The Stellar Waltzing Duo: Rosalina & Luma

Index



1. About Rosalina & Luma.
2. Pros and Cons.
3. The Learning Curve.
4. Moveset.
5. Three ways to rule them all.
6. Must-know techniques and Advanced mechanics.
7. Match-ups.
8. More to come...


Hi, I'd like to introduce myself as this is my first guide on Smashboards. I'm BelChydru (pronounced like Bell-Ky-Droo), better known as Bel. I've been playing as Rosalina & Luma since October 3rd: the day the game was officially released in the US. I've been playing with her a lot against tournament players, cpu's and polishing her on training mode. I'm not a pro player by any means, but I can share my knowledge with you. I'm writing this guide with the best intentions: to help people understand this character a little bit more.
Continuing on, I will explain how these girls work together and separately, some basic and other not-so-basic things you must know to play them correctly. The percentages were taken by going into training mode and playing against Mario, which in most cases is used as the standard character to test, well, percentages and knockback. Without further a do, let's start (no, I'm not saying "LET'S GO" with Mario's voice, this is Rosalina & Luma's guide, go away, shoo shoo).

Disclaimer: I do not own the image used for this guide's thumbnail. It belongs to its rightful creator and/or owner.






Rosalina & Luma are very unique amongst the other Smash Bros. characters since they can cooperate as a duo or split the pressure and damage. They can effectively attack two very distant points at the same time and zone the enemy out of the stage (or attack range). Rosalina is a Tall, Lightweight and Floaty character, which, in other words, makes her a really easy character to hit and even more easily to knock off the stage. She moves at decent speed, has really good traction and can even crawl (although her crouch just makes her a somewhat "medium-height" character, such as Mario). Her attacks range is decent and she has good priority overall. She can edgeguard pretty well and with little worries thanks to her incredible recovery. She's a good character on her own... but then comes Luma. Luma is a Small (I'd rather say Tiny) character who floats around following Rosalina or staying somewhat near her if she's on "sparkling" mode. She has good priority, GREAT knockback and can block projectiles with her body. However, she can also die (but don't worry, she respawns after 13 seconds). I will explain them more on the Mechanics section. Let's move on.






Pros

High priority moves.
Good zoning game.
Edguarding abilities.
Excellent recovery.
True combos.
Has the ability to get out of grabs when Luma is around.
Really hard to camp with projectiles.
Nice KO potential (if Luma is around).
Really good at mindgames.

Cons

VERY, VERY FLOATY.
Loses KO potential if Luma dies.
Luma can't be shielded unless she's right beside Rosalina.
Players have to learn two separate movesets and use them accordingly.
Luma gets stunned with fair ease, meaning she won't react to the player's commands.
Can be edgeguarded with fair ease since her recovery move doesn't have any kind of hitbox.

Well that was fast. As you can see, Rosalina has more Pros than Cons, which theoretically makes a pretty good character. However, the Rosalina player must be aware that her floatiness is really annoying and Luma can be KO'd easily if not played properly. A good Rosalina & Luma player will know when it's best to launch Luma away and when to call her back. But we will discuss that later.






Every character has a Learning Curve. The Learning Curve is non other thing than the difficulty of that character and the effort you need to put into the game to master it. Have you noticed how Robin is harder to get used to than Mario or Kirby? That's the Learning Curve. Some characters have unforgiving learning curves, which means they are really hard to master if you're not used to the particular mechanics that character requires. Some characters need the player to be aware of how much resources he has to defend himself or attack, such as Robin's limited tome uses. Other characters need you to place traps and control the map by doing so, such as Villager and the various phases of his Down B. Well, Rosalina is no exception for this rule. The mechanic you'll need to get used to is called "micromanagement", which implies that you need to quickly perform very specific tasks at some level of precision while keeping an eye on other actions you're doing as well. You need to take note where the enemy is, where you are and where Luma is in relation with you both. Also, you'll need to know the resources of the enemy and what he can do at any specific time, to know if Luma is better off with you or on her own. You're the Maestro of the Orchestra, which can deal damage, but also receive it, and Luma is your trusty musical note and instrument, which you can guide as you wish and deal damage, but at the price of being alone (depending on her positioning relative to yours). You'll need to look at the musical score in order to plan how to proceed but you'll need to look at your performers to know how are they doing so far. You have to split your attention on three: Rosalina, Luma and the opponent. If you think you haven't developed micromanagement mechanic, you can stop reading here, because everything after this section will be separating the world in two pieces and getting them together again. But I also encourage you to play her on training to know the feel of her attacks and their rhythm. Maybe you'll find her too hard, but if you practice enough, you'll probably manage to use her really well. You'll get used to micromanagement once you play enough. On the other hand, if you've played games that require you to develop this mechanic, congratulations, you're in the right place, buddy. Either way, Rosalina's Learning Curve is big, so maybe you'll either be really good or not good enough while playing her. I may be mistaken, but this is what I've seen so far. Without further a do, let's move on.







What all of you were expecting is here: the Stellar Waltz. Every move will be explained as I know them so far (of course, this guide will be updated everytime I discover something new or when a new tip comes to my mind, so stay tuned) and they will have a sometimes brief, sometimes detailed description, depending on the move and its utility. Another thing to consider is that all moves will be explained in three ways: when Rosalina is alone; when Luma is alone (sparkling); when both are together. This is for the sake of better understanding the Cosmic Damsels and to point strengths and weaknesses of every move. Without any more delays, let's launch there (get it? Launch star? Super Mario Galaxy? No? Well... k).

This is the format in which I will describe every attack on their moveset:

Type of attack (Jab, tilt, smash)
Character (Rosalina or Luma)
Description (Physical description of the attack)
Damage (Percentages and a little explanation)
Specific application (How the move works with a specific character)

Example:

D-tilt
Luma's D-tilt
Kicks down and lowers the height at which she was attacking.
5%
Great for edgeguarding, etc.

Note: Pay special attention to yellow colored words. That will make your life easier, believe me.





Jabs


-Rosalina's Jab

Description: Rosalina swings her wand around hitting anything at range.

Damage: Hits 3 times. 2% first hit, 1% second hit, 3% final hit. If hold, each multihit will deal 1% and the final one will stack another 3%.

Rosalina solo: Pretty standard jab. You'll use it to punish moves that have little ending lag. Be careful, though, as her third jab comes out slower than the other two, and you can get punished. Try to get the first two and then a Dtilt or Utilt.

-Luma's Jab

Description: Luma punches and kicks, slowly advancing forward and dealing damage to anything in front of her.

Damage: Hits 3 times. 2% first hit, 2% second hit, 4% final hit. If hold, each multihit will deal 1% and the final one will stack another 3%.

Luma solo: Use it to harass and zone the enemy. Don't get carried away though, as Luma isn't with Rosalina, so she can't be shielded.

*RosaLuma: Can put a nice 12% if spaced and timed right, up to 30% if using the Fast Jab on enemies with high falling speed, such as the space animals. Use it to put space between you and your opponent or to punish moves with little ending lag. Pretty good jab overall if you can rack the 12% damage.


Tilts


U-tilts


-Rosalina's U-tilt

Description: A halo comes out of Rosalina's dress and travels upwards.

Damage: 8%

Rosalina solo: Only use it for anti-aerial purposes. Has no effect whatsoever on grounded enemies. Comes out fast, has a big sweetspot and a nice knockback that can disrupt an approaching enemy, which is always nice. Can hit through platforms.

-Luma's U-tilt

Description: Luma does an uppercut, jumping a little in the process.

Damage: 4%. 8% sweetspotted. 3% sourspotted.

Luma solo: Preeeeeeeetty nice knockback if sweetspotted. Strangely enough, it doesn't KO enemies until 140%, which is always lame (that's because it has great base knockback but scales poorly). Hitbox comes out really fast and has good knockback. Can hit enemies on the ground and serves as an anti-aerial tool as well.

*RosaLuma: Practically immune to airborne enemies that try to hit the duo FROM ABOVE. They can still hit you with long range weapons such as Shulk's blade. Use it if they try to attack you from above. One of Rosalinas best moves, IMO.


F-tilts


-Rosalina's F-tilt

Description: Rosalina kicks the area in front of her in a circle, returning to her normal stance afterwards.

Damage: 6%.

Rosalina solo: Decent range and knockback. Good for a keep-away game until Luma respawns. Disjointed hitbox.

-Luma's F-tilt

Description: Luma does a spinning kick, turning to where Rosalina was looking when the command was done.

Damage: 4%.

Luma solo: Medium-to-short range. The knockback is not as good as her other moves, but it can zone and edgeguard pretty nice. Be aware that this is a pretty laggy move and Luma is vulnerable from above.

*Rosaluma: Can rack up to 10% damage if both hit. Almost like Rosalina solo, but a little more range and knockback thanks to Luma.


D-tilts


-Rosalina's D-tilt

Description: Rosalina performs a low kick with both legs creating a cosmic effect at the tip of her heels.

Damage: 4%

Rosalina solo: Good range and speed. Can be used to keep the enemy away until Luma respawns. Also, it can be used to edgeguard obvious recoveries due to its range.

-Luma's D-tilt

Description: Luma rams diagonally down and turns to where Rosalina was looking when performng the attack.

Damage: 3%

Luma solo: Excellent move to edeguard from afar. It sends the enemies on a weird trajectory (somewhat horizontal) and away from Luma. Decent knockback.

*RosaLuma: Can rack up damage, space and edgeguard. Nice priority and, remember, Rosalina can crawl.


Smash Attacks


U-Smashes


-Rosalina's U-Smash

Description: Rosalina bends backwards leaving a cosmic trail that damages enemies in front, above and behind her (if they are big enough).

Damage: 12%

Rosalina solo: One of her best smash attacks IMO. It comes out really fast and has a hitbox on her back, meaning in can hit an opponent who's trying to roll beneath you. Good attack coverage as stated on the description. Nice move to punish.

-Luma's U-Smash

Description: Luma performs a backflip kick that hits anything in front or immediately above her.

Damage: 6%.

Luma solo: Good knockback but doesn't KO enemies until 130%, 10% later that Rosalina, which is strange.

*RosaLuma: Hits 2 times for 18% and excellent knockback if spaced correctly. Has Rosalina's priority and extra 6% damage from Luma. Pretty good move to punish excessive rollers and to surprise airborne enemies that come at you.

F-Smashes


-Rosalina's F-Smash

Description: Rosalina thrusts forward with her hands, creating a galaxy for a second.

Damage: 12%

Rosalina solo: Decent move overall. Doesn't KO until 110%. Use it for punishing and KOing only.

-Luma's F-Smash

Description: Luma punches forward leaving a starry trail.

Damage: 7%.

Luma solo: KO's at 95%. Best killing move in her kit. Good for edgeguarding and gimping.

*RosaLuma: Great range (I seriously mean it). KO's at 90%. It's your standard killing move. Use it for that. It was designed like that for a reason. No questions.

D-Smashes


-Rosalina's D-Smash

Description: Rosalina rotates kicking forward then behind her, creating galaxies on every attack.

Damage: Hits 2 times. 7% first attack, 9% second attack.

Rosalina solo: Great move to punish excessive rollers or sending the enemy away from the stage. I see no other purpose.

-Luma's D-Smash

Description: Luma spins around, kicking backwards then forward at a slow pace.

Damage: Hits 2 times. 4% first hit, 5% second hit.

Luma solo: Same as Rosalina but counterclockwise. A little laggy. Use it wisely.

*RosaLuma: Unescapable damage at low percentages. If an enemy misjudges the area of attack, you'll hit him for 11%-13%. If not, you'll hit him anyways with one attack at least (assuming he stays in place, like spotdodging). Nice to punish rolls.


Dash attacks


-Rosalina's Dash attack

Description: Rosalina lunges forward and attacks the enemy with her silver crown.

Damage: Hits 2 times. 3% first hit, 4% second hit.

Rosalina solo: Just a dash attack. Can surprise enemies. Use it sparingly.

-Luma's Dash attack

Description: Luma rapidly dashes forward and ascends, hitting the opponent with a headbutt. This attack turns her to the direction Rosalina is dashing.

Damage: 3%.

Luma solo: Can reposition Luma (if it wasn't obvious enough) and make her advance a good distance. Use it sparingly and strategically.

*RosaLuma: Same as Rosalina. Use it sparingly.





Neutral air (Nair)


-Rosalina's Nair

Description: Rosalina somersaults, leaving a cosmic trail at the end of her dress and damaging enemies that come in contact with it.

Damage: 5% on the first 2/3 of the attack, 7% on the last 1/3.

Rosalina solo: Pretty tricky move to get used to. This serves as a nice edgeguard since you can control the attack's trajectory, confusing the enemy, and you have plenty of time to aim it. The sweetspot can gimp enemies if executed correctly. It autocancels itself when touching the ground, which is a plus. Good for mindamges and zoning. Pretty good move IMO. It seems like it's not that good, but believe me, it is. Advice: It can be punished if you don't space it correctly, you must learn the pattern and the speed of the attack to master it.

-Luma's Nair

Description: Luma kicks in front of her and then behind her, returning to her original position afterwards.

Damage: Hits 2 times. 4% first hit, 3% second hit.

Luma solo: Can surprise an unsuspecting enemy. Can sometimes gimp. Another thing to keep in mind is that Luma ALWAYS knocks the opponent IN FRONT OF HER. It doesn't matter which attack hits first, the enemy will be knocked IN THE DIRECTION WHERE LUMA WAS LOOKING. Enough caps.

*RosaLuma: Rosalina and Luma alternate the timing of their attacks, confusing the enemy in process. Can be used for good combos, since it autocancels and Luma always knocks them in front of her, which means she will knock them in front of Rosalina. Surprisingly enough, one of her best aerials. Same advice as above, but a little less punishable because of Luma is there.


Up air (Uair)


-Rosalina's Uair

Description: A halo comes out of her crown and travels upwards slowly.

Damage: 10%.

Rosalina solo: Big hitbox. It makes it really hard for the enemy to attack you from above, just like U-tilt. Can be used to chase the opponent into the air. Can hit through platforms.

-Luma's Uair

Description: Luma jumps, performing a backflip and kicking anything in front or above her.

Damage: 4%.

Luma solo: Great knockback. Sends the enemies almost in a straight vertical line. Good for corrupting them.

*RosaLuma: Excellent aerial coverage. Can somebody please call this move the Ceiling of Pain, please?. Also, now that we're at it, does anyone know why all their Up moves are so good? U-tilt, U-Smash and Uair are really good. Thanks, Mr. Sakurai. Continuing on, it is great for juggling and KO if high enough (even at 50 or 60% if the stage has low ceiling).


Forward Air (Fair)


-Rosalina's Fair

Description: Rosalina backflips, creating a galaxy at the tip of her heels which travels upwards in front of her.

Damage: Hits 4 times. 1% the first three hits, 4% the last one.

Rosalina solo: Has low damage on its own but comes in handy when edgeguarding. Not a good move for SHFFing (Short Hop, Fast Fall) because it has A LOT of ending lag, and its aimed a little above most characters head. Best used as an anti-air and edgeguarding tool.

-Luma's Fair

Description: Luma performs a headbutt in front of her, spins around and then returns to her original position.

Damage: 5%.

Luma solo: Sends the enemy flying at a semi-vertical trajectory. Not as useful as Rosalina's.

*RosaLuma: The knockback from Luma, most of the time, sends the opponent right into the galaxy created by Rosalina's animation to rack a nice 12% damage.


Down Air (Dair)


-Rosalina's Dair

Description: A halo comes out of Rosalina's dress and travels a small distance before disappearing.

Damage: 2%-8% depending on the timing of the attack. If sweetspotted, it deals 7% damage and a spiking effect.

Rosalina solo: It can be used as an edgeguard when unsweetspotted and even better when sweetspotted at medium-to-high percentages (starting at 50%). It's hard to spike the enemy at first, because your timing must be ALMOST PERFECT, and it doesn't spike like Lucina's Dair or DK's Dair. Something like a semi-spike because the enemy can react a little earlier than normal. Best used when really above the enemy. Hits through platforms.

-Luma's Dair

Description: Luma kicks down in front of her, dropping altitude a little bit, making an angry face.

Damage: 5%.

Luma solo: This is it. THIS IS THE MOVE. Luma's best KO move. EXCELLENT priority and even better knockback. This is Luma's best source of gimps as it launches enemies really far (even at 40-ish percentages it can delete 1 stock from the opponent if hit offstage). Best KO move in her kit. I MEAN IT. Nuff said.

*RosaLuma: Combine the launching and gimping capabilities from Luma with the spike from Rosalina. There you go. Although Luma can be a nuisance when trying to spike the enemy, there's a certain trick you can do... but I'll talk about that later.


Back Air (Bair)


-Rosalina's Bair

Description: Rosalina kicks behind her, creating a galaxy at her feet.

Damage: 11%.

Rosalina solo: Excellent move for edgeguarding and SHFFing. Comes out fast and has a disjointed hitbox (like all of Rosalina's aerials, duh). It has little ending lag so you can use it to rack damage and push your enemies towards the ledge. Use it when you see fit.

-Luma's Bair

Description: Luma quickly travels backwards, kicking everything on her way, then returning to her original position.

Damage: 4%.

Luma solo: Can gimp enemies because of one reason: horizontal knockback. We all love horizontal knockback... except for you, yes, you on the right, you've been gimped too many times by horizontal knockback, so now you hate it.

*RosaLuma: Attacks at two very different altitudes (like all of their attacks, but in this one it is more noticeable, duh). Two altitudes, gimping capabilities, SHFFable. You do the math.


Well, that concludes the A button attacks and the most basic things you must know to get started on Rosalina. You must get used to those mechanics and learn both movesets BEFORE trying to press the B button. Don't even try it... hey, I said don't... stop it... stop that... I have cookies... good reader, here, you can have one. With that said (stop looking at the B button) let's go to the Special attacks section.






This section will be a little tricky to explain since not every B command affects Luma directly. I will describe the moves a bit different from the Ground and Aerial section.


Luma Shot (Neutral B)

Description:

Damage:

Rosalina & Luma (yes, not RosaLuma): Luma can cover 3/4 of any Omega form stage, if fully charged. When just tapping B, she will travel half the distance I mentioned. This will put Luma on the "sparkling" mode, named after the flashing effect she gets after being launched. What? Didn't notice it? No more cookies for you. This move is extremely good for mix-ups, which you'll be trying to get a lot since Rosalina's throws don't always give you free follow-ups. The way you use this move it's going to tell your enemy if you're a good Rosalina or not. These are some set-ups I've found really usefuland will help you mix you Luma game:

-F-throw to Luma shot: This move will put Luma right in front of your opponent. You can either jab, side-b, ftilt, dtilt or utilt.

-D-throw to Luma shot: Same as above. You have to consider your opponent's percentage and DI, though. Keep that in mind.

-When your opponent is offstage: You can position yourself just so Luma can get right below the ledge and start using their rapid jabs. This can be quite obnoxious if your opponent doesn't have an invincible up B or any means to stop Luma, like a trascendent priority move/projectile. If they do, don't send Luma to th eledge, cause that'll be certain death.

-When you're reading and airdodge: If you get the feeling your opponent is going to airdodge, start charging your Luma Shot until their invincibility frames end, then release it for a really nice punish. It can get you a stock as early as 90-110% depending on their weight and how close they're to the blastzones.


Star bits (Side B)


Description:

Damage: 8% if every star bit hits. Approximately 2%-3% damage each.

Rosalina & Luma: This is their main means of projectiles. They have fair range and good damage. Also they can zone the enemy A LOT. This serves as a nice edgeguarding ability since it can catch your opponents offguard and it's a good tool to rack up damage. Always be aware of Luma's positioning in relation with yours to be sure you use this move effectively. You can only use this attack when Luma is available. Also, weirdly enough, if Luma gets hit while performing Star Bits, the projectiles won't have any effect whatsoever on the opponents, they'll just pass through them.

Note: Really useful move for mix-ups and mindgames, which we'll cover later.


Gravitational Pull


Description:

Damage: No damage.

Rosalina & Luma: Immune to projectiles. You read it. IMMUNE TO PROJECTILES. Sorry, my caps lock is kinda crazy these days. Rosalina is unaffected by any projectile, except for things that don't damage her directly such as Link's bombs, Bowser Jr. mechakoopas, Sheik's stealth bombs, etc. This is because the ability "safely pulls items near her", but Rob's lasers or Robin's Arcthunder can't be pulled safely, right? How ever you'll be able to get Rob's Gyro this way. If Luma isn't near you, she will be vulnerable to any kind of projectile: only the area surrounding Rosalina is affected by her Gravitational Pull. Don't go ham with this move, though, or your opponents will catch up and bait/punish you accordingly.


Launch Star


Description:

Damage: No damage.

Rosalina & Luma: If any of you dare to say this isn't one of the best recovery moves on the game, I'll be really angry. Yeah, really really angry. I won't hurt you or your family, I'm just going to be really mad at you. Seriously guys, stop looking for serial killers on every corner of the internet, jeez. This move is incredibly, INCREDIBLY good. You can recover even if you can only see yourself on the screen bubble. It's insane. Really, really insane. You can edgeguard with ease thanks to this move and, to make it even better, you can control the trajectory in which you will be launched. It's that good. The only downfall (no pun intended... actually... nah, it wasn't intended) is that it has no hitbox so you can be hit out of it with relative ease if your opponent decides to go offstage to get you. A good piece of advice: master this move before going to real battles, trust me, it is confusing at first, but you'll get the hang of it by practicing a lot. I will explain it further at the Mechanics section, so be patient.

That ends with the complete moveset of Rosalina and... wait... Did I forget something? No, I didn't forget anything. The next section is about Rosalina's grabs and that will finish the Moveset chapter entirely (and finally). Let's move on.






Note: Someone has to say it: Rosalina's grab range sucks. It really does. Try it for yourself. I speak the truth. Oh, well, you can pivot grab for increased grab range so... let's continue. You also need to know that all of Rosalina's grabs are the same with or without Luma by her side, so there's no point to split this section into two descriptions. Also, Luma can't do anything while Rosalina is grabbing an enemy, so don't expect her to be as miraculous as Nana.


Pummel


Description: Rosalina hits the opponent with her wand, causing a chimmery (does that word even exist?) sound and leaving a stellar dust trail.

Damage: 2%

Rosalina & Luma: Fast pummel. Nice if you can put two or three on the enemy.


U-Throw


Description: Rosalina raises and hurls the opponent upwards.

Damage: 7%

Rosalina & Luma: Pretty good throw at low percentages. You can use it for good combos on heavier characters even at 40-ish percentages. I really like this throw.


F-Throw


Description: Rosalina throws the enemy on a 50° angle after waving her wand in a circle motion.

Damage: 9%

Rosalina & Luma: Not as good as her other throws. I only use it to throw the enemy out of the stage or set for a Luma shot mix-up. You can use it for some early combos as well. Analyze the weight and damage the enemy has taken and you can decide to use this throw instead of the U-Throw. It's up to you.


D-Throw


Description: Rosalina slams the opponent on the ground, causing him to bounce upwards.

Damage: 9%

Rosalina & Luma: Excellent throw. You can put really good damage just by comboing using this throw. Pretty nice IMO.


B-Throw


Description: Rosalina spins the enemy around her and hurls him backwards in a graceful motion.

Damage: 11%

Rosalina & Luma: I. Love. This. Throw. It puts a nice 11% plus excellent launching potential. Think of it as Mewtwo's U-Throw in Melee, just backwards. It's really strong. You can put the opponent in a really bad position if you use this move near the edge. Use it whenever you can.

Well, that puts and end to the biggest section of this guide. You can check the moves on the Character discussion forum as well, but I wanted to tell you, from my personal point of view (and with some strategic vision as well, not only subjective material), how the moves work and which of them are more useful than others. With this out of the way, we can proceed to the juicy part of the guide: the strategy, mechanics and advanced mechanics you can learn with Rosalina & Luma.






The name says it all: Three ways of playing you must learn to rule every character in the game. As I've been saying during this guide, Rosalina & Luma are on the complex side and you need to use them either together, separately or Rosalina solo mode. This helps the most flexible players to display all of their creativity on good plays and games overall. If you can think fast and creatively, you're gonna have a good time. Onto the good stuff!

Note: If you're reading this, I'm assuming you already know how to make Luma jump, turn, slowly advance, drop altitude, dash forward and dash backwards without even thinking about the B button. If not, go to the Moveset section and read the words colored as Luma, you'll need it.


Un (Rosalina solo stance)


Let's start with the basics. When Rosalina is in solo mode you have decreased kill potential, decreased zoning capabilities, you have no meatshield to absorb incoming projectiles or attacks, you're no longer semi-immune to grabs and two of your special moves are down (Luma shot and Star Bits). Very bad news. In this stance Rosalina is most vulnerable, but also has some decent moves to do the spacing while waiting for Luma to respawn (the longer 13 seconds of your life). Your Jab is desirable because you gain 3 precious seconds if you hit the fast Jab (with the multihits at the end). You may want to use you D-tilt to create space and your D-Smash to sweep around if they try to approach you. Bair and Nair are really good to keep the space since Bair is fast and has enough knockback to keep you safe (and the damage is nice too). Nair is used to confuse the opponent with its strange hitbox and the maneuverability you have while airborne. Another option is, assuming you're on a "floating stage" like Final Destination or Battlefield, to drop down and go underneath the stage to get to the other side (yes, she can do that). Kinda risky if your opponent is fast and you don't have absolute control of her Launch Star (you must). Thanks to Rosalina's superb traction, you can dash repeatedly without slipping, by tapping the control stick, letting it go, tapping it again and doing it many times. This technique is known as "Fox trotting", and Rosalina has a very very good Fox trot IMO. You can chose to "dash dance" in place too. This will give you control and mindgame capabilities.

Note: Just as a little side note, if you wanna get the hang of her "Dash dancing", listen to Kaguya Houraisan's theme "Flight of the Bamboo Cutter" and move left and right along with the music. Thanks, ZUN!

Recommended moves:

Jab
D-tilt
D-Smash
Bair
Nair


Deux (Rosalina & Luma Duo stance)


This is where Rosalina & Luma are together and Luma is not sparkling. This stance offers the most protection for both of them: Rosalina can shield Luma (if the shield is healthy) and Luma can protect Rosalina using her great hitboxes and knockback. Also, they both have damaging combos if spaced and performed correctly. Jab is recommended because of the extended range thanks to Luma. D-tilt is a better option for spacing and edgeguarding than before, and F-tilt comes into play thanks to the range and knockback. All of your smashes come into play at this point, where your raw killing potential is at max. Your Aerial game improves, especially Nair and Bair. But there is one move that destroys everything at this point: your Dair. Dair will be your main gimping tool and you can abuse it. SH-Dair-FF and you have immense knockback and priority. You can even hit small characters like Jigglypuff with this. In general, all moves get improved and you recover the Luma Shot and the Star Bits, your one projectile. You can decide when to use Luma Shot , which gives you sort of a secret weapon; Luma Shot can punish approaching enemies because it has a big hitbox. Use it wisely. Much better than Rosalina solo. Use this stance when facing hard engage characters such as Diddy Kong, Sheik, Zero Suit Samus, Sonic, etc. Someone who can put lots of pressure on you.

Recommended moves:

Jab
U-tilt (super anti-air)
D-tilt
U-Smash (obviously)
F-Smash (KO move)
D-Smash
Uair (KO's light characters at early percentages)
Dair
Bair
Luma Shot (depending on the situation)
Star Bits


Trois (Rosalina & Luma + Courtesy Guest Multi stance)

Introduces the sparkling phase of Luma. This is where Luma really shines (must... resist... stupid... jokes... must... ok, I won). It once was by far the most useful as well as hardest stance to master in their mechanics. That is no longer the case. It made them exploit their most notable capabilities: zoning, edgeguarding and comboing. But, since people started to understand the match-up against Rosalina better, this stance is now just occasional at best. You still have some good set ups, but for the majority of it, this stance is too dangerous to use. A simple attack will be the end of Luma. As long as Luma keeps getting knocked around so easily, this stance won't help you much. The good news, though, is that you can still get some really neat edgeguards by using this Multi stance, so all hope is not lost.

I made a short pause here cause it was needed. I didn't give you a list of best moves because it all depends on the positioning on everyone and who you are battling against. If you still want to know the best moves, they were explained at the Moveset section: the information is there, you just have to get used to Rosalina & Luma and adjust to their gameplay (and put your own essence into it too) There is so much information you need to analyze first and many matches to play against very different characters to get the hang about what you can do. Stop reading here and play with Rosalina & Luma for a while, this will help you understand the upcoming section: the Must-know techniques and advanced mechanics.






This section will change every now and then, depending on how often I discover new techniques and how the other people start to play the different characters. Don't be worried about it being absolute, this is the most versatile part of the guide. You can also post your suggestions in the comments section and I will try everything I read there. Also, I have no video camera at the moment but I promise I will record some footage in order to make the techniques easier to understand. The techniques will be written in a format similar to the Moveset section, and will contain very specific details. I hope it doesn't get confusing to you, and if it does, you can try them at the same time you're reading this, and you'll be able to pull off the tricks, trust me. Without anything more to say, let's get started.


Stellar Waltz


Requirements: Rosalina & Luma are on Deux stance.

Usefulness: 5.5/10

How to perform:

Step 1: Slowly walk forward.
Step 2: Turn very fast two times in a row.
Step 3: Pivot walk from this point on.

How does it look: Rosalina and Luma start to dance in front of each other, like if Rosalina were pulling some strings on Luma, double pivot walking and creating a very confusing pattern. From this point, they can perform ANY attack; smashes, tilts, specials. Anything.

Effect: It's very confusing for the enemy. You have 4 directions to attack: Both of you to the right, both to the left, both attacking outside your zone and both attacking in the middle of your zone. It's a very tricky move and prevent the enemy from approaching most of the time. Although it's just pivot walking for the most part, the fact that you can control Luma's rhythm makes it very unique amongst the other characters' pivot walking abilities. You won't have time to use it a lot, though, but when it comes to play you'll see the results.


Lunar Landing


Requirements: Rosalina & Luma are on Deux or Trois stance.

Usefulness: 10/10

How to perform:

Step 1: Jump (or be in a landing sequence).
Step 2: Just when about to hit the ground (and I mean, VERY close to the ground), perform an Aerial (any aerial works, most notably Fair and Bair).

How does it look: Rosalina lands normally and only the tapping sound of her heels is heard, but Luma attacks with one of her aerials, depending on which command you input. The game counts it as a landing sequence for Rosalina, and as such, she can perform ANY attack after Lunar Landing. In other words, the game thinks you landed normally and let's you do any move you desire, while Luma attacks at the same time.

Effect: Very, very, VERY unexpected for the opponent. You are just landing and then they receive a hit from Luma and think "what did just happen?!". It is very, extremely, absolutely important for you to learn this technique. It works with any of Rosalina's aerials (Uair and Dair are special cases, which I will explain shortly), especially Fair because it cancels Rosalina's ending lag but let's Luma attack nonetheless. Bair is another good option but it's a little more difficult to perform. The hardest one to perform (without making any sound other than her heels landing), is Nair, since it autocancels itself and you must be very precise. But don't worry, it's not very punishable for the fact I just mentioned. This advanced technique gives you an enormous mindgaming potential, and can put your opponent on a disadvantageous position. You can use it to defend yourselves in Deux stance or be very aggressive and dominant on Trois stance. Definitely the MUST-LEARN technique.

Note: To make sure you did it right, you must be able to dash immediately after landing, which opens the gate for the next AT.


Dashing Lunar Landing


Requirements: Rosalina & Luma are on Deux stance specifically.

Usefulness: 10/10

How to perform:

Step 1: Perform a Lunar Landing.
Step 2: Immediately dash left or right (easier done with a C-Stick).

How does it look: Rosalina & Luma perform a Lunar Landing followed by the dashing sequence of Rosalina.

Effect: This technique EXTENDS Luma's aerial attack (specially Fair). This only works when on Deux stance because Luma will follow Rosalina, and thus, will perform a "Dashing Forward Aerial attack". Yes. Yes, I know. Exactly. You're totally right (I'm reading your mind, by the way). It is an AWESOME move. It works wonders while using it offensively and most notably defensively. If dashing forward while LL Fair, Luma's fair will gain more range. If used while retreating, Luma's semi-vertical knockback of the move will effectively protect Rosalina. A Dashing LL Nair will greatly confuse the opponent because of Luma's back-and-forth momentum, working both offensively and defensively. You will love this move. While LL works best on Trois stance, Dashing LL is one of the most useful techniques on Deux stance. You can Dashing LL Bair too, but due to Luma's Bair being faster, I only recommend to use it while retreating or edgeguarding from a safe position.


Shifting Tempos


Requirements: Rosalina & Luma are on Trois stance.

Usefulness: 3/10

How to perform:

Step 1: Jab once.
Step 2: Quickly pivot and jab once again.
Step 3: Repeat without making Rosalina or Luma perform the second attack of the Jab sequence.

How does it look: Luma punches, punches, punches, slightly moving forward after every attack. Rosalina turns, turns, turns, shifting the possible direction of her next move (assuming it wouldn't be another Jab).

Effect: If your opponent is cautious, it will confuse him, cause he knows that the direction where Rosalina is looking can affect the direction of Luma's next attack. Another great tool for mindgames. It won't come to play very much, but knowing you can control Rosalina in this way will make you improve. Also, if the enemy is off stage, you can slowly advance Luma, with graceful movements, which is always nice... and flashy.


Bordercancelling


Requirements: Rosalina & Luma are on Deux stance.

Usefulness: 8/10

How to perform:

Step 1: Grab a ledge.
Step 2: Perform a ledgejump (by tapping the jump button)
Step 3: Input the command for any aerial or special move.

How does it look: Rosalina ledgejumps while commanding Luma to perform whichever attack she wants.

Effect: Massive edgeguarding potential. As soon as Rosalina's hands let go off the ledge, you can perform ANY aerial or ANY special, even Launch Star. This is especially useful for one simple reason: Luma stays at ledge level, even a little bit lower. It can only mean one thing: infinite gimping possibilities. Ledgejump Bair is very useful since Rosalina will attack very high but Luma will perform her Bair just at ledge level. Uair is great because it comes out extremely fast, allowing you to quickly juggle the opponent. Dair falls a little bit behind because most characters will sweetspot the ledge before Luma can hit them, but it can be used sometimes. Fair can help you get rid of the enemy if he's standing near the ledge (which he most likely will). Nair is kinda meh in this situation, but don't underestimate it. The best special attacks you can perform from this position are Luma Shot and Star Bits. Luma Shot rams right into the enemy in front of you and it comes out really, really fast (believe me). Star Bits can be used to rack a little more damage on a returning enemy as well as momentum canceling your ascension, which can be used for mindgames. Excellent move that aids you on your recovery and gimps the opponent's. Use it a lot, it will help you improve your edgegame.


Starcancelling


Requirements: Rosalina and Luma are on Deux stance.

Usefulness: 8/10

How to perform:

Step 1: Perform a Lunar Landing
Step 2: Use Luma Shot or Star Bits just after the Aerial attack input.

How does it look: Rosalina will perform a Lunar Landing, thus commanding Luma to attack, but shortly after Luma's aerial will be canceled by Luma Shot/Star Bits.

Effect: Combos, combos everywhere. Also, it will help you enter Trois stance since you will have the momentum on your favor. Luma Shot comes so fast that you can LL (Lunar Land) a Bair and quickly perform a Luma Shot, hitting the opponent before he can react. Star Bits comes out EVEN FASTER. You can LL a Fair and completely cancel Luma's trajectory, forcing her to use Star Bits instantly. This ability complements Lunar Landing and helps you effectively reach Trois stance as I mentioned. Just be careful not to get too carried away if you know that character can put you into a lot of pressure when Luma is not by your side.

Note: Star Bits can also cancel the momentum of Rosalina's jump and completely stop her dashing animation, so we will talk about the things that can be done with this right now.


Jump-Starcancelling


Requirements: Rosalina & Luma are on Deux stance.

Usefulness: 3.5/10

How to perform:

Step 1: Jump forward or backwards.
Step 2: Use Star Bits immediately after jumping.

How does it look: Rosalina jumps in any given direction while Luma attacks with Star Bits, thus, slowing Rosalina jumping animation a tad bit.

Effect: This helps you get on the platforms of Battlefield while being relatively safe. You only have to do a full jump towards a platform and use Star Bits to force your opponent's shield or dodge. You can also use it as a semi-edgeguarding tool by dropping down the legde, then jumping backwards and use Star Bits to hit your opponent. Another use for this technique is to run away from an enemy and then Jump-Starcancel it to defend yourself. As you can see, it is very situational but can be really helpful to ensure your safety on stages with platforms (assuming you're being chased by an enemy) and for mix-ups on the edgeguarding department, which allows Rosalina to be unpredictable. Learn to use it but don't over use it or your enemy will see it coming and you will be punished.


Super Star Get-Up


Requirements: Rosalina & Luma are on Deux or Trois stance.

Usefulness: 9/10

How to perform:

Step 1: You need to be on the ground.
Step 2: Roll/tech/get up to the desired direction.
Step 3: Input a tilt or jab command.

How does it look: Rosalina performs the desired action (roll, normal get up or get up attack) and Luma attacks using the selected move.

Effect: This technique is most effective while on Deux stance, cause it can completely nullify incoming tech chases due to Luma being on the way all the time. Whenever you get hit, Luma normally stands (levitates?) still until a command is input. This means you need to attack for her to come back to you. But, if you tech on the ground after being hit and then input a tilt or a jab, Luma will perform whichever move you choose while Rosalina recovers frrom the fall. Even if you miss the tech, while you roll backwards/forward, Luma can still attack. This is EXTREMELY useful to break incoming combos and regain momentum after a fall. Use this technique a lot and try to read your opponent's incoming punish to select the move that fits the ocasion (U-tilt if they jump, D-tilt-F-tilt if they come right at you). You can even fast jab, which takes us to our next AT...


Fencing Luma


Requirements: Rosalina & Luma are on Deux or Trois stance.

Usefulness: 3/10, 5/10, 7/10*.

How to perform:

Step 1: You need to be laying on the ground, on the landing animation after using Launch Star or breaking out of a grab.
Step 2: If you're laying on the ground, roll, get up normally or use the get up attack.
Step 3: Use the fast jab (press the A button four times quickly) and DO NOT let go off the A button.

How does it look: Rosalina recovers using any of the options mentioned above while Luma spins in place.

Effect: Luma transforms herself into a living fence! She stays in place while you can move freely around the stage. You may think "well, if I have to press the A button and DO NOT let go off it, how am I suppossed to attack?". Here's when the magic begins. Even after you stop pressing the A button during a fast jab, Luma still spins for a little while and then ends the attack with a headbutt. That "little while" is more than enough for you to input ANY aerial, tilt or smash attack and play like you normally would, except for the fact that Luma will be there, being an infinite galaxy of hitboxes annoying your oppnent. You can even grab, pummel and throw your opponent! And you may be thinking "Why would I want to enter a pseudo-Un stance when I can perfectly use Luma to beat my opponent!?1!?? *Random screams, probably some swearing*". Well, the answer to that is: space control. Luma will me covering ground on a consistent way while you fight your opponent. Of course, this exposes Luma to some degree, but at the same times nullifies a wide variety of attacks and projectiles. You can hide behind her, push your opponents towards her, control platforms, control the ledge of the stage, cover multiple recovery options, etc., but you need to be good at using Rosalina as a solo character for this to work. You can always end Luma's infinite spinning by using Star Bits, Luma Shot when near her (you can even use pivot Luma Shot for some neat mindgames) or letting go the A button. This AT has great potential, so train with it in different scenarios to see how it works for you.

*Note: The uselfuness varies depending on which character your opponent is using, and where are you fighting.





Okay, so we're finally here. The Match-up section. I'm going to analyze the neutral game, the possible edgeguarding tools to deal with them and the way they can edgeguard you. This is going to cover the match-ups starting from the hard ones to the relatively easy ones. This information helps every player in general, not only the Rosalina ones. If you want to know how to beat Rosalina & Luma, this might be helpful to you. On the other hand, if you're the Rosalina who's going to face this guys... be prepared. And I mean it; keep your cute Luma cushion with you.

-Pikachu 60/40

General: This is, in my opinion, the hardest match-up for the Rosaline & Luma player. Not only is Pikachu a pretty small target, but he is a rush-down combo-oriented character who can get rid of Luma with ease. His Fair can pretty much do the job. He can U-tilt (who beats Luma around) and comboes you. And, to top it off, one of his best moves, the Up-smash, can really destroy Rosalina as early as 95%. Since Rosalina is so light and floaty, moves that kill off the top are the best to deal with her. You do the math.

Neutral game: He can poke you with Quick Attack, space you with Fair, and run around freely. You have to be very patient at this match up. Hit him with jabs and d-tilts, try to catch his rolls with Down smash and pivot grabs. The really effective way to deal with Pikachu is to kill him with Up air; he lacks a move to challenge the Almighty-Celestial Up air. You can kill him very early with this move, but you'll have to catch him, first.

Edgeguarding: It's pretty hard. You have to read his Quick Attack in order to answer with Bair/Dair or hit him before he performs said move. You can, as well, go for mix-ups and get him with Up air; that works wonders. But against a good Pikachu, it's gonna be hard.

Recovering: Since Rosalina's recovery move is pretty obvious he can catch you with anything and retunr safely to the stage; even Up air to stage spike if you don't tech it. Be careful.

-Shiek 60/40

General: This girl is the bane of your existence. I'm not joking. The main strategy to beat Rosalina & Luma is to separate them from each other. Sheik only needs to hit a Fair to do so. Not that she likes to do that. At all.

Neutral game: If you've watched tournament matches starring (tee-hee, starring, sta-... fine.) Rosalina & Luma vs Sheik, you know that Sheik counters her pretty hard. It's not impossible, but Sheik has all the tools to get rid of Luma and then beat Rosalina. Luma gets hit by her needles, which is good and bad at the same time: good because you're not receiving that damage, but bad because she gets locked in hitstun. A Fair can put you in the air, where you don't want to be, really, and Sheik can carry you over to the other side of the stage because of how floaty you are. The main problem for Rosalina players is landing. If you're not on the floor, you're in trouble. Sheik is dangerous because she can keep you in the air, where you cannot perform things like LL, grabs or really good spacing using Luma. Keep her at bay with jabs and d-tilts (usual stuff) while mixing up your Star Bits to get that extra damage on. You can Bair but use it sparingly since she can easily fast fall and run at you before you even finish your Bair's animation. No joke. You have to bait her a little and really make use of you Lunar Landing abilities. This match-up can turn you into a very good Rosalina & Luma player if you practice a lot.

Edgeguarding: To edgeguard Sheik is a pretty hard thing by itself. Let alone using Rosalina. The things you CAN do is read her Bouncing Fish and punish with Dair, go for the two-framer (every character has 2 frames before they grab the ledge in which they are vulnerable) or go for a Bair (I recommend Bair insted of Dair in this one) before she turns invincible while using Vanish.

Recovering: Sheik can poke you really hard, 4% at a time, but it will add up. She will constantly try to stop you with Nairs, Fairs and Bairs (if you're at high %). Rosalina is very vulnerable while recovering, that's why you have to remember to mix up your Launch Star by sometimes going for the stage, or using the different angles of your Up B (very very important).

-Meta Knight 60/40

General: "But wait. Seriously? Meta Knight? Come on!" -you may say. That only proves you have never even encountered a real Meta Knight.

Neutral game: Oh boy. Oh b-b-boy. Meta Knight is a hard counter for Rosalina for some seemingly (and I stress, SEEMINGLY) odd reasons. But first I'll cover which attacks destroy Luma and how easy are they to pull off. For starters, have you ever seen that little yellow circle on your gamecube controller? The one with a stick and a letter "C" on it? Well, that's how he can get rid of Luma. There you go. Nair, Fair, Bair and F-tilt are the attacks you're not looking forward to see. Sadly, those are moves that pretty much every Meta Knight use. Mostly Fair, f-tilt and Bair. Meta Knight thrives on heavy punishes and is well equipped to do so. One of the main problems for Rosalina & Luma is landing on the stage; Meta Knight can punish characters who cannot properly/safely land. One d-tilt may be your doom. One dash attack can be you doom. One seemingly minor read can still be your doom. As stated before, Rosalina is very floaty and light, which makes her easy to kill off the ceiling. Guess wha-, hey, at least let me finish my sentence. Come on, please. Thank you. Guess what. Yes, you totally guessed it; brawl lives on. The Up air to Shuttle Loop (Up B) combo is an enormous threat to Rosalina. You have to avoid it at all costs. Any little mistake, and you'll get punished. Be really wary.

Edgeguarding: As far as edgeguarding Meta Knight goes, it's nothing especially difficult since you have your trusty Dair to deal with him. Try to gimp him with Dair or Bair before he Shuttle Loops. It can be tricky, but definitely possible (I've done that to some good Meta Knight players on tourneys).

Recovering: Welp. He can fly... five times... and attack every single one of them. He can use Bair for an easy kill or get you with a Nair to get Luma out of the way. Remember the on stage mix-ups but be ready to be catched by some Shuttle Loops on the process. Good Meta Knights know their punish game.

-Captain Falcon 55/45

General: C. Falcon is fast and strong. He can approach you and combo you kinda hard, and has little to no trouble dealing with Lumas.

Neutral game: His dash attack, Bair and Falcon Kick beat Luma, putting you in a bad spot. Something as simple as a Bair/Dash attack can leave you open for a while, and you don't want that. You can fight him a little bit easier than Sheik, but you'll need to space very well. Don't try to challenge him in the air, though. The only move you can use while on Un stance is Bair; everything else is too slow. C. Falcon's aerials come out faster than yours, but you can fight him while grounded. Your f-tilt and d-tilt can do the job. Jab and grab if you can, too. You can go for the occasional Nair but only for mix-ups.

Edgeguarding: One good thing is that, if you send him offstage, you can gimp him with ease. He has no means to challenge your Dair. Your Bair is kinda unsafe if not spaced properly, cause he can sometimes grab you with his Up B (has happened to me at local tourneys). Dair is your go-to move to gimp.

Recovering: The worst part of the match-up is when you're offstage. C. Falcon has a really cheap meteor that can kill you as early as 40%. Also, Rosalina's head sticks out of the ledge beforse she can grab it, so you'll be easy meat there.




Well, guys and girls, this concludes my Rosalina & Luma guide for now. Be sure to test all these stuff for yourselves and tell me what you think about. I'll add more as soon as I discover new things. Also, I plan on expanding this guide when I know every match up a little better. For now, this is all I can bring you. I really hope you enjoy reading this guide (I really hope, or else... I'll be angry, really angry... and we all know what happens when I'm angry). Best of luck to you!