Min Min Matchup (Lucario)

Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)

This matchup becomes miserable for Lucario if he keeps agreeing to a straight-on arm duel. Min Min’s long-range control is too good in front of her, so Lucario has to use Aura Sphere, shield movement, air drift, and angled Extreme Speed routes to create one clean entry rather than repeatedly testing the arm wall head-on. The goal is not to win every exchange in neutral, but to reach the inside once without taking too much damage on the way.
The important part is that Min Min’s larger commitments are extremely punishable when blocked or reached cleanly. The frame table shows that Jab, all Forward Tilt variations, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Down Air, and Up B (2) all lose to real Lucario out-of-shield options, especially OOS Dair, Grab, OOS Fair, OOS Nair, OOS Uair, and Up Smash. If Lucario consistently punishes the Forward Tilt strings, Dash Attack, smash attacks, and Up B landing, Min Min has to become much more careful about when she swings.
What Lucario cannot afford is forcing action in the thinner spots. Shallow Neutral Air and Up Air pressure can be hard to contest directly, and overreaching there often just gets him pushed back out to the arm tip again. Lucario’s reward comes from a successful inside entry and the threat of higher Aura later in the stock, not from gambling on every small gap or throwing out reckless counters.
Lucario wins this matchup by surviving the long-range phase with discipline, then turning one close-range touch into damage, ledge carry, and a real kill threat once Aura matters. Min Min is not especially stable when forced to recover or scrap at point blank, so stage control after the first entry is usually more valuable than a reckless offstage chase.

Full Move Frame Quick Reference

Win Condition Checklist

• Show Aura Sphere often enough to influence Min Min’s arm timing, then enter through shield movement, drift, and angled Extreme Speed instead of straight-line dashes.
• After blocking Jab, Forward Tilt variants, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, smash attacks, Down Air, or Up B (2), punish with OOS Dair, Grab, OOS Fair, OOS Nair, OOS Uair, or Up Smash when they reach.
• Do not force scrambles on shallow Neutral Air or Up Air; wait for the next arm swing or landing path instead.
• Once inside, keep the conversion short and reliable with throws and aerials, then push immediately toward ledge rather than resetting to midrange.
• Finish stocks through high-Aura Back Air, Forward Smash, Up Throw, and ledge pressure while avoiding greedy offstage overcommitments.

Actions to Avoid

• Repeatedly dashing straight into Min Min’s arm wall and taking the exact spacing battle she wants.
• Dropping the obvious punishes on Forward Tilt strings, Dash Attack, smash attacks, and Up B landing so Min Min never has to respect Lucario in shield.
• Swinging into every shallow Neutral Air or Up Air and letting yourself get pushed back out to tip range.
• Leaning too hard on desperate counters or sloppy Extreme Speed routes and handing Min Min free edgeguard opportunities.