Luigi is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Super Smash Bros. series Luigi amiibo was released on December 14, 2014. Luigi is considered high-tier in Super Smash Bros. 4 and mid-tier in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros. 4
Luigi is a member of the A+ tier in Super Smash Bros. 4. Though he was uncommon in early tournaments, the banning of Explosive perfect shield in 2017 gave Luigi a significant boost in viability. In the late metagame, Luigi was one of the strongest fighters available thanks to his excellent jab. Its quick startup means that other FPs won’t be able to react in time, and if they are able to perfect shield the first hit, they will drop their guard and get hit by the rest of the jab. This means free damage for Luigi, which then allows him to move in and KO with one of his smash attacks.
Unfortunately, Luigi does suffer from several weaknesses; though his smash attacks are both strong and fast, they don’t always have enough range to serve as fully reliable counterattacks. Luigi’s AI also tends to overuse its aerial moves, which makes him vulnerable to falling into his opponents’ up smash attacks. Furthermore, the AI may overuse Green Missile and Luigi Cyclone; these moves should be used for recovery purposes only, as attacking with them is mostly inefficient.
Overall, Luigi has accrued excellent tournament results and representation, especially towards the end of the metagame. Arklaine is credited as one of the character’s pioneers and helped prove his viability after Explosive perfect shield was banned. Others, including FarmingSim and Switch, have also been successful with Luigi. If you would like to learn how to train a Luigi amiibo in Smash 4, please refer to our training guide.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Luigi was nerfed for his appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4 and is no longer a high-tier character. Even so, he still possesses a number of unique strengths, including strong throws, a projectile, and a generally fast moveset. Compared to other characters, an “optimal” Luigi amiibo utilizes a large percentage of its moveset. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you ask), Luigi’s AI is not capable of utilizing Luigi’s zero-to-death combo; in fact, it cannot even consistently combo its down throw into Luigi Cyclone at high percentages (which is usually a powerful kill confirm against certain characters). As a result, the Luigi FP’s playstyle tends to have a higher focus on heavy hits, such as with smash attacks.
Now more than ever, Luigi struggles from a poor recovery. In Smash 4, FPs couldn’t go off-stage to gimp their enemy, so Luigi was safe to recover in any way he pleased. This is no longer the case, so Luigi is now vulnerable to being attacked as he tries to recover. Adding to this trouble is the fact that Luigi Cyclone grants almost no vertical distance, which removes an option he was previously able to use to extend his recovery.
In a similar situation to Smash 4, Luigi was underrepresented at the beginning of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate metagame. In recent times, he has seen much higher tournament results and representation and is thought to be a solid mid-tier character. His standing in the metagame may improve even further in the future. If you would like to learn how to train a Luigi amiibo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, check our training guide.
Raid Boss Training
If you’d prefer to train a Raid Boss Luigi amiibo, its optimal Spirits and training strategy is going to be a little bit different. If you want to use the best Spirit effect possible, choose either Super Armor or Great Autoheal. If you would rather use a different setup, you can choose any three of the following: Physical Attack ↑, Move Speed ↑, Air Attack ↑, Hyper Smash Attacks, or Landing Lag ↓.
As mentioned before, the Luigi amiibo cannot learn to use the character’s infamous zero-to-death combo. On that note, the AI may not learn many of the combos you try to teach it, so focus on single-hit moves instead. Jab, all tilts, all aerials, and grab are solid neutral tools for Luigi. When grabbing, you can use down throw to two forward aerials, an up throw to set up for a juggle, or a forward or back throw to throw the opponent off-stage. Up smash is Luigi’s most consistent grounded kill move, and forward smash can be mixed in less often as well. Dash attack and Luigi Cyclone can be used infrequently to catch enemies by surprise.
Be sure to keep Luigi on-stage at all costs. The AI’s recovery patterns are very predictable, and a competent human player will likely learn to intercept it within a few matches. For even more information on amiibo training, you can read our Luigi amiibo guide, our general training guide, and our Raid Boss training guide. You can refer to all three posts in tandem with each other if needed!
If you would like to return to the amiibo Wiki, please follow this link.
