I have not watched it yet because my computer will not run hatbox, but I think Reslived did a video analyzing the neutral game of Lucario mains, so if you can you should probably check that out.



I am not really well versed enough to offer much here, but I will try:



Lucario's neutral is kind of tricky. Although it is typically considered bad, I don't know if I would say that; it's definitely not good though. Probably the biggest issue is Lucario's limited approach options. Everyone knows that Lucario players like to dash attack and will try and bait and punish it. It is however, besides DTC jab, the approach that leads into the most options on hit. Short hop aerials can only be canceled into specials, but does not necessarily mean they are not capable of leading into decent combos. If you are going to approach try to mix-up these approaches to be less predictable.



I think that essentially never approaching is the best approach (except in some match-ups). Force your opponent to approach you and try to bait them into missing attacks. To provoke punishable situations Lucario has a number of good movement options to implement. The first and most obvious is using Lucario's dash dance effectively to occupy a length of space and to threaten your opponent's space. Although Lucario's wavedash is one of the worst in the game, it can be used to make your dash dance more difficult to read. Also, I think b related tech is underutilized by Lucario players in neutral. A combination of b-turnarounds, b-reverses, and wavebounces can significantly alter Lucario's movement and make reading Lucario's movement more difficult ands provoke punishable approaches on the part of your opponent. I don't think Stauffy has played recently, but look for video of him and you will probably notice this kind of movement.



Although I don't know how to use platforms effectively, I know that they are helpful for camping and controlling space as well mixing up approaches. Although, aura sphere is not the greatest projectile it can still be used to some extent to pressure opponents into approaching. Also, although aura bombs are generally not good in neutral, if you happen to have one out in neutral for whatever reason be sure to try to take advantage of the space it can threaten. Also, try to practice power shielding to diminish the effectiveness of projectiles from your opponent. Also, it is kind of weird to describe, but forwards smash is a deceptive move that can be used to some extent in Lucario's neutral. The animation pulls in and it is deceptively long, so you can catch people who are approaching from a good distance with forward smash; however, it has a lot of end lag so use it sparingly and with confidence.





Unfortunately, my computer is barely functional and can not run hitbox, so I can't watch the video you suggested, so I watched your set with Notorious that is on Youtube on my phone. It is kind of bad set to critique because Captain Falcon can really wreck Lucario in many regards, and I think you may have just been off that game, also it's three weeks old:



The most prominent mistake I notice you doing in that set is some ill-advised use of DT. I really like to use down-b perhaps too much, but I usually fail to explain good uses of it or justify it. In that set, you too frequently DT right towards your opponent in neutral (mostly from the air). DT's startup and end lag and set distance leave you vulnerable to attack especially against fast characters like Captain Falcon. If you are going to use it in neutral, try to use it over platforms to mix it up and try to not go in the direction of the opponent unless you have a good reason to. You had some decent uses of DT in combos but in general it was excessively used.



You could definitely improve your use of dash dance. It was almost nonexistent in that set. It seems you try to use DT in place of dash dancing but for the reasons already stated, it is not an appropriate substitute. Also, your combo game could use some work I don't think you ever used a tilt other than down tilt and I don't think any were used in a magic series combo. By not using tilts in your combos, you are robbing yourself of damage on your opponent and easier setups into your next move.



Also, the moonwalk into forward smash early in the first game was really cool.