Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Isabelle controls mid-range and ledge space with fair, bair, Lloid Trap, and Fishing Rod, and Pocket makes careless Gordo usage actively dangerous, so Dedede cannot play this matchup as if projectile pressure alone will carry neutral. If Isabelle gets time to set the screen and the ledge together, Dedede’s large body becomes easy to herd.
The tradeoff is that Isabelle’s close-range defense and shield punishes are weak. Her grab and up smash are slow enough that Dedede can usually force the issue once he walks in behind shield, retreating forward tilt, nair, and bair instead of donating free Pocket chances. Gordo still matters, but it works best as a selective tool for specific lanes or ledge timings rather than a default neutral button.
The frame table also shows jab, every tilt, dash attack, and every smash attack are punishable with Grab (10f) or OOS Nair (10f) as the baseline, while Forward Tilt, Dash Attack, Forward Smash, and Down Smash can even be cashed out harder with OOS Fair (16f) or Up Smash (17f). In contrast, Isabelle’s aerials are usually too safe to force an immediate punish, so shielding them should flow into covering the landing or stage reset instead.
The win condition is to stop Isabelle from finishing the trap setup, force her into the corner, and close the stock at ledge with bair, up tilt, up smash, and grab pressure. Staying onstage to cover Balloon Trip and Fishing Rod endpoints is usually more reliable than chasing deep offstage.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | King Dedede OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab | 3 | -13 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -19 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -15 |
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| Down Tilt | 9 | -10/-14 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -21 |
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| Forward Smash | 14 | -20 |
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| Up Smash | 9/14 | -12 |
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| Down Smash | 8/12 | -28/-25 |
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| Neutral Air | 5/8 | -2/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 10 | -6 — +4 |
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| Back Air | 13 | -4 — +5 |
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| Up Air | 6 | -5/-6 |
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| Down Air | 11 | -5/-6 |
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| Neutral B | 8 (Start of projectile pocket) | — | ||
| Side B | 21 | ** | ||
| Up B | ** | ** | ||
| Down B | 9/17/25/34/43/51 | ** | ||
| Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 15 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 17 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not sell Gordo cheaply in long-range neutral. Walk in with shield, nair, bair, and retreating forward tilt so Isabelle cannot freely finish the mid-range trap layout
- After blocking jab, any tilt, dash attack, or any smash attack, punish immediately with Grab (10f) or OOS Nair (10f)
- Convert the bigger punish at kill percent: Forward Tilt, Dash Attack, Forward Smash, and Down Smash all reach OOS Fair (16f) or Up Smash (17f)
- Treat blocked aerials as landing-trap moments instead of forced direct punishes, then cover the drift back to center with bair, up tilt, or forward tilt
- Close stocks at ledge by cycling bair, up tilt, up smash, and grab while covering Balloon Trip and Fishing Rod recovery endpoints from onstage
Actions to Avoid
- Repeatedly throwing Gordo into a ready Pocket and handing Isabelle both the projectile and the corner flow for free
- Swinging after shielded fair or bair when the punish never reaches and Isabelle really just wanted time to reset space
- Chasing too far offstage after winning ledge control and letting Fishing Rod or Balloon Trip reverse the position
- Tunneling only on raw forward smash kills in center stage and giving up the steadier close-range pressure that Isabelle struggles to answer