Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
The matchup is decided by whether Lucina gets to keep walking Cloud backward with fair, bair, and nair, or whether Cloud locks center stage down first with the longer sword and the threat of Limit.
Lucina’s fair, bair, nair, and uair are generally safe, and Dolphin Slash is always a real reversal when Cloud lands too close on shield, so Cloud should not force a punish attempt after every block.
As the table shows, Jab 1, Jab 2, tilts, down tilt, dash attack, smash attacks, down air, Neutral B, and Side B all give Cloud clear answers with Up B (7f) or OOS Nair (8f), so the stable plan is to cash out only on the real shield windows and use positioning against the safer aerial touches.
The win condition is to show Limit, slow Lucina’s forward march, keep winning the tipper range with bair and down tilt, and finish at the ledge with Back Air, Up Smash, and Limit specials instead of overchasing offstage.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Cloud 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
- Cloud should show Limit charge in center stage, make Lucina move first, and start the sword-range battle with tipper bair, down tilt, and fair rather than giving up space for free.
- After blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, tilts, down tilt, dash attack, smash attacks, down air, Neutral B, or Side B, Cloud should take the guaranteed punish with Up B (7f) or OOS Nair (8f).
- After blocking Lucina’s fair, bair, nair, or uair, Cloud should not force an immediate button and should instead cover the landing or drift-out path with the next bair or up tilt.
- Once Lucina is cornered, Cloud should layer Back Air, Up Smash, Limit Blade Beam, and Limit Climhazzard over jump and standard ledge getup while refusing to chase too far offstage.
Actions to Avoid
- Landing low fair or bair directly on Lucina’s shield and giving Dolphin Slash a clean reversal.
- Trying to punish every blocked fair, bair, or nair immediately and getting clipped by Lucina’s retreat or next landing swing.
- Chasing too far offstage for a single edgeguard hit and letting bair, dair, or Up B flip the position against Cloud’s weaker recovery.
- Drifting backward without Limit and handing center stage to Lucina’s walk speed, which lets her start the ledge sequence first.