Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets ugly if Dark Samus only trades projectiles head-on, because Simon can cycle Cross, Axe, Holy Water, and long whip swings in sequence until Dark Samus is the one giving up stage. Trying to force your way into the tip of ftilt, fair, or bair usually costs center before your punish can even reach.
At the same time, Simon’s lateral movement, landing options, and close-range scrambles are all stiff, and he needs real body repositioning to rebuild his wall. Dark Samus gets better control by mixing faster-arriving Missile, Charge Shot, and floaty aerial movement to force shield or jump first, then cashing that answer into fair, uair, and grab coverage that pushes Simon from center to ledge.
The frame table shows down tilt 1, down tilt 2, dash attack, all smash attacks, nair, dair, and side B are punishable on shield by Up B (4f) or OOS Uair (8f). By contrast, ftilt, fair, bair, uair, and neutral B at tip range are not spots to overcommit every time; it is more stable to keep stage and punish the next reset, retreat, or landing instead.
For kills, ledge and landing coverage with Charge Shot, fair, Up Smash, and uair is more repeatable than a deep offstage chase. Keep Simon boxed in and remove the room he needs to place the next wall.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Dark Samus OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -21 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -23 |
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| Rapid Jab | 9/12/15… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 3 | -37 |
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| Forward Tilt | 12 | -8/-7 |
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| Up Tilt | 10 | -17 |
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| Down Tilt (1) | 7 | -31 |
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| Down Tilt (2) | 8 | -42/-28 |
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| Dash Attack | 10/13/16/19/22/24 | -26 |
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| Forward Smash | 24 | -28/-26 |
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| Up Smash | 16 | -27/-26 |
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| Down Smash | 14/20 | -33/-30/-27/-24 |
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| Neutral Air | 8… | -12/-11 |
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| Forward Air | 14 | -6/-5/-8 |
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| Back Air | 14 | -6/-5/-8 |
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| Up Air | 14 | -6/-5/-8 |
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| Down Air | 13 | -21/-23 |
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| Neutral B | 30 | -6 |
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| Side B | 19 | -15 |
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| Up B | 6/9/… | ** | ||
| Down B | 18 | ** | ||
| Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 13 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 14 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not settle for standing charge at midrange. Mix weak missile, strong missile, different Charge Shot timings, and aerial movement so Simon cannot keep placing Cross, Axe, and Holy Water through the same lane.
- After blocking down tilt 1, down tilt 2, dash attack, any smash attack, nair, dair, or side B, default to Up B (4f), and use OOS Uair (8f) or OOS Fair (9f) when spacing lets you turn the punish into stage control.
- Do not swing back into the tip of ftilt, fair, bair, uair, or neutral B every time. Hold center first, then cover the next landing, retreat, or projectile reset with fair, uair, or Charge Shot.
- Once Simon is cornered, do not chase too far offstage. Cover jump, normal getup, ledge roll, and ledge-drop landing together with Charge Shot, fair, Up Smash, and uair.
- Do not rush the kill through a close-range brawl. Re-juggle and re-trap until Simon loses the time needed to set up the whip-and-projectile wall again.
Actions to Avoid
- Overusing standing shield or standing charge at midrange and letting Simon run Cross, Axe, Holy Water, and whip pressure in his preferred order.
- Stepping carelessly into the tip range of ftilt or fair and losing center without ever reaching a real punish.
- Forcing a big answer after every blocked ftilt, fair, bair, uair, or neutral B and whiffing anything slower than Up B when the spacing never really allows it.
- Chasing too deep offstage, giving up stage control, and letting Simon rebuild the projectile wall as soon as he gets back.