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This discussion is for those looking for guidance on how to use Lucas. Let's start shall we?
Lucas comes from the series Mother (Earthbound). Lucas is the central protagonist of Mother 3, a Japan-only release game. He comes from Tazmily Village and lives with his small family of four: Hinawa (mother), Flint (father), and Claus (twin brother). He has a timid nature which is completely opposite to his brother Claus. They both have pronounced PSI powers, which are forms of psychokinetic energies. When Lucas’s village is attacked and Claus disappears without a trace, he sets out on a life-threatening adventure with his friends for the Seven Needles. In the end, the little boy with PSI powers grows up. In Brawl, Lucas is aged 13.
Enough about his story, however. This is a guide on how Lucas should be played, why he should be played, and some matchup information. Like my Fox guide, this is not meant to be a suped up guide but rather a guide for those looking to pick up Lucas or those looking to improve their Lucas game.
First, I will start with a pro/con list of Lucas's abilities:
Pros:
- Powerful smashes
- High priority
- Many recovery options
- Great spacing
- Two spikes
- can be played defensively and offensively
- PSI Magnet can absorb laser projectiles
- PSI Magnet can damage with significant knockback
- Zap Jump, Wavebounce, and Magnet Pulls allow for more recovery options
- underestimated
- Ranged and close-ranged combat
- Great ground game
Cons:
- Lightweight
- Air game needs work
- approaching can be difficult in some match-ups
- Significant lag in some attacks
- PKT2 recovery is predictable
- can be gimped easily
- punished easily
- Susceptible to chain grabs and grab releases and various other techniques
This list is kind of a disappointment, but you get the point. He has things that make him great, but things that completely destroy his character. One of the most balanced in the game if you ask me.
And for those that may want to bring this up... LUCAS IS NOT A CLONE! Go ahead, argue with me, but not in this forum.
Look here, just because two kids come from the same series does not make them clones. I don’t care how similar they are, the closest clone in this game is Toon Link. There are a vast many differences between Ness and Lucas:
- Lucas has better ground game than air game and vice-versa for Ness
- Lucas has more available recovery options whereas Ness has only one
- Many of Lucas’s attacks are guided by PSI sparkles whereas Ness uses hand-to-hand combat, his bat and yo-yo, or PK attacks
- Ness’s PKT runs out when it hits anyone and Lucas’s only cancels if met with more priority
- Lucas’s stick comes out faster than Ness’s bat
- Lucas’s PK Fire comes out in a column of flame and Ness’s comes out in a multiple hit pillar
- and the list goes on...
So, to wrap it up, we can see that Lucas and Ness are not the same. Lucas (ground) vs Ness (air) is the common ground that is to be met.
Lucas is E-tier, I know and I'm aware, but here's why you should play him. There are many answers to this question but mine are simple: many KO options, my familiarity with Ness, and a balanced character. When most begin to pick-up Lucas, all they think about is how they can beat top tier characters. It doesn’t work like that. When they realize that Lucas isn’t easy to master, they drop him, knowing that they can’t achieve easy victories. However, that is one of the better reasons to pick him up. His unpredictability and underestimation wins him some Kos. His many KO options include his deadly Up Smash, Tilts and Grabs, and air maneuvers. If you are familiar with Ness, then you should already be aware that Lucas shares some similarities and that means less adjustment but that doesn’t ensure an easy pick-up. Lucas is not too fast or slow and for his moderate speed, he earns some serious power. Lucas, though tricky, can give players many options to work with to survive longer and KO faster.
Alright! Now on to the good stuff: strategies! I feel I've drought long enough about how great Lucas is and would like to meet players like Galeon or Crim Child (met online but not irl or Brawl).
Lucas is primarily a defensive character. Reason being: his entire moveset can be used defensively. Even though a lot of Lucases just attack like mad (and a lot of them are good at that) they actually can improve their game by improving their spacing techniques. He is also better in teams than 1 on 1. I'm talking about PK Firing and retreating forward aerial. Techniques like that make Lucas's defenses impeccable and hard to get through. His speed allows him to get in quick, powerful attacks and light comboes as well. Typically, a great strategy to use is a short-hopped neutral aerial to build some damage. You should be patient and adapting to every situation, because some characters, like Falco or Marth, will not wait up on you. PK Thunder edgeguarding helps a lot as well.
Lucas has A LOT of recovery options than just his rope snake and PKT2 recoveries. Tricks that were being discovered have revealed many different ways that Lucas can make it back on the stage...
Rope Snake: It's simple, really. When you are close enough to the ledge, press your grabbing button(s) to extend your rope snake. This is also known as a Zair. Lucas's rope snake looks small but actually extends pretty far out, but be wary that it is not as long as Zero Suit Samus's Zair either. Also, you can only rope snake the ledge 3 times before a NEED to touch the ground with your feet. Attempting to exceed this limit will result in a failed grab and possibly your SD.
PK Thunder Rocket (PK Thunder 2/PKT2): This is your basic Up Special move where you call upon a fully controllable thunder (shouldn't it be lightning). You ram it into Lucas at any angle and watch him fly far. Aim at the ledge to grab. There is a downfall to this: it is very predictable and edgeguardable as well. Plus, if you aim it just wrong, you can bounce right off the ledge.
Zap Jumping: Performing a mid-air jump and immediately PK Firing right afterward will result in a Zap Jump. Lucas will jump VERY HIGH and does not leave you helpless. This move will take some practice and anybody that needs help with it can refer to a video or I can show them online. Caution: you MUST have your mid-air jump available to perform this and you will lose your mid-air jump when you perform it be it successful or failure. You can also know that you messed up if Lucas does a slight hop while PK Firing. Very useful in unpredictable recoveries and vertical recovering.
Magnet Pulling: When you have your momentum going in a particular direction, PK Fire opposite that direction to further the moment and immediate pull out your PSI Magnet to "Magnet Pull". If you succeeded, Lucas should move very fast and very far in that direction depending on your momentum. This is like the horizontal version of Zap Jumping.
I only know how to do these four recovery options because I am limited to Wiichuk combination. For those that would like more knowledge on his recoveries, look up a video or something because you can do way more with the Gamecube Controller.
Matchups
Lucas has some very good matchups but also some very crappy ones as well. Only experience can help you in those bad matchups but I will lend you some knowledge on how you can overcome those disadvantages. These are some of his worst matchups:
Lucas vs Marth
Lucas vs Falco
Lucas vs Snake
Lucas vs Metaknight
Lucas vs Olimar
vs Marth:
This probably makes top 5 in the list of worst matchups for Lucas (and Ness, too). I've no idea why, but Marth just seems to rape Lucas in a lot of situations. Marth has a few advantages: his tippers, his speed, his chaingrabs, his edgeguarding abilities. Stages like Battlefield, that is supposedly one of Lucas's best stages, will become your bane if you are up against a Marth. A lot of Marth's moves will leave you defenseless and will break through Lucas's spacing techniques. He's too fast to space with PK Fire and will tip you out of the stage before you know what hit you. Also, Marth is very good at edgeguarding and will take out Lucas's recovery options if you aren't careful about it. All in all, you must adapt and make sure you don't make costly and laggy moves (Up Smash, I'm looking at you). Do not let Marth intimidate you because he is just as light. You are more powerful and must show Marth that you mean business.
vs Falco: Being a top tier (*cough* queer *cough* lol jk), Falco is very hard to match with Lucas. Falco can easily outmaneuver you and keep you pinned in the air. Both have about the same speed, but Falco's attacking lag is little. Falco's laser is also hard to get around. Lucas can easily be chaingrabbed and Falco will gimp you. Keep your distance and keep spacing. Move in only if he's at a percentage to be knocked around. Falco can tear away at your stocks if you are unable to dodge his attacks.
vs Snake: If you let him, Snake will control the entire stage with explosives and will not let you return to the stage. He is heavy and powerful and it will be very hard to make it back on the stage once you've gotten off. Unfortunate as this is, this matchup probably deserves 70:30 at best in Snake's favor. Snake's tilts WILL kill you if the explosives don't. My recommendation: be patient and wait until he's distracted to move and attack. Otherwise, keep PK Fire Spacing. When Snake is off the ledge, tear at his percentage but launching PK Thunder and trying to stage spike him. Snakes tend to make mistakes by waiting for things to happen and if you rush, you're only feeding into your demise. Know the stage and know where he's placed his explosives. Also, once he places an explosive, make sure you keep him occupied until he forgets and hurts himself. If you aim it just right, your stick (forward smash) will deflect the grenades right back at him.
vs Metaknight: Metaknight is an extreme pain to fight because all of his moves give off some extra hit of some sort that is just enough to keep you from attacking him. Your attacks are fast but his are faster. Stay on the ground and DO NOT PURSUE HIM AFTER HE'S OFF THE STAGE! The shuttle loop will kill you if his other attacks won't. This is not the time to get fancy with aerials. You must think ahead of Metaknight and make sure you know Metaknight just as much as the one playing him. Be patient dodge before attacking. ALWAYS wait for his strike first. His extra hits that you don't dodge can set you up for your stock loss. Be wary and patient and stay focused.
vs Olimar: Olimar has a lot of priority, despite Lucas's prioritized moveset. His grabs are almost always invisible before you are able to counteract them. And HE WILL OUT-PRIORITIZE YOU IN ALMOST ANY SITUATION. This is a very bad matchup for Lucas and you will lose almost everytime, sad as that is to say. I've beaten Olimar only few times and, like MK and Snake, wait for him to make his moves first. You will have to take a few for the team, but you must hit Olimar a lot and gimp his recovery. The best time to KO Olimar is when he is off the stage because he has no way of defending himself. Watch out for his purple Pikmin as they are destructive and powerful. If he throws his Pikmin at you, make sure you take that time to kill them as they are his greatest weapon. Just fight a lot of Olimars and you will get what I'm saying. I'm sorry I don't have much to say regarding this matchup.
Now on to the conclusion...
Lucas is a fun character to play as simply because of all the options you have available to you. He is only E-tier because not many try to go big with him. People drop Lucas because they realize he cannot easily overcome top tiers but I encourage each and every one of you to, if not main, at least second Lucas because he is underestimated and underclassed. Use his quick tilts and special moves to get an edge over your opponent because he has an easy balance of both speed and power. Another thing to remember is don't waste your second jump until you absolutely have to. His second jump is very high but if you use it to early, you won't get your effect because your opponent more likely gimped it. Also, just because you haven't made it to the ledge yet doesn't mean you can't attack your opponent in mid-air as well. I have discovered that if you use your second jump to get on while using your backward, upward, or downward aerials, you will get a slight boost in height, enough to get on the stage and damage your opponent to boot. Though Lucas has excellent ground moves, he can also be great in the air. Sweetspotting the backward aerial spike is a must when trying to get a flashy KO on your opponent. Your aerials are one your greatest weapons and your neutral aerial should be one of your most used moves throughout your match.
Every Lucas main has their own styles and tricks and that can mean the difference between many victories or many downfalls. Watch some Lucas videos or other players that you are brawling and develop your own style around it. Lucas dittoes are fun and an easy way to learn Lucas strategies and how others play with him. Plus, it's always cool to find out who is the better PSI user. Either way, never forget his arsenal of moves and never give up on him because he is one of the most underclassed, and highly praised, when victories fall upon him. This is Cloudenvy112, signing out.
Lucas comes from the series Mother (Earthbound). Lucas is the central protagonist of Mother 3, a Japan-only release game. He comes from Tazmily Village and lives with his small family of four: Hinawa (mother), Flint (father), and Claus (twin brother). He has a timid nature which is completely opposite to his brother Claus. They both have pronounced PSI powers, which are forms of psychokinetic energies. When Lucas’s village is attacked and Claus disappears without a trace, he sets out on a life-threatening adventure with his friends for the Seven Needles. In the end, the little boy with PSI powers grows up. In Brawl, Lucas is aged 13.
Enough about his story, however. This is a guide on how Lucas should be played, why he should be played, and some matchup information. Like my Fox guide, this is not meant to be a suped up guide but rather a guide for those looking to pick up Lucas or those looking to improve their Lucas game.
First, I will start with a pro/con list of Lucas's abilities:
Pros:
- Powerful smashes
- High priority
- Many recovery options
- Great spacing
- Two spikes
- can be played defensively and offensively
- PSI Magnet can absorb laser projectiles
- PSI Magnet can damage with significant knockback
- Zap Jump, Wavebounce, and Magnet Pulls allow for more recovery options
- underestimated
- Ranged and close-ranged combat
- Great ground game
Cons:
- Lightweight
- Air game needs work
- approaching can be difficult in some match-ups
- Significant lag in some attacks
- PKT2 recovery is predictable
- can be gimped easily
- punished easily
- Susceptible to chain grabs and grab releases and various other techniques
This list is kind of a disappointment, but you get the point. He has things that make him great, but things that completely destroy his character. One of the most balanced in the game if you ask me.
And for those that may want to bring this up... LUCAS IS NOT A CLONE! Go ahead, argue with me, but not in this forum.
Look here, just because two kids come from the same series does not make them clones. I don’t care how similar they are, the closest clone in this game is Toon Link. There are a vast many differences between Ness and Lucas:
- Lucas has better ground game than air game and vice-versa for Ness
- Lucas has more available recovery options whereas Ness has only one
- Many of Lucas’s attacks are guided by PSI sparkles whereas Ness uses hand-to-hand combat, his bat and yo-yo, or PK attacks
- Ness’s PKT runs out when it hits anyone and Lucas’s only cancels if met with more priority
- Lucas’s stick comes out faster than Ness’s bat
- Lucas’s PK Fire comes out in a column of flame and Ness’s comes out in a multiple hit pillar
- and the list goes on...
So, to wrap it up, we can see that Lucas and Ness are not the same. Lucas (ground) vs Ness (air) is the common ground that is to be met.
Lucas is E-tier, I know and I'm aware, but here's why you should play him. There are many answers to this question but mine are simple: many KO options, my familiarity with Ness, and a balanced character. When most begin to pick-up Lucas, all they think about is how they can beat top tier characters. It doesn’t work like that. When they realize that Lucas isn’t easy to master, they drop him, knowing that they can’t achieve easy victories. However, that is one of the better reasons to pick him up. His unpredictability and underestimation wins him some Kos. His many KO options include his deadly Up Smash, Tilts and Grabs, and air maneuvers. If you are familiar with Ness, then you should already be aware that Lucas shares some similarities and that means less adjustment but that doesn’t ensure an easy pick-up. Lucas is not too fast or slow and for his moderate speed, he earns some serious power. Lucas, though tricky, can give players many options to work with to survive longer and KO faster.
Alright! Now on to the good stuff: strategies! I feel I've drought long enough about how great Lucas is and would like to meet players like Galeon or Crim Child (met online but not irl or Brawl).
Lucas is primarily a defensive character. Reason being: his entire moveset can be used defensively. Even though a lot of Lucases just attack like mad (and a lot of them are good at that) they actually can improve their game by improving their spacing techniques. He is also better in teams than 1 on 1. I'm talking about PK Firing and retreating forward aerial. Techniques like that make Lucas's defenses impeccable and hard to get through. His speed allows him to get in quick, powerful attacks and light comboes as well. Typically, a great strategy to use is a short-hopped neutral aerial to build some damage. You should be patient and adapting to every situation, because some characters, like Falco or Marth, will not wait up on you. PK Thunder edgeguarding helps a lot as well.
Lucas has A LOT of recovery options than just his rope snake and PKT2 recoveries. Tricks that were being discovered have revealed many different ways that Lucas can make it back on the stage...
Rope Snake: It's simple, really. When you are close enough to the ledge, press your grabbing button(s) to extend your rope snake. This is also known as a Zair. Lucas's rope snake looks small but actually extends pretty far out, but be wary that it is not as long as Zero Suit Samus's Zair either. Also, you can only rope snake the ledge 3 times before a NEED to touch the ground with your feet. Attempting to exceed this limit will result in a failed grab and possibly your SD.
PK Thunder Rocket (PK Thunder 2/PKT2): This is your basic Up Special move where you call upon a fully controllable thunder (shouldn't it be lightning). You ram it into Lucas at any angle and watch him fly far. Aim at the ledge to grab. There is a downfall to this: it is very predictable and edgeguardable as well. Plus, if you aim it just wrong, you can bounce right off the ledge.
Zap Jumping: Performing a mid-air jump and immediately PK Firing right afterward will result in a Zap Jump. Lucas will jump VERY HIGH and does not leave you helpless. This move will take some practice and anybody that needs help with it can refer to a video or I can show them online. Caution: you MUST have your mid-air jump available to perform this and you will lose your mid-air jump when you perform it be it successful or failure. You can also know that you messed up if Lucas does a slight hop while PK Firing. Very useful in unpredictable recoveries and vertical recovering.
Magnet Pulling: When you have your momentum going in a particular direction, PK Fire opposite that direction to further the moment and immediate pull out your PSI Magnet to "Magnet Pull". If you succeeded, Lucas should move very fast and very far in that direction depending on your momentum. This is like the horizontal version of Zap Jumping.
I only know how to do these four recovery options because I am limited to Wiichuk combination. For those that would like more knowledge on his recoveries, look up a video or something because you can do way more with the Gamecube Controller.
Matchups
Lucas has some very good matchups but also some very crappy ones as well. Only experience can help you in those bad matchups but I will lend you some knowledge on how you can overcome those disadvantages. These are some of his worst matchups:
Lucas vs Marth
Lucas vs Falco
Lucas vs Snake
Lucas vs Metaknight
Lucas vs Olimar
vs Marth:
This probably makes top 5 in the list of worst matchups for Lucas (and Ness, too). I've no idea why, but Marth just seems to rape Lucas in a lot of situations. Marth has a few advantages: his tippers, his speed, his chaingrabs, his edgeguarding abilities. Stages like Battlefield, that is supposedly one of Lucas's best stages, will become your bane if you are up against a Marth. A lot of Marth's moves will leave you defenseless and will break through Lucas's spacing techniques. He's too fast to space with PK Fire and will tip you out of the stage before you know what hit you. Also, Marth is very good at edgeguarding and will take out Lucas's recovery options if you aren't careful about it. All in all, you must adapt and make sure you don't make costly and laggy moves (Up Smash, I'm looking at you). Do not let Marth intimidate you because he is just as light. You are more powerful and must show Marth that you mean business.
vs Falco: Being a top tier (*cough* queer *cough* lol jk), Falco is very hard to match with Lucas. Falco can easily outmaneuver you and keep you pinned in the air. Both have about the same speed, but Falco's attacking lag is little. Falco's laser is also hard to get around. Lucas can easily be chaingrabbed and Falco will gimp you. Keep your distance and keep spacing. Move in only if he's at a percentage to be knocked around. Falco can tear away at your stocks if you are unable to dodge his attacks.
vs Snake: If you let him, Snake will control the entire stage with explosives and will not let you return to the stage. He is heavy and powerful and it will be very hard to make it back on the stage once you've gotten off. Unfortunate as this is, this matchup probably deserves 70:30 at best in Snake's favor. Snake's tilts WILL kill you if the explosives don't. My recommendation: be patient and wait until he's distracted to move and attack. Otherwise, keep PK Fire Spacing. When Snake is off the ledge, tear at his percentage but launching PK Thunder and trying to stage spike him. Snakes tend to make mistakes by waiting for things to happen and if you rush, you're only feeding into your demise. Know the stage and know where he's placed his explosives. Also, once he places an explosive, make sure you keep him occupied until he forgets and hurts himself. If you aim it just right, your stick (forward smash) will deflect the grenades right back at him.
vs Metaknight: Metaknight is an extreme pain to fight because all of his moves give off some extra hit of some sort that is just enough to keep you from attacking him. Your attacks are fast but his are faster. Stay on the ground and DO NOT PURSUE HIM AFTER HE'S OFF THE STAGE! The shuttle loop will kill you if his other attacks won't. This is not the time to get fancy with aerials. You must think ahead of Metaknight and make sure you know Metaknight just as much as the one playing him. Be patient dodge before attacking. ALWAYS wait for his strike first. His extra hits that you don't dodge can set you up for your stock loss. Be wary and patient and stay focused.
vs Olimar: Olimar has a lot of priority, despite Lucas's prioritized moveset. His grabs are almost always invisible before you are able to counteract them. And HE WILL OUT-PRIORITIZE YOU IN ALMOST ANY SITUATION. This is a very bad matchup for Lucas and you will lose almost everytime, sad as that is to say. I've beaten Olimar only few times and, like MK and Snake, wait for him to make his moves first. You will have to take a few for the team, but you must hit Olimar a lot and gimp his recovery. The best time to KO Olimar is when he is off the stage because he has no way of defending himself. Watch out for his purple Pikmin as they are destructive and powerful. If he throws his Pikmin at you, make sure you take that time to kill them as they are his greatest weapon. Just fight a lot of Olimars and you will get what I'm saying. I'm sorry I don't have much to say regarding this matchup.
Now on to the conclusion...
Lucas is a fun character to play as simply because of all the options you have available to you. He is only E-tier because not many try to go big with him. People drop Lucas because they realize he cannot easily overcome top tiers but I encourage each and every one of you to, if not main, at least second Lucas because he is underestimated and underclassed. Use his quick tilts and special moves to get an edge over your opponent because he has an easy balance of both speed and power. Another thing to remember is don't waste your second jump until you absolutely have to. His second jump is very high but if you use it to early, you won't get your effect because your opponent more likely gimped it. Also, just because you haven't made it to the ledge yet doesn't mean you can't attack your opponent in mid-air as well. I have discovered that if you use your second jump to get on while using your backward, upward, or downward aerials, you will get a slight boost in height, enough to get on the stage and damage your opponent to boot. Though Lucas has excellent ground moves, he can also be great in the air. Sweetspotting the backward aerial spike is a must when trying to get a flashy KO on your opponent. Your aerials are one your greatest weapons and your neutral aerial should be one of your most used moves throughout your match.
Every Lucas main has their own styles and tricks and that can mean the difference between many victories or many downfalls. Watch some Lucas videos or other players that you are brawling and develop your own style around it. Lucas dittoes are fun and an easy way to learn Lucas strategies and how others play with him. Plus, it's always cool to find out who is the better PSI user. Either way, never forget his arsenal of moves and never give up on him because he is one of the most underclassed, and highly praised, when victories fall upon him. This is Cloudenvy112, signing out.
Last edited by cloudenvy112 on Sat Jan 02, 2010 7:38 pm; edited 1 time in total
