Pikachu discussion

[Hiphiphooray]

What do you guys do with pika after you get someone caught in a U-tilt chain? I normally just u-tilt into a d-air and try to edgeguard from there. is there a way to expand this combo to finish someone entirely? like using a delayed nair or something?

 

[The Star King]

Depends on the % and character, but usually you can get a few Uairs -> Bair. On fastfallers like Falcon, you can also Utilt until about 85%, then Usmash -> thunder for the kill; kind of gay, but gets the job done.

 

[Hiphiphooray]

how do you start combos with pika? If im approaching with b-air i cant ever seem to follow anything up with it.

 

[dandan]

at what % and vs what chars?

 

[Hiphiphooray]

i guess just in general. When they approach my pika i can easily u-tilt and start combos, but when im approaching i normally just b-air and then they recover and i have to approach again. The middle % are the hardest bcuz at low %s i can usually fair into utilt or usmash and at high % i can just bair and edgeguard.

 

[DMoogle]

Pika's b-air is generally his safest approach, but practically all his aerials are viable approach options (especially his u-air), as well as his grab.

 

[The Star King]

^That had nothing to do with his question. TOO MUCH SKIM READING

Also, his U-air is his safest approach. AWWW YEAAAHHHH

 

[DMoogle]

^That had nothing to do with his question. TOO MUCH SKIM READING

The point is, different aerials hits lead to potential for different combos.

Also, his U-air is his safest approach. AWWW YEAAAHHHH

Eh, yeah maybe.

B-air is maybe too slow for Falcon and Fox (they can just pivot away then come in and punish, which I fall for all the time), but it's pretty unexploitable vs. everyone else.

 

[asianaussie]

Hit them as you go into the ground so you can cancel and dash U-Smash or grab/U-Tilt on the spot at low percents. Short hopping and immediately B-Airing is just repulsion, nothing else.

I'm so bad with Pika

 

[Hiphiphooray]

Short hopping and immediately B-Airing is just repulsion, nothing else.

This is what i was experiencing. I kept approaching with B-Air and could never do much offensively expect knock them off the edge at high % and edgeguard.

So as far as approaching offensively goes, am i supposed to be using u-air or f-air into utilt / usmash? and u-air doesnt require a z-cancel right?

 

[asianaussie]

B-Air is fine as an approach, B-Air into the ground leads to dash U-Smash or dash grab if you hit their shield

U-Air into the ground leads to whatever, including U-Tilt at lowish percents, doesn't need a Z-cancel

F-Air is more of a mix-up and can lead into U-Tilt more readily - hitting them only once or twice won't let them DI very much, it's not a bad option.

 

[Hiphiphooray]

Ok thanks, that clears some things up.

Also, Are there any video guides to playing pika? I saw one on beginners information for dk that involved some simple combos and defensive / offensive strategies here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJX3n41eax0

Are there any like this for other characters?

 

[ciaza]

i dunno lol

Also, his U-air is his safest approach.

This is true. After I hit a uair I follow with an upsmash most of the time, regardless what character. After that just gotta do what feel right. On heavies I go with another Usmash, or maybe a utilt>usmash.

 

[3mmanu3lrc]

^^^ Also another u-air (sh-u-air) after that could be a choice, and sometimes even a grab.

 

[ciaza]

Of course, my post was how to set-up the combo, how you continue it is up to you.

 

[jimmyjoe]

Can someone please impart some detailed pika **** tent knowledge to help maximize damage/kills in this area?
What moves combo well off the tent, and should they be fastfalled, Short/full hopped? What if you're starting with a grab, what next?
I am very inconsistent with combos in the tent compared to what I know can be done in there.
Thanks

 

[DMoogle]

Can someone please impart some detailed pika **** tent knowledge to help maximize damage/kills in this area?
What moves combo well off the tent, and should they be fastfalled, Short/full hopped? What if you're starting with a grab, what next?
I am very inconsistent with combos in the tent compared to what I know can be done in there.
Thanks

Chain grab until no longer possible -> uptilt a few times, preferably in the middle of the pit -> full jump b-air at lower percents onto main platform -> finish with upsmash (down-B follow up if necessary).

If b-air will send them too far, use n-air. If n-air will send them too far, use d-air. If that won't work, try something else.

If you want to be fancy, d-tilt before you upsmash. However, this could potentially ruin the combo; if your opponent is too light/has too high percent, it could send them over the tent rather than into it.

 

[ballin4life]

Nair and dair hit them like the same distance, but I feel like dair hits them a bit higher

 

[ciaza]

Really comes down to the weight of the opponent character. Fthrow>utilt>repeat on heavies until like ~30% at which point swap the fthrow to a bthrow. Then do what Moogle suggested.

If you accidentally get them to like 100% uair them against them tent a couple of times>upsmash>thunder (stay in the pit don't land on the middle of the stage).

Someone not lazy can probably give specific percentages for when to do what.

 

[DMoogle]

Nair and dair hit them like the same distance, but I feel like dair hits them a bit higher

The difference is small, but it's there.

 

[The Star King]

Nair and dair hit them like the same distance, but I feel like dair hits them a bit higher

Weird, I feel like nair hits a little higher

 

[ballin4life]

Sometimes you can utilt regrab too.

Also SK, maybe it's just that dair has a lower hitbox so I use it when the opponent is lower, so it makes it seems like it hits higher?

 

[dandan]

i usually go to throw, 2-3 utilts, then sh double uair, another one if necessary, then full hop nair and usmash.

 

[jimmyjoe]

Thanks, gonna give that stuff a go tomorrow or Tuesday at some point.

 

[SubparSmashBrother]

my favorite combo is up tilt up smash thunder

 

[SpeedGhost]

Yeah, have to say dair gives a lower trajectory. Just my two cents.. And I think nair or dair are easier to set up the upsmash on the main platform than bair. Just my opinion since all three will get the job done

 

[ciaza]

Bair is probably harder to pull off but it's worth it, since it requires your opponent to be on less percent. More percent means you need to hit them more which follows that they have more chances to DI.

Efficiency wise you'd want to be trying to use bair the most, even if it is harder to do.

 

[SpeedGhost]

Right you are sir^^

 

[Fynal]

I've been playing a lot of pika vs falcon recently, specifically my pika vs a certain other person's falcon, and i keep running into/screwing up a simple situation...

i (pika) am facing left. right behind me is falcon, also facing left. I just hit him or his shield with something, and now he's shielding and very much in grab range. my natural reaction is to spam utilt, but every time he shields 1-2 of em and gets me with a shield grab. dashing forward then back and grabbing him hasn't worked much for me, what should I do instead?

(obviously left/right are interchangeable here for which way we're facing, so long as its the same way)

 

[Battlecow]

I think I have a solution

Don't Utilt on shield.

 

[Fynal]

good, if totally useless, advice bro

 

[The Star King]

Battlecow's right, so it's not really useless. Don't do it.

If you catch yourself doing it, though, I think you MIGHT be able to up-b away. Regardless, try to break that habit. I think I had that habit myself back in the day.

 

[Fynal]

so should i be trying to grab him or areal him or what instead? i did just hit him, i have a moment to do something while he's in hitstun

the advice is good because its correct, and useless because i already know it and he knows i already know it

 

[The Star King]

You might be able to dash away or shield jump or something. Although, if the utilt is stale you're gonna get grabbed fa sho. I don't know what you *should* do, except not utilt shields in the first place.

 

[Battlecow]

I think if you have time to Utilt you probably have time to run up and grab me or just short hop and wait for me or something.

Basically it all boils down to not doing a Utilt

 

[Fynal]

ok, so nothing specific instead of utilt, thats what i wanted to know, thx

 

[ballin4life]

Utilt on shield can lead to grab, but I think you might have to be facing the opponent already for that to work.

If you utilt on shield facing the wrong way then you can beat a grab by doing a sh double uair which should let you get to the other side of him (to grab if he is still shielding). However you are vulnerable to a falcon usmash out of shield so i don't really recommend that.

 

[SSBPete]

I usually just go for the grab after an utilt on a shield, regardless of which way I'm facing. Tends to work a lot of the time.

 

[dandan]

if they just shield when you do you first utilt, you have a guaranteed grab, another utilt will get you shield grabbed though. something else you can try is jab grab, as it comes much faster and can stop the shield grab.

 

[Battlecow]

stale utilts get you grabbed even on the first one.