Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Pac Man can slow the whole pace with Bonus Fruit, Hydrant, and Trampoline, then switch into real body pressure with nair and his quick aerial drift, so if Chrom backs off and watches too much, Pac Man usually gets to build the exact setup screen he wants.
However, Pac Man’s straight-up brawl without those tools is not especially overwhelming, and he does not enjoy taking Chrom’s sword pressure over and over. Chrom has no projectile to mirror the setup war, but he can still swing at ranges where the sword clips both Hydrant and Pac Man, then keep chasing with nair, up tilt, down tilt, and dash pressure so the landing route never resets.
The frame table also shows jab 1-3, forward tilt, down tilt, forward smash, up smash, down smash, neutral B, side B, and down B are all punishable by OOS uair, OOS nair, grab, up B, OOS bair, or up smash, while bair and dair also leave real punish room. It is more stable to stop one guarded setup cleanly and send Pac Man back to the corner than to overreach with bigger swings just because his defense looks annoying.
KOs are safer when Chrom finishes onstage with up smash, fair, up B, and roll catches at ledge instead of chasing too far offstage into Trampoline or Power Pellet. Chrom’s own recovery is so weak that even in advantage he gets more value from brutal stage pressure than from forcing a risky offstage scramble.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Chrom OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -12 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -14 |
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| Jab 3 | 4 | -24 |
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| Forward Tilt | 5 | -17 |
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| Up Tilt | 7 | -10 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -13 |
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| Dash Attack | 10/19/28/37 | -3 |
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| Forward Smash | 16 | -25 |
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| Up Smash | 11/15 | -24 |
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| Down Smash | 15 | -30 |
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| Neutral Air | 3 | -3/-4 |
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| Forward Air | 5 | -6 |
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| Back Air | 9 | -8/-10 |
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| Up Air | 9 | -6 |
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| Down Air | 6/13/20/27 | -10/-9 |
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| Neutral B | 12(+7) | -22/-20/-19/-17/-16/-18/-19/-14 |
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| Side B | 24—42 | 35—53 | -42 to -54 |
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| Up B | 4 | ** | ||
| Down B | 12 | -11 |
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| Grab | 12 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 15 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not stand back and let Pac Man prepare for free. Walk forward until your sword can threaten both Hydrant and Pac Man’s body, and keep cutting down the time he has to charge Fruit or place setups.
- After blocking jab 1-3, forward tilt, down tilt, forward smash, up smash, down smash, neutral B, side B, or down B, punish with OOS uair, OOS nair, grab, up B, OOS bair, or up smash so his defensive shell never stabilizes for free.
- After punishing bair or dair, do not settle for the single hit. Flow straight into nair, up tilt, and landing traps so Pac Man stays pinned toward the ledge.
- Once Pac Man is cornered, value ledge control over deep offstage chases and finish with up smash, fair, up B, and roll coverage while watching where Trampoline and Power Pellet force him to reappear.
- Do not hit Hydrant just to hit Hydrant. Decide first where the broken Hydrant sends Pac Man, then step forward into that escape lane.
Actions to Avoid
- Do not sit back and let Bonus Fruit and Hydrant become a fully prepared screen before you engage.
- Do not stare only at Hydrant and swing predictably into Pac Man’s body approach or the launched Hydrant hitbox.
- Do not add oversized shield pressure swings just because Pac Man is hard to crack and then give up momentum to nair or a whiff punish.
- Do not chase too far offstage and lose your own stock to Trampoline or Power Pellet reversals after finally winning stage control.