- After a full hop or double jump fair/bair, fast fall as soon as you possibly can every time.
Ike does not benefit from lingering in the air after using these moves, even if you hit with them. Spamming fast fall to get to the ground will help frame trap air dodges and dodge punishes while being able to retaliate yourself. Full hop fair + fastfall is almost identical to short hop fair, with ~22 frames of endlag after the last hitbox before it autocancels.
Most air dodges are 30-32 frames with at least 7-9 frames of vulnerability at best if you miss right as the air dodge ends. Most times, you should be able to punish air dodges if you fast fall and retaliate quickly enough.
- You can turn around during your initial dash. Utilize turnarounds/pivots at will.
Ike can turnaround into fair, nair, or bair depending on the situation. Fair, bair, nair, and reverse nair leaves you 4 options out of a jump with a choice of nair and fair or bair being available at any given time. You can run towards them and turn around, or dash away and turnaround.
By the time you jump, you have the choice of how the jump momentum will work. For instance, you can dash away and turn around into an approaching fair or a retreating fair or nair.
Mix this up with ground options, empty hops, dashes (Ike has a decent empty dash and dash+shield), and delayed attacks, and you can make yourself more unpredictable. When fresh, spaced fair and nair are safe and fresh bair for most spacings.
- Use C-stick set to attack to optimize dtilt spacing.
Along with jab, dtilt is one of Ike's best ground spacers. If you're landing from an attack or walking, dtilt carries your momentum for a little extra range when approaching or space when retreating.
Dtilt also works as a combo or trap starter. C-stick set to attack will allow easier dtilts without worrying about moving the control stick a certain way.
These are a few quick things that may help your play that shouldn't take much technical effort.
