Q&A Pikachu Q&A Thread (Ask a Quick Question, Get a Quick Answer)

[DanishButrCookies]

Cool thing you can do with Pikachu in Smash 4 is you can ledge cancel with his Up-B on platforms or on ledges, and immediately follow up with an aerial or even another Up-B (Just in case any one did not know, thought I'd put in something)

 

[Hoenn]

I'm getting it between 115-184 with Diddy (factoring in rage though). I've tested it with both "Stop" and "Jump" (I'm not sure if the Wii U version has more options than 3DS, but it seems inescapable at these percents on here).

It is DI dependent just like Uthrow thunder

 

[Budget Player Cadet_]

Hey guys, quick question. How's Wuhu Island for Pikachu? Caranthire thinks Pikachu breaks the stage because he can run away so well. I think he's nuts, that it doesn't make his runaway that much stronger than on, say, Smashville or FD, and that he loses out in total because he has even more trouble killing than usual. Any thoughts?

 

[LumpyGravy]

What is the method to auto-canceling short hop down air? I can't do it consistently or that much at all for that matter.

 

[Soul.]

What is the method to auto-canceling short hop down air? I can't do it consistently or that much at all for that matter.

You use DAir at the apex of the short hop. Alternatively you can use the control stick up + C-Stick down.

 

[Kaladin]

I'm bad at this game, like really bad. I want to get better, and I've been watching good smashers and tournaments on youtube, etc, but I can't seem to approach or edgeguard effectively with pika on FG. I know thunderjolt and QA approaches, and I know in theory how things like offstage thunder work, but I end up SDing half the time. I know this is a broad and hard to answer question, but how does one actually effectively apply these things? My win rate on FG is just over 20%.

(I'm just a kid in a bad location for smash, so I don't really care to be tourney viable. I just want strong Pika fundamentals, and the ability to get hype off-stage KOs without SDing.)

Edit: I'm playing with gamepad, tap jump off if that's relevant.

 

[Starry.]

..........

 

[Angiance]

I'm bad at this game, like really bad. I want to get better, and I've been watching good smashers and tournaments on youtube, etc, but I can't seem to approach or edgeguard effectively with pika on FG. I know thunderjolt and QA approaches, and I know in theory how things like offstage thunder work, but I end up SDing half the time. I know this is a broad and hard to answer question, but how does one actually effectively apply these things? My win rate on FG is just over 20%.

(I'm just a kid in a bad location for smash, so I don't really care to be tourney viable. I just want strong Pika fundamentals, and the ability to get hype off-stage KOs without SDing.)

Edit: I'm playing with gamepad, tap jump off if that's relevant.

The best you can do is practice, using the knowledge you possess as a means to strengthen your fighting style

 

[wm1026]

What are the thoughts on pika's customs?? Honestly what I'm running right now is thunder shock and heavy skull bash(rest being default). Any thoughts?

 

[Angiance]

@ wm1026
Well, the only bad custom we have is Heavy Skullbash, for the simple fact that it's literally COMPLETELY useless

Thunder Wave is amazing because it'll open up many combo opportunities, buuut these comboes can also be done with Thunder Jolt; Thunder Wave is for easier comboes at the cost of less damage and range

Thunder Shock is disliked by many, but I personally see loads of potential with it. I've not done too much study on it, but I know that above 100% you can Dtilt you opponent offstage and use Thunder Shock-it ALMOST comboes

Quick Feet would be absolutely amazing since it can be comboed into from Dtilt at the 100%s, and from Quick Feet you can combo into Usmash; but there is -one single thing- barring it's potential...95% of the time, Quick Feet will knock them __behind__ you, instead of in front of you

 

[wm1026]

I see so our side B is still basically useless.. Great.. Well I agree with you on thunder shock. I see good potential with it. I think.. I think not really sure yet but I think you can jab lock with the sour spot of thunder shock and if spaced correctly it pushes your opponent back enough to where if use thunder shock again you will sweet spot it every time. If someone could confirm this for me that would be awesome also any preferences on what side B you would use??

 

[Angiance]

@ wm1026
I am so sorry, sir, I meant to say "Heavy Quick Attack," I must've been tired. Heavy Skullbash is actually legitimate-sorry for that ^ u ^;

 

[Budget Player Cadet_]

Can anyone give me some pointers on the Kirby or Duck Hunt Dog matchups? The other first seed in my second round of pools in a big online tournament plays those characters, and I am not fighting Kirby with ZSS.

 

[Angiance]

@ Budget Player Cadet_
Kirby is a close combat style fighter, so against him go in and outplay him with your -own- close combat game

Duck Hunt is very projectile heavy, but Fair can go through some of them AND hit Duck Hunt. Quick Attack is extremely powerful against projectile based fighting styles. We have a very fast dash speed, this alone coupled with Power Shield can break projectile based fighting styles

 

[Soul.]

>heavy skull bash is bad

 

[Pogoshark]

>heavy skull bash is bad

>implying any version of skull bash is good : P

What costumes do you guys use?
I use Choice banded Pikachu

 

[Budget Player Cadet_]

I like me the goggles.

 

[Angiance]

I'm plainchu, cause all the costumes are terrible

 

[Hoenn]

Green (super OP) Headband, googles, and the yellow johto hat are OP

I play neutral pika when I practice/don't care lol

 

[Jaguar360]

I use Brendan/Green headband about 65% of the time and neutral Pikachu about 35% of the time. I don't find Pika's palette swaps to be that great. I just use Brendanchu because I like green.

 

[LumpyGravy]

I use the Callem (X/Y) themed palette.

 

[ZephyrZ]

I'm a green headband wearer myself.

Once you get past all the water, gen 3 is the best.

 

[A10theHero]

I guess my main palette choices are Red's Hat and Brendan's Headband. But I play with all of Pikachu's costumes since I usually pick randomly.

 

[Cypher99]

Is pikachu any good for competitive tornaments?

 

[Angiance]

It's not the character as much as it is the Individual's mentality. Is -your- mentality good for competition? Are you a competitive player?

 

[A10theHero]

What's Pikachu's relationship with rage like? He can get extra knockback, but so can his opponent, meaning that he can get launched faster. So was its inclusion in the game overall advantageous or disadvantageous to him?

 

[Angiance]

It shouldn't matter too much, the majority of our KOs are assisted (ex. comboing them into blast zone, making the need for raw launch power negligible), and gimps

 

[Cypher99]

What's Pikachu's relationship with rage like? He can get extra knockback, but so can his opponent, meaning that he can get launched faster. So was its inclusion in the game overall advantageous or disadvantageous to him?

It nerfs him because he doesn't generally live long enough for it to help him. Rage is basically a buff for heavyweights

 

[Cypher99]

I'm not sure but I may play pika in smash 4 but I have a few questions
1 is his learning curve really high? Is he worth learning?
2 does he do well at high level tournaments?
3 what are his best and worst mus
4 just how light weight IS he
5 how should I play using pika
6 what are his kill moves/ set ups
7 how do you gimp/edge guard with pika
8 what are his combos
9 what are his best overall moves?

 

[draydawg2020]

I'm bad at this game, like really bad. I want to get better, and I've been watching good smashers and tournaments on youtube, etc, but I can't seem to approach or edgeguard effectively with pika on FG. I know thunderjolt and QA approaches, and I know in theory how things like offstage thunder work, but I end up SDing half the time. I know this is a broad and hard to answer question, but how does one actually effectively apply these things? My win rate on FG is just over 20%.

(I'm just a kid in a bad location for smash, so I don't really care to be tourney viable. I just want strong Pika fundamentals, and the ability to get hype off-stage KOs without SDing.)

Edit: I'm playing with gamepad, tap jump off if that's relevant.

So when going for the Thunder spike off stage you have to use your double jump than immediately use thunder. That way you'll get an extra little boost from thunder. Also when you aproach use fair or bair. Fair because it's a fastove with little lag and good combo ability. Bait because even if it whifs or if the opponent shields your hurt box shrinks and it's very hard to get punished. Practice with quick attack on the ground. It's reall good for combos. The when you quick attack into the ground youll have little ending lag so when using quick attack on stage make sure you always finish it by going into the stage or a platform. I hope this helps. I'm a pikachu main so yeah. :D

 

[Soul.]

I'm not sure but I may play pika in smash 4 but I have a few questions
1 is his learning curve really high? Is he worth learning?
2 does he do well at high level tournaments?
3 what are his best and worst mus
4 just how light weight IS he
5 how should I play using pika
6 what are his kill moves/ set ups
7 how do you gimp/edge guard with pika
8 what are his combos
9 what are his best overall moves?

---
if any of this is wrong someone please fix this. lol

1. Yes, it's not an easy character to master. You might have to spend some time on Training. It is worth it though.

2. Yes.

3. MUs at the moment are just guesses. Right now most people think Pikachu has problems with Diddy, Sheik and Greninja (albeit slightly). The rest are either on Pikachu's favor or even.

4. 6th lightest character tied with Fox and Olimar. (I'm not really sure if this is true, I just went to the Weight Rankings thread and this was the result)

5. Down tilt sets up trips which leads to a grab and follow ups such as up air. Always use down tilt for spacing. Thunder Jolt is a decent projectile that helps with spacing as well. When using Thunder Jolt you should make sure you are using turnaround neutral B (to not be confused with B-reverse).

Approaching: Quick Attack is good for situations like this. Second hit of the move has hitstun which can lead to aerials and it has very low endlag on the ground. If your opponent is using a character with projectiles, shield and use QA out of shield.

Use throws to follow up; down throw is good in early percents as it lets you follow up with up air strings. When your opponent has KO percent it's best to go with up throw because that leads to Thunder which has a meteor smash hitbox on the cloud. That meteor smash drags the opponent down to Pikachu and leads to a KO, so long as the opponent doesn't DI.
NAir is a good OoS option because it's a "get-off me" move and can also set up jab locks. FAir is a good disjoint that is used for horizontal strings.

When on the edge of the stage, you want to use up air just in case someone tries to hit you from below. It helps you recover safely. Though most of the time you'll be recovering horizontally with Skull Bash if you're far away and Quick Attack if you can get the second part of the move.

6. USmash, FSmash, Thunder, and I'm not sure what else. As for setups, falling FAir > usmash is one, although punishable if your opponent reacts and shields.

7. Falling BAir drags opponents down. You don't need to worry about SDing because Pikachu's recovery is good. Thunder Jolt and FAir are also good for edgeguarding. Offstage Thunder is another good one too with the meteor smash on the cloud.

8. Up tilt > until opponent starts to flinch > up air > BAir is one. Down throw > up air leads to aerial strings. Basically you'll see Pikachu using up tilt to combo most of the time.

9. Down tilt, up tilt, Thunder, aerials, Jolts, Quick Attack

 

[Kaladin]

So when going for the Thunder spike off stage you have to use your double jump than immediately use thunder. That way you'll get an extra little boost from thunder. Also when you aproach use fair or bair. Fair because it's a fastove with little lag and good combo ability. Bait because even if it whifs or if the opponent shields your hurt box shrinks and it's very hard to get punished. Practice with quick attack on the ground. It's reall good for combos. The when you quick attack into the ground youll have little ending lag so when using quick attack on stage make sure you always finish it by going into the stage or a platform. I hope this helps. I'm a pikachu main so yeah. :D

Thanks! I'll have to practice the offstage thunder. It's hard to pull it off when you have any momentum... I usually approach with falling fair into grab or into a tilt. Do you happen to know the minimum angle difference between the two "zips" of quick attack? I feel like they don't always come out where/when I want them to. I appreciate the reply

 

[draydawg2020]

Thanks! I'll have to practice the offstage thunder. It's hard to pull it off when you have any momentum... I usually approach with falling fair into grab or into a tilt. Do you happen to know the minimum angle difference between the two "zips" of quick attack? I feel like they don't always come out where/when I want them to. I appreciate the reply

As long as you input two different directions you should do two zips. I believe the minimum angle is about 15-20 degrees. I think. Lol so don't quote me. and you can't do offstage thunder when having momentum so you'll have to stay stable when you execute it. Also at around 90-135% for mid weight characters, you can up throw into thunder. If they are going too high youll have to jump first then thunder. And you're very welcome!

 

[Kaladin]

As long as you input two different directions you should do two zips. I believe the minimum angle is about 15-20 degrees. I think. Lol so don't quote me. and you can't do offstage thunder when having momentum so you'll have to stay stable when you execute it. Also at around 90-135% for mid weight characters, you can up throw into thunder. If they are going too high youll have to jump first then thunder. And you're very welcome!

Ah, good to know. Up-throw-thunder is a lot of fun for sure. It just looks so cool when you pull it off lol.

 

[draydawg2020]

Ah, good to know. Up-throw-thunder is a lot of fun for sure. It just looks so cool when you pull it off lol.

also if they D-I it you could always walk to their direction and the thunder. i hope this has all helped.

 

[Hoenn]

also if they D-I it you could always walk to their direction and the thunder. i hope this has all helped.

If you walk, it will not cover the DI with a true combo unless they slight DI it, which nobody does. So walking is not optimal because it covers one option and that option is not good.
To cover DI you have to do 1 of 2 things.
1. Out of uthrow, buffer the shortest possible initial dash to buffered thunder
2. React to the DI and perfect pivot thunder.

The second option is harder, but better, because you can react to the DI instead of reading the DI

 

[draydawg2020]

If you walk, it will not cover the DI with a true combo unless they slight DI it, which nobody does. So walking is not optimal because it covers one option and that option is not good.
To cover DI you have to do 1 of 2 things.
1. Out of uthrow, buffer the shortest possible initial dash to buffered thunder
2. React to the DI and perfect pivot thunder.

The second option is harder, but better, because you can react to the DI instead of reading the DI

that is also true. thank you for the contribution! :D

 

[Enoki]

Heyo! So I main Yoshi, and I've been trying to find a secondary that compliments him, most notably someone fast with a good ground game and OOS options. I've been hearing that Pikachu is actually incredibly good, just unexplored - possibly even top 3 material. Would you say Pikachu is someone worth picking up as my main secondary? From what I've seen, Pika has so much potential.
(Also, how well does he fare against Sheik and Diddy? I just want something more closer to even than Yoshi's matchup.)

 

[mercy]

Heyo! So I main Yoshi, and I've been trying to find a secondary that compliments him, most notably someone fast with a good ground game and OOS options. I've been hearing that Pikachu is actually incredibly good, just unexplored - possibly even top 3 material. Would you say Pikachu is someone worth picking up as my main secondary? From what I've seen, Pika has so much potential.
(Also, how well does he fare against Sheik and Diddy? I just want something more closer to even than Yoshi's matchup.)

I do not think using pikachu as a secondary character is a wise choice. Either use him as your main or pick up an "easier" character.

 

[Enoki]

I do not think using pikachu as a secondary character is a wise choice. Either use him as your main or pick up an "easier" character.

Interesting. Would you say that's more because of technical skill requirements or because of his playstyle?