Rango the Mercenary
The Mercenary
The edgeguard topic isn't really active anymore, but it will not only cover that, but options for landing players as well.
===Edgeguarding===
On the ledge:
vs. neutral ledge recovery - Shield and grab. You can UThrow them, read an air-dodge, and hit with Bair for a kill at 90% or less. Nair is also viable, but can be blocked.
vs. attack - Shield and grab.
vs. jumping - Nair, perhaps Bair. Nair has more active frames.
vs. rolling - Dash away into USmash. Not recommended if you're at high percent damage. Jump back into Nair is also an option.
I don't often fight players who jump up to attack you with Fair. That's an option I'm still working on. Also the hardest one to react to. Pikachu players will get up to Fair you, and it auto-cancels when he lands, making it hard to punish.
You can also ledge-trump and Bair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vVug_cxA6A
However, this is risky because good players will see the Bair coming. You also leave yourself open if you overshoot your ledge-trump. That said, I'm hoping anyone who has more experience using this can add what they know.
Against recovering opponents:
Eruption - Charge it and unleash it right as you read the opponent's Up B. Best way to do this is read their lowest recovery point, which is where they will surely clip the ledge. If Eruption hits just before they grab the ledge, expect them to receive very high damage, likely a kill at 70%
Walk-off Fair - At certain angles, characters will be susceptible to you simply walking off the stage and hitting Fair. In King Dedede's case, you're better off jumping after him since he likes to go high to throw Gordos at you.
Walk-off Dair - Spike option. Also deals damage if you miss the sweetspot.
Walk-off Nair - Option that mainly is there for likely damage due to its wide hitbox and active frames. Risky, as it launches your opponent back on the stage while you are the one recovering.
Walk-off Bair / Walk-off-to-jumping Bair - Perhaps Ike's most useful attack if timed right. Duck Hunt, Mario, Olimar, and Rosalina fall victim to this since Bair has a lengthy hitbox and it has the potential for a stage-spike on certain stages. Do *Not* fast-fall the Bair, or you will not recover. Also, do not spend more than a split second to hit Bair - just an inch below the ledge - or you will also not recover. The jump part is in case you're expecting them to recover later and want to hit them on your way up instead of just falling.
====Stage Control====
Ike isn't the fastest character in the game. Many of his attacks have hitlag, leaving him open to various combos or powerful punishes. The best way to counter this is to apply as much pressure you can within a reasonably safe manner. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed with attacks or punishes, take a breath, distance yourself from the opponent, realize what he's using, and play more defense. Start making them approach you.
DThrow, UThrow, and Dtilt all lead into combos with Fair and Nair. But what happens next? Or what happens if your opponent can either airdodge away or jump? They're high in the air and coming down, either far away from you to recover, or diving into you looking either to aerial attack you or bait you so they can punish an attempted attack. You're not gonna catch everyone, but what can you do at this point.
vs. landing air-dodge - USmash. The landing lag frames of air-dodge are just like the frames of someone rolling back on stage. It's a free hit, and likely a kill.
vs. Fair/Bair/Nair - Shield and DTilt. Warning that certain characters can auto-cancel out of this, attacking before you even get the chance to punish.
vs. evading player in the air - Nair. If he's not targeting you but just trying to get back on stage, you can take advantage of Nair's high hitbox and hit them if they're right above you, or punish an attempted airdodge.
The point of this is to keep your opponent from every enjoying themselves on stage. Reading exactly what their habits are for recovering from the ledge is crucial. They will likely do the same thing twice. If you miss a grab because they rolled past you, remember that for next time. Don't want to try a USmash? Try a Nair, but also understand that the longer they live, the more chances they have to get a comeback on you. Weigh your options and don't give them that chance.
Any and all options and contributions are welcome. If I missed something, feel free to point it out.
===Edgeguarding===
On the ledge:
vs. neutral ledge recovery - Shield and grab. You can UThrow them, read an air-dodge, and hit with Bair for a kill at 90% or less. Nair is also viable, but can be blocked.
vs. attack - Shield and grab.
vs. jumping - Nair, perhaps Bair. Nair has more active frames.
vs. rolling - Dash away into USmash. Not recommended if you're at high percent damage. Jump back into Nair is also an option.
I don't often fight players who jump up to attack you with Fair. That's an option I'm still working on. Also the hardest one to react to. Pikachu players will get up to Fair you, and it auto-cancels when he lands, making it hard to punish.
You can also ledge-trump and Bair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vVug_cxA6A
However, this is risky because good players will see the Bair coming. You also leave yourself open if you overshoot your ledge-trump. That said, I'm hoping anyone who has more experience using this can add what they know.
Against recovering opponents:
Eruption - Charge it and unleash it right as you read the opponent's Up B. Best way to do this is read their lowest recovery point, which is where they will surely clip the ledge. If Eruption hits just before they grab the ledge, expect them to receive very high damage, likely a kill at 70%
Walk-off Fair - At certain angles, characters will be susceptible to you simply walking off the stage and hitting Fair. In King Dedede's case, you're better off jumping after him since he likes to go high to throw Gordos at you.
Walk-off Dair - Spike option. Also deals damage if you miss the sweetspot.
Walk-off Nair - Option that mainly is there for likely damage due to its wide hitbox and active frames. Risky, as it launches your opponent back on the stage while you are the one recovering.
Walk-off Bair / Walk-off-to-jumping Bair - Perhaps Ike's most useful attack if timed right. Duck Hunt, Mario, Olimar, and Rosalina fall victim to this since Bair has a lengthy hitbox and it has the potential for a stage-spike on certain stages. Do *Not* fast-fall the Bair, or you will not recover. Also, do not spend more than a split second to hit Bair - just an inch below the ledge - or you will also not recover. The jump part is in case you're expecting them to recover later and want to hit them on your way up instead of just falling.
====Stage Control====
Ike isn't the fastest character in the game. Many of his attacks have hitlag, leaving him open to various combos or powerful punishes. The best way to counter this is to apply as much pressure you can within a reasonably safe manner. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed with attacks or punishes, take a breath, distance yourself from the opponent, realize what he's using, and play more defense. Start making them approach you.
DThrow, UThrow, and Dtilt all lead into combos with Fair and Nair. But what happens next? Or what happens if your opponent can either airdodge away or jump? They're high in the air and coming down, either far away from you to recover, or diving into you looking either to aerial attack you or bait you so they can punish an attempted attack. You're not gonna catch everyone, but what can you do at this point.
vs. landing air-dodge - USmash. The landing lag frames of air-dodge are just like the frames of someone rolling back on stage. It's a free hit, and likely a kill.
vs. Fair/Bair/Nair - Shield and DTilt. Warning that certain characters can auto-cancel out of this, attacking before you even get the chance to punish.
vs. evading player in the air - Nair. If he's not targeting you but just trying to get back on stage, you can take advantage of Nair's high hitbox and hit them if they're right above you, or punish an attempted airdodge.
The point of this is to keep your opponent from every enjoying themselves on stage. Reading exactly what their habits are for recovering from the ledge is crucial. They will likely do the same thing twice. If you miss a grab because they rolled past you, remember that for next time. Don't want to try a USmash? Try a Nair, but also understand that the longer they live, the more chances they have to get a comeback on you. Weigh your options and don't give them that chance.
Any and all options and contributions are welcome. If I missed something, feel free to point it out.
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