Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets rough for Pyra when she keeps trying to answer Masamune’s tip with another big swing from too far away. Sephiroth’s range, pullback movement, Shadow Flare, and counter all punish impatient retaliation, so Pyra loses a lot if she treats every sword touch as a direct trade.
Pyra does better by walking and shielding forward in small steps, making Sephiroth commit first, and cashing out the laggier buttons once she is close enough. The frame table shows Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Up Tilt, every smash attack, Neutral B, Side B, and Up B are all punishable by Grab (10f), Up B (13f), OOS Fair/Nair (14f), or Up Smash (15f), and those are the moments Pyra should turn into ledge carry immediately.
By contrast, Forward Tilt, Neutral Air, and Forward Air are poor same-spot punish targets, while Back Air often stops at grab only. If the punish is thin, Pyra should keep walking the space down and own the landing or retreat route instead of throwing out a desperate shield punish into Sephiroth’s longer sword again.
The win condition is to stop forcing center-stage kill swings and instead corner Sephiroth until Fair, Bair, Up Smash, or Up B can cash out his light weight. Once Wing is active, the comeback threat rises fast, so Pyra benefits more from steady ledge control than from a reckless offstage chase into Shadow Flare or counter reversals.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Pyra OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -19 [-19] |
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| Jab 2 | 5 | -25 [-24] |
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| Jab 3 | 7 | -23 [-22] |
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| Forward Tilt | 14 | -15/-11/-14 [-13/-8/-12] |
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| Up Tilt | 10/13 | -32/-21/-19/-18 [-31/-18/-16/-14] |
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| Down Tilt | 9 | -25 |
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| Dash Attack | 14 | -20(-22) [-16(-19)] |
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| Forward Smash | 24 | -33/-29/-32 [-31/-26/-30] |
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| Up Smash | 23 | (-29/-31 front)/(-23/-25/-24 back) [(-26/-29/-30)/(-21/-23/-25)] |
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| Down Smash (1) | 21 | -20/-22 [-17/-20] |
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| Down Smash (2) | 21 | -24 [-22] |
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| Neutral Air | 9 | -5 [-4] |
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| Forward Air | 13 | -10 [-9] |
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| Back Air | 15 | -11 [-10] |
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| Up Air | 16 | -17 [-17] |
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| Down Air | 19 | Normal: -27 [-25] | Landing: -19 [-18] |
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| Neutral B | 41 | -28 |
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| Side B | 16—42 | -17 — -15 |
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| Up B (1) | 25 | -27 [-26] |
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| Up B (2) | 36 | -63 — -61/-47 [-62 — -60/-45] |
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| Down B (1) | 38 | -25 [-25] |
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| Down B (2) | 7 | ** | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Pyra should not swing straight back into Masamune’s tip; walk and shield forward in short steps until Sephiroth commits first.
- After Pyra blocks Sephiroth’s Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Up Tilt, smash attacks, Neutral B, Side B, or Up B, take the punish immediately with Grab (10f), Up B (13f), OOS Fair/Nair (14f), or Up Smash (15f).
- Pyra should not force a same-spot punish into Forward Tilt, Neutral Air, Forward Air, or shallow Back Air; keep the space taken and trap the next landing or retreat instead.
- Pyra should finish stocks by maintaining ledge pressure and threatening Fair, Bair, Up Smash, and Up B rather than gambling on early center-stage kill swings.
Actions to Avoid
- Challenging Masamune’s tip directly with big retaliations and giving Sephiroth the pullback punish or counter.
- Letting Sephiroth’s laggy close-range options go by without taking the punish Pyra actually has.
- Swinging after Forward Tilt, Neutral Air, Forward Air, or shallow Back Air when the punish is not there and getting pushed back out again.
- Chasing too deep offstage and letting Wing or Shadow Flare reverse the stock race.