Pikmin Are Amazing.

Game Versions: Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U

You see all these colors? Olimar doesn't discriminate! He likes you just the way you are! By reading onwards, you're going to gain the knowledge of the unique characteristics of each individual pikmin in your line-up. You'll learn what each color does and how you can utilize them to the best of your ability, because while you may not think it now, every pikmin is incredibly useful. You are probably playing the absolute most underrated character in the whole game, so good for you for being a special and unique snowflake!

This is my first time ever making something quite like this, so I apologize in advance for my amateurish way of going about this. I have no webm's or any real way to obtain my own video footage, so we're gonna be left with observing the pros on Youtube.

We're going to go straight in, so before we do, please go into practice mode as you're reading this. I actually recommend practicing quite often. You'd be surprised what you can achieve in just 30 minutes when it's just you and a lifeless dummy, IF YA KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

WHITEY

Oh, sweet oppressive whitey. These guys are your main toss/latch tool and your secondary grabbing tool. Too often do I see Olimars who don't pay attention to their line-up try to smash or do aerials with the whites. You really only want to do this when you're in a bind and need to do something fast to get your opponent off of you.

White pikmin do the most latch damage.
- From 0%, if left untouched (which you should never expect to happen), a white pikmin will do up to 40%. This gives you a good idea as to how amazing these little guys are. Each time they land, that's 3.7% each second they're stuck onto you.

Whites have the longest and fastest toss out of all other pikmin.
- That's right, these guys are your little snipers and trust me, people don't see them coming. With a well placed jump, you can latch a white onto people from across the map. In order to get good at this (and I cannot emphasize this enough), look at your line-up.

They also have the longest grab range as well.
- Oh yes, these guys are just full of surprises! They may not have the killing power that blues have grab-wise, but they do the most pummel damage (4% each pummel) and their pivot grab range is RIDICULOUS. A great way to frustrate an opponent is to grab them, pummel them until they release, then hit them immediately with a d-tilt (most reliable) or f-tilt (less reliable, but kills better).

Whites are made of tissue paper, so they aren't taking hits like blues or purples, and they don't have any elemental resistances. In fact, they can only take about 7% of damage total. Use your whistle often; especially if you want to keep these fellers safe.

Whites make for the best distractions of all pikmin. Whites are truly the ones that need to be knocked off immediately and knowledgeable players will know this. You're given great room to be aggressive with your grabs when you've latched a white, so be hasty with the window of time you're given.
Although White pikmin are your weakest smashers, don't count out their f-smash. The horizontal knockback is proficient enough to net you some pretty clinch kills at higher percentages.

Let's mix it up! After a grab (any grab, but down grab is the most direct), if you have a white pikmin in the front after your throw has been performed, instead of smacking the poor fool, just stick that white onto their face. This just gives your opponent another hassle to deal with. You may be able to follow up with a f-air, or if your opponent fast falls to the ground, you could even grab them again. White stick+grab+pummel+d-grab to f-air/u-air = THE REASON I PLAY THIS UNGODLY CHARACTER.

Before I continue further, please note that all of your smashes/tosses can be reflected back at you. Now let's have a quick intermission and watch some professionals.

REDS

I've once heard red pikmin being referred to as your "worker ants" and that's essentially what they are. Super versatile, reds have the 2nd highest melee damage output and knockback next to purples with the added benefit of having longer smash ranges than purples.

Reds have the weakest grabs, both in damage and knockback.
- You might consider this to be both a good and a bad thing, but I prefer to look on the brighter side of life; with the lowest knockback grabs, you can still set up combos you wouldn't normally be able to pull off at high percentages. U-air is a great option after a red's down throw from around 80%-140% and f-air combos well from down throw in the 10% to 80% range.
At very low %-ages, Red's down throw combos straight into f-smash, provided you aren't f-smashing with a purple. On Dr. Mario, this was guaranteed until 21%.

This is a part of a series of recurring themes, but Red pikmin are invulnerable to fire.
- Hey Captain! You say you wanna falcon punch my red off of you? You're cute! *grab*
  Whoa Bowser, that fire wall is pretty effective at keeping people away isn't it? I bet it is! *side-b*
  Silly Mario Bros.! Don't you know I can *f-smash* through all those fireballs?
They have more durability than whites and yellows, but otherwise are pretty standard on defense. They can handle around 8% damage before they die. They are definitely viable tossing options with a standard 1.1% per second latch damage, but these critters shine with their aerials and smashes.
Reds are especially strong against balloon characters (i.e. Meta Knight, King Dedede, Kirby, Jigglypuff, etc.). Their smashes will have exceptional knockback.

For one of my favorite pikmin, they're also very straightforward. They don't ask for much, they just want to set people on fire, and I don't think that's unreasonable at all.

YELLOWS

You know, at first, yellows were just another color. I didn't give a flying rat about them and I would never deliberately pluck one because I needed it's utility. To me they were just one step closer to getting a purple! Nu-uh buddy, these guys rock because they help set up your grab game.

You play Olimar, so you're already super smart, so I shouldn't have to tell you that these cats are immune to electricity.
- This includes mega-man's lemons/f-smash and Samus' charge shot. These guys are true gun jammers! If Samus fires a fully charged neutral-b while a yellow is still attached to her front, that yellow just takes it like a badass and keeps bashing away. They also cannot be stopped if thrown into an oncoming FC shot. They'll keep flying after the shot has been negated by their body. This is how imperviousness works with pikmin.

They also have the most hitstun out of all pikmin. Hitstun is that small window of time after being hit by an attack that a character is unable to act. This makes early percentage combos and grab follow ups all the more do-able for you. F-air/up air strings are much easier to string together if you started that string with a yellow.
- This also includes the very notable down throw. You are given more than ample time to follow up with a f-air or u-air after a yellow's down throw. Seriously, try it out in practice mode!
Yellow bellies can withstand 8% damage before perishing.
You may have noticed, but they fly higher and float longer than other pikmin when tossed with side-b. Their hitbox is the biggest out of all pikmin (x1.25 bigger) so they have a very high likelihood of sticking when tossed. Yellows do 1.1% per sec latch damage. You can toss yellows at enemies that are above you to land some easy shots.
Falling up airs work wonders with yellows thanks to it's bigger hitbox. Just know that you'll be taking a risk here as up air has pretty heavy ending lag.
Yellows also make for some great tossing sticks when your opponent is off the edge trying to recover, or just for edge guarding in general (think down airs) due to the larger hitbox. Your opponents'll be in for quite a shock!

Had to use at least one static pun. I am sorry.

BLUES

These guys have won me games with their kill throws. Isn't it convenient that right after your yellow has helped you set up your grab, your blue is typically right there? Blues are your number one grabbing tool for kills and if you don't know already, it's that up-throw that you're looking for.

They have the best knockback and damage with all grabs (yes, I will eventually post damage charts for each color) and will kill pretty much everyone on the roster past 160%.
- Do not stale your up-throw when it's nearing kill time and keep watch of your own percentage. Rage is included with your grabs.
  This is going to help you to learn to look at your line-up. This is some of the best advice I can give you.

Blues have the 2nd highest defense next to purples with a very generous 11% health bar. Pretty helpful since they are a clutch killing tool. If he's outta the line, keep the whistle in mind.
The up-throw isn't the only great tool you have. A blue's back throw is one of the most damaging throws in the game at a whopping 14%! Use this to burst their percentage up so you can eventually kill with blue's up throw. You can even use back throw to kill if your back is close to the blast zone(A.K.A. that place off-screen where you die horribly) Sometimes this is a better option if you're on a map with a high ceiling.
Be wary of your opponents %-age when you're using blue's down throw. Wario, at around 88% can no longer be properly comboed with f-air or up-air. At that point, blue's back throw is a great alternative to racking up a ton of damage.
Blues have the same smash damage as yellows, and the same latch damage as reds and yellows (whaddya know, this one does 1.1% latch damage too). Blues' strength lies entirely with their grabs. Being that blue's up-throw is one of the better kill throws in this game, this makes them very powerful.

Seriously, why does he always look so traumatized? He acts like all of his friends are dying around him or something.

Since the last intermission, we covered all the primary colors (any artists in the house?) on our color wheel. Let's have another one before we get to our final- and my most favorite- pikmin.

THE DANKEST

If there was a prison for pikmin, this would be the dude they wouldn't want to drop their soap around. Purples are nasty; and having one (or 2! or even 3!) gives you great incentive to drop the shenanigans and start going on the offensive. They set up combos at early %, can gimp characters off-stage, stage spike and a whole lot more.

Purples are the only color that deal direct damage and knockback when tossed at your adversaries.
- A rather hefty 6% if your toss connects.
At early percentages (from 0 to around 20%), a successful purple toss can lead into a grab or dash attack if you were close enough when you tossed it.
They make very good shield breakers now more than ever thanks to patch 1.10. Purples' smash attacks annihilate enemy shields (I'm a fan of up-smash, myself). This is what makes them very good for offensive pressure.
While they don't have any elemental resistances, (like their pastier cousins) they are the bulkiest pikmin and have the best defense out of all colors with 13% hp before going out like a total boss.
They have the absolute highest knockback and damage output out of all other colors.
On the negative side, they travel the shortest distance when thrown.
- I recommend jumping (short hop preferably) when tossing, but situations always vary.
They also have the shortest range in all smashes.
Oh, and did I mention they have the shortest grab range as well? Look at your line-up.
- It would really blow if you had a perfect opportunity to grab for a kill, but whiffed that grab completely because a purple was in front. Not to say the grab itself (provided you land their grab) is really all that great what with it's mediocre knockback and damage. Still though, combos are doable with their throws at high % and their pivot grab range is surprisingly decent!
Purples can stage spike (with your side-b) if you manage to hit your opponent recovering directly underneath the edge. Like so!
http://gfycat.com/ScratchyBrightFairybluebird
Seriously, purples make for one nasty b-air. They make all of your aerials incredibly strong kill moves. The frame rates of your aerials don't change regardless of what color is being swung, so that's a pretty unique attribute Olimar has going for him.
Purples can gimp quite well. Who said pikmin can't get kinky too? Gimping is the act of interrupting a character's recovery via a move that wouldn't exactly kill them otherwise.
- Example: Ganondorf has just been knocked off the stage, and his up-b would be barely enough to place him back on that ledge. But Olimar was all "No way Jose" and tossed a purple at him right before Ganon could input that command. Ganon is now falling to his doom.

Use purples to frustrate opponents that aren't paying attention to your line by using your side-b. They are great at punishing approaches.

HEY, YOU FORGOT ABOUT THESE GUYS

Surprise! Yeah these guys deserve coverage too. They are such a nice new change when compared to the recovery Olimar had in Brawl. Pink pikmin are the reason I can get so cocky and go as deep as I want to *nudge nudge*. Even flying pikmin have specific traits that go farther to increase Olimar's potential. I think Olimar has one of the better recoveries in the game. Here's why.

Olimar can attack out of his up-b.
- This means a couple things; you can land safely (I recommend fast falling n-air) or even extend a combo if you're feeling gutsy. If you sent an opponent super high up and can't reach him with 2 full hops, an up-b to an u-air might surprise or even kill them! This isn't something I do often, just use your better judgement. Once you attack, that's your only shot before you start falling helplessly. Always fast fall out of this.
Flying pikmin start to become tired after a while. They do need to rest, even between landings. Once you've landed, give them about 3 seconds to completely rejuvenate.
True or False: Using up-b with 3 purple pikmin will garner the same flight speed as using it with 3 whites.
- If you said false, then go grab yourself a cookie! Weight varies by color. Whites being the lightest of all, followed by your primary colors (my guess is that yellows are lightest of the 3), and then we have purple. Before recovering, I always try to lighten my current payload by throwing pikmin onto the stage. Not all of them, mind you, but if I can toss a pikmin onto the stage, I not only return way faster, but I can even snatch that trooper back into my line-up!
Opposite to Villager's balloons, Olimar's up-b takes your remaining pikmin and turns them into a shield for Olimar's frontal region. Use this to protect yourself from attacks from underneath you and you might even extend an opponent's attack leaving them open.

Sometimes it's best to shoot straight for the ledge. If you hit a wall while flying at a fast speed (with your light load) you'll bounce off the wall a little bit. Don't let this phase you, you aren't likely to bounce again, just continue returning. Be careful with this and you could potentially juke out someone trying to attack you off the ledge. Don't get stage spiked!

You can go underneath the stage!
- But don't try this with 3 pikmin. Until you get familiar with this, don't even try it with 2. On stages like Final Destination, go directly underneath the stage for as long as you can without flying. Try to have your back as close to the underside of the stage as possible. Once you've gone as far as you can go, start flying! You should make it to the opposite end of the stage with ease.

Also, don't try to attack while you're still flying back to the stage. Save the offense for when you're either clearly above the stage, or have already landed.

And that covers all the colors to the best of my current knowledge. And now for some super helpful tips, tricks and tactics to really make your gameplay pop.

TIME TO WRECK YOUR FRIENDS

I really relish this part of the guide. Now that you have color knowledge, what's left but to delve into all of the cool things you can do to trip up your opponents and add diversity to your Olimar game?

Pivot f-smash. This particular pivot has even more range than your pivot grab, and it catches people off guard all the time. Very good tool with reds, and absolutely amazing for catching people who like to roll back on stage. I guess you could say it's a pretty darn decent edge guard!
Tired of your pikmin dying like a bunch of lemmings when you get launched off-stage because your whistle didn't work? That's because you didn't jump before you whistled, son!
Pikmin are sentient beings individually. This is what makes their grab so unique. I've even grabbed opponents that somehow ended up behind me. If input correctly, Olimar can still proceed with any grab even if he was knocked out of the animation, because the pikmin is the one actually doing the attack.
- Example: Link's bomb exploded right underneath Olimar after he grabbed Link. But right before that bomb blew up, Olimar did his back throw. Olimar is sent flying due to the detonation, but the throw still completed!

Broke the enemy shield? Jiggly failed a rest attempt? Any pikmin except purples will latch right on and add a heap of additional damage without interrupting their stun time!
Remember: pikmin that get attacked extend that attack's animation. The more pikmin that are hit, the longer that hitbox is lengthened. Use this to your advantage and grab/smash them while they're still stuck in their attack. I like to sit back, toss pikmin at the enemy and bait them into killing the pikmin so I can dash into an up-smash or grab. Be careful though, this can also get you killed yourself! Be patient.
Any time you toss a pikmin or use f-smash, that pikmin has then left your line. Any pikmin out of your line are now vulnerable to attack, effectively becoming small shields from projectiles and stray attacks. Just be aware of this.
Olimar's whistle has a duration of super armor at the beginning of the whistle. http://smashboards.com/threads/regarding-olimar-and-his-super-armor-whistle.380084/
Connecting your double jab (A + A) can combo into a grab. This is very fast and very reliable. On mario, this guaranteed combo stops guaranteeing at 85%.
Down smash is great for edge-guarding. Especially for catching foes that have lost their ledge invincibility.
Remember that your f-tilt is a kill move. It's relatively fast and is also a good pivoting tool as it covers a good amount of space. It's also surprising to the opponent who thinks you're completely helpless because you ran out of pikmin.
Do you know about OoS? Out of Shield options really help olimar in close combat situations. N-air is pretty reliable, but d-air can also be very surprising. F-air is also pretty speedy, but b-air is your slowest OoS option. We also can't forget about that super sweet grab we have now can we? (Shield + A)
- Learn to up-smash OoS. Shield + tap the jump button + up smash. This endangered animal will provide further detail. http://gfycat.com/RashMeatyBluemorphobutterfly
Try not to roll too much with Olimar. Yes, it can be useful sometimes to get out of sticky places, but you basically always want to be in control of your movements so you can go for grabs and aerials when you're in close combat. If your opponent bats you away, fall back a bit and just keep chucking pikmin. This is going to bait them into either approaching you, or prompting them to attack the latched pikmin.
- Olimar is a lighter character in this iteration of Smash than from when he was in brawl. Know when to be aggressive and especially know when to retreat. We die kinda quickly if played carelessly.

R.Y.B.W.P:
If you're having trouble remembering the order of pikmin, keep "RYBWP (Rib whip)" in your head to help you memorize. I know you're in an intense battle, but if you just plucked a yellow, you should definitely know that your game ending blue is coming to town pretty soon.

Use your whistle wisely. Say your opponent is just spawning and you have a white in between your red and your purple, would you rather place that white in the front for some extra latch damage to begin his next stock? Always think about what color is best for what situation. Can't be throwing them around blindly anymore.

Pluck and roll! Pluck and smash! MY OPTIONS.
- I hope you're in practice mode: After a single pluck, you can instantly perform pretty much any move you want. You can simultaneously roll when you neutral b to confuse opponents or use f-smash to keep them away. If you have no pikmin in your line, try doing a single pluck then immediately go for an f-smash. Many people who think you're helpless are caught with a pretty mean surprise.

D-tilt. This move is fantastic and I highly recommend using it if you don't already. It is very quick, has a lingering hitbox, travels a bit (like an inchworm; pseudo crawling) and at low percents you can use it as a great juggling tool as the move combos into itself at low percentages. I highly recommend ending off the d-tilt string with your 1-2 jab as you can get a grab off the jabs thereby greatly lengthening your combo. Latched pikmin combined with this move is not only hilarious, but also really very damaging.
Many characters can dash and instantly up-smash for surprising kills; Olimar is no different. In fact you can rapidly turn around while dashing and up-smash too. While running, quickly turn around and lightly tap the jump button. Immediately after tapping jump, hit that up-smash. This might take some practice, but you'll get the hang of it, I believe in you.

Fast fall n-air connects? Follow up with an u-tilt or short hop d-air. At high percentages, up smash can kill very reliably.

Olimar's d-air is a rather strong move even when you don't land it's potential meteor smash. You may have landed the MS in the past and have no freaking recollection of how the hell you did it. Well, all you need to do is hit your opponent with the very tip of that pikmin's flowery head.
- This move is rather quick, but has pretty bad ending lag if you land without completing the move. A lot of people underestimate this attack's range though, so it's definitely a good landing option as well as a mix-up or OoS option.
- Short-hopped d-air does auto cancel, but only after Olimar flips back into his upright position. Practice this and you'll find that you can shield/f-smash almost immediately. (Thanks, Koken! )

And no, Wii U players, sadly the vegetation growth on your pikmin's heads do not affect combat. As far as I know, the flower form pikmin do not receive hitbox enlargements; it's purely aesthetic.
Pikmin can return items to you if they run into they item on their way back to your line. Lamely enough, this can only be done on the Wii U version.
Start at 0:26. More Oli play. Dabuz represents him quite well, I'd say.
Patch 1.0.8: When returning from the ledge, Pikmin no longer reverse their order and will stick to their original line-up.

Now go and show them how being being beaten by a "D tier" feels!

PIKMIN CONS

Wow, I'm amazingly biased. This whole time I'd just been mouthing off about how great pikmin are, but I completely neglected to inform you on what can also make them totally suck! Welp, here's what to watch out for, kiddos!

As mentioned earlier, Olimar's smash attacks can be reflected back at him! His aerials and grabs are safe from reflectors, but side-b and smashes are a big no-no.
Sometimes, pikmin just won't be there when you go for a smash at all! You'll get an animation that was (back in the brawl days) referred to as a "ghost smash". Don't stress too hard though, this just means you and your animated buddies will have to stick closer together. Use your whistle and manage them as best you can. Think of how Rosalina & Luma stick by each other. Try to emulate that.
Also mentioned earlier, latched/tossed/in the way pikmin extend hostile attack animations by a large margin. So large, in fact, that if you get too close, you may end up getting heavily whammed! Just wait out their slowed attack and go in for that easy punish.
Like with Shulk, knowledgeable opponents will know what your colors represent. If they know you have a blue in front, they will be cognizant of your desire to grab. Stay aware of their awareness and mix up your line to try to fool them. You can do this by using aerials or your whistle.

MATCH UP INFO

Having trouble with certain character? Some match ups are just plain harder than others. This is where I post what I know about what can counter you, what you should be dominating if you aren't already, and the in-betweens to help make your wins come a little easier for you. I'm always open to suggestions from your own experiences if I'm missing anything crucial.

*Numbers (1-10) represent difficulty; 1 being "Super easy" all the way to 10 being "Pre-patch Diddy"

MARIO (8.5/10): Mario has every tool required to absolutely wreck Olimar up and down the block. He has a reflect, he's fast and combo heavy, and F.L.U.D.D, when used properly, can absolutely slow you down in the air. Our up-b does not have time to be dealing with a damn fire department, okay? So what do we do? Well, we can take solace in the fact that his keep away game is nullified by our pikmin. Fireballs will only get walled out and red pikmin can smash through them. His cape would be an even larger problem if we didn't have such a great grab. In fact, there will be times he'll try to cape you, and if you pressed grab before his cape connected, Olimar will be turned around, but you'll still have Mario in your grab! Its a very bizarre sight indeed, but our grabs give us the edge against Mario, so capitalize on this. Of course, you'll still want to use pikmin toss; just play with his head, bait out his caping patterns and grab him again. Use your down tilts to add against Mario. Pop him up into the air and give him a taste of some aerial strings of your own. When it's killing time, I'm not saying to not use your f-smashes, but keep in mind f-tilt is also a perfectly acceptable and oft overlooked attack that in addition cannot be caped!

TL;DR: Use your tilts freely, watch for capes, grab more, keep your reds alive, use f-tilt to kill.

LUIGI(7.5/10): Luigi, while still tough because of his combo potential and speed, is still relatively more manageable than his brother. He lacks the stage control options Mario does, but still has those pesky fireballs. Just because they're green doesn't mean they still aren't mixtapes, and reds don't give a **** about your mixtapes, Luigi. You are going to want to chuck pikmin a lot more than usual if the Luigi in particular likes to rush in and grab. Do not let this happen to you. Even with the down throw nerf properly in effect, Luigi is still a grappler and will do heavy damage to you bringing you to kill percent in a matter of 2 or 3 grab combos. Use pivot f-smashes for spacing. Latched pikmin take a sizable chunk out of Luigi's game both in fireball delivery and in his recovery. Covering fireballs first, Luigi's fireballs can be stopped immediately if a pikmin is latched onto his torso region. The fireball won't even come out. Use this as an opportunity to grab or smash (depending on your situation) if you're semi-near him. In terms of his recovery, Luigi's side b will be cut short indefinitely if you have a pikmin latched onto him. He will either need to use another side b, or a whole other option completely to get back on the stage. Watch for tornadoes as he's coming down onto the stage and camp him with pikmin until it's kill time. I've noticed blue kill throws have been my most consistent means of killing luigi.

TL;DR: Don't get grabbed, camp with side-b, use pivot f-smashes (because you will be running away), latched pikmin can stop fireballs and side b before they even start, blue kill throws are a great finisher.

PEACH(?/10) Peach is an air fighter. Something Olimar is not. You need to keep to the ground and chuck away because quite frankly, Peach's speed isn't up to snuff with the other rush down characters. This isn't to say she's slow as she does have very good mobility and can trick you with various mix ups between her solid ground game and her awesome air game. She also has turnips that can block out your pikmin, so try to pick those up when you can.

Here's a nice video on the many ways to deal with items like these.

Never try to contest Peach's aerial attacks with your own. It's a death wish, especially with her f-air being one of the strongest aerials in the game. Thankfully she's a lightweight, so your kill throws are invaluable against peach. Keep your purples alive as well, seeing as how they kill mega early, and can beat out certain turnips when tossed.

TL;DR: Peach isn't very fast, but has a great air game. Stick to the ground, chuck pikmin, play keep away and grab Peach when she lands. Use turnips against her, shield those f-airs, and keep your purples alive to get those kill confirms with your smashes.

(to be continued)

A great big ol' shout out @Warchamp7, @AlphaZealot, @Myran for assisting me with this guide (Check his guide out too! http://smashboards.com/guides/update-2-pikmin-management-and-more-a-ssb4-guide-to-olimar.53/), @Cheesy for her research on pikmin health, @Koken for his quick links thread http://smashboards.com/threads/quicklinks-knowledge-is-important.393805/, @Captain Earth, @ Lavani, @RAzul for their insight on whistle super armor, and the whole dang Olimar forum.
Thanks for reading!

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Pikmin Are Amazing.

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