it be better to perfect hitting a recovering opponent with Nair instead?

 

[Stealth Raptor]

double shouldnt be used too often, and frankly anything higher then that shouldnt really be used at all. you could mix it in but dont think about trying that too much, nair works fine

also wtf someone trying to steal my title of thunder master

 

[Lord Thunder]

Thanks Raptor. I also have one other question for now directed at all the Pikachu mains on here.

How much do you incorporate QAC into your matches? Do you find yourself using it a lot? And what are you doing with it? (attacking, evading, mind games) Or, do you find yourself not using QAC much at all? Are there other ATs you use more often?

 

[Stealth Raptor]

its personal taste. i would advice using it a lot unless you are good at mindgaming with it. while it is very flashy it is a very punishable move if used incorrectly. the thing i like about pikachu is that you can use him in a bunch of different ways and be effective. i would recommend looking at vids of some pikachus and finding what you like.

 

[altairian]

QaC is pretty much our best mindgame/surprise move, I'm trying to work it more and more in to my game, but like stealth said it's pretty punishable. Check out our research thread (i think) where k prime has listed the extra landing lag we get after using QaC and make sure you're conscious of that when using it in matches.

 

[Kantō]

i use the QAC alot, to get away mostly. QAC lock is kool, but u have to know what ur doing. takes a lot of practice to master it. mindgames mindgames mindgames.....

 

[KayLo!]

@Lord Thunder: Not gonna lie, I rarely QAC except for recovery/occasional quick getaways. It's punishable, has horrible priority, is only useful if your opponent is surprised by it (which won't be often -- it's not that hard to see coming, depending on how far away you are), and I usually find myself in a position where another option is just.... better.

It's all personal taste. It's definitely a technique you should know, but imho, I think some people rely on it a bit too much.

Sort of a scenario question. If a MK is running PS my T-Jolts on a open stage such as Final D or Smashville, what are my options when he gets too close for comfort.

If I don't acknowledge his advance my Jolt will get PSd and I'll eat an aerial.

I stop T-Jolting and now have to deal with MK in close range backed up against an edge. What are some good tools to stop a MK when he is trying to disrupt your " projectile spacing".

MK is hard to straight-up camp if he's good at perfect shielding. His speed and range mean that he can close in on you very quickly to take advantage of tjolt's cooldown lag, so once he's within ~half a stage's length of me, I usually stop jolting. Or at least jolt a little more carefully. This'll prevent you from getting punished or backed into a corner that's hard to get out of safely.

If you do get backed into a corner, getting out really depends on what the MK is doing, so that's kind of a hard question to answer. Is he dair camping? Is he dtilting? Camping for a grab? It's a situational thing.

Also, how is Pika's OoS game? Do I have efficient options to punish a badly spaced attack OoS? What moves can I use OoS to relieve pressure and reset the situation?

Pika's OOS game is actually pretty good.

- Nair OOS is a good high knockback option that can kill at higher percentages.
- Uair can start combos or be used to start uair > footstool shenanigans.
- If they're a bit farther away (from longer range or shield push), SH'd dair or tjolt OOS are good choices.
- QA/QAC OOS. -_- I never use it, but I guess it can have its moments.

 

[Legendary Pikachu]

@ Dub (wow... someone i know for once):

Against MK really, you need ninja-like reflexes and need to have some idea of what he is doing to corner you. Just like kaylo said, if he is d-air camping then ready up d-smash or u-air around the 2-4 jump-d-air and use it when you see that he's coming down. If he's an airdodger after d-air spam then mindgame a d-air. For any other approach on the ground, you could always do the regular rush>shield>(get lucky/read good)>grab or OoS option.

If you want to continue spamming, then the only way you can even get it to work (still not that effective against mk... but just an idea) is to double ground QaC right through MK on the ground when he is 1.5 dtilt range away and work your magic/get repositioned on the other side of MK. I find that most MK's, if you mix up when you zap through to the other side, can't hit pika out of it with either f-tilt and d-tilt most of the time. If they get the timing down, just fake the first QaC straight down, and then truck through with the double ground QaC (which throws off mk's tilts). The only thing (and against better mk's) that they'll do to stop this is 'nado. Get used to DI'ing out of those or punishing those and mix fake QaC>d-smash if that starts to become a problem.

 

[Lord Thunder]

Thank you raptor, altairian, bry, and kaylo.

Interesting though, kaylo, cause I expected everyone to tell me they used it all the time. So I suppose it is possible to be a competitive pika main and sparingly use qac? I'll take what you've all said into account when I practice.

Till next time.

 

[KayLo!]

So I suppose it is possible to be a competitive pika main and sparingly use qac?

In my own opinion, yes, it's more than possible.

Despite that, you should definitely still learn QAC and know when to use it. Always keep it in your mind as an option. I just see a lot of newer Pikas use it way too much, and it takes away from their fundamental game.... it's an easy trap to fall into since QAC is so flashy and seems so good at first.

 

[King~]

lord thunder where exactly in ohio are you?

 

[Lord Thunder]

Southwest Ohio, around the Cinci area.

 

[King~]

oh ok you shoulc come to some of the events down there sometime, i may show up and would be willing to show/do weird stuff i do

 

[Stealth Raptor]

king yoshi the peeeeeeeeedophiiiiiiiiiile~

 

[King~]

stealth <.<


weirdo 8p

 

[Lord Thunder]

Hah that does sound a bit odd, but that's cause of the way you put it. Sure, if there are any tournies soon then I may show up.

 

[gamesuxcard]

Usmash OoS is really really good, it punishes/kills them for cross ups. After the up smash depending on percent I try to predict a qac>>thunder.

 

[Kantō]

is there a CG on ROB? i dont think there is, but i know that u guys would def. know. if not whats the best way to rack damage and kill ROB's?

 

[Legendary Pikachu]

is there a CG on ROB? i dont think there is, but i know that u guys would def. know. if not whats the best way to rack damage and kill ROB's?

On level ground, there are no true chaingrabs on ROB. My main way of racking damage on Rob is mainly when he's offstage or when i am under him. Rob's up-b has some lag at startup so you can do any aerial and get a guarenteed hit (of course you'll have to read it). Thunder wall once rob has done his up-b and is moving forward will mostly clip rob or force ROB to burn a lot more gasoline than usual in trying to DI backwards (remember that ROB CANNOT airdodge during up-b at all).

I mostly do damage on Rob when he's grounded when i tag him with falling f-air. If it hits his shield, then he's probably going to spotdodge>d-smash or something similar. If pika lands a clean hit, u-tilt and u-air the crap out of them. I think past 20% damage, Rob goes high enough so that even if he airdodged the first u-air, if you buffer the second u-air before you land, it'll hit rob right when rob exits airdodge (but before Rob lands), AND you'll recover in time for more u-air stuff.

At high damages, d-smash is a good pressurer (and killer) if you can use it right. Since ROB is so fat, I've had more 'messed up DI, opponent goes straight up' scenarios against Rob mains the most (especially when you d-smash trap them when their are off the ground).

If you have platforms (battlefield) wrap t-jolts around them and Rob will get hit and shieldpoked a dozen times if he stays under those platforms.

 

[Palpi]

There is no reason to mess up smash DI on Pika's dsmash =/

 

[Kofu]

I can also probably help with this a bit.

If R.O.B. uses an aerial during his Up-B, he can airdodge afterward (or Side B to potentially reflect your Thunder lol).

Also, as Legendary Pikachu has pointed out... R.O.B. has a massive weak spot below and behind him. Exploit this.

 

[Legendary Pikachu]

There is no reason to mess up smash DI on Pika's dsmash =/

It happens, and when it does, it's always worth exploiting. Plus, choose a fatty like bowser or DDD or DK, and it'll be a lot more frustrating if you're nabbed from the air. It's not like people train everyday to fight against the lil' rat. I can probably bet that 15+% of all tournament goers still don't know how to di our crap ^_^ (which is sad... but true... and always good for us).

Example against ROB:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOSQJDKn1jc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW6_5j8meFc