gallax
Smash Hero
Bowser
General Discussion
Bowser can be a real tough matchup if the bowser knows what they are doing. Like snake, bowser only really needs a few tilts and jabs and grabs to get you into kill range and then a few more to get you into "i need to stay away frmo bowser cuz even his first breath will kill me" mode. This matchup is in favor or pika though mind you so don't dread it too much.
Pika's Advantages
1. CG to ~60%
2. the tjolt
3. speed
4. combo ability
Pika's Disadvantages
1. Size (no matter what the girls say, it matters)
2. Can be comboed out of a grab release
Strategy for Winning
The first and most important thing to remember in this matchup is that you need to be careful at all times when playing bowser. Even if you are two stocks ahead, be careful because Bowser can easily regain the lead and the win. Bowser is heavy and isn't killed easily, unless you manage to get a well placed Fsmash or thunder.
Bowser's Moveset on the Ground
Smashes
The first thing to discuss are his smashes. The worst out of all of them is his Usmash. You never really have to worry about this unless you have made a mistake and are right on top of bowser and open to attack. However, you do have to watch out for his Fsmash and Dsmash. Both smashes have some startup time and lag time, which is great for punishing with a grab or a DACUS or rising Nair if missed, but their power more than makes up for it. The Fsmash can kill Pikachu as early as 55% if even partially charged and near the ledge. When you see a Bowser about to use his Fsmash, stay away and make sure to move in ONLY when you see his head falling towards the ground. If you are too close, be sure to shield it instead of spotdodging. Bowser players are usually very good at predicting opponents and sometimes they will charge it partially or fully to throw off your timing and get a hit in.As for his dsmash, don't go rolling around him or it will hit you. It sucks you in and is super hard to DI out of. Just mash your buttons as quick as you can so that the last hit doesn't hit you, which call kill you as low as 100%.
When hit by the fsmash do not DI down. You need to DI horizontally left or right. DI'ing down will kill you faster. Do not use skullbash after using your uair/dair to momentum cancel either.
VERY IMPORTANT: If the bowser is using his fsmash and you are near the bowser, you can walk towards bowser and if you can reach his foot and touch the bowser, his fsmash will not hit you. You can walk right through bowser.
Tilts + Jab
Now lets talk about his tilts, which are very important to Bowser. He will try to space you with his Ftilt and try to rack up damage that way. It has priority over our physical moves (grounded), but not moves such as our Fsmash. Bowser extends his hurtbox when he uses Ftilt. SO if you can space it properly and predict it, you can punish with a Fsmash. If you are in the air and he Ftilts(he can angle it) then he is open to attack from his head back. The hitbox revolves around his arm and stops near his head. This means a Fair, Dair, or Bair can be landed on him!!!!
Next lets talk about his Utilt, which can kill at around 110%, even at 105% on Halberd, if you don't have good DI. It can be used against our Dair since it has wicked priority. If we try to space with Fair from above, he can Utilt. Whenever you are at a high percentage, a FF Fair should not be an option unless you can almost guarantee that it won't be punished. So unless he is using his fire breath or has whiffed an attack, try to stay away from using an aerial like that.
As for his Dtilt, it us situational since Bowsers are more prone to use their Ftilt, but it is still a fast move with fairly low lag. You will see it a few times in the match. Rember that there are two swipes to his Dtilt so be sure to shield them or shield then spotdodge the second swipe. Spotdodging the first will result in getting hit by the second. Most of the time Dtilt is used after you have been grab released. Dtilt is a good kill move actually so be wary once in kill range, which is around 120%. This is for when the Dtilt is fresh though. When it isn't fresh then you can live to upwards of 180% if DI'd properly. When you DI it you need to DI horizontally towards the stage and be sure to use Uair>skullbash for momentum canceling.
Bowser's jab comes out within the first 7 frames and has two swipes. each swipe causes ~5% damage. It is used when pressured and they don't want to UpB. Shield it or shield>spotdodge second swipe. There is little to no lag so be sure to act quick against his jab. Other than that, watch out for it when close, I can't really describe it well.
Bowser's Aerial's
Bowsers best aerial, imo, is his fair. It's fairly quick and cuases good knockback and damage. His utilt can kill relatively easy and same with his bair. Do not get hit by them. if bowser is in the air, try to predict his motives and from there you can tell what to do. If he uses a move and misses, then punish. Especially with his bair or dair. they are laggy. Dair isn't used that much so don't worry about it.
Bowser's Specials
First thing to talk about his his fire breath. It can cancel out tjolts and rack up +60% if you don't DI out of it. For Pikachu, DI up and away as fast as possible to escape. When hanging on the ledge and he uses it, just stall until it runs out. If he is right on the edge then do the same and after it fades use a ledge attack. To punish you will most likely use your tjolt although sometimes you can get in a fair or dair or bair.
His DownB will send Bowser up into the air and then land on the opponent. If you are near you will get sucked up and then landed on. It can cause ~25% fresh and at around 19% staled. If hit by only the second part, it does around 21% fresh and at any percent higher than 8% staled. each time it hits it loses around 2% damage. So it better to be hit early on. When the move is staled it not a threat anymore. Just DI down and you will be fine. What you can do it either shield it or spotdodge the second hit then punish.
When dealing with Bowser's Klaw, you need to be really careful. It comes out super quick and causes plenty of damage. It can kill around 130% staled and 120% fresh. When in the air it is still a huge threat. When shielding, it can still grab you and wreck you. It's good for almost any situation for bowser. When you see bowser coming towards you in the air, DI away. if you are fast enough you should be able to get underneath him but I can almost guarantee that you will get hit by his klaw at least once in a match. To prevent it, try spotdodging or airdodging it. That's the only thing you can do, stay away or dodge.
Bowser's UpB
His upb comes out on frame one, has invincibility until frame 5, and starts the hitbox on frame six. In other words, it really really good. Especially for breaking comboes. He can upb OOS and in between any attack like a dtilt to grab or fthrow or dthrow combo. Learn to be wary of this and not to be super agro.
What to try as a pika player
If playing against Bowser, try not to be super aggressive. be semi-aggressive and camp-happy. If you are ever at a loss of what to do to Bowser, or at high percents, tjolt him. Tjolting from above him is a good thing here since he is big and slow, which gives you time to retreat if necessary. You can bait shields to grab him, or just space with the tjolt to stop from getting close and in range for a death move from Bowser. If you are at 130%, I would recommend you to start tjolt camping and bait mistakes.
When the match is at lower percents your objective if to get a grab and CG it (Fthrow CG and be sure to buffer the dash to grab). When you get the Bowser to around 55%, Dthrow to a Nair, Usmash, utilt>combo, or a uair>combo. But don't get too focused on grabbing. You can always tjolt camp or just plain attack him. You are lucky because as pika players we can uair/utilt combo him fairly easy. When Bowser is on a platform, be sure to camp underneath him with your Uair and force him off so that you can use your Fair to punish and then follow up the Fair with an attack.
The weakess of Bowser is his speed and UNDERNEATH HIM
Your Fair will be great for shield pressuring, but never good for ff'ing unless you know for sure it is going to hit with at least three hits of the Fair or you land behind him. Even if you land behind the Bowser, they will UpB if they are smart to avoid any Utilt or Uair. Be sure to back off after using the fair. I prefer the Pikastorm Dair or the Bair(since the Bair has a nice last hitbox)
The difference maker in this matchup is going to be your grab game. At lower percents you Fthrow CG >dthrow>combo. At higher percents you need to pummel twice/three times then its your choice from there. If its around 70%-85%, I use Dthrow and try to follow it up with an aerial. If they are gonig to predict it then Fthrow and use a rising Nair when chasing them. If you can, Bthrow them of the stage and from there, edgeguard.
Edgeguarding/Killing
When edgeguarding Bowser, you have three choices. The first choice is your wall of thunder. If timed right, Bowser will UpB right into it and that will stop him from recovering. It may not kill him, but it sets up for another edgeguard. The second choice is to tjolt him and then grab the ledge. The tjolt may push him too far away to recover and grabbing the ledge is a precautionary measure. The third is simply grabbing the ledge. If the Bowser does manage to get up and over you, you can quickly get back on and Fair/Dair him due to the lag of his UpB.
When killing Bowser, your best move will be thunder and Usmash. Nair will kill varying on DI but it will kill for sure at like 180%, which isn't good enough. Look for thunder kills near the ledge or Usmash>thunder or Utilt>thunder. You can tech chase into thunder starting around ~110%. Fsmash will kill if sweetspotted but you are going to want to use your Fsmash for spacing and damage racking.
Helpful Video's
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Overall Matchup
60:40 in favor of pikachu
General Discussion
Bowser can be a real tough matchup if the bowser knows what they are doing. Like snake, bowser only really needs a few tilts and jabs and grabs to get you into kill range and then a few more to get you into "i need to stay away frmo bowser cuz even his first breath will kill me" mode. This matchup is in favor or pika though mind you so don't dread it too much.
Pika's Advantages
1. CG to ~60%
2. the tjolt
3. speed
4. combo ability
Pika's Disadvantages
1. Size (no matter what the girls say, it matters)
2. Can be comboed out of a grab release
Strategy for Winning
The first and most important thing to remember in this matchup is that you need to be careful at all times when playing bowser. Even if you are two stocks ahead, be careful because Bowser can easily regain the lead and the win. Bowser is heavy and isn't killed easily, unless you manage to get a well placed Fsmash or thunder.
Bowser's Moveset on the Ground
Smashes
The first thing to discuss are his smashes. The worst out of all of them is his Usmash. You never really have to worry about this unless you have made a mistake and are right on top of bowser and open to attack. However, you do have to watch out for his Fsmash and Dsmash. Both smashes have some startup time and lag time, which is great for punishing with a grab or a DACUS or rising Nair if missed, but their power more than makes up for it. The Fsmash can kill Pikachu as early as 55% if even partially charged and near the ledge. When you see a Bowser about to use his Fsmash, stay away and make sure to move in ONLY when you see his head falling towards the ground. If you are too close, be sure to shield it instead of spotdodging. Bowser players are usually very good at predicting opponents and sometimes they will charge it partially or fully to throw off your timing and get a hit in.As for his dsmash, don't go rolling around him or it will hit you. It sucks you in and is super hard to DI out of. Just mash your buttons as quick as you can so that the last hit doesn't hit you, which call kill you as low as 100%.
When hit by the fsmash do not DI down. You need to DI horizontally left or right. DI'ing down will kill you faster. Do not use skullbash after using your uair/dair to momentum cancel either.
VERY IMPORTANT: If the bowser is using his fsmash and you are near the bowser, you can walk towards bowser and if you can reach his foot and touch the bowser, his fsmash will not hit you. You can walk right through bowser.
Tilts + Jab
Now lets talk about his tilts, which are very important to Bowser. He will try to space you with his Ftilt and try to rack up damage that way. It has priority over our physical moves (grounded), but not moves such as our Fsmash. Bowser extends his hurtbox when he uses Ftilt. SO if you can space it properly and predict it, you can punish with a Fsmash. If you are in the air and he Ftilts(he can angle it) then he is open to attack from his head back. The hitbox revolves around his arm and stops near his head. This means a Fair, Dair, or Bair can be landed on him!!!!
Next lets talk about his Utilt, which can kill at around 110%, even at 105% on Halberd, if you don't have good DI. It can be used against our Dair since it has wicked priority. If we try to space with Fair from above, he can Utilt. Whenever you are at a high percentage, a FF Fair should not be an option unless you can almost guarantee that it won't be punished. So unless he is using his fire breath or has whiffed an attack, try to stay away from using an aerial like that.
As for his Dtilt, it us situational since Bowsers are more prone to use their Ftilt, but it is still a fast move with fairly low lag. You will see it a few times in the match. Rember that there are two swipes to his Dtilt so be sure to shield them or shield then spotdodge the second swipe. Spotdodging the first will result in getting hit by the second. Most of the time Dtilt is used after you have been grab released. Dtilt is a good kill move actually so be wary once in kill range, which is around 120%. This is for when the Dtilt is fresh though. When it isn't fresh then you can live to upwards of 180% if DI'd properly. When you DI it you need to DI horizontally towards the stage and be sure to use Uair>skullbash for momentum canceling.
Bowser's jab comes out within the first 7 frames and has two swipes. each swipe causes ~5% damage. It is used when pressured and they don't want to UpB. Shield it or shield>spotdodge second swipe. There is little to no lag so be sure to act quick against his jab. Other than that, watch out for it when close, I can't really describe it well.
Bowser's Aerial's
Bowsers best aerial, imo, is his fair. It's fairly quick and cuases good knockback and damage. His utilt can kill relatively easy and same with his bair. Do not get hit by them. if bowser is in the air, try to predict his motives and from there you can tell what to do. If he uses a move and misses, then punish. Especially with his bair or dair. they are laggy. Dair isn't used that much so don't worry about it.
Bowser's Specials
First thing to talk about his his fire breath. It can cancel out tjolts and rack up +60% if you don't DI out of it. For Pikachu, DI up and away as fast as possible to escape. When hanging on the ledge and he uses it, just stall until it runs out. If he is right on the edge then do the same and after it fades use a ledge attack. To punish you will most likely use your tjolt although sometimes you can get in a fair or dair or bair.
His DownB will send Bowser up into the air and then land on the opponent. If you are near you will get sucked up and then landed on. It can cause ~25% fresh and at around 19% staled. If hit by only the second part, it does around 21% fresh and at any percent higher than 8% staled. each time it hits it loses around 2% damage. So it better to be hit early on. When the move is staled it not a threat anymore. Just DI down and you will be fine. What you can do it either shield it or spotdodge the second hit then punish.
When dealing with Bowser's Klaw, you need to be really careful. It comes out super quick and causes plenty of damage. It can kill around 130% staled and 120% fresh. When in the air it is still a huge threat. When shielding, it can still grab you and wreck you. It's good for almost any situation for bowser. When you see bowser coming towards you in the air, DI away. if you are fast enough you should be able to get underneath him but I can almost guarantee that you will get hit by his klaw at least once in a match. To prevent it, try spotdodging or airdodging it. That's the only thing you can do, stay away or dodge.
Bowser's UpB
His upb comes out on frame one, has invincibility until frame 5, and starts the hitbox on frame six. In other words, it really really good. Especially for breaking comboes. He can upb OOS and in between any attack like a dtilt to grab or fthrow or dthrow combo. Learn to be wary of this and not to be super agro.
What to try as a pika player
If playing against Bowser, try not to be super aggressive. be semi-aggressive and camp-happy. If you are ever at a loss of what to do to Bowser, or at high percents, tjolt him. Tjolting from above him is a good thing here since he is big and slow, which gives you time to retreat if necessary. You can bait shields to grab him, or just space with the tjolt to stop from getting close and in range for a death move from Bowser. If you are at 130%, I would recommend you to start tjolt camping and bait mistakes.
When the match is at lower percents your objective if to get a grab and CG it (Fthrow CG and be sure to buffer the dash to grab). When you get the Bowser to around 55%, Dthrow to a Nair, Usmash, utilt>combo, or a uair>combo. But don't get too focused on grabbing. You can always tjolt camp or just plain attack him. You are lucky because as pika players we can uair/utilt combo him fairly easy. When Bowser is on a platform, be sure to camp underneath him with your Uair and force him off so that you can use your Fair to punish and then follow up the Fair with an attack.
The weakess of Bowser is his speed and UNDERNEATH HIM
Your Fair will be great for shield pressuring, but never good for ff'ing unless you know for sure it is going to hit with at least three hits of the Fair or you land behind him. Even if you land behind the Bowser, they will UpB if they are smart to avoid any Utilt or Uair. Be sure to back off after using the fair. I prefer the Pikastorm Dair or the Bair(since the Bair has a nice last hitbox)
The difference maker in this matchup is going to be your grab game. At lower percents you Fthrow CG >dthrow>combo. At higher percents you need to pummel twice/three times then its your choice from there. If its around 70%-85%, I use Dthrow and try to follow it up with an aerial. If they are gonig to predict it then Fthrow and use a rising Nair when chasing them. If you can, Bthrow them of the stage and from there, edgeguard.
Edgeguarding/Killing
When edgeguarding Bowser, you have three choices. The first choice is your wall of thunder. If timed right, Bowser will UpB right into it and that will stop him from recovering. It may not kill him, but it sets up for another edgeguard. The second choice is to tjolt him and then grab the ledge. The tjolt may push him too far away to recover and grabbing the ledge is a precautionary measure. The third is simply grabbing the ledge. If the Bowser does manage to get up and over you, you can quickly get back on and Fair/Dair him due to the lag of his UpB.
When killing Bowser, your best move will be thunder and Usmash. Nair will kill varying on DI but it will kill for sure at like 180%, which isn't good enough. Look for thunder kills near the ledge or Usmash>thunder or Utilt>thunder. You can tech chase into thunder starting around ~110%. Fsmash will kill if sweetspotted but you are going to want to use your Fsmash for spacing and damage racking.
Helpful Video's
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Overall Matchup
60:40 in favor of pikachu