QAC: An Analysis

[[FBC] ESAM]

One of Pikachu's most known gimmicks is the QAC, or Quick Attack Cancel (Pikachu's most common ISJR). Many beginner Pikachus flock to this and ask how to do it as if Pikachus game revolved around it. QAC has both very positive and very negative aspects towards it, and you should learn it carefully before thinking of applying it in a real match.

Things to learn:

Angles (45, 22.5, 11.25)
Distances
Positionings

Positives:

Fast
1. Good for Mindgames
2. Good for edgehogging
3. CAN set up combos (Unreliable)
4. Unpredictable

Negatives:

1. Extends your hurtbox (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Egx...7A539C9&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=25= skip to 3:22)
2. Really low priority
3. Moves with lingering hitboxes will hit you with it
4. Phantom Lag
5. If opponent is on the ground, they can always shield before a uair
6. High risk low reward.

I'm going to explain #4. Normally Pikachu has (I think) 15 frames of landing lag. When you QAC, that lag carries over to the next time you land. If you get hit out of your QAC with a low-knockback move and you land, your 15 frames of ending lag will then commence.

The phantom lag is 15 for soft landing and 24 for hard landing. 90% of the time you're gonna get the hard landing lag.

This allows you to get punished hard by some characters (MK D-smash, Marth F-smash, DK D-smash).

I'm going to explain #6. Quick Attack itself doesn't do much %, 2-3% fresh. However, if somebody hits you out of it, that will normally do 6-7%, PLUS the punishment of when you land. The reward is mindgames and maybe throwing yoyour opponent off-guard for a few seconds, but the risk is getting a decent amount of % and your opponent getting serious momentum.


So, before you guys get all hyped about QAC, get to learn it first. One of the reasons I seldom use it is because I always get punished for it by my brother and Seibrik. I never got really good at QAC because of it. Anther uses it a lot, and wins a lot of matches with it. However, when people punish his QAC, he normally loses (Mikehaze at MLG). QAC can be very useful. It has times where it is perfect, and it has times where it is the worst thing you could possibly do. To use Pikachu at his highest level (Which nobody does yet) there has to be a balance between knowing when to use QAC and knowing when to not. This also applies in Match-ups themselves (Marth and Luigi have a lot of big lingering hitboxes, so QAC is fairly useless. However, against Falco or Wolf, QAC is much more applicable).

In order to use QAC effectively, you must know when you won't get punished for it and what characters it can beat. You need to know when to lay off of it and win with your other aerials.

Comments or anything I should add leave below :D

 

[KayLo!]

Good read, ESAM! I'll add this to the directory.

 

[Pikabunz]

The phantom lag is 15 for soft landing and 24 for hard landing. 90% of the time you're gonna get the hard landing lag.

I feel like more can be said about QA in the OP. Hmm.

 

[KayLo!]

Its priority could be explained a bit more..... I know we semi-discussed/speculated on it in the PBR, but more research could be done on that. QA's priority changes throughout the move, which affects how effective it is against certain moves and when you should time it.

Also: under cons, I would mention (in conjunction with con #3) that it's nearly always bad if you use QA/QAC and trade hits. In terms of knockback, damage, and positioning, it's never beneficial to trade unless you get a lucky gimp off of it.

 

[Pikabunz]

I wonder how many people know how to edgehog with QA without SDing.

There's also little tricks you can do like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sUyZkqC0sw

And this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URtekJl_fak

 

[linkisthebest123]

I totally get what you mean esam. QAC really isn't that important to pikas metagame. Its like the QAL, its cool, but its VERY hard to pull off in tourny. Instead of focusing on qac, I focus on ways to punish moves easily. Something I love doing against mks that usually works, is fast fall air dodge (if they are on the ground) and as soon as i hit the ground d smash.

Works a lot surprisingly. I also use up tilt instead of d smash sometimes.

Just a questions, is a cg against diddy guaranteed at low percents on a place like fd? I know you can do it against a wall

(esam did it to felix on rc) but what about on flat ground?

direct me to cg thread if you can please.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

No you cannot CG diddy on a flat ground with no movement. The reason you can CG diddy on RC (I'm assuming I did it on the top part? I don't remember) is because the stage is moving to the right, so if you CG to the left there is less distance Diddy actually moves so you can regrab.

Also, FF airdodge is actually a really REALLY bad option. The better players will **** you for it, they notice it really quick.

Also, Prime, what is "Hard landing" as opposed to "Soft landing"

 

[Pikabunz]

You get soft landing when you land on the ground with a slow fall speed and hard to landing is when you land with a fast fall speed. You will almost always get hard landing when you land. The only time you get soft landing is when you short hop and not fast fall or when jumping up on platforms or hopping on the stage from the ledge. Without the phantom lag, soft and hard landing is 2 and 4.

Also, phantom lag affects the landing lag of aerials not just normal landing lag.

 

[Dark 3nergy]

i like using QAC to move to a better position or to get into a spot where i see an opening

other then that i wont use it unless im retreating with it or recovering

 

[Legendary Pikachu]

*just popping in...*

Someone in the "research thread" recently mentioned something about cancelling the phantom lag--for REAL? or not?

 

[KayLo!]

direct me to cg thread if you can please.

http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=225783

 

[iiDEMIGODz]

Yeah, when I first decided to main Pikachu, I watched lots of videos on techniques. I started practicing QAC, but never really found that many great uses for it. After watching nearly all of Anther and ESAM's matches at MLG Columbus....I've decided to cut it back.

I normally use it 1-2 times a matchup as an unexpected approach. The only practical situation I use it in is when attempting to move fast horizontally to snag a quick Thunder hit.

Basically, I agree with the 1st post.

 

[KayLo!]

E, this is your chance to have a logical debate about QAC if you can manage to not get personally offended.

........unless you were serious about ragequitting the community, lol.

 

[bigman40]

You can just use the first part of WAC to get the soft landing instead of having the hard landing. I like using QAC when I see an opening, but I generally don't use it other than to reset positioning and such.

 

[Razek]

Main thing i love it for is tech chasing, best thing ever is as they start rolling left or right you are already there with a nair =P

 

[Sensei Seibrik]

another thing to consider is not only matchups, but players



certain players, EVEN GREAT ONES, can get owned by simple things due to lack of knowledge.


its up to u as the player in the first match or so to see what u can get away with.

test the waters, QAC all over their face if they don't punish it. if they do, stop. its called adaption.


as mk, i often test out how good players are vs grabs, nado spam (which CAN be just as punishable as QAC) up b's glides, walking around, ect....



alot of this can be applied to 90% of the cast, pika falls into that category quite comfortably.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

^
That is very true. People are sometimes stupider than I give them credit for.

Also, NAME SEARCHING LIKE A PRO.

 

[Roller]

Now how is he gonna know to come back and see that unless you say Seibrik's name?

I agree with His post whole heartedly though and that is exactly what I do g1 of each match. So you may eat a hit or 2. I'd say it is worth it to determine whether they are susceptible to a potentially powerful strategy.

 

[M15t3R E]

E, this is your chance to have a logical debate about QAC if you can manage to not get personally offended.

........unless you were serious about ragequitting the community, lol.

Okay, I just found this thread.

I personally believe you should always use QAC against every opponent. That is to say, at the beginning of the first match, at least. As Siebrik said, test the waters. Great players may not know anything about the match-up and become flustered at your great speed from QAC and unknowingly create openings for you to get inside their comfort zone. If you begin to get punished for it, try something else. Simple as that.