Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup swings on whether Terry gets to build close-range pressure before Lucario has time to live into high aura. Lucario can slow the midrange with Aura Sphere charge, fair, and nair, and once he reaches triple digits the threat of Aura Sphere, Force Palm, and back air turns every reset into a comeback chance, but his close-range defense is still much shakier.
Terry should not play a full projectile war with Power Wave. Walk-shield, short steps, and measured jumps are stronger for forcing Aura Sphere charge cancels or retreat habits, then breaking in with jab, down tilt, and nair. Lucario is light and his grab recovery is poor, so once Terry lands the first touch, it is better to keep center and drive him to ledge than to cash out early and let aura keep scaling.
The frame table also shows that jab 1-3, up tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, neutral B, side B, and up B are all punishable on shield by OOS nair (7f), and in many cases by up B (10f) or grab (10f) as well. By contrast, nair, fair, and down tilt are effectively safe, so Terry should stop forcing in-place punishes there and instead track the drift, jump, or next Aura Sphere setup.
The cleanest KOs come from GO confirms and ledge pressure, not from extending long scrambles into Lucario’s high-aura swing state. Extreme Speed travels far but still returns on a readable line to ledge, so Terry should stay onstage, cover jump and normal getup, and avoid turning the stock into an offstage guessing contest where his own recovery is the weaker one.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Terry OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -16 | -15 | -14 |
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| Jab 2 | 5 | -18 | -18 | -17 |
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| Jab 3 | 9 | -23 | -22 | -21 |
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| Forward Tilt | 12/15 | -12 | -11 | -8 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -22/-21 | -20/-20 | -18/-17 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -9 | -7 | -5 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -28/-27 | -26/-24 | -22/-20 |
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| Forward Smash | 19 | -27/-25 | -24/-26 | -19/-21 |
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| Up Smash | 15/19 | -37/-38 | -34/-36 | -30/-31 |
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| Down Smash | 16 | -28 | -25 | -21 |
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| Neutral Air | 10/18 | -2/-2 | -1/-2 | 0/-1 |
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| Forward Air | 7 | -6 | -6 | -5 |
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| Back Air | 13 | -10/-10 | -9/-9 | -7/-7 |
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| Up Air | 10 | -10/-10 | -9/-10 | -7/-9 |
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| Down Air | 4/11 | -10/-9 | -9/-9 | -8/-8 |
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| Neutral B | 9 (+8) | -26 | -25 | -23 |
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| Side B | (9)24 | -24/-30 | -19/-27 | -10/-24 |
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| Up B | 46 | -23/-31 | -22/-31 | -19/-29 |
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| Down B | 5 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 11 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not answer charged Aura Sphere spacing with a projectile war or a high straight jump. Use walk-shield and short advances to get into jab, down tilt, and nair range first.
- After blocking jab 1-3, up tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, neutral B, side B, or up B, punish immediately with OOS nair (7f), and use up B (10f) or grab (10f) when the table shows they reach in time.
- After blocking nair, fair, or down tilt, do not mash the first punish option. Cover the retreat jump, air drift, or Aura Sphere recharge instead.
- Once you get in, do not give center back. Even short strings should push Lucario to ledge, then convert jump with fair or uair and roll with down tilt or up smash before aura gets out of control.
- Once GO is active, do not rely on raw Buster Wolf or Power Geyser. Route from jab, down tilt, or shield punishes into the confirm and make Lucario whiff Double Team or panic swings first.
Actions to Avoid
- Do not react to Aura Sphere by jumping high or throwing out a straight Burn Knuckle and let fair, back air, or a high-aura shield punish stop the whole approach.
- Do not mash Rising Tackle or up smash every time nair, fair, or down tilt touches your shield and hand Lucario a free reset when the punish whiffs.
- Do not chase too far offstage for the stock and let Extreme Speed route changes or ledge scrambles flip the position while Terry’s weaker recovery is exposed.
- Do not swing raw Power Dunk, Buster Wolf, or Power Geyser into high-aura Lucario in front of shield and give Double Team or a shield punish the comeback opening.