-Super Smash Bros. Pikachu Character Guide
-V1.00 (03/07)
-By KIRBIX
DISCLAIMER:
This is property of KIRBIX (Sean D'Hoostelaere). This may be not be
reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not
be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance
written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any
public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
In plain English, this means that it is against the law for you to copy this
guide. If you want to print it out, that's fine, but I do not permit its use
anywhere on the web or for it to be used for anything profitable.
TO USE THE TABLE OF CONTENTS:
You can ctrl+F your way to whatever you want. If you want the character
strategy for Luigi, just type "VIa" into the search bar. Vouila!
_________________
/ \
|*****************|
|Table of Contents|
|*****************|
\_________________/
I. Version History
II. What this guide is for
III. Movelist
IV. Move synopses
a. A-Button attacks
b. B-Button attacks
c. Evasion maneuvers and the throws
V. Strategies
a. General
b. Specific combos
c. "Tricks"
VI. Character Strategies
a. Luigi
b. Mario
c. Donkey Kong
d. Link
e. Samus
f. Captain Falcon
g. Ness
h. Yoshi
j. Kirby
k. Fox
l. Pikachu
m. JigglyPuff
VII. Stage Strategies
a. Peach Castle
b. Yoshi's Island
c. DK Jungle
d. Hyrule Castle
e. Saffron City
f. Dream Land
g. Sector Z
h. Planet Zebes
j. Mushroom Kingdom
VIII.Contact Me
IX. Credits, Further Resources
I. VERSION HISTORY
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
1.0 (03/07)- First version
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
II. WHAT THIS GUIDE IS FOR
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Pikachu is rather unsung. Since SSB:M came out, he's been overshadowed by many
other characters. He's "Too light" and can't hold his own.
Now, that may have been true in the sequel (and it probably was), but here in
the original he is a force to be reckoned with. Incredibly quick with a slew
of moves to incapacitate, he's far too underrepresented for my taste.
First we're going to talk about the moves that Pikachu has at his disposal and
then discuss how useful each move is. From there we move on to strategies,
both in general and against other players. I hope you find it useful!
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
III. MOVELIST
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
First, we need a legend to explain all of this jargon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|LEGEND |
|~~~~~~~~ |
|F- Forward. Either press left or right and you'll wind up being forward. |
|U- Up. Do I need to keep explaining it? |
|D- Down. |
|A- Press the A button (Whoa) |
|B- B-button |
|Z- Z-button |
|R- R-button |
|C- Any of the four C buttons. |
|*SMASH*- Instead of pressing the joystick in a direction, just tap it in |
| that direction, instead. |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNIVERSAL MOVES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To walk, press F. To run, tap and then hold F. To jump, press C.
Pressing R will cause you to grab your opponent if they're close to you. Press
either forward or backward w/ A to throw them forwards or backwards. Pressing
Z will put up your shield, and holding Z while tapping the joystick L or R will
execute the dodge roll.
SPECIFIC MOVES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(I apologize for the names of the moves utilizing his tail- I didn't have
a lot of ideas.)
A- Headbutt
F+A- Kick
F+A while running- Head Slam
U+A- Tail Swish
D+A- Tail Smack
*SMASH* F+A- Electric Charge
*SMASH* D+A- Leg Sweep
*SMASH* U+A- Tail Swipe
C, A (while in the air)- Airborne kick
C, F+A- Thunder Spin
C, F+D- Thunder Drill
C, F+U- Tail Sweep
B- Thunder Jolt
D+B- Thunder
U+B- Quick Attack
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
IV. MOVE SYNOPSES
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
This is the more detailed section. Move-by-move, discussing the merits of each
of the moves in Pikachu's arsenal. Each move will also have various aspects
analyzed to give you a better idea of what to expect from it. These areas
are:
Damage Delay
Knockback Recovery
Stun Range
(I intend to include priority at a later date!)
On a scale of 1-10, 1 being horrid and 10 being outstanding. For delay and
recovery, it's the inverse. Damage is the exception- I'll just list the %s of
damage possible.
Something to note about the damage of attacks- when an opponent is lying down,
they take half damage, so when your attack suddenly does 5% damage, that's
probably why.
IVa. A-BUTTON ATTACKS
***********************
A attacks are the more "physical" side of Pikachu's arsenal, and they're the
primary damage inflictors while you're playing. Learn 'em, love 'em.
Headbutt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 2% Delay- 1 ~
~ Knockback- 1 Recovery- 1 ~
~ Stun- 2 Range- 2 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Run your head into the opponent for a miniscule amount of damage. Press it
several times to get a chain of 1% hits going, if you want. You'll never really
find a use for this move, though. Any opponent of skill is not going to take
much damage from it, and it doesn't send them flying, so there's little use
for it.
Kick
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 10% Delay- 2 ~
~ Knockback- 5 Recovery- 4 ~
~ Stun- 5 Range- 3 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not much better than the headbutt, Pikachu gets up on his hands and kicks the
opponent in the gut. It's a bit stronger and it does send the opponent moving
farther away, but really, when you can use the up and down attacks, it's not
all that useful.
Save it for when you really want to get in a quick attack, because it's
certainly better than a straight A move. That said, there are better moves...
Head Slam
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 9% Delay- 1 ~
~ Knockback- 3 Recovery- 6 ~
~ Stun- 3 Range- N/A ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This move doesn't serve a whole lot of purpose beyond giving your sprint towards
the opponent a better sense of purpose. If your opponent is foolish enough
to get smacked by it, more power to you! However, it's not worth the recovery
time, more often than not.
That being said, if you've got them flying forward in front of you, make use of
it. Pikachu is FAST, and you can usually get to them while they're on the ground
and before they can recover.
Tail Swish
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 5-11% Delay- 3 ~
~ Knockback- 3 Recovery- 3 ~
~ Stun- 8 Range- 6 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>_> I'm not gonna lie- these move names suck. There's no official names, though,
so I did what I could.
Anyway, this move is a quick one to hit the guy when he's above you. At first
glance, this move really sucks; I mean, with the up smash doing so much more
damage and knocking them so much farther, you have to wonder: why bother?
Appearences can be decieving- this is one of the most useful attacks in
Pikachu's collection. It is THE juggling attack. This thing has a fantastic
range in that it hits people above, in front of AND behind Pikachu, bringing
them closer and, eventually, up into the air for a juggling combo. At first
they don't fly far, which means you can hit them over, and over, and over...
it's a combo that's hard for them to break out of.
It's quick, does enough damage to serve it's purpose, and it does a great job
of knocking the opponent around without sending them flying away. It's a
perfect setup move, although it really can't kill on its own.
Tail Smack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 12% Delay- 3 ~
~ Knockback- 6 Recovery- 4 ~
~ Stun- 5 Range- 9 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is another move that can be incredibly useful. Pikachu quickly swings
the tail forward to smack the guy.
Essentially it's an attack to hit the opponent in front of you. While the
regular A attack knocks farther than this move can, this one's got a wicked
range, longer than the leg sweep. This move serves one simple purpose- add
some extra damage. It's all about the speed- it's a quick attack that you can
squeeze into a lot of empty time spaces. If you've got a ground game, use it
often.
Electric Charge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 18% Delay- 9 ~
~ Knockback- 8 Recovery- 8 ~
~ Stun- 7 Range- 10 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once my best friend, it has really taken a backseat for me. There's no denying
that this is the strongest move in Pikachu's arsenal. It vies with thunder
for the most powerful move he's got, and both of them have their own advantages.
He spits out a LONG bolt of lightning that hits the opponent for good damage,
sends them flying AND stuns them with electricity. It's got great priority, and
it also LASTS; the bolt stays out and can hit for almost a second after it's
been intially fired.
Unfortunately, coming with this brutality is a horrible delay. The move takes
almost a full second to activate and another second to end. If you don't hit
them, you're going to get smacked. Use this one sparingly- if you're sure
you will hit them, go ahead. It's a decent edgeguard, but I don't recommend
using it against people without some good practice.
Leg Sweep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 10-16% Delay- 5 ~
~ Knockback- 10 Recovery- 4 ~
~ Stun- 6 Range- 7 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I really don't see this move used all that often, and I'm not sure why- it's
a great move to mix in with everything else. Where the tail swipe manages to
knock 'em high, this one sends them flying forward. While not quite as powerful
as the electric charge, this move has several things going for it: It's a MUCH
faster move, it tends to send the opponent flying farther, and it swings forward
and then also swings backward preventing people from coming from behind
(although that doesn't help when they come from above).
Electric Charge does more damage, shocks the opponent and has a longer range,
but the delay makes it difficult to use. This faster option is far more
practical. This is a fantastic finishing move, so if you manage to get them
on the ground, use it.
Ultimately, this is the amateur move of the two. When you're good enough, use
the electric charge; up until then, this is a good move to hang on with.
Tail Swipe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 7-17% Delay- 4 ~
~ Knockback- 9 Recovery- 6 ~
~ Stun- 8 Range- 7 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where the tail swish is your amazing set-up move, here's your finisher. When
used correctly, does good damage and sends the opponent flying. Now, at
the low percentages it's obviously not GREAT, but then again, throws aren't
amazing at that point, either. Take them up a bit and you'll be sending them
off-screen with ease. The tail starts in front of you and works backwards;
if you can get them with the initial 90 degrees on the swipe, it does the
maximum damage and sends them the farthest- if you miss it, it'll work like
a tail swish but with a longer delay.
Use this one to finish them off. Used with Thunder, it's a deadly combo.
Airborne kick
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage-16% Delay- 2 ~
~ Knockback- 6 Recovery- 4 ~
~ Stun- 5 Range- 5 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pikachu has KILLER airborne moves, and this is the KILLER move of those killer
moves. With the best distance of the four, this will be your choice for
finishing them off. You can kick forwards or backwards with this one, but it's
generally not used for air combos. If you've got them at a good %, use it to
kill them outright.
Thunder Spin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 3% per Delay- 3 ~
~ Knockback- 1 Recovery- 4 ~
~ Stun- 5 Range- N/A ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is one of those moves that can easily fit in anyone's strategy. Pikachu
covers himself in thunder and throws himself into the enemy for several hits
of low % damage. If done right, it's an easy 21%, and the enemy can't recover
quite well.
Because they're stunned, this is a great setup move, too. You can finish it
and immediately move into another move. Between the hefty damage with little
fear of retaliation and the great setup stuff, learn to love this thing- it's
great.
Thunder Drill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 11% Delay- 3 ~
~ Knockback- 5 Recovery- 7 ~
~ Stun- 6 Range- 2 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This move is useful in taking care of people below you in that it completely
stuns them, but it doesn't have a good priority (People seem to smack right
through it) and it also cannot spike at all. In the scheme of moves that are
often quite good, this one's a dissapointment. You can use it to set up a combo
like you did with thunder spin, but it's really just not that great.
Beware of the recovery of this move. If you don't Z-cancel (explained later),
you'll hit the ground and face the horrid recovery time that can totally negate
the stun and knockback factor the move offered to you.
I use it often enough, though- if you jump over them you can get them unawares
and it does send them flying a decent distance. Just don't expect any
grandeur.
Tail Sweep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 8-10% Delay- 2 ~
~ Knockback- 5 Recovery- 4 ~
~ Stun- 6 Range- 8 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I totally misunderstood and underestimated this lowly little thing, but it makes
it possible to kill the amateurs with only 40% health every time.
Once your opponent is in the air, say goodbye! This attack has tri-directional
damage, hitting front, back AND above. If they get hit by this attack, they
take some damage and they going flying a decent amount to one direction. Here
comes the air juggle. When used correctly, you can knock them off the edge and
then knock them so far over that they can't get back, all while staying in
range to Quick Attack back. World Champion Isai is a master of this; from what
I've seen, he's quite fond of it.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
IVb. B-BUTTON ATTACKS
***********************
These moves focus more on the electrical side of Pikachu's arsenal: they're
both projectiles and they're both incredibly useful- keep them at your side.
Thunder Jolt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 6-9% Delay- 4 ~
~ Knockback- 1 Recovery- 5 ~
~ Stun- 4 Range- 10 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pikachu spits out a bolt of lightning that crawls along any surface it touches
in small arcs before eventually disappearing. It's similar to mario's fireball
except that it electrocutes and so therefore causes a bit more stun time than
the fireballs do. It also won't bounce back if there's a wall.If you set it off
in the air, Pikachu releases a little ball rather than a long bolt. It will
transform into said bolt once coming into contact with a surface.
This one's a bucket-o-fun. It doesn't do a lot of damage, but it does a
phenomenal job of interrupting your opponent, not to mention that if they're
choosing to stay away from you, you can annoy the living hell out of them, too.
It's got an even better feature, though: When your opponent is coming back
to the ledge, time it JUST right, and you can hit them with a thunder jolt,
causing them to stun and (usually) to fall to their death.
Endless merriment comes from this one- learn to love it.
Interesting to note, the move does less damage if you spam it. The first time
you hit the opponent, you'll do 7%, and all subsequent attacks will do only do
6%. It also does more damage up close; if you fire while right against them,
it'll do 9% with the initial and 8% with the subsequents.
Thunder
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 10-16% Delay- 9 ~
~ Knockback- 8 Recovery- 10 ~
~ Stun- 7 Range- 10 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This move is incredibly versatile and can be put to many uses. Pikachu
calls forth a bolt of lightning which immediately comes down and strikes
Pikachu (or any surface above him, if there is one.) If there's an opponent
between you and the bolt, it will still strike you, it'll just go through
them.
There are two damages that come from this attack. The first is the actual
bolt. It does decent damage and it sends the opponent flying upwards, stunned
and ready to get hit again. The other is if they're unlucky enough to be next
to you when you get struck by the bolt. The resulting damage from the shock
is far greater than the bolt and sends them flying outwards rather than up.
If you're good, you can get an opponent who's above you in the air with this
attack. They get hit by the bolt and then ALSO get hit by your electric aura.
Does great damage and they go hurdling away; an easy kill at fairly low
percentages.
(10% damage for the bolt, 12-16% for the thunder aura; if you hit him with
both, 21% damage)
My primary use for it is as a juggler: when you use it, they fly into the air,
ready for another attack. It's a great combo finisher, because if your opponent
is very VERY high up, you can cast a thunder and knock them off the screen
for a star finish. A very popular combo.
It's also very useful in stages with different floors. They're on the floor
above you? Drop a thunder on them. I particularly like it in the Mushroom
Kingdom stage, because they're on a higher level AND they can't drop down to
avoid it.
However, all of this fun comes with a humongous delay time, and if you are
unfortunate enough to miss, you waste a LOT of time and you can really screw
yourself over. Don't use it unless you're sure your hit will connect, because
you do NOT want to deal with the fact that you've just left yourself wide open
for whatever they want to use. The recovery time also happens regardless of
whether the bolt hits you or not; you kind of just stand there immobile until
the move ends. Note that the aura surroudning Pikachu, while being initially
damaging, will not damage them if they come running in during that recovery
time while the aura is still there but PAST the time the bolt struck you.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
IVc. EVASION MANUEVERS AND THE THROWS
***************************************
Well, they're just what they sound like. This is the list of how Pikachu gets
himself out of things and the throws he can utilize. Evasives don't have those
boxes with stats- they don't do damage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quick Attack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While it's technically a B button move, it really belongs here.
This move is the best Up+B evasion attacks out there. Kirby's Final Cutter
is definitely a force to be reckoned with, as is Ness's PK thunder when used
correctly, but neither of them can come close to getting you what this move
can.
Quick Attack is purely evasive- it cannot do any damage. However, that evasion
is monstrous. Pikachu charges for about a third of a second and then FLIES
in whatever direction you choose. Similar to firefox, the direction he flies
is determined by immediately pressing the control stick in the direction you
want it to go. However, the time between pressing the buttons and activation
is nowhere near as long as firefox, so be quick about it. The jump is LONG;
easily rivaling any of the other up+b moves.
However, we're not done yet; you can do it TWICE. If you press the control stick
in a second direction during the first leap, you can move a second direction
as well. This means that if you're over the abyss, you send one leap flying
upward and forward, and then the second one directly forward. Pikachu is a
known lightweight, and to compensate for it he has an up+b attack that
basically ensure that unless they edgeguard, the only way they'll get rid of
you is an outright knock into the edge of the screen. It's typical to wind up
at 150% before they can finally kill you, despite the fact that he flies as
far as he does- Jigglypuff and Kirby don't usually boast that.
Use it whenever you want to get out of somewhere; if you're in the middle of
a skirmish, you can hightail it out and get WAY away from it. It's also a great
way to get back to the ground quickly.
However, beware the delay and recovery time. It's one of the very few up+b
moves with a charge time, and they can make good use of it if you're not
cautious. It also has a recovery time (obviously) after you're done, so don't
overuse it or you'll leave yourself very vulnerable to their next assault.
That being said, this move kicks ASS! Definitely my favorite part of Pikachu.
SHIELD
~~~~~~~
This isn't any different than it would be for other characters, but that does
not mean I shouldn't cover it; you still need to make use of it.
The shield is a quick move to shield damage (amazing!) Pikachu's fast, but
inevitably you'll find that there's a time where you can't quite get out of the
way. In those times, don't hesistate to... y'know, block it. Shield is a great
quickfix, especially when used in conjunction with the dodge roll.
DODGE ROLL
~~~~~~~~~~~
This is far more effective and is the true staple to your evasionary tactics.
Pickachu has a great dodge roll, and it's easy to dodge, land an attack and
then commence some more dodging. Hell, you can dodge all the way to the edge
of the stage to get away if you want.
Careful, though- it's not perfect, and you can definitely wind up hating what
you've gotten yourself into by overusing it.
THROWS
Forward
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 10% Delay- 1 ~
~ Knockback- 8 Recovery- 2 ~
~ Stun- 6 Range- 5 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Backward
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Damage- 18% Delay- 1 ~
~ Knockback- 10 Recovery- 2 ~
~ Stun- 7 Range- 5 ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pikachu's got two throws; the forward throw and the back throw.
Basically, the backwards throw is better in all ways. The forward throw
doesn't go quite as far and the backwards throw electrocutes them to add to
their merriment. If you're facing the ledge from the wrong direction, use
a forward throw, but honestly... backwards is the way to go.
The throws are brutal, though- backwards gets great range and makes EASY
killing. They can (and do) end a fight quickly.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
V. STRATEGIES
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
OK, now that you know how to do this, it's time to get specific on what to
utilize to kick some ass. I've outlined a few of the strategies already, so
bear with me if some of it gets repeated.
Va. GENERAL
*************
These are the general things that Pikachu relies on to stay afloat.
-Be mobile. Pikachu is ridiculously fast. Falcon and Fox have an advantage on
him, but he's got quick attack; if they're coming at you, you can zip right
through them and sprint the other way. Dodge rolls are equally important here.
The gist of it is that you need to keep yourself mobile; you're generally
faster than your opponent, so make full use of it.
-Stay low; your air attacks are staples to a good Pikachu player, but too
much time in the air leaves you vulnerable. If you're following an opponent
into the air, so be it, but if you're on the offensive and they're able to
attack, you need to come in LOW. By pressing a jump button lightly, you sort
of hop and glide in a low arc across the stage, allowing you to use the thunder
spin or drill on them without putting yourself in a position to get knocked
away.
-This applies to all characters, but I cannot emphasize it enough: learn how
to utilize EVERYTHING you've got. Pikachu is lacking a few moves that are
often quite popular, such as the "spike"- he's got nothing to spike with.
However, he's got a set of wicked moves, all told. There are VERY few of
his moves that you won't find a use for at some point, so please, use them.
Edgeguarding
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is an essential part of your strategies. It's straightforward- when your
opponent goes off the edge of the screen, you go to the edge of the map and
wait for them. When they come back, you knock them out again before they can
touch the ground. Their jumps never return, only their up+B move. Eventually
they're too far out to come back, and they're dead. You can take people out
at SIGNIFICANTLY less % damage using edgeguarding.
There are many ways to do this- the electrical charge comes especially handy
in this one, because not only does it knock them back a good amount while
electrocuting them, but it also has a long duration i.e. the attack stays out
in space longer than most attacks. This means that even if your timing isn't
quite perfect, you can still hit them back out.
Thunder Jolt is a projectile in the air- launching it at them so that it
smacks them will stun them long enough to die; they can be 3 or 4 feet from
the ledge, and they're still gone.
There's also Isai's way of doing it through use of aerial attacks. That's
explained further down. The bottom line is that edgeguarding is expected of you,
and you need to use it.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
Vb. SPECIFIC COMBOS
*********************
OK, those are the more general rules, but here's the bread and butter of it-
what kinds of things are you going to want to do to help yourself win?
THESE THINGS TAKE PRACTICE, SO FOR GOD'S SAKE, TRY PRACTICING A BIT BEFORE
ASSUMING THEY WILL WORK.
1. JUGGLING
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Juggling is kind of what it sounds like- you knock them in the air and keep
them in the air, unable to come back down and (more importantly) unable to
recover in time to attack you and stop your combo. Juggling is crucial for all
SSB characters because it allows for some hefty damage % without any sort of a
retaliation from them. Now, how do we juggle?
TO BEGIN THE JUGGLE
Use up+A (the tail swish). It's a soft hit that buffets them around, it's
incredibly quick with almost no recovery time, and it is probably designed for
this purpose. The tail brings them closer to you and begins to knock them right
above you in increasingly large gaps. Knock them up a few times until there's
about 10 feet (figure Mario is 5'6, or something- you get the idea) between you
two. At that point they begin to recover before you can hit them again. The
juggle is over and their % is high enough that it's time to move in for the
kill.
The % and distance thrown varies between characters based on their recovery
time, so keep that in mind as well.
Now, you can use juggling at any %. If you're farther away from them so that
they get whacked by the edge of the tail, they get brought in rather than
tossed up, which gives you 2 or 3 hits before they can really recover. It's
NEVER a bad idea to get it in if you can manage it.
Use your own judgement on how large of a gap is appropriate, obviously. My word
is not law.
FINISHING JUGGLE
Now, let's say you've got them at 100%, or possibly more than that; it's time
to finish them off. If you can get them in this juggle, they're GONE.
This juggle is quite simple- Smash up+A (tail swipe) and send then flying
up, off the screen so you can't see them. IMMEDIATELY jump underneath where
their body is heading to the left or right and use thunder. If you get it
right (once again, practice), they will fly off the screen, star finish, and
that's it! They're dead.
It's quite possible to juggle them up to 75% and then finish it off, all in
one combo. It all depends on the character- Ness is incredibly easy to finish
off with this move, while Link can take a LOT more to finish.
***
2. AERIAL DISASTER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pikachu's aerial combinations can and do end the other character's life quite
quickly, and they're quite efficient at it, to boot.
There are really only two moves used in this combo- the thunder drill (f+A) and
the tail sweep (u+A). It's quite simple, really. When the enemy is in the air,
use the thunder drill to get some damage and then IMMEDIATELY go into a tail
sweep. This will knock them back. Now, if you have your second jump left over
(You'll learn to make sure it is), you jump and then use the tail sweep again
before they can recover. Short and simple combo that sends them away for a
good damage amount.
Now, Isai uses this move to DEADLY effect, more than I could ever hope to.
After he's tail swept the guy a few times, he's finally got his opponent out
over the abyss. As they're trying to come back, he jumps out to meet them, does
another tail sweep, knocking them down to their deaths, and then quick
attacks back to safety.
Now, I'm no pro at that and I don't imagine you are, either. That being said,
there's something to take back from that, and that's the power these things have
to edgeguard. When the opponent is almost back, jump out and smack them.
However, instead of going out a double-jumps distance, just jump out once to
keep yourself in safety. Not as surefire to kill them, but certainly safer if
you're not a pro at it.
***
3. STRAIGHT DAMAGE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, those are the "professional" strategies, and they work... but I learned
those much later on. I sort of just went along with my own thing at first, and
so while this strategy is by no means as "effective" as the others, it worked
well enough for ME. It's not a combo as much as it is a general damage-dealing
strategy.
-Your soft down attack can deal some very quick damage to get things rolling.
With a fairly high damage and a FANTASTIC range, you should make good use
of this one.
-Another great damage dealer is the thunder spin. Up to 20% with little chance
of the enemy coming back to smack you for it. Quickly following it with a kick
or tail sweep is ALWAYS effective, even when you're not aiming to use it for
a kill.
-Thunder Drill is used by most people to "fill in the gaps." Even the pros
sneak a few of these things into their matches. Quickly jump above them and
drill into them. They're often caught unawares, take a decent amount of damage,
and go flying back. Use this opportunity to hit them while they're flying
through the air. Z-cancel before you land, though- otherwise you miss your
chance entirely.
-The down smash is DEADLY; you can really send them flying in the upper %
levels. Most of the really good players stay in the air too much for this
to be put to use, but I assume that if you're reading this you won't be playing
too many pros. If your guy doesn't stay in the air, take him out with this one.
-THROWS. God, Pikachu's throws are fantastic. His backward throw in particular
is just awesome. Great damage, sends them flying AND electrocutes them. Always
follow it up with a hit or two. Hell, I often use a thunder drill, and then
they're REALLY racking up some damage, and you can even string that out into
another hit for a pretty decent combo.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
Vc. "TRICKS"
**************
Here are a couple of tricks I've picked up while watching the masters at work-
these aren't damaging as much as they are just incredibly useful.
1. Z-Cancelling
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is incredibly basic but nonetheless an essential move to save yourself.
As I mentioned earlier, the thunder drill has a tendency of having a horrible
delay time as Pikachu goes *THUD* and recovers from burying his head into the
deck.
Z-Cancelling is where you press Z before you touch the ground. In doing so, you
simply softly touch the ground and you're immediately ready to attack again.
The recovery time of the thunder drill disappears, and look! The move has
become much better.
Simple to execute, incredibly useful. The ideas only get better from here!
***
2. "Edge Hogging"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a neat little trick that takes a bit more practice and skill than
edgeguarding, but it's far more rewarding when you kill them with it. It
only works when the opponent is far enough away that all they can do is grab
the edge of the stage- if they can land, you can't use this.
It's simple in theory- all you have to do is take the ledge they're trying to
grab onto survive. If you're on it, they can't grab it and will helplessly fall
to their death, cursing you along the way.
Now, execution's another story- not quite so easy. You have to jump off
backwards and land on the ledge without killing yourself. It's also advisable,
for minimizing damage, that right before the opponent gets to the ledge,
climb up. Timed right, you'll have the climbing up animation that comes with
a temporary invincibility as well as still occupying the ledge. So, even if
they're using something like Final Cutter, it'll just slide harmlessly on by.
Like everything else in this game, it can be achieved with a simple amount of
practice. It's probably a hell of a lot safer to just try and knock them off,
but this is certainly a fun technique to piss 'em off with.
***
3. "DI"
~~~~~~~~
This is a much more complicated thing than the above two were, and I will try
my best to do it justice.
DI stands for Directional Influence, and it's basically a manipulation of the
game mechanics (similar to the concept of wavedashing) where you "scoot" out
of the way. In the milliseconds following being hit by an attack, there is a
miniscule window (10 frames) in which you can move your character even though
they're stunned. While it sometimes seems miniscule, it can actually make a
huge difference.
To use DI, you can do two things- tap the control stick in a direction (similar
to a smash attack), or you can roll the control stick into the direction you
need. Tapping the stick is more reliable and easier to execute, but rolling
is more effective- this effect happens FAST; you don't have a lot of time
to execute, and so rolling allows you to maximize your speed. However, if you
only want to DI in one direction, you can't really roll it, can you.
The most obvious use is dodging; while you're being attacked, you can DI and
break out of it. Take Pikachu's thunder spin- a good SSB player will DI out
of it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4813947748073614910
Bites, huh? That's why the thunder spin can become quickly useless if your
opponent is good at what they're doing.
How about when they're juggling you? DI out of the way of the attack and you'll
be able to wiggle yourself out of being juggled altogether. To do that, slide
the controller from the side to the bottom or the top to just kind of glide
away. Fox and Captain Falcon are no longer ridiculously hard to get away from.
Another use for DI is to survive an otherwise killing blow. If you DI towards
a wall after you're hit, you will smack off the wall and you won't fly as far
as you normally would have. This only works if the wall is in the same
direction you're being hit- DI can't reverse the direction you go.
You can even manipulate DI after you've been hit off the ledge by DI-ing into
the ledge and reducing how far you fly. Doing that is a bit more complicated
than your regular DI, though.
There are MANY uses for DI, and though it seems miniscule, they can make all
the difference. I am not, however, the expert on these things. I humbly
refer you here:
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=80947
for the compendium of what DI really can do.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
VI. CHARACTER STRATEGIES
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
OK, we've looked at what Pikachu's made of and discussed the kinds of things he
can do both offensively and defensively to keep him at the top of his game. Now
it's time to look at the enemy- what makes him tick, and how can Pikachu best
exploit his weaknesses to kick his (or her) sorry ass.
Before each synopsis of the character there's a tier ranking, a ranking of
their weight, their speed, and their recovery time.
Speed was determined by clocking how fast they sprinted across Great Fox, while
weight and recovery time were based on how they flew while in Pikachu's juggle.
The tier rankings are kind of unnecessary, but it's good to know if you don't
already. Simply put, it's a ranking of how good the characters are when put
in the hands of a pro.
SPIKES
~~~~~~~
I mentioned spikes a few times, and just to clarify- a spike is an attack that
sends an opponent hurdling down into the ground, or if they're over the abyss,
they torpedo to death, usually unable to do jack about it. Several characters
have spike- Pikachu does not. They are dangerous and I will point them out to
you so that you can do your best to avoid them.
General advice? Just don't jump underneath the character or through them
without an attack already in action; otherwise you're most likely to be history.
VIa. LUIGI
************
Tier- Low
Speed- Slow (~4.5 seconds)
Weight- Medium
Recovery Time- Bad
Luigi is a joke, honestly. He's slow and can't really recover well. Now, his
up+B attack is DEADLY for you- you'll die at ridiculously low % if you're
stupid enough to get caught. So the simple solution is DON'T get caught.
Also beware of his tornado drill which can spike you to your death. However,
that only happens if you get caught at the bottom of the final part of it. The
odds of being in the air below him when this happens are quite small- if you're
playing Pikachu right, it shouldn't be an issue.
You're way faster than he is and you have great aerial combos that should make
quick work of him. Just take him out.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIb. MARIO
************
Tier- Middle
Speed- Slow (~4.5 seconds)
Weight- Light
Recovery Time- OK
A bit better than his brother, he's still something to make quick work of. His
up+B is nowhere near as dangerous, and so that's one less danger to look out
for. However, his tornado is dangerous- a good Mario player knows how to
manipulate it so that once you're caught inside of it, you're unlikely to
get out before it's over, and he'll manipulate it to keep you down at his
feet. BAM! Spike. It's used to kick your ass down when you're hanging onto
a ledge, no less- yikes.
He's also the owner of the best upward smash in the game, which means that this
is one attack you want to steer clear of.
Best defense is a good offense- only the best can use tornado while they're over
the air, because a Mario who mistimes a tornado spike can wind up quite dead
with the long recovery time that comes after it's over. As a consequence, they
are usually conservative in their use of it. Just keep them dodging and
avoiding your attacks- they won't really get a chance to take advantage of it.
Be CAREFUL on the ledges, though. Get away from that weak spot however you can.
As for the smash attack, keep him off the ground as best as you can- he can't
use that one while in the air (obviously)
He's still just a Mario brother- he's slow, and while he recovers better than
Luigi, he also flies farther. Juggle him and kick his ass.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIc. DONKEY KONG
******************
Tier- Low
Speed- Medium (~3.5 seconds)
Weight- Heavy
Recovery- Bad
He's considered one of the worst SSB characters, and with good reason. He does
not have a fast attack and he's got lousy recovery. That means that he'll
have a hard time hitting you, and once you've got him, he's as good as gone.
That said, he's a heavyweight, so the first ~50% doesn't really faze him. A
good DK player will take advantage of this apparent stun resistance and will
kick your ass. He's also got a spike in his arsenal that works pretty well.
So, you just don't let him! Strong though he may be, throws certainly take
good care of him. If you're good, you can start juggling him early on, too. You
need to be really close to start it, though- if he's only caught by the end of
the tail he'll probably come out of it and take you out. Your air combo is
effective, but if you use a thunder spin, you MUST follow it up with another
attack- the spin does almost nothing to him at low %.
The spike is fairly quick for a Donkey Kong attack, and it's also pretty
long vertical range. However, coming in from the side, you'll avoid it
every time. You're going to have to fight pretty stupid to get caught in a
combo that can end in a spike, so play smart. You can usually see his attacks
coming, which means you ought to avoid them all.
One last thing- don't underestimate that wind-up punch. If for some reason
he hits you, prepare to die. I've seen him kill me at 45% (that's AFTER the
punch connects, so figure 25%.)
You're fast and small- he's slow and large. Should be a cinch.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VId. LINK
***********
Tier- Bottom
Speed- Slow (~4.5 seconds)
Weight- Medium
Recovery- OK
I personally don't like fighting Link- I find him to be obnoxious to deal with.
He's got a wickedly long range with his attacks that will catch a lazy player
totally off-guard. In every direction he basically has you taken with range.
He's also got a good up+B when it comes to getting back on the ledge- you
can't jump out and counter against him while he's using that move.
That said, Link is easily as slow as Donkey Kong and he lacks a good throw. His
strengths are generally easily countered, too. With his long range comes
bad delays and HORRIBLE recovery times. The best advice I can give against a
Link is to not get hit. It's the same thing as you'd have for Donkey Kong- keep
moving and don't let him get a move in.
Link's not quite as heavy as DK, so you should be able to juggle him without
a whole lot of difficulty. He also doesn't withstand electricity quite like
Donkey Kong, and so you can stun him without a lot of trouble.
As for his up+B recovery move, you need to either be quick enough to get out
to him before he uses it, or you need to wait until he's done. If you want to
live dangerously (and I'm sure you do!), then practice getting him from above
or below the sword- you can certainly take him out that way, too.
Of course, the other answer is to edge guard with electric attacks that go
right through his spin.
He's really easier to beat than DK, but I'm careless and usually wind up getting
smacked by Link's air down+A.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIe. SAMUS
************
Tier- Bottom
Speed- Medium (~4 seconds)
Weight- Light
Recovery- Good
Samus is also considered a bottom-tier character, but I still consider her to
be more dangerous than Link owing to her good recovery. She's MUCH harder to
juggle- she'll usually break out and lay a smackdown on you at really low %
amounts. She also has her spike, which is never good.
That said, she's a lightweight and not particularly fast. She's also fairly
susceptible to your lightning attacks. You just need to make sure and mould
the strategy to fit her accordingly. Don't try to juggle (obviously)- it
won't work. Samus doesn't have a great set of moves. Screw Attack is incredibly
obnoxious to deal with because of its priority, but the only time that should
matter is when she's coming back to the ledge. When that comes, same strategy
as with Link, only you can't try and come in from above or below.
Her Charge Shot is easily as nasty as DK's punch, and she can use it with much
better effectiveness than DK can owing to the large vertical range. However, I
hope no Samus player is stupid enough to use it from anywhere except up close
owing to the ease at which you can dodge it, and how often can a character get
up right next to you and you sit there and take a hit like that? Certainly not
often- as with everything else, just stay out of her way and stay on the
offensive.
If you haven't figured it out by now, Pikachu doesn't have as much to worry
about with spiking because of his aerial moves. Getting spiked just means you
need more practice, and Samus is no exception. If you're getting spiked, you're
doing something wrong.
That said, Samus has a great spike that can hit you down even when you're not
below her; do be careful around it or you will get killed.
Use electricity a lot, and while I don't recommend you juggle, DO use the up
smash+ thunder combo- Samus flies farther than most...
She's not difficult, just requires a change in strategy to kill her.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIf. CAPTAIN FALCON
*********************
Tier- High
Speed- Fastest (~2 seconds!)
Weight- Heavy
Recovery- OK
I was quite surprised at his weight- 90% damage and he's still not flying off
the screen with an up smash. He's also ridiculously fast- he makes Fox and
Pikachu look slow. With a powerful up+B, good juggling skills, a spike...
It's no wonder that Falcon is one of your toughest opponents.
However, quick movement doesn't translate into quick attacks, and Falcon's
biggest weakness is a general lack of quick attacks. While he can go in circles
around you, several of his moves are predictable. He's also got a pretty lousy
dodge that takes way too much time. I personally don't like using Falcon, but
that's just me.
That aside, he's a dangerous enemy. Lots of things to avoid and counteract.
Up+B can inflict some serious hurt and you go FLYING- it effectively gives
CF another throw, and if he catches you in it, he can then use it again. This
makes it a VERY bad thing to get caught in it. Pikachu's already lightweight;
he can't take a beating from it for very long. It also means you need to take
caution in coming out to meet him in the air. Get him from below with your tail
and he's history. Of course, that's easier said than done. The good news is
that his jump set isn't that great, anyway. It should be easy to get him
knocked down to the point that he's not coming back.
Now, the juggle is downright horrid- his up air attack, when used correctly,
sends you hurdling upwards, and since you're a featherweight, you're almost
always going to die. The answer? DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN HIS JUGGLE. This is
a situation where manipulation of DI can make all of the difference in saving
you. Get yourself out of your stun and be ready to knock him away when he's
coming back up to get you.
That said, you've got a juggle, too- CF is pretty easy to juggle. Despite being
heavy, he stuns easily and can be put into your typical up+a juggle without
much effort. Now, it's hard to finish him off with the juggle, but you can
quickly rack up the % amounts so that you can throw him to his death.
Falcon punch and Falcon kick are pretty abysmal, and if he gets one off on you,
it's your fault for not paying attention. Same goes for his forward smash.
Of course, you really don't want to get hit by them, either- they will end
you in a heartbeat.
The spike, well... it's not a very good spike compared to some of the others,
so don't worry too much about it. Use your typical avoidance techniques and
you'll be fine.
Use whatever techniques work best; he's got no real resistances to anything,
you just have to watch and make sure you don't get killed.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIg. NESS
***********
Tier- High
Speed- Slow (~4.5 seconds)
Weight- Light
Recovery- OK
Ness is often put at the top tier, but realistically his up+B attack makes him
a high tier, instead. That's a weakness that you need to be sure to exploit-
his PK thunder leaves him a sitting duck, and if you hit the thunder (either
with yourself or with an attack), he's stunned, and if he's over the abyss he
will most likely die.
Ness is vicious- while he's lightweight and kind of slow, his attacks are
nasty. He's got a decent spike, he has two fantastic smash attacks, an annoying
B move, and a general mess of attacks to keep you on your toes. Not to mention
his throw is one of (if not the) best in the game.
With Ness, it's all about getting around what he's got and then moving in to
take him out. Spikes are nothing new to you- you know how to counter them. Ness'
spike is quick, though- he can pull it out of nowhere and there's little
recovery time to deal with. That said, it's like most others- don't find
yourself over the abyss near him without using an attack to incapacitate him.
His jumps can be a bit awkward, so you almost have to want him to spike you
in order to get him to.
PK fire pisses me off because it can deal some pretty good stun without
much effort on his part. To counter this, you need to use DI. Get yourself out
of it before he can come in swinging; the good news about PK fire is that it's
got bad recover time afterwards, which means that if you're good he won't
be able to take any advantage of the stun he inflicted.
As for the Smash attacks, two of the three are slower and hit hard, while the
third is really quick and has a huge range. All three are dangerous. His
down smash has a RIDICULOUS range forward and hits backwards, too. He'll
outdistance all non-projectiles with this move. However, it doesn't have much
vertical range to boast about. It's a simple matter of being airborne and
getting over the attack. You're using short hops all the time (right?) and so
this move shouldn't be much of a problem.
Now, the forward smash is another matter, because it covers a decent vertical
span. However, it's not as long range and can't go backwards. Coming in from
above and behind is easy to do and takes care of your problem. Don't bother
taking it head on, though- it blocks/deflects your attacks.
As for the upward smash, it hits hard and executes fast with little recovery.
A Ness who sees you coming will have it whipped out to hit you for some quick
damage and knockback; it's not a pretty sight. There's really only two
ways to counter it-
1, Keep him off the ground so he's not using it, anyway
2, Don't give him a reason to use it. If you're coming at him and he's got
another smash ready, instead, you can dodge it and smack him.
Ness can use all kinds of moves to keep you guessing what he's going to do
next; there's no denying that. However, he's a lightweight character who you
really shouldn't have any problem juggling and knocking silly.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIh. YOSHI
************
Tier- Middle
Speed- Medium (~4 seconds)
Weight- Heavy
Recovery- Bad
Despite his tier ranking, Yoshi doesn't pose much of a problem. He's not
particularly difficult for a good pikachu player. The primary reason for this
is that he's not all that fast. He doesn't have a spike, he lacks a third
jump, he can't really do a WHOLE lot against you, but most of all it's the
speed (or lack thereof).
Nothing that you really need to watch out for in particular. His egg bombs
are more entertaining than they are dangerous, even if they're "pros" with
them. No real advice... just win.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIj. KIRBY
************
Tier- Top
Speed- Medium (~4 seconds)
Weight- Featherweight
Recovery- Good
There's a reason that Pikachu and Kirby vie for the top spot. This guy is
not fun to go up against. He's got a great arsenal of moves that isn't limited
to a great spike, a fantastic jump, great juggling, great smash attacks...
Really, the only thing that Kirby doesn't have are good B moves. His throws
aren't that special, either. Neither one goes especially far.
He's still plenty to contend with, though. The spike itself is outdone by
many others, but Kirby uses it with deadly effect. Thanks to his floating jump,
he can EASILY set himself up to spike you and then get back to safety; the
primary drawback for all other spikes is the higher risk of killing yourself-
Kirby doesn't have that.
It's multipurpose, too- even if he's not going to spike you, it's a good
multihit attack.
His juggling is good- it's kind of similar to yours in that the soft up+a
is good for juggling, but he doesn't have an aerial attack to continue it with.
That said, your juggling is generally better- his up+a doesn't have the sideways
range that yours does, and he can't use thunder to finish it. Blow for blow,
you should outjuggle him.
And then there are his smash attacks, which are quick and PAINFUL. His regular
forward smash in particular can cause some nasty damage with almost no
delay. Of course, the recovery on the move bites, so it's always good to
try and take advantage of his recovery, if you can.
Ultimately, it's the spiking that makes Kirby such a deadly opponent. His
jumps make it hard to get rid of him and his other moves all have their uses,
but that's really where it's at. He spikes better than anyone else, and so
he will make use of it.
As with everything, best defense is a good offense; Kirby weighs nothing and
will most likely get sent flying with any of your attacks. He's fairly easy
to juggle, too. The true difficulty lies in knocking him off and then keeping
him off. He's got a LONG jump, which means he'll keep coming back, and he's
got his spike that he can easily throw in if you come out to meet him.
As with all characters who are fairly dangerous out in the air, you really just
need to be careful and use your head: if you can knock him out and then hit him
again before he recovers, that's the obvious choice. However, if you can't,
then you need to play smart. Coming at him from below is stupid- while you
might be able to get a swipe at him, I wouldn't count on it- you'll get
spiked. So go around it- thunder drills are probably your safest bet as
they'll send him completely reeling, but if you think you can safely get
above those feet to attack, go ahead and do so.
A good Kirby player is going to go toe-to-toe with you. That said, I always
have fun with them. My brother's a kirby player and I'm a pikachu player, so
we duke it out on a regular basis.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIk. FOX
**********
Tier- High
Speed- Fast (~3 seconds)
Weight- Light
Recovery- OK
Fox is exactly what you'd expect- he's lightweight and quite fast. His moves
are not particularly powerful, but they're fast and can quickly rack up a
hefty %. He doesn't have great killing power, but there are a few things that
can take you out. All in all, doesn't seem that special.
Not until you go off the ledge, anyway. Fox is second only to Pikachu in
edge guarding, and if you go off the ledge, you better be damn sure of yourself,
because if you're not you are NEVER getting back up. Fox has a different spike
from the other characters- his spike comes from the reflector. This is not
like the other spikes, because it doesn't knock you straight down- it knocks
you at an angle. This means that if you're in the air by the ledge, a good
Fox player can and will use the reflector and knock you to your death. You
MUST watch your edges around Fox; he'll be using the reflector in the air,
and since your game focuses on the air, he'll take advantage of it to take you
out.
As for the edgeguarding perspective: there's only one way to get back from
the abyss with Fox on the ledge, and that's to quick attack THROUGH him and
back on to the ground. He'll be waiting at the edge, and if you quick attack
and grab the ledge, you're history to his attacks. If you quick attack and
float down to the ground, he'll meet you in the air and reflect you to death.
I repeat- you quick attack THROUGH the guy and onto the ground again.
Fox also has a wicked juggle. It hits twice and has a great stun capability.
I remember trying to break out of that juggle when I was new by coming down
and trying to hit him... didn't work- he uses his feet and so he's getting
priority over my thunder drill. You really can't try to fight your way out,
you'll just have to maneuver, instead. DI can help here; DI down to get out.
Beyond that, though... Fox hits quick, but he doesn't hit too hard. His smash
attacks don't send you all that far, really. You more or less outmuscle him.
He's easy to juggle, light enough to finish off with a juggle, and he's lousy
at coming back from the abyss. He doesn't have an A attack that can spike you
down, and the reflector isn't reliable enough to use, especially since your
tail will get priority. Firefox sucks, and you've got to be REALLY stupid to
let him get you with it.
Rule of thumb for this fight is to hit fast and hard; the sooner you can
get him off the ledge, the sooner he'll be totally dead.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIl. PIKACHU
**************
Tier- Top
Speed- Fast (~3 seconds)
Weight- Featherweight
Recovery- Good
Well, now here's the question- how do you beat yourself? The good news is that
you know all of their strategies. The bad news is... they konw yours. Hrm.
The trick is really getting in the first move. Offensive, and all of that. If
they're not pros, they'll probably be using smash attacks left and right and
they won't juggle quite so much. If you can get them in a juggle, you'll most
likely be able to finish them off with it, too. Pikachu's recovery (as you
surely know by now) is pretty good, so be careful with your juggling.
You're not going to have much luck going out to meet him on the abyss-
quick attack pretty much makes that impossible. You'll have to rely on
edge guarding for this; electric attacks to stun him back out, and the like.
You'll probably find that he comes back onto the ledge more often than you'd
like. Just be ready- your throws are vicious, and if he's stupid enough to come
in and float down rather than warping straight to the ground, be ready to smack
him right back out again. In those situations you probably could go out and
hit him again before he has time to recover and initiate quick attack.
Take all of the weaknesses you've picked up on as you've been playing and flip
them against him. Ultimately it's all about first strike- you get the hit in
first, you'll most likely take him out.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIm. JIGGLYPUFF
*****************
Tier- Middle
Speed- Slow (~4.5 seconds)
Weight- Lightest
Recovery- Good
And so we come to the last of the characters. Despite Jigglypuff's higher tier
ranking, she's not much for a Pikachu player. She's got a good juggle- if she
gets ahold of you and throws you, you'll go straight up and she'll immediately
follow it up with her air attacks, which will launch you upwards. It's a pretty
good juggle, I'm not going to deny that.
But beyond that... Jigglypuff has an ability to suddenly inflict a lot of
damage without you realizing it- her attacks are fast and hit harder than you'd
think. Still, you're faster and stronger, and she's a ridiculous lightweight.
Break her shield and she flies up and dies in a star finish. Every time. Juggle
the poor thing to oblivion. When knocking her over the edge, watch for her
pound attack; not only does she use it to get back onto the ledge, but it can
seriously screw up what you were trying to do. Take it into account when going
to meet her- come from below instead of head on. She doesn't have a spike for
you to worry about, so you can safely wipe her out.
Rest is painful. Yes, we all know this, but it's like Luigi's jump attack in
that I'd like to think you're not going to get hit by it all that often. Keep
nimble and keep attacking- you probably won't see it more than once or twice
in a match.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
VII. STAGE STRATEGIES
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
OK, the hard part's over- if you've figured out how to beat each character, it
doesn't really matter which stage you fight them on. However, that said, it's
always good to know the ins and the outs of the places you fight.
The consensus is that Hyrule Castle is the best place to hold a match, although
I'm partial to Sector Z as well. You can decide for yourself regardless of
what we say, of course.
VIIa. PEACH CASTLE
********************
As you know, it's a REALLY small stage with a bumper, two walls at the top, and
moving platforms underneath.
I really hate this stage. As a Pikachu player you have severe limitations. The
bumper will OFTEN mess up your juggling, and those walls on the sides make it
hard to take them out over the air.
I suppose it's a good place to try other strategies, which is never a bad thing.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIIb. YOSHI'S ISLAND
**********************
This is a much better stage. Several platforms give it many levels of play,
and the clouds add to the merriment.
While the clouds can somewhat hinder your ability to get them off and gone,
they're also beneficial if you use them right. Get out there and get a foothold
so that you can jump right back out and make DAMN sure that they're dead, often
knocking them clear to the edge, blowing up sideways.
Make use of the platforms and come up from underneath- they can be on the ground
and still get knocked into the air with your tail to combo them off. Make use
of them when a level has them. The only real drawback to this stage is that
it's not particularly big, which means you can't maneuver as much as some
people like.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIIc. DK JUNGLE
*****************
This stage is dark, and as a consequence, so are your characters. I always
have a hard time seeing what's going on when fighting on this stage- I'm not
really sure if it's just me or if the stage does that to everyone.
Anyway, the stage is small and there are a few platforms. The spinning platforms
are more of a nuisance than anything- they can interrupt an air combo if you
aren't paying attention.
As for the barrel, who really cares. What DOES matter is that you can come back
up through the floor, including with quick attacks. You can't do that
anywhere else, so make use of it on this stage. Standard strategies apply, here.
There's not much to get in your way of that.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIId. HYRULE CASTLE
*********************
I'm not entirely sure why they chose this stage as the standard. I guess it's
because it's very large, it's multileveled and the natural obstacles aren't
quite as pesky- the one thing about Sector Z is that the Arwing can seriously
affect the outcome of the fight, whereas twisters usually don't do it quite
so much.
Anyway, since this is the "Standard", assume everything I've said up to this
point still holds true. Kick some ass!
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIIe. SAFFRON CITY
********************
This is still my favorite level because of the many platforms you can jump
from. Then again, I like to play an evasive game- if your opponent's not
very good, it pisses them off when you jump to another building.
At the higher levels, there's a HUGELY obvious problem with this stage, and
that's the spiking opportunities. You can't spike, but odds are good your
opponent can. That being the case, you really don't want to pick a stage
that gives them extra chances to do so. If you do choose to use this stage,
be wary of the spikes, and keep a close eye on the pokemon door; like most
environmental things, it can seriously alter the battle. Try to use it for you
instead of against you.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIIf. DREAM LAND
******************
Another decent stage, this time you have to contend with the trees blowing you
back and forth (they used to drop apples, but hey, who's complaining?) Pikachu
doesn't weigh much, and so this can have a tremendous effect on your gameplan.
It can aid you when you're trying to go out to meet someone in the air, and
it can kill you when you're trying to come back. When going against the wind,
you'll (obviously) be much slower, and your opponent *Should* be taking full
advantage of this. Do the same from the other position- when the wind's in
their face, take the opportunity to get in while their reaction times are
down.
It's not a bad stage, really. I don't like the wind, but it's a decent variable.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIIg. SECTOR Z
****************
This stage is HUGE. With tons of room to run and no gaps in the middle, I
love this stage.
However, ARWING makes the stage all but unusable in competative play. He's
obnoxious and steals a LOT of kills. He has a particularly bad habit of coming
in to kill you as you come back to the ledge. He's far to variable and WAY
too powerful to make any match fair- he'll end up weighing it in someone's
favor, enough to change the outcome of the match.
For fun, this stage is great, and although it's harder to get them off a ledge,
it's tons of fun to play an evasive game here. Competatively, you're going to
have to go somewhere else; this won't cut it.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIIh. PLANET ZEBES
********************
The acid is certainly not a GOOD thing on this stage- most people don't like
it. It doesn't seem to follow any pattern, and it completely throws off
everyone's game.
I've heard that some people like, it though. It certainly does help you against
people who like to spike. If this is your kind of a level, have at it. The
rest of us will pick levels where things can change so violently and cut off
90% of the stage.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
VIIj. MUSHROOM KINGDOM
************************
As a master of the air, this level SUCKS. There IS no air to manipulate.
There's also the brick on the left side of the screen, which makes juggling
somewhat more difficult. Then again, thunder's are HELLA fun over there- they
can't get down to you, so you can spam 'em if you want without repercussion.
This stage has too much going on- the pow blocks, the plants, the pipes...
add on a bizarre and very different stage feel, and it's really NOT that much
fun.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
VIII. CONTACT ME
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
This is a FAQ written FAR later than most, and so I'd like to think it's the
best it can be- I don't think strategies are still developing. That said, I'm
not a professional player, nor have I ever played in professional competitions.
I'm bound to be missing things- strategies and weaknesses, especially against
certain characters.
Got any ideas or advice? Let me know. Send me an email at Kirbix@gmail.com. I
read all of them, and I'll make the proper adjustments as are needed.
Thanks in advance.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
IX. CREDITS, FURTHER RESOURCES
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
CJayC, GameFAQs- my hosting site. My ONLY hosting site.
If you want to get better at SSB, there are two ways to do it beyond this:
Read about it, and watch it.
Here are some links to videos done by Isai, showing how it's done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urUBMrtXwyA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGZcsehscTY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vRSF0mJp5I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfqMsEiYizI
For the compendium of SSB knowledge on the net, go here:
http://smashboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11
Credit to both these sources- I became well acquainted with them.
Copyright 2007 Sean D'Hoostelaere
