Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup turns on whether Sephiroth can stop Marth from building the clean tipper range he wants with fair, bair, and walk spacing, while staying one step outside the ranges where Marth’s speed and close-range cycling become overwhelming. If Sephiroth plants himself in shield or whiffs larger swings in place, Marth gets to run the sword-tip game over and over and carry that advantage straight to ledge.
The good part for Sephiroth is that Marth has no projectile, so even showing side B or a charge forces him to move first, and the longer ftilt, fair, and bair can stop that walk-in before Marth settles. The frame table also shows that jab 1, jab 2, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, down air, neutral B, and side B are all recoverable with grab (10f) or OOS nair (12f), so the deeper grounded commitments should always cost Marth something.
By contrast, nair, fair, bair, uair, and down tilt are mostly safe, and trying to force a shield punish there just opens the door for Dolphin Slash or a pullback reset. Sephiroth should treat those blocks as the start of the next trap, using walk-back, jumps, and side B attachment to cover the landing and retreat path so Marth has to swing from sourspot range or from the ledge.
Kills are more repeatable through side B attachment, ledge bair, down smash, and charge pressure that locks both jump and shield than through raw center-stage guesses. Marth’s horizontal recovery is not especially long, but chasing too far lets up B and counter flip the edgeguard, so the stronger plan is usually to narrow the route from onstage and finish the recovery at ledge.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Sephiroth OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
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| Jab 1 | 5 | -16/-14 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -19/-18 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -16/-14 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -21/-18 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -9/-6 |
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| Dash Attack | 13 | -22/-20 |
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| Forward Smash | 10 | -32/-29 |
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| Up Smash | 13 | -41/-36 |
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| Down Smash | 6/21 | -43/-41/-26/-23 |
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| Neutral Air | 6/15 | -5/-4/-4/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 6 | -6/-5 |
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| Back Air | 7 | -6/-5 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -4/-3 |
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| Down Air | 9/11 | -9/-9/-9 |
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| Neutral B | 19—79 | -23 to Shieldbreak |
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| Side B | 9 | -26/-16 |
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| Up B | 5 | — | ||
| Down B | 6 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Show side B and charge pressure to make Marth advance first, then stop him from just outside his ideal spacing with walk-back ftilt, fair, and bair.
- After blocking jab 1, jab 2, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, down air, neutral B, or side B, take the guaranteed punish with grab (10f) or OOS nair (12f) so the punishable grounded options never stay free.
- After blocking nair, fair, bair, uair, or down tilt, do not mash in place. Use walk-back, jumps, and side B attachment to read the landing or retreat and win the second touch instead.
- At kill percent, prioritize side B attachment, ledge bair, down smash, and charge pressure that covers jump and shield together, then finish Marth at ledge where the shorter horizontal recovery is easiest to trap.
Actions to Avoid
- Trying to punish every blocked fair, bair, or nair on the spot and handing Marth the Dolphin Slash or pullback counterplay for free.
- Charging from the same place every time until Marth can map the jump-in route and the sword-tip landing without risk.
- Overcommitting to larger spacing swings, getting stepped inside, and then eating up tilt, grab, or uair strings at close range.
- Chasing too far offstage into up B and counter guesses when the recovery route could have been narrowed from onstage.