Early kills as Ike?

[Rango the Mercenary]

I've been using Captain Falcon as a secnodary lately. If there's one thing I've noticed, it's how easy it is to get early kills with him offstage. His Dair has a big hitbox and is incredibly reliable. His Bair has active frames and comes out extremely quickly. For some reason, I find it easier to hit a Bair against the corner with Falcon than I do with Ike.

I'm trying to devise methods to get similar results with Ike. I think the best and most reliable early kill I can do with him is a ledge-trump. Now, if someone catches onto the ledge-trump, you miss with the Bair. There goes a free 80% kill.

Even Link has a fairly easy time with early kills since his Bair hits twice. You guys think there's a method to getting a reliable early kill on most of the roster?

 

[JWaltz]

charging neutral b as an edgeguard is effective depending on who youre against. recoveries like fox, marth, lucario, and link tend to overshoot the edge with their recoveries and have to fall back down to grab the ledge.

 

[SoundChow]

I think that a well timed eruption, as well as offstage edge-guarding with fair and counter are good options for early kills. I don't think that there's a reliable way of snagging early kills besides edge-guarding or reading a get-up option.

 

[Arrei]

The only thing I can think of is Aether shenanigans, spinning around near the ledge to drag them in and spike them.

 

[GhostUrsa]

With Ike, I haven't seen any early kill potential that would be a BnB move. Most of his are situational depending on what his opponent's pattern is. (It's how defensive characters work, unfortunately.) Off-stage aerials, Eruption, ledge-trump and Counter all work well depending on how your opponent reads. (I almost never can get Ike's spike to work, so I rarely rely on it as a gimp move.)

Last night, I was constantly taking early kills from a Link/Toon Link, that I had conditioned to recovery low with his Spin Attack, with a Counter. (Since he wasn't recovering deep, he had a hard time sweetspotting the ledge with it since his spin liked to raise above the ledge) Since his % was low the knockback keeps pushing back into the deep which would force him to attempt another one or die, which I continued to punish with a counter until he just couldn't reach and KO'd.

Eruption would be the closest we have to a BnB, though it doesn't work quite as well against high and middle recoveries or any up-specials with hitboxes that rise above the stage. (I know you are aware of this, but I'm putting it in writing for posterity sake.) Regardless, everything Ike has except his unreliable d-air is designed for horizontal or upper KO's. This makes gimping as a Hoo Hah not Ike's priority, in my opinion.

Though thinking about it, with Rage it might be more possible from the sides if the blast zone is smaller. With that being the case, off-stage f-air or RBR would be one of the few that could pull it off with its knockback. You'd have to make your opponent think that you don't do off-stage chases often to pull it off, but it could work.

 

[Arrei]

I've gotten more kills off of Dair's non-spike trajectory used at high percent than its spike. That move is just an enigma.

 

[Rango the Mercenary]

I remember that one time I stage-spiked someone with walk-off Nair during a ladder match on NDJ 3DS Ladder. I honestly thought we had a surefire tech.

 

[Arrei]

Well, Nair might be a decent gimping tool with the duration of its hitbox, I just don't think Ike's very comfortable putting himself in that kind of precarious position on purpose.

 

[Rango the Mercenary]

Well, Nair might be a decent gimping tool with the duration of its hitbox, I just don't think Ike's very comfortable putting himself in that kind of precarious position on purpose.

It's simple, really. Do it the instant that you go off stage. Any later leaves you susceptible to an SD. My problem with it is that it knocks most enemies straight upwards, making it easier to get back up on stage before you, as well as taking negligible damage that could have been used for better edgeguarding and stage control.

 

[PyroTakun]

Any kill is an early kill with Ike

 

[Arrei]

Not when we're forced to kill Sheik with a Dthrow at 125% while we have 150%.

 

[anas abou]

d-smash and spikes generally up-smash has an an amazing hitbox also up-b can be used to edge guard

 

[Tino]

A fully charged up and forward smashes is an early kill for him.

 

[Appdude]

charging neutral b as an edgeguard is effective depending on who youre against. recoveries like fox, marth, lucario, and link tend to overshoot the edge with their recoveries and have to fall back down to grab the ledge.

and now mewtwo, he overshoots his second jump EVERY time I play one.