Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup is decided by whether Dark Samus gets to plant Charge Shot and missile first and flow straight into Fair and Uair landing traps, or whether Mii Swordfighter retakes the lane with sword tip spacing before that structure stabilizes.
Running directly into the projectile wall is losing, but Dark Samus is not especially fast once you have already taken a few steps forward. The stable plan is walk-shield, retreat, and then tag the next advance or landing with Fair, Uair, or Forward Tilt tipper space instead of overcommitting to a single special-based read. Even when the special loadout matters, the common sword normals should be doing the early work in this matchup.
The frame table shows that Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Forward Air, Back Air, Up Air, Neutral B, and Side B (1)(2) are all punishable by Up B (8f), Grab (10f), or Up Smash (11f). Neutral Air, Down Air, Z Air, Up B, and Down B are harder to punish directly, so do not freeze on shield waiting for a perfect punish when you can instead catch the jump-out or landing drift with Uair, Bair, or a grounded whiff punish.
Kills are more reliable once Dark Samus is cornered, where Fair, Bair, and Up Smash stop charge resets and defensive ledge options at the same time. Deep offstage chases are lower value because bombs and recovery mixups buy too much time, so holding the ledge trap matters more than forcing a hard edgeguard.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Mii Swordfighter OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 3 | -10 |
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| Jab 2 | 6 | -15 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -17/-16/-15 |
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| Up Tilt | 15 | -12 |
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| Down Tilt | 6 | -26 |
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| Dash Attack | 8 | -23 |
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| Forward Smash | 10 | -29/-28 |
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| Up Smash | 11/15/19/23/27 | -24 |
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| Down Smash | 9/17 | -27/-18 |
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| Neutral Air | 8/14 | -5/-5/-6 |
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| Forward Air | 6/12/18/24/30 | -12/-12/-11 |
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| Back Air | 9 | -9/-9/-10 |
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| Up Air | 5… | -16/-16/-15 |
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| Down Air | 17 | -8/-7 |
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| Z Air | 8/16 | -4/-3 |
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| Neutral B | 3(+13) | -17 to +4 |
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| Side B (1) | 18 | -26 |
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| Side B (2) | 21 | -24 |
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| Up B (1) | 4… | — | ||
| Up B (2) | 5… | — | ||
| Down B | 33 | — | ||
| Grab | 15 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 17 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 18 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not stop in the direct Charge Shot and missile lane; walk-shield forward, then reclaim space with sword tip Fair, Uair, and Forward Tilt.
- When you block Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Forward Air, Back Air, Up Air, Neutral B, or Side B (1)(2), punish immediately with Up B (8f), Grab (10f), or Up Smash (11f).
- Do not insist on a shield punish against Neutral Air, Down Air, Z Air, Up B, or Down B every time; catch the jump-out and landing drift instead.
- Even after you identify the special loadout, keep the game built around common sword control and ledge pressure rather than gambling on one hard counter-read.
- Treat ledge pressure as the main kill route and rotate Fair, Bair, and Up Smash so Dark Samus never gets a comfortable charge reset.
Actions to Avoid
- Starting the exchange by running straight through the projectile lane and letting Charge Shot plus Fair cover the same commitment.
- Trying to shield punish Neutral Air, Down Air, and Z Air every time instead of taking the landing trap you are actually owed.
- Overfocusing on loadout guesses and giving up the universal sword spacing that wins the matchup regardless of special set.
- Chasing too deep offstage and spending your advantage on Dark Samus’s bomb stall and recovery delay mix.