Luigi (PM)

Luigi in Project M and Project+
Universe	Mario
Base game appearance	Brawl
Moveset inspiration	Luigi (SSBM)
Alternate costume	Mr. L, Casino Luigi, Space Land Luigi (Project+)

Luigi is a playable character in the Brawl mod Project M and Project+. His gameplay is based on his appearance in Melee. He is ranked 26th on the official Project M tier list in the top of the C tier, a much lower position than his Melee placement, where he was 12th out of 26, however barely higher compared to his Brawl placement, being 28th out of 38, respectively. However, in the official Project + tier list, he places much lower, being 41st out of 42, landing in the middle of C tier.

Attributes

Luigi is a middleweight with a moveset that boasts a fast and powerful set of aerials, rapid approach methods, and spontaneous power. With his incredibly long wavedash, Fireballs, and the mobility of Luigi Cyclone, Luigi can take advantage of any lapse in defense. His wavedash (the longest in the game) couples well with his collection of deadly smash attacks, allowing him to approach and immediately put out a powerful hit. He can space out opponents using his fireballs, and his combo game, especially in the air, is very potent.

Luigi suffers, however, in recovery and his speed in some areas, especially with his long wavedash being born from his very low traction at a cost. His low ground speed can be covered by substituting wavedashing for normal dashing, but his low aerial and falling speeds can hinder usage of his otherwise good aerials. Off stage, Luigi must deal with a fairly predictable and easy to edge hog return. Additionally, his floatiness makes him among the easiest characters to KO vertically (easier to KO than the floatier Samus due to her extra weight), making attacks with high vertical power (such as Fox's up smash) deadly against Luigi; as such, he has relatively poor vertical endurance and players must know to cope with and avoid said attacks.

Changes from Melee to PM

Owing to his mid-tier status in Melee, Luigi was moderately buffed in the transition to PM.

Aesthetics

• Side taunt has significantly less ending lag than in Brawl (FAF 95 → 52).
• Side taunt will repeat, alternating directions, for as long as the side taunt button is held.
• Luigi now has a down Smash Taunt based on his dancing victory pose from Smash 64.
• Luigi now has two helpless animations: one for air dodging, and the other for Super Jump Punch, taken from Brawl respectively.
• Luigi uses a previously unused KO scream from Brawl when getting Screen KO'd.

Attributes

• Luigi's jumps are marginally higher (jump force: 1.4 (short hop), 2.4 (full hop), 2.1 (ledge jump) → 1.469/2.469/2.169).
• Luigi has an altered size multiplier (x1.25 → x1). However, his overall size remains unchanged as his Brawl model is naturally bigger than his Melee model.
• Luigi's initial dash is slower (1.34 → 1.3).
• Luigi falls negligibly faster (1.6 → 1.6000003).
• Luigi has higher air acceleration (additional: 0.025 → 0.035, maximum: 0.04 → 0.05), giving him more control over his aerial mobility.
• Spot dodge has more ending lag (FAF 23 → 25).
• Luigi retains his ability to crawl from Brawl, which gives him additional movement options when combined with his long wavedash.[1]
• Luigi's star spit when Inhaled by Kirby or King Dedede retains it Brawl damage, dealing less than Melee as a result (17% → 15%), hindering its potential in Doubles.
• The removal of lightshielding benefits Luigi, as it is harder for opponents to perform the Marth killer against him, especially when combined with Super Jump Punch's improved horizontal drift.
• The changes to ledge jumps now allowing characters to be actionable sooner benefits Luigi, as his slow falling and air speeds previously made him highly vulnerable when using it in Melee, while Luigi himself is not particularly hindered by other characters being able to use it against him, due to his high jump letting him catch opponents jumping from ledge more easily than most.

Ground Attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit's fist hitbox is marginally larger (3.52u → 3.9u).
  • The second hit now completely halts Luigi's momentum, making it less effective at approaching out of a wavedash, but more effective at spacing.
  • The third hit has more ending lag (FAF 22 → 23).
  • The third hit retains its additional hitbox positioned ahead of the original single hitbox that was added in Brawl, improving the move's range.
• Forward tilt:
  • Down angled forward tilt no longer has set knockback (2 (base), 1 (set), 100 (scaling) → 2/0/100). This greatly improves its safety, as it is no longer dangerously punishable on hit at any percent.
    • However, this hinders its jab reset potential, no longer doing so at higher percents.
  • Down angled forward tilt now has additional shield damage (0 → 10).
  • Forward tilt's furthest hitbox is marginally larger (3.91u → 4.05u).
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has less ending lag (FAF 35 → 31).
  • Down tilt deals considerably more damage (9% → 15%). When combined with Luigi's low traction meaning he now gets pushed back a fair distance when hitting the move on shield, this makes the move notably safe on shield against a fair amount of the cast.
  • Down tilt now has additional shield damage (0 → 10).
  • Down tilt now deals set knockback (10 (base), 80 (scaling) → 2 (base), 1 (set), 100 (scaling)).
    • This makes the move even more unsafe on hit than before, despite its much higher damage output.
    • However, this improves the move's jab reset potential, now being Luigi's most optimal jab reset tool on-paper, due to its high damage output and set knockback making it work at any percent.
  • Down tilt has an altered angle (80° → 45°).
  • Down tilt now plays the same "Pwaaah" sound effect as when hitting with Mr. Saturn.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has more ending lag (FAF 59 → 70).
  • Dash attack retains its final stronger hit from Brawl, now hitting seven times as opposed to six, making the move much safer on hit.
    • The final hit additionally now always sends opponents in the same direction Luigi is facing, making it more consistent and safer.
    • It can no longer trip opponents like in Brawl (30% → 0%).
  • Each hit deals more damage, including the final hit compared to Brawl (2% (all) → 3%), significantly improving the move's total damage output when combined with the changes to stale-move negation (11.1% → 21%).
    • The final hit's knockback was compensated compared to the Brawl version (50 (base), 100 (scaling) → 48/96).
  • The multihits have altered knockback (2 (base), 100 (scaling) → 25/60) and now semi-spike opponents (361° → 30°), as well as always sending opponents in the same direction Luigi is facing. All these factors make the multihits connect more reliably and safer on hit.
  • The multihits have lower hitlag and SDI multipliers (1x (both) → 0.75x (hitlag), 0.6x (SDI)).
  • Each hit now deals additional shield damage (0 → 3 (multihits), 5 (final hit)), which when combined with each hit's higher damage output, makes the move more effective at wearing down shields.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash retains its animation and hitbox/head intangibility durations from Brawl (frames 9-11 → 9-13), making it cover a more effective attack range and for longer.
  • Luigi's nose is properly fully intangible along with his head while the hitbox is active, improving the move's safety.
  • Up smash retains its second lower body hitbox from Brawl, improving the move's range.
    • It is slightly smaller than its Brawl version (4u → 3.4u) and is positioned lower (Y offset: 4u → 3.9u).
  • The head hitbox is positioned higher and slightly closer towards the back of Luigi's head (Y offset: 2.73u → 3.42u, Z offset: 1.17u → 1.46u), improving its range both upwards and behind Luigi, while still having more range in front due to its altered attack animation and longer hitbox duration.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash retains its Brawl animation.

Aerial Attacks

• All aerials except back aerial have one extra frame of animation, and six extra frames in the case of back aerial (45 frames → 46 (neutral), 34 → 35 (forward), 28 → 34 (back), 33 → 34 (up), 32 → 33 (down)), slightly increasing the amount of time Luigi cannot grab the ledge after using them.
  • In the case of neutral and back aerials, which previously lacked interruptibility frames, neutral aerial has been given one frame of interruptibility before its animation ends (FAF 46), leaving its ending lag unchanged, whereas back aerial has less ending lag than before anyway.
• The ability to interrupt aerials with air dodging from Brawl notably benefits Luigi more so than any other character, as he can now waveland sooner out of his aerials when done from a short hop, improving their spacing potential.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has less ending lag (FAF 33 → 31).
  • Forward aerial has a slightly shorter initial auto-cancel window (frames 1-2 → 1).
  • Forward aerial now has additional shield damage (0 → 8).
  • Forward aerial emits a Fan sound effect and uses a slash hit effect, like forward smash.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has less ending lag (FAF 29 → 27).
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has a longer duration (frames 5-7 → 5-9).
  • Up aerial has a more vertical launch angle (55° → 70°), improving its combo ability, most notably into a sweetspotted Super Jump Punch.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial now has additional shield damage (0 → 4).
  • Down aerial's lowermost hitbox is positioned marginally further downward (Y offset: 3.91u → 4.88u), increasing its range.

Throws/other attacks

• Grabs:
  • Standing grab has more ending lag (FAF 31 → 32).
  • Standing grab's grabboxes are larger (2.73u/2.73u → 3u/3u), and positioned slightly further forward (Z offset: 8.20u/2.34u → 8.5u/4u), marginally improving standing grab's horizontal range.
  • Dash grab now consists of two larger grabboxes instead of three smaller grabboxes (1.95u/1.95u/1.95u → 3u/3u). As well as no longer having a grabbox behind Luigi, the remaining grabboxes are positioned closer (Z offset: 8.20u/2.34u → 6.5u/1u), reducing dash grab's horizontal range despite its larger grabboxes.
    • However, the larger grabboxes increase dash grab's vertical range.
  • Compared to Brawl, pivot grab has less startup lag (frame 11 → 9).
  • Pivot grab has smaller grabboxes (3.5u/3.5u/3.5u → 3u/3u/3u) and are positioned higher and closer to Luigi (Y offset: 6.6.u/6.6u/6.6u → 8.06u/8.06u/8.06u, Z offset: -14u/-7u/-1u → -12u/-8.5u/-5u), reducing their range, and making it slightly more prone to low-profiling against smaller characters.
• Luigi benefits from the changes to grabs no longer negating horizontal momentum against characters with low traction, as it improves forward throw's follow-up and chain grabbing potential when jump-canceled grabbed.
• Back throw:
  • Back throw deals more damage like in Brawl (10% → 12%), improving its KO potential.
• Down taunt (previously his only taunt):
  • Down taunt retains its higher damage (1% → 2%) and set knockback (100 → 180) from Brawl.
    • Additionally, it now spikes instead of meteor smashes (280° → 281°), functionally turing it into a true One-hit KO against opponents off-stage.
  • It has a larger hitbox (3.12u → 4u).

Special Moves

• Fireball, Green Missile, and Super Jump Punch now use a unique green flame element when they hit characters (effect ID #15 in-game).
  • They are no longer considered fire element moves, meaning they can no longer instantly detonate Blast Boxes.
  • However, this allows them to damage Olimar's red Pikmin.
• Fireball:
  • Fireball retains its ability to be B-reversed/wavebounced from Brawl, which can now additionally be combined with a Vududash, improving its movement and mix-up potential and accuracy.[2]
  • Luigi can now fast-fall during Fireball, further improving its mixup potential and accuracy.
  • Fireball has less ending lag like in Brawl (FAF 47 → 41).
  • Fireballs travel faster and have a much longer duration (frames 17-66 → 17-74), making them more effective at camping and following up when combined with the move's shorter ending lag and newfound ability to fast-fall.
  • Fireballs deal more damage (6% → 7%) and have more base knockback (5 → 25), making them safer on hit and more effective at following-up, edgeguarding, and camping.
  • Fireballs are much larger (1.85u → 4.5u).
• Green Missile:
  • Green Missile displays additional green flames coming from Luigi's back.
  • Green Missile retains its ability to be held indefinitely from Brawl, improving its recovery and mix-up potential.
  • Green Missile retains its ability to grab the edge 21 frames after take-off and before the hitbox ceases from Brawl, including being able to grab the edge when Luigi is facing away from it, improving the move's safety and recovery potential.
    • Its ledge grabbox is slightly smaller vertically compared to Brawl.
  • Green Missile can now be reversed on start-up, making it less prone to self-destructing.
  • Green Missile can no longer reverse hit, now always sending opponents in the same direction Luigi is facing.
  • A misfire deals more damage (25% → 27%), with its shield damage compensated (4 → 0).
  • A misfire has a hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.5×) makes it easier to react to and DI.
  • Green Missile will now always misfire after once per eight uses of a normal Green Missile, with each attempt increasing its random 12.5% chance of occurring (formula: 1/8 - number of normal Green Missiles). This makes Green Missile much more consistent and reliable to use overall, and improves its recovery potential.[3]
    • However, its added layer of consistency makes it somewhat easier for the opponent to anticipate and prepare to dodge or punish the misfire.
  • Holding the shield button while charging a misfire will release a normal missile and "store" the misfire for the next use of the attack, at the cost of reducing 3% damage from the move each time it is canceled, down to a minimum of 15% after four cancels. This improves Green Missile's mixup potential, allowing Luigi to save his misfire for when he needs it to recover from a far distance, or to guarantee a KO confirm into misfire.
  • Luigi now flashes green during its startup and charging to indicate a misfire occurring. This makes it easier for Luigi to react to and prepare for the misfire (combined with the above change of now being able to store it), but the same is true for the opponent.
  • Green Missile can no longer be edge canceled, with Luigi continuing his landing animation after he slides off an edge.
• Super Jump Punch:
  • Super Jump Punch can now grab edges at the height of the jump when Luigi is facing away from it, improving his recovery potential.
  • Super Jump Punch has drastically more control over Luigi's horizontal movement after the peak of the jump, no longer forcing Luigi to be strictly parallel vertically with the edge to effectively recover with it, noticeably improving the move's recovery potential, as well as making it easier to edge cancel the move.
  • Super Jump Punch has a larger ledge grabbox, especially at the peak of the jump before Luigi becomes helpless, further improving its recovery potential.
  • Luigi starts falling sooner into the move, allowing it to sweetspot edges sooner (frame 27 → 23), while still maintaining its overall vertical distance.
  • The sweetspot has a longer duration (frames 5 → 5-6).
  • The sweetspot has a hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.5×) makes it easier to react to and DI.
  • The aerial version's sweetspot deals more damage (20% → 21%) and has more knockback scaling (72 → 80), noticeably improving its KO potential.
  • The sourspot has a slightly shorter duration (frames 6-23 → 7-22).
  • Super Jump Punch retains its animations from Brawl.
• Luigi Cyclone:
  • Luigi Cyclone has a longer animation (79 frames → 81), increasing the amount of time Luigi cannot grab the ledge after using it.
  • Luigi Cyclone can be reversed on startup, causing Luigi to face the direction held once the move ends. This allows the move to face the edge to grab it on its own if Luigi was facing the opposite direction beforehand, without needing to use Green Missile or Super Jump Punch to turn him around first, improving the move's accuracy when recovering.
  • Luigi Cyclone is much easier to button mash overall, improving its recovery potential.
  • Luigi can now effectively rise with the grounded version, similar to Brawl, which allows the move to be safer and more useful in combos.
  • Gaining height with the aerial version no longer requires "charging" it by ending the move on the ground first, making it much more reliable.
  • The aerial version has less ending lag (FAF 80 → 71).
  • The aerial version has one less frame of animation before the second hit comes out while maintaining its startup lag, causing the second hit to start once Luigi's arms are stretched out instead of just before, noticeably improving its range when combined with its longer duration.
  • Luigi Cyclone deals more damage if both hits connect due to the changes to stale-move negation, despite the first hit of the aerial version's reduced damage (18.92% (grounded), 19.92% (aerial) → 20% (both)).
  • The first hit of the aerial version's hitboxes now match the grounded version's; the two hitboxes on Luigi's arms deal less damage (9% → 8%), are slightly smaller (4.88u → 3.52u), and it no longer has a smaller third hitbox directly below Luigi, reducing its range.
  • The first hit can no longer reverse hit, now always sending opponents in the same direction Luigi is facing. However, as this hit sends opponents 90° straight upward, this change is fairly negligible.
  • The second hit has a longer duration (frames 43 → 43-46).

Revisions

v2.1

• Fixed Luigi's inability to fall through platforms after becoming helpless from Super Jump Punch.
• Luigi can no longer grab the edge from behind after becoming helpless from Super Jump Punch.

v2.5b

• Luigi's angled forward smash animations matched to Melee's, where he does not twist his arm as far upwards or downwards.
  • This reduces their vertical ranges, but improves their horizontal ranges.
• Luigi Cyclone's final hit duration increased to match Melee's.

v2.6b

• Super Jump Punch's vertical distance and ledge grab duration is closer to Melee Luigi's. He now also stops rising when he reaches the apex, allowing for faster edge sweetspots.

v3.0

• Storing misfires for Green Missile now requires a shield button to be held, but the player can either misfire or store it for the next use during any part of the charging animation. The misfire's green indicating flash now repeats until the charge is full.
• Down taunt has a larger hitbox (3.13u → 4u).

v3.5

• Luigi uses a previously unused KO scream from Brawl when getting Screen KO'd.
• Each hit of dash attack deals more damage (2% (all) → 3%), significantly improving the move's total damage output (14% → 21%).
• Dash attack's multihits have altered knockback (2 (base), 100 (scaling) → 25/60) and now semi-spike opponents (361° → 30°), as well as always sending opponents in the same direction Luigi is facing. All these factors make the multihits connect more reliably and safer on hit.
• Dash attack's multihits' furtherest hitbox is positioned closer (Z offset: 9.77u → 7u).
• Dash attack's final hit deals drastically more knockback (2 (base), 100 (scaling) → 48/96), and now always sends opponents in the same direction Luigi is facing.
• Each hit of dash attack now deals additional shield damage (0 → 3 (multihits), 5 (final hit)).
• Forward and down aerials have more hitlag (0.7× → 1×) making them easier to react to and DI.
• Up aerial has a longer duration (frames 5-7 → 5-9).
• Dash grab now consists of two larger hitboxes instead of three smaller hitboxes (1.95u/1.95u/1.95u → 3u/3u). As well as no longer having a grabbox behind Luigi, the remaining grabboxes are positioned closer (Z offset: 10.25u/2.93u → 6.5u/1u), reducing their horizontal range despite their larger size.
• Pivot grab has larger grabboxes (2.73u/2.73u/2.73u → 3u/3u/3u).
• Pivot grab grabboxes are positioned closer to Luigi (Z offset: -15u/-8u/-1u → -12u/-8.5u/-5u), reducing their range despite their larger size.
• Fireball, Green Missile, and Super Jump Punch now use a unique green flame element when they hit characters (effect ID #15 in-game).
  • They are no longer considered fire element moves, meaning they can no longer instantly detonate Blast Boxes.
  • However, this allows them to damage Olimar's red Pikmin.
• Green Missile can no longer be used to momentum brake.
• Super Jump Punch has less landing lag (45 frames → 40).
• Aerial Luigi Cyclone has more ending lag (FAF 66 → 71).
• The first hit of the aerial Luigi Cyclone's hitboxes now match the grounded version's; the two hitboxes on Luigi's arms deal less damage (9% → 8%), are slightly smaller (4.88u → 3.52u), and it no longer has a smaller third hitbox directly below Luigi, reducing its range.
  • This also reduces the aerial version's damage output if both hits connect (21% → 20%).

v3.6

• Green Missile no longer grants full intangibility for the first 5 frames after taking off like in Brawl.
• Green Missile's ledge grab box was lowered.
• Green Missile's guaranteed misfire window is now expanded from six to eight.
• Each time a Green Missile's misfire is canceled, its damage is reduced by 3%, up to a minimum of 15% damage after four cancels.
• A misfire deals more damage (25% → 27%), with its shield damage compensated (4 → 0).
• Luigi Cyclone's stats effectively match Melee's version of the move, reducing its maximum distance. It also will not immediately refresh on a ledge grab.
• Luigi has a new Smash Taunt, based off one of his winning animations from the original Super Smash Bros..