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

[A10theHero]

Thanks for the response.
I often find myself instinctively jabbing out of shield (Carried over from Mac).

Always happy to help.

Pikachu's jab has a FAF of 22 frames.

In between jabs, it's 7 frames. Otherwise the FAF is 22, yes.

 

[Yoshister]

In between jabs, it's 7 frames. Otherwise the FAF is 22, yes.

Isn't there some sort of input buffer that lets you input your next move during the last 10 frame frames of your current move?

Or did the internet lie to me again?

 

[A10theHero]

Isn't there some sort of input buffer that lets you input your next move during the last 10 frame frames of your current move?

Or did the internet lie to me again?

You are correct. A maximum of ten frames is possible for buffering. With Pikachu's jab, inputting a jab repeatedly or holding the attack button will make Pikachu jab consecutively with a window of 7 frames between each jab. If you decide to input something else, like shield, then there's the 19 frames of end lag (FAF is 22, hitbox disappears after F3). And during the last 10 frames of that end lag, you can buffer shield or some other input.

 

[Shram]

Consecutive jabs have 7 frames between them.

Thank you! That's exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Plesioth]

Hello pika boards, I'm a Ryu main, and was considering Pikachu as secondary. I'm not looking for specific MUs coverage for ryu(although it'll be helpful for some characters like mac), I want a rushdown characters to contrast the bait and punish playstyle of Ryu.

1. Would it be smart of me to pick someone as technical as Pikachu as a secondary?
2. What are Pikachu bad MUs, and how bad is it?

 

[A10theHero]

Hello pika boards, I'm a Ryu main, and was considering Pikachu as secondary. I'm not looking for specific MUs coverage for ryu(although it'll be helpful for some characters like mac), I want a rushdown characters to contrast the bait and punish playstyle of Ryu.

To be more specific, Pikachu's playstyle is pressuring, which is somewhere between rushdown and bait and punish. If you're fine with that, what matchups in particular do you think you'd use Pikachu for?

1. Would it be smart of me to pick someone as technical as Pikachu as a secondary?

NAKAT and many others use Pikachu as a secondary and they do well. So you should be fine too.

2. What are Pikachu bad MUs, and how bad is it?

Most people can agree that Pikachu's worst matchups are Mario and Ness, which are both somewhere around 40:60.
After that, there's many varying opinions. Mr. Game & Watch is often listed as a slightly bad matchup, at 45:65--about half of the Pikachu players I've talked to say this. Some people also argue that Fox, Doctor Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, and Meta Knight are at least slightly disadvantaged, but I've only heard these from a minority of Pikachu players.

I hope this helped.

 

[Plesioth]

To be more specific, Pikachu's playstyle is pressuring, which is somewhere between rushdown and bait and punish. If you're fine with that, what matchups in particular do you think you'd use Pikachu for?


NAKAT and many others use Pikachu as a secondary and they do well. So you should be fine too.


Most people can agree that Pikachu's worst matchups are Mario and Ness, which are both somewhere around 40:60.
After that, there's many varying opinions. Mr. Game & Watch is often listed as a slightly bad matchup, at 45:65--about half of the Pikachu players I've talked to say this. Some people also argue that Fox, Doctor Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, and Meta Knight are at least slightly disadvantaged, but I've only heard these from a minority of Pikachu players.

I hope this helped.

Thanks! I'm not using Pikachu as far as just covering bad MUs, but to have a second character for whenever I'm bored of my main or want to do a more aggressive playstyle.

And good to know that a lot of Pikachu bad MUs are covered by Ryu imo.

 

[thomas4america]

is FF fair off stage to footstool guarunteed if i mash jump from the correct position? I'm looking for new ways to gimp characters with poor recoveries.

 

[Simperheve]

I find in a lot of matches I seem to be quite prone to SD'ing with QA when trying to recover Horizontally into the ledge. Anyone got any tips to stop it from happening?

 

[Zoom!]

I find in a lot of matches I seem to be quite prone to SD'ing with QA when trying to recover Horizontally into the ledge. Anyone got any tips to stop it from happening?

So you mean that you go diagonally downward instead? Or you input horizontal and then accidentally do a 2nd input? The former can be resolved by practising inputs, the latter is due to not sweetspotting the ledge so it's a spacing issue as well as an input issue.

If you notice your opponent doesn't challenge you off stage then you could skull bash back instead, or drop low and skull bash to the point where you can QA up, but please note you will not get away with that often or at all against a good player. Skull bash is only for when you're out of QA range so don't rely on it.

What I truely recommend is to spend a long time in the lab just jumping off and trying to QA back from awkward angles. You should want to get to the point where instead of going back horizontally you can even do a v shape back! If it's purely horizontal that you have an issue with then just fall down further (drift in) and use diagonal instead. I honestly don't recommend a quick fix like that though. Practice inputs. One of the joys of playing Pika is recovering for free.

 

[Breadery27]

sometimes when i try to run off stage to do an aerial i accidently grab the ledge while running off. Is there a way to avoid this and how do i practice not doing that

 

[Noge]

sometimes when i try to run off stage to do an aerial i accidently grab the ledge while running off. Is there a way to avoid this and how do i practice not doing that

I guess you are trying to use bair when this happens? if you DI backwards when leaving stage, pika will grab the ledge, unless you bair before he grabs it.
Sooo, use bair faster? try it in training and you will figure it out easily, good luck

--- Question: ---
In this match ESAM takes the last stock with an offstage thunder (min 3:45): https://youtu.be/_vAN9h6yvtA?t=3m54s
I'm trying to do this offstage thunder and then get back to stage, buuuut thunder's lag seems to be too long for going back D:
Is it possilbe to go back to stage from this situation? (I know it is easy to do it when thunder connects to pikachu and stop's his movement, just trying to go back when thunder doesn't connect)

 

[Shram]

I guess you are trying to use bair when this happens? if you DI backwards when leaving stage, pika will grab the ledge, unless you bair before he grabs it.
Sooo, use bair faster? try it in training and you will figure it out easily, good luck

--- Question: ---
In this match ESAM takes the last stock with an offstage thunder (min 3:45): https://youtu.be/_vAN9h6yvtA?t=3m54s
I'm trying to do this offstage thunder and then get back to stage, buuuut thunder's lag seems to be too long for going back D:
Is it possilbe to go back to stage from this situation? (I know it is easy to do it when thunder connects to pikachu and stop's his movement, just trying to go back when thunder doesn't connect)

To me, it doesn't look like ESAM would make it back after the thunder animation ends.

 

[The_Most_Effectual]

So, when I get a grab at 0, what throw combos should I go for+on what weight classes? I feel like I'm not getting as much off of low-percent grabs as I should be; I usually just go for something like fthrow-->dash attack-->u tilt or u air (which usually only works because they airdodge after getting hit with the dash attack), but dash attack is definitely not guaranteed if they DI up+away off the fthrow--which is super easy, even for players who aren't good at DIing stuff because fthrow's animation lasts so long. Should I be using dthrow, fthrow, or mixing up between them both? What should I aim for for following it up?

 

[Zoom!]

So, when I get a grab at 0, what throw combos should I go for+on what weight classes? I feel like I'm not getting as much off of low-percent grabs as I should be; I usually just go for something like fthrow-->dash attack-->u tilt or u air (which usually only works because they airdodge after getting hit with the dash attack), but dash attack is definitely not guaranteed if they DI up+away off the fthrow--which is super easy, even for players who aren't good at DIing stuff because fthrow's animation lasts so long. Should I be using dthrow, fthrow, or mixing up between them both? What should I aim for for following it up?

At 0 generally down throw is best because you have a chance to up air into fair, but you fall down with the fair so you can force them back to the ground where you can re-grab. Then you can again down throw to up air string and then follow up depening on how much space you have left on the stage. If you have more space then do another fair to regrab! There are many combos and mix ups you can do during all of this. Im sure you know, but it all depends on rage, character weight, character fall speed, DI and your own timing. I know that if a heavy uses no DI on the down throw or up tilt then they will end up behind you so no fair/regrab, you can do another up air or pikacoptr. However if you down throw you can quickly turn around and then uptilt, then you can fair/regrab as normal.

At 0, after you down throw you can get an up tilt before the up air but idk about all weights/fall speeds how that works. I know it doesn't work if the opponent DI's away. I just tested it and I couldn't even get the up air if marth DI's away on the down throw, forget about the up tilt.

If we're near the edge and the fair/regrab is a no go, I will do a 2nd up air or normal fair to get them off stage. If I notice they DI back in to me after my 2nd up air then I sometimes fast fall back to the ground and thunder, you'll be surprised how many people drift straight into that because they think you've abandoned your string by fast falling back to stage. That's risky tho and works better against bad players who always use surivial DI even at low %, just because they're near the ledge.

I personally only forward throw at 0 if it will guarantee a dash attack that will then hit them off stage, but only if it's a character that struggles in that situation.

Between 5-12 % depending on character (not sure specifically but about that range) you can go for a forward throw into jab lock if they don't tech their landing. If you notice they always tech then just go for down throw as it has way more follow up potential. Forward throw is very situational and unreliable, and if you do land another hit it usually ends the string for sure.

Tl;dr, down throw has more follow ups and damage potential, forward throw is situational

(please feel free to correct anything I said, I'm not the best at explaining and I do get things mixed up, but hopefully that's a step in the right direction. I'm sure somebody can be way more specific about weights. If you want a quick clip that shows the regrab sequence with and without the uptilt at the beginning I can post it)

 

[thomas4america]

The_Most_Effectual
I've found that at 0, up throw sets up for the uair to fair to regrab string better than dthrow does (on medium to fast fallers). it can also true combo into utilt strings vs fox and many characters will fall into your utilt if they airdodge.
past about 15, uthrow will stop working and dthrow becomes better imo

 

[The_Most_Effectual]

Zoom!
thomas4america
Thanks guys! I hadn't thought about trying to combo into a regrab, and it sounds super useful. Definitely going to apply a lot more pressure than just a dash attack from now on lol. Thanks

 

[ZtaG]

Hey guys, here in this match i did a triple jump thunderjolt, can anyone tell me how i did it? I didn't landed on a platform or something
Min 0:36
https://youtu.be/Nv1vlx5ICqQ

 

[A10theHero]

Hey guys, here in this match i did a triple jump thunderjolt, can anyone tell me how i did it? I didn't landed on a platform or something
Min 0:36
https://youtu.be/Nv1vlx5ICqQ

You did land on the platform. This is evident because Pikachu went through the ledge-drop animation.

Spoiler

Starting from ~0:37, advance the video frame-by-frame with the ">" key. You should see him go through that animation before the jump and Thunder Jolt.

 

[Kung Fu]

Can Pikachu's Uthrow to thunder be air dodged? I ask this because many people say it's a kill confirm but I find most people can air dodge out of the thunder.

 

[Kung Fu]

EDIT: Double post.

 

[Zoom!]

Can Pikachu's Uthrow to thunder be air dodged? I ask this because many people say it's a kill confirm but I find most people can air dodge out of the thunder.

Your question is hard to answer because there are many variables to consider, however I'm just going to assume the opponent is not using DI since we're only talking about the possibility of airdodging out. No it's not possible, the cloud spike will come out before the air dodge, even if the pika needs to double jump first.

 

[Kung Fu]

Your question is hard to answer because there are many variables to consider, however I'm just going to assume the opponent is not using DI since we're only talking about the possibility of airdodging out. No it's not possible, the cloud spike will come out before the air dodge, even if the pika needs to double jump first.

What do you mean by variables?

So you're saying if I Uthrow and then jump to thunder them down they won't have enough time to air dodge because of the hitstun the Uthrow puts them in, right? And if they are air dodging does that mean I'm too slow in executing the jump and thunder after the Uthrow?

Thanks in advance, mate!

 

[Zoom!]

What do you mean by variables?

So you're saying if I Uthrow and then jump to thunder them down they won't have enough time to air dodge because of the hitstun the Uthrow puts them in, right? And if they are air dodging does that mean I'm too slow in executing the jump and thunder after the Uthrow?

Thanks in advance, mate!

Variables = percent, rage, weight, floatiness, fall speed, timing, move staling, closeness to blast zone, DI

However let's disregard all of that because, based on your phrasing of the question, we're assuming that no airdodge means the thunder would connect and kill, no matter what. In this case the only thing that allows your opponent to airdodge is you waiting too long to thunder.

Adding the jump is only necessary if one of the variables means the thunder won't reach. You can kill with up throw thunder with no jump if you're by the ledge, for example, and especially if the move is fresh, but your opponent is light etc.

If you're in a situation where the jump is needed, it doesn't mean you're opponent has a shot at airdodging out. Again, the only thing allowing this is leaving the thunder too late.

Overall, airdodging is a poor, useless escape method. DI is the way to go however at some percents you the pikachu can simply read the DI and then RAR thunder after the up throw, and once again there's not enough time to airdodge.

 

[Kung Fu]

Thanks a bunch, Zoom.

The problem is ever time, I face my friend, who plays with Samus, he manages to air dodge the thunder after the Uthrow. I find that at around 130% damage with no rage, I have to jump to get the thunder to spike after the Uthrow, but he he always manages to air dodge out of it.

 

[Pixel_]

How do I use Jab? Every time I accidentally throw out a jab, I end up being punished because of the minuscule hitstun.
It probably comes from my habit with Yoshi of throwing out a jab every now and then, but I still want to know how I'm supposed to actually use jab.

 

[Zoom!]

How do I use Jab? Every time I accidentally throw out a jab, I end up being punished because of the minuscule hitstun.
It probably comes from my habit with Yoshi of throwing out a jab every now and then, but I still want to know how I'm supposed to actually use jab.

Something important to bear in mind is that Pikachu has a frame two jab, which is just wonderful. I believe only two characters have a better, frame one jab, so if it comes to a situation where you and your opponent suddenly find yourselves face to face, you have a great option of hitting first. It's best to just use an individual jab then immediately follow up with something else. If you hold down A then all you'll end up doing is pushing your opponent away to the point where the jabs no longer connect, and then you'll end up eating something like a fsmash. I guess what I'm saying is, in this scenario, you're only utilising the frame data but not relying on the jab to do anything else for you.

My favourite use for jab is if you have your opponent backed up against the ledge. This is when you can hold down a and apply shield pressure. If you catch them out of their shield, or if they drop their shield, then you'll nudge them off the ledge, at which point you can run off and bair and put them into a tech situation. If you read that your opponent will use the stand up ledge option then this tactic can be used

Similar to above, on platforms you should look to jab opponents off the edge, if they fall backwards they'll go into tumble and land in an untechable state, so you can easily drop through the platform and jab lock them. It's very free.

While we're on the subject, you can jab lock your opponent if they miss techs. Pikachu has a list as long as your arm of ways he can set up into jab locks. I'd personally trade a frame two jab that can lock for a jab that has higher hitstun & knockback any day of the week.

Another use is to mess with recoveries, particularly ones that don't snap to the ledge, or ones that have hurtboxes over the stage when they grab the ledge. If you can jab someone out of their recovery (again using an individual jab) then imagine the possibilities of an opponent with no jumps who is suddenly falling towards the blast zone. It's almost unfair.

I hope this provides some kind of insight into using jab. I'm by no means a Pikachu expert however from maining him I know some things here and there

 

[DJBor]

General question.
What factors put Pikachu above the rest? I mean, he's commonly called a top tier, but what is holding him up to that status? He's the only "top tier" without some "advantaged state" like Mario's combos, Cloud's Limit Break, and even Ness's plethora of KO options. Is it simply that he is so well rounded, that he goes 50/50 with nearly the whole cast?

 

[Zoom!]

General question.
What factors put Pikachu above the rest? I mean, he's commonly called a top tier, but what is holding him up to that status? He's the only "top tier" without some "advantaged state" like Mario's combos, Cloud's Limit Break, and even Ness's plethora of KO options. Is it simply that he is so well rounded, that he goes 50/50 with nearly the whole cast?

1) he has the best recovery and can always recover for free. 2) He's pretty good at breaking neutral and has some pretty good approach options. 3) he has pretty good defensive & evasive tactics so pika can grab the lead and just run with it. The diverse ranges of playstyles allow him to adapt to different situations whereas a lot of other characters are stuck with their telegraphed options. 4) he has great KO options! fast fall fair can pin opponents to the ground for an upsmash, ftilt or grab. He can RAR thunder after an up throw at kill percents meaning it's a 50/50 based on a DI read. 5) he has a lot of set ups into a jab lock at many different percents. 6) has one of the best match up spread in the game, and doesn't have any super bad MU's. 7) excellent frame data.

 

[lmntolp]

I would add 8) he has among the safest landing options of all the characters due to QA mixups, especially on multiple platform stages.

On other characters, I have to be pretty careful with my double jumps and I feel I have a big disadvantage above my opponent, but on Pikachu I basically land whenever/wherever I want.

 

[Zoom!]

I have issues with the down tilt to jab lock (missed tech) combo.

Obviously it has different ranges towards the kill percent side of things, however at higher percents I find my opponent is flung too far. Normally I just do one dash and then jab after the animation stops, however if they are flung too far then the one dash doesn't take me far enough, but then if I run further than the one dash then I can't stop without the laggy skid animation. It seems other pikachu mains can do this somehow?

 

[lmntolp]

I have issues with the down tilt to jab lock (missed tech) combo.

Obviously it has different ranges towards the kill percent side of things, however at higher percents I find my opponent is flung too far. Normally I just do one dash and then jab after the animation stops, however if they are flung too far then the one dash doesn't take me far enough, but then if I run further than the one dash then I can't stop without the laggy skid animation. It seems other pikachu mains can do this somehow?

I've heard ESAM say he just runs and stops early enough to account for the skid animation, and I've gotten used to doing it that way. You could also try foxtrotting to avoid the skid, but it might be slower over long distances.

 

[Ya Boy Evee]

I have issues with the down tilt to jab lock (missed tech) combo.

Obviously it has different ranges towards the kill percent side of things, however at higher percents I find my opponent is flung too far. Normally I just do one dash and then jab after the animation stops, however if they are flung too far then the one dash doesn't take me far enough, but then if I run further than the one dash then I can't stop without the laggy skid animation. It seems other pikachu mains can do this somehow?

he often walks when looking for a jab lock. Another alternative is to crouch walk. which ever feels comfotable.

 

[Luuso]

Hey guys. I would like to know if Pika's fair is safe on shield because when I use Space Jam's Smash calculator, I get Pika's fair as -2, when my friend uses it, he gets Pika's fair as -1.

However, ESAM.. Pika god himself claim that Pika's fair is -6 on shield in his Pika tutorial, which would technically mean Pika's fair is safe... But not that safe...

I would just like to know which is the most correct answer

 

[Ya Boy Evee]

Hey guys. I would like to know if Pika's fair is safe on shield because when I use Space Jam's Smash calculator, I get Pika's fair as -2, when my friend uses it, he gets Pika's fair as -1.

However, ESAM.. Pika god himself claim that Pika's fair is -6 on shield in his Pika tutorial, which would technically mean Pika's fair is safe... But not that safe...

I would just like to know which is the most correct answer

Consider the spacing of the fairs. It's safe if you space correctly. IMO, pika's fair is a little harder to space compared to sheik.

 

[iVoltage]

How is pikachu's diddy mu

 

[luke_atyeo]

hey dudes, I'm trying to collect a bunch of quick easy info graphics on essential character knowledge to make a quick reference guide for commentators (we all hate it when a commentator says something that is wrong)
This shulk thing here is an example of the kinda stuff I am looking for

I'm going around to all the character boards and it'll be a little messy for me to try and check them all, so if you have any cool things like that, or just some useful info that I could turn into a similar picture, please send me a message. Cheers lads.

 

[Insightful]

This might seem like a weird question but, I was wondering.. How do people uair with pikachu and still keep momentum to follow their opponents DI without bairing by mistake?

because ESAM and like Latzo always follow people so well with up airs and I've been trying to learn that but it doesn't really seem to work for me, I always bair by mistake or never move as far as they do, I'll usually go straight up... What corner do you have to hold your analog stick in?

 

[Ninj4pikachu]

This might seem like a weird question but, I was wondering.. How do people uair with pikachu and still keep momentum to follow their opponents DI without bairing by mistake?

because ESAM and like Latzo always follow people so well with up airs and I've been trying to learn that but it doesn't really seem to work for me, I always bair by mistake or never move as far as they do, I'll usually go straight up... What corner do you have to hold your analog stick in?

I've never seemed to have had this issue as I kinda lean the analogue stick diagonal as I input the up air. But if this doesn't appear to work for you u could always set the c stick to attack and perform up airs that have no affect on DI.

BTW: vs is like 45/55 pika favor in my opinion. They are both fast and have great neutral but once pikachu gets in advantage state offstage he can gimp diddy quite easily. Diddy struggles in disadvantage here because pika has all the tools to edge guard him. The most mitigating factor for diddy though is that diddy packs a lot more raw KO potential.

 

[A10theHero]

This might seem like a weird question but, I was wondering.. How do people uair with pikachu and still keep momentum to follow their opponents DI without bairing by mistake?

because ESAM and like Latzo always follow people so well with up airs and I've been trying to learn that but it doesn't really seem to work for me, I always bair by mistake or never move as far as they do, I'll usually go straight up... What corner do you have to hold your analog stick in?

In ESAM's case, he's just fast at inputting the controls. He'll input an Uair ( > + ) and seamlessly transition into a horizontal input ( or ).
Another option is to use the C-Stick for Uairs ( > ) and the Control Stick for movement ( or ). Tilt Stick is recommended for this because if you use a C-Stick Aerial with Smash Stick, some of your aerial momentum is lost. And also if you try Double-Sticking, SH Uairs can accidentally turn into Jump-Cancelled Up Smashes. So use Tilt Stick for easy Uairs. c: