Marth
Ratio: 45-55 40-60
Ok so this is my first write up on any kind of matchup whatsoever. So please exuse me if it doesn't seem adequate and anyone is welcome to edit it
Anyways here goes:
Bowser. He's a fatty who excels at surviving attacks that would KO other characters and in general is a very defensive character who excels and punishing opponents. Every Bowser main knows this. So on paper Bowser should have a pretty easy time against anyone without a projectile to outcamp him right? Well this is somewhat true in this matchup and if it wasn't for Marth's tipper moves, I personally think this matchup would be between 45-55 50-50.
"In my opinion, Bowser doesn't do that badly against Marth. In fact, I believe that Marth is his better matchups. That's not saying much though, since all of Bowser's matchups are usually not in his favor."
Mreh
So what makes Marth have the advantage? Putting tippered moves aside for a moment, Marth is just simply better at spacing than Bowser. Sure he has to approach which does bring out Bowser's defensive to game to nearly the highest level but Marth has more options for mixing it up and is more agile. For example Bowser will be using F-tilt a lot for spacing where as Marth can use D-tilt, the rare f-tilt, Fair and even F-Smash isn't that bad as long as it's not overused and at tipper range. Also let's not forget that Side-B which has transparent piority and can hit us about 7 times if we're in a bad spot and depending on how Marth exucutes the move since for every swing, the Marth player can input up-B, down-B and side-B again. Since Bowser is big, he is a bigger target to get hit by this.
Below are more quotes from Merh:
"First of all, we all know that Bowser is a defensive wall. He is not a character that has a need to approach anyone, he's a character that reacts to what his opponent does and punishes their mistakes. Since Marth lacks a projectile, he is forced to approach, and that's when Bower's defensive game goes into full swing. If Marth's overly aggressive and are unfamiliar with the matchup, he will lose, simply because Bowser ***** anyone who's overly aggressive.
If Marth doesn't space his attacks properly, he'll be hit by a Fortress OoS, and that totally *****. If he spaces even more badly, he'll be met with a grab. As we all know, Bowser can do all sorts of stuff to Marth out of a grab. If Marth gets a ground release, you can grab him again or Klaw him, which is probably your best choice due to its large damage output. You can even Bowser Bomb him out of a grab release, which is even more deadly. Death at 85% is definately not cool for Marth. If he gets a jump release, then that's a free Fair for you.
Obviously, Bowser should spend as much time grounded as possible. You'll get ***** in the air.
Also, I like using the Fsmash as an edgeguard. It seems silly, but a lot of Marth users try to Fair through this. Even more so if they're planking. It's actually possible to hit a Marth who's grabbing the ledge with the Fsmash while outside of his Dolphin Slash range. It's awesome. (never going to happen, but I love it)"
Mreh
Also Below is a quote from Pierce7d, a Marth player who gives his 2 cents on the matchup.
"DO NOT shy away from your ftilt. It's SO easy to punish Dancing Blade, just shield. That being said, ftilt angled either straight or up will **** Marth's face if he approaches from the air. You need your ftilt. Marth's will not be ftilt heavy, because our Ftilt has pretty ugly after lag in comparison to other options we have on the ground. If you shield it, you can counter attack.
You also need to watch out for Nair. Marth really can't kill for his life. He MUST tipper to K.O. Bowser if your DI is any kind of decent. I might be able to gimp you, but it's really stupidly hard, and I'll either have to spike, or get you to 150%. That being said, Marth's NAIR is an excellent tool. I tend to attack Bowser's forehead with Nair, and pull away, to chip at his shield. The second time I do this consecutively, if I aimed it right, the second hit of the Nair WILL shield stab, and I'll tipper K.O. you.
Also, Boswer is a huge target, and Marth is awesome at juggling. Make sure your DI and Smash DI are TIGHT before entering this match-up, or I will combo you like it's Melee.
Your Fair is also very good. Just because ours is better doesn't mean don't use yours. A little Klaw Bouncing is good too, because it messes with Marth's spacing, and forces him to play more aggressively, which Bowser likes a lot. Both characters have a Dragon Punch, so be careful of getting K.O.ed by Dolphin Slash. You want to DI it UP. The most important thing is to not be hyper-predictable.
If you shield a Dancing Blade, I would advise instead of Fortressing everytime, shield drop dtilt sometimes. Bowser's dtilt is frikken strong, and unlike fortress, can go a long way to gimping Marth if he doesn't DI it right. Also, the DI for fortress and Dtilt are opposite, so a Marth expecting fortress and suddenly getting blasted by Dtilt can really get screwed up.
IIRC, your Uair is amazing. Bait an airdodge, and score hyper early K.O.s with this.
Don't fsmash at the edge. We have counter. Now, if you see a Marth about to counter, just charge the fsmash, and voila, homemade rapesauce. Don't charge prematurely though, or our counter is guaranteed. Dtilt is a lovely edgeguard option.
I love this match, because it really is the knight vs. the dragon. Merry Christmas everyone!"
Pierce7d
I thought I'd get the quotes out of the way first then add my 2 cents afterwards. (Note: these are from Mid 2008.) In a nutshell UP-B Oos, F-tilt, Up-tilt and Fair will be your best friends in this match. Oh and Klaw but Klaw is good in nearly every one of Bowser's matchups.
On the Defense:
If Marth decides that he is just gonna pull out 2 fairs in 1 short hop and call it a day then he has another thing coming. If Marth does this when you have the lead just sit there. Whatever you do DON'T APPROACH when in the lead. Ok so you can away with it sometimes in this matchup compared to say versing Metaknight but that's not the point. Anyway if Marth is in the lead Fair camping you these are your options:
Short flame Bursts. While this works, don't overuse it or you will eat a counter or Marth will DI into you and up-B if you hold it for too long.
At the end of the day Steel sums everything up quite nicely.
"marth has a sword, you don't. 60-40"
Steel
Still not quite finished and needs some more editing but I'd thought I'd post what is done so far. Feel free to add any input.
Fine
45-55
45-55
45-55
50-50
40-60
Fine
40-60
Fine
