I think I have a great post
here regarding my take on the Ness vs Fox MU (granted it is almost a year old but for the most part I think the concepts still remain similar to this day cause I made that post after Fox's Double Jab was patched lol). There are some handy video examples in there as well that show many situations!
(Feel free to correct any info I may have said, I'm actually not sure about the blastzone dat now)
My basic idea is that anything Fox can do, Ness outclasses him in it EXCEPT for movement, conditioning and frame data as well. And this MU all about stage control and conditioning! What I would update in that post now (and what I'll try to recap):
- I'd definitely say neutral is in Fox's hand since he can move so swiftly and reset back relatively safely with Illusion, and fire a few blaster shots here and there for chip damage. Fox's AC Dair and Bair aren't so bad either here. However, Ness has a pretty solid dash attack that can stuff Fox's moves (although it isn't safe on shield). He does however have falling Bair and a rising Nair that is safe on shield (unless powershielded) and so is a well spaced falling Uair, which can make for a hell of a wall. The second Fox does get read however, it will mean big damage for Ness.
- Fox's UTilt strings (yay conditioning #1)
If Ness Nairs and Fox UTilts, Ness escapes (and maybe trades).
If Ness Nairs and Fox shielded, Fox gets it going again (and it's a powershield)
^Now... With that being said, BECAUSE Nair is F5 and Uair is F8, you can try to Uair out of it if Ness predicts shield (it won't be a perfect shield unless Fox actually read Uair lol) and still be relatively safe (this is height/spacing dependent tho). Bair might work too (F10) but in some cases you're too low for the Bair to even come out lol
If they both wait expecting the attack Fox can react and get another move in (i.e. a Smash or another UTilt)
- Ness' PKF strings (conditioning #2)
Fox can counter a follow up in most cases by spamming his Jab button if he's caught in it. I say most b/c some cases I manage to somehow grab Fox despite it seeming like he was gonna Jab me lol. However:
If Ness was still in Jab range when PKF activates he doesn't get a follow up since PKF is laggy lol
If out of this range, and suspects a Jab, Ness can either PKF again for more damage or net him an F-Smash (just space and F-Smash) lol
If Ness suspects shield or a roll away:
The grab is obvious for the shield lol
As for the latter, in most cases Ness still has PKF endlag (unless from midair at the right height and is lag canceled) so Fox can roll away safely. If for some reason Fox does delay his roll or is in that quirky scenario, Ness can PKF or Nair to where he'll roll next.
- On the ledge (conditioning #3)
Fox can get a trump and freely DSmashes a regrab. A good majority of Ness' ledge options get covered by F-Smash, and Bair/Nair are pretty safe to beat jump. All I can say for Ness is mix up wisely lol
Ness however can D-Smash the ledge and cover most options well, his Nair and Bair work great too.
- Getting the KO (conditioning #4)
Fox will tomahawk and try to have Ness let his guard down to strike cause Fox doesn't have a solid KO throw. His Bair is also lagless so he can use that to punish Ness to fake a tomahawk. Ness needs to be careful with his spacing and not overextend or short hop at about close to mid range or he'll eat a USmash. But will punish a Fox trying to get greedy for the KO.
If Fox does gets a grab we're basically back to Conditioning #3 lol.
Also updating the list of KOs Fox can do, a strong Nair does at least offer Fox decent stage control, also I discovered his Fair spike > footstool is scary lol
Also lol I said "he can't pressure shields safely" back, Bair and Uair do that handily. Much I've learned since then
==
Regarding stages (updated thoughts):
BF gives Fox a really, REALLY good way to pressure Ness' shields with Uairs. Similar applies for DL.
T&C and DH do give Fox a good amount of room to run around, and former has a low ceiling for early Uair/USmash KOs.
Both character can janked by Lylat as they recover and do have their Side-Bs hindered in some cases.
FD and SV I'm neutral about. Of these however, I find BF to be the most troubling while fighting Fox lol
==
Wow with all these points I made going for Fox I made it sound like I'm arguing for his favor and contradicted myself rofl
Although please do go read the post I linked (I don't feel like quoting and putting another snip in this thread)
And no I never put TL;DRs
But side note I'm pretty sure I
destroyed this Fox's soul (and I think it was bad DI first stock), quickest 2 stock? =P