Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
King Dedede’s weight and raw hit power are real threats, but Cloud usually controls the middle space better because his sword handles Gordo well and his movement plus frame speed beat Dedede’s slower grounded cycling. The main plan is to make the hammer swings miss with drift, short-hop nair, and retreat timing, then turn the whiff punish into juggling and ledge carry. Dedede also leaves many large punish windows on shield, so when Cloud blocks jab follow-ups, tilts, dash attack, smash attacks, fair, uair, side B, up B, or down B, he should cash in immediately with Up B or nair pressure. The danger is offstage. Dedede’s bair and inhale can flip the stock instantly against Cloud’s weak recovery, so it is usually better to convert through ledge hold, limit management, and contained anti-airs rather than overchasing.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Cloud OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 10 | -18 |
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| Jab 2 | 11 | -13 |
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| Rapid Jab | 5/8/11… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 4 | -41 |
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| Forward Tilt | 12/16/20/23 | -21 |
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| Up Tilt | 7 | -21/-23 |
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| Down Tilt | 6 | -21 |
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| Dash Attack | 26 | -26 |
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| Forward Smash | 40 | ?/-/-18/-25 |
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| Up Smash | 17 | -39 |
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| Down Smash | 14 | -31/-23 |
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| Neutral Air | 7 | -4/-6 |
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| Forward Air | 13 | -13 |
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| Back Air | 17 | -7 |
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| Up Air | 10/12/14/16/18/20/22/24 | -10 |
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| Down Air | 22 | -13/-14 |
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| Neutral B | 14 | — | ||
| Side B | 29 | -21/-11/-17 |
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| Up B | 69 | -46 |
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| Down B (1) | 10(+17) | -39 to -24 |
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| Down B (2) | 10 | -26 |
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| Grab | 8 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 11 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 12 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not panic at Gordo; reflect it with sword range or clear it safely, then punish Dedede’s slower approach behind it
- After shielding jab 1-2, rapid jab finisher, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, smash attacks, fair, uair, side B, up B, or down B, take the guaranteed Up B or nair punish
- Use nair and retreat movement to make hammer swings miss, then keep Dedede airborne with uair or bair follow-ups
- At kill percent, shorten the stock around ledge bair, up smash, and limit confirms instead of gambling in open space
- Treat Limit as both a KO threat and a recovery insurance tool so one offstage guess does not cost the stock
Actions to Avoid
- Giving up too much ground to every Gordo and letting Dedede walk you to the ledge for free
- Blocking big hammer buttons and then failing to punish, only to restart the same heavy read cycle
- Chasing too deep offstage for a kill and losing the stock to bair or inhale reversal
- Autopiloting low aerial pressure from directly underneath and running into anti-air up tilt or up air
- Hoarding Limit too long and dying with no recovery buffer after a single ledge mistake