Pikabunz
Smash Hero
Welcome to the Pikachu Question & Answer Thread!
This thread is a place for you to ask any questions you have about Brawl Pikachu. PLEASE ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE INSTEAD OF MAKING NEW THREADS. We're always willing to help, but we want our boards to stay as clutter-free as possible.
Also, don't forget to check the FAQ below! Many questions from new Pikas are pretty common, so we've already provided answers to the ones most frequently asked.
*A few important notes........
For matchup-specific help, visit the Character Matchups & Strategies thread.
For a list of Pikachu's chaingrabs, go to the Fthrow/Dthrow Chaingrab Thread thread.
Want to watch vids of other Pika players? Need a vid of your Pika critiqued? Check out our Volt Tackle Videos thread.
Just want to introduce yourself and chat? Head to the Pikachu General Discussion.
Finally, read over the Generating A Win guide if you haven't already. It has a lot of really good info for new Pika players.
For matchup-specific help, visit the Character Matchups & Strategies thread.
For a list of Pikachu's chaingrabs, go to the Fthrow/Dthrow Chaingrab Thread thread.
Want to watch vids of other Pika players? Need a vid of your Pika critiqued? Check out our Volt Tackle Videos thread.
Just want to introduce yourself and chat? Head to the Pikachu General Discussion.
Finally, read over the Generating A Win guide if you haven't already. It has a lot of really good info for new Pika players.
Frequently Asked Questions
BECOMING A PIKA
Q. Is Pikachu easy to pick up?
Pikachu is moderately easy to pick up but extremely hard to master.
He's a very good character, but he has some key flaws (trouble approaching and killing, light size, and lack of range to name a few) that take experience and smart playing to get around. A majority of his matchups are neutral, so to win, you really have to know your MUs and outplay your opponents. You can't simply rely on broken moves or tactics, because Pika has none.
There are also a fair number of combos and advanced techniques you will need to learn if you want to play Pika competitively.
Q. What are some good secondaries for a Pikachu main?
Meta Knight and Snake are the best secondaries for Pikachu. Other good choices are DDD, Marth, Wario, Donkey Kong, and Falco.
Q. What are Pikachu's hardest matchups?
In no particular order: Marth, Diddy Kong, G&W, and Olimar.
Need matchup advice? We have a Character Matchups & Strategies thread.
Q. What are Pikachu's best/worst stages?
Final Destination, Smashville, Halberd, and Pokémon Stadium 1 are considered to be top Pika stages. Stages with walk-offs (Delfino Plaza, Castle Siege) are good for heavy characters we can CG off the sides.
Pikachu's worst stage is Brinstar.
Stage choice is largely based on your playstyle and/or the matchup you're playing, however. Pika is extremely versatile and can be played in many different ways, so your personal tastes (platforms vs. no platforms, room to run vs. staying in your opponent's face, etc.) will affect which stages you prefer.
Visit the Official Pikachu Stage Discussion for more in-depth info. We also have a Character Specific Counterpicks/Bans thread.
Q. Where can I find videos of good Pikachu players?
Check out the video archive in the Volt Tackle Videos thread. Or search on YouTube.
Q. Who is the best Pikachu player?
Anther.
Other top Pikas include PikaPika!, Z, and ESAM. Miquel from Spain and Yonesuke from Japan are also very good.
BASIC GAMEPLAY
Q. Which is better: tap jump on or tap jump off?
It's entirely player preference whether you have tap jump on or off. There are pros and cons to each, but all of Pikachu's important techniques are possible using either control setup.
With tap jump on (default settings), QAC out of shield and jumping out of QAC are slightly easier, which can make certain techniques -- like Quick Attack Locking or simply multiple QACs in a row -- less difficult. Rising uairs, especially out of shield, are also easier with tap jump.
However, tap jump off prevents accidental jumping when you're trying to utilt/uair/QA. This can be a big relief for people who aren't used to having tap jump from Melee.
If it matters to you, most pros use tap jump on -- whether or not this is because most of them come from playing Melee, who knows. Just use whatever works best for you.
Q. Can I spam thunder/thunder jolt/dsmash? They're so good!!!
It's never a good idea to mindlessly overuse one move, because every move can be punished or avoided in some way. If your opponent keeps getting hit with the same thing over and over, they just aren't playing intelligently.
Thunder is good for edgeguarding or as a followup when you've popped someone high into the air (ex: utilt > thunder at high percentages); however, this move has a lot of cooldown lag, so spamming it can easily get you punished.
Tjolt is a pretty good projectile and allows Pikachu to camp fairly well, especially against characters who don't have a projectile of their own..... but like thunder, tjolt has a lot of cooldown, and on top of that, it doesn't travel very fast. It's not hard to perfect shield it -- or to reflect/absorb it, depending on the character. Tjolt is also a very low priority projectile, so most characters have attacks that cancel or go through it.
Dsmash is one of the easiest multihit moves to SDI out of. A good opponent will always be able to escape it before the last hit (the one with all the knockback), and they won't even take much damage. Dsmash is best used for punishing spotdodges and landings, setting up possible tech chases, and being a GTFO move.
The lesson? Nearly all of Pikachu's moves are useful in some way, but never spam one over and over.
Q. How do I do the buffered dthrow CG? Which characters does it work on?
The buffered dthrow CG is done by inputting the grab command during the last 10 frames of the previous throw. By doing this, Pikachu will re-grab the opponent on the first available frame.
Visually, you should be hitting the grab button at about the time when Pikachu's feet are touching the ground from doing the throw.
For the list of characters Pika can CG, visit the Fthrow/Dthrow Chaingrab Thread.
Q. Okay, I tried the buffered CG, but it's not working! What am I doing wrong?!
It might be one of a few things.
First, make sure you're practicing in regular Brawl mode, not Training Mode. In Training Mode, moves don't stale, and a lot of the CGs depend on dthrow getting stale.
Second, remember to just tap the grab button -- just tap it and release. If you hold the grab button for too long, you'll buffer a shield instead of a grab.
If the character you're trying to CG has a funky CG with lots of pummels or fthrows mixed in, double check to make sure you're doing it in the correct order.
Otherwise, you might just be trying to buffer too early or too late. Switch up your timing until you get into a rhythm -- remember, you need to TAP the grab button within the last 10 frames of the previous dthrow.
Q. How do I momentum cancel with Pikachu?
Fastfall uair > uncharged Skull Bash.
Skull Bash gives you a small vertical boost, so if you're hit vertically or are near the top of the screen, you might not want to use it (although so far, no one has ever KO'd themselves by using it).
MISCELLANEOUS STUFF
Q. I messed up and QA'd under the curvy part of FD, but I was able to QA again afterwards.... Was it a wall jump?
No, it wasn't a wall jump. It's just a weird glitch on FD that sometimes gives you your up b back.
Q. What is Pikachu?
Pikachu is an adorable little rat. He ain't no squirrel!
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