Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Dark Pit stabilizes neutral by pinning movement with arrows and then taking landings or ledge with Neutral Air, Forward Air, and Back Air, so Zero Suit Samus gets punished hard if she becomes predictable with jump timing or repeated Flip Jump escapes.
The table shows that Dark Pit’s Jab 1, Jab 2, Jab 3, Rapid Jab Finisher, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Forward Smash, Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral Air, Forward Air, Up Air, Down Air, Neutral B, Side B (1), and Side B (2) can all be punished by Up B (6f), OOS Uair (9f), OOS Fair (9f), Grab (10f), or Up Smash (10f).
That makes the stable plan to shift the arrow line with Zair and ground movement, take the confirmed punish windows on Neutral Air and Side B, and stay disciplined against safer tools like Back Air instead of forcing a swing every time shield makes contact.
For kills, Zero Suit Samus should rely more on ledge Up B, Up Smash, Up Air, and Flip Jump landing reads, because overchasing Dark Pit’s long recovery usually gives away the stage control she already won.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Zero Suit Samus OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -18 |
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| Jab 2 | 5 | -21 |
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| Jab 3 | 3 | -23 |
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| Rapid Jab | 6/8/10… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 4 | -40 |
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| Forward Tilt | 10 | -22/-19 |
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| Up Tilt | 6/15 | -23/-13 |
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| Down Tilt | 6 | -13 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -17 |
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| Forward Smash | 10/21 | -26 |
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| Up Smash | 6/7/10/18 | -27 |
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| Down Smash | 5/18 | -27/-28/-14/-15 |
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| Neutral Air | 4/7/10/13/16/19/22/25 | -12/-11 |
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| Forward Air | 11/14/18 | -10/-9 |
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| Back Air | 10 | -4/-3 |
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| Up Air | 10/13/16/19/22 | -12/-11 |
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| Down Air | 10 | -8 |
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| Neutral B | 16—76 | -21 to -15 |
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| Side B (1) | 18 | -36 |
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| Side B (2) | 21 | -40 |
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| Up B | — | — | ||
| Down B | 7 (Start of Reflect) | — | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Use Zair and dash movement to move outside the arrow line, then start advantage with Neutral Air, grab, or corner carry before Dark Pit can settle.
- After blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, Jab 3, Rapid Jab Finisher, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Forward Smash, Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral Air, Forward Air, Up Air, Down Air, Neutral B, Side B (1), or Side B (2), punish with the reachable option from Up B (6f), OOS Uair (9f), OOS Fair (9f), Grab (10f), and Up Smash (10f).
- Do not overforce after Back Air or arrows; cover the landing route and ledge route first, then take the second hit.
- Finish stocks with ledge Up B, Up Smash, Up Air, and Flip Jump landing reads instead of overextending offstage.
Actions to Avoid
- Avoiding arrows only through predictable jumps or repeated Flip Jump patterns and letting Dark Pit line up Forward Air, Back Air, and Up Air anti-airs.
- Blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, Jab 3, Rapid Jab Finisher, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Forward Smash, Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral Air, Forward Air, Up Air, Down Air, Neutral B, Side B (1), or Side B (2) and still giving up the punish.
- Swinging into Back Air anyway when the move is still safe and letting Dark Pit reset spacing for free.
- Chasing too deep offstage into Dark Pit’s long recovery path and handing away the corner you already earned.