Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Pac Man controls the pace with fruits, Fire Hydrant, and Trampoline, then layers Neutral Air, Forward Air, grab, and confirms once the opponent is forced to stop. Lucario already struggles more against strong projectiles and setup pressure, so if he waits for the setup to finish and only reacts afterward, he often loses the flow of the match before Aura can matter.
The upside is that Pac Man’s grounded body buttons leave clear openings. Jab 1, Jab 2, Jab 3, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, every smash attack, Neutral B, Side B, and Down B all lose to Lucario’s shield answers centered on OOS Dair (7f), Grab (10f), and OOS Fair (10f). Side B and the smash attacks are especially big cash-outs, so it matters more to mix shield and hit Pac Man himself than to rely on Aura Sphere alone to hold him out.
By contrast, Dash Attack, Neutral Air, Forward Air, and Up Air are mostly safe, while Back Air and Down Air only reduce to OOS Dair (7f) as the practical answer. It is also less stable to swing at Fire Hydrant on sight than to target Pac Man’s body position or the horizontal movement route he uses behind the hydrant. Do not give too much respect to the fruit charge itself; pressure the body first so the setup time keeps shrinking.
For kills, it is more repeatable to cash out through blocked Side B and smash attacks, Up Throw, and edge pressure into Back Air than to force one huge center-stage guess. Pac Man’s recovery is long, but chasing too deep around Trampoline or active setup pieces often hands him the reversal, so Lucario should prefer ledge continuation over forcing the offstage finish.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Lucario OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -12 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -14 |
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| Jab 3 | 4 | -24 |
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| Forward Tilt | 5 | -17 |
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| Up Tilt | 7 | -10 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -13 |
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| Dash Attack | 10/19/28/37 | -3 |
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| Forward Smash | 16 | -25 |
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| Up Smash | 11/15 | -24 |
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| Down Smash | 15 | -30 |
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| Neutral Air | 3 | -3/-4 |
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| Forward Air | 5 | -6 |
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| Back Air | 9 | -8/-10 |
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| Up Air | 9 | -6 |
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| Down Air | 6/13/20/27 | -10/-9 |
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| Neutral B | 12(+7) | -22/-20/-19/-17/-16/-18/-19/-14 |
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| Side B | 24—42 | 35—53 | -42 to -54 |
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| Up B | 4 | ** | ||
| Down B | 12 | -11 |
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| Grab | 12 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 15 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not wait for fruit charge and Fire Hydrant to become fully comfortable. Use Aura Sphere feints and walking pressure to stay on Pac Man’s body and reduce the time he gets to stand still.
- After blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, Jab 3, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, every smash attack, Neutral B, Side B, or Down B, punish immediately with the reachable option from OOS Dair (7f), Grab (10f), and OOS Fair (10f) so the setup never resets for free.
- Do not auto-swing at Dash Attack, Neutral Air, Forward Air, Up Air, or Fire Hydrant every time. Track the body position and lateral escape route first, then punish the movement that follows the setup.
- At kill percent, avoid forcing oversized center-stage reads and close the stock through blocked Side B or smash attacks, Up Throw, Back Air, and ledge traps instead.
Actions to Avoid
- Backing away every time fruit charge or Fire Hydrant appears and giving Pac Man uninterrupted setup time.
- Blocking the jab string, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, any smash attack, Neutral B, Side B, or Down B but still letting Pac Man reset back into fruits or hydrant.
- Mashing in place into Dash Attack, Neutral Air, Forward Air, Up Air, or the hydrant itself and getting pushed back into Pac Man’s lingering coverage or setup control.
- Chasing too deep around Trampoline and Fire Hydrant for the offstage finish and letting Pac Man’s long recovery or reversal expose Lucario’s lighter weight first.