Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Byleth can shut down Sora’s slower ground advance with fair, bair, Side B, and bow, and Sora’s floaty airtime also lines up badly against uair, Up B, and up smash. If you keep drifting in at the same height or landing straight down, the matchup snowballs into kill percent very quickly.
But Byleth’s mobility, close-range scramble speed, and landing escapes are limited. If Sora uses Firaga, Blizzaga, and empty air drift to make the spear or axe swing first, he can touch with nair, fair, or uair and convert straight into juggling. The frame table also shows that Jab 1-3, the tilts, Dash Attack, the smash attacks, nair, uair, dair, Side B, and grounded Up B are all punishable on shield by OOS Fair (9f), OOS Nair (9f), Up B (9f), Grab (10f), or Up Smash (11f), so the heavier commitments need to be claimed every time.
By contrast, fair, bair, and Neutral B have thin shield punishes, and forcing a swing in place after every block just lets Byleth jump back into tipper spacing again. In those lighter punish spots, it is more stable to change height, track the landing or retreat, and deny the walk-back to center.
Your kill plan is more consistent through extended juggling and ledge pressure into bair, uair, Blizzaga, and up smash than through a single center-stage read. Offstage, do not challenge directly above Up B, because the reversal is real; cover tether endpoints from the side or from the ledge instead.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Sora OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -15 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -17 |
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| Jab 3 | 5 | -22 |
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| Rapid Jab | 11 | ** | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 6 | -40 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -15 |
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| Up Tilt | 9 | -15 |
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| Down Tilt | 13 | -14 |
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| Dash Attack | 9 | -26/-23 |
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| Forward Smash | 23 | -31/-27 || -32/-28 || -32/-28 |
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| Up Smash | 13 | -22 |
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| Down Smash | 19/29 | -40/-30 |
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| Neutral Air | 6… | -11/-11/-9 |
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| Forward Air | 12 | -7/-6 |
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| Back Air | 13 | -9/-8 |
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| Up Air | 10… | -12/-11 |
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| Down Air | 22 | -21 |
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| Neutral B | 45/114 | -8/-21 |
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| Side B | Ground: 20 || Air: 21 | Ground: -20/-34 || Air: -16/-35 |
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| Up B | 9(ground) || 10(air) | -35(ground) || **(air) |
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| Down B | 62 | ** | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not stop in the direct spear-and-bow lane. Use Firaga, Blizzaga, short walks, and air drift to make fair, bair, Side B, or axe swings come out first, then touch with nair or fair.
- Punish Jab 1-3, the tilts, Dash Attack, the smash attacks, nair, uair, dair, Side B, and grounded Up B on shield with OOS Fair (9f), OOS Nair (9f), Up B (9f), Grab (10f), or Up Smash (11f).
- After stopping fair, bair, or Neutral B, do not force an in-place punish; follow the jump back, backstep, and landing instead so the second interaction keeps pushing Byleth toward the ledge.
- Once Byleth is airborne, do not cash out early and reset. Keep tracking the landing with uair and fair until the weak landing gets pushed all the way to the corner.
- At kill percent, lean on ledge bair, uair, Blizzaga, and up smash, and cover tether recovery from the side or from stage rather than directly above it.
Actions to Avoid
- Drifting straight into the same-height front lane where Byleth’s fair, bair, and Side B are already waiting.
- Repeating straight-down landings, air dodges, or dair at the same timing after getting launched and staying in uair or up smash kill lanes.
- Throwing out a big punish after every blocked fair, bair, or Neutral B and whiffing into Byleth’s reset back to tipper spacing.
- Diving above Up B offstage for a fast edgeguard and giving away the ledge trap to a grab meteor or reversal.