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

TheReflexWonder

Wonderful!
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Is there a general rule for when D-Throw chaingrabs can't be started, or does it vary greatly from character to character?

For example, against Falco, you can start the D-Throw chaingrab at 19%, but, is the percent window similar for most characters? What is the window? Can I start it at 30%? 40%?

I think it would be very helpful to add that to the chaingrab thread.
 

[FBC] ESAM

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Yeah, the CG thread isn't the best because testing it for every % gets...irritating, to say the least.
 

redfeatherraven

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While I'm not overwhelmingly qualified, I've heard Marth thrown around by people that are. ICs also seems to work out well (lookin at you, ESAM).

Quick notes comparing both candidates to our worst MUs. This is more numbers than anything, of course, but while I might not be the most experienced 'chu, you ask me to find a pattern, I'll find you a pattern.

Marth
Marth (0), G&W (-2), Diddy (1), Olimar (-1)

ICs
Marth (0), G&W (-3), Diddy (0), Olimar (-2)
 

Twigz

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Thanks :),

So erm.. What pika's most preferred oos options?

And erm... Pika's fastest move?

Is ftilt more useful than fsmash?

And dtilt - dsmash?

I'm not sure but whenever I try to trade with dtilt I fail, is that how it is?

What are some good approach options? Almost always get countered when I try to approach with ff fair...

Thank you :)

:phone:
 

[FBC] ESAM

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nair/uair depending on their spacing on your shield (uair is behind, nair is if they are on it)

fastest move is technically jab (2 frames)

no. F-tilt is good for anti-airing, but F-smash is used a lot more for landing traps, killing, and sometimes outranging

d-smash and d-tilt are both very useful, but d-smash more so considering it is a good "Get off me" option

Not sure what this question means

Good approaching options are like...a lot. T-jolt assisted, walking (walking is preferred since you can do everything you want out of walk, not so much out of dash), dashing, QA...there are a lot.
 

AV12

Smash Rookie
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Oct 4, 2012
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I cant get pikas thunder reverse momentum to edge guard.. What way is the control stick suppose to be rotated?? I always seem to have trouble with my fingers they get stuck with the control stick and dashing sucks..

:phone:
 

Shockjock96

Smash Rookie
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Dude ESAM you' re a Pikachu God I wanna fight just like you and I' m pretty good when I' m ready I'll challenge you
 

Twigz

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Hi again :)

I was wondering, what are some of the things I should train when alone and have about 1 - 2 hours?

And is playing against my friends mk a good way to train?

Thanks :)

:phone:
 

Shockjock96

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Well you see that's the thing it may very well be a great thing but it also depends on their skill level I mean yea for a time it wouldn't hurt to play against them but over time if you get serious about this their help will be nothing at all cuz you've grown more powerful than them. I suggest go to the brawl part and set all the other 3 characters as lvl 6 Cpus and when you feel confident begin to gradually increase their level until you can easily wipe the floor with 3 lvl 9s :) Heck I'll fight ya if ya want
 

[FBC] ESAM

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Hi again :)

I was wondering, what are some of the things I should train when alone and have about 1 - 2 hours?

And is playing against my friends mk a good way to train?

Thanks :)

:phone:
Practice random movement things. QA ledge cancels, fast ledge drops, the scarring/sticking of QA off the ledge, CGs, d-throw uair footstool...
 

Shockjock96

Smash Rookie
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Alright I need help. Today I'am off my A Game with Pikachu I got murdered today.Quick give good combos thx
 

hell-dew

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Im a bit of noobish pikachu and i was wondering a few things. Right now my biggest problem is knowledge about usage of certain moves and after reading the playing smart thread from a while back it raise a couple obvious questions

The next bit if copy pasted


Know your character

Before you go any further, ask yourself this."How well do I know my character?" Do you know what their pokes are? Their kill moves? Their moves they use to take control? Their pressure moves? Their moves that are safe on block? Every character has a move for a different scenario and moves that will make up the backbone of your game plan. You need to familiarize yourself with these moves and know the situations where each one can serve you. And you also need to know which moves you should avoid at all cost. Few things can hold you back more then trying to make useless moves useful. Once you have a handle on all your character's moves and which ones should be relied on, that's when you can move on to other game play concepts.


my main question is whats safe on shield whats safe? I find i get grabbed and punished far to often so i was wondernig whats a good mix up for attacking a foe who is playing insanely defensively or on foes spotdodging (i found Dsmash is a good move to clear space for that but not always ideal and if it gets read your taking a hard hit.

i read some of the other stuff like i normally use Fsmash for punishes/land trap.

also whats your best approach option. Next im gonna start chipping away at the chain grabs.

and any recemendations on how to practice things? like what do you do when your alone? do you play a certain level computer? do you practice just techniques? play wifi? go out to tourney/smashfest`s often or just have someone really good to practice against.

I right now dont play on wifi at all but it seams to be a good way to get some experience at least. i visit tourneys from time to time and im gonna start visiting smash feasts more and get some serious practice in. but is there anything you guys regularly do? like a random custom stage or something akin to that?
 

Shockjock96

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Oh I already read that and never mind it was just a controller malfunction. Though I'am thinking of going pro with Pikachu. I'll need to post videos but I wonder if I can do that with my Wii?
 

TheReflexWonder

Wonderful!
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You'll need a capture card to record and upload videos.

The Dazzle DVC100 is probably the cheapest with decent quality.
 

Caranthire

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Sep 11, 2012
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Hey ho i have some questions ;)
1. WWhitch attack from pika have the longes range
2. the ftilt witch ftilt have the longest range
3.i have a bit prob xD i do the singel nana lock with pika and sometimes my nana drops me what do i wrong why i drop the nana after i catch it ...

sry for my english ;) hope you unterstand what i am asking for ty
 

Twigz

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I'll try to answer you, guys plz correct me if I'm wrong.

1) I believe Fsmash has the longest horizontal. range. And I think it's Uair. The farthest vertical range.

2) Upward angled Ftilt has the longest range.

3) Sadly I cnt answer this 1.

What are pika's must learn adv techniques?

If it's not too much trouble to ask, what are some nice combo's/string with pika at the various percentages?

Well guys I'm having a bit of trouble with the olimar match-up. I'm not sure how or when to aproach... When I'm on the ledge I find it impossible to get back on stage without taking a beating. Which moves are most effective and what are my best options to approach? What do I do in this match-up?

I'm also having a tad bit of trouble with the MK MU, but I'll try get a vid uploaded.

Thanks in advance.

:phone:
 

Caranthire

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i think approch to olimar is dair 1 of the best moves xD you can jump over the smashes with a shorthop dair ur over a grab and a lot of qac works well against oliamr ;) but dont do this everytime xD mixup but more dair and qac i think
 

Pikabunz

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3.i have a bit prob xD i do the singel nana lock with pika and sometimes my nana drops me what do i wrong why i drop the nana after i catch it ...
It just does that sometimes when you use Z to catch. If you use L/R to catch, it won't happen.
 

SilverAlloy

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I've been having trouble with buffering the d-throw chain grab, I have Y set to grab, are there any visual cues I should look for when d-throw chain grabbing so I can understand the timing better?

Also what is Pikachu's best punish against Marth's rising fair tippered if you powershield it?
 

Caranthire

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for the cg is can say if you throw maybe falco and pikas feed land on the ground thats the time you must give the next input ! xD try it
 

SSS

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I don't know if this has been "discovered" yet or whatever, and I don't know what uses it could possibly have. It isn't that exciting. Anyway, while crawling backwards you can Dtilt and press the analog stick the other way, and you'll turn around. Has this been brought up?

:phone:
 

[FBC] ESAM

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It's just buffering a turn around. It isn't very useful unless you are going to d-tilt somebody shield and punish their OOS attempt with an immediate backwards uair...but that doesn't happen very often, if ever.
 

Twigz

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What does it mean to master pikachu's moveset? Or how would I know I've mastered it?

Should I be aggresive with pikachu or passive?

:phone:
 

Volt_Storm_7

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What does it mean to master pikachu's moveset? Or how would I know I've mastered it?

Should I be aggresive with pikachu or passive?

:phone:
Nobody masters Pikachu. The only man even who was close was Anther.

Alright, that's even American trolling.
Pikachu can be played several ways, but should be mixed. A good Pikachu knows when to chase down a opponent when one wants to hit confirm him to death or allow him to come to you, punishing his mistakes.

The only advice to you is to create yourself. Master the basics.Try to look on Youtube or Nicovideo at other Pikachus and what they do, how they move, how they deal with certain situations and etc. Such examples would be :

American
Esam (Obviously, Shimitake can't stop talking about how good you are o.o)
K Prime
Z

Japanese
< ---- (Me)(ボルスト)
Yonesuke / Yonezmi ( よねすけ )
Ri-n ( aka りーん )
Shimitake ( aka しみたけ)
Ganbaranai / Hayase (頑張らない ・ はやせ)

European
BoxingKing
Pikaforlife
Miquel
Moko


Now, without further a do, I conclude this post. Shut up and study, foo.
 

[FBC] ESAM

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By "mastering Pikachu's moveset" you understand most of the situations where each are applicable, and you know when certain moves are BETTER in certain situations even if both work. You can find an application for every move (Because, at least with Pikachu, every move is useful)
 

AV12

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I play and play people but i dont seem to get better... Any suggestions on training or how to train?

:phone:
 

TxB | Ramsaur

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What does it mean to master pikachu's moveset? Or how would I know I've mastered it?

Should I be aggresive with pikachu or passive?

:phone:
First question: Watch ESAM, if you can flow as perfectly as he does, then you've mastered Pikachu. ESAM is the perfect example of a mastered Pikachu considering he's the only Pikachu that places top 8 in Big tourneys.

Second question: It all depends on your playstyle, but you'd be doing yourself an injustice if you didn't play aggressive. If you know how to QAC, Auto-cancel aerials, grab/chaingrab followups, Pikachu's amazing usage of buffered reversed dash actions, and just his all around fast moveset; then aggressive Pikachu is the way to go. Even at a high percent, DI,SDI,and momentum cancel, Pikachu should really stick to the aggressive side because it's known for getting in your face and just racking up damage. Just go watch ESAM and your questions will be answered. Pikachu is the only character that is 0 with metaknight on the backroom matchup chart; this is because he can get in your face and not let you go like MK does.

*raises hand*
This guy! ESAM you are the freaking MAN!

Sup gunner? You going to be at the tourney at Shreveport in June?
 
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