UserShadow Lizard Challenge

Overall strategy:
1. Down Special immediately to jump back to the start of the match, right at the match's beginning.

2. Grab your clone in the split second before it would disappear, and use the Special Pummel to fill the stage with fake Lizards. Due to Lizard's size, there's a lot of them densely packed everywhere.

3. As your clone disappears, Side Special twice; once to copy a large number of fake Lizards, another to place the copies.

4. Forward Smash turns the copy Lizards into tangible, solid clones that mimic Lizard.

5. Up Special stops time depending on how long since the start of battle/the last time Lizard used it. Due to the speed boost, Lizard can stop time for 3 seconds after 4.165 seconds of fighting, letting him finish up after this point. If the player somehow enters the inputs quickly enough, this can be moved a little further along.

6. Neutral Special summons a 15 ounce Honey Pot to Lizard and each Lizard clone, who will begin to eat passively (normally 1 ounce per second, though this is massively sped up due to the speed buffs).

7. Spam Jab (I.E. mash A) and, if in the air for any reason, Down Aerial to speed up honey consumption. The latter is actually even faster, and makes the moment between this step and the previous the perfect time to use the Neutral Aerial. Use Down Smash when the Time Stop is about to end, or at the first sign of danger.

Upon eating 30 * X ounces of honey, where X is the number of minutes in the time limit if a timed match or the number of stocks otherwise, you instantly win the match.

Assuming a 4 minute or 4 stock match, I.E. 120 ounces required, Lizard would only need 7 clones of himself to finish it in one sitting of honey, which itself should take no more than 2-3 seconds of furiously mashing A once set-up is complete), roughly 7-8 seconds total, 3 of which are during the Time Stop.

With the speed bonuses on each attack, the sheer volume of Lizard clones due to his small size and the range of Echolocation, and a player fast enough on the inputs, Lizard will win within 4-6 seconds of match start. Even with Down Smash or when prevented from attacking, Lizard and his clones passively continue to consume honey, albeit at a slower rate.

Of note, Lizard can use his Neutral Special at roughly any point after the Special Pummel to get honey and start eating passively, should it be a concern; his clones will be holding honey and start consuming right alongside the real deal once made if he is, but it's normally not optimal due to the threat of dropping the honey if hit.


Backup Strategy:
1. Down Special; when something's gone wrong, you need to bite the bullet and deal with your suspiciously less competent past self.

#. Up Special time stop. The exact point this is used is determined by how long the battle has been going, sooner the longer, or at the first sign of trouble.

2. Don't grab your past self; keep them allied. Instead, use Side Special and Forward Smash in rapid succession.

3. Side Special after the first echolocation passes you. Aim it close to create a copy. Forward Smash to turn it into a real clone.

4. Grab the clone, and use the Special Pummel.

5. Side Special twice again, copying the clone and the fakes.

6. Forward Smash to make the fakes real.


7. Neutral Special, followed by Jab and Down Aerial spam. This method takes longer than the standard one, but prevents you from having to deal with an agitated past self later in the match- indeed, your and your opponents' past selves will probably provide some cover to make up for the extended delay. Just be sure to hurry so your clone does not get killed.


Secondary tactics:
1. Neutral Aerial does not interfere with any part of this order outside of the grab; immediately after grabbing, it is best to use the Neutral Aerial to ensure no interference. Side Special and Forward Smash have enough range to get the required Lizards outside of the area, and you can renew the Neutral Aerial after to protect your clones just as you do yourself. The effect should easily outlast the time needed to eat the honey.

2. The non-jab standards all slow the opponent down, obscure part of the screen, and/or inflict poison effects. With your clones and the range, these moves can instantly kill or inconvenience anything hit (buying time for more honey). Down tilt in particular can briefly trap the enemy in place for a full three seconds if they fail to notice they're suddenly not moving under the screen filled with Lizards and don't mash free, not counting the number of such traps corresponding to the number of clones.

3. Down Smash allows Lizard to snack in the safety of an indestructible bunker, immune to even the Doomsday Device. While he cannot use the Jab or Down Aerial while in the bunker, he continues passive consumption as described in the Neutral Special. If an enemy can circumvent Neutrality, this is his best method for finishing his meal, and the match.

4. Down Special also doubles as a panic button. Due to the AI, the past self will spam aerials, giving Lizard some covering fire and safe zones that keeps his opponents penned in their own safe havens while he works. Enemies will be faced with hostile past selves of their own for a little over half the minimum duration. Of course, he seriously wants to get it right the first time, as making his own past self hostile and his enemies' past selves catching on for the remainder will not be fun, even with his Neutral Aerial protecting him.

5. Down Aerial lets him quickly return to the ground after using the Neutral Aerial, and speeds honey consumption.

6. Up Smash causes everyone to immediately drop what they're doing, and what they're holding, to pull out weapons that rely on hitboxes. These weapons can be disposed of, but it can be used to interrupt something that Lizard really doesn't want to happen and let him get back to eating honey quickly after.

7. Back Aerial, with clones, also plays into the poison mechanic alternate win condition; landing one Back Aerial will almost certainly result in the clones landing theirs, each adding 1 poison count (likely killing the victim).

8. Up Aerial is a quick aerial trap, and most notably doubles in size anytime it hits something. With an army of Lizard clones, the foe will be bounced back and forth like in a swarm of bumpers, until they eventually get launched free. Or Lizard polishes off his honey while enjoying the light show. Foes who need to approach will have to spam Neutrality to get through safely.


MAJOR EDIT!: Possible Variation
Given the Down Special is stated to take a moment between completion and the screen wipe ending and letting characters act again, I could possibly have enough charge on Kang's Time Stop to fire it off right after the reset- grabbing my clone out of the animation for it for the Special Pummel.

Best case scenario, this would give me a second and a half to get as much of my combo out as possible before things start to go wrong- if I can get my duplicates out and real in time, I can honey near-instantly for game, trimming the time I am vulnerable to near 0. 'Best' being the key word, as the screen wipe for the time reset is no doubt affected by the Lizard speed boosts as well, which are required for the time stop charge speed to be remotely usable. It cuts it close, if nothing else.


No Strangelove Challenge Modifications:
Use Kang's Up Smash and Neutral Aerial, and Rocket Grunt (Houndour)'s Down Smash instead, all with maxed speed buffs. Clones happily capitalize on the former, and the past self spamming Neutral Aerial's swarm of homing attacks will give you lots of space. Down Smash produces a fiery barrier that can only be circumvented from above, and helps produce additional poison.

Admittedly, the charm of the main version is not needing any hitboxes beyond one you have full control over, letting you hit the 'end match' button and thumb your nose at your opponents' Neutrality. However, the sheer speed makes it unlikely that many sets can get to you before you finish your 'smackeral' of the sweet stuff, and any set that can will now have to deal with the sheer flood of poison you can pump out without any hitbox-negating safe zone.