Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets rough if Marth is allowed to dictate range with walking and tipper spacing, because Lucario’s lighter weight and shakier close-range defense can get exposed before Aura has time to matter. When Marth keeps landing fair, bair, and down tilt first, the game quickly becomes a landing trap and ledge trap sequence that Lucario does not want to play from behind.
Lucario should not challenge the sword tip head-on. The more stable route is to use Aura Sphere to disturb Marth’s walking rhythm, then take the real opening with fair, grab, or down tilt once Marth’s spacing is slightly compromised. Lucario only needs one clean close-range touch to start real carry, and Aura scaling makes every successful conversion matter more as the game develops.
The frame table also shows that Jab 1, Jab 2, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, all smashes, Neutral B, and Side B are punishable with OOS Dair (7f), Grab (10f), OOS Fair (10f), OOS Nair (13f), and OOS Uair (13f). Heavier grounded swings and Shield Breaker especially should never stay cheap. By contrast, down tilt and Marth’s safer aerials are not stable immediate shield punishes, so forcing a quick answer there usually just feeds the next tipper setup.
For kills, Lucario gets more from pushing Marth to the ledge and covering jump or high recovery with bair, uair, up throw, and Aura Sphere than from fishing central hard reads. Marth’s up-B and air-dodge routes are thinner than they look once he is already cornered, so ledge continuation is the cleaner way to close.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Lucario OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
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| Jab 1 | 5 | -16/-14 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -19/-18 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -16/-14 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -21/-18 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -9/-6 |
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| Dash Attack | 13 | -22/-20 |
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| Forward Smash | 10 | -32/-29 |
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| Up Smash | 13 | -41/-36 |
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| Down Smash | 6/21 | -43/-41/-26/-23 |
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| Neutral Air | 6/15 | -5/-4/-4/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 6 | -6/-5 |
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| Back Air | 7 | -6/-5 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -4/-3 |
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| Down Air | 9/11 | -9/-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
- Use Aura Sphere to disrupt Marth’s walking tipper rhythm, then take the real opening with fair, grab, or down tilt once the spacing is broken.
- Punish Jab 1, Jab 2, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, all smashes, Neutral B, and Side B with OOS Dair, Grab, OOS Fair, OOS Nair, and OOS Uair.
- Do not force immediate shield punishes on down tilt, fair, bair, or uair. Chase the landing drift or retreat instead of fighting the sword tip twice in a row.
- Once Marth is at the ledge, use bair, uair, and Aura Sphere to cover jump and high recovery before committing to a direct up-B read.
- Even at high Aura, keep relying on low-risk whiff punishes and ledge continuation instead of swinging hard just because Lucario can kill earlier.
Actions to Avoid
- Jumping directly into Marth’s sword tip and taking repeated fair, bair, or down tilt spacing losses.
- Swinging immediately after every blocked down tilt or aerial and feeding the next tipper whiff punish.
- Overcommitting to smash attacks or other big calls the moment Aura is high and handing Marth an up-B or counter reversal.
- Chasing too deep offstage and letting Marth reverse the return with fair or Dolphin Slash.