Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Lucina’s walk speed plus fair, nair, and dtilt make direct entries difficult, and the frame table shows Banjo & Kazooie do not get stable shield punishes on fair, nair, bair, uair, or dtilt, so neutral gets worse the more it starts from blocking at sword range.
On the other hand, Lucina has no projectile, and when Banjo blocks jab 1, jab 2, ftilt, utilt, dash attack, fsmash, usmash, dsmash, Neutral B, Side B, or dair, Banjo can answer with Up Smash (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Uair (10f), or OOS Bair (11f).
That makes the win condition forcing grounded commitments and ledge escapes with egg projectiles and Grenade Egg, then taking Lucina to the corner once she overcommits with dash attack, Side B, Shield Breaker, or impatient ledge options.
Kills should come from ledgetrap egg pressure into bair, up smash, or selective Wonderwing once the read is clear; deep offstage chases are unnecessary because Lucina’s fair and counter can flip the trade while Banjo’s horizontal drift back is poor.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Banjo & Kazooie OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -16 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -19 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -15 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -19 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -8 |
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| Dash Attack | 13 | -21 |
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| Forward Smash | 10 | -31 |
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| Up Smash | 13 | -41/-35 |
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| Down Smash | 6/21 | -42/-24 |
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| Neutral Air | 6/15 | -4/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 6 | -6 |
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| Back Air | 7 | -5 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -3 |
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| Down Air | 9/11 | -9/-9 |
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| Neutral B | 19—79 | -23 to Shieldbreak |
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| Side B | 9 | -26/-16 |
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| Up B | 5 | — | ||
| Down B | 6 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Mix low and high egg trajectories with Grenade Egg so Lucina has to respect grounded movement and short-hop fair before Banjo steps in.
- Even after blocking fair, nair, bair, uair, or dtilt, do not force an immediate punish; reset space with a retreat or jump away and place another egg where Lucina wants to land.
- When Lucina gives Banjo jab 1, jab 2, ftilt, utilt, dash attack, Shield Breaker, Side B, or dair on shield, cash out with Up Smash (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Uair (10f), or OOS Bair (11f) and keep the turn.
- At the ledge, layer Grenade Egg and egg projectiles to cover neutral getup and jump, then finish with bair, up smash, or Wonderwing.
Actions to Avoid
- Jumping into the same height band as Lucina’s fair and nair and letting sword range win the exchange for free.
- Auto-piloting up smash or grab after shielding fair or dtilt and getting whiff-punished by Dolphin Slash or a retreat.
- Spending Wonderwing repeatedly from obvious midrange and losing both the stock’s resource and a key recovery mixup on block.
- Chasing too deep offstage for fair, bair, or counter interactions and failing to return because Banjo’s sideways air drift is too weak.