Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets bad for Olimar whenever he keeps jumping straight into axe, holy water, and cross patterns and lets Richter layer whip pressure on top of the projectiles. The first job is not to tank the projectile wall, but to disrupt Richter’s setup timing with Pikmin Toss and keep him from getting the exact spacing he wants.
Once Olimar gets inside, Richter’s close-range defense becomes much less stable. The frame table shows Jab 1-2, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Neutral Air, Down Air, and Side B are all punishable by Grab (10f), OOS Fair/Nair (10f), OOS Uair (11f), or Up Smash (12f), so those blocked commitments should immediately become pressure, juggling, and ledge carry.
By contrast, Forward Tilt, Fair, Bair, Uair, and Neutral B are poor same-spot punish targets. If the punish is not real, Olimar gets more value by rebuilding Pikmin order, stepping forward, and owning the next landing or retreat route instead of swinging into the whip tip again.
The win condition is to stack damage with white and purple Pikmin, force Richter to the ledge, and finish with Up Smash, Uair, or purple coverage on the getup. Olimar does not need a reckless deep edgeguard here because Richter’s recovery path and ledge options are already vulnerable once stage control is secured.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Olimar OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -21 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -23 |
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| Rapid Jab | 9/12/15… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 3 | -37 |
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| Forward Tilt | 12 | -8/-7 |
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| Up Tilt | 10 | -17 |
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| Down Tilt (1) | 7 | -31 |
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| Down Tilt (2) | 8 | -42/-28 |
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| Dash Attack | 10/13/16/19/22/24 | -26 |
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| Forward Smash | 24 | -28/-26 |
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| Up Smash | 16 | -27/-26 |
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| Down Smash | 14/20 | -33/-30/-27/-24 |
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| Neutral Air | 8… | -12/-11 |
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| Forward Air | 14 | -6/-5/-8 |
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| Back Air | 14 | -6/-5/-8 |
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| Up Air | 14 | -6/-5/-8 |
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| Down Air | 13 | -21/-23 |
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| Neutral B | 30 | -6 |
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| Side B | 19 | -15 |
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| Up B | 6/9/… | ** | ||
| Down B | 18 | ** | ||
| Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 13 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 14 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Olimar should not jump straight through axe, holy water, and cross; use Pikmin Toss to break Richter’s setup timing and enter from the inside lane.
- After Olimar blocks Richter’s Jab 1-2, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, smash attacks, Neutral Air, Down Air, or Side B, take the punish immediately with Grab (10f), OOS Fair/Nair (10f), OOS Uair (11f), or Up Smash (12f).
- Olimar should not force a same-spot punish into Forward Tilt, Fair, Bair, Uair, or Neutral B; rebuild Pikmin order and take the next landing or retreat route instead.
- Olimar should finish stocks by turning white/purple chip into ledge pressure and catching getups with Up Smash, Uair, or purple coverage.
Actions to Avoid
- Jumping head-on into Richter’s projectile wall and whip tip instead of breaking the setup timing first.
- Letting Richter’s close-range laggy options go unpunished once Olimar finally gets in.
- Swinging after Forward Tilt, Fair, Bair, Uair, or Neutral B when the punish is not there and getting pushed back into the trap line.
- Chasing too deep offstage and giving up the ledge control that already beats Richter’s recovery.