Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Lucario wants to build midrange around Aura Sphere and mobility, then convert one whiff punish into a stock once Aura has scaled up. Hero still has the sword tipper zones, the Zap line, and charge projectiles to cut off Aura Sphere charge time, and the frame table shows that Jab, Up Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Forward Air, Back Air, Up Air, Down Air, and Neutral B can all be answered with Up B (3f) or OOS Uair (9f), so Lucario’s close-range pressure is far from free. The win condition is to take the lead before Aura matters. Keep Lucario at sword length with f-tilt, fair, and bair, step forward only when Lucario retreats to charge Aura Sphere, and avoid opening menu recklessly in center stage while you already have positional control. For kills, it is more stable to hold the ledge with fair, bair, up smash, and whichever high-damage spell is actually available than to overchase offstage, because covering Extreme Speed landings and normal getups at once removes Lucario’s comeback routes.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Hero OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -16 | -15 | -14 |
|
|
| Jab 2 | 5 | -18 | -18 | -17 |
|
|
| Jab 3 | 9 | -23 | -22 | -21 |
| |
| Forward Tilt | 12/15 | -12 | -11 | -8 |
|
|
| Up Tilt | 6 | -22/-21 | -20/-20 | -18/-17 |
|
|
| Down Tilt | 7 | -9 | -7 | -5 |
| |
| Dash Attack | 7 | -28/-27 | -26/-24 | -22/-20 |
|
|
| Forward Smash | 19 | -27/-25 | -24/-26 | -19/-21 |
|
|
| Up Smash | 15/19 | -37/-38 | -34/-36 | -30/-31 |
| |
| Down Smash | 16 | -28 | -25 | -21 |
| |
| Neutral Air | 10/18 | -2/-2 | -1/-2 | 0/-1 |
|
|
| Forward Air | 7 | -6 | -6 | -5 |
| |
| Back Air | 13 | -10/-10 | -9/-9 | -7/-7 |
|
|
| Up Air | 10 | -10/-10 | -9/-10 | -7/-9 |
|
|
| Down Air | 4/11 | -10/-9 | -9/-9 | -8/-8 |
|
|
| Neutral B | 9 (+8) | -26 | -25 | -23 |
| |
| Side B | (9)24 | -24/-30 | -19/-27 | -10/-24 |
|
|
| Up B | 46 | -23/-31 | -22/-31 | -19/-29 |
|
|
| Down B | 5 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Take the first lead with f-tilt, fair, bair, and the Zap line so Lucario stays in low-Aura damage ranges for as long as possible.
- When Jab, Up Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Forward Air, Back Air, Up Air, Down Air, or Neutral B hits shield, answer around Up B (3f) and extend to OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Nair (11f), and Up Smash (13f) when spacing allows.
- The moment Lucario backs off to charge Aura Sphere, close space with projectiles or grounded advancement instead of letting him reset charge for free in center stage.
- At kill percent, stay onstage and rotate fair, bair, up smash, and high-damage spells at the ledge so Extreme Speed landing and regular ledge options are both covered.
Actions to Avoid
- Opening menu for too long in center stage against high Aura and giving Lucario free time for dash-in pressure or Aura Sphere setup.
- Jumping in first from above and feeding directly into forward air, back air, up air, or Double Team reversals during Lucario’s landing scramble.
- Chasing Extreme Speed too deep offstage and losing stage control to Lucario’s long recovery route or counter-based reversals.
- Dropping sword spacing to brawl point-blank once Aura is active and letting side special or back air swing the whole game back.