Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Mega Man wants to keep Isabelle pinned in mid-range with pellets, Metal Blade, Crash Bomber, and anti-air coverage from Back Air, Up Tilt, and Up Smash, forcing her to keep interacting with his wall. Isabelle is weak when she has to defend point-blank repeatedly, so mindlessly tossing out setup tools from straight ahead will still get her pushed back, but her walking shield and Pocket let her distort the rhythm of the projectile exchange and slowly escort Mega Man toward the ledge.
The frame table also shows that after shielding Jab, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Neutral Air, Back Air, and Neutral B, Isabelle can answer with OOS Neutral Air (8f), OOS Up Air (9f), Up Smash (9f), and Grab (10f). By contrast, Forward Air is mostly safe and Down Air leaves the shielding player at a disadvantage, so trying to force a punish on every distant projectile swing usually feeds Mega Man’s landing trap and reset game.
The win condition is to avoid dragging out a pure fireball war, walk and shield forward a little at a time, and whenever Metal Blade or Crash Bomber can be pocketed, turn that moment into stage control, then pin the retreat with Lloid Trap and Fishing Rod. Mega Man’s recovery travels far, but once he is cornered the jump and aerial escape routes become much more readable, so ledge trapping is more reliable than deep edgeguarding.
Stocks are best closed with Fishing Rod, Lloid Trap, Forward Air, Back Air at the ledge, and Up Smash on the landing. The core rule of the matchup is to stay patient, punish only the heavier commitments you can actually reach, and herd Mega Man to the corner instead of rushing through the wall.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Isabelle OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab | 7/19/31 | -25/-23/-20 |
| |
| Forward Tilt | 7/19/31 | -25/-23/-20 |
| |
| Up Tilt | 6 | -49/-31/-33 |
| |
| Down Tilt | 5 | -33 |
| |
| Dash Attack | 7/10/13/16/19/22/25/35 | -16 |
| |
| Forward Smash | 19 | -18 |
| |
| Up Smash | 8/11/15/19/23/27/31 | -32 |
| |
| Down Smash | 17 | -50 |
| |
| Neutral Air | 7/19/31 | -25/-23/-20 |
| |
| Forward Air | 9 | -7/-7/-8 |
|
|
| Back Air | 4/7/10 | -18/-17/-17 |
| |
| Up Air | 11… | — | ||
| Down Air | 23 | +1/+0 |
| |
| Neutral B | 16 | -17 |
| |
| Side B | 19 | ** | ||
| Up B | — | — | ||
| Down B | 9—** | ** | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Walk and shield through pellets and Metal Blade, pocket the projectiles you can, and use those tempo swings to push Mega Man toward the ledge first.
- After shielding Jab, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Neutral Air, Back Air, and Neutral B, take the punish with OOS Neutral Air (8f), OOS Up Air (9f), Up Smash (9f), and Grab (10f) to break the wall sequence.
- After shielding Forward Air or Down Air, do not force an in-place punish; cover the retreat and landing with Forward Air, Back Air, Lloid Trap, and Fishing Rod so the second interaction is yours.
- Once Mega Man is cornered, prioritize ledge trapping over deep edgeguards and use Lloid Trap plus Fishing Rod to narrow jump getup, normal getup, and landing from recovery.
Actions to Avoid
- Jumping straight through pellets and Metal Blade out of impatience and giving Mega Man free anti-airs with Back Air, Up Tilt, or Up Smash.
- Swinging an OOS punish at every distant Forward Air or Down Air and getting whiff-punished into another landing trap.
- Greeding for Lloid Trap placement or Fishing Rod while Mega Man is already in close quarters and letting his fast pressure beat the startup.
- Chasing too deep offstage for a quick kill and giving a long-recovery character a scramble that flips stage control against Isabelle.