Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Olimar wins neutral by letting Pikmin throws and long disjoints add up small control over and over, especially when white and purple Pikmin are available to turn that control into real damage and pushback. Lucas is not built to live inside that loop for long, because his best work comes from spacing first contact and then extending the disadvantage, not from brawling his way out at point blank.
The stable plan is to stop reading only the Pikmin lineup and instead hit Olimar’s body from just outside with forward tilt, down tilt, fair, and tether space, then carry the launch into landing pressure before the lineup is rebuilt. Olimar is tiny and light enough that one clean lift often means several forced guesses in a row if Lucas does not let the reset happen.
The table shows Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, and Neutral Air all give clear answers, starting with Up B (1f). Jab 1, Forward Tilt, and Nair are especially important because those are common close-range checks that must stop giving Olimar free rhythm. Purple Side B can be answered directly, but many smash and aerial situations are not stable instant punishes, so those are better treated as chase-and-cover moments rather than panic mash spots.
Stocks are more reliable when Lucas corners Olimar with Fair, Bair, PK Freeze, PK Thunder, and patient ledge coverage than when he tries to end everything in center-stage scrambles. Projectile options still matter, but if Lucas relies on them alone he gets dragged back into Pikmin throw spacing, so he has to return to grounded pokes quickly.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Lucas OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -11/-10 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -9/-8 |
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| Forward Tilt | 15 | -10 |
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| Up Tilt | 6/8/10/12/14/16 | -17 |
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| Down Tilt | 6 | -17 |
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| Dash Attack | 8/11 | -21 |
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| Forward Smash | 11 | — | ||
| Up Smash | 12 | — | ||
| Down Smash | 10 | — | ||
| Neutral Air | 7/11/15/19/23 | -11/-11 |
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| Forward Air | 7 | — | ||
| Back Air | 10 | — | ||
| Up Air | 8 | — | ||
| Down Air | 9 | — | ||
| Neutral B | — | — | ||
| Side B | 9 | Purple: -6 |
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| Up B | — | — | ||
| Down B | 2 (Start of Super Armor) | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use forward tilt, down tilt, fair, and tether spacing to hit Olimar’s body from just outside and break the Pikmin setup before it stabilizes.
- After blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, or Neutral Air, prioritize Up B (1f), then use Grab, OOS Nair, OOS Uair, OOS Fair, or OOS Dair when spacing allows.
- Punish purple Side B directly, but on many smash and aerial situations, do not force panic buttons. Track Olimar’s re-landing and retreat path instead and keep the reset from happening.
- Finish more often through ledge pressure with Fair, Bair, PK Freeze, PK Thunder, and patient coverage on Olimar’s light body than through center-stage scrambles.
Actions to Avoid
- Watching only Pikmin colors and counts while giving Olimar’s actual body free time to reorder and restart the wall.
- Missing the clear punish on Jab 1, Forward Tilt, or Nair and letting the close-range check become another full control sequence.
- Mashing into every unconfirmed smash or aerial situation and getting clipped by the small body moving out of the scramble.
- Trying to close stocks only with PK Freeze or PK Thunder and making the ledge pattern too easy to read.