Ike's matchup against Luigi
Hello everyone. I'm here (again) arguing on the matchup against Ike. The matchup guide recommends Luigi to play defensively and wait for Ike to screw up on a laggy move for then punishing him and implies that approaching him would never be necessary. I think it is the other way around; Ike should be trying to space himself while Luigi pressures him and tries to get close enough to land his killing moves (Fsmash, Nair and Fire punch). Also, punishing Ike is not as easy as it sounds for Luigi. Ike will be approaching with (besides jabs) the use of Nair (which auto-cancels), Fair (with great range and a shorter ending animation when landing) which cannot be punished is Ike spaces right.
The guide says that Ike’s recovery can be easily gimped by the use of ledge hopped Bair. Ike is heavy and his Aether shouldn’t be easy to gimp for Luigi until Ike has a very high percentage as Luigi must hit his Bair before the SA frames take effect. Luigi recovery, well, shouldn’t save him past 70%.
I present you the matchup guide I’ve posted in Ike’s boards last attempt on making a matchup guide. I will work on a more insightful analysis after I have some feedback from Luigi players and more time.
Oh, and FD and SV as counterpicks? they seem very even to me.
Luigi Matchup
Character profile: Luigi is known for his powerful juggling and decent KO power. As his brother, he got fireballs as a projectile. But their limited effectiveness (they travel slowly and cause low damage) conclusively makes Luigi a close-quarters combatant;
How he will be playing: Although lightweight, Luigi is much faster than Ike. He will use his “short hopped fireballs to tornado” or his sliding Dsmash (which can poke under your shield) for approaching. If the tornado or Dsmash connects, they will throw you up where he can juggle you. Missed Aethers, Fsmashes, QDs, and other laggy moves can be punished severely with Fire punch. He may also use Fire punch out of a jab combo or in the air for early kills.
How you can fight back: Spacing is the key. With spacing you can prevent Luigi from countering your moves and prevent Fire punch KOs. So make sure you hit your attacks with the tip at all times. Remember that his fireballs are only diversion and look out for his tornado, if you shield it, the ending lag is enough for you to grab him or (depending on the distance he travelled) hitting an Ftilt. He can only perform his sliding Dsmash while he is walking, so watch out for that too. Also, his recovery can only travel horizontally or vertically and gimping during his recovery moves execution is easy.
Statistical analysis
Survivability: Much lighter than Ike, Luigi can be knocked off stage by 70% and KO’ed by 100% (from the center of Final Destination, using Ftilts). As mentioned before, his recovery moves leave him very vulnerable.
KO potential: Luigi moves have decent knockback overall, but his finishers are Fsmash (which can be angled), Nair and Fire punch. Their reach is very limited and requires Luigi to pressure and chase his opponent. Luigi doesn’t exceed at gimping Ike, as attempting to interrupt Aether can potentially get him killed.
Combo potential: Good. Can hack up to 60% if the Ike hasn’t spaced himself appropriately and kill if chained successfully with one of his finishers. Remember to air dodge and DI away from Luigi after been thrown into the air.
Range: He has good range for a close-quarters combatant, as his limbs stretch dramatically during his attacks. Not in league with Ike though.
Maneuverability: Luigi has a very good aerial and ground acceleration, which are crucial for spacing himself for juggling or applying one of his finishers.
Final analysis
**** (four stars), or slight easy matchup. Play smart and you have the advantage here.
Counterpick stages: Stages with roof prevent the use of Fire punch and you from be killed until at least 120%.
