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

[PUNK9]

QAC may not be that useful, but it is stylish and flashy, something to impress the noobs with.

Btw, I was using a cheap third-party controller, lesson learned.

Never buy those things xD Crappy *** things xD

QaC, can be good for mindgames, but just like flashy camping is all I use it for.

Qa, Away from you oppoentet<QaC Jump, B reversal t-jolt,

It really makes them think. xD.

But yeah, I agree with Esam, QWac- Not that Important.
But Imo, I think its a great mind gamer. but VERY punishable.

 

[Pika_Cam]

What's a good way to approach characters who can either reflect or somehow absorb tjolts? I have an awful time approaching or forcing an approach when I'm facing Olimar, Lucas, Falco, G&W, and ICs.

Olimar's Pikmin just take the hit for him and make him have more likely to have yellows. Lucas just absorbs tjolts and plays defensively with his PK fire and extreme range on his nair and dair. Falco laser camps and reflects my tjolts. G&W isn't as bad for me, but the zoning with bair/bucket use still drives me crazy. ICs can use their icicles to nullify the tjolts and just pivot grab me when I get close.

I know this is a huge question, but I'm really having a tough time approaching in general. These are just a few examples. FF fair approach is easy to shield grab, running grabs are easy to predict after awhile, and QACing is so punishable. I've tried full hopped dairs, but somehow I still get punished pretty severely. It may be the case that Pikachu is just bad at approaching.

 

[Legendary Pikachu]

Well, i've had my writer's block moments against some of those characters and I can only provide very general solutions that have helped me immensely.

First of all, like what gallax crossovers are good for f-air approaching.

Against G&W, I normally refrain from t-jolts (maybe risk 1, but DONT after 1 t-jolt has been captured). I would bait b-air from g&W. If it was baited high, just run in u-air or something and get the juggles ^_^. If b-air was baited low, try to full hop over it before it reaches you and tag his landing or do a t-jolt (if spacings right, its always a free and bucket-safe t-jolt if GW recklessly b-airs). Once GW has a full bucket, I work on spacing away from it (No.1 priority), baiting it out (if i have high damage anyways--beats getting 0% KO'ed later), or letting my thunders and jolts fly (after trying the first 2 options).

Falco's... crawling is only ever helpful for me in this matchup. Other than that, lasers should be AS much of a problem if you mix full hops, short hops, and double hop approaches. If you approach in a mix of these ways, there should be spacing opportunities if the falco guesses the wrong height you tried to jump. QaC approaching over the lasers (or under them if falco jumps higher) is enough to throw off most falco's laser consistency. Once that happens, you can now approach and space medium distance wise cuz the falco may start anticipating QaC shenanigans (he'll probably start jab cancelling, n-airing or stuff). Spacing is the REAL factor in determining what works or not. Fiddle around with various horizontal (walking, powershielding, running, QaC'ing, airdodging) as well as vertical (Shorthop, full hop, double jump, sh>doublejump) spacings and you'll find a couple that will eventually work (falco's lasers and reflecters and stupid jabs or illusion can't be in all those places at once ^_^).

Lucas's, I'd powershield pk fires, fully shield throw d-airs and n-airs with maybe a spotdodge midway through their moves and rinse and repeat with lots of jumps and airdodges inbetween to get closer to em. I find that t-jolts REALLY KILL and are absorb safe IF AND ONLY IF lucas NEEDS the vertical component of his second jump for spacing (cuz maybe lucas's recovery/up-b will get gimped otherwise). T-jolt them in this scenario and they'll get gimped if they absorb it or take it and possibly get combo'd or another kind of gimp instead. Otherwise, I usually refrain from t-jolting too much. For me, at least with n-air, if you read it right, a hyphen u-smash will kill a lucas if they short hop nair. U-air also works with tight spacing of your u-air. If you get lucas in a grab and he's decently high in damage (or your opponent has a history of temper problems) you could mix up 50/50 grab release mindgames (which is demoralizing for the Mama's Boys). If you do most of your stuff with a little bit of retreating and baiting, opportunities should present themselves if you start reacting to their moves more closely. And as for pika and approaching, pika has the speed and a couple of moves that make him POTENTIALLY a really good rusher, but it still requires a lot of patience, reading, and a bit of luck sometimes to really approach continuously (as opposed to some MK's that can rush 24/7 without any problems).

As for olimars, its just plain reading them. The matchup is stupidly hard if you just think of it in terms of t-jolt (it won't work....). Pretty much, I just rush in and hope for the best (f-smash or grab? spotdodge or powershield... Shield, roll or pivot grab? Grab, dash-dance pivot grabs, or jump>t-jolt....). Just play the matchup more and you should get a feel for it.

If there are not any platforms, try t-jolting the ice-blocker's head and both the IC's rarely powershield at the same time so it may throw off their sync/desync. Technically, you don't have to approach in this matchup--just wait for them to come to you. Likewise, you could just walk and d-tilt or f-tilt the first iceblock and the second one should rebound back towards IC's. Try moving them towards the edge so they'll have less room to move back and pivot grab. Also you could fake a t-jolt attempt and do a QaC retreat or approach if the spacing is right instead and see how the IC's respond. What you can do is trade a missed pivot grab with t-jolts and retreat aerially if ice blocks cancelled full hop t-jolts. Otherwise, much like against Olimar, get used to spacing for opportunities whenever you find them when playing the matchup more.

 

[PUNK9]

Well, i've had my writer's block moments against some of those characters and I can only provide very general solutions that have helped me immensely.

First of all, like what gallax crossovers are good for f-air approaching.

Against G&W, I normally refrain from t-jolts (maybe risk 1, but DONT after 1 t-jolt has been captured). I would bait b-air from g&W. If it was baited high, just run in u-air or something and get the juggles ^_^. If b-air was baited low, try to full hop over it before it reaches you and tag his landing or do a t-jolt (if spacings right, its always a free and bucket-safe t-jolt if GW recklessly b-airs). Once GW has a full bucket, I work on spacing away from it (No.1 priority), baiting it out (if i have high damage anyways--beats getting 0% KO'ed later), or letting my thunders and jolts fly (after trying the first 2 options).

Falco's... crawling is only ever helpful for me in this matchup. Other than that, lasers should be AS much of a problem if you mix full hops, short hops, and double hop approaches. If you approach in a mix of these ways, there should be spacing opportunities if the falco guesses the wrong height you tried to jump. QaC approaching over the lasers (or under them if falco jumps higher) is enough to throw off most falco's laser consistency. Once that happens, you can now approach and space medium distance wise cuz the falco may start anticipating QaC shenanigans (he'll probably start jab cancelling, n-airing or stuff). Spacing is the REAL factor in determining what works or not. Fiddle around with various horizontal (walking, powershielding, running, QaC'ing, airdodging) as well as vertical (Shorthop, full hop, double jump, sh>doublejump) spacings and you'll find a couple that will eventually work (falco's lasers and reflecters and stupid jabs or illusion can't be in all those places at once ^_^).

Lucas's, I'd powershield pk fires, fully shield throw d-airs and n-airs with maybe a spotdodge midway through their moves and rinse and repeat with lots of jumps and airdodges inbetween to get closer to em. I find that t-jolts REALLY KILL and are absorb safe IF AND ONLY IF lucas NEEDS the vertical component of his second jump for spacing (cuz maybe lucas's recovery/up-b will get gimped otherwise). T-jolt them in this scenario and they'll get gimped if they absorb it or take it and possibly get combo'd or another kind of gimp instead. Otherwise, I usually refrain from t-jolting too much. For me, at least with n-air, if you read it right, a hyphen u-smash will kill a lucas if they short hop nair. U-air also works with tight spacing of your u-air. If you get lucas in a grab and he's decently high in damage (or your opponent has a history of temper problems) you could mix up 50/50 grab release mindgames (which is demoralizing for the Mama's Boys). If you do most of your stuff with a little bit of retreating and baiting, opportunities should present themselves if you start reacting to their moves more closely. And as for pika and approaching, pika has the speed and a couple of moves that make him POTENTIALLY a really good rusher, but it still requires a lot of patience, reading, and a bit of luck sometimes to really approach continuously (as opposed to some MK's that can rush 24/7 without any problems).

As for olimars, its just plain reading them. The matchup is stupidly hard if you just think of it in terms of t-jolt (it won't work....). Pretty much, I just rush in and hope for the best (f-smash or grab? spotdodge or powershield... Shield, roll or pivot grab? Grab, dash-dance pivot grabs, or jump>t-jolt....). Just play the matchup more and you should get a feel for it.

If there are not any platforms, try t-jolting the ice-blocker's head and both the IC's rarely powershield at the same time so it may throw off their sync/desync. Technically, you don't have to approach in this matchup--just wait for them to come to you. Likewise, you could just walk and d-tilt or f-tilt the first iceblock and the second one should rebound back towards IC's. Try moving them towards the edge so they'll have less room to move back and pivot grab. Also you could fake a t-jolt attempt and do a QaC retreat or approach if the spacing is right instead and see how the IC's respond. What you can do is trade a missed pivot grab with t-jolts and retreat aerially if ice blocks cancelled full hop t-jolts. Otherwise, much like against Olimar, get used to spacing for opportunities whenever you find them when playing the matchup more.

Just to add to this, Personallay, when I fight a person that can absorb, or reflet t-jolts, I just refame from using them, T-jolts are helpful yes, but not a game breaker by any means, and instead of smaming t-jolts, I just approch with f-air, and SH d-air,

 

[Pika_Cam]

Well, i've had my writer's block moments against some of those characters and I can only provide very general solutions that have helped me immensely.

First of all, like what gallax crossovers are good for f-air approaching.

Against G&W, I normally refrain from t-jolts (maybe risk 1, but DONT after 1 t-jolt has been captured). I would bait b-air from g&W. If it was baited high, just run in u-air or something and get the juggles ^_^. If b-air was baited low, try to full hop over it before it reaches you and tag his landing or do a t-jolt (if spacings right, its always a free and bucket-safe t-jolt if GW recklessly b-airs). Once GW has a full bucket, I work on spacing away from it (No.1 priority), baiting it out (if i have high damage anyways--beats getting 0% KO'ed later), or letting my thunders and jolts fly (after trying the first 2 options).

Falco's... crawling is only ever helpful for me in this matchup. Other than that, lasers should be AS much of a problem if you mix full hops, short hops, and double hop approaches. If you approach in a mix of these ways, there should be spacing opportunities if the falco guesses the wrong height you tried to jump. QaC approaching over the lasers (or under them if falco jumps higher) is enough to throw off most falco's laser consistency. Once that happens, you can now approach and space medium distance wise cuz the falco may start anticipating QaC shenanigans (he'll probably start jab cancelling, n-airing or stuff). Spacing is the REAL factor in determining what works or not. Fiddle around with various horizontal (walking, powershielding, running, QaC'ing, airdodging) as well as vertical (Shorthop, full hop, double jump, sh>doublejump) spacings and you'll find a couple that will eventually work (falco's lasers and reflecters and stupid jabs or illusion can't be in all those places at once ^_^).

Lucas's, I'd powershield pk fires, fully shield throw d-airs and n-airs with maybe a spotdodge midway through their moves and rinse and repeat with lots of jumps and airdodges inbetween to get closer to em. I find that t-jolts REALLY KILL and are absorb safe IF AND ONLY IF lucas NEEDS the vertical component of his second jump for spacing (cuz maybe lucas's recovery/up-b will get gimped otherwise). T-jolt them in this scenario and they'll get gimped if they absorb it or take it and possibly get combo'd or another kind of gimp instead. Otherwise, I usually refrain from t-jolting too much. For me, at least with n-air, if you read it right, a hyphen u-smash will kill a lucas if they short hop nair. U-air also works with tight spacing of your u-air. If you get lucas in a grab and he's decently high in damage (or your opponent has a history of temper problems) you could mix up 50/50 grab release mindgames (which is demoralizing for the Mama's Boys). If you do most of your stuff with a little bit of retreating and baiting, opportunities should present themselves if you start reacting to their moves more closely. And as for pika and approaching, pika has the speed and a couple of moves that make him POTENTIALLY a really good rusher, but it still requires a lot of patience, reading, and a bit of luck sometimes to really approach continuously (as opposed to some MK's that can rush 24/7 without any problems).

As for olimars, its just plain reading them. The matchup is stupidly hard if you just think of it in terms of t-jolt (it won't work....). Pretty much, I just rush in and hope for the best (f-smash or grab? spotdodge or powershield... Shield, roll or pivot grab? Grab, dash-dance pivot grabs, or jump>t-jolt....). Just play the matchup more and you should get a feel for it.

If there are not any platforms, try t-jolting the ice-blocker's head and both the IC's rarely powershield at the same time so it may throw off their sync/desync. Technically, you don't have to approach in this matchup--just wait for them to come to you. Likewise, you could just walk and d-tilt or f-tilt the first iceblock and the second one should rebound back towards IC's. Try moving them towards the edge so they'll have less room to move back and pivot grab. Also you could fake a t-jolt attempt and do a QaC retreat or approach if the spacing is right instead and see how the IC's respond. What you can do is trade a missed pivot grab with t-jolts and retreat aerially if ice blocks cancelled full hop t-jolts. Otherwise, much like against Olimar, get used to spacing for opportunities whenever you find them when playing the matchup more.

Thanks. I think it'll be more helpful when I can post some videos in the critique thread and you guys can diagnose specifically what I am doing wrong.

 

[altairian]

ok really stupid question, but i see this term come up a lot and honestly have no idea what it means so....what exactly is a hyphen usmash? ><

 

[KayLo!]

I've tried full hopped dairs, but somehow I still get punished pretty severely.

SH dairs autocancel as well (you don't get the ground shockwave) and are usually better than FH'd ones for approaching. The timing is kind of strict, but it's not hard at all to get down, especially if you have tap jump on.

Also:

It may be the case that Pikachu is just bad at approaching.

Pikachu does have trouble approaching; however, after having Zelda as a secondary for a while, I know what impossible feels like..... Pika's mobility is a great asset even though he has no solid approaches.

Use his speed and ability to fake out people to bait more. Don't straight-up try to approach every time. Trick your opponent into making a preemptive move, then punish.

ok really stupid question, but i see this term come up a lot and honestly have no idea what it means so....what exactly is a hyphen usmash? ><

It's just a dash-canceled usmash, lol. When you cancel your initial dash animation with a usmash, giving usmash more range without going into a full run beforehand.

Good for mid-range punishment. Dunno why they gave it a fancy new name, tho.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Because people would confuse DACUS (Dash-attack-cancelled-up-smash) with Dash-cancelling-up-smash.

 

[KayLo!]

Because people would confuse DACUS (Dash-attack-cancelled-up-smash) with Dash-cancelling-up-smash.

Oh, you think you're a smart guy now, huh???

You right.

 

[lil cj]

Hey everyone Im new to Pikachu and the Pika boards
Got inspired after I played Anther at a tourny a few months back and watched his vids
Also had a crew member that mained Pika and did alot of cool things.
Pikachu looked very hard to use so I just continued to watch vids and wait for the right time.
Just now picked him up as a 2nd main to help out my Lucas, cause he's low tier
And Ive been practicing for about 3 weeks now and Ive almost got QACing down packed

My question is, I just wanted to know if anybody else short hops before they execute QACing?
I do I find it easier and just as fast.

 

[gallax]

if you want to sh b4 you qac thats kool. as long as those few frames do not give your opponent the time the need to get out of harms way. you need to think of it more in terms of how many frames does sh'ing use and will it affect the way im going to use qac against my opponent.

 

[DK SPEED DK]

hey what is pikas momentum cancel vertical and horizontal?

 

[KayLo!]

FF uair to regain momentum control.
Skull Bash to momentum cancel if necessary.

If I'm hit vertically, sometimes I just dair instead, but that's because I'm lazy, lol. Uair is still better.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

actually dair is better vertically. you do have to determine on the fly which one is better though, as dair lasts longer, and if you are sent horizontally enough it will kill you earlier. just remember uair + skullbash for horizontal, dair for vertical

 

[Pikabunz]

It doesn't matter which aerial you use for vertical knock back. It's all the same, except dair auto fast falls.

 

[KayLo!]

What Prime said. Dair is easier (read: for lazy people like me) because it auto-FFs, but I prefer uair since it generally leaves you less open if someone's trying to follow + KO you off the top.

 

[Chaosgriffin]

How well does Pikachu fight on Pokemon Staium 1, taking into consideration the transformations? good - neutral - bad?

 

[Pika_Cam]

I would say he fights pretty well there considering tjolt will go around most of the obstacles while blocking other people's projectiles. There's no doubt that it's a campy stage, but I'd say good for Pikachu. He's also not that easily gimped by the disgruntled edge like other characters.

 

[KayLo!]

PS1 <333333333 So good for Pika, imo.

Rock and Fire transformations ftw.

The ceiling's a bit high, but it's not bad enough to severely hinder thunder + usmash kills. The camping ability Pika has on this stage is just too good...... if you like to annoy the **** out of people, PS1 is definitely your CP.

 

[PUNK9]

I sound liek a n00b for saying this,
but what does "Bumping Old threads" mean?

 

[KayLo!]

When you post in a non-stickied thread, it "bumps" it to the top of the list. So bumping an old thread means posting in a really old thread, which either moves or keeps it at/near the top of the list.

The Wario thread's extremely outdated, and your post didn't serve any purpose but to keep it bumped (after someone else had already unnecessarily bumped it to the top). It wasn't against the rules or anything, I just closed it to keep people from posting in it more.

Like I said, if you guys wanna discuss the Wario matchup again, just say so in the Character Matchups & Strategies thread, and I can make a new thread so we can start fresh.

 

[Pika_Cam]

It means someone posted in an old thread and brought or "bumped" it back up to the top of the list. It bothers posters that have seen the thread before and already consider the discussion to be over. It especially bothers them when it means newer threads get ignored or missed because they were bumped down.

Hope that helps.

 

[PUNK9]

When you post in a non-stickied thread, it "bumps" it to the top of the list. So bumping an old thread means posting in a really old thread, which either moves or keeps it at/near the top of the list.

The Wario thread's extremely outdated, and your post didn't serve any purpose but to keep it bumped (after someone else had already unnecessarily bumped it to the top). It wasn't against the rules or anything, I just closed it to keep people from posting in it more.

Like I said, if you guys wanna discuss the Wario matchup again, just say so in the Character Matchups & Strategies thread, and I can make a new thread so we can start fresh.

Oh snapp.
Sorrry about thattt. Remeber I'm still kinda new heree.
Sorrry about that tho.

 

[mercy]

I can't seem to notice any visual difference between a dash grab and pivot grab. I know pika's pivot grab has imba hitboxes but I can never tell if I'm doing it right.

 

[KayLo!]

Oh snapp.
Sorrry about thattt. Remeber I'm still kinda new heree.
Sorrry about that tho.

It's all good. <3

I can't seem to notice any visual difference between a dash grab and pivot grab. I know pika's pivot grab has imba hitboxes but I can never tell if I'm doing it right.

Dash grab is just a grab out of a dash.

Pivot grab has a completely different button input, and Pikachu turns around to grab in the opposite direction.

These aren't the best pictures since they have visible hitbubbles in them, but you can still see the differences between the two in Pika's grab animations.

Dash Grab:

Pivot Grab:

 

[Kenrawr]

These aren't the best pictures since they have visible hitbubbles in them

And because it's kilachu.

*runs away*

 

[KayLo!]

Killachu*

+1

You can't even make a spam post without giving me free points.

 

[altairian]

Killachu*

+1

You can't even make a spam post without giving me free points.

I'm not entirely sure how your game works but...I'm pretty sure it's cheating to use your purposeful mispelling of the texture name as a +1
Don't even deny it cause I remember you posting in PGD that you prefer "killachu" even though you know it's supposed to be "kilachu" since it's named after that Kilala person :o

 

[KayLo!]

Nobody asked for commentary from the peanut gallery. >=\

 

[BLI7ZARD]

what can pikachu use to beat mks tornado

 

[altairian]

what can pikachu use to beat mks tornado

Shielding (tilt it up if you didn't know) and running away are my two favorite options.

We don't really have any attacks that can knock him out of tornado other than the tip of our fsmash and a perfectly placed tjolt at the top of the tornado. Neither of which I would suggest trying on purpose, just enjoy when you get lucky and happen to catch him with it.

 

[Pika_Cam]

What altairian said with one addition:

If you know mk is going to tornado towards you, you can put a detached thunder wall between you and him which will go through the tornado.

I usually shield the whole thing and look for an opportunity to punish after he's done.

 

[Legendary Pikachu]

To add to both Cam and Altairian:

Shielding (angled up without jumping) > grab during MK's landing is the best.

Dsmash will also ALWAYS beat tornado if the tornado is above ground (as in the opponent puts a couple of B inputs).

 

[Frio]

A little while ago I was vsing an MK where my U air was beating the tornado from the side 0-o

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

Basic information search for people facing pikachu.

-A person is caught in Dsmash. What ways should they DI or avoid DIing?
-QAC stuff, what are it'd properties? I have not faced enough that proficently use it to see what it's weaknesses and strengths really are. Except for the fact it's extremely annoying to track.
-Pikachu's Bair. I assume you want to DI it in the direction that gives you the closest exit out of the move and is away from pikachu's momentum. Which I think is typically DI up from the move.

 

[Legendary Pikachu]

Basic information search for people facing pikachu.

-A person is caught in Dsmash. What ways should they DI or avoid DIing?

-Hold up at the very least (you'll auto DI out before the last [and most deadliest] hit).
-Swivel the control stick from up-left > Up > up-right back and forth (known as quarter-circle DI'ing technique) to get out of Dsmash on the very first hit and take no more than 3%.
-Add some c-stick up-tapping if you need to
-If you are shot up, remember to NOT do an attack or momentum cancel but AIRDODGE and DI correctly after that ^_^.

-QAC stuff, what are it'd properties? I have not faced enough that proficently use it to see what it's weaknesses and strengths really are. Except for the fact it's extremely annoying to track.

-QAC has a noticable amount of LAG upon the first landing after QAC initiation. That means the only way for a pikachu to bypass that lag is to continue the QAC or t-jolt or grab the ledge. However, whether you continue it, t-jolt upon landing, OR grab the ledge, the lag WILL still happen whenever you decide to land normally for the first time. It is here that an opnening in QAC exists and its the job of the expert pikachu to chose this landing spot carefully to avoid punishment.

-QAC allows pikachu to exit CLOSE to the ground (but registers as pikachu still in the air). That means pikachu can second jump out of it, aerial, use any of the B moves, or do another QAC after exiting a QAC.

-Vertical height of the character sprite of pikachu is taller while INSIDE QAC mode. That means, if pikachu could normally dash under something (like maybe a Toon link short hop boomerang), pikachu will slam right into it even if pikachu tries to go under it. Although pikachu has unique and fast hitboxes while doing QAC, he is more vulnerable to attacks size-wise.

-QAC has the most priority when pikachu is in the middle of a warp. Here, pikachu can overcome even toon link's boomerangs and still zip right through. However, if you are at any of the exit points (including the one when you choose to zip twice in one Quick attack) you won't be able to pass through anything.

-Pikachu's Bair. I assume you want to DI it in the direction that gives you the closest exit out of the move and is away from pikachu's momentum. Which I think is typically DI up from the move.

You assume correctly. Depending on situation, you might move sideways towards the end, but yes... mostly UP.

 

[King~]

To add to both Cam and Altairian:

Shielding (angled up without jumping) > grab during MK's landing is the best.

Dsmash will also ALWAYS beat tornado if the tornado is above ground (as in the opponent puts a couple of B inputs).

thank for confirming this, i had thought that for a while, just never wanted to risk it(i never play mks in friendlies lol, cept m2k but thats a whole nother level of spacing)

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

-Hold up at the very least (you'll auto DI out before the last [and most deadliest] hit).

Does percents matter? Or is it when you DI up. I have tried this before and have not auto DIed out.

Does percentage make DI easier with this method? Or have I been performing the quarter-circle DI by mistake.

-Vertical height of the character sprite of pikachu is taller while INSIDE QAC mode. That means, if pikachu could normally dash under something (like maybe a Toon link short hop boomerang), pikachu will slam right into it even if pikachu tries to go under it. Although pikachu has unique and fast hitboxes while doing QAC, he is more vulnerable to attacks size-wise.

Hmm... So using large hitbox and long lasting moves would prove to be best at trying to punish the usage of the move.

-QAC has the most priority when pikachu is in the middle of a warp. Here, pikachu can overcome even toon link's boomerangs and still zip right through. However, if you are at any of the exit points (including the one when you choose to zip twice in one Quick attack) you won't be able to pass through anything.

Reminds me of Falco's Phantasm and how it works where it only has a hurtbox at certain locations.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Does percents matter? Or is it when you DI up. I have tried this before and have not auto DIed out.

If you get in the D-smash in the 3rd or 4th hit, you can't just hold up, you will end up holding up with the final hit (since most of the time you won't get out quickly enough) and then be in a good place for pika to thunder. So, as LDPK said, either tap with the joystick/c-stick, or QCDI (up left, up, up right, the directions cancel out and you get 3 ups instead of having to tap up over and over again).

Does percentage make DI easier with this method? Or have I been performing the quarter-circle DI by mistake.

No, % doesn't really matter. D-smashes 1-6th hitbox don't have growth on their knockback (and if it does it is so little it doesn't matter in practical %s)

Hmm... So using large hitbox and long lasting moves would prove to be best at trying to punish the usage of the move.

Yes, exactly. Also, what LDPK didn't say is that if you are on the ground and you are hit with the QA, you can just shield and he can't nair/uair or anything, so you can punish after that.

 

[mercy]

I've been playing this game for a month and a half now and I don't see myself getting better. Someone suggested that I try out other characters, but I'm determined to become competitive with my first main before I venture out into new territory. I've pinpointed my lack of proficiency with Pikachu down to two detriments: A general lack of refined control, and a lack of experience fighting against good Pikachus. I attribute alot of the former to wifi lag and for the latter, that's where you guys come in.

Would anyone be willing to play some friendlies in attempt to help out a struggling fellow Pikachu main?