Luigi (SSBM): Difference between revisions

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(Updated Luigi's attributes section by removing most of the unnecessary fluff there.)
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While Luigi may initially appear to be a clone of his older brother Mario, similar to {{SSBM|Dr. Mario}}, Luigi is a [[clone|semi-clone]] of Mario who exchanges mobility for extra power, despite the inverse being true in the ''Mario'' games. Many significant differences are present between their ground, aerial, and special attacks, and Luigi possesses several unique moves. Luigi's attributes can also wildly vary from Mario's; Luigi's air speed, dashing speed, and traction are among the lowest in the game, whereas Mario's are about average. Luigi's jumps are also much higher than Mario's. Luigi has the longest wavedash in the game as a result of his low traction.
While Luigi may initially appear to be a clone of his older brother Mario, similar to {{SSBM|Dr. Mario}}, Luigi is a [[clone|semi-clone]] of Mario who exchanges mobility for extra power, despite the inverse being true in the ''Mario'' games. Many significant differences are present between their ground, aerial, and special attacks, and Luigi possesses several unique moves. Luigi's attributes can also wildly vary from Mario's; Luigi's air speed, dashing speed, and traction are among the lowest in the game, whereas Mario's are about average. Luigi's jumps are also much higher than Mario's. Luigi has the longest wavedash in the game as a result of his low traction.


Luigi's primary advantage in this regard is his impressive ground movement. Luigi's wavedash functions as his primary method of approaching and movement on the ground, allowing him to traverse large distances very quickly and with a great deal of maneuverability. Luigi can combine his excellent wavedash with a variety of powerful smash attacks to produce some of the best [[Wavedash#Wavesmashing|wavesmashes]] in the game. His down smash is highly versatile, acting as combo starter due to its completely vertical knockback, as a juggling move, or as a KO move at high percentages. His forward smash has extremely high knockback scaling (135; the highest in the game), making it a powerful KO move (if a risky one due to its high ending lag). His up smash has intangibility on his head and is effective at KOing on the upper blast line and on floaty opponents, in addition to outprioritizing attacks from above Luigi.
Luigi's primary advantage in this regard is his impressive KO potential in his grounded moveset. Luigi's wavedash functions as his primary method of approaching and movement on the ground, allowing him to traverse large distances very quickly and with a great deal of maneuverability. Luigi can combine his excellent wavedash with a variety of powerful smash attacks to produce some of the best [[Wavedash#Wavesmashing|wavesmashes]] in the game. His down smash is highly versatile, acting as combo starter due to its completely vertical knockback, as a juggling move, or as a KO move at high percentages. His forward smash has extremely high knockback scaling (135; the highest in the game), making it a powerful KO move (if a risky one due to its high ending lag). His up smash has intangibility on his head and is effective at KOing on the upper blast line and on floaty opponents, in addition to outprioritizing attacks from above Luigi.Luigi's up special can act as a powerful vertical finisher if sweetspotted, though it leaves Luigi in a helpless state and is very laggy; it is very punishable if the sweetspot is missed or the opponent avoids the attack (such as by shielding it). As a result, its use is often restricted to punishing very laggy moves (such as {{SSBM|Sheik}}'s [[Vanish]]) unless it can be [[Ledge-canceling|edge cancelled]].


Luigi also has a variety of powerful attacks in his arsenal; all of Luigi's aerial attacks are extremely solid. His neutral aerial is extremely quick, coming out on frame 3, and has high, completely vertical knockback, making it excellent for both starting, breaking and continuing combos. His forward aerial has quick startup and high knockback (at the [[Sakurai angle]]; 45° against aerial opponents), making it a useful attack for both KOing and edgeguarding. In addition to these, Luigi's down aerial is among the most flexible attacks in the game. While it has slightly slower startup than his forward air, it launches at the same angle yet has less ending and landing lag. At lower percentages, the forward aerial has more knockback than down aerial. The upper hitbox of the d-air (near Luigi's hips) is a meteor smash, although it is difficult to land and generally more situational than the regular hit. His back aerial has good range and works well for setting up edgeguards, while his up aerial is useful for hitting opponents above him and has low knockback which allows it to combo effectively into more aerials (such as a down or neutral aerial) on floaty opponents, and also works as a somewhat situational edgeguarding tool. Luigi's up special can act as a powerful vertical finisher if sweetspotted, though it leaves Luigi in a helpless state and is very laggy; it is very punishable if the sweetspot is missed or the opponent avoids the attack (such as by shielding it). As a result, its use is often restricted to punishing very laggy moves (such as {{SSBM|Sheik}}'s [[Vanish]]) unless it can be [[Ledge-canceling|edge cancelled]].
Despite having the lowest air speed in the game, all of Luigi's aerial attacks are extremely solid. His forward aerial has quick startup and high knockback (at the [[Sakurai angle]]; 45° against aerial opponents), making it a useful attack for both KOing and edgeguarding. Down aerial boasts excellent utility with both its sweetspot and sourspot hitboxes; the sweetspot (near Luigi's hips), while difficult to land, is a meteor smash with solid power, making it great for edgeguarding offstage and starting combos onstage. The sourspot launches at the same angle as forward aerial with only slightly less power, making the attack a great choice for edgeguarding for any case. His back aerial has good range and works well for setting up edgeguards, while his up aerial is useful for hitting opponents above him and has low knockback which allows it to combo effectively into more aerials (such as a down or neutral aerial) on floaty opponents, and also works as a somewhat situational edgeguarding tool. Above all, however, is his neutral aerial, which is one of the most versatile attacks in the game. It is a standard [[sex kick]] that comes out on frame 3; however, it is the only sex kick that launches opponents vertically, along with disproportionately high hitstun. This makes it an incredible combo starter and even a situational KO option near the upper blast line, and thanks to its incredible speed, it is possibly the most notorious combo breaker in the game, as Luigi is able to use it to break opposing combos and start one of his own instantaneously.  


Luigi's grab game is also good. Although his grab range is merely average, it is still much longer than Mario's and his aforementioned long wavedash allows Luigi to extend its reach. His throws have many varied uses. Both his down throw and up throw function as combo starters, leading into juggles with moves like up tilt, neutral air, and down smash; fast fallers such as {{SSBM|Fox}} and {{SSBM|Falco}} are generally more susceptible to up throw, while down throw is more suitable for floaty characters like Marth. Up throw is also a viable chain grab on fast-fallers at low percentages. His forward throw and back throws can set up a variety of edgeguards, with his back throw having sufficiently high knockback to function as a kill move at high percentages.
Luigi's grab game is also good. Although his grab range is merely average, it is still much longer than Mario's and his aforementioned long wavedash allows Luigi to extend its reach. His throws have many varied uses. Both his down throw and up throw function as combo starters, leading into juggles with moves like up tilt, neutral air, and down smash; fast fallers such as {{SSBM|Fox}} and {{SSBM|Falco}} are generally more susceptible to up throw, while down throw is more suitable for floaty characters like Marth. Up throw is also a viable chain grab on fast-fallers at low percentages. His forward throw and back throws can set up a variety of edgeguards, with his back throw having sufficiently high knockback to function as a kill move at high percentages.
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Luigi's strange variety of attributes, however, acts as a double-edged sword. Despite a highly effective wavedash, Luigi's movement without wavedashing is poor; while his [[moonwalk]] is decent, his dash is slow and his short initial dash animation gives him a very short dash-dance. Additionally, Luigi's projectile, [[Fireball]]s are poor; they have low hitstun, travel slowly, and have high ending lag, making them some of the more situational projectiles in the game. In addition, Luigi's air game, despite his powerful aerials, lacks much needed synergy with his stellar ground movement due to his low air speed. Furthermore, it, along with his low falling speed, leaves him highly vulnerable to juggles, as he cannot reach the ground effectively to escape them (this is one of the major factors in his poor matchup with Marth, who is capable of both starting and maintaining juggles on Luigi very effectively). A very high short hop and a low falling speed also gives Luigi among the worst SHFFLs in the game, even with his low-lag aerials. Finally, his low falling speed is what makes him vulnerable to being KOed off the top blast line (especially by characters with powerful vertical finishers, like Fox and {{SSBM|Ganondorf}}), and being juggled in the air.  
Luigi's strange variety of attributes, however, acts as a double-edged sword. Despite a highly effective wavedash, Luigi's movement without wavedashing is poor; while his [[moonwalk]] is decent, his dash is slow and his short initial dash animation gives him a very short dash-dance. Additionally, Luigi's projectile, [[Fireball]]s are poor; they have low hitstun, travel slowly, and have high ending lag, making them some of the more situational projectiles in the game. In addition, Luigi's air game, despite his powerful aerials, lacks much needed synergy with his stellar ground movement due to his low air speed. Furthermore, it, along with his low falling speed, leaves him highly vulnerable to juggles, as he cannot reach the ground effectively to escape them (this is one of the major factors in his poor matchup with Marth, who is capable of both starting and maintaining juggles on Luigi very effectively). A very high short hop and a low falling speed also gives Luigi among the worst SHFFLs in the game, even with his low-lag aerials. Finally, his low falling speed is what makes him vulnerable to being KOed off the top blast line (especially by characters with powerful vertical finishers, like Fox and {{SSBM|Ganondorf}}), and being juggled in the air.  


Luigi's two primary recovery moves, [[Super Jump Punch]] and [[Green Missile]] have decent range (and Green Missile can be used repeatedly when recovering high), they are extremely linear in trajectory; Super Jump Punch does not move Luigi horizontally at all and Green Missile moves him horizontally and then causes him to fall significantly during the high ending lag. The slow and linear nature of these moves make is recovery easy to edgeguard on reaction, undermining his otherwise relatively long recovery. His Super Jump Punch also makes for one of the poorest [[meteor cancel]]s in the game. He can also recover using the [[Luigi Cyclone]], which gives vertical and horizontal distance. However, the Cyclone needs to be "charged" before it allows Luigi to rise while using it. The move becomes charged when it is completed or is interrupted while Luigi is touching the ground; the charge will be lost if the move finishes while Luigi is not touching the ground. If the charged Cyclone is interrupted in the air it remains charged. Sometimes Luigi begins with the flying cyclone "charged" and sometimes it needs to be charged before use. This is determined by a combination of stage choice, character choice of your opponent, and having lower port priority than your opponent. Also the flying cyclone can be performed from the ground; if Luigi is doing his teeter animation at the edge of a platform he can execute a flying cyclone from that position. This cyclone has different properties for input than a standard flying Cyclone, as it seems to have a similar difficulty level to Mario's flying Tornado. If this rising cyclone is executed from the ground then it must be charged before executing another aerial cyclone unless the one from ground lands on a platform. Additionally, if the cyclone is executed on the ground, other than from a teetering animation, pressing B again will cause Luigi to do a small hop off the ground while still doing the cyclone animation. It also requires intense [[button mashing]] to rise; many Luigi players must hold the controller in a different way to normal (such as balancing it on their leg) to be able to press the B button fast enough to utilize the Cyclone as an effective recovery move.
Outside of his approach, Luigi suffers from an exploitable recovery. Although his two primary recovery moves, [[Super Jump Punch]] and [[Green Missile]] have decent range (and Green Missile can be used repeatedly when recovering high), they are extremely linear in trajectory; Super Jump Punch does not move Luigi horizontally at all and Green Missile moves him horizontally and then causes him to fall significantly during the high ending lag. The slow and linear nature of these moves make is recovery easy to edgeguard on reaction, undermining his otherwise relatively long recovery. While Fireball can be used as a potentially potent edgeguard breaker, characters with reflectors can easily punish and gimp Luigi as a result, on top of its high ending lag. His Super Jump Punch also makes for one of the poorest [[meteor cancel]]s in the game. He can also recover using the [[Luigi Cyclone]], which gives vertical and horizontal distance, but strangely, the Cyclone needs to be "charged" before it allows Luigi to rise while using it (the move becomes "charged" when it is completed or is interrupted while Luigi is touching the ground). In comparison to [[Mario Tornado]] and [[Dr. Tornado]], it also requires intense [[button mashing]] to rise; many Luigi players must hold the controller in a different way to normal (such as balancing it on their leg) to be able to press the B button fast enough to utilize the Cyclone as an effective recovery move.


The Fireball is also a potent recovery tool. When knocked off the stage into the range at which Green Missile is effective for grabbing the ledge, Luigi can double jump and aim a fireball at the stage. This will allow him to safely reach the ledge with Super Jump Punch. Depending on which edgeguarding option the opponent uses, there are many different options for aiming the fireball. Aiming at the opponents shield stalls their timing due to shield stun. If they attempt an edgeguard with an aerial or ground based physical attack it is guaranteed to beat the fireball if it does more than 15% damage. Aiming at the corner of the stage will disrupt an opponent who has taken the ledge or is stalling near the stage attempting a gimp. This option greatly enhances Luigi's recovery, but it is still very situational as the opponent can simply avoid, absorb, or deflect the projectile, which may sometimes result in a gimped recovery in the lattermost case.
Overall, Luigi is a character that tends to run hot and cold. He lacks many particularly safe approaches on the ground outside of wavedashing, and his aerial approaches are very poor, which generally leaves him vulnerable to characters with good zoning ability. Additionally, Luigi is over-reliant on wavedashing; a highly effective Luigi player must have perfect control over his wavedash distance. However, if Luigi can get within range to where he can land his blows, he can quickly and efficiently take the opponents' stock with effective use of his wavesmashes and versatile aerials. While he requires a large amount of technical skill and relies on situational attacks more than most characters, mastering Luigi's moveset rewards players with unpredictability and very strong offensive potential that can't be taken lightly by opponents.
 
Luigi also suffers from being a character that requires a somewhat large amount of technical skill and relies heavily on situational attacks; a majority of Luigi's attacks have to timed properly with a wavedash to be at their most effective. Additionally, Luigi is over-reliant on wavedashing; a highly effective Luigi player must have perfect control over his wavedash distance. Using a long wavedash does him little good for offensive purposes up close, and a short wavedash hampers safe retreat. Furthermore, the frequency with which a Luigi player needs to wavedash can increase the number of errors involving jumping or airdodging compared to other characters, which increases the number of opportunities for the opponent to punish. Despite his mobility, Luigi has lacks many particularly safe approaches on the ground, and his aerial approaches are very poor, which generally leaves him vulnerable to characters with good zoning ability.


==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''==
==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''==
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