TKD
Smash Lord
Fox and Falcon are cursed in the sense that a Sheik player can cover all their tech options assuming he reacts accordingly, and that Sheik gets a knockdown on them with a lot of stuff, notably dthrow at any %.
The reason Falco's not as easy is that his tech rolls are larger than Fox's, and don't last as long as Falcon's (you can still cover them maybe, but I'm not sure it's realistic to pull it off 100% every playing session).
If you practice enough, your tech chase success rate can reach 100%. You just have to condition yourself to react correctly (don't ever get distracted and beat yourself up for missing it, though: on a bad day you can even simply start predicting...or switch characters lol). I have a slow reaction time, and even so I've had days where my dthrow is guaranteed a follow-up vs Fox/Falcon.
To execute the 100% tech chase against both Fox and Falcon, I recommend the following reaction priority upon dthrowing them:
1. React to an in-place tech: The first thing you're ready to do is to punish this. If you don't respect it, spacies will just shine or spot-dodge and destroy you for miss-timing a punish. Suggested plan B: if you weren't ready to punish this, a small dashdance can let you avoid the shine/spot-dodge and punish.
2. React to a tech roll: Level 2 priority, as this is the 2nd fastest option. If they definitely didn't tech in place, you can react to it and boost grab the tech roll in whichever direction the opponent does it. Falcon has a larger tech roll, but it lasts a long time, so you have time to dash a bit before reaching him. Fox's tech roll ends quickly, but it's short enough that a boost grab reaches him from your standing position. Falco's is the toughest to reach, and I think it probably can't be done with 100% consistency: his tech roll is larger than Fox's, so boost grab won't reach an away tech from your standing position, and it ends faster than Falcon's, so you don't get the luxury of a bit of time to react. Suggested plan B: If you react too slowly and won't get the boost grab, dash attack can often reach the opponent in time.
3. React to a missed tech: Last level priority; I recommend you to not even think about this (unless you're on prediction mode), as it gives a long time to react. Also, guaranteeing your success on chasing in-place techs and tech rolls is more important because they're easy to chase consistently (the tech sound and flashing character effects help a lot). So, if you see they didn't tech in place, and then see they didn't tech roll, and still have time to react, you're probably tech chasing 100% now! Depending on the opponent's percentage, jab reset at very low % and downtilt at percentages where it starts causing knockdown so you can techchase again are the best options. Jabs to grab/dsmash or simply a panic dsmash can work well (as long as you react). Suggested plan B: If you didn't react to the non-tech in time, you can chase almost as normal, except you have to guess between in-place wakeup and wakeup attack if the opponent does either of these (by timing your answer early for in-place wakeup or blocking the expected wakeup attack).
I've tried other reaction priorities, but they haven't worked as well. For example, if I expect the tech roll as my first priority, I don't react to the in-place tech in time, since it ends too quickly. If I expect the non-tech, I may not react to actual techs, which is stupid because people tech most of the time, and if you don't react to a missed tech before they can use a wakeup option, you still get to chase it (except they have the option to wakeup attack now).
Remember to walk into them first if they DI away on the downthrow (you have to start next to them).
The tech chase reaction can be applied in other situations, like random knockdowns where you have a long time to move, or platform knockdowns (where you should probably react with uair if possible as that leads to combos).
If you're feeling lazy, dthrow usmash covers non-techs and in-place techs.
The reason I tell you to grab the opponent with this method of tech chasing is PRECISELY because grab has a guaranteed follow-up if you're doing this right, so you're doing a follow-up that has a follow-up.
Most spacie players LOVE to tech in place so they can shine you. It's funny when they attempt this repeatedly because they just keep getting grabbed over and over (then they usually start using tech rolls and get grabbed anyway).
At higher percentages, you can utilt/dsmash the opponent before they reach the ground from your dthrow if they DI in certain ways (upwards and into you or something). Specially the dsmash is extremely good if it'll send the opponent offstage.
Choosing to fthrow/bthrow when near the ledge is an excellent choice, as always. Any grab that leads either to a huge amount of damage or an edgeguard attempt (you get a chance to take out an entire stock, and even if failed, and you get to see or pattern out how the opponent recovers).
You can end a tech chase, usually with an usmash attempt, if a tech chase gets too long and the pressure gets to you. I specially like dthrow to dtilt knockdown vs missed tech to dash usmash (it looks cool as hell too) or just the usmash read vs possible in-place tech or non-tech; hell even panic dsmash is OK sometimes since it's damage anyways.
Anyway, if you gain a ton of practice, you can condition yourself to tech chase Fox and Falcon 100%. This is extremely important for the fast-faller match-ups, as it makes dthrow lead into either a ton of damage or an edgeguard, consistently.
I find it annoying that Sheik players don't know about this after so many years of Melee, so start practicing in your friendlies. If it's an important match and you don't have this down (near 100% at least against in-place techs and tech rolls), don't attempt it and start predicting or guessing.
I hope someday every day will be good for me, but there are good days and bad days. I've had days where I have this down 100% and often 0-to-death from any dthrow because of it. Other days, I can't react as well and have to start guessing (a super-easy way to make it 50/50 if you don't have it 100%: usmash covers non-tech and in-place tech; boost grab covers tech rolls. Pick and choose, LOL. If you wanted to cover a tech roll and they tech in place, dash away to avoid and back to punish a shine/spotdodge as most spacie players love doing).
This is realistically possible, by the way. It just takes a lot of practice the first few times.
Even on days where you're reacting badly and have to resort to prediction, knowing how to do this helps your tech chasing execution anyways (as trying to cover 1 or 2 options when used to covering all 4 will obviously increase your accuracy).
The reason Falco's not as easy is that his tech rolls are larger than Fox's, and don't last as long as Falcon's (you can still cover them maybe, but I'm not sure it's realistic to pull it off 100% every playing session).
If you practice enough, your tech chase success rate can reach 100%. You just have to condition yourself to react correctly (don't ever get distracted and beat yourself up for missing it, though: on a bad day you can even simply start predicting...or switch characters lol). I have a slow reaction time, and even so I've had days where my dthrow is guaranteed a follow-up vs Fox/Falcon.
To execute the 100% tech chase against both Fox and Falcon, I recommend the following reaction priority upon dthrowing them:
1. React to an in-place tech: The first thing you're ready to do is to punish this. If you don't respect it, spacies will just shine or spot-dodge and destroy you for miss-timing a punish. Suggested plan B: if you weren't ready to punish this, a small dashdance can let you avoid the shine/spot-dodge and punish.
2. React to a tech roll: Level 2 priority, as this is the 2nd fastest option. If they definitely didn't tech in place, you can react to it and boost grab the tech roll in whichever direction the opponent does it. Falcon has a larger tech roll, but it lasts a long time, so you have time to dash a bit before reaching him. Fox's tech roll ends quickly, but it's short enough that a boost grab reaches him from your standing position. Falco's is the toughest to reach, and I think it probably can't be done with 100% consistency: his tech roll is larger than Fox's, so boost grab won't reach an away tech from your standing position, and it ends faster than Falcon's, so you don't get the luxury of a bit of time to react. Suggested plan B: If you react too slowly and won't get the boost grab, dash attack can often reach the opponent in time.
3. React to a missed tech: Last level priority; I recommend you to not even think about this (unless you're on prediction mode), as it gives a long time to react. Also, guaranteeing your success on chasing in-place techs and tech rolls is more important because they're easy to chase consistently (the tech sound and flashing character effects help a lot). So, if you see they didn't tech in place, and then see they didn't tech roll, and still have time to react, you're probably tech chasing 100% now! Depending on the opponent's percentage, jab reset at very low % and downtilt at percentages where it starts causing knockdown so you can techchase again are the best options. Jabs to grab/dsmash or simply a panic dsmash can work well (as long as you react). Suggested plan B: If you didn't react to the non-tech in time, you can chase almost as normal, except you have to guess between in-place wakeup and wakeup attack if the opponent does either of these (by timing your answer early for in-place wakeup or blocking the expected wakeup attack).
I've tried other reaction priorities, but they haven't worked as well. For example, if I expect the tech roll as my first priority, I don't react to the in-place tech in time, since it ends too quickly. If I expect the non-tech, I may not react to actual techs, which is stupid because people tech most of the time, and if you don't react to a missed tech before they can use a wakeup option, you still get to chase it (except they have the option to wakeup attack now).
Remember to walk into them first if they DI away on the downthrow (you have to start next to them).
The tech chase reaction can be applied in other situations, like random knockdowns where you have a long time to move, or platform knockdowns (where you should probably react with uair if possible as that leads to combos).
If you're feeling lazy, dthrow usmash covers non-techs and in-place techs.
The reason I tell you to grab the opponent with this method of tech chasing is PRECISELY because grab has a guaranteed follow-up if you're doing this right, so you're doing a follow-up that has a follow-up.
Most spacie players LOVE to tech in place so they can shine you. It's funny when they attempt this repeatedly because they just keep getting grabbed over and over (then they usually start using tech rolls and get grabbed anyway).
At higher percentages, you can utilt/dsmash the opponent before they reach the ground from your dthrow if they DI in certain ways (upwards and into you or something). Specially the dsmash is extremely good if it'll send the opponent offstage.
Choosing to fthrow/bthrow when near the ledge is an excellent choice, as always. Any grab that leads either to a huge amount of damage or an edgeguard attempt (you get a chance to take out an entire stock, and even if failed, and you get to see or pattern out how the opponent recovers).
You can end a tech chase, usually with an usmash attempt, if a tech chase gets too long and the pressure gets to you. I specially like dthrow to dtilt knockdown vs missed tech to dash usmash (it looks cool as hell too) or just the usmash read vs possible in-place tech or non-tech; hell even panic dsmash is OK sometimes since it's damage anyways.
Anyway, if you gain a ton of practice, you can condition yourself to tech chase Fox and Falcon 100%. This is extremely important for the fast-faller match-ups, as it makes dthrow lead into either a ton of damage or an edgeguard, consistently.
I find it annoying that Sheik players don't know about this after so many years of Melee, so start practicing in your friendlies. If it's an important match and you don't have this down (near 100% at least against in-place techs and tech rolls), don't attempt it and start predicting or guessing.
I hope someday every day will be good for me, but there are good days and bad days. I've had days where I have this down 100% and often 0-to-death from any dthrow because of it. Other days, I can't react as well and have to start guessing (a super-easy way to make it 50/50 if you don't have it 100%: usmash covers non-tech and in-place tech; boost grab covers tech rolls. Pick and choose, LOL. If you wanted to cover a tech roll and they tech in place, dash away to avoid and back to punish a shine/spotdodge as most spacie players love doing).
This is realistically possible, by the way. It just takes a lot of practice the first few times.
Even on days where you're reacting badly and have to resort to prediction, knowing how to do this helps your tech chasing execution anyways (as trying to cover 1 or 2 options when used to covering all 4 will obviously increase your accuracy).
If you polish your tech chasing, platform uair combos and edgeguards, you got this vs fast-fallers. Sheik beats Marth and Peach anyways. And if you're going spacie, I think you should rather play Fox and learn to JC shine so you can waveshine out of shield vs other spacie's reckless shffls.
