04/04ᵋ-
Samus &
Dark Samus

Jab1 (-10):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

Jab2 (-15):
GSA (Frame 9)

FTilt (-17/-16/-15):
GSA (Frame 9)
Grab (Frame 16)

UTilt (-12):
GSA (Frame 9)
Grab (Frame 16)
(Beware of pushback)

DTilt (-27):
FSmash (Frame 26)

Dash Attack:
FSmash (Frame 26)

FSmash (-30/-28):
FSmash (Frame 26)

USmash (-24):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

DSmash (-19):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

NAir (-5):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

FAir (-11/-12):
GSA (Frame 9)
Grab (Frame 16, if they drift back)

BAir (-9):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
(Can be spaced out of range)

UAir (-16):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
(Unpunishable via platforms)

DAir (-7):
NAir (Frame 7)
(Can be spaced out of range)

ZAir (-5):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

Charge Shot (Full, -2):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

Charge Shot (Uncharged, -16 to +4)
Unpunishable
(Super safe on shield)

Homing/Super Missile (-26):
Unpunishable
(Projectile usage)

Screw Attack:
--

Bomb:
--

• Neutral Moves: Tilts. ZAir, Aerials, Charge Shot Movement mix-ups.

• Kill Moves: Smash Attacks, NAir, BAir. DTilt, Charge Shot, FAir, Dash Attack.

• Kill Confirms: Missile > DAir, Weak Charge Shot > Dash Attack/BAir/DTilt

• Bomb/full hop Bomb is valuable in this MU as a “Safety Net.” It helps  break through the Charge Shot and aerial pressure in this MU. Soft-tossed Bombs on the ground will block fully charged Charge Shot.

• Neutral is usually a back and forth between Bomb and Charge Shot pressure. Slowly close the gap and rush down Samus. Treat usage of projectiles as moves with larger startups (travel time), but with exceptional range.

• The long game can be played, but eventually closing the gap puts more pressure on Samus, whereas Samus can apply more pressure at long-range.

• Samus’ Jab1 is a mix-up tool that abuses conditioning for follow ups. If shield is held for too long, they’ll Grab/dashback pivot Grab. If any other option is picked, Jab2 can be used.

• Samus will mostly be using weaker variants of Charge Shot instead of full ones to mix up her aerial movement with B-Reverses/ Wavebounces and combos. Full hop Bomb throw catches this, but still respect it.

• Samus’ Up B is Frame 4 out of shield. Though it’s range is quite low, be wary of it when shield pressuring up close. It’s a fast out of shield option.

• Fire Arrows neutralize and outpace missiles. They’re useful at catching Samus at short hop height, where she likes being.

• NAir beats out Homing Missiles and weak Charge Shot.

Boxing

(How do I escape this situation?):

• Samus FAir covers jump very easily, especially out of shield. No aerial hitbox will beat Samus FAir.

• The same applies to Charge Shot pressure. Having a Bomb in hand is protection against it.

• Her NAir and BAir are normals not to be messed with. They have a moderate amount of range and have killpower. Space around it and be wary of them as both tools for reads and safe pressure.

• Her ZAir is low-reward at face value but has more range than most of her options. It allows Samus to safely anti-air from a distance. 

Platform Pressure

(What tools do they have? How can we escape this pressure?):

• Samus UAir combos into itself at lower percents, and is a long lasting move they can use from under the platform. Her FAir also covers platforms well, but will mainly be used rising so that the final hit connects.

• Charge Shot puts on a lot of pressure, covering both the platform and falling through it. Pulling Bombs while falling give more counterplay to it. Additionally, NAir can clank with the top part of Charge Shot when fully charged, but it’s inconsistent.

• ZAir is a safe pressure tool for her as well, but she won’t get anything off it if she fades back.

Landing

(How do they cover it? What are my best options):

• Samus can cover landings well both horizontally and vertically. Her set of aerials allows her to shark safely, hit landings horizontally safely and can find kills off them. Ideally, avoid close range to escape FAir, BAir, and NAir.

• Samus can take advantage of this adaptation by using Charge Shot to catch landings. Low travel time makes it far deadlier, but being farther away means Samus can assume stage control. Weigh the risks of the decision and what tools/positions are available in the moment.

• She can catch landings notably with Grab, if she’s conditioned shield upon landing.

Offstage

(How Do I Escape This Position And What Do I Look Out For?):

• Mix up drift and high/low recoveries. Samus can go offstage and snipe with Charge Shot.

• Her NAir/BAir make for strong edgeguarding tools as well. Maintain as much airtime as possible to avoid situations with Charge Shot.

• Samus’ Bomb can stuff jumps. She places them near the ledge usually. Don’t attack them with a NAir or the like.

Ledge:

• Her FAir covers jump and neutral getup. Her aerials can cover multiple options, but she can’t usually input more than one option at a time (instances of getting off ledge).

• After getting off of ledge, look to get around Samus, as challenging her will be hard with her range on moves like NAir.

• Charge Shot is scary to play around even after getting off ledge. It can cover every option from a safe distance, and it even hits ledge. The only way to escape it reliably is to mix up ledge timings and dodge/shield it.

Juggling/Boxing:

• Being floaty means Samus has more airtime, BUT has more drift options horizontally. To add to that, she can keep stalling her fall with Bombs and shift her aerial momentum with Charge Shot.

• Avoid committing early vs floaty characters. Use their slow fall speed to advance positional pressure.

• Use projectiles to limit her mix-up options and then punish her landing.

• ZAir, Bombs, and Boomerang will be the best options in boxing Samus, given her ease of winning close up interactions. Positional pressure key.

• Remember to be wary of aggressive options out of the corner, such as Charge Shot and Dash Attack.

• Shield pressure is a bit tricky vs Samus. Her NAir has range and is Frame 8 out of shield, but her Up B is low range and Frame 4 out of shield. Space the safest moves like NAir, FAir, and Jab2.

Offstage:

• Samus will use a lot of her own Bombs to shrink her hurt box and stall her fall. 

• Her Bombs can stuff NAir though so throwing Bomb downwards and then following up with NAir is more likely to take the stock.

• Don’t get too hasty in edgeguarding or she’ll get a free Screw Attack.

• Samus gains FAir, Charge Shot (take note of this from ledge jump as well), and ZAir from a double jump off of ledge. Young Link can’t contest any of these really, so shielding is valuable when at ledge.

• Ledge trap further away from ledge, making use of stage control.

• Switch up ledge trap positions and bait a risky option.

Ledge Info:

XLR8’s Spreadsheet Young Link Ledge Info:

DTilt: Hits

DSmash: Hits

FTilt: Hits

Most Reliable Move: All

Animation Info: N/A

Note: Everything hits at normal spacing.

• DTilt > ASA %s: 122, 109

• FD Ledge FThrow %s: 187 (tether distance), 165 (dash Grab).

• Milkshake %s: 114-162, 102-138

• Samus Kill Throws: UThrow, BThrow

• Samus UThrow Kill %: 146

Dark Samus Differences:

• 3 fewer frames on rolls.

• Lower startup on USmash.

• Slightly longer range DTilt.

• Charge Shot and Missiles appear slightly lower.

• Slightly less range on FSmash.

• Some animations expose a larger hurtbox.

• Electric effect on DTilt, FAir, FSmash instead of Fire.

• Battlefield:
  Terrible. Samus can exert a ton of Charge Shot and platform pressure here. It’s hard to pin her down here.

• Final Destination:
  Good. It’s easy to set control with Bombs on a stage with no platforms, overriding Samus’ pressure.

• Smashville:
  Indifferent. SV isn’t ideal for outranging her, but she can’t mix up as much.

• Town & City:
  Indifferent. The stage feels too big at times, but still serves the same FD-like purpose. The platforms can be annoying, though.

• Lylat Cruise:
  Great. The layout makes it easier to track Samus’ landing, and slants mess her up. Bomb/Boomerang/ZAir control are good here.

• Pokémon Stadium 2:
  Great. FD-like qualities while still being PS2. Use the platforms for an extra safety net vs Samus/playing around normals.

• Kalos Pokémon League:
  Good. Just like FD, and the platforms help in escaping the ledge.

• Yoshi’s Story:
  Terrible. Battlefield.

Samus MU Flowchart Notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o9aprVFAtC-_hjzv0PuFGPl_sQu7OhsBxS9NGVd9t28/edit?usp=sharing