Lucas (SSBU): Difference between revisions

Lucas' [[smash attack]]s also have a lot of utility, being overall among the strongest smash attacks in the game. While his forward smash is his weakest in terms of range and knockback (though still high), it makes up for it by being his fastest smash attack, this move also has the ability to [[reflect]] projectiles. Lastly, forward smash also has a tipper hitbox that KOs a lot earlier. Down smash has Lucas strike the ground three times in front of him; each hit getting progressively larger, but also getting progressively weaker (with the first hit of the move possessing very high knockback). This makes the move incredibly useful for ending jab lock combos, [[edge-guarding]] and [[Edge#2 frame punish|2-frame punishes]]. It also has a large hitbox that enables it to catch opponents directly below certain stages, thus being one of his best edgeguarding and KOing moves. His up smash has invincibility on frame 1-7 which therefore also avoids grabs. It also has extremely high knockback that can KO reliably at low percentages. However, the start-up and recovery is extremely high thus making it a "high risk, high reward" read and punish option.

Shortly coming back to Lucas' aerial game. His neutral aerial has a small hitbox and loses to nearly any hitbox in the game. However it's also active for 15 frames straight making it ideal to catch airdodges, spotdodges and jumps from the ledge, as well as being an effective combo starter and extender. His back aerial is a [[meteor smash]] when sweetspotted and slightly disjointed. His forward aerial is his best spacing aerial as it has massive range, is one of the safest aerials in the game, can combo into itself at low percents and has strong knockback making it a reliable KOing option. His up aerial is a juggling tool and combo starter that can KO at really high percentages. His down aerial consists of four hits with the final hit having a modest meteor effect and is very versatile overall, having some notable uses: dragging opponents down to the bottom blastzone, short hop chaining the move on grounded opponents at certain percentages to rack up damage, and the grounded meteor smash can be comboed into a KO confirm (such as forward smash, down smash, forward aerial, or up aerial). Finally his grab aerial sends out Rope Snake who deals damage and can be used as a [[tether]] recovery, its ability to be [[Double Jump Cancel Z-air|double jumped canceled]] makes it a useful combo tool and to move opponents across the stage.

In the end, Lucas fits into the disjoint zoner type and plays best when controlling foes' space and options thanks to his PK Fire, quick disjointed normals, and Rope Snake. However, he also excels at close-ranged combat thanks to his amazing comboing and KOing ability, along with his great aerial game. Lucas players must also take advantage of his excellent edgeguarding game by forcing his opponent off-stage with his powerful throws, with many of his aerials, his PK Freeze, his PK Fire and his PK Thunder being powerful enough to gimp or KO his opponent.

Near the end of ''SSB4''{{'}}s metagame Lucas was considered a high tier character (28th out of 55), being tied with {{SSB4|Ness}}. In the transition to ''Ultimate'', Lucas has received a mix of buffs and nerfs, but it's difficult to determine whether he has been buffed or nerfed overall. Some of Lucas's biggest strengths from the previous game have been significantly nerfed, and his mix-up options are not as effective as before, but his moveset as a whole is much more consistent, granting him many more options he lacked in the previous game.

Lucas has received comparetively few nerfs, though most of them have been heavy, with the most notable of these nerfs being his worsened combo game; renowned for being incredibly dangerous and for Lucas's ability to heavily mix it up, his [[down throw]] no longer combos into any of his aerials beyond very low percentages, and the universally [[tech]]able [[footstool]]s and changes to [[lock]]ing have significantly hindered his previously guaranteed setups into said combos. Overall, Lucas no longer has access to semi-guaranteed KO set-ups from his down throw (into back aerial at the edge, or to up aerial at high percentages), or to footstool-based combos unless the opponent isn't able to tech in time. Aside from the nerfs to his combo game, [[PK Thunder 2]] now has halted momentum at the end of its animation, which shortens his recovery. Lucas also has a slightly harder time landing due to [[PSI Magnet]] no longer halting his momentum in the air.

In spite of these nerfs, Lucas has nevertheless predominantly received many more significant buffs. His frame data and damage output have all been strengthened as a whole, which has made his attacks generally safer than in ''SSB4'' (especially if sweetspotted, due to their [[electric]] effect). Lucas's approach and aerial game are much more effective, as his [[forward aerial|forward]], [[back aerial|back]] and [[up aerial]]s all are now capable of [[autocancel]]ing from a short hop, the former is a much more viable move for KOing, and the latter's hitbox now matches its animation more correctly. His [[grab aerial]] can now be [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA1bVZEyPQ0 double-jump canceled] as well, which now gives him an additional option for approaching and can be chained into itself repeatedly or forward air, giving it great combo ability. Also, his [[down aerial]] can now loop into itself at mid to high percentages and set-up kill confirms (most notably forward and down smash, and forward air), and the inability to tech grounded meteor smashes benefits his back aerial, which can also loop into itself and his other aerials. Thanks to these buffs, the aforementionned nerfs to his combo game have been slightly compensated. His grounded game has seen several noteworthy improvements, as [[forward tilt]] has more range and power, his [[up tilt|up]] and [[down tilt]]s have more combo ability, [[up smash]] has exponentially increased power and now renders him invincible for longer, and [[down smash]] can now once again hit opponents multiple times. Finally, Lucas's special moves have all been improved as well; in particular, [[PK Freeze]] has been drastically improved as it, no longer makes Lucas helpless, can travel trough soft and semi-soft platforms, now follows the ground on contact with hard platforms, sends at a lower angle that gives it fearsome [[edgeguarding]] potential, and leaves opponents [[freeze|frozen]] for a much longer period of time at higher percentages. [[PK Fire]] also sends at a lower angle and has more knockback, making it a more impactful projectile when it connects; [[PK Thunder]] travels faster and is an even better edgeguarding and gimping tool; and PSI Magnet absorbs and recovers faster, but the hitbox is 2 frames slower on the release.

In the end, while Lucas's strongest trait in his combo game was slightly toned down, many of his most glaring weaknesses were notably improved, some of his less-potent moves became stronger, his already great edgeguarding game became even stronger and the changes to the game's pace have provided more leeway for him, granting him far more options than he had in ''SSB4''. This makes him more of an ''all-rounder'', making him more similar to his fellow ''{{uv|EarthBound}}'' fighter Ness, though with more options, a much better edgeguarding game and a better recovery at the cost of simplicity and combo flexibility. While Lucas's changes makes it uncertain as to whether he was buffed or nerfed, most players agree that Lucas has generally improved at the pace the rest of the cast has. So far, despite Lucas's playerbase remaining small in competitive play, he has achieved above average to strong results at the local and regional levels, thanks to players such as {{Sm|ChocoTaco}}, {{Sm|Mekos}} and {{Sm|WhYYZ}}, though they have been more sparse in national tournaments. As of now, Lucas's viability in competitive remains up for debate, although he is generally agreed to remain a viable character, likely moreso than in ''SSB4''.  

|dairdesc=An alternating series of [[Meteor smash|stomps]], with each stomp emitting a small blast of PSI energy from his feet. Isn't as disjointed as it looks as its range has been slightly nerfed from ''SSB4''. The last hitbox of this move can [[lock]] opponents at low percents. The sourspots can also lock opponents on a platform. Because grounded spikes can no longer be teched, down aerial can be looped into itself at around 65% on average, and combo into a forwardor down smash for a KO.