Character: Pikachu
Current BBR MU Rating: -2
Stages:
-Ban: Halberd
-Strike: FD/YI
-Counterpick: BF/Frigate
Lucas Boards MU Rating: 0
MU Summaries.
[collapse=Summaries]
Well I'm back again with my MU summary, but this time on Pikachu.
Let's start with the mathematics this time because we have things we can absorb in this match-up.
Magnetable Projectiles:
Thunder: Around 23-26% (doesn't matter which part)
Thunder-jolt: Around 26% *the ball in the air* Around 13-15% *the full length hit of it
D-air to D-tilt lock %: 64 *Again, yes, that low*
Dthrow kill: 140%
Remember though, this isn't noted here but you get more health from absorbing the ball of Thunder jolt than the actual squiggly thing that hits the ground. Thunder is a great healer. You will be healing mainly from the shaft of the attack but it really doesn't matter where you heal on it. Just some fun facts about this thanks to Doubles Healing Strategies.
Starting with the camp game of Pikachu:
Pikachu's camp game becomes seriously hindered in this MU. Lucas has the ability to gain off of it so Pikachu will not be camping Lucas at all while we can camp him more. Therefore, forcing Pikachu to approach which is harder to do because of PKF. Pikachu has QAC to help him approach and the like but still the fact that we hinder his camp-game/approach so well with PKF, PSIM and Cancelling it really helps us do wonders in the MU.
Unlike other small characters, the only way Pikachu can not be hit on the ground by our PKF/SHPKF is by ducking under it or taunting. (Yes, he can taunt and not get hit but...yeah)
There is little to no-reason why Lucas should be approaching Pikachu directly in this MU. Make him come to you to put it simply.
Killing potential from Pikachu are as follows:
QAC->Nair
Nair in general
Fsmash if it sweet-spots *his cheeks are the sweet-spot*
Usmash for vertical kills
Dsmash
Thunder
Although the PSIM makes Pika's more cautious to use Thunder sparingly, it is still in their arsenal of kill moves and you will not be magneting every single Thunder. Dsmash, DI DI DI, still a nuisance to deal with but remember to DI this as just a common knowledge thing. Usmash will be a pain to deal with if you are not watching you are doing.
If you do get hit by Pika's DSmash, do NOT try and Magnet the oncoming thunder. Reason being, you are more subject to getting hit by it before your magnet comes out due to hit-stun and will more likely die from it. Remember to just DI away from the Thunder and get back to the ground.
A good way Pika will have to kill us is by gimping us. It may sound a little ridiculous because we do not get gimped too often due to our options but Thunder (even with WBPKF) does make it a bit of a nuisance to get back to the stage. Time it well though, you can get some health out of the recovery. Plus Pika's Nair is annoying enough to deal with but the fact that Pika's gimping tools are both two of his more reliable kills moves makes him even more annoying when trying to get back to the stage. Be EXTRA careful in recovering with PKT2 in this MU, it honestly could spell something bad if you are too predictable with it.
A specific note: Landing in this MU is a bit of a ***** to deal with. Pikachu has several options to get us when we are landing and can chase us from the ground to be able to do things.
Another thing that may come as a bit of a surprise. Pika is astonishingly hard to gimp and has probably one of the better recoveries in the game. A good Pikachu will not be recovering with Skull Bash. If they do, punish them for all it's worth with whatever you feel you can best use in your arsenal in terms of Smashes. (Closer to the edge, Dsmash. Just above you, Usmash. Batter up? Fsmash the cuteness out of him.) Plus since his recovery is quick PKT doesn't have the best use in terms of racking up damage. You can get some hits on him from it but it's not going to do that much damage. *shrug* Damage is damage so take what you can get while he is off stage. PK Freeze is an option in this MU because it's big when it hits off-stage and encompasses more ground the hit Pika easier.
Range is an odd battle to discuss.
His Fsmash out ranges our Fsmash but we have better kill potential with ours. His Dsmash range is insane but can be DI'd. Our Ftilt has I want to say equal range if not better than his Dtilt but that is something I need to research more about. I wanna say our Dtilt is closer to his Dtilt, but than again, foggy memory on his Dtilt atm. His Utilt is annoying! Grrrr haha. It's great for getting us up in the air for set-ups. Just because cautious is all to really say, with the right spacing, it's not too hard of a battle for going against Pikachu on the ground.
I feel like going into the aerials of this MU now.
Due to our Air Speed, we do pretty decently against Pika in the air, and the fact that our moves out-range his there is another added bonus. Expect to get juggled at least a little bit in this MU. His Uair and Nair are good tools for this. However in terms of range/priority, Pika's two moves that have better priority is are Fair and Dair. Our Fair outranges his Fair though due to disjoint and our Uair is of course a lovely tool to have to juggle Pikachu and dealing with him a bit. Most of Pikachu's Aerials are close to hit body so head's up on that one. *'Cept Uair due to his tail being the main hitter of that one*
His Nair beats out our Nair because it comes out in 2 frames. (Pika's Nair is so good...I keep bringing it up haha. It's a major thing to worry about in this MU!) Nair is still a good sheild pressure tool and the like. Be wary of OoS Usmash/Dsmash though.
On the ground a good thing to know when fighting Pikachu is this little trivia knowledge. Whenever Pikachu attacks, they are quicker, but at the same time they extend his hurtbox so SPACE YOUR MOVES! Hit dtilt has great range and outranges our Fsmash (iirc) but our Ftilt is great for dealing with Pika in this MU.
Getting Pikachu up in the air above you will help you a lot but due to QAC, he won't be staying the air too much.
Stages:
This one is actually really funny. Pikachu's worst stage, is our absolute best stage. Brinstar. If you can, take him there. You can honestly wreck him there. Another good CP place is Battlefield because the last I recall, Pikachu's do not really care for that stage. Smashville is as always a great neutral for Lucas and FD isn't the worst. Strike Yoshi's and Lylat.
You will want to ban Halberd here because you will have a bit of trouble here. For some reason, something is telling me in the back of my mind to possibly ban Rainbow Cruise...I wonder why. Well the chasing battle of this and Pikachu able to be annoying as heck on the boat makes for an interestingly aggravating fight. Ban to your preference at this MU. Halberd is the biggest threat of a stage.
Overall, in conclusion, neither side has a distinctive advantage over the other. Pikachu has his speed, but we have our range. We can kill a little easier than his can, but even then, it takes reads/baits from both sides to get the correct kills executed from either side (this could be said for any MU but the fact of this one is, it is just dead even in terms of who can kill who) Both can do a bit to mess with the other off-stage. In the air, both of these characters have their pluses *Pikachu juggles/Nair kill move* and we have our range *Fair/Dair/Uair**two of which can be kill moves at certain percentages***. Ground, neither have a true advantage.
This MU sits at a flat 0. There is little more I can really say around this MU *probably due to the hour I am writing this, if I think of more, I'll add it later*. but this MU is a give and take. Pikachu will be doing stuff to you at one point, than you will be returning it straight back to him. It's dependent on how well the player can outplay the other hence which makes it even. Both sides have their pros and both sides have their cons. If it wasn't for the Magnet aspect of this MU, it would most likely be a -1, however, because of it, it is a 0.
Those are my thoughts on Pika-pika.
I knew I forgot something.
Well in terms of Pikachu he has a couple options from our terrible releases as per usual. He has the buffered Dthrow chain on us to a good percentage and I believe he can get an Nair out of the Air Release if timed right. I don't believe it's garunteed though, please someone correct me on this if I have it wrong.
Also Pikachu can get a Ftilt/Dtilt off of us from a GR. I want to say he can get his Fsmash off, but it isn't a sweet-spotted. Still it's something.
Basically, just watch out. To be completely honest in this MU of running away from Pikachu and dealing damage to him at opportunities, you really should not be getting grabbed that much in this MU. Yes, it's a possibility for sure but we have the ability to avoid grabs pretty dag on well, especially against smaller opponents which is why we do so well against ICs.
[/collapse]Now this is a MU I used to play a lot more often when Brawl was a new game. It seems enthusiasm for this Earthbound boy has waned, though I do not understand why.
Let me state this right up front: Pikachu and Lucas go virtually even.
Both characters have their pros and cons in this MU. Pikachu moves faster, but Lucas has more range on a few of his key attacks.
The good Pikachu player will exploit the biggest pro he has here- his faster speed. The good Lucas player will make every attempt to space out the Pikachu player's barrages of attacks while playing very defensively.
Starting out, expect the Pikachu to throw out thunderjolts like it's no tomorrow. He doesn't care about Lucas' magnet since he's already at or near 0%. And even later on in the game, he may surprise Lucas with a thunderjolt, hoping for him to absorb it, so that he can use the move lag to his advantage. Don't fall into this mind game and trap.
On the ground, Lucas should throw out PKF to punish Pikachu's advances. Doing a jump backwards while using PKF is very safe. Zair is a great spacing move for Lucas and outranges Pikachu's very shortrange fair, which is often used to approach. Expect Pikachu to punish Lucas' lands with grab (if in range) or dtilt. He may also punish Lucas' lands with d smash. To escape this, SDI up. And if Pikachu grabs Lucas early on, expect a buffered d throw CG up to 33%, followed by a nair. Dair is an excellent tool for Lucas and is extremely difficult for Pikachu to punish. Pikachu would have to see it coming and respond with a nair. When Pikachu wishes to finish Luacs off, f smash is the go-to move. It outranges much of Lucas' arsenal. SH nair is a great priority move that is hard for Pikachu to do anything about. But don't spam it because the Pikachu does have options. OoS nair or a grab can make the Lucas player regret using nair should he pressure with it too often. Oh, by the way, did I mention OoS nair? That is so scary for the Lucas. Always expect this when the opportunity is presented to the Pikachu player. Lastly, if Pikachu is getting too close for comfort, jab is the GTFO move. Never be predictable. That is key.
In the air, neither player wants to be directly above the other. Lucas should try keeping Pikachu at bay with zair or PKF if he's approaching from the horizontal. Pikachu's uair is so quick and has such disjointed range that even Lucas' dair may prove no match. While Lucas is below, he should go all out with his own uairs. When edgeguarding Pikachu, Lucas' PKT is useful at least as a one-of move in postponing Pikachu's recovery. Lucas should not bother going for it a second time during the same edgeguard session, as the Pikachu's recovery will ultimately outspeed the next PKT, potentially leaving Lucas vulnerable. Lucas' d-smash can punish a faulty skull bash recovery, and u-smash will punish (and often kill) if the Pikachu makes the mistake of landing back onto the stage rather than grabbing the ledge. Now, when Lucas is trying to get back to the stage, he has his work cut out for him. Lucas should not be predictable with his up b recovery. Pikachu's sheer speed makes that all too punishable. And beware of Pikachu's thunderjolt hitting Lucas while he is in the process of aiming the PKT at himself in order to recover (any experienced Pikachu player has pinpoint deadly accuracy with thunderjolt while edgeguarding ;]). If launched far, Lucas should use his magnet to recover part of the way provided that Pikachu is not already chasing him and able to punish it. Then recover with zair if possible.
As far as stages, Battlefield is a pretty good stage to take Pikachu to. And if it's available, Pikachu will love to take Lucas to Halberd.
That's it from the top of my head. Hopefully ESAM will chime in. Everyone should watch MEKOS vs ESAM- there's 5 games between the two players in the grand finals.
