Ok so I mained shiek in melee and I was trying to main her in brawl but i can't even beat pikachu. Heres the story I have a friend who for the sake of anonymity we will call Mackey. He mains pika and I used to 4 stock his pika in melee but now I lose to pika in brawl all the time. What are some strategies in this match up? Help please.
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Pikachu trouble
- Thread starter tsetse
- Start date
stealthsushi
Smash Apprentice
Well first thing to clarify is that:
Brawl Sheik =/= Melee Sheik
They play quite differently despite the appearance of her moves. Pikachu players tend to utilize the following moves against Sheik:
- Defensive D-Smashes (Multiple hits and pulls you in)
- Spaced F-Smashes (To prevent shield grabbing and attacks out of shield)
- Thunder edge-guarding
- QAC (Quick-Attack Cancelling, using his Up-B to quickly move around the stage and sets up for unexpected attacks)
- F-Throw, D-Throw Chain Grabs (0-60% for D-Throw, 0-70% for F-Throw)
Sheik should rely on good spacing and needles to give her the advantage in the matchup. B-Air approaches and spaced F-Tilts should keep you at a safe range from his D-Smash and Chain Grabs. Pikachu can be F-Tilt locked at low percents, so use this to rack up quick damage. Try to get Pikachu up into the air, as this will give you a chance to exploit the lag on most of his aerials. Sheik's aerial game + U-Tilt will give you a good edge against an air-borne Pika.
If the Pikachu is playing aggresively, wait for an opening to shield-grab or D-Smash to get him into the air. Also, try not to stay too far from Pikachu to minimize his camping, keep the pressure on him. If he uses Thunder, air-dodge to avoid it if you are above him; if its used for edge-guarding, use your tether recovery to avoid being hit or make use of Vanish's invincibility frames (right before and during the explosion). Thunder's hitbox stays out relatively long, so make sure you don't air-dodge or Vanish thru it too early.
Lastly, to kill Pikachu, edge-guarding is your best bet. Use your needles and F-Air/N-Air to pressure his recovery and force him to either sweetspot the edge (not that easy for Pika) or leave himself open by landing on the stage. Don't be overzealous with the gimping. A botched Pika recovery = easy D-Smash by the edge for KO. If you can't seem to get him to the edge, be patient or go for a surprise Vanish KO.
So the take home message:
- Utilize your range.
- Keep Pikachu in the air.
- Pressure with spaced F-Tilts, B-Airs, and Needles.
- Don't stay too close (Chain grabs) and don't stay too far (Thundershock camping).
- Pressure Pika's recovery and act accordingly.
The match-up won't be a landslide win for Sheik (definitely not like Melee Sheik vs. Melee Pika), but you should be able to win with a reasonable lead if played correctly.
Hope that helps! Feel free to shoot any extra questions or provide any input.
Brawl Sheik =/= Melee Sheik
They play quite differently despite the appearance of her moves. Pikachu players tend to utilize the following moves against Sheik:
- Defensive D-Smashes (Multiple hits and pulls you in)
- Spaced F-Smashes (To prevent shield grabbing and attacks out of shield)
- Thunder edge-guarding
- QAC (Quick-Attack Cancelling, using his Up-B to quickly move around the stage and sets up for unexpected attacks)
- F-Throw, D-Throw Chain Grabs (0-60% for D-Throw, 0-70% for F-Throw)
Sheik should rely on good spacing and needles to give her the advantage in the matchup. B-Air approaches and spaced F-Tilts should keep you at a safe range from his D-Smash and Chain Grabs. Pikachu can be F-Tilt locked at low percents, so use this to rack up quick damage. Try to get Pikachu up into the air, as this will give you a chance to exploit the lag on most of his aerials. Sheik's aerial game + U-Tilt will give you a good edge against an air-borne Pika.
If the Pikachu is playing aggresively, wait for an opening to shield-grab or D-Smash to get him into the air. Also, try not to stay too far from Pikachu to minimize his camping, keep the pressure on him. If he uses Thunder, air-dodge to avoid it if you are above him; if its used for edge-guarding, use your tether recovery to avoid being hit or make use of Vanish's invincibility frames (right before and during the explosion). Thunder's hitbox stays out relatively long, so make sure you don't air-dodge or Vanish thru it too early.
Lastly, to kill Pikachu, edge-guarding is your best bet. Use your needles and F-Air/N-Air to pressure his recovery and force him to either sweetspot the edge (not that easy for Pika) or leave himself open by landing on the stage. Don't be overzealous with the gimping. A botched Pika recovery = easy D-Smash by the edge for KO. If you can't seem to get him to the edge, be patient or go for a surprise Vanish KO.
So the take home message:
- Utilize your range.
- Keep Pikachu in the air.
- Pressure with spaced F-Tilts, B-Airs, and Needles.
- Don't stay too close (Chain grabs) and don't stay too far (Thundershock camping).
- Pressure Pika's recovery and act accordingly.
The match-up won't be a landslide win for Sheik (definitely not like Melee Sheik vs. Melee Pika), but you should be able to win with a reasonable lead if played correctly.
Hope that helps! Feel free to shoot any extra questions or provide any input.
ADHD
Smash Hero
Learn to DI the dsmash. Hold diagonally up (depending on which side of the smash you are captured in.) He's easy after that.
ADHD
Smash Hero
It should launch you sideways but you wont get sucked in, you still take some damage though but its much less annoying.
demodemo
Smash Ace
The higher damage you are, the less likely you will be hit by the last hit of the dmsahs, and the last hit is the only one with KO potential.
Basically what sushi said, but if he keeps shooting those **** lightning balls, short hopping over them is extremely viable and etcetc.
you should not try to punish a thunder until you are a master at pikachu. for now just shoot needles
Basically what sushi said, but if he keeps shooting those **** lightning balls, short hopping over them is extremely viable and etcetc.
you should not try to punish a thunder until you are a master at pikachu. for now just shoot needles
stealthsushi
Smash Apprentice
I believe Sheik's Jabs and F-Tilt have enough priority to quickly and efficiently cancel out the thundershocks, but Needles don't seem to stop them. I can't say for sure since I don't have a Brawl at the moment to check, maybe someone can help verify. Otherwise, timed short-hops work wonders 
Squidster
Smash Ace
I don't like attack the jolts anyways seems pointless @.@
slickmasterizzy
Smash Apprentice
the f-tilt does stop the thunderwaves. with good timing you dont even really lose any momentum while approaching.
pikas downsmash does pose a big problem though.
i usually zelda up for this fight
pikas downsmash does pose a big problem though.
i usually zelda up for this fight
Squidster
Smash Ace
Don't get grabbed.
Space to avoid Dsmash
Space to avoid Dsmash
demodemo
Smash Ace
Shorthop, Son.