Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets worse for Ridley when he starts contesting Pit’s nair, fair, uair, and arrow rhythm in the air on Pit’s terms, because Ridley’s large hurtbox turns every mistimed challenge into a landing trap. Ridley needs a more grounded answer. Fireballs, long pokes, and delayed whiff punishes are what keep Pit from drifting in comfortably.
The frame table shows that Jab 1-3, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, neutral B, and side B are all punishable on block with Grab (10f) or OOS Nair (11f) at minimum. Arrow and side B are especially useful stops, because punishing them lets Ridley carry Pit to the ledge where advantage matters more than center-stage scraps.
By contrast, fair, bair, and dair are not punishable in place, and nair plus uair only give narrow answers. That means Ridley should not treat every blocked aerial as a shield-punish situation. Track the landing and retreat path instead, then take the next grounded or jumping escape.
The win condition is not reckless offstage hunting. Pit’s recovery distance and steering are strong enough that Ridley gets more value by holding the ledge, re-juggling, and denying a clean reset to center stage.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ridley OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -18 |
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| Jab 2 | 5 | -21 |
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| Jab 3 | 3 | -23 |
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| Rapid Jab | 6/8/10… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 4 | -40 |
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| Forward Tilt | 10 | -22/-19 |
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| Up Tilt | 6/15 | -23/-13 |
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| Down Tilt | 6 | -13 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -17 |
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| Forward Smash | 10/21 | -26 |
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| Up Smash | 6/7/10/18 | -27 |
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| Down Smash | 5/18 | -27/-28/-14/-15 |
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| Neutral Air | 4/7/10/13/16/19/22/25 | -12/-11 |
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| Forward Air | 11/14/18 | -10/-9 |
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| Back Air | 10 | -4/-3 |
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| Up Air | 10/13/16/19/22 | -12/-11 |
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| Down Air | 10 | -8 |
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| Neutral B | 16—76 | -23 to -20 |
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| Side B (1) | 18 | -37 |
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| Side B (2) | 21 | -40 |
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| Up B | — | — | ||
| Down B | 7 (Start of Reflect) | — | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not contest Pit’s aerial rhythm too early. Use fireballs and long grounded buttons to make his entry path more predictable first.
- After blocking Jab 1-3, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, any smash attack, neutral B, or side B, punish with Grab (10f) or OOS Nair (11f) and carry the hit to the ledge.
- Treat fair, bair, and dair as landing situations rather than direct shield-punish chances, and remember that nair and uair only give limited in-place answers.
- When arrow or side B gets stopped, prioritize the ledge sequence that follows instead of settling for a small center-stage hit.
- Cover jump, drift back, and ledge rise together so Pit has to keep landing under pressure instead of resetting neutral for free.
Actions to Avoid
- Challenging Pit’s aerial movement head-on and giving his landing traps repeated access to Ridley’s large hurtbox.
- Swinging after every blocked fair or bair even though those buttons mostly reset spacing safely.
- Punishing arrow or side B without converting into ledge pressure and then letting Pit restart his all-purpose neutral.
- Overcommitting offstage against a recovery that is much harder to pin down than it looks.