Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Ivysaur controls mid range well with vine hitboxes and Razor Leaf, but Sephiroth can still reach from outside that layer with longer sword tips and Shadow Flare, so he has the better chance to dictate grounded spacing. The danger is what happens once Sephiroth loses that spacing: Ivysaur’s up air, Vine Whip, and ledge dair can delete stocks early, and Sephiroth’s light weight makes those mistakes expensive. Neutral should revolve around walking back into spaced fair, bair, and forward tilt so Ivysaur is stopped before Razor Leaf rhythm or vine pressure gets established. Stocks come from Shadow Flare ledge traps, anti-air up smash, and winged bair or uair, while overchasing offstage into Ivysaur’s dair range is the main way to throw the matchup away.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Sephiroth OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 7 | -17 |
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| Jab 2 | 5 | -19 |
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| Rapid Jab | 4/7/10… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 4 | -32 |
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| Forward Tilt | 10/12/14/16/18/20/22 | -20 |
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| Up Tilt | 7 | -18 |
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| Down Tilt | 4 | -21 |
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| Dash Attack | 4 | -27 |
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| Forward Smash | 15 | -33 |
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| Up Smash | 26 | -21 |
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| Down Smash | 13 | -26/-25/-24 |
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| Neutral Air | 7/10/13/16/19/22/25/28 | -14/-14 |
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| Forward Air | 14 | -8 |
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| Back Air | 7/13 | -5/-4 |
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| Up Air | 12 | -6 |
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| Down Air | 11 | -9 |
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| Neutral B | 7 | -34 |
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| Side B | 24 | -14 |
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| Up B | 15 | -22/-20 |
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| Down B | — | — | ||
| Grab | 13 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 13 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 13 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use the tip of forward tilt, fair, and bair to hit outside Ivysaur’s vine range and deny free Razor Leaf pacing.
- After landing Shadow Flare, watch for continued shield or jump escape and keep walking Ivysaur toward the ledge where bair and down smash become stronger threats.
- On shield, punish the clearly unsafe spots from jab, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, forward smash, up smash, down smash, neutral B, and up B, while refusing to force retaliation on fair or dair.
- During landing traps, place uair and up smash early and keep exploiting Ivysaur’s weak downward coverage so it cannot drift back to stage for free.
- For edgeguards, do not rely only on hard-call Gigaflare charges; instead, narrow the recovery route with Shadow Flare, tipped fair, and repeated ledge pressure against Vine Whip.
Actions to Avoid
- Jumping directly above Ivysaur on purpose. Up air and Vine Whip are too strong vertically, and Sephiroth’s light weight makes one bad guess lethal.
- Trying to clear Razor Leaf every time with a big forward jump. Ivysaur can meet the landing with fair or uair, which gives up Sephiroth’s spacing advantage for no reason.
- Chasing too deep offstage and eating dair near the ledge. Ivysaur’s downward denial is strong enough that one overcommit can erase the whole positional lead.
- Forcing grab immediately after every Shadow Flare stick. Sephiroth’s grab is short, and if Ivysaur slips out with spot dodge or a scramble option, the fight shifts into the close range Sephiroth least wants.