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

[Flayl]

So when ESAM did it to Razer he could have escaped?

 

[Ussi]

I hope it was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLO5ASPb5SE

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

I don't think I did it any times that he could've escaped. The one time I did it pretty much was when I was above the slant of YI in which case the nade would just fall off.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

how high does it go? i always heard it stopped around seventy and stopped there O.o real salty it goes further and i have missed opportunities to go further lmao

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

If you grab at 0 and get the 3 f-throws it goes to 94 then you need to nair.

 

[Gunblade789]

I just learned something new. I will be more specific the next time the situation comes up. thanks guys!!!

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

No prob GBlade. I don't know why he didn't get out of it...

 

[infiniteV115]

So hopefully you guys can be more specific? Like, what is the percent range in which I have to land a fresh dthrow in order to be able to CG Snake without him being able to pull grenades?
I understand that fthrow x3 --> dthrow CG is more realistic (because it pulls him away from any nades that are already out) and that it's very convenient, but can I get the % range?

 

[Ussi]

0%

because its the exact % (decimal included) Snake is at after 3 fthrows that the dthrow CG works. However there is the CG on the ledge since nades won't land on stage then.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

It;s some decimal in 27%.

 

[Luckay4Lyphe]

So on PS1, we can initiate a slide that goes a pretty good distance from the small slopes on the fire and grass transformations. Any good uses for this?

 

[infiniteV115]

Wow, didn't think it would be such a restricted CG.
It's ok Pika's awesome. Thanks guys

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

The slants help for surprise D-smashes, grabs and escapes.

 

[Nicholas1024]

What can Pikachu do to punish Lucario's forwards smash after shielding (or otherwise avoiding) it? A couple times I was able to dash grab, but I'm not sure if that's actually legit or if my opponent simply didn't pick the right option to stop that.

 

[PZ]

Shield grab if close(not happening vs good or even decent cario).
For other options it is basically guessing what your opponent is gonna do next or if you perfect shield you can get around idk 6 or 7 frames(ftilt,jab,dtilt) to punish?
Pretty sure this question has been asked many times in the past and I think if the cario spaced fsmash it would be better to retreat.

 

[Pikabunz]

Lucario's fsmash also becomes harder to punish when he gains aura. More aura means more shield stun and more shield push. So pay attention to that.

It might be better to just stand right outside his fsmash range and run up and upsmash/grab right after he uses fsmash.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

Wow we can do that? O.o gonna have to start doing that

 

[Cassio]

People probably wont be a fan of this idea, but I like to walk a little bit fowards and space pikas fsmash at max distance. If I think theyre going to shield or spot dodge Ill do something different or maybe charge it.

This actually works really well against any powerful spaced attack with decent endlag, most people try to toss out their quickest attack to cover themselves and fsmash will beat all of them.

 

[Cherished Doll]

Ok so I really want to get serious with maining Pika in brawl. Where do I start?

 

[Stealth Raptor]

Learning the fundamentals. Learn your combos, cgs, and learning to read better

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Don't worry about CGs at the beginning. Yes they are important, but if you depend on them too much all you are going to be doing is dash grabbing/run up shielding. Learn the spacings of moves and basic follow ups (IE uair nair, dair f-tilt, u-tilt u-tilt uair nair). Learn how to control movement in the sense of dashing, walking, crawling, and your aerial mobility. Once you get the hang of that, start to learn basic QA stuff (NOT QAC) such as angles, distances, and recovery (Pikachu's godlike recovery is what makes him a great character instead of a good one). Then, learn the CGs (I would suggest F-throw first since it doesn't exactly involve buffering, which I doubt you have a strong concept with since you are a melee player + I had to give you the basics at Apex lol)

Advanced:

Learn the %s of where things start getting true knockback (As in they would fly away and be able to momentum cancel) as opposed to the combo knockback (More like hitstun). This helps a lot of things such as knowing when certain moves will combo that wouldn't otherwise.

Player:

Start trying to understand the buffer system. If you are going to try to buffer anything (which is essential with Pikachu) you need to understand the system, otherwise it will seem random to you. TO reiterate, there is a 10 frame window in the cooldown of ANYTHING you do that restricts your inputs (Such as a throw) that you can input an action (Grab, dash, whatever) and that action will come out on the 1st available frame. If you want to buffer a dash out of a sidestep, let's say, you would have to sidestep and then near the end of sidestep, dash and let go of the control stick (Otherwise you will be holding it and it will register as a walk on the 1st frame). If you want to uair DJ nair, you would have to input the DJ nair in the last 10 frames of the uair. You will know if you do that right if the DJ bubbles don't appear under you.

Reading comes with playing, so I can't exactly say "learn how to read people"

 

[Stealth Raptor]

Thanks for explaining, I'm real bad at it, and yeah reading will definitely come as you play

And definitely want to underline learning QA angles, incredibly useful for being able to properly move and recover with pikachu. You definitely don't want to hesitate on a crucial QA cause you are uncomfortable with the angle and die or get punished for it

 

[Cassio]

You should go to some of the smashfests in socal, theres a good amount in the area youre from. Youre one of 5 pika mains in socal now, lol.

 

[Cherished Doll]

@ Esam; I could have just messaged you! LOL thank you very much
@ SR; THANK YOU! I NEED ALL THE HELP!
@ Cassio; spoke to Mike and Larry they are down to help me! :D who r the Pika mains?

 

[Cassio]

Umm, myself and auto. Then you, Tina, and Pikachookie. I think theres more female than male pikas, lol. Im willing to play whenever too, wifi or irl. I want to try and make it to another smashfest before E4.

 

[redfeatherraven]

Not to butt in, but curious. Are there any 'chus out by me?

 

[Ussi]

Here is a tip: do something punishable and see if you get punished.. If you don't, use it more to exploit lack of MU knowledge.

 

[Volt_Storm_7]

MU Assistance please

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLjhVPoEaUY (Just reference, regardless if its not our character)

Ice Climbers

When I watch Nietono play against any ICs, I see that he keeps an appropriate distance away, just so he can grab and not be grabbed. I would think the same applies to pika, but not grab. I've been playing against ICs lately and decided to ask for any hints that I could look for. So far, I've found that similiar to Nietono's style of not getting grabbed, putting up a wall. Simple wall actually. Normal Jump -> TJolt -> (as you touch the ground) dtilt. It seems effective because most ICs typically don't know how to deal with that because if I was an IC, I'd go for the grab, only to get denied by dtilt. Unless they catch on, then it might be effective.

It just seems that the only real thing to do is Run and try to separate them without getting grabbed, but what else can you elaborate on this matter that is useful because I've got 6 months till SRT comes by and I do not want to be unprepared. ><

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

You forget to think of grab armor...or just getting shielded since most ICs go for dashing shield grabs anyway. NOt exactly good...

 

[zmx]

I might be wrong but I feel the easiest way to buffer is anything out of a spot dodge.

For example if you want to test out if it works, simply spotdodge and then towards the end of it hit the opposite direction you are facing, pause, and then jab. If done correctly you will instantly turn around and jab (without moving forward). I initially learned this with Ike and it's extremely effective since jab is one of his safest moves.

So in short that's probably the easiest example of buffering for those that are confused on what exactly it is.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Buffering a turn-around with certain things is actually easier with the QCB (Quarter circle back) motion since it gives you options you wouldn't normally have, such as reverse grab (NOT PIVOT GRAB), reverse jump, and reverse dash (You would have to QCB put stick back to neutral and then dash)

 

[zmx]

Buffering a turn-around with certain things is actually easier with the QCB (Quarter circle back) motion since it gives you options you wouldn't normally have, such as reverse grab (NOT PIVOT GRAB), reverse jump, and reverse dash (You would have to QCB put stick back to neutral and then dash)

I've been able to reverse grab by just doing it through my method. Hit the opposite direction, pause for a spilt-second and then jab,tilt, grab etc. and it still works.

So I'm not sure what you mean by more options being opened. However, I'm going to test out this method and see what difference it makes.

Edit:

Lol every time I try this method all I can do is tilt. I think I'll stick to mine until I find something that can only be done through this method.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

I'm pretty sure you aren't actually buffering, just good timing.

 

[Pikabunz]

Doing the "QCB buffer" is the only way you can buffer turn-around jumps and turn-around dash+action. So you don't really need it unless you want to do any of those 2 things.

@ESAM - You can buffer a turn-around grab by just pressing back and grab.

 

[zmx]

Doing the "QCB buffer" is the only way you can buffer turn-around jumps and turn-around dash+action. So you don't really need it unless you want to do any of those 2 things.

@ESAM - You can buffer a turn-around grab by just pressing back and grab.

Yeah I really don't attempt to buffer turn around jumps or dashes. So that must be why I never needed this method.

For tilts, jabs and grabs hitting the opposite direction is fine like you said.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Oh, my bad ^^'

 

[-Cross-]

Without the CG would Pikachu still beat Falco? That's actually something I've been curious about. In other news, the Falco boards are talking about the Pika MU, so any input would be appreciated.

 

[Phoenix Lord']

No no no no no. No.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Without the D-throw CG it would be +1 Pika. We still edgeguard him to hell and can use F-throw to get him there. We can duck under all camping and approach very cautiously with no over-committing necessary.

 

[Cassio]

Its pretty evenish. I dunno, I think theyre both very similar characters, but pikachu probably kills a little better.