He isn't just a Mario clone. Not even close. If you’ve ever sat down at a CRT with a GameCube controller in hand, you know that Smash Bros Melee Luigi is one of the most polarizing, frustrating, and oddly charming characters in the entire roster. He is the king of the "slip and slide." One moment he’s standing still, and the next, he’s halfway across Final Destination because of a single Wavedash. It’s a movement profile that defies the physics of the rest of the game.
Most people look at the tier list and see him sitting somewhere in the middle. They see the lack of a reliable recovery. They see the weird, floaty air speed. But they’re missing the point. Luigi in Melee isn't about being well-rounded; he’s about explosive, high-variance gameplay that can make even a top-tier Fox player sweat.
The Frictionless Menace
Movement is everything in Super Smash Bros. Melee. While characters like Marth have elegant dashes and Fox has raw frame data, Luigi has traction—or rather, a complete lack of it. Because he has the lowest traction in the game, his Wavedash is monstrous. It’s his primary tool for spacing, approaching, and retreating. It looks like he’s on ice.
You can't play a traditional ground game against a good Luigi. He’ll bait a poke, slide back just an inch, and then slide back in with a Down-Smash before you’ve even finished your animation. It’s jarring. It’s also why he’s a "noob stomper." If you don’t understand how to respect his burst range, you’re going to get hit by a lot of "Nair" (Neutral Air) breaks.
Luigi’s Nair is arguably his best defensive tool. It comes out on Frame 3. In a game where every millisecond counts, having a move that fast that also sends the opponent upward is a literal lifesaver. It’s a "get out of jail free" card that disrupts combos and resets the neutral game instantly.
That Weird Up-B and the Misfire Mythos
We have to talk about the Fire Jump Punch. Most characters use their Up-B to recover. Luigi uses it to take stocks at 50%. If you land it "sweet-spotted" (directly touching the opponent at the start of the move), it has incredible knockback and a satisfying ping sound that echoes through the tournament hall. It’s high-risk, though. If you miss, you’re stuck in a falling animation for what feels like an eternity, basically begging your opponent to hit you with a fully charged Forward Smash.
Then there’s the Green Missile.
The Side-B.
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Specifically, the Misfire.
There is a 1 in 8 chance (roughly 12.5%) that Luigi will launch himself with massive force and speed. It’s a RNG mechanic in a game that usually prides itself on technical precision. It’s saved countless Luigi players from certain death off-stage, and it’s ended games that Luigi had no business winning. You can't plan for it, but you have to account for it. It adds this layer of chaotic energy to every match. Honestly, it’s just fun. Even when you’re the one getting hit by it, there’s a part of you that has to respect the luck.
Why Top Players Still Struggle With Him
You might think that because Luigi is mid-tier, the pros like Mango, Zain, or Hungrybox find him easy. That’s a mistake. While he isn't winning every major, players like Abate and Eddy Mexico have proven for years that Luigi can take sets off anybody.
Abate’s legendary run at The Big House 5 is the stuff of Melee history. He didn't do it by playing like a Fox player. He did it by leaning into the weirdness. He used the "invisible ceiling" glitch—a quirk of the Melee engine where Luigi’s momentum gets canceled—to survive hits that should have killed him. It’s these "janky" interactions that define the character’s legacy.
- Luigi has a "Vududash"—a specific movement technique where he slides off a platform while performing a move, maintaining his sliding momentum in the air.
- His Down-B (Luigi Cyclone) requires insane "mashing" speed to gain height. If you aren't hitting that button like a maniac, you aren't going to recover.
- His grab range is... well, it’s terrible. It’s one of his biggest flaws. You almost never want to grab with Luigi unless it’s a hard read.
Luigi is a character of extremes. He has some of the best horizontal movement and some of the worst vertical recovery. He has incredibly fast aerials but moves through the air like a balloon. This disparity is why he’s so hard to play against; the rhythm of the match is constantly shifting.
The Recovery Problem
If Luigi is so fast and has a Frame 3 Nair, why isn't he Top 5? It’s the recovery. It’s bad. Like, really bad.
If you knock Luigi off-stage and he doesn't have his double jump, he’s in a world of hurt. He has to rely on Side-B (hope for a misfire or enough distance) and then Down-B (mash for height) and finally Up-B. This sequence is predictable. Top players will just sit on the edge and wait to refresh their invincibility or just drop down with a well-timed back-air.
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Against a Marth who knows how to edgeguard, Luigi feels almost unplayable. The "Ken Combo" is basically a death sentence. You have to be incredibly creative with your drift and your timing to even stand a chance of touching the stage again. This is where the skill gap really shows. A mediocre Luigi will die at 60% every time. A great Luigi will find a way to scrap back to the ledge, even if it takes three different moves and a prayer.
Matchup Realities: Fox, Falco, and the Rest
The Fox vs. Luigi matchup is a classic "glass cannon" fight. Fox can combo Luigi into oblivion because Luigi is floaty and easy to hit. However, Fox is also a fast-faller, which means Luigi’s combos on Fox are devastating. One Up-Tilt can lead into a string of aerials that ends in an Up-B kill.
Falco is a different beast. The lasers shut down Luigi’s Wavedash. If Luigi can't slide, he can't move. A Falco who is disciplined with his short-hop lasers makes the game feel suffocating for the Luigi player. You have to learn to power-shield or use your platforms to escape the projectile pressure.
But then you look at someone like Jigglypuff. That’s a weird one. Two floaty characters floating around each other, waiting for a mistake. It becomes a game of patience. Luigi has to find the opening for a kill move, while Puff is looking for that one Rest. It’s not the fast-paced Melee most people love, but it’s intense in its own way.
Understanding the "Luigi Ladder"
In doubles (2v2), Luigi has a very specific, niche trick called the Luigi Ladder. If two Luigis are on the same team, they can Up-B off each other repeatedly to climb infinitely high into the air. Is it practical in a high-stakes tournament? Rarely. Is it one of the coolest things to see at a local? Absolutely. It’s a testament to how broken and beautiful Melee’s engine is. The developers likely never intended for two plumbers to leapfrog into the stratosphere, yet here we are, over twenty years later, still talking about it.
Getting Better with the Green Brother
If you’re serious about picking up Smash Bros Melee Luigi, you need to accept that you’re going to lose a lot of games to "gimps." You’re going to get knocked off-stage at 30% and just... die. That’s the life. But the reward is a character that feels unlike anyone else.
You need to master the "Waveland." Being able to move from the ground to a platform and back down with zero friction makes you a nightmare to catch. Practice your Down-B mashing in the practice lab until your thumb hurts. Seriously. If you can't gain height with the Cyclone, you aren't playing the full character.
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The mental game is also huge. Because Luigi has so many "janky" tools, you can tilt your opponent. When they get hit by a random Misfire or a Frame 3 Nair that interrupts their perfect combo, they get frustrated. Use that. Luigi thrives in the chaos. He is the underdog who wins by being weirder and faster than the opponent expects.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Luigi Mains:
First, go into Training Mode and just Wavedash. Don't worry about attacking. Just move. Try to cover the entire length of Final Destination in as few movements as possible. You need to feel the "slip." If you aren't sliding, you’re just a worse version of Mario.
Next, focus on your "Out of Shield" options. Luigi’s Nair is your best friend here. If someone pressures your shield, don't panic. Jump and immediately Nair. Most of the time, you'll beat their next attack and reset the situation to your advantage.
Finally, watch the tapes. Look at Eddy Mexico’s movement or Abate’s creative recoveries. See how they use the Luigi Cyclone to stay alive. Notice how they rarely use the Forward Smash because it’s slow and punishable, opting instead for Down-Smash or Up-Tilt to start combos.
Luigi is a labor of love. He isn't the "optimal" choice if you just want to win the easiest way possible. But if you want to slide across the stage, landing "pings" and Misfires while making your opponent wonder what just happened, there’s no one better. He is the eternal second brother, finally taking the spotlight through sheer, friction-less grit.
Stop thinking about the tier list. Just start sliding. The results might surprise you, and they’ll definitely surprise your opponent. Melee is a game of expression, and Luigi is one of the most unique "instruments" you can play.