Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup heavily favors Pit as long as he does not donate explosive openings. Arrows, Fair, Nair, and Uair all make it hard for Ganondorf to close space cleanly, and Pit’s recovery is much harder to exploit. But Ganondorf’s single-hit threat is so large that the matchup still collapses quickly if Pit turns it into repeated close-range coin flips.
Pit should play for controlled denial instead of constant deep commitment. Arrows can interrupt walking and jumps, while Fair and Nair keep touching from the outside and naturally flow into landing traps and ledge pressure. Ganondorf’s movement and defense are both slow enough that Pit gains a lot just by continuing the advantage state rather than rushing the kill.
The frame table shows Jab, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Fair, Uair, Dair, Neutral B (1)(2), and Down B (1)(2) are all punishable through Up Smash (6f), OOS Nair (7f), and Grab (10f). By contrast, Nair and Bair are not stable, and Side B and Up B are not shield-punish spots, so after those moves Pit usually gets more by taking space and continuing pressure on landing or recovery.
Kills are most repeatable from ledge Fair, Bair, Uair, Up Smash, and edgeguards. Ganondorf’s Up B path is very readable, so Pit does not need one huge offstage gamble. Forcing the return route first and covering the next height is usually enough.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Pit OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab | 7 | -8 |
|
|
| Forward Tilt | 10 | -17/-16 |
| |
| Up Tilt | 60 | -14 |
| |
| Down Tilt | 10 | -12 |
|
|
| Dash Attack | 10 | -13/-11 |
|
|
| Forward Smash | 29 | -24 |
| |
| Up Smash | 20 | -25 |
| |
| Down Smash | 15/35 | -39/-13 |
|
|
| Neutral Air | 7/17 | (-7/-7)(-5/-6) |
|
|
| Forward Air | 14 | -7/-7 |
|
|
| Back Air | 10 | -4/-5 |
|
|
| Up Air | 8 | -6/-6/-6/-7/-7/-8 |
|
|
| Down Air | 16 | -9/-10 |
|
|
| Neutral B (1) | 70/80 | -20/-14 |
| |
| Neutral B (2) | 70/80 | -14/-12 |
|
|
| Side B (1) | 16 | — | ||
| Side B (2) | 16 | — | ||
| Side B (3) | — | — | ||
| Up B | 14 | — | ||
| Down B (1) | 16 | -29 |
| |
| Down B (2) | 16 | -34 |
| |
| Grab | 8 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 11 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 12 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use arrows, Fair, and Nair to keep Ganondorf out from the outside, then retake landing and ledge over and over instead of brawling at point blank.
- After blocking Jab, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Fair, Uair, Dair, Neutral B (1)(2), or Down B (1)(2), take the listed punish with Up Smash (6f), OOS Nair (7f), and Grab (10f).
- Do not force immediate shield punishes on Nair, Bair, Side B, or Up B. Shift position first and continue the pressure on landing or recovery.
- Build kills through ledge Fair, Bair, Uair, Up Smash, and edgeguards rather than center-stage hard reads.
- Even when ahead, stay disciplined and avoid giving Ganondorf a point-blank single-hit comeback route.
Actions to Avoid
- Turning a favorable matchup into repeated close-range scrambles where Ganondorf only needs one hit.
- Swinging after every blocked Nair, Bair, Side B, or Up B and giving up the positional advantage.
- Forcing center-stage kill swings instead of taking the cleaner ledge and landing route.
- Diving too deep offstage and letting Ganondorf’s reversal or the return scramble become the real interaction.