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In a number of previous posts, I’ve talked about my attempts to bring every character to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in Elite Smash. So far, Luigi has been the toughest character this has happened with – even harder than Sheik, Bayonetta, Ice Climbers, and Jigglypuff. At the moment I have 64 characters in Elite Smash, but I tend to take long breaks from this challenge (which lasted for several months this time).
Even though it’s been over a year since I had Luigi in Elite Smash, I still remember how boring it was to deal with this character’s flaws. His recovery in particular was particularly difficult for me.
Considering this character’s tendency to perform touch of death combos, Luigi’s weaknesses certainly make sense. If you are able to land a hit on the opponent at 0%, it is possible to remove a stock with practice and execution.
Luigi really feels like a traditional grappler due to the emphasis on his grip and throws. He has some pretty extreme weaknesses, but it’s scary to fight if the player knows what he’s doing.
One of the main issues was that I couldn’t really get this combo. Instead, I opted for a less than optimal combo every time I landed a take. In many ways, I think it made it seem like Luigi’s weaknesses outweighed his strengths at times.
Slow grip, second slowest fall speed, 13th worst air speed, slippery ground movement, and terribly poor recovery. Can’t stress how Luigi’s recovery has felt at times BARELY fail to grab the ledge.
However, it turns out that there is a secret trick to Luigi’s recovery. I’m specifically referring to its special side, the Green Missile.
I was watching a video of Larry Lurr when someone commented that Luigi’s side stage would go a little more distance if you mash with the special button instead of just tilting the stick.
When I first saw and heard this I literally put my hands on my head and screamed “What !? Are you kidding me !?” True story.
To clarify, I know that some side specials have different properties when performed as a smash attack. Other examples include Samus’ missiles, Byleth’s Areadbhar, and Link’s Boomerang.
But in the case of Luigi’s Green Missile special, it turned out to be completely unintuitive. I even checked the game tips and didn’t see any mention of it in Luigi’s section.
While the difference in distance between the two versions of the move might seem small, it would often be the difference between surviving and losing a stock when performing that trade 3-4 times in a desperate attempt to get back on the ledge.
Whenever I received a ton of recoil, I first latched onto the stage to keep Luigi alive via directional influence. I would then decide between using the loaded version of Luigi’s special side or using multiple unbilled side specials to get back on stage.
Since I was already holding the front, I simply hit the special button after being convinced that the recoil had stopped. Pressing the special button too early will give Luigi an extra boost towards the side blast area. I have learned from experience that this is a really good way for me to look stupid and kill myself.
At this point, the image of Luigi narrowly missing the rim with his up special was etched in my mind. So many games have been lost because of Luigi’s shenanigans.
I pretty much accepted that if I was knocked out of the scene I was losing a stock. If I managed to come back then it was basically a miracle.
Somehow I had to win with a character who was intentionally crafted to have terribly neutral and incredibly awkward approach options. This was to make up for the fact that Luigi’s combos from his down throw are some of the best in the game.
Of course, my Luigi had pitifully bad throw combos. Even if I opened my opponent, I was not going to get the reward that was intended for me because my execution with the character was not on point.
My game plan was basically to play as perfectly as possible. If I lost neutral 3 times, then I lost. This is obviously a huge exaggeration, but my Luigi is awful. I accept this.
I was able to sort of make it happen and get Luigi into Elite Smash, but the experience would have been leaps and bounds better if there had been an intuitive indication that the Green Missile had traveled a little extra distance before it broke. stick instead of tilting it.
Banner image source: Mr. Ryan.
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