At low and mid level a lot of Pikachu mains struggle with lasers. Today’s goal is to show you some useful counters for Falco’s different laser mixups in neutral, but first, a preface.
Falco, is a good character, he can force mixups, a lot of mixups. There is no one method to beating lasers. Take laser dashback has counter play. Take laser dash in has counterplay, and everything inbetween is a soft read on what the Falco will do. To interact with lasers well you must be willing to make large commitments in neutral. You will get hit, but you will also get hits. If you don’t make clean decisions, you’ll never win the mixups.
This guide will be in the form first of Pikachu’s counterplay to lasers, what this counterplay covers, and then Falco’s options to beat them.
Take laser ftilt
The simplest Pikachu counterplay to laser shffls and laser laser. Loses to take laser dashback, and is neutral vs laser, laser in place, and laser fadeback dair. It’s useful, but gets predictable and any good Falco will ruin your day. Remember to use this sparingly in a scramble.
Dash in aerial
Against laser into laser if you dash shffl nair, you can hit them before the second laser comes out. This option also works as a call out for laser dashdance. This loses to dair below 35% and generally always loses to laser ac bair. If you’re hit by dair when going for this and below 35% you can land with 4 frames of lag are actionable after. Downsmash and upair are good reactions when hit by dair.
Dash in upair
Against laser into laser and against dash back ac bair, dash in upair is pretty strong. Sends into tumble and forces a knockdown at 0 percent, plus upair still beats dair below 35%. Likely to trade with dair, and strong option in neutral, even when not getting lasered.
Take laser dashback
Only really works against laser aerial, but still a strong tool. When lasered again you’re cornered and generally Falco is at the perfect spacing to follow up. When Falco chooses laser dashdance or other defensive options you’re at less of a disadvantage, but still are giving up positioning.
Take laser retreating upair
A strong alternative to take laser dashback, can force a trade if miss spaced or miss timed. When clipped by weak dair you won’t be sent into tumble or forced to tech until 40% against weak dair, and 35% against clean dair. Against weak nair it won’t send into tumble and force a tech until 64%, strong nair 36%. Usually it will trade with weak dair, but late aerials from falco can force a clean nair.
Shield wd oos
Your evasive maneuvring and whiff punishing doesn’t always have to be away from Falco! Sometimes wavedashing under Falco’s aerials is a smart idea. He goes high, you go low and punish! A lot of Falco’s will autopilot an aerial as soon as you shield, so this works as a good way to punish that habit. Good against laser shffls, bad against retreating dair, other scenarios are neutral, good or bad depending on a variety of factors. Use your best judgment!
Powershield
An old option, but still viable. Pikachu’s powershield isn’t as lenient as some other characters, and he lacks crouch powershield, but it’s still a strong option when it catches Falco off guard.
Jump over laser
If your opponent is only using mid or low lasers, you can jump at them from a distance and throw out upair for a large scanning hitbox, land, and then punish the startup of another laser, or a possible aerial. Strong against low lasers, weak against high lasers. Not always the best option, but occasionally can net you a win in neutral.
Wavedash under laser
Able to setup multiple options, the two most important are wd under grounded option (Axe will occasionally use wd under laser downsmash to get past lasers in neutral). Warning: you cannot wavedash under Falco’s very lowest laser. Every other laser is possible however. This is especially strong against laser into laser, and very weak against laser fadeback dair in place.
And, the Rachman spacing mixup to beat laser dair. Wd under laser, and if the Falco chooses to crossup dair you’re spaced for a perfect upair out of shield. This is a bit harder to setup, and requires a somewhat nuanced understanding of spacing.
Dash in upsmash
Dash in upsmash is good against Approaching aerials, and instant fadeback aerials, loses to dash away turnaround laser, and most of Falco’s retreating options (dashback laser, dashdance). It’s a good call out for Falco’s that don’t run away often, and are trying to apply heavy pressure. At above 40 percent it’s riskier because dair might trade and pop you up, but at low percents the worst thing that could happen is a beneficial trade for Pikachu.
TJolt take laser
A more niche, yet still useful option. If you read your opponent will laser at a certain timing you can tjolt before, take laser and cut the lag down by a large amount. Axe has used this occasionally. Useful on wakeup when Falco’s like to spam laser to gain control of neutral.
Crouch Cancel laser
A strong option to augment the other ones provided. If you react to a laser fast enough you can crouch and cut the hitlag and hitstun frames from 13 to 8. Makes dashing back or dashing in that much faster.
Jump asdi down
A new more niche option. If you are aerial while the laser hits you, you can asdi down (hold down on the control or c stick) and become grounded with up to only 8 frames of lag. If you sdi instead this can go as low as 5 frames.
Spades Training 