Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
The matchup is decided by whether Ike can mix walking and shield long enough to enter sword range and start touching King K. Rool’s huge body before Crown Throw and Blunderbuss freeze him in place.
Once King K. Rool gets time at range, his armor-backed dash attack and forward tilt plus high-percent grab into bury can swing the game straight into ledge pressure, and Ike’s linear recovery is easy to line up against crown coverage and bair.
At the same time, King K. Rool’s body is huge and his rear coverage is weak, so cross-up nair, down tilt, fair, and bair all fit well here, and as the table shows, Jab 1-3, tilts, dash attack, smash attacks, Neutral B, and Side B are all heavily punishable by Grab (10f) or OOS Bair (10f).
The win condition is to stop overjumping through crown paths, force the dropped-crown phase to stay scrappy, and then keep stacking ledge pressure until fair or bair catches the side-vulnerable Up B.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ike OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -16 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -20 |
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| Jab 3 | 5 | -21 |
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| Forward Tilt | 12 | -20/-18 |
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| Up Tilt | 5 | -21 |
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| Down Tilt | 13 | -17 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -38 |
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| Forward Smash | 19 | -29/—/-29/—/-29/-30 |
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| Up Smash | 6/19/22 | -55/-42 |
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| Down Smash | 22 | -29/-34 |
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| Neutral Air | 7 | -4/-5 |
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| Forward Air | 11 | -5/-6/-7/-7 |
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| Back Air | 18 | -7/-9 |
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| Up Air | 7 | -8/-9 |
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| Down Air | 14 | -9/-10 |
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| Neutral B | 25 | -25 |
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| Side B | 27 | -26 |
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| Up B | 11 | ** | ||
| Down B | 5 (Start of Counter) | ** | ||
| Grab | 8 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 11 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 12 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not try to clear Crown Throw and Blunderbuss with one big jump every time. Walk, shield, and short-hop nair your way in, and when the crown drops, crowd the pickup point so down tilt or fair can hit the re-equip lag.
- After blocking Jab 1-3, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, smash attacks, Neutral B, or Side B, take the guaranteed punish with Grab (10f) or OOS Bair (10f). Dash attack, smash attacks, Neutral B, and Side B are the biggest swing spots.
- Do not let nair finish in front every time. Land it as a cross-up onto King K. Rool’s back side so his front-facing belly armor, up tilt, and grab become harder to use cleanly.
- At the ledge, rotate between fair and bair from the side plus down tilt and bair onstage so King K. Rool’s Up B and normal getup are both covered while stage control stays intact.
Actions to Avoid
- Advancing while only watching the outgoing crown and walking into the returning crown or Blunderbuss trap, giving up stage for free.
- Forcing an OOS swing after blocked nair, fair, bair, uair, or dair and losing the landing mix to armor-backed dash attack or another scramble button.
- Repeating same-height single-hit fair or forward tilt directly into the front of belly armor and losing the trade to forward tilt or dash attack.
- Holding shield too long at the corner at high percent and letting grab lead into bury into forward tilt or forward smash pressure.