Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets messy if Mewtwo is allowed to charge Shadow Ball and drift around freely until Palutena is forced into close-range guesses. Palutena does not need to rush that. She has the better tools for owning the outside lane, fixing Mewtwo’s approach angle, and turning one touch into a long stretch of vertical or ledge pressure.
Mewtwo’s mobility and punish game are dangerous, but the character’s large hurtbox and low weight make sustained disadvantage especially painful once Palutena gets in. The better structure is to use Auto Reticle or Explosive Flame to pin down the route, then meet the forced stop with nair, bair, or grab and keep pushing outward.
The frame table shows Jab, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Forward Smash, Up Smash, Rapid Jab Finisher, and Down B all give Palutena strong OOS punishes, mainly through OOS Nair (8f) and Grab (10f). By contrast, Neutral Air, the aerials, and Neutral B are either safe or too thin to force a real shield punish, so overcommitting there usually just lets Mewtwo escape and reset.
Kills are more repeatable when Palutena keeps Mewtwo above her with uair and up smash coverage, then narrows ledge re-entry with bair and Explosive Flame. Chasing Teleport too deep is less reliable than waiting at the reappearance point and keeping the ledge trap intact.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Palutena OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Jab | 5/8/11… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 6 | -30 |
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| Jab | 5 | -12 |
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| Forward Tilt | 10 | -15/-15/-16 |
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| Up Tilt | 8 | -14/-15/-15 |
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| Down Tilt | 6 | -11/-12/-12 |
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| Dash Attack | 10 | -14 |
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| Forward Smash | 19 | -20/-18 |
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| Up Smash | 9/14/18/22 | -39 |
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| Down Smash | 21 | -8 |
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| Neutral Air | 7/11/15/19/23/27 | -8/-7 |
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| Forward Air | 7 | -3 |
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| Back Air | 13 | -5/-6/-6 |
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| Up Air | 10 | -3/-4/-4 |
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| Down Air | 15 | -6 |
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| Neutral B | 9(+12) | -16 to -2 |
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| Side B | 10 (21/23/25/27/29/31/33/39) | — | ||
| Up B | ** | — | ||
| Down B | 16 | -30 |
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| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use Auto Reticle and Explosive Flame to fix Mewtwo’s approach angle first, then meet the forced stop with nair, bair, or grab.
- After blocking Jab, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Forward Smash, Up Smash, Rapid Jab Finisher, or Down B, take the listed punish with OOS Nair (8f), Grab (10f), and the other available aerials.
- After blocking Neutral Air, the aerials, or Neutral B, do not overforce the shield punish. Re-cover the landing or Teleport re-entry instead.
- Turn every clean hit into continued uair and up smash coverage so Mewtwo’s large hurtbox stays trapped above you.
- Finish stocks through ledge pressure, using bair and Explosive Flame to compress the return path rather than gambling on a deep chase.
Actions to Avoid
- Panicking over Shadow Ball charge and running straight into Mewtwo’s counter-hit aerial or grab range.
- Trying to shield punish safe aerials and Neutral B every time and giving up stage when the punish was never really there.
- Letting advantage end too early after pushing Mewtwo out and missing the chance to cash out his weak landing and low weight.
- Overchasing Teleport offstage and giving away a ledge situation that was already favorable.