Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets volatile the moment Marth lets both Climbers reach close range together, because one grab or side-B sequence can overturn neutral immediately. Marth does not want a straight damage race here. He wants walking spacing and sword tip control that interrupt the approach before Popo and Nana can arrive at the same time.
The frame table shows Jab 1-2, ftilt, dtilt, dash attack, every smash attack, neutral B, side B, and down B are all punishable with Up B (5f), OOS Uair (8f), OOS Fair (9f), or OOS Nair (9f). By contrast, nair, bair, and uair are not clean in-place shield punishes, and utilt gets much less comfortable once the partner is involved. Marth should take the dangerous grounded commitments and whiff-punish the air game instead of forcing shield answers everywhere.
The matchup swings hardest once the pair is split. When that happens, Marth should stop thinking about raw damage and start denying the regroup, especially by tagging Nana with fair, bair, and dtilt while using the sword tip to keep Popo away.
The win condition is not just landing tippers. It is using tipper space to create the split, then making the split last long enough that the stock follows naturally.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Marth OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -20(-15) |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -21(-12) |
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| Forward Tilt | 9 | -14(-10) |
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| Up Tilt | 8/11/14/17/20/23/27 | -16(-7) |
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| Down Tilt | 8 | -16(-10) |
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| Dash Attack | 9 | -24(-18) |
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| Forward Smash | 11 | -27(-22) |
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| Up Smash | 12 | -29(-24) |
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| Down Smash | 9/16 | -22/-17 |
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| Neutral Air | 6 | -4(+2) |
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| Forward Air | 19 | -5(+3) |
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| Back Air | 8 | -3(+0) |
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| Up Air | 7 | -10(-3) |
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| Down Air | 12 | -16(-12) |
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| Neutral B | 18/19 | -29(-24) |
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| Side B (1) | 10/14/18/23/28/34/40/51 | -21 |
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| Side B (2) | 10/13/15/18/21/24/28/32/37/42/49 | -24 |
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| Up B | 13 | — | ||
| Down B | 16/21/26/31/36/41/46/51/56 | -22(-15) |
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| Grab | 8 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Keep the two-body close range from starting by walking and holding sword tip space in front of both Climbers.
- After blocking Jab 1-2, ftilt, dtilt, dash attack, any smash attack, neutral B, side B, or down B, punish with Up B (5f), OOS Uair (8f), OOS Fair (9f), or OOS Nair (9f).
- Treat nair, bair, and uair as whiff-punish or landing-punish situations instead of automatic shield punishes.
- Once the pair is split, prioritize hitting Nana and denying the regroup over squeezing extra damage on Popo.
- Offstage, cover the horizontal return path and the two-body recovery weakness rather than overcommitting to one deep chase.
Actions to Avoid
- Entering point blank while both Climbers are still synchronized.
- Forcing shield punishes on the aerials and ending up brawling at their preferred height.
- Ignoring Nana after the split and letting the team re-form for free.
- Overchasing offstage and giving the Climbers room to stabilize together again.