User blog:CamelCase/How To: Lucas

About
Lucas is probably one of the least valued characters in Brawl. He's got a better recovery than Ness in the Magnet Slide and the fact that his PK Thunder can have more than one hit and goes through stuff, meaning he won't die if he hits a platform with it. So without further ado here are some of the techniques which are essential to Lucas.

Basics
The most basic recovery move if Lucas is launched is the Thunderslide. Hitting yourself with PK Thunder will shoot you super-fast in the direction opposite to the part you hit (think Angry Birds.) The trick is that you can also Thunderslide into enemies to deal decent knockback and score multiple hits. Practicality: Situational. You can use it to recover or tackle enemies, but you will have to aim well to get results. Skill Required: Motor skills and the ability to aim semi-decently with a projectile. Damage: Mainly used for recovery but can also KO off the sides.
 * Thunderslide

Good Lucas players know all about this trick. Lucas' Up Smash is the second-strongest in the game though pretty laggy. It will however KO most foes fairly quickly, blowing them up beyond the upper blast line. Although charging is slow just a little will do wonders for your game. Practicality: Highly situational. Perfect for zapping someone while they're on a platform above you, and when there's no punishment to be dealt. Skill Required: Not much. Just learn how to SMAAAASH!! reliably and you should be all good with this. Damage: Fairly intense - 29%.
 * PK Love

Lucas' D-Throw is the strongest in the game. He can also pummel a few times before unleashing a SMAAAASH!! on the poor fool who touched your Rope Snake. The vertical knockback should be a fairly decent KO machine if you use it at high percentage. Don't rely on it for damaging as it does 7%. Practicality: Fairly general. Good for the lighter opponents and for setting up a KO. Skill Required: Keep your head cool and you should be fine. Otherwise you'll be more likely to choose to pummel and maybe miss the opportunity. Damage: 7%. Not ideal for damage dealing, exactly.
 * D-Throw

Advanced
His main advantage over Ness. Lucas' aerial PK Fire is different from Ness' in that irrespective of where he is he will always shoot it straight ahead and be pushed back a little. Thus PK Magnet's odd momentum amping properties allow him to pull himself across the stage. Practicality: Slightly situational. Good for parachuting and also able to shoot you across the stage. Skill Required: You need to be able to flip around to do the Maglev right, but practice in Training at a slower speed will help. Damage: Mainly recovery but if you do manage to blast someone it's just your luck.
 * Maglev

Lucas' Strong Down is able to trip enemies and can force them off the side of the stage if you keep at it. But the main benefit is being able to spam Strong Down and quickly rack up damage while also locking the enemy in place, setting them up for either a Thunderslide or a D-Throw. Practicality: Excellent to perform if you have a "backboard" to repeatedly shove the enemy into, but still good for knocking the enemy off of platforms especially on Final Destination. Skill Required: Pretty much zilch. But finishing the combo is the hard part. Try and use PK Love or the D-Throw. Damage: Up to INFINITY. Of course not, in the end it just gets so ridiculous it's over NINE THOUSAAAAND.
 * Spin-Lock

Lucas' D-Air is a fairly excellent move. But the only problem is that the D-Air has to be used in the air. So, why not Zoidberg - I mean - short hop SMAAAASH!! Also, his N-Air is a good move for damage racking, but of course it's preferable for a normal jump, though it's the fastest Aerial. Practicality: Another Lucas Lock. Good for damage racking. Skill Required: The Short Hop is a hard-to-master technique, but once you've got it, you can mash this combo repeatedly. (Hint: Just tap C.) Damage: Same as beforehand.
 * Short-Hop Super Spin Mega Rainbow Unicorn Gyrocopter

Hyper
A combination of Short-Hop... and the Spin Lock as well as his Side Smash, this completely OTT combo will have you racking up damage and looking as smooth as possible. By combining the first two and finishing with his side-smash you should be able to KO most opponents with ease. Practicality: Anywhere. Skill Required: Very difficult, but can be mastered eventually by practicing the previous two locks. Damage: KO.
 * Super Short-Hop Gyrocopter Spin Mega Rainbow Saiyan Unicorn Unicron Fox Force Five Tarantino Stephen King J. K. Rowling Incredible 69 Rek Teh N00bs Combo

How does one somehow manage to get under Final Destination but make it back up again? Why, with Maglev and Thundersliding of course. By PK Fire-ing forwards, Magnet-ing backwards and finally Thundersliding up you can pull yourself across the bottom of the stage. Practicality: Mainly for Final Destination. Skill Required: Massive. Damage: Recovery.
 * Over and Out