Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Shulk can already stop direct entries with huge sword range, and Monado Arts let him change the pace, damage, kill power, or combo resistance on demand, so Peach gets punished hard if she keeps trying to force a front-door chase from the ground. Predictable high float routes are especially dangerous because fair, uair, and tilts can all swat Peach before she ever reaches the space she wants.
Peach does better by using turnip to pin Shulk’s route and his post-Art drift rather than by throwing it only for raw hits. From there, low float and lateral drift let Peach slide inside the sword line and begin the close-range turn with nair, bair, or grab, where Shulk’s immediate defensive speed is less comfortable.
The table shows Jab 1-3, every tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, dair, and Side B are all punishable on shield by Up B, OOS Nair, OOS Bair, Grab, OOS Uair, Up Smash, or OOS Dair. By contrast, nair, fair, bair, and uair are mostly too safe or too spaced to challenge instantly, so Peach often gains more by hunting the landing or the retreat than by forcing the first button.
Kills are most repeatable when Peach pushes the opening to ledge, then layers float and turnip over jump, roll, and normal getup until bair, fair, or up smash can finish. Against Smash Art, one trade can swing everything, and against Shield Art, overcommitting to a combo that no longer works only gives Shulk the reset he wants.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Peach OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -17 |
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| Jab 2 | 5 | -25 |
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| Jab 3 | 6 | -32 |
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| Forward Tilt | 12 | -19/-20 |
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| Up Tilt | 11 | -18/-19 |
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| Down Tilt | 10 | -12/-13 |
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| Dash Attack | 12 | -16/-18 |
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| Forward Smash | 14/23 | -35/-36 |
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| Up Smash | 18/30 | -28 |
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| Down Smash | 18/23/28/35/41 | -/-56/-51/-52/-47/-48/-41/-42/-36/-37 |
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| Neutral Air | 13 | -2/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 14 | -6/-7 |
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| Back Air | 19 | -6/-7 |
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| Up Air | 14/24 | -6/-5/-5 |
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| Down Air | 14/23 | -11/-9/-10 |
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| Neutral B | — | — | ||
| Side B | 22 | -29/-30/-25/-27 |
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| Up B | 10 | ** | ||
| Down B | 7 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use turnip to fix Shulk’s movement and post-Art escape path, not just to chase a direct item hit.
- Stay lower with float and lateral drift so Peach enters from inside the sword line instead of trying to beat the tip straight up.
- After blocking Jab 1-3, any tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, dair, or Side B, take the listed punish with Up B, OOS Nair, OOS Bair, Grab, OOS Uair, Up Smash, or OOS Dair.
- After blocking nair, fair, bair, or uair, do not force the fake punish. Track the landing and the pullback so the next touch starts on Peach’s terms.
- Build stocks around ledge pressure, and adjust immediately when Shield Art or Smash Art changes the value of the next interaction.
Actions to Avoid
- Chasing Shulk straight through the sword tip and letting range plus Speed Art dictate the whole neutral.
- Showing high float too often and feeding fair, uair, or tilt anti-airs for free.
- Swinging after blocked nair, fair, bair, or uair when Peach does not truly have the instant answer.
- Ignoring Shield Art or Smash Art and trying to force the exact same combo or pressure sequence anyway.