Lucario (SSBU): Difference between revisions

Lucario has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from ''SSB4'' to ''Ultimate''. While it was immensely nerfed overall at launch due to a combination of its most powerful attributes, character mechanics and some of the universal changes to gameplay being detrimental to it, game updates have given Lucario various buffs to help compensate. Regardless, Lucario is still considered to be significantly nerfed overall.

Lucario's biggest nerfs come from its character attributes and changes to the game's engine. Its [[Aura]] multiplier is slightly lower than in ''SSB4'', reducing its effectiveness even while accounting for the newly introduced [[1v1 multiplier]]. The weakening of [[rage]] also hinders Lucario, due to the mechanic stacking with Lucario's Aura; and its [[weight]] is now lighter, disallowing Lucario to take advantage of rage and Aura combined as much as before. Furthermore, the changes in [[knockback]] physics and [[air dodging]] has had the overall effect of limiting or even outright removing some of Lucario's previously guaranteed throw combos, which were some of the only reliable ways for it to add damage. Its grabs were also nerfed, and while this is a nerf shared with the cast, Lucario's own grabs are also slower, while possessing similar ending lag to characters like {{SSBU|Zelda}}. All in all, Lucario is noticeably less powerful at higher percentages, and it's harder for him to rack up damage conventionally.

Some of Lucario's most reliable moves are also less effective. [[Aura Sphere]] can no longer be grab-canceled, and it deals less hitlag, almost completely eliminating the charge combos the move was capable of. [[Down aerial]] halts Lucario's momentum less if used repeteadly, making it a less effective stalling tool. [[Extreme Speed]]'s controls have been modified to the point where holding down the control stick can accidentally lead to self-destruction, and the move itself covers less distance overall and stops its momentum at the end, worsening Lucario's recovery at lower percentages (though it remains outstanding at high percentages). [[Double Team]] has a drastically shorter duration and intangibility, making it significantly easier to punish Lucario for mistiming the move. Finally, [[back aerial]] is weaker and has a sourspot that lingers, as opposed to the full move dealing even damage.

 

However, Lucario did receive some buffs. Many of its attacks in general are faster, notably its [[neutral attack]], [[forward smash]], and [[forward aerial|forward]] and back aerials. Other moves have also gained more utility such as [[neutral aerial]] now being able to connect into its late hit and having larger hitboxes and [[dash attack]] having a stronger, easy to land sweetspot. Its [[special move]]s have also been collectively improved; [[Aura Sphere]] can now be cancelled into a jump or any ground attack during a charge, allowing for mixup options, [[Force Palm]] has more range, Extreme Speed has less ending and landing lag which significantly improves its safety, and [[Double Team]] can now home in on opponents and is much faster overall.

 

Lucario also benefits from a few of the gameplay mechanic changes. Its overall mobility has been greatly improved due to faster horizontal movement, while the universal 3-frame [[jumpsquat]] further improves Lucario's ability to traverse the stage. The universal reductions to landing lag have also benefitted Lucario's safety on shield to the point that, at high levels of Aura, its aerials become among the safest in the game (with neutral aerial's clean hit in particular having the potential to be neutral on shield). Lastly, the introduction of the 1v1 multiplier is an overall benefit to Lucario, granting its attacks a far higher damage output than ever before, especially at medium to high levels of Aura.

 

In the end, Lucario's gameplan is much worse as a result of the nerfs to its attributes, its higher frailty, and the revamped gameplay mechanics; and its few reliable options for racking up damage are less effective, especially after an early game update. Despite Lucario's subsequent buffs from game updates, they do not properly compensate for the numerous nerfs it has received, and this is further pronounced by the numerous buffs other returning veterans have received, as well as the introduction of various powerful DLC characters that perform better than Lucario does, with a few of them proving difficult for it to overcome. As a result, Lucario fares much worse in ''Ultimate'' than in ''SSB4'', and is one of the most nerfed characters in the transition.