Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Ryu’s reward explodes once he gets to fireball into down tilt, jab, up tilt, and Shoryuken ranges, so Villager cannot afford to give him clean grounded entries in front of shield. Villager should use slingshot, Lloid Rocket, Pocket, and retreat movement to delay the walk-in, then punish the jump or forced drift with uair, dair, and fair instead of meeting Ryu head-on.
The table shows that jab 1-3, forward tilt (1)(3), up tilt (2), down tilt (2), dash attack, every smash attack, Neutral B, Side B (1)(2), and Focus Attack are all punishable on shield by OOS nair (6f), OOS uair (9f), or grab (10f), with stronger conversions once the hit is clearly unsafe. By contrast, nair, bair, and shallow fair do not always give a stable instant answer, so Villager gets more by taking the landing path and the next approach lane instead.
Stocks are most repeatable when Villager wins the recovery and ledge sequence rather than brawling in center stage. Once Ryu is pushed out, Lloid Rocket, fair, and bowling ball can split the vertical and horizontal return paths, and Villager should keep that spacing instead of drifting into point-blank Shoryuken ranges.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Villager OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 2 | -10 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -21 |
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| Jab 3 | 8 | -21 |
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| Jab (1) | 7 | -19 |
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| Jab (2) | 9 | -13 |
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| Forward Tilt (1) | 3 | -20 |
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| Forward Tilt (2) | 8 | -8 |
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| Forward Tilt (3) | 15/17 | -13 |
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| Up Tilt (1) | 3 | -8 |
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| Up Tilt (2) | 7 | -19 |
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| Down Tilt (1) | 2 | -9 |
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| Down Tilt (2) | 6 | -15 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -22 |
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| Forward Smash | 15 | -19/-18 |
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| Up Smash | 9 | -24 |
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| Down Smash | 5 | -25 |
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| Neutral Air | 4 | -1/-2 |
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| Forward Air | 8 | -7/-6, -7/-6 |
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| Back Air | 8 | -4/-5 |
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| Up Air | 6/9 | -8/-8 |
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| Down Air | 8 | -10 |
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| Neutral B | 12 | -27/-28/-28, -26/-25/-25 |
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| Side B (1) | 8 | -40—-72/-35/-67/-65, -38—-70/-33/-64/-63 |
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| Side B (2) | 8 | -62 to -61, -61 to -60 |
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| Up B | 6 | ** | ||
| Down B | 11 (+21), 11(+31), 11(+59) | -33, -34, unblockable |
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| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use slingshot, Lloid Rocket, Pocket, and retreat movement to keep Ryu from starting his grounded confirm game in a straight line.
- After blocking jab 1-3, forward tilt (1)(3), up tilt (2), down tilt (2), dash attack, any smash attack, Neutral B, Side B (1)(2), or Focus Attack, punish with OOS nair (6f), OOS uair (9f), or grab (10f) before Ryu can re-establish pressure.
- Do not force instant retaliation on nair, bair, or shallow fair. Cover the landing, the next walk-in, or the next fireball reset instead.
- Once Ryu is offstage, divide his return path with Lloid Rocket, fair, and bowling ball, and make the stock end from ledge pressure rather than center-stage scrapping.
- At ledge, keep enough distance that Shoryuken is not a free reversal while still covering jump and normal getup together.
Actions to Avoid
- Standing in front of Ryu on the ground and letting down tilt confirms and Shoryuken sequences begin at their ideal spacing.
- Trying to punish nair, bair, and shallow fair every time on the spot and giving Ryu another close-range scramble for free.
- Chasing too close after sending Ryu offstage and surrendering the ledge spacing that should have finished the stock.
- Playing only around slingshot without showing Pocket or Lloid Rocket, which makes Villager’s zoning rhythm too easy to jump through.