As you should know by now Brawl is an extremely aerial based game. I've done a lot of experimenting with his aerials to see which ones are most effective. Dair turns out to be one of Lucas's most reliable approaches as well as an amazing way to rack up damage. However, it is surprisingly complicated to use most effectively. Hopefully this guide will give some ideas on how you can use it and why it is effective.
General Information
Damage - 5-20%
Hitbox - Lucas's Dair is made up for 4 hits. The first three knock opponents upward with very little knockback while the fourth hit knocks them downward if they are hit by the foot or hexagon, or up and away if hit by the body. The hitbox extends vertically from the bottom of the hexagon to around the middle of Lucas's head. Horizontally the hitbox covers the front half of Lucas's body but not the back. Because Lucas drags the hexagons during this move dependent on the direction and speed he is moving at, Lucas is most protected by moving forward horizontally so that the hexagons protect his otherwise exposed lower backside. This is important for approaches.
Tripping - The fourth hit has a chance of tripping at any percentage.
Lag animation - The lag animation from landing Dair actually makes Lucas duck lower than he can by crouching. He goes so low in fact that he can duck under some taller characters' grabs and jabs. I wouldn't depend on this for much of anything though.
Aiming for hit number 4
Anytime you hit with Dair you want to hit with the fourth hit. This will mean many times that you actually want to avoid hitting with the first three hits so that the fourth connects. Because the first three hits have so little knockback and hitstun, if you only hit with them the opponent will often be able to punish you. Because the first three hits send the opponent almost straight up, if you are moving while using the Dair they can hit the opponent out of the way of the fourth hit. Because of this, you're best off aiming to hit with only the third and fourth hit, or only the fourth hit, unless of course you're already standing close to them and are not moving far horizontally. Hitting with hits three and four will cause them to be spiked to the ground which most opponents will have a very difficult time teching while hitting with just the fourth hit will knock them upward just a little bit but only at medium high percentages.
Fourth hit knockdown percentages
These numbers also apply for 4th hit spikes strong enough to knock opponents down upon landing. As you can see they are all within a moderately small range that is both easy and necesary to be aware of in battles.
Mario - 88%
DK - 96%
Link - 90%
Samus - 92%
Kirby - 78%
Fox - 79%
Pikachu - 79%
Marth - 83%
Game and Watch - 77%
Luigi - 87%
Diddy - 85%
Zelda - 82%
Sheik - 82%
Pit - 86%
Metaknight - 79%
Falco - 80%
Squirtle - 77%
Ivysaur - 89%
Charizard -93%
Ike - 91%
Snake -95%
Peach - 84%
Yoshi - 92%
Ganondorf - 93%
Ice Climbers -85%
King Dedede - 94%
Wolf - 90%
Lucario - 89%
Ness - 86%
Sonic - 86%
Bowser - 98%
Wario - 92%
Toon Link - 85%
ROB - 91%
Olimar - 80%
Captain Falcon - 90%
Jigglypuff - 74%
Lucas - 86%
Full Hop Dair
This will be your most common application of Dair but there are quite a few important things to keep in mind and learn how to control when using it.
Fastfalling full hop Dair - Depending on the height of your opponent you may need to fastfall Dair in order to hit with the fourth hit. Against taller characters you can often aim to hit with hits 3 and 4 and even 2, 3 and 4 for more damage while still autocancelling upon landing and being able to have maximum horizontal distance. Learning to fast fall this at the right time takes a good bit of practice so that you are able to hit everytime while still making the autocancel. Missing the autocancel means missed opportunities if not death. Hitting with the fourth hit in this situation assuming the opponent is above the listed percentage for knockback, will result in an extremely useful combo opportunity. It is an extremely easy way to get a free fsmash. If they airdodge however you will be able to hit them with a jab combo or a second full hop dair. This is a great way to rack up damage. You simply have to watch your opponent. If you hit with hits 3 and 4 or 2, 3 and 4; you will instead spike them into the ground, again only if they reach the percentages listed above on the 4th hit. Most people have a terrible time teching this and it again can lead into a fsmash or PK Fire roll chase. If they are below the knockback percentage, the hitstun from hit 4 should be enough that they won't punish you and you can follow up with a jab combo to ensure your safety.
Double full hop Dair - Extremely underrated and amazingly useful. Full hop and begin your Dair almost immediately to be able to do your second jump before you land and use Dair again. This can rack up amazing damage and will catch a lot of players offguard. The only problem with it is that it doesn't finish with a fsmash like many other Dair combos can. Also because you can't fast fall the first Dair, it's harder to use as an approach against shorter characters since you need to be right next to them to hit with the first hit and get them trapped into all four. In anycase, if you do happen to be in the position to pull this off, you've just done a cool 40% damage without trying too hard. If you mix it in with your regular Dair full hop Dair approaches you can trap a lot of people in the second Dair even if they sheild the first but be aware that it is possible for them to punish you in the small time gap between Dairs if they are expecting it. Against taller characters, if you hit with only hit 4 you will knock them upward if they're at the correct percentage and you can follow up with a double jump Uair for a sweet looking kill instead of more damage.
Triple full hop Dair - An expansion on the last. This one is a bit harder to pull off correctly but is killer if you can do it right. Do a double full hop Dair and then immediately begin your third. You'll need to be holding down and A to avoid fastfalling with the c-stick. The third Dair must begin before you reach the peak of your second jump. Shortly after the move begins, you will then have to fast fall the Dair. If you do it correctly, the fourth hit of the third Dair will hit the opponent as they are getting up. If you don't fast fall the third Dair correctly, they will either still be in invincibility frames or you will not autocancel. When everything works out correctly the opponent will be sent upward right in front of you allowing you to hit them with a Fsmash or Fair depending on how high they went. If they teched the second Dair correctly you will be able to techchase with your third Dair. This does massive damage and leads to an easy kill if you pull it off just right. It DOES depend on you being able to read your opponent however. If at anytime anything goes wrong such as missing a fourth hit or the opponent timing his get up invincibility differently, either jab combo upon landing or move away to safety. Once you've begun this combo you should be entirely safe.
Full hop Dair platform cancel - The safest way to get around Battlefield by far. By doing a full hop and immediately initiating Dair, Lucas will land on Battlefield platforms just after Dair has finished for the autocancel. Because Dair drags you down slightly, this cuts down on your vulnerable air time. It also leads very easily into some killer combos. At medium percentages, the Dair will drag the opponent up to the platform with you in the first few hits allowing you to immediately combo afterward with a jab combo or fsmash. It does however depend on you being able to hit with the first few hits of Dair so you must start close to the opponent. If the opponent is at a lower percentage and doesn't get dragged onto the platform with you, a good option is to immediately run off the platform and PK Fire as you're falling to hit them when they're getting up. Keep in mind as well that the hexagons stay below the platform when you do this so you can hit taller characters on the last hits of it while still autocancelling on the platform. This technique also works on Lylat at certain tilts as well as Yoshi's Island but they're both a gamble if you mess up the spacing. Know that the timing is the same for double full hop Dairs so if you choose to go past the platform you can double jump and hit with another Dair or escape punishment.
Short hop Dair
Okay this is not something you want to do very often. You WILL land with lag. The only way this can be useful is if you hit with only hit number 4. This takes some pretty careful spacing. Also the opponent must be at or above the listed knockdown percentage. At some percentages it can lead into Fsmash. It's not very reliable and if the opponent shields it you're taking some damage. It's only useful if you can mix it up and catch someone offguard with it. Fortunately Dair's weird hitbox can catch some people offguard. Also not that many people understand Lucas and how he plays so if you're lucky you can pull this off. Just try it at your own risk.
Juggling Defense
Dair can be very useful to avoid being juggled against SOME characters. The vertical hitbox on it and the speed that it comes out will protect you moderately well. However, characters that have long upward moves will ALWAYS be able to hit through it. The hitbox is not large enough to protect Lucas's entire body against characters such as Ike, or Snake or even Fox with his Uair. On the other hand, characters such as Ness are helpless against your Dair because his Uair does not reach far enough vertically to hit your weak spot on the top of Lucas's head. Some general rules to remember.
1. Know how far you can fastfall and still autocancel. If you miss the autocancel the juggler will punish your terrible lag even if you stopped his initial attempt.
2. If using your Dair to stop juggling isn't working, STOP TRYING IT. Try using a well timed Bair instead or an airdodge. Aiming for the edges of the stage can help a lot sometimes too.
3. Keep aiming for number four. If you only hit with one, two or three; opponents may still be able to hit you as you're coming down.
Spiking
I'm putting this last because it's least important. Dair is an extremely weak spike. It is easily meteor cancelled. It's also pretty hard to pull off against experienced players. What you want to do is again plan your fourth hit for where they are GOING TO BE when they recover. Still aim to hit with just number four or numbers three and four to avoid them escaping. Dropping down low and then double jumping a Dair is a great way to get to where they're going to recover and hit them with it. Just be careful you don't give them the opportunity to punish you for it. It's going to depend a lot on the character to see if this is going to be worth even trying.
When you do spike them, ALWAYS follow up with either a Bair or a second Dair. They will almost always meteor cancel your first Dair but you can sometimes follow up with a second spike to finish them off.
Why bother?
Why did I write an entire guide on one move? Because it's difficult to use. The spacing is very exact depending on the character and the lag on the end is worse than any other of Lucas's aerials. The move at first seems simple to use but is actually one of the most difficult and important aspects of Lucas's game to master. You will find that having an intimate knowledge of how to use this aerial most effectively will greatly enhance your playing as it is one of Lucas's very few approaches that is difficult to punish. We all love SH Nairs but there are A LOT of characters who can easily handle it and punish you because of it's low priority and reach.
General Information
Damage - 5-20%
Hitbox - Lucas's Dair is made up for 4 hits. The first three knock opponents upward with very little knockback while the fourth hit knocks them downward if they are hit by the foot or hexagon, or up and away if hit by the body. The hitbox extends vertically from the bottom of the hexagon to around the middle of Lucas's head. Horizontally the hitbox covers the front half of Lucas's body but not the back. Because Lucas drags the hexagons during this move dependent on the direction and speed he is moving at, Lucas is most protected by moving forward horizontally so that the hexagons protect his otherwise exposed lower backside. This is important for approaches.
Tripping - The fourth hit has a chance of tripping at any percentage.
Lag animation - The lag animation from landing Dair actually makes Lucas duck lower than he can by crouching. He goes so low in fact that he can duck under some taller characters' grabs and jabs. I wouldn't depend on this for much of anything though.
Aiming for hit number 4
Anytime you hit with Dair you want to hit with the fourth hit. This will mean many times that you actually want to avoid hitting with the first three hits so that the fourth connects. Because the first three hits have so little knockback and hitstun, if you only hit with them the opponent will often be able to punish you. Because the first three hits send the opponent almost straight up, if you are moving while using the Dair they can hit the opponent out of the way of the fourth hit. Because of this, you're best off aiming to hit with only the third and fourth hit, or only the fourth hit, unless of course you're already standing close to them and are not moving far horizontally. Hitting with hits three and four will cause them to be spiked to the ground which most opponents will have a very difficult time teching while hitting with just the fourth hit will knock them upward just a little bit but only at medium high percentages.
Fourth hit knockdown percentages
These numbers also apply for 4th hit spikes strong enough to knock opponents down upon landing. As you can see they are all within a moderately small range that is both easy and necesary to be aware of in battles.
Mario - 88%
DK - 96%
Link - 90%
Samus - 92%
Kirby - 78%
Fox - 79%
Pikachu - 79%
Marth - 83%
Game and Watch - 77%
Luigi - 87%
Diddy - 85%
Zelda - 82%
Sheik - 82%
Pit - 86%
Metaknight - 79%
Falco - 80%
Squirtle - 77%
Ivysaur - 89%
Charizard -93%
Ike - 91%
Snake -95%
Peach - 84%
Yoshi - 92%
Ganondorf - 93%
Ice Climbers -85%
King Dedede - 94%
Wolf - 90%
Lucario - 89%
Ness - 86%
Sonic - 86%
Bowser - 98%
Wario - 92%
Toon Link - 85%
ROB - 91%
Olimar - 80%
Captain Falcon - 90%
Jigglypuff - 74%
Lucas - 86%
Full Hop Dair
This will be your most common application of Dair but there are quite a few important things to keep in mind and learn how to control when using it.
Fastfalling full hop Dair - Depending on the height of your opponent you may need to fastfall Dair in order to hit with the fourth hit. Against taller characters you can often aim to hit with hits 3 and 4 and even 2, 3 and 4 for more damage while still autocancelling upon landing and being able to have maximum horizontal distance. Learning to fast fall this at the right time takes a good bit of practice so that you are able to hit everytime while still making the autocancel. Missing the autocancel means missed opportunities if not death. Hitting with the fourth hit in this situation assuming the opponent is above the listed percentage for knockback, will result in an extremely useful combo opportunity. It is an extremely easy way to get a free fsmash. If they airdodge however you will be able to hit them with a jab combo or a second full hop dair. This is a great way to rack up damage. You simply have to watch your opponent. If you hit with hits 3 and 4 or 2, 3 and 4; you will instead spike them into the ground, again only if they reach the percentages listed above on the 4th hit. Most people have a terrible time teching this and it again can lead into a fsmash or PK Fire roll chase. If they are below the knockback percentage, the hitstun from hit 4 should be enough that they won't punish you and you can follow up with a jab combo to ensure your safety.
Double full hop Dair - Extremely underrated and amazingly useful. Full hop and begin your Dair almost immediately to be able to do your second jump before you land and use Dair again. This can rack up amazing damage and will catch a lot of players offguard. The only problem with it is that it doesn't finish with a fsmash like many other Dair combos can. Also because you can't fast fall the first Dair, it's harder to use as an approach against shorter characters since you need to be right next to them to hit with the first hit and get them trapped into all four. In anycase, if you do happen to be in the position to pull this off, you've just done a cool 40% damage without trying too hard. If you mix it in with your regular Dair full hop Dair approaches you can trap a lot of people in the second Dair even if they sheild the first but be aware that it is possible for them to punish you in the small time gap between Dairs if they are expecting it. Against taller characters, if you hit with only hit 4 you will knock them upward if they're at the correct percentage and you can follow up with a double jump Uair for a sweet looking kill instead of more damage.
Triple full hop Dair - An expansion on the last. This one is a bit harder to pull off correctly but is killer if you can do it right. Do a double full hop Dair and then immediately begin your third. You'll need to be holding down and A to avoid fastfalling with the c-stick. The third Dair must begin before you reach the peak of your second jump. Shortly after the move begins, you will then have to fast fall the Dair. If you do it correctly, the fourth hit of the third Dair will hit the opponent as they are getting up. If you don't fast fall the third Dair correctly, they will either still be in invincibility frames or you will not autocancel. When everything works out correctly the opponent will be sent upward right in front of you allowing you to hit them with a Fsmash or Fair depending on how high they went. If they teched the second Dair correctly you will be able to techchase with your third Dair. This does massive damage and leads to an easy kill if you pull it off just right. It DOES depend on you being able to read your opponent however. If at anytime anything goes wrong such as missing a fourth hit or the opponent timing his get up invincibility differently, either jab combo upon landing or move away to safety. Once you've begun this combo you should be entirely safe.
Full hop Dair platform cancel - The safest way to get around Battlefield by far. By doing a full hop and immediately initiating Dair, Lucas will land on Battlefield platforms just after Dair has finished for the autocancel. Because Dair drags you down slightly, this cuts down on your vulnerable air time. It also leads very easily into some killer combos. At medium percentages, the Dair will drag the opponent up to the platform with you in the first few hits allowing you to immediately combo afterward with a jab combo or fsmash. It does however depend on you being able to hit with the first few hits of Dair so you must start close to the opponent. If the opponent is at a lower percentage and doesn't get dragged onto the platform with you, a good option is to immediately run off the platform and PK Fire as you're falling to hit them when they're getting up. Keep in mind as well that the hexagons stay below the platform when you do this so you can hit taller characters on the last hits of it while still autocancelling on the platform. This technique also works on Lylat at certain tilts as well as Yoshi's Island but they're both a gamble if you mess up the spacing. Know that the timing is the same for double full hop Dairs so if you choose to go past the platform you can double jump and hit with another Dair or escape punishment.
Short hop Dair
Okay this is not something you want to do very often. You WILL land with lag. The only way this can be useful is if you hit with only hit number 4. This takes some pretty careful spacing. Also the opponent must be at or above the listed knockdown percentage. At some percentages it can lead into Fsmash. It's not very reliable and if the opponent shields it you're taking some damage. It's only useful if you can mix it up and catch someone offguard with it. Fortunately Dair's weird hitbox can catch some people offguard. Also not that many people understand Lucas and how he plays so if you're lucky you can pull this off. Just try it at your own risk.
Juggling Defense
Dair can be very useful to avoid being juggled against SOME characters. The vertical hitbox on it and the speed that it comes out will protect you moderately well. However, characters that have long upward moves will ALWAYS be able to hit through it. The hitbox is not large enough to protect Lucas's entire body against characters such as Ike, or Snake or even Fox with his Uair. On the other hand, characters such as Ness are helpless against your Dair because his Uair does not reach far enough vertically to hit your weak spot on the top of Lucas's head. Some general rules to remember.
1. Know how far you can fastfall and still autocancel. If you miss the autocancel the juggler will punish your terrible lag even if you stopped his initial attempt.
2. If using your Dair to stop juggling isn't working, STOP TRYING IT. Try using a well timed Bair instead or an airdodge. Aiming for the edges of the stage can help a lot sometimes too.
3. Keep aiming for number four. If you only hit with one, two or three; opponents may still be able to hit you as you're coming down.
Spiking
I'm putting this last because it's least important. Dair is an extremely weak spike. It is easily meteor cancelled. It's also pretty hard to pull off against experienced players. What you want to do is again plan your fourth hit for where they are GOING TO BE when they recover. Still aim to hit with just number four or numbers three and four to avoid them escaping. Dropping down low and then double jumping a Dair is a great way to get to where they're going to recover and hit them with it. Just be careful you don't give them the opportunity to punish you for it. It's going to depend a lot on the character to see if this is going to be worth even trying.
When you do spike them, ALWAYS follow up with either a Bair or a second Dair. They will almost always meteor cancel your first Dair but you can sometimes follow up with a second spike to finish them off.
Why bother?
Why did I write an entire guide on one move? Because it's difficult to use. The spacing is very exact depending on the character and the lag on the end is worse than any other of Lucas's aerials. The move at first seems simple to use but is actually one of the most difficult and important aspects of Lucas's game to master. You will find that having an intimate knowledge of how to use this aerial most effectively will greatly enhance your playing as it is one of Lucas's very few approaches that is difficult to punish. We all love SH Nairs but there are A LOT of characters who can easily handle it and punish you because of it's low priority and reach.
