Guide Pika's Matchups

[PikaPika!]

You've been cheating on me with other pikachus!?!?

With more than one pika...

 

[KirbyKaze]

pikachu orgy is in order imho to restore balance.

 

[N64]

I am probably the biggest pika ***** on these boards. I'll team with aaaaanybody.

Might update this soon by the way for more indepthness. we'll see!
Anything you guys feels needs to be changed at this point? I know zig will have like 12+ chars he wants moved around etc.

 

[Kiwikomix]

I think you're underestimating how good of a stage Dreamland is for Pika. Like you said, he lives for way too long, and the platforms are great for when he's getting SHL'ed or otherwise shut down. The only real downside I can see is that characters like Samus or Jiggz live even longer than you, and it's impossible to get kills off the top. It seems like a good counterpick against those characters that you can fsmash out of recovery, though.

 

[-Chad-]

Dreamland is probably my favorite Pika stage =x

 

[festizzio]

I think you're underestimating how good of a stage Dreamland is for Pika. Like you said, he lives for way too long, and the platforms are great for when he's getting SHL'ed or otherwise shut down. The only real downside I can see is that characters like Samus or Jiggz live even longer than you, and it's impossible to get kills off the top. It seems like a good counterpick against those characters that you can fsmash out of recovery, though.

Space animals: ban FD, counter pick dreamland

Jiggs: ban dream land, counter pick fd

 

[N64]

ban fd against spacies? But chainthrow! I knows spacies are hard to grab and all, but banning a stage where grab = stock seems kinda silly to me.

 

[Zig-Zag!]

I tend to play like **** on battlefield, but I always have to ban yoshi story.

Im thinking of just banning battlefield since I tend to do worse there for some reason. Maybe Im just melee rusty, Iunno.

 

[Kiwikomix]

Dtilt covers the ledge on Battlefield pretty well, and Pika's recovery doesn't get screwed as badly as other characters since he can just go for a platform.
But I don't really like playing there either. Looks like it's not even mentioned in the first post.

 

[festizzio]

ban fd against spacies? But chainthrow! I knows spacies are hard to grab and all, but banning a stage where grab = stock seems kinda silly to me.

I don't know... maybe pick it against fox, but I just can't stand Falco on that stage. Also it's my least favorite stage. No platforms to escape to when trying to recover. =\

 

[-Chad-]

I would rather fight Falco on FD than Dreamland.

 

[festizzio]

I would rather fight Falco on FD than Dreamland.

I get four stocked on FD by Falcos I can beat on Dream land. >_> to each his own

 

[Kuro Koshka]

Aren't Shiek and Marth hard for like everybody?

 

[PsychopathicEmus]

erm, how does one go about playing a defensive peach who shuts down your approaches with jabs, and approaches above jolt height but seems to get through your usmashes? i can't seem to stop her approaches either...if i try and jolt them, she'll bair through it into me...when she float cancels and aerial, she either runs back so i can't punish by nairing through her, jabs to stop approaches, or dsmashes --> jabs for the same effect. it just seems like i can't approach her, punish her approaches (nair takes a while to kill a peach), nor can i outcamp her.

i've tried mixing up my approaches and different ways of punishing her..it seems like her jabs are just amazing >.>. so uh...what do i do? (besides resorting to fox =p)

 

[elvenarrow3000]

Dashdance to bait the jab... run up and shield to bait the jab... stop her approaches with uairs?

 

[PsychopathicEmus]

won't shielding the jab get me grabbed because of all the hitstun? as for the uairs...i've tried doing that...i guess i need to space better XD; thanks for the advice though, i'll try it out sometime

 

[Kiwikomix]

If she approaches aerially above your thundershocks, why not just double jump and hit her with one as it's moving in the air? They're great for impeding Peach's approaches because she's so slow.

 

[HiIH]

DJ, Fulljumped aerials etc etc?

 

[PsychopathicEmus]

well, she aerials through my jolts. full jumped aerials...another thing i'll try..thanks guys!

 

[festizzio]

if she tries floating like you said, empty short hopping could work to bait her aerial, then just rush in with a nair or something

 

[N64]

smashboards deleted my long post T-T

basically, you want to try to stay underneath peach or just outside of jab/grab range. From underneath you're free to hit her with aerials while she doesn't have much (dair is easily outprioritized) to do against you. From just out of jab range you're free to ftilt or dtilt her while she can only like dash attack (shieldgrabbable) or try to float in/away.

As for approaches, try sh nairing through her shield so that you land barely behind her, then rising uair. It tends to catch peaches as they drop their shield, and then this pops her up into the air so you can chase her with an aerial.

 

[PsychopathicEmus]

really? i can outprioritize her dair? i will definitely try that. and i already do the empty shorthopping...i guess i gotta space better for that one to work. thanks though =).

 

[elvenarrow3000]

Peach's second jab can beat your grab, but if she does double jab, then you can grab. Just watch her habits. You could always jump out of shield to a nair if she jabs.

 

[PsychopathicEmus]

just a thought...that kinda occurred to me...do sheiks still chaingrab pikas? i mean..they might do it a few times..but if they get you say, in the middle of FD, in your experience, would most sheiks still chaingrab to the edge and then tilt --> fair?

i remember the last two sheik mains i played didn't really chaingrab at all..though dthrow --> tilt was still annoying. the last time it happened to me was against a spacy main who i think just wanted to play it safe

 

[festizzio]

yeah they still chaingrab me

but ftilt to fair doesn't work on the edge if you di away, so they usually just drop down -> fair me

pretty easy to survive imo

 

[worldjem7]

Sheik, as a character, can chaingrab Pikachu for quite a while. Whether the people using Sheik will do it is a different story.

Usually, it's some sort of "moral code" that they have for themselves in order to play more fairly towards the low tier but, in a high level tournament scene I can assure you that most players can and probably will chaingrab Pikachu without remorse.

It's all a matter of how much the Sheik player is playing to win.

 

[Kiwikomix]

They will chainthrow you in a tourney match. A lot of Sheik mains I know don't in friendlies but that's a different story

 

[festizzio]

i would actually much rather fight a sheik who chain grabs than one who doesn't

she's scary when she's not going for grabs so much

 

[worldjem7]

but, you get to fight if they don't chaingrab :D

if they chaingrab it's like "...k so when do I get to move?"
and the answer is "never" then you lose.

 

[tdk_Samurai]

but, you get to fight if they don't chaingrab :D

if they chaingrab it's like "...k so when do I get to move?"
and the answer is "never" then you lose.

true story, and when they actually fight, fair and d smash have alot of priority if you can land them, or atleast in my experience.

 

[festizzio]

but, you get to fight if they don't chaingrab :D

if they chaingrab it's like "...k so when do I get to move?"
and the answer is "never" then you lose.

i'd much rather be trapped in a grab for 30% than be outprioritized on every single move i do

except maybe down air

i forgot why i hate fighting sheiks

i need to mm someone this saturday

 

[worldjem7]

Sooner or later both will happen anyway.

Once they're done chaingrabbing you they'll still out-prioritize every move you do.

Only difference is that after getting chaingrabbed the hits are more likely to actually kill you rather than simply put you in an escapable disadvantageous position.

 

[festizzio]

Sooner or later both will happen anyway.

Once they're done chaingrabbing you they'll still out-prioritize every move you do.

Only difference is that after getting chaingrabbed the hits are more likely to actually kill you rather than simply put you in an escapable disadvantageous position.

i guess

 

[PsychopathicEmus]

ahh, i see. cuz i've only really played shadowbtzo, who apparently doesn't cg, and this one other dude at wcsl, and i don't think he did it either...regardless, both of them shut me down =p

 

[CommanderCody08]

Im bring it back so when people come back too melee =D


Poke Battle Pickachu

This match can be really dumb for puff.. but if ur patient!! ull do fine

...

Pikachu can match your aerial priority.
His Uairis a disjointed hitbox, and is fast/spammable. aka not good for you.

...

Camp with bairs, and patient yo... Patience pays off with edguards.. .. His up b gets ***** by puff.. Get him under and juggle him..Nair fmash and nair ftlilt work ker

That was part of Mango's take on the Puff/ Pikachu matchup from Puff perspective.

I'm confused though. What kind of aerial priority does Pikachu have that he can match Jiggs? What I've seen is that Pikachu's nair loses to most other nairs so that can't be it.
Is Uair the key to getting past Jigg's aerials? If so does anyone have any advice for getting under Puff? ... Wait, I know use jolts to make her jump. OK I need more uair.
What about bair? I have no idea about the priority on this move but it seems too laggy to be great.
I don't know about dair at all either vs Puff.

Anyways I would just appreciate some specific advice on how to fight Jiggs in the air. Anyone know any good video examples?

 

[thequestion]

Term usage error

One of you called the distance that one of pika's non-ranged attacks can reach "range". The proper term is "reach" for non-ranged attacks, and "range" for ranged attacks.

 

[N64]

One of you called the distance that one of pika's non-ranged attacks can reach "range". The proper term is "reach" for non-ranged attacks, and "range" for ranged attacks.

language is something that only has meaning by its collective use. if someone says "range" and you know what they mean, they have successfully portrayed their message.

about sums up my thoughts

 

[BEHR]

How would you bait a Sheik for them to mess up?


Like just Nari and run away and hope they miss a grab?

Thats a thing I dont know when I fight a sheik how can I bait them?

Any help?

Edit: lol Just noticed how long ago the last post was lol my b.

 

[xxpatgxx]

I'm definitely going to use this matchup guide to help me, as I'm getting back into melee and will take it seriously.

 

[Charmander]

Kind of disagree
I can easily raep a skilled marth without a ton of trouble
Skilled Mewtwo users however *shudders*