WarMachine
Smash Apprentice
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
- Messages
- 196
Who is Lucas?
Lucas is the main protagonist of the Japan exclusive game, Mother 3. The son of Flint and Hinawa, Lucas embarks on what may very well be the strangest and most heartrending tale ever told on any Nintendo game system.
Lucas begins as a shy and somewhat frightened child, but despite this and much personal loss, including the lives of those closest to him, Lucas changes and finally gains the strength he needs to change the world.
All I can say here is that if you've never played Mother 3, you've seriously missed out on one of the most awesome gaming experiences there is to be had. Go play it. Now.
Why play Lucas?
Let's get a couple things out of the way here. Lucas doesn't have the kind of appearance that would cause most people to say, "zomg, he looks awesome!" Mother certainly doesn't have the fan base other games like Mario or Zelda do. Also, his move set isn't necessarily the kind that will instantly appeal to everyone, being a kind of "middle of the road" character that isn't lightning quick and also doesn't cause earthquakes and global warming with every attack he lands.
So why play Lucas? Well, I'd argue that all of the above mentioned points are great reasons why you SHOULD play him!
Lucas may not look outwardly cool in the traditional sense, but he has a lot of awesome personal history and a sense of uniqueness that I'm sure anyone who played an under-used character in melee can appreciate.
The series may not have a huge fan base, but you can help change that! Showing people online how awesome Lucas can be will cause them to be more curious about the character, and to possibly look into their game, maybe even leading them to become a fan! With enough of a demand, the possibility of us getting Mother 3 in the states can increase.
And Lucas may not be hyper-specialized, but this also leaves him very flexible all around. Sure, he doesn't have the raw power of Ike, the running speed of Sonic, or the blazing fast attacks of Metaknight, but he DOES get a good all-around mixture which leaves him very able to adapt to situations as they arise. Lucas has an average run speed, average weight, and a solid mixture of insanely slow and powerful (up smash) to ridiculously fast and weak (down tilt) to every where in between! His grab range is good, his recovery is decent, and all-around most of his attacks are useful depending on the situation. Not to mention that he has quite an arsenal of projectiles at his disposal, all of which are uniquely useful in different situations, and a unique defensive option in PSI shield.
But really, either you'll like the play style or you won't. But why not give him a couple tries, and see how he fits you? With such an adaptable fighting style, I'm almost certain everyone can find a way to play Lucas that fits the way they want to play.
Pros and Cons:
PROS:
- Great air game
- Strong smash attacks
- Wide variety of projectiles
- Good combo ability
- Small target
- Extremely versatile
- Most attacks come out pretty fast with very little lag
- Good grab range
- Extremely powerful up smash
- Good priority
- Very good recovery range
- Isn't a space animal
CONS:
- Throws aren't exactly stellar
- Overall short range on many attacks
- PK Freeze can be hard to use 1v1
- Significant lag if you miss a grab
- Up smash is unbelievably slow
- Up special recovery can be difficult to use on certain stages
- Isn't a space animal
Kill Moves:
(Thanks to FightingGameGuy!)
Intro:
I was inspired by what I saw translated in the famitsu magazine/strategy guide/promo thing. I ran the same tests, using Mario at the default CPU level 3 seeing at what percent moves could kill Mario when he stands in the center of final destination.
Organized by lowest % for a kill:
Up-smash : 75
D-smash : 96
F-smash : 95 (not instant kill, instant kill at 97)
Down-B : 115 (not instant kill, instant kill at 147)
Up-B(2): 120
Neutral-B : 147
Up-throw : 151
Up-air : 152
F-air : 154
Up-tilt : 160
B-throw : 166
F-tilt: 177
Organized by type:
Smashes:
Up-smash : 75
D-smash : 96
F-smash : 95 (not instant kill, instant kill at 97)
Tilts:
Up-tilt : 160
F-tilt : 177
Aerials:
Up-air: 152
F-air: 154
Specials:
Down-B : 115 (not instant kill, instant kill at 147)
Up-B(2): 120
Neutral-B : 147
Throws:
Up-throw : 151
B-throw : 166
Notes:
Unlisted Moves: If a move was not listed it means it doesn't kill at sudden death. That includes Lucas' Side-B.
Smashes: Smash %'s come from using the C-stick. Non C-sticked smashes kill at slightly lower percents. (1-4%)
Non-Instant Kills: If a move is noted to not instant kill, it means that Mario died by failing to come back, not by dying off the side of the sceen. Note though, that the CPU level 3 mario DIs and comes back horribly. Thus, the percent for killing with these will probably be much higher against actual people.
Up-B(2): This refers to the last hit of PK Thunder2. I had started at the edge of the final destination, so only a few hits or none of the hits other than the last landed. The initial frame hit also seems to have identical strength.
Table of Contents:
Specials
[*]Standard Special
[*]Up Special
[*]Up Special(2)
[*]Side Special
[*]Down Special
[*]Up Smash
[*]Side Smash
[*]Down Smash
[*]Standard Combo
[*]Up Tilt
[*]Side Tilt
[*]Down Tilt
[*]Neutral Air
[*]Forward Air
[*]Back Air
[*]Up Air
[*]Down Air
[*]Dash Attack
[*]Edge Recovery Attack
[*]Ground Recovery Attack
[*]Grab/Tether Recovery
[*]Grab Attack
[*]Forward Throw
[*]Back Throw
[*]Up Throw
[*]Down Throw
[*]PK Starstorm
[*]Entrance
[*]Taunt 1
[*]Taunt 2
[*]Taunt 3
[*]Victory Pose 1
[*]Victory Pose 2
[*]Victory Pose 3
[*]Alternate Colors
[*]Kirby Hat
Major thanks go out to:
FightingGameGuy - Kill move %'s! Awesome!
Maggirus - Tons of awesome pictures, nair, fair, dair, usmash, taunts, etc.
Nessbounder - Info on up smash super armor frames
Serpit - Awesome info on the mechanics behind the down smash, down air, up air, and psi shield
Miller - First hand data on up tilt damage, up air info, and up throw
Noshiee - Helped with several damage percents, winning poses, kirby hat identification of several moves and discovery of throws
Firekid2 - For pointing out that I had the f-tilt and standard jab backwards
Specials:
Standard Special: PK Freeze
Damage: 10% (19%)
Lucas forms ice energy above his head, by holding the special button you can continue to charge this up and move it left or right. The projectile moves pretty quick, but the knock back isn't huge. This move has the potential to freeze the opponent. It knocks the opponent up after freezing them, so this really doesn't make too great of an edge guard.
Up Special: PK Thunder
Damage: 10% first zap, 1% per zap afterwards
A controllable projectile, much like the one Ness had in Melee, noted differences are slower speed, tighter turns, and the ability to pass through opponents. It's difficult to give a specific percentage of damage, as this ability shocks an opponent multiple times as it passes through them. On one of the cleaner shots I saw of it, however, it did 16% damage on one pass through Yoshi. Your mileage may vary. Of note is that this appears to knock the opponent backwards, and as such may potential be a very useful edgegaurd. Of course, if you hit yourself with the projectile, you will rocket forward into a different type of attack...
Up Special(2): PK Thunder(2)
Damage: 43%+
Lucas flies forward, hitting the opponent multiple times with a fairly strong tackle. This is useful for getting back to the stage, of course. As far as offense goes, this hits with a bunch of small hits, followed by one final hit with big knockback. The damage if you catch the enemy point-blank with every single hit is huge, but it sure isn't easy to pull off. It seems to cover a fairly large amount of distance as far as recoveries go.
Side Special: PK Fire
Damage: 8%
Lucas shoots a projectile which explodes on contact, dealing damage and moderate knockback. The flame pillar is pretty big, so I imagine it won't be too hard to hit multiple opponents at the same time with this one. It seems to fire off quicker than the PK Fire of old. Also of note is that this ability pushes Lucas backwards when fired, and as such can be used to waveland out of a short hop. All around, this looks to be the go-to projectile as a Lucas player. Oh-so spamable. =]
Down Special: PSI Magnet
Damage: 9%
Lucas reaches his arm forward, creating a shield of energy which absorbs energy based projectiles and converts them to health for Lucas. Contrary to what it may look like, this shield actually covers the whole of his body. If a projectile strikes you from behind while the shield is out, Lucas simply flips around instantly and catches it. Also, one of the more interesting additions to this move is that it now deals damage, and seems to fire off quick enough to be used as an attack. Knockback has been noted as being "surprising, but not enough to KO." The damage portion of the ability hits when you let go of the shield, NOT when it first comes out.
Smash Attacks:
Up Smash: PSI Explosion
Damage: 14%, 18-22% (uncharged)
Lucas focuses his energy, and then lets it loose all at once,, unleashing a powerful burst of PSI above his head. This is move is very slow and very powerful. It looks like it could potentially be very hard to hit with, but maybe there's some way to combo in to it that will make this one of the more powerful KO moves Lucas has at his disposal? Missing with this attack will surely leave you open to a counter attack. However, the power makes this one worth trying out.. The damage seems to fluctuate a bit. I've tested it, and as far as I can tell, if you hit the enemy dead-center, it will do 20-21%. Hitting the enemy with the edge of the blast will result in 18-19% damage, and the shiny "dust-like" after-effect that occurs after the initial explosion deals 14% damage and reduced knockback. Overall, the range on this puppy is HUGE, it reaches above, to the side of, and even below Lucas. There seem to be multiple hitboxes to the attack as well.
There have been rumor of super armor and even invincibility frames for this move. So far, there's not much proof of either. This move needs to be looked into quite thoroughly.
Side Smash: Stick Smash
Damage: 15% (uncharged)
Lucas smashes forward with a stick, similar to the bat smash Ness has in Melee. It comes out pretty quick and there isn't much lag afterwards, the knockback is pretty good, but the range is a little short. This is easily the most reliable finisher a Lucas player has at their disposal, so put it to good use.
Also, during the animation of this attack, Lucas will reflect projectiles back at his opponent using his stick. What does this mean for his metagame? Who knows! But it sure is cool. =]
Down Smash: PK Barrage
Damage: 18%, 16%, 14% (uncharged)
Lucas fires 3 bursts of PK energy at the ground in front of him. This attack hits three times, each time reducing the power by about 2%,, but chances are it's not going to hit the same opponent more than once. Apparently, it DOES hit behind Lucas - there are hidden hitboxes to this attack which reach a bit behind Lucas, so while it may not look like it covers both sides, it does.
Something neat: Down Smash a big heavy character (donkey kong) at 0% from close up and watch in awe as the attack hits multiple times bringing the enemy up to over 30% damage with one attack!
Tilts:
Standard Combo: Straight Kick Combo
Damage: 3%, 3%, 4%
A quick kick forward, very little knock back. Not much to say about this one. Continuing to attack will result in two additional kicks, dealing 10% damage total if all three hits land. The final hit has more knockback than the first two. Everything you'd expect from a standard combo.
Up Tilt: Psychic Kickflip
Damage: 3%, 8%
Lucas uses his psychic abilities to flip himself and kick upwards. This looks to be the slowest of his tilts, but that isn't saying much for Lucas. This attack is still ridiculously quick, and is a great combo starter and even a combo in and of itself at lower percents. Great attack.
This is actually two hits. The first occurs at the foot in the start of the attack and hits for 3%. The second occurs at the hexagon at the end of his foot towards the end of the attack and hits for 8%. I don't think it's possible to hit with the first hit but not the second, but you can most certainly hit with the second and not the first.
Side Tilt: PSI Punch
Damage: 9%
A quick backhand slap forward with his hand enveloped in PSI. Knockback seems pretty good, but probably not something you're ever going to kill anyone with. This is a good move to just get the opponent out of your face when you need room.
Down Tilt: Low Kick
Damage: 6%
Just like Ness had in melee, this attack is very fast and very weak. Possibly an infinite against some walls? Interestingly, this attack actually has a chance to trip the opponent, which increases as the opponent's damage meter increases.
Aerials:
Neutral Air: Spin Attack
Damage: 17%
This almost looks like Pikachu's forward air minus the electricity and plus a little bit of PSI. Hits multiple times. Super quick, and essentially no lag afterward. A GREAT aerial.
Forward Air: PSI Kick
Damage: 13%
Kicks forward, and a burst of PSI energy erupts at the end of his leg, somewhat similar in appearance to Zelda's forward air attack. This looks to be a decently useful move for comboing.
Back Air: Rear PSI Kick
Damage: 6%, 9%, 12%
Lucas kicks back with a PK powered attack. There are three hitboxes to the attack, and each one does something drastically different: The first box, high up at the start of the move, deals 6% damage and almost no knockback. The second hitbox, midway through the attack, deals 9% damage and knock the enemy back a significant distance horizontally. The final hitbox towards the end of the attack deals 12% and send the enemy rocketing downwards with a powerful meteor smash.
Up Air: Headbutt
Damage: 13%
Lucas performs a headbutt. Apparently, some of the air momentum is applied to Lucas, and he sort of "teleports" a bit before headbutting. This is a decent KO move at higher percentages.
Down Air: PK Stompin'
Damage: Four kicks, 5% per kick.
Yeah, worst made up name ever.
Anyways, with this attack, Lucas stomps downwards a few times, possibly hitting the opponent multiple times. The first three kicks have almost no knockback, but the last kick is a spike. (maybe a meteor smash?) The attack seems to do somewhere around 20% damage if all hits land. All accounts seem to point towards this being a very good move all around.If you don't hit with the last kick, it actually sends your enemy up a little bit, putting them in a good spot for an up-air or even n-air depending on their damage percentage.
Misc:
Dash Attack: PSI Shove
Damage: 11%
Much like the dash attack Ness has in melee, Lucas shoots forward a burst of PSI, which travels a fairly long distance. The range of this attack is pretty good, but most people seem to agree that it's not quite as good as the dash Ness has.
Edge Recovery Attack: Arm Chop
Damage: 8%
Lucas basically just gets up from the edge and chops downwards with his arm. I haven't seen this hit anyone yet.
Ground Recovery Attack - Rising Kick
Damage: 6%
Stands up and kicks to both sides. It's about what you would expect from most wake-up attacks.
Throws:
Grab/Tether Recovery: Rope Snake
Damage: N/A
Lucas uses his rope snake to give him an extended grab range. This ability is also used as a tether recovery, to increase your options as far as getting back to the stage. Lag if you miss is a significant factor, however, so be careful with your grabs.
Grab Attack: Pummel
Damage: 3%
Lucas pummels his opponent with quick headbutts.
Forward Throw: Front Toss
Damage: 10%
Lucas throws the opponent forward. Not much of a surprise here.
Back Throw: Rear Psychic Toss
Damage: 11%
Lucas launches the opponent behind him at a 45 degree angle.
Up Throw: Spin Toss
Damage: 10%
Lucas spins the opponent over his head, and then throws them straight up.
Down Throw: PSI Slam
Damage: 7%
Lucas slams the enemy to the ground behind him, fires off some PSI towards them, and then the opponent is sent up and slightly forward. You can combo several aerials out of this at low percents.
Final Smash
PK Starstorm
Damage: 14% per bolt
PSI energy rains down from the sky, damaging any enemy it touches. This move definitely isn't a guaranteed KO, as it looks like you could probably dodge it if you really tried. However, it does have some KO potential once the opponent is in the 50%ish range, and it looks be a very good ability to use when multiple opponents are on the screen. This looks to be a somewhat interactive final smash to me, in the sense that if you want to maximize the damage, you'll have to put some effort in to making sure your enemy gets hit by the bolts of energy. I've seen it deal upwards of 60% damage against a single enemy.
That does look like his jab though, I just hadn't seen it combo so I assumed the kick was his f-tilt like Ness had..jpg)
