Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Meta Knight uses run speed, multiple jumps, and fast neutral air, forward air, and back air to slip over Olimar’s midrange and start long up tilt and up air pressure. If Olimar keeps trying to punish every aerial directly out of shield, the result is usually another juggle while Olimar’s light weight and fragile recovery are exposed and the Pikmin lineup gets broken.
Meta Knight still has no projectile and does not have long reach, so forcing him to choose a lane before he gets in matters a lot. Olimar does best by using Pikmin Toss, especially with white and purple pressure, to narrow the dash path and jump height first, then covering the landing or ledge direction with forward air, up tilt, and Up Smash for the second hit rather than the first.
The table also shows that forward tilt strings, up tilt, dash attack, Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral B, and Side B are the main blocked moves Olimar can punish cleanly with grab (10f), OOS Nair (10f), OOS Fair (10f), OOS Uair (11f), and Up Smash (12f). By contrast, down tilt and most aerials are effectively safe on shield, so the correct answer is usually to track the escape rather than swing immediately.
For kills, it is much more reliable to keep the fight onstage and trap jump from ledge, the landing after Side B, normal getup, and higher landings with Up Smash, up air, and back air than to chase Meta Knight’s many jumps and recovery specials offstage. Meta Knight is light enough that one clean ledgetrap conversion is often enough.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Olimar OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Jab | 4/7/10… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 3 | -24 |
| |
| Forward Tilt (1) | 6 | -16 |
| |
| Forward Tilt (2) | 2 | -22 |
| |
| Forward Tilt (3) | 2 | -23 |
| |
| Up Tilt | 8 | -20/-19 |
| |
| Down Tilt | 3 | -9 |
|
|
| Dash Attack | 7 | -18 |
| |
| Forward Smash | 24 | -6 |
| |
| Up Smash | 8/12/17 | -28 |
| |
| Down Smash | 4/9 | -26/-19 |
| |
| Neutral Air | 6 | -3/-4 |
| |
| Forward Air | 9/12/15 | -8/-8 |
|
|
| Back Air | 7/13/20 | -9/-8 |
|
|
| Up Air | 6 | -6 |
| |
| Down Air | 4 | -6 |
| |
| Neutral B | 12 | -81 |
| |
| Side B | 26/30/34/38/42/46/ 50/54/58/62/66/70 | -24 |
| |
| Up B (1) | 8/22 | ** | ||
| Up B (2) | 7/20 | ** | ||
| Down B | — | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 11 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 12 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use Pikmin Toss to lock Meta Knight’s dash lane and jump height before he starts the close-range air approach for free.
- After blocking forward tilt strings, up tilt, dash attack, Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral B, or Side B, punish immediately with grab (10f), OOS Nair (10f), OOS Fair (10f), OOS Uair (11f), or Up Smash (12f).
- Do not force a spot punish on neutral air, forward air, back air, up air, or down air. Instead, cover the landing, air dodge, or next drift path and win on the second touch.
- If the Pikmin order gets broken, reset the lineup before re-entering a scramble instead of trying to brawl your way back out.
- Finish stocks from ledgetraps by covering jump from ledge, the landing after Side B, normal getup, and higher landings with Up Smash, up air, and back air.
Actions to Avoid
- Swinging out of shield every time you block neutral air or forward air and giving Meta Knight another reset through drift mix and multiple jumps.
- Letting Pikmin Toss disappear from the neutral and allowing Meta Knight the shortest possible dash and aerial entry for free.
- Staying in close quarters after the Pikmin lineup is broken and feeding directly back into up tilt and up air juggling.
- Chasing too far offstage for the kill and turning Meta Knight’s many jumps, Side B, and Up B into a bigger guessing game than the position is worth.