Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Marth can make this matchup awkward if Zero Suit Samus runs directly into sword tip spacing, because fair, bair, and down tilt can deny her grounded entry before she ever starts pressure.
But once Marth misses that tipper spacing, his follow-up stability and sideways recovery are much less threatening, which gives ZSS real room to flip the exchange with one whiff punish.
Because of that, ZSS wants to avoid standing in front of the sword tip, use zair and retreating movement to make Marth commit first, and then turn the first touch into juggling and ledgetrap pressure instead of overforcing raw kill confirms.
The clearest shield-punish points are jab, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, the smash attacks, Neutral B, Side B, and dair, where Up B (6f), OOS Fair / OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), and Up Smash (10f) do the real work.
By contrast, nair, fair, bair, and uair are mostly safe, and down tilt often only gives Up B, so ZSS gains more by covering the drift out and next landing than by insisting on an immediate punish.
Marth’s Dolphin Slash recovery is direct enough to trap repeatedly from ledge, so after winning neutral ZSS usually wants to stay onstage, cover jump, air dodge, and Up B timing together, and force him to recover through the same narrow lane over and over.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Zero Suit Samus OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -16/-14 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -19/-18 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -16/-14 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -21/-18 |
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| Down Tilt | 7 | -9/-6 |
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| Dash Attack | 13 | -22/-20 |
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| Forward Smash | 10 | -32/-29 |
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| Up Smash | 13 | -41/-36 |
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| Down Smash | 6/21 | -43/-41/-26/-23 |
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| Neutral Air | 6/15 | -5/-4/-4/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 6 | -6/-5 |
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| Back Air | 7 | -6/-5 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -4/-3 |
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| Down Air | 9/11 | -9/-9/-9 |
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| Neutral B | 19—79 | -23 to Shieldbreak |
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| Side B | 9 | -26/-16 |
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| Up B | 5 | — | ||
| Down B | 6 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not dash straight into sword-tip range. Use zair and retreating movement first so Marth has to swing or move before you commit.
- When you block jab, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, forward smash, up smash, down smash, Neutral B, Side B, or dair, check Up B (6f) first, then switch to OOS Fair / OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), or Up Smash (10f) if they reach better.
- When you block nair, fair, bair, or uair, do not overforce the shield punish. Track the drift and punish the landing or reset instead.
- When Marth is airborne, watch the sideways escape before chasing straight up so his drift and air dodge do not reset the whole sequence.
- Look for kills more from ledge Flip Jump pressure, Up B, up smash, and bair than from forcing center-stage callouts.
Actions to Avoid
- Running directly into Marth’s sword tip over and over and donating neutral to fair and bair spacing.
- Trying to punish every blocked nair, fair, bair, and uair, whiffing, and giving Marth free room to reset spacing.
- Showing Flip Jump too early and too often until Marth starts waiting with anti-airs or Up B.
- Chasing too deep offstage and letting Counter or Dolphin Slash reverse the risk back onto you.
- Forcing desperate kick-based kill attempts while giving up the stage control that actually wins the matchup.