Okay then let's be objective.
Luigi is tied for second slowest falling speed in the game with puff. He has the third slowest fast fall speed, only beating out samus and puff. He has the slowest horizontal air speed in the game (by a much larger margin than the difference between 2nd slowest and above). Luigi has the slowest run speed in the game tied with ness, and at least ness can take advantage of his initial dash by DJC rushing. Luigi has no consistent way to combo horizontally so he MUST rely on vertical combos for kills. However, his neutral game is incredibly poor. Some of the worst combined horizontal speed in the game makes him a character that has to play defensively a lot and will often get cornered into a camping position. Even if luigi somehow doesn't get cornered and stands a chance in the neutral game, his opponent can just as easily run away and defend against luigi, making it very difficulty for luigi to do an approach himself. Luigi has a very linear and predictable recovery. While mario suffers from all of these to a lesser degree, mario has tools that help him overcome these problems which luigi can't do:
- Luigi's fireballs are slower than mario's and go horizontal. This means that luigi's fireballs are much less useful on his mediocre recovery than mario's. Luigi can't use them like mario from a higher position to create projectile pressure. It also means that a lot of techchases and traps that mario has with fireballs are impossible with luigi. In conclusion, instead of being an amazing tool, luigi's fireballs are only a mild annoyance.
- Luigi's upB is just an awful move if you're not killing with it. Zero knockback means that unless your opponent is way out of position, luigi is most likely going to get punished even if he hits his opponent with it. This gives the move much more risk than mario's upB as a reversal (a "get off of me" move during shield pressure/frame traps) because mario's upB at least causes some knockback and hitstun. Luigi's recovery suffers because of this same reason.
- Luigi does have a bigger double jump than mario, which can allow him to recovery a better distance than mario. However, luigi ultimately suffers more from his movement being so slow that his recovery path is predictable and very linear. Along with the inferior fireballs, it is a lot safer to jump off stage and edgeguard a luigi than it is to do the same to mario.
- Luigi's dash attack is a gimmick
- Mario has a downtilt that allows him to prevent ledge sweetspots by recovering opponents from a safe distance where he can't be hit back. Luigi does not have this capability.
- Luigi's shorthop is massive and cannot be used to create shield pressure or consistently do low percent combos like mario can.
- Luigi is much worse at edgeguarding because of his inverted throws. While most characters can ledgehog and get up from the ledge to give a strong backthrow to opponents that landed on stage with their up B's, a luigi attempting to do the same will be met with a weak throw that will most likely give them an easier recovery distance than the one they just attempted.
In a lot of matchups Mario has tools that help him overcome these obstacles. If Mario didn't have these tools he'd be just as bad as luigi and probably worse. Since Luigi doesn't have these tools he suffers in almost every aspect of his game except being able to land an easier kill IF he lands a hit AND is in the correct position at the right time. That's a really bad tradeoff and it means he is one of this game's worse characters because he is very limited.
Just cause of this I had to put down my phone, sneak into my older sisters room, and steal her laptop so I could write this up better lol (its 12:00 wtf am I doing lol) any ways I'll talk about all your bullets:
"Luigi's fireballs are slower than mario's and go horizontal. This means that luigi's fireballs are much less useful on his mediocre recovery than mario's. Luigi can't use them like mario from a higher position to create projectile pressure. It also means that a lot of techchases and traps that mario has with fireballs are impossible with luigi. In conclusion, instead of being an amazing tool, luigi's fireballs are only a mild annoyance."
True, Luigi's Fire balls are slower than mario's and go horizontal, but this actaully aids him, when returning to the ledge you can throw a couple fire balls above the ledge, since they are slow, luigi can get closer to the ledge, as this is happening, the opponent either shields, gets hit, or attacks the fire ball, allowing luigi to have a time window of recovering. Luigi does in fact have fire ball pressure, by short hopping and throwing a fire ball aiming for the top half of the enemy while they are grounded, which blocks their ability to jump, makes them take lots of free damage (Useful for starting the up air chains) or they try to block the fire ball, which results in a grab (who said luigi has no approaches??)
If you knock em into the air with up b or down b, you can interfere there way down by jumping up and throwing fire balls (some thing no other luigi ever does) Also, you can drop down, shoot a fire ball at the stage, it'll bounce off the stage and go towards the opponent, you can then B-air them. Luigi can also make sure the opponent cant recover high by blocking the air space with fire balls.
"Luigi's upB is just an awful move if you're not killing with it. Zero knockback means that unless your opponent is way out of position, luigi is most likely going to get punished even if he hits his opponent with it. This gives the move much more risk than mario's upB as a reversal (a "get off of me" move during shield pressure/frame traps) because mario's upB at least causes some knockback and hitstun. Luigi's recovery suffers because of this same reason."
Luigi's weak up b isn't awful, it only seems awful if you're an idiot trying to actually attack with weak up b. When your opponent is recovering very low (Especially
Sweet Spot) you can actually GIMP them with the up b, because the up b actually has knock back (not alot, but it is knock back) causing them to not reach the ledge, plus i can just edge hog after just to ensure the kill. Luigi is NOT mario, so if some thing works for mario, dont expect it to always work for Luigi, and vice versa.
"Luigi does have a bigger double jump than mario, which can allow him to recovery a better distance than mario. However, luigi ultimately suffers more from his movement being so slow that his recovery path is predictable and very linear. Along with the inferior fireballs, it is a lot safer to jump off stage and edgeguard a luigi than it is to do the same to mario."
As a luigi main you learn ways to get back to the stage/ counter edge guards, maybe not other luigi mains,
But i have. If an opponent tries to challenge me off the ledge, I can
And will get above you and drill you to death, while safely returning to the ledge. If you edge guard and then stall at the ledge, I can cover the ledge with fire balls, wait out your invincibility, and up b onto ledge, since the weak up b will knock you off the ledge I can quickly reverse edge guard and drop down with a N-air/B-air or even drill.
"Luigi's dash attack is a gimmick"
This move isn't too good for offence, but it does have uses, such as if an opponent has no more jumps and there up b no longer has a hit box, you can push them off the stage with it, and connect a down smash if they try to come back again. With Jiggs and yoshi, you can do the same safely.
"Mario has a downtilt that allows him to prevent ledge sweetspots by recovering opponents from a safe distance where he can't be hit back. Luigi does not have this capability."
True, but again, Luigi is not mario, luigi can cover the ledge other ways, other than his down tilt (aka down smash)
"Luigi's shorthop is massive and cannot be used to create shield pressure or consistently do low percent combos like mario can."
Luigi can easily short hop, Fair into shielded opponent, and grab, even if they are not shielding, fair/Nair into grab connects. again luigi should not play as if he is an exact replica of mario.
"Luigi is much worse at edgeguarding because of his inverted throws. While most characters can ledgehog and get up from the ledge to give a strong backthrow to opponents that landed on stage with their up B's, a luigi attempting to do the same will be met with a weak throw that will most likely give them an easier recovery distance than the one they just attempted."
Have you ever heard of
pivoting? It's a pretty good tool for spacing, especially luigi, it can solve you little "Back throw is weaker than forward throw" problem, and luigi is much worse at edge guarding?? are you kidding me? Luigi can go greater distances to edge guard than mario can and still
survive . Luigi can perform more risks than mario to get the kill. Such as interfering high recovery with fire balls, throwing fire balls while getting closer to opponent and fair/nair, up air their recover and murder em with up b.
Holy hell im never gonna write this much ever again, its 12:37 what am i doing with my life
