Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
The key to this matchup is refusing to let Ridley keep the game at tail-tip range for long stretches. Ridley can slow Roy down with forward air, back air, neutral air, forward tilt, and Plasma Breath, and once Roy gets forced offstage the matchup can swing immediately because Roy’s recovery is the more fragile one. Blind aerial entries from too far out feed directly into Ridley’s preferred spacing.
But once Roy gets in, the matchup changes fast. The frame table shows that jab strings, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, all smash attacks, forward air, back air, up air, down air, up special, and down special are all punishable by OOS uair (8f) and often much more. Neutral air is the main move Ridley gets to spend cheaply; many of the other larger buttons become real openings for Roy if he blocks them first.
Roy’s win condition is to use walk shield and short bursts of dash movement to make neutral air or forward tilt miss, then start pressure with jab, nair, down tilt, or grab and keep juggling Ridley’s massive hurtbox. Ridley takes extended close-range pressure badly once trapped, and Roy’s fast follow-ups turn one clean opening into a full landing trap or ledge sequence very quickly.
For kills, Roy should trust corner conversions like forward tilt, back air, up smash, and jab confirms near the ledge. Deep edgeguards are usually not worth the risk because Ridley still has extra jumps and a long recovery path, while Roy is much more likely to lose the stock first if the offstage scramble goes wrong.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Roy OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -16 |
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| Jab 2 | 5 | -18 |
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| Jab 3 | 4 | -25 |
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| Rapid Jab | 4/7/10… | ** | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 4 | -38 |
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| Forward Tilt | 10 | -12/-10 |
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| Up Tilt | 8 | -14/-12 |
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| Down Tilt | 9 | -15/-12 |
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| Dash Attack | 12 | -16 |
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| Forward Smash | 18 | -22 |
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| Up Smash | 12 | -24 |
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| Down Smash | 24 | -22 |
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| Neutral Air | 8 | -8/-7/-9 |
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| Forward Air | 10/13/16 | (-14/-13)/(-13/-13) |
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| Back Air | 10 | -12 |
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| Up Air | 11 | -9/-9 |
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| Down Air | 11 | -27/-27 |
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| Neutral B | 29 | 56/65/73/84/92 | -23 // -1 |
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| Side B (1) | 22 | ** | ||
| Side B (2) | 22 | ** | ||
| Side B (3) | 10/24/28/32… | ** | ||
| Up B | 34/36/37 | -28 |
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| Down B | 30 | -29 |
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| Grab | 8 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 11 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 12 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use walk shield and short dash bursts to make Ridley’s neutral air, forward tilt, and forward air whiff instead of contesting tail range directly.
- Punish jab strings, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, all smash attacks, forward air, back air, up air, down air, up special, and down special with OOS uair, nair, Up B, or grab when blocked.
- Treat neutral air as the main move Ridley gets to spend safely, and make the larger buttons the ones that give you your openings.
- Once you get in, keep pressure going with jab, nair, uair, and grab routes because Ridley’s size makes extended juggle and ledge pressure especially effective.
- Finish stocks with ledge pressure, forward tilt, back air, up smash, and jab confirms rather than overcommitting offstage.
Actions to Avoid
- Jumping directly into Ridley’s tail spacing at the same height over and over.
- Letting punishable forward air, back air, down air, dash attack, or up special go unpunished and giving Ridley room to reset.
- Dropping advantage early after finally getting in, which wastes Roy’s best route to damage in the matchup.
- Fishing for hard kill swings in center stage and giving Ridley easy whiff punishes or stage control back.
- Chasing too deep offstage and getting reversed by extra jumps, Wing Blitz, or aerial swings while Roy’s own recovery stays vulnerable.