zelazon
Smash Apprentice
- Joined
- May 12, 2006
- Messages
- 87
Now before you say there's other guides and stuff like that, I can gurantee you that my olimar is different then most people olimar, giving me the advantage over most.
This guide was intended for people to start using olimar at an advance level, rather then spam pikmin the whole game.
AGAIN, I MENTION THIS GUIDE IS SO PEOPLE STOP SPAMMING PIKMIN AND PLAY CORRECTLY WITH OLIMAR!!!
Okay, so where shall I begin... with the index
A. Basics
B. Combos
C. Strageties
D. Stages
E. Match-ups
F. Video Section
G. FAQ
A. Basic
The basic you should know with olimar is the range of his Fair and Bair, where to be while doing his Dair, and how to approach when doing Uair. Everyone of oli's move plays a key role in winning a match, and knowing exactly what it can do is vital to his survival as I will explain.
Basic A combo- This combo always comes in contact with your opponent if they come too close, but use sparingly, as the lag time behind it is noticable, and you will get punished if you overuse it. But use it if your opponent is too close as you'll get people who block, and are too close to grab. With this, you'll be able to push you opponent back so you can grab them.
Utilt- The uptilt has suprising amout of priority when it come to high priority attack, however, it doesnt work for all attacks (such as overpowering wolf's Usmash, and not his Dsmash). This attack is very situational, as being stationary is asking to be punished by the opponent, so learn how to use this attack at the right time.
Dtilt- The down tilt is quick to come out in comparison to the Dsmash, which has to go though the landing lag before you can use the Dsmash again. As you do a Dair, you can pull this out right after, to pop opponent up for some more combo damage if your fast enough. Like the Up tilt, this is purely situational when used by itself, but can lead into some combos.
Ftilt- This tilt has some range, and can come out pretty fast, though the Fsmash has farther range, along with the disjointed hitbox, make the Fsmash a better choice out of the two. However, it doesnt mean that the Ftilt is useless. The ftilt can be combo much like the textbook combo, however, its harder, and it only works on character that try to stay at a distance when you fail at the textbook combo, so knowing how the Ftilt combo will make you far effective when the textbook combo fails.
Fsmash- Your secondary mode of attack to the textbook combo. The Fsmash as everyone know is quick, effective, and can kill at fair percentages. Your Fsmash will be used to punish rollers, to keep distance to certain opponents, to land right on the edge so you hit opponents who stay there, to rack up damage on them. Also, you probably want to know that even when the pikmin falls, if the opponent is in the pikmin path, they will get hit by the smash.
Best pikmin(first to last): Red- basically your kill pikmin as it send them foward, and it very damaging. The pikmin you want when your going to kill.
Blue- Not as strong as the red, but can still kill at high percentages, and this pikm(i)n unlike the others can go through most obstacles with it's electricity.
yellow- Okay, get some pretty far distance, but unless your sm(a)sh is charged fully, you wont be getting a kill with this one.
Purple- Short ranged, still has to be at high percentages... not so good.
White- when it comes to smashes, try not to have this one in front, as the knockback, and the damage is horrible... you dont want this as a smash attack.
Dsmash- This is another kill move that olimar has that come out pretty fast, though there are characters that have faster Dsmashes, or outprioritize olimar, but i'll explain that in the match-up section. The Dsmash send two pikmin out to the side of you, in a very damaging effect. This move is effective to get opponent off of you, as well as killing the opponent, as you can Dsmash out of a roll. The thing is not to spam it, but to know the best times to use it in a match, more on some character then others. And now for the pikmin.
Best pikmin (in order): Purple- what? purple actually useful? yup, as this pikmin has the farthest knockback potential out of the whole group, and it doesn't suffer the shortage of distance that it would with other smash attack, so if you want to use your purple pikmin effectively, make sure to catch your opponent in a spot where he can be downsmashed with the purple pikmin.
Red- Still the killer that you want behind your purple when you want to get your opponent next to you for a Dsmash. Good knockback on this one, and can be comboed.
Blue- Still has the killing potential, but not as great as Red or Purple.
yellow- not so good, you wont kill if you hit with this most of the time.
White- once again.... useless
Usmash- Another one of your main attack, since olimar can attack right of our running, you will want to have this to punish opponent, and to combo them with certain attack and finish with the Usmash. Certainly one of olimar's best moves, and keep in mind that you can still attack an opponent whose laying on the ground without their invinicibility frames as it comes out quickly, and punishes them for their rest.
Best pikmin: red once again XD: yup, the knockback range of the red is potent and can kill at good percentages.
Purple: Despite its range, the purple Usmash is a guranteed kill if you manage to hit with it, but since the attack comes out so fast, at 90% it can kill. (been tested and guranteed)
Blue- good knockback, and can kill
yellow- not so much...
do I even need to mention white...
Fair- one of your basic attack, and fastest approaches to the opponent. Out of all the attacks I've done playing, this attack has come out right after a Fsmash, making the Fair your number one attack with olimar. Because it's an air, you can continuously attack in the air if the opporitunity avails itself, but sometimes you'll get characters that can DI out of the attack, sometimes leaving you open if overused.
Sometimes, it isnt the best idea to use a Fair as a primary attack as some opponents have faster attack, or longer range. It's up to you to realize what you opponent is coming with, and to approach properly.
Red- Good knockback, can combo at low percentage, and can kill at high percentages.
Blue- Not as good knockback as red, but it wont kill unless in very high percentages.
Purple- around the same knockback and kill zone as blue.
yellow- no kill with this one, but can be comboed at a higher rate.
white- ugh...
Dair- you main tool for spiking purposes. The key in spiking is to make sure to always be in a position where you'll be above them when attempting the spike. Here are what the most sucessful and fastest falling colors are.
Yellow/red/purple/blue- if successful, no return.
white- can spike, but isnt very good, and most likely that the opponent will return.
Bair- Same kind of approch as you Fair, but you want to save this as your killing move, as if you use a move too much, it loses its killing potential, and you'll be stuck without moves to kill. It pretty much has the advantages and disadvanges of color with Fair.
Uair- one of your combo moves, this attack has very good stickyness, and can come out fairly fast, and probably is oli's highest priority move since it's nearly the same as oli's neutral air, but with the disjointed hitbox. Here are color that work the best with this attack.
Yellow- has the most stickness out of the group of pikmin, and will go through any attacks. Can kill if high enough in the air.
Red- less sticker then yellow, but damage is noticable, and has a higher knockback rate between the yellow, but rarely is this attack used for a kill.
Purple- Same as red, though even less of a combo ability, but still can be used.
Blue- combo, damage, and knockback are fair, but nothing too good.
white- can combo, but really is low and damage is not good.
Nair- Olimar non-pikmin attack that has combo ability of its own. It good when you know how this attack fair in preportion when coming to an waiting opponent (as again, I will discuss in character match-ups). For this, i'll explain in the combo section how to use this effectively.
Side B- the move that people spam the most, and probably what is know by everyone who plays as olimar, or against olimar. Now, the deal with side b is that you must know how to use it effectively so you dont end up without pikmin, or being predictable to the opponent. Now the thing with side is that you can use it as a mind game, to off set their stragety in order to inflict one of your own.
Here's one thing I found out with opponent's is that when you throw a single pikmin at them while they're in the air, the opponent will try to dodge to avoid being damaged by the pikmin. In this sense, they are wide open to a grab in which you can advance and punish as they worry about the pikmin on them.
another thing is the white pikmin, while being the weakest, causes the most panic in opponent, as a sucessful latch with white pikmin will make the opponent do attack trying to get them off. All I do is wait for the opponent to get the pikmin off, rather then attack them, as when you try to attempt to attack them, your risking the chance of them doing an attack that will actually get the pikmin off. With this method, you want to use it once during the match as if you keep on using it, then your opponent will start realizing what to do, and you'll only waste time trying to keep throwing white pikmin at them. The max damage I've done to an opponent is about 40% using this method.
The last method I use with Side B is on their last life, I spam 3 pikmin at them trying to latch the pikmin on. When you use it on the last life, it's usually the point when the opponent is most frantic, trying to ensure their survivial. With three pikmin, you can not only distract them from being frantic, but create openings with the opponent that you can punish them with. Once again, I emphasize that like the other method, it something you do once, and try not to keep doing the entire match as if the opponent get's wind of what your doing, you will be punished.
The deal with Side b is that you dont want to continuously use it as some people are already ready for it, and continuously doing it will only find yourself with no pikmin.
Down B- Down b has two uses, to switch your order for your pikmin, which is important for your grabs, and for Wistle armor. Wistle armor in my oppinion is useful against certain opponents, and not so useful for other, as even though you can retaliate after an attack, some opponent can still emphasize their attacks which will negate the whole concept of the wistle armor, in which I will discuss later in the stragety section. The changing of order I will discuss also later with grabs.
Up B- the main method of recovery which is gimped when faced against a pro. It doesnt necessarily mean that you can do nothing while the opponent is edge guarding. Now if you find yourself against an opponent that has grabbed the edge right as your in range of Up B-ing him, you werent meant to survive, but if the opponent has lost his invinicibility frames, then when you are in the vicinity of Up-bing him, the Up-B will act like a legde spike at high enough percentages.
this does not mean that you always attempt an ledge spike when falling, as most of the time, your opponent will be struggling to attempt an ledge grab. If they arent on the legde when your in range of your Up-b, as long as you are a slight higher then the edge with the distance of six pikmin (assuming you have six pikmin when your off the edge) you will always grab the edge, and can come up with a quick hit if they're near the edge. You have to be quick about it as most people know that edge guarders are the worst thing to olimar player, so be vigilant, and make sure that you always get to your edge before your opponent does.
Up-b can also be used as a hit move, if used carefully, and to people that like to spam kirby's up-b, you can use this move to knock them out of their spam, and then effectively advance and punish that kirby player.
Neutral B- your main mode of getting pikmin. With this, you always want to grab all your pikmin as soon as you start the game, or if you die, you use the invincibility frames to grab your pikmin with safety. It's best to wistle right after to make sure your pikmin wont be attacked as if they are straggling, your opponent can attack and kill them. Also, if your too close to the edge, your pikmin can fall out of the stage, and because they're flipping, they cant come back. What you do is wistle a couple of time, and the pikmin that have fallen will automatically come back to you so you dont lose those pikmin... unless you dont want them, then you can let them fall, but it's not a good idea to be without six pikmin.
Fthrow - Basically this grab throws the opponent in front of him. With this grab, I would advise to to save it until the end of the match, as with blue pikmin, you'll find that you can kill around the 130-140 with it if you havent used it already. However, I do find that the Bthrow has much more of a killing potential, but I'll discuss it later. Just make sure that you know what side of the stage you are on, and know which one is better in term of killing as you dont want to waste a single blue when it comes to death of the other opponent. Just know that you want your blue in front when going for kills, and not to use other pikmin for this approach.
Dthrow - your basic combo tool, and what you should use when it comes to keeping opponents within range of attack. You'll use this attack to keep opponent in the textbook combo, and making sure they know why olimar can get the opponent out of the lower percentages, and get him within the kill range he needs.
Best used: white/yellow/blue/red- these four pikmin nearly produce the results needed to keep the opponent within the textbook combo.
purple- this is the last thing you want, as even at 0%, the purple pikmin will knock the opponent too far for you to continue your combo, allowing the opponent to excape from an awesome combo.
Bthrow- the pikmin throws the opponent behind. This should be your main tool of killing at high percentages, if you didnt use this up already. With blue pikmin, this move will definately kill if in the right percentages, usually around 120 percent. Just make sure that you get your opponent near the edge, and you'll gurantee one of their lifes. And remember, only blue pikm(i)n at high percentages.
Uthrow- I will admit, I rarely use this, as the only pikmin capable of killing at high percentages is purple, but you can do it much easier with the blue pikmin with a Fthrow or Bthrow, so if you do manage to get your opponent in a purple pikmin's grasp, Uthrow is your tool for a kill.
Throw hits- I would never ever recommend using olimar's throw hits as they dont come out fast, and they are weak, and there's definately better alternative with the throws then just hitting. Maybe once for the extra hit, but other then that, you wont find this of much use.
B. Combos
this is where you can find the most effective combo, while ensuring the basis of dealing damage to your opponent with some effort. With some character, certain combos will be harder to perform, but its usually the case with most combos, but know which ones work are necessary to ensure victory.
Textbook Ninja Combo- Grab-Dthrow-Shffled Fair (repeated, max of 3 times)
this is the standard combo that should come with every olimar player that plays him. this combo is effective in getting the opponent out of the low percentage range, and if preformed correctly, can be used to get the opponent to about 40-50%.
Now, there has been a video of someone using the combo to spike making it a zero to kill combo, but unfortunately, it cant be done to human players as the combo only allows for a max of three catches, and with it, you have to be nearby the edge, and have the extra jump to combo, as well as an opponent who wants to be spiked. Once the opponent is off the edge, he's free to get out of the combo. Maybe it can be done, and I havent just perfected it, but I'm pretty sure (considering that i do it to just about everyone of my opponents) that it cant be done to human players
there are some alternatives that I do believe that make the combo alot more effective.
Textbook Ninja Combo(Fsmash alternative)- At the end of the third shffled Fair, Fsmash.
with this, you can get your opponent to a max of 66%.
Textbook Ninja Combo(Usmash alternative)- At the end of the third Shffled Fair, Running Usmash.
it's nearly the same damage as the Fsmash alternative.
Simple combos (at 0%)
Dthrow - Ftilt - Dthrow about 27%
Dthrow - Ftilt - Dthrow - Shffled Fair abotu 42%
Dthrow - DashingA about 17%
Dthrow - DashingA - Running Usmash about 35%
Dthrow - DashingA - Running Usmash - Uair about 49%
Dthrow - Running Usmash about 24%
Dthrow - Running Usmash - Uair about 43%
Dthrow - Fsmash about 20%
Dthrow - Fsmash - Dthrow - Fsmash about 42%
Advanced Combos
Dthrow - Ftilt - Dthrow - Fair - Dashing A - Running Usmash - Uair about 75%
Dthrow - Fsmash - Dthrow - Fair - Dthrow - Running Usmash - Uair about 66%
Dthrow - Fair - Dthrow - Fair - Dtilt - Running Usmash about 57%
Dthrow - Dair - Dthrow - Running Usmash - Uair about 55%
I'll list more when I can remember them.
C. Strageties
So what strageties are there when there comes to olimar? here are a few.
Offensive olimar-
An oli player who consistently pressures the opponent with an approach of Fair, Fsmashes, and Grabs, giving the opponent no time to think or to react. This approach is excellent for spammers that like to stay back at a distance (except for wolf in which I will explain in the match-up section) The key here is to know how to approch when being offensive, and which combo will produce results. Just make sure that all of your attacks hit, and know when to shield, air dodge, and wistle armor correctly.
Defensive olimar-
An oli player who keeps out of his opponents reach, just coming in when there's apparent opening in the opponent's attack. This works well for stronger individual such as ike, and tatics such as the walking Fsmash can do wonder with the defensive stragety. Just know when it's appropiate to switch to defensive because oli can become open if you spam the Fsmash too much
Spamming olimar-
An oli player who just spams Side B all day hopefully gaining damage on the opponent, but this captain cant rely on his pikm(i)n alone, he has to work with them in order to produce results, so stay away from this stragety.
D. Stages
Oli players can certainly take certain advantages of stages that most other characters cant. As the running Usmash can be effecting in keeping the opponent off the ground, it's important to know which stages will yield the best results. I'm just going to put a general list of stages that has advantage to olimar, and stages that oli players should ban.
Stages that olimar should get ahold of whenever:
Battlefield
Yoshi's Island
Halberd
Lylat Cruise
Castle Siege
Smashville
Stages that olimar should never play at:
Final Destination (for spammers)
Shadow moses island
Bridge of eldein
Norfair
Frigate Orpheon
Port town aero drive
Hanenbow
E. Match-Ups
probably the longest section of them all, I'll be going over all the character, some to more detail then others.
Mario- Generally an all around character that many people know, but can be easily grabbed as his short ranged attacks arent very prominent when it come to oli players. Be warned though that Mario's Dsmash comes out fairly quickly, and can sometimes beat oli's smashes when it comes out, but generally you should have too much trouble when it come to mario players. The textbook combo is great against him.
I rate mario 5/10 for difficulity.
DK- His Side B neutral B combo has efficenticy against olimar if the player is skilled enough to catch you with it. His Uair comes out fast and can sometime suprise Oli players if they havent already did a Dair by the times(DK reaches them, but however, his size makes him an easy target for any of the combos, and generally can be caught by a Usmash at the end, and with Uair being effective against him, he can be taken out without much effort.
I rate DK 6/10 for difficulity.
Link- Link is probably one of the most difficult opponents you will have, as his grab can sometimes overpower yours, not to mention the range of l(i)nks attack, while having all of his projectiles to help him block you from getting to him. The key to beating a good link player is to catch all of the combo you can against him, and to make sure he cant use his item while he on the ground, and to avoid his items as much as possible, as he can kill olimar fairly easy.
I rate Link 9/10 for difficulity.
Samus- Olimar's pikmin is the key to winning this match, as her projectile can be blocked by thrown pikmin, as you approach with a grab. Make use of all the combo's you have, and predict the opponent's charged blast when throwing pikmin, and you'll have the match in no time.
I rate Samus 5/10 for difficulity
Zamus- Zamus starts off with items, which can run you up to 30% at the start of a match. With that said, Zamus is a very difficult match as most of her moves causes stun on impact. With this, you have to be extremely careful of her Side B, and make sure that you distance is not in the boundaries of that side B, as well as coming in with grabs cautiously.
I rate Zamus 9/10 for difficulity
Kirby- Kirby is another match that olimar players will have difficulity on. It's not because of the fact that kirby is hard, it's the fact that it hard to continuously combo into him. Kirby's Up B now is incredibly fast in coming out, and if on a stage like final destination, it will be difficult to approach kirby. What you have to do when facing a Spamming kirby is blockgrab as soon as the sword streak passes, and then get kirby into a combo as much as you can. Once you get kirby high enough, approach with a blue pikmin, and you should have the match in no time.
I rate Kirby 8/10 for difficulity.
Fox- Fox, though he lost most of his speed in melee, is still fast enough to past through most of your attempts to grab, and punish you with his Usmash, or even the Dair Usmash combo that fox players can easily pull off. Though fox is fast, he can still be comboed, and the match is entirely on how effectively you can predict the attack of fox, cause once you get wind of what he does, you should be fairly capable of catching his attacks and punishing him for it.
I rate Fox 7/10 for difficulity.
Pikachu- Pikachu is not that hard compared to most matches. People complain about the broken downsmash, but with olimar player, you should never be in a position to be caught with the Dsmash of pikachu. Stick with the combos on this one, and this match should be in your favor.
I rate Pikachu 5/10 for difficulity.
Marth- marth is probably one of your most difficult matches, as his approch completely overpowers your, and with his apprach of the Fair, it makes it difficult to approch with grabs since his attack jumps over the pikmin. The deal with this match is distance, and as long as you can keep him out of range, you can quickly find yourself winning the match. Just remember that your combos can quickly be stopped by his speed of the Fair, a fair warning.
I rate Marth 9.5/10 for difficulity.
G&W- Another super difficult match, as his Dsmash is faster then your, his Fair is longer then your, his Bair has higher priority then most of your attacks, and his Dair can bypass your Dsmash. With that said, the only effective way to approach G&W is by grabs and combos, and Fsmashes. Even with those, it still wont be an easy match for you, and you'll have to put in extra effort to win the match.
I rate G&W 10/10 for difficulity.
Luigi- Luigi's difficulity is different then most character, as his Down B can go through most of your pikmin, and you. With this, your approch much be different as he wont come as fast as other character, but once you get wind of his attack, you'll be in much better shape then before.
I rate luigi 7/10 for difficulity.
Diddy- Diddy matches can be pretty annoying as you'll have to go through annoying banana's to get to diddy, as well as fear the banana's that can spike olimar while he's hanging off the edge on his pikmin. With this match, you need to use the banana's against diddy and make sure that your not running into his banana's as he can immedialy Fsmash you as you slip.
I rate Diddy 8/10 for difficulity.
Zelda- Zelda is annoying as her Side B can be spammed very fast to block you from getting to her. In this case, dodging is the essential key in order to get close to a zelda player in term of approach, and using combos to kill. All in all.... just avoid her Bair and Fair... they can kill pretty fast.
I rate Zelda 7/10 for difficulity.
Shiek- Shiek in my oppinion is easier then zelda as she has only her needles to prevent olimar from approach, but with that, it still doesn't provide enough to get to her and punish her for those needles. Just watch out for her Ftilt... which can keep olimar within it's boundaries.
I rate Shiek 5/10 for difficulity.
Pit- Pit is not that hard when compared to other player, His most damaging moves (Fair and Bair) are too hard to catch olimar within it, before the olimar player can retaliate with grabs and smashes. Combos should keep the match in oli's favor, and always back off from Pit's side B, cause if you try to go forward in it, you'll stay in it, so just DI away from pit.
I rate pit 4/10 for difficulity.
Metaknight- Recently, I've played someone who showed me why metaknight is very effective against olimar. His moves are made for combos, and his sword is the weed wacker of pikmin. With that being said, you'll find yourself having to play a distance game, and you'll have to make sure that you never get off the edge with Meta, as his edge guaring game is probably the best. Also note that his Up B come out fast, and while gliding, his sword had high priority and quickness... when playing a good metaknight player, be prepared with combos, and your best olimar game.
I rate Metaknight 10/10 for Difficulity.
Falco- Falco's shine is very difficult to get around, however, since falco is a slow character, it's not that hard to approch a good falco player. Just keep in mind that falco can chain grab olimar, in this case, always tap the jump button for there might be chance of the footstool jump occuring.
I rate Falco 8/10 for difficulity
Pokemon Trainer
Squirtle- Squirtle is quick, has fast airs, and have very powerful moves. The thing is that he still can be caught with combos. Just keep in mind that he rules the edge, and can spike with very little effort, so make sure your on you game when playing against him, and you should come out on top.
Ivysaur- With his razor leaf, it can go through your pikmin, however, he's slow compared to squirtle, and most of his moves can be bypassed. When you aproach, make sure to go over his vines, and be careful of his bulletseed as that can rack up damge fast, but once you get him into combo, the match should be yours.
Charizard- The easiest of the three, he is quick to be captured by grabbing pikmin, and made for combos to happen. The only thing he has to stop oli for a second is his flame thrower, which can be easily dodge, and equally punished. Have fun with this match.
I rate Squirtle 7/10
I rate Ivysaur 5/10
I rate Charizard 2/10 for difficulity
Ike- The most standard match you'll probably see in your lifetime, I've play so many ike that I can tell you how easy and how hard ike's can be. Because there are so many people playing ike (and getting better with him) I'll let you know that his Usmash is probably the most difficult to get around considering the time you have to dodge it. It's not right as he doing it, it's right after when you dodge it, and because of the guessing of time to dodge the Usmash, it most likely that you'll get caught with it. My suggestion is using the Wistle armor against it, and punishing them for their actions. Keep in mind that a good ike player will conform to the lenths of your grabs considering the amount of reach that ike has. Beware of his airs, as they come out fast, and are effective.
I rate Ike 8/10 for difficulity
Snake- Another difficult match that you'll have to deal with. Snake's Dash cancel is very vicious and often suprises most people who never played against a good snake. The key here is to know what his items do, and to know how to dodge them. The best way to learn is to play with snake for a bit, and get a feel for his item. Also, you'll have to be perceptive of this match as snake will lay things and hope you forgot about them. As long as you keep an eye out for these thing, you should be able to avoid them. Secondly, you need to know that Snake's Ftilt is farther then it seems. Just think of link's sword when you think of Snake's Ftilt, and he can pull it out fast. the match will be mostly who can effectively get the last hit out, and hopefully you will be able to.
Also, with snake, I've realized that a distance game is necessary as most skilled snakes will come out with the Dashed cancelled Usmash, which you can use the fsmash to counter. Keep this in mind when playing against them.
I rate Sn(a)ke 9/10 for difficulity
Peach- Peach to me has lost most of her power since melee, as the attack arent really prevalent to oli's smashed, so you can get in with grabs and combo her easily. Her Dsmash isnt troublesome and you can retaliate with another grab to combo her. All in all, you should have no trouble with this match, even if they spam tournip.
I rate Peach 4/10
Yoshi- Yoshi can spam his eggs, and attack right out of it. He can go through olimar pretty easy, and most of this match, you'll have to find the right range for grabs in order to effectively get yoshi. Also, yoshi's second jump has invinicibility frames, and even if you proceed with an Fair, you'll hit him, but he'll go through it. Just make sure you range is correct with the grabs.
I rate yoshi 7/10
Gannondorf- Gannondorf can be suprising difficuly in the right hands, as all of his moves boast power, it's easy to be ahead in this match, and to find yourself to be behind. One thing that you must keep in mind with facing gannondorf is that his attack have high knockback, and he can combo his Uair if done correctly, and it can kill. Another thing is a gannondorf will try to combo with his Side B Dtilt into other thing if he can achieve it. And also, on his last life, he will try to side B the edge to temp you to come over. If you do and get caught in it, expect a sudden death in which gannondorf has the upperhand. What you do is get close enough where your Dsmash will be close enough to hit him, and Keep Dsmashing. It will hit him.
I rate Gannondorf 8/10
Ice Climbers- Ice climber lost most of their power in Melee, though they have a vicious chain grab. This match is all about taking advantage of your Fsmash, and Fair, to seperate the ICs and the best thing to do is to take care of the pink one first, as when you do, you'll be able to continue your combos, as with both, you cannot combo without getting smash from the other.
I rate Ice climbers 6/10
King Dedede- A big character that can be easily comboed. The thing to worry about is spammers, and one who keep to the edge. With the spammer, avoid the throw enemies, and try to advance as much as possible to catch Dedede with a grab. With the edgers, you'll have to wait for him, as he rules the edges. Also, remember that dedede can chaingrab if teched, so just layed there, and he wont be able to grab you.
I rate King Dedede 6/10
Wolf- I know all of us dread this match, and it's not only olimar that hates this match-up, but anyone who cant effectively get past wolf's lazer spam. It is annoying as hell, and someday, you'll be able to find yourself to think straight while getting spammed so you dont make many mistakes, but other time, you'll get beat cause you get angered by the wolf's lazer spam. I'll try to suggest ways of getting around it, but I havent come up with many ways, though I have beaten lazer spammers before.
The first think you must do in the case of lazer spamming, you must learn how to be patient. With this being said, you must also learn how to perfect shield, as if you dont, you shield will eventually break, giving wolf the free opening. The second thing is that throwing pikmin is useless, as not only the lazer block it, but it has it's own knockback that will knock the pikmin off of it. The key here is learning wolf's distance of Fsmash, the timing to blockgrabing Dsmash. Also note that his Dsmash will overpower yours everytime. The key to winning this match is to keep on wolf and prevent him from spamming Fsmash, Dsmash and Lazer, which is what 95% of the match will be.
All in all, you have to keep a clear head with this match, and try your best to get through it. If you dont, learn how to, as ever wolf player I've face does the same lazer, lazer, Fsmash, lazer, lazer...
I rate wolf 10/10 in difficulity and annoyance.
Lucario- Lucario is weird as his attacks arent quite direct, and you'll find yourself sharing the same distance of Fsmash with him. The key is being aware of these, and to proceed carefully with a grab, follow by combo to keep the damage up on him. Also, the reason you want to stick with grabs in this match is the fact that it wont lead to his counter, which can kill you. All in all, you should have control of this match.
I rate lucario 7/10
Ness- After playing simna, I know that ness can be very difficult to go up against. Ness has alot of attack that have priority over oli, and this PKT2 can confuse most into death at 30%. With ness, grabs are the key essencial of victory, and his Dair will connect with you if you try to Usmash at the wrong time. Just know what Ness can do, how to approach him, and you should be fine the rest of the match.
I rate ness 8/10
Sonic- Sonic is the lowest tiered character in my book even though there are no existing tiers in brawl currently. The thing about sonic is he has no real kill moves that can get olimar before he gets sonic. The thing is that makes sonic a bit of an headache is the fact that his speed can pass your grab attempts so, like fox, you have to know where he's going to be, if you can, it will always give the match to you.
I rate Sonic 1/10
Bowser- Bowser is faster then he was in melee, but though he has the speed increase, he lost alot of his power, in which can make it hard for a bowser to win the match. with his size, olimar can easily dish out combos on him, making it not much harder then that of charizard, but still bowser can pull out quick ones that will catch you off guard, so be careful.
I rate bowser 4/10
Wario- Wario is a difficult match for olimar, as his air game is very strong. This is the only time I would advise not to approach with Fair, as you'll get easily overpower by his air game. The thing is tha distance is the key to this match, and knowing where wario will help you guide your Fsmash correcly to him. This does not mean that your match will get easier, but you can have an advantage when approaching him. You can also grab w(a)rio off his bike, or Fair him out of it. All in all... keep to the ground.
I rate wario 9/10
Toon link- Toon link's air game is like marth's in speed, but oli can still combo him. The match wont be as bad as link's as most of TL power is lacking, but if you get caught in the second hit of his Fsmash, you will be on the verge of death. His grab range is shorter then your, and his items do less then what links could, but he still can overpower you with speed if you let him.
I rate toon link 8/10
Robot- He is one of the few that can come back up after getting spike, in which his B attack has infinite distance, and can repell pikmin. With that said, he's still prone to combos, and can easily be comboed. However, the key to defeating robot is that your attacks must be first. as his Dair has heavy knockback, it can go through your Usmash. Same to the extent of oli's Dair, which will be overpower by robot's Usmash. Other then this, this should be geared toward olimar.
I rate robot 7/10
Olimar- One of the matches that annoys me the most, as I get confused about which pikmin are mine, and whose attack came first. The deal with this match is that your going to see how effective your playing style is. You can get oli in the same combo that you would with other opponent, but he can deliver his as well, so you have to be extra careful. You know oli's recovery range, so edge game is very important in this match, and above all, you have to know yourself in order to beat other, so make sure you have everything down. If your opponent is a pikmin spammer, just combo them... they wont be able to handle it.
I rate Olimar 9/10 in difficulity.
Captain Falcon- CF is pretty much the same as he was in melee, except for the speed. The key is to not get caught in his combo, and to avoid the knee at all cost. Combos work well on his size, so just stick with grabs, and make sure your distance is good with it.
I rate Captain Falcon 6/10
Jigglypuff- I havent play many Jigglypuffs, but I know for certain that their game is within the air, so it probably would be the same kind of approach as it would be for wario, except for the fact that jiggs can fight off the stage as well as on, and with the floatyness of this game, she'll definately recover from it. This is bad news for olimar who cannot fight much off the stage, so keep on it at all cost. And remember that Jiggs major weakness is Upward kills, so Usmash are your friend.
I rate Jigglypuff 8/10
Lucas- lucas seems to lack the power ness had, and is pretty easy prey when it comes to oli players. Just aproach with grab, and combo lucas, and avoid that PK fire that lucas uses as it may have good knockback, but it's just as easily punishable as it is usable. Other then that, just avoid his air, as they come out quick, and proceed with Fsmashes and Usmashes.
I rate Lucas 6/10
F. Video Section
I post a bunch of videos online, so I'll show you the link to my site. Since this guilde has been created, I hope that I can make videos of example with what to do representing this guide.
www.youtube.com/zelazon
G. FAQ
Q: Who am I?
A: I'm known as zelazon, and through many matches and ranking boards, people have come to know me.
Q: Why did you decide to do an guide to olimar when there are other guide posted about him?
A: Well, for starters, I feel that most people have taken one aspect of olimar and stuck with it. It lead to predictability as well as common usage that other people advance upon.
Q: How long have you mained Olimar?
A: Before brawl was out in the US, as the first time I played brawl, Olimar just fit with my playing style, and so I stuck with him.
Q: Who did you main before?
A: Mario, though it was too late for me to become as good as the pros.
Q: Out of all of the character strageties posted, was there someone you posted that you didnt play?
A: No. With online, it gave the the opporitunity to play many different character as well as different skill. I barely play offline.
Q: What do you hope to achieve in this guide?
A: I hope to make people play olimar on a new level then what has been previously played before. I know that people rely on spamming pikmin, but I feel like olimar players everywhere need to play in a different direction then the spammy one.
Q: Do you hope that you can learn something in the future from people who follow this guide?
A: Yes I do. As I tell people ways to become better, I expect them to do the same for me, so we all can reach a new level of playing olimar.
Q: Do you think spot dodging is good to do in this game when playing as Olimar or any character in this game?
A: This is a good question. Spot dodging is really dependant on which character your facing, and which character your using. Typically, I like to do more air dodge then Spot dodges as the continuous movement doens't prevent your character from approach or running. The thing is with character like Metaknigh or pit, their attack are mostly continous. In this case, it is more effective to do air dodges to avoid the attacks. Now with Slow character like Ike, Dedede, or even bowser, spot dodges are necessary to avoiding their attacks and punishing them with a combo of your choice. If you want more specific detail about certain character, your or your opponent, I'll try to help you the best way I can.
Q: Can you post info that I have given?
A: As long as you give the credit that is my original work (such as the posted combos, or any of the character match-up guides) then by means go ahead. I want more people to be effective against these character, and if my guide produces those kinds of results, then I have no complaints.
anyway, this is my contribution to the smashboard, and I hope everyone that reads this can find themselves playing at a higher level then just the spammy olimar that people see daily.
If you have question, feel free to post them, and I will anwser them on the FAQ, or if you have other strageties or combos that I missed. I'll greatly appreciate it.
this is zelazon and I am out!
(april fools joke is gone, so the guide is back to normal)
This guide was intended for people to start using olimar at an advance level, rather then spam pikmin the whole game.
AGAIN, I MENTION THIS GUIDE IS SO PEOPLE STOP SPAMMING PIKMIN AND PLAY CORRECTLY WITH OLIMAR!!!
Okay, so where shall I begin... with the index
A. Basics
B. Combos
C. Strageties
D. Stages
E. Match-ups
F. Video Section
G. FAQ
A. Basic
The basic you should know with olimar is the range of his Fair and Bair, where to be while doing his Dair, and how to approach when doing Uair. Everyone of oli's move plays a key role in winning a match, and knowing exactly what it can do is vital to his survival as I will explain.
Basic A combo- This combo always comes in contact with your opponent if they come too close, but use sparingly, as the lag time behind it is noticable, and you will get punished if you overuse it. But use it if your opponent is too close as you'll get people who block, and are too close to grab. With this, you'll be able to push you opponent back so you can grab them.
Utilt- The uptilt has suprising amout of priority when it come to high priority attack, however, it doesnt work for all attacks (such as overpowering wolf's Usmash, and not his Dsmash). This attack is very situational, as being stationary is asking to be punished by the opponent, so learn how to use this attack at the right time.
Dtilt- The down tilt is quick to come out in comparison to the Dsmash, which has to go though the landing lag before you can use the Dsmash again. As you do a Dair, you can pull this out right after, to pop opponent up for some more combo damage if your fast enough. Like the Up tilt, this is purely situational when used by itself, but can lead into some combos.
Ftilt- This tilt has some range, and can come out pretty fast, though the Fsmash has farther range, along with the disjointed hitbox, make the Fsmash a better choice out of the two. However, it doesnt mean that the Ftilt is useless. The ftilt can be combo much like the textbook combo, however, its harder, and it only works on character that try to stay at a distance when you fail at the textbook combo, so knowing how the Ftilt combo will make you far effective when the textbook combo fails.
Fsmash- Your secondary mode of attack to the textbook combo. The Fsmash as everyone know is quick, effective, and can kill at fair percentages. Your Fsmash will be used to punish rollers, to keep distance to certain opponents, to land right on the edge so you hit opponents who stay there, to rack up damage on them. Also, you probably want to know that even when the pikmin falls, if the opponent is in the pikmin path, they will get hit by the smash.
Best pikmin(first to last): Red- basically your kill pikmin as it send them foward, and it very damaging. The pikmin you want when your going to kill.
Blue- Not as strong as the red, but can still kill at high percentages, and this pikm(i)n unlike the others can go through most obstacles with it's electricity.
yellow- Okay, get some pretty far distance, but unless your sm(a)sh is charged fully, you wont be getting a kill with this one.
Purple- Short ranged, still has to be at high percentages... not so good.
White- when it comes to smashes, try not to have this one in front, as the knockback, and the damage is horrible... you dont want this as a smash attack.
Dsmash- This is another kill move that olimar has that come out pretty fast, though there are characters that have faster Dsmashes, or outprioritize olimar, but i'll explain that in the match-up section. The Dsmash send two pikmin out to the side of you, in a very damaging effect. This move is effective to get opponent off of you, as well as killing the opponent, as you can Dsmash out of a roll. The thing is not to spam it, but to know the best times to use it in a match, more on some character then others. And now for the pikmin.
Best pikmin (in order): Purple- what? purple actually useful? yup, as this pikmin has the farthest knockback potential out of the whole group, and it doesn't suffer the shortage of distance that it would with other smash attack, so if you want to use your purple pikmin effectively, make sure to catch your opponent in a spot where he can be downsmashed with the purple pikmin.
Red- Still the killer that you want behind your purple when you want to get your opponent next to you for a Dsmash. Good knockback on this one, and can be comboed.
Blue- Still has the killing potential, but not as great as Red or Purple.
yellow- not so good, you wont kill if you hit with this most of the time.
White- once again.... useless
Usmash- Another one of your main attack, since olimar can attack right of our running, you will want to have this to punish opponent, and to combo them with certain attack and finish with the Usmash. Certainly one of olimar's best moves, and keep in mind that you can still attack an opponent whose laying on the ground without their invinicibility frames as it comes out quickly, and punishes them for their rest.
Best pikmin: red once again XD: yup, the knockback range of the red is potent and can kill at good percentages.
Purple: Despite its range, the purple Usmash is a guranteed kill if you manage to hit with it, but since the attack comes out so fast, at 90% it can kill. (been tested and guranteed)
Blue- good knockback, and can kill
yellow- not so much...
do I even need to mention white...
Fair- one of your basic attack, and fastest approaches to the opponent. Out of all the attacks I've done playing, this attack has come out right after a Fsmash, making the Fair your number one attack with olimar. Because it's an air, you can continuously attack in the air if the opporitunity avails itself, but sometimes you'll get characters that can DI out of the attack, sometimes leaving you open if overused.
Sometimes, it isnt the best idea to use a Fair as a primary attack as some opponents have faster attack, or longer range. It's up to you to realize what you opponent is coming with, and to approach properly.
Red- Good knockback, can combo at low percentage, and can kill at high percentages.
Blue- Not as good knockback as red, but it wont kill unless in very high percentages.
Purple- around the same knockback and kill zone as blue.
yellow- no kill with this one, but can be comboed at a higher rate.
white- ugh...
Dair- you main tool for spiking purposes. The key in spiking is to make sure to always be in a position where you'll be above them when attempting the spike. Here are what the most sucessful and fastest falling colors are.
Yellow/red/purple/blue- if successful, no return.
white- can spike, but isnt very good, and most likely that the opponent will return.
Bair- Same kind of approch as you Fair, but you want to save this as your killing move, as if you use a move too much, it loses its killing potential, and you'll be stuck without moves to kill. It pretty much has the advantages and disadvanges of color with Fair.
Uair- one of your combo moves, this attack has very good stickyness, and can come out fairly fast, and probably is oli's highest priority move since it's nearly the same as oli's neutral air, but with the disjointed hitbox. Here are color that work the best with this attack.
Yellow- has the most stickness out of the group of pikmin, and will go through any attacks. Can kill if high enough in the air.
Red- less sticker then yellow, but damage is noticable, and has a higher knockback rate between the yellow, but rarely is this attack used for a kill.
Purple- Same as red, though even less of a combo ability, but still can be used.
Blue- combo, damage, and knockback are fair, but nothing too good.
white- can combo, but really is low and damage is not good.
Nair- Olimar non-pikmin attack that has combo ability of its own. It good when you know how this attack fair in preportion when coming to an waiting opponent (as again, I will discuss in character match-ups). For this, i'll explain in the combo section how to use this effectively.
Side B- the move that people spam the most, and probably what is know by everyone who plays as olimar, or against olimar. Now, the deal with side b is that you must know how to use it effectively so you dont end up without pikmin, or being predictable to the opponent. Now the thing with side is that you can use it as a mind game, to off set their stragety in order to inflict one of your own.
Here's one thing I found out with opponent's is that when you throw a single pikmin at them while they're in the air, the opponent will try to dodge to avoid being damaged by the pikmin. In this sense, they are wide open to a grab in which you can advance and punish as they worry about the pikmin on them.
another thing is the white pikmin, while being the weakest, causes the most panic in opponent, as a sucessful latch with white pikmin will make the opponent do attack trying to get them off. All I do is wait for the opponent to get the pikmin off, rather then attack them, as when you try to attempt to attack them, your risking the chance of them doing an attack that will actually get the pikmin off. With this method, you want to use it once during the match as if you keep on using it, then your opponent will start realizing what to do, and you'll only waste time trying to keep throwing white pikmin at them. The max damage I've done to an opponent is about 40% using this method.
The last method I use with Side B is on their last life, I spam 3 pikmin at them trying to latch the pikmin on. When you use it on the last life, it's usually the point when the opponent is most frantic, trying to ensure their survivial. With three pikmin, you can not only distract them from being frantic, but create openings with the opponent that you can punish them with. Once again, I emphasize that like the other method, it something you do once, and try not to keep doing the entire match as if the opponent get's wind of what your doing, you will be punished.
The deal with Side b is that you dont want to continuously use it as some people are already ready for it, and continuously doing it will only find yourself with no pikmin.
Down B- Down b has two uses, to switch your order for your pikmin, which is important for your grabs, and for Wistle armor. Wistle armor in my oppinion is useful against certain opponents, and not so useful for other, as even though you can retaliate after an attack, some opponent can still emphasize their attacks which will negate the whole concept of the wistle armor, in which I will discuss later in the stragety section. The changing of order I will discuss also later with grabs.
Up B- the main method of recovery which is gimped when faced against a pro. It doesnt necessarily mean that you can do nothing while the opponent is edge guarding. Now if you find yourself against an opponent that has grabbed the edge right as your in range of Up B-ing him, you werent meant to survive, but if the opponent has lost his invinicibility frames, then when you are in the vicinity of Up-bing him, the Up-B will act like a legde spike at high enough percentages.
this does not mean that you always attempt an ledge spike when falling, as most of the time, your opponent will be struggling to attempt an ledge grab. If they arent on the legde when your in range of your Up-b, as long as you are a slight higher then the edge with the distance of six pikmin (assuming you have six pikmin when your off the edge) you will always grab the edge, and can come up with a quick hit if they're near the edge. You have to be quick about it as most people know that edge guarders are the worst thing to olimar player, so be vigilant, and make sure that you always get to your edge before your opponent does.
Up-b can also be used as a hit move, if used carefully, and to people that like to spam kirby's up-b, you can use this move to knock them out of their spam, and then effectively advance and punish that kirby player.
Neutral B- your main mode of getting pikmin. With this, you always want to grab all your pikmin as soon as you start the game, or if you die, you use the invincibility frames to grab your pikmin with safety. It's best to wistle right after to make sure your pikmin wont be attacked as if they are straggling, your opponent can attack and kill them. Also, if your too close to the edge, your pikmin can fall out of the stage, and because they're flipping, they cant come back. What you do is wistle a couple of time, and the pikmin that have fallen will automatically come back to you so you dont lose those pikmin... unless you dont want them, then you can let them fall, but it's not a good idea to be without six pikmin.
Fthrow - Basically this grab throws the opponent in front of him. With this grab, I would advise to to save it until the end of the match, as with blue pikmin, you'll find that you can kill around the 130-140 with it if you havent used it already. However, I do find that the Bthrow has much more of a killing potential, but I'll discuss it later. Just make sure that you know what side of the stage you are on, and know which one is better in term of killing as you dont want to waste a single blue when it comes to death of the other opponent. Just know that you want your blue in front when going for kills, and not to use other pikmin for this approach.
Dthrow - your basic combo tool, and what you should use when it comes to keeping opponents within range of attack. You'll use this attack to keep opponent in the textbook combo, and making sure they know why olimar can get the opponent out of the lower percentages, and get him within the kill range he needs.
Best used: white/yellow/blue/red- these four pikmin nearly produce the results needed to keep the opponent within the textbook combo.
purple- this is the last thing you want, as even at 0%, the purple pikmin will knock the opponent too far for you to continue your combo, allowing the opponent to excape from an awesome combo.
Bthrow- the pikmin throws the opponent behind. This should be your main tool of killing at high percentages, if you didnt use this up already. With blue pikmin, this move will definately kill if in the right percentages, usually around 120 percent. Just make sure that you get your opponent near the edge, and you'll gurantee one of their lifes. And remember, only blue pikm(i)n at high percentages.
Uthrow- I will admit, I rarely use this, as the only pikmin capable of killing at high percentages is purple, but you can do it much easier with the blue pikmin with a Fthrow or Bthrow, so if you do manage to get your opponent in a purple pikmin's grasp, Uthrow is your tool for a kill.
Throw hits- I would never ever recommend using olimar's throw hits as they dont come out fast, and they are weak, and there's definately better alternative with the throws then just hitting. Maybe once for the extra hit, but other then that, you wont find this of much use.
B. Combos
this is where you can find the most effective combo, while ensuring the basis of dealing damage to your opponent with some effort. With some character, certain combos will be harder to perform, but its usually the case with most combos, but know which ones work are necessary to ensure victory.
Textbook Ninja Combo- Grab-Dthrow-Shffled Fair (repeated, max of 3 times)
this is the standard combo that should come with every olimar player that plays him. this combo is effective in getting the opponent out of the low percentage range, and if preformed correctly, can be used to get the opponent to about 40-50%.
Now, there has been a video of someone using the combo to spike making it a zero to kill combo, but unfortunately, it cant be done to human players as the combo only allows for a max of three catches, and with it, you have to be nearby the edge, and have the extra jump to combo, as well as an opponent who wants to be spiked. Once the opponent is off the edge, he's free to get out of the combo. Maybe it can be done, and I havent just perfected it, but I'm pretty sure (considering that i do it to just about everyone of my opponents) that it cant be done to human players
there are some alternatives that I do believe that make the combo alot more effective.
Textbook Ninja Combo(Fsmash alternative)- At the end of the third shffled Fair, Fsmash.
with this, you can get your opponent to a max of 66%.
Textbook Ninja Combo(Usmash alternative)- At the end of the third Shffled Fair, Running Usmash.
it's nearly the same damage as the Fsmash alternative.
Simple combos (at 0%)
Dthrow - Ftilt - Dthrow about 27%
Dthrow - Ftilt - Dthrow - Shffled Fair abotu 42%
Dthrow - DashingA about 17%
Dthrow - DashingA - Running Usmash about 35%
Dthrow - DashingA - Running Usmash - Uair about 49%
Dthrow - Running Usmash about 24%
Dthrow - Running Usmash - Uair about 43%
Dthrow - Fsmash about 20%
Dthrow - Fsmash - Dthrow - Fsmash about 42%
Advanced Combos
Dthrow - Ftilt - Dthrow - Fair - Dashing A - Running Usmash - Uair about 75%
Dthrow - Fsmash - Dthrow - Fair - Dthrow - Running Usmash - Uair about 66%
Dthrow - Fair - Dthrow - Fair - Dtilt - Running Usmash about 57%
Dthrow - Dair - Dthrow - Running Usmash - Uair about 55%
I'll list more when I can remember them.
C. Strageties
So what strageties are there when there comes to olimar? here are a few.
Offensive olimar-
An oli player who consistently pressures the opponent with an approach of Fair, Fsmashes, and Grabs, giving the opponent no time to think or to react. This approach is excellent for spammers that like to stay back at a distance (except for wolf in which I will explain in the match-up section) The key here is to know how to approch when being offensive, and which combo will produce results. Just make sure that all of your attacks hit, and know when to shield, air dodge, and wistle armor correctly.
Defensive olimar-
An oli player who keeps out of his opponents reach, just coming in when there's apparent opening in the opponent's attack. This works well for stronger individual such as ike, and tatics such as the walking Fsmash can do wonder with the defensive stragety. Just know when it's appropiate to switch to defensive because oli can become open if you spam the Fsmash too much
Spamming olimar-
An oli player who just spams Side B all day hopefully gaining damage on the opponent, but this captain cant rely on his pikm(i)n alone, he has to work with them in order to produce results, so stay away from this stragety.
D. Stages
Oli players can certainly take certain advantages of stages that most other characters cant. As the running Usmash can be effecting in keeping the opponent off the ground, it's important to know which stages will yield the best results. I'm just going to put a general list of stages that has advantage to olimar, and stages that oli players should ban.
Stages that olimar should get ahold of whenever:
Battlefield
Yoshi's Island
Halberd
Lylat Cruise
Castle Siege
Smashville
Stages that olimar should never play at:
Final Destination (for spammers)
Shadow moses island
Bridge of eldein
Norfair
Frigate Orpheon
Port town aero drive
Hanenbow
E. Match-Ups
probably the longest section of them all, I'll be going over all the character, some to more detail then others.
Mario- Generally an all around character that many people know, but can be easily grabbed as his short ranged attacks arent very prominent when it come to oli players. Be warned though that Mario's Dsmash comes out fairly quickly, and can sometimes beat oli's smashes when it comes out, but generally you should have too much trouble when it come to mario players. The textbook combo is great against him.
I rate mario 5/10 for difficulity.
DK- His Side B neutral B combo has efficenticy against olimar if the player is skilled enough to catch you with it. His Uair comes out fast and can sometime suprise Oli players if they havent already did a Dair by the times(DK reaches them, but however, his size makes him an easy target for any of the combos, and generally can be caught by a Usmash at the end, and with Uair being effective against him, he can be taken out without much effort.
I rate DK 6/10 for difficulity.
Link- Link is probably one of the most difficult opponents you will have, as his grab can sometimes overpower yours, not to mention the range of l(i)nks attack, while having all of his projectiles to help him block you from getting to him. The key to beating a good link player is to catch all of the combo you can against him, and to make sure he cant use his item while he on the ground, and to avoid his items as much as possible, as he can kill olimar fairly easy.
I rate Link 9/10 for difficulity.
Samus- Olimar's pikmin is the key to winning this match, as her projectile can be blocked by thrown pikmin, as you approach with a grab. Make use of all the combo's you have, and predict the opponent's charged blast when throwing pikmin, and you'll have the match in no time.
I rate Samus 5/10 for difficulity
Zamus- Zamus starts off with items, which can run you up to 30% at the start of a match. With that said, Zamus is a very difficult match as most of her moves causes stun on impact. With this, you have to be extremely careful of her Side B, and make sure that you distance is not in the boundaries of that side B, as well as coming in with grabs cautiously.
I rate Zamus 9/10 for difficulity
Kirby- Kirby is another match that olimar players will have difficulity on. It's not because of the fact that kirby is hard, it's the fact that it hard to continuously combo into him. Kirby's Up B now is incredibly fast in coming out, and if on a stage like final destination, it will be difficult to approach kirby. What you have to do when facing a Spamming kirby is blockgrab as soon as the sword streak passes, and then get kirby into a combo as much as you can. Once you get kirby high enough, approach with a blue pikmin, and you should have the match in no time.
I rate Kirby 8/10 for difficulity.
Fox- Fox, though he lost most of his speed in melee, is still fast enough to past through most of your attempts to grab, and punish you with his Usmash, or even the Dair Usmash combo that fox players can easily pull off. Though fox is fast, he can still be comboed, and the match is entirely on how effectively you can predict the attack of fox, cause once you get wind of what he does, you should be fairly capable of catching his attacks and punishing him for it.
I rate Fox 7/10 for difficulity.
Pikachu- Pikachu is not that hard compared to most matches. People complain about the broken downsmash, but with olimar player, you should never be in a position to be caught with the Dsmash of pikachu. Stick with the combos on this one, and this match should be in your favor.
I rate Pikachu 5/10 for difficulity.
Marth- marth is probably one of your most difficult matches, as his approch completely overpowers your, and with his apprach of the Fair, it makes it difficult to approch with grabs since his attack jumps over the pikmin. The deal with this match is distance, and as long as you can keep him out of range, you can quickly find yourself winning the match. Just remember that your combos can quickly be stopped by his speed of the Fair, a fair warning.
I rate Marth 9.5/10 for difficulity.
G&W- Another super difficult match, as his Dsmash is faster then your, his Fair is longer then your, his Bair has higher priority then most of your attacks, and his Dair can bypass your Dsmash. With that said, the only effective way to approach G&W is by grabs and combos, and Fsmashes. Even with those, it still wont be an easy match for you, and you'll have to put in extra effort to win the match.
I rate G&W 10/10 for difficulity.
Luigi- Luigi's difficulity is different then most character, as his Down B can go through most of your pikmin, and you. With this, your approch much be different as he wont come as fast as other character, but once you get wind of his attack, you'll be in much better shape then before.
I rate luigi 7/10 for difficulity.
Diddy- Diddy matches can be pretty annoying as you'll have to go through annoying banana's to get to diddy, as well as fear the banana's that can spike olimar while he's hanging off the edge on his pikmin. With this match, you need to use the banana's against diddy and make sure that your not running into his banana's as he can immedialy Fsmash you as you slip.
I rate Diddy 8/10 for difficulity.
Zelda- Zelda is annoying as her Side B can be spammed very fast to block you from getting to her. In this case, dodging is the essential key in order to get close to a zelda player in term of approach, and using combos to kill. All in all.... just avoid her Bair and Fair... they can kill pretty fast.
I rate Zelda 7/10 for difficulity.
Shiek- Shiek in my oppinion is easier then zelda as she has only her needles to prevent olimar from approach, but with that, it still doesn't provide enough to get to her and punish her for those needles. Just watch out for her Ftilt... which can keep olimar within it's boundaries.
I rate Shiek 5/10 for difficulity.
Pit- Pit is not that hard when compared to other player, His most damaging moves (Fair and Bair) are too hard to catch olimar within it, before the olimar player can retaliate with grabs and smashes. Combos should keep the match in oli's favor, and always back off from Pit's side B, cause if you try to go forward in it, you'll stay in it, so just DI away from pit.
I rate pit 4/10 for difficulity.
Metaknight- Recently, I've played someone who showed me why metaknight is very effective against olimar. His moves are made for combos, and his sword is the weed wacker of pikmin. With that being said, you'll find yourself having to play a distance game, and you'll have to make sure that you never get off the edge with Meta, as his edge guaring game is probably the best. Also note that his Up B come out fast, and while gliding, his sword had high priority and quickness... when playing a good metaknight player, be prepared with combos, and your best olimar game.
I rate Metaknight 10/10 for Difficulity.
Falco- Falco's shine is very difficult to get around, however, since falco is a slow character, it's not that hard to approch a good falco player. Just keep in mind that falco can chain grab olimar, in this case, always tap the jump button for there might be chance of the footstool jump occuring.
I rate Falco 8/10 for difficulity
Pokemon Trainer
Squirtle- Squirtle is quick, has fast airs, and have very powerful moves. The thing is that he still can be caught with combos. Just keep in mind that he rules the edge, and can spike with very little effort, so make sure your on you game when playing against him, and you should come out on top.
Ivysaur- With his razor leaf, it can go through your pikmin, however, he's slow compared to squirtle, and most of his moves can be bypassed. When you aproach, make sure to go over his vines, and be careful of his bulletseed as that can rack up damge fast, but once you get him into combo, the match should be yours.
Charizard- The easiest of the three, he is quick to be captured by grabbing pikmin, and made for combos to happen. The only thing he has to stop oli for a second is his flame thrower, which can be easily dodge, and equally punished. Have fun with this match.
I rate Squirtle 7/10
I rate Ivysaur 5/10
I rate Charizard 2/10 for difficulity
Ike- The most standard match you'll probably see in your lifetime, I've play so many ike that I can tell you how easy and how hard ike's can be. Because there are so many people playing ike (and getting better with him) I'll let you know that his Usmash is probably the most difficult to get around considering the time you have to dodge it. It's not right as he doing it, it's right after when you dodge it, and because of the guessing of time to dodge the Usmash, it most likely that you'll get caught with it. My suggestion is using the Wistle armor against it, and punishing them for their actions. Keep in mind that a good ike player will conform to the lenths of your grabs considering the amount of reach that ike has. Beware of his airs, as they come out fast, and are effective.
I rate Ike 8/10 for difficulity
Snake- Another difficult match that you'll have to deal with. Snake's Dash cancel is very vicious and often suprises most people who never played against a good snake. The key here is to know what his items do, and to know how to dodge them. The best way to learn is to play with snake for a bit, and get a feel for his item. Also, you'll have to be perceptive of this match as snake will lay things and hope you forgot about them. As long as you keep an eye out for these thing, you should be able to avoid them. Secondly, you need to know that Snake's Ftilt is farther then it seems. Just think of link's sword when you think of Snake's Ftilt, and he can pull it out fast. the match will be mostly who can effectively get the last hit out, and hopefully you will be able to.
Also, with snake, I've realized that a distance game is necessary as most skilled snakes will come out with the Dashed cancelled Usmash, which you can use the fsmash to counter. Keep this in mind when playing against them.
I rate Sn(a)ke 9/10 for difficulity
Peach- Peach to me has lost most of her power since melee, as the attack arent really prevalent to oli's smashed, so you can get in with grabs and combo her easily. Her Dsmash isnt troublesome and you can retaliate with another grab to combo her. All in all, you should have no trouble with this match, even if they spam tournip.
I rate Peach 4/10
Yoshi- Yoshi can spam his eggs, and attack right out of it. He can go through olimar pretty easy, and most of this match, you'll have to find the right range for grabs in order to effectively get yoshi. Also, yoshi's second jump has invinicibility frames, and even if you proceed with an Fair, you'll hit him, but he'll go through it. Just make sure you range is correct with the grabs.
I rate yoshi 7/10
Gannondorf- Gannondorf can be suprising difficuly in the right hands, as all of his moves boast power, it's easy to be ahead in this match, and to find yourself to be behind. One thing that you must keep in mind with facing gannondorf is that his attack have high knockback, and he can combo his Uair if done correctly, and it can kill. Another thing is a gannondorf will try to combo with his Side B Dtilt into other thing if he can achieve it. And also, on his last life, he will try to side B the edge to temp you to come over. If you do and get caught in it, expect a sudden death in which gannondorf has the upperhand. What you do is get close enough where your Dsmash will be close enough to hit him, and Keep Dsmashing. It will hit him.
I rate Gannondorf 8/10
Ice Climbers- Ice climber lost most of their power in Melee, though they have a vicious chain grab. This match is all about taking advantage of your Fsmash, and Fair, to seperate the ICs and the best thing to do is to take care of the pink one first, as when you do, you'll be able to continue your combos, as with both, you cannot combo without getting smash from the other.
I rate Ice climbers 6/10
King Dedede- A big character that can be easily comboed. The thing to worry about is spammers, and one who keep to the edge. With the spammer, avoid the throw enemies, and try to advance as much as possible to catch Dedede with a grab. With the edgers, you'll have to wait for him, as he rules the edges. Also, remember that dedede can chaingrab if teched, so just layed there, and he wont be able to grab you.
I rate King Dedede 6/10
Wolf- I know all of us dread this match, and it's not only olimar that hates this match-up, but anyone who cant effectively get past wolf's lazer spam. It is annoying as hell, and someday, you'll be able to find yourself to think straight while getting spammed so you dont make many mistakes, but other time, you'll get beat cause you get angered by the wolf's lazer spam. I'll try to suggest ways of getting around it, but I havent come up with many ways, though I have beaten lazer spammers before.
The first think you must do in the case of lazer spamming, you must learn how to be patient. With this being said, you must also learn how to perfect shield, as if you dont, you shield will eventually break, giving wolf the free opening. The second thing is that throwing pikmin is useless, as not only the lazer block it, but it has it's own knockback that will knock the pikmin off of it. The key here is learning wolf's distance of Fsmash, the timing to blockgrabing Dsmash. Also note that his Dsmash will overpower yours everytime. The key to winning this match is to keep on wolf and prevent him from spamming Fsmash, Dsmash and Lazer, which is what 95% of the match will be.
All in all, you have to keep a clear head with this match, and try your best to get through it. If you dont, learn how to, as ever wolf player I've face does the same lazer, lazer, Fsmash, lazer, lazer...
I rate wolf 10/10 in difficulity and annoyance.
Lucario- Lucario is weird as his attacks arent quite direct, and you'll find yourself sharing the same distance of Fsmash with him. The key is being aware of these, and to proceed carefully with a grab, follow by combo to keep the damage up on him. Also, the reason you want to stick with grabs in this match is the fact that it wont lead to his counter, which can kill you. All in all, you should have control of this match.
I rate lucario 7/10
Ness- After playing simna, I know that ness can be very difficult to go up against. Ness has alot of attack that have priority over oli, and this PKT2 can confuse most into death at 30%. With ness, grabs are the key essencial of victory, and his Dair will connect with you if you try to Usmash at the wrong time. Just know what Ness can do, how to approach him, and you should be fine the rest of the match.
I rate ness 8/10
Sonic- Sonic is the lowest tiered character in my book even though there are no existing tiers in brawl currently. The thing about sonic is he has no real kill moves that can get olimar before he gets sonic. The thing is that makes sonic a bit of an headache is the fact that his speed can pass your grab attempts so, like fox, you have to know where he's going to be, if you can, it will always give the match to you.
I rate Sonic 1/10
Bowser- Bowser is faster then he was in melee, but though he has the speed increase, he lost alot of his power, in which can make it hard for a bowser to win the match. with his size, olimar can easily dish out combos on him, making it not much harder then that of charizard, but still bowser can pull out quick ones that will catch you off guard, so be careful.
I rate bowser 4/10
Wario- Wario is a difficult match for olimar, as his air game is very strong. This is the only time I would advise not to approach with Fair, as you'll get easily overpower by his air game. The thing is tha distance is the key to this match, and knowing where wario will help you guide your Fsmash correcly to him. This does not mean that your match will get easier, but you can have an advantage when approaching him. You can also grab w(a)rio off his bike, or Fair him out of it. All in all... keep to the ground.
I rate wario 9/10
Toon link- Toon link's air game is like marth's in speed, but oli can still combo him. The match wont be as bad as link's as most of TL power is lacking, but if you get caught in the second hit of his Fsmash, you will be on the verge of death. His grab range is shorter then your, and his items do less then what links could, but he still can overpower you with speed if you let him.
I rate toon link 8/10
Robot- He is one of the few that can come back up after getting spike, in which his B attack has infinite distance, and can repell pikmin. With that said, he's still prone to combos, and can easily be comboed. However, the key to defeating robot is that your attacks must be first. as his Dair has heavy knockback, it can go through your Usmash. Same to the extent of oli's Dair, which will be overpower by robot's Usmash. Other then this, this should be geared toward olimar.
I rate robot 7/10
Olimar- One of the matches that annoys me the most, as I get confused about which pikmin are mine, and whose attack came first. The deal with this match is that your going to see how effective your playing style is. You can get oli in the same combo that you would with other opponent, but he can deliver his as well, so you have to be extra careful. You know oli's recovery range, so edge game is very important in this match, and above all, you have to know yourself in order to beat other, so make sure you have everything down. If your opponent is a pikmin spammer, just combo them... they wont be able to handle it.
I rate Olimar 9/10 in difficulity.
Captain Falcon- CF is pretty much the same as he was in melee, except for the speed. The key is to not get caught in his combo, and to avoid the knee at all cost. Combos work well on his size, so just stick with grabs, and make sure your distance is good with it.
I rate Captain Falcon 6/10
Jigglypuff- I havent play many Jigglypuffs, but I know for certain that their game is within the air, so it probably would be the same kind of approach as it would be for wario, except for the fact that jiggs can fight off the stage as well as on, and with the floatyness of this game, she'll definately recover from it. This is bad news for olimar who cannot fight much off the stage, so keep on it at all cost. And remember that Jiggs major weakness is Upward kills, so Usmash are your friend.
I rate Jigglypuff 8/10
Lucas- lucas seems to lack the power ness had, and is pretty easy prey when it comes to oli players. Just aproach with grab, and combo lucas, and avoid that PK fire that lucas uses as it may have good knockback, but it's just as easily punishable as it is usable. Other then that, just avoid his air, as they come out quick, and proceed with Fsmashes and Usmashes.
I rate Lucas 6/10
F. Video Section
I post a bunch of videos online, so I'll show you the link to my site. Since this guilde has been created, I hope that I can make videos of example with what to do representing this guide.
www.youtube.com/zelazon
G. FAQ
Q: Who am I?
A: I'm known as zelazon, and through many matches and ranking boards, people have come to know me.
Q: Why did you decide to do an guide to olimar when there are other guide posted about him?
A: Well, for starters, I feel that most people have taken one aspect of olimar and stuck with it. It lead to predictability as well as common usage that other people advance upon.
Q: How long have you mained Olimar?
A: Before brawl was out in the US, as the first time I played brawl, Olimar just fit with my playing style, and so I stuck with him.
Q: Who did you main before?
A: Mario, though it was too late for me to become as good as the pros.
Q: Out of all of the character strageties posted, was there someone you posted that you didnt play?
A: No. With online, it gave the the opporitunity to play many different character as well as different skill. I barely play offline.
Q: What do you hope to achieve in this guide?
A: I hope to make people play olimar on a new level then what has been previously played before. I know that people rely on spamming pikmin, but I feel like olimar players everywhere need to play in a different direction then the spammy one.
Q: Do you hope that you can learn something in the future from people who follow this guide?
A: Yes I do. As I tell people ways to become better, I expect them to do the same for me, so we all can reach a new level of playing olimar.
Q: Do you think spot dodging is good to do in this game when playing as Olimar or any character in this game?
A: This is a good question. Spot dodging is really dependant on which character your facing, and which character your using. Typically, I like to do more air dodge then Spot dodges as the continuous movement doens't prevent your character from approach or running. The thing is with character like Metaknigh or pit, their attack are mostly continous. In this case, it is more effective to do air dodges to avoid the attacks. Now with Slow character like Ike, Dedede, or even bowser, spot dodges are necessary to avoiding their attacks and punishing them with a combo of your choice. If you want more specific detail about certain character, your or your opponent, I'll try to help you the best way I can.
Q: Can you post info that I have given?
A: As long as you give the credit that is my original work (such as the posted combos, or any of the character match-up guides) then by means go ahead. I want more people to be effective against these character, and if my guide produces those kinds of results, then I have no complaints.
anyway, this is my contribution to the smashboard, and I hope everyone that reads this can find themselves playing at a higher level then just the spammy olimar that people see daily.
If you have question, feel free to post them, and I will anwser them on the FAQ, or if you have other strageties or combos that I missed. I'll greatly appreciate it.
this is zelazon and I am out!
(april fools joke is gone, so the guide is back to normal)
Once I realized that "Kitty" is actually W01F... then it all started making sense. 
