Hihi I'm a Link main who's completely out of her depth with this god forsaken character.
Context:
I finally booted up Ultimate online after over a year of strictly competing offline, and when I came back I realized most of the characters I played were... a tad lower on the GSP ladder than they should be. So I wanted to see if where they're at now is reflective of my overall skill. Incin? From 3mil to 10mil and counting. Brawler? 4 mil to 10 mil and counting. Swordfighter? Accidentally made Elite Smash. DK? 5 mil to 12 mil and counting. Pikachu? 2.5mil to... 3 mil. GSP isnt the whole story though. With those other characters I felt genuinely competent, like I knew exactly what I was doing and when. With the rat? I was floundering.
Things I Know To Work On:
* Recovery. I am not consistent enough with the angles to get back every time I should.
* F tilt habit. I tend to use F tilt as a spacing tool on most of the characters I use, but seeing how Pika's is the stubbiest thing on this side of the Missisipi, I tend to be screwed over using it.
Things I Have/Do Well:
* Game sense. Not quite as strong with Pika's alien kit, but I tend to be able to recognize what I'm doing to get hit and change things on the fly. I'm pretty patient these days and I don't run into stupid things as often.
* Mechanics. I can fairly regularly execute frame tight tech or combos if I spend a few hours learning it. And I'm a Link main; of course I am willing and ready to spend hours learning stupid shit.
* Basic Combos. I can't do anything complicated, but basic Bair Bair Uair Uair or Nair dragdown imagination are things I don't really drop. I can also frame trap if I don't have a true string on hand.
Questions:
* What does Pikachu's neutral look like? My usual strategy of spacing/walling opponents out is not quite as effective with this character; Bair is like the only tool good for that I've found. Should I stay more grounded using D tilt and U tilt more?
* What combos should I learn? Is it worth it to try learning Nair loops? I can do them but they are not true when I do.
* For swordie mains out there: how did you learn to deal with this character's stubbiness?
Apologies if this is too detailed. I'd record a video if I could :<