If PS didn't transform, I would probably go from hating it to liking it. I like the neutral configuration, but the transformation process really seems to interrupt whatever I'm doing at the time, not to mention the transformed stages themselves, which more often than not seem to turn into horrible camp fests, except for the water stage, which feels awkward to play on to me so I don't care much for it, either. However, it is awesome to force a tech on that janky ledge on the rock transformation that can't be rolled away from, getting a guaranteed forward smash, and Marth does seem to be pretty good at camping behind that cliff (though I hate the ceasefire that is often forced by those stalemate situations in the transformations).
I also really don't like Dreamland 64. I feel as though it gives my opponents safer recovery options because I can't easily hit with kill moves when they're on the platforms; he can't hit with a tipped forward smash, and while up tilt can hit, the high ceiling on that stage reduces its killing power. His aerials also really don't have the power to kill from those platforms until like 200% or something. Moreover, when Marth recovers onto one of the side platforms, he seems to be even more vulnerable to the aerial kill moves of Sheik, Fox, Falco, Jigglypuff, Peach, Falcon, Ganondorf, etc. I also feel that Sheik has a really great matchup against Marth there because she seems to be able to use the platforms to camp really well. However, when I think about it, Dreamland does seem like a pretty decent counterpick against Fox and Falco, since it takes longer for Fox to kill off of the top, the size and configuration of the stage seems like it would give Marth some good space for maneuvering around Falco's lasers, Falco's recovery is really gimp there, and the space in the middle of the stage is large enough for a bit of decent chaingrabbing (or at least up-throwing into f-smash if Marth gets a grab there at the right percent). At the same time, however, Fox is so much more maneuverable than Marth and that stage is spread out enough that I feel that Fox would be able to camp Marth and ultimately force a bait and punish, especially since Marth has to commit more than he usually does to throw attacks onto the platforms there.
I also don't feel that Brinstar and DK64 are very good for Marth, either. On Brinstar, not only do I feel that the uneven terrain is more of a hindrance to Marth than to some of his rivals, but the lava will often interrupt whatever I am doing (and, as Marth's offenses can tend to be more elaborate than those of Sheik, this isn't such an uncommon occurrence) and force me to the platforms. If Marth and Sheik are on separate platforms, it doesn't seem safe for either of them to approach to other, but Sheik can at least safely charge and fire needles without fear of punishment. When the lava starts to fall again, I feel that Marth is generally disadvantaged in the return to combat: if Marth took the middle platform and Sheik took a side platform, then I feel that, because Marth doesn't fall very quickly and Sheik can cover horizontal distance pretty quickly, that Sheik can either put Marth in such a situation than he can only really either engage in air-to-ground combat, which isn't generally a good idea, or flee to the ledge, which is kind of a precarious place to be (for this situation, though, I don't feel as though I had really explored the possibility of Marth engaging on an offensive against Sheik when she is on the edge platform and potentially vulernable, so I will have to think about that more -- it doesn't seem too feasible to me right now, though); if Marth took a side platform and Sheik took the middle platform, then Marth will already be in a vulnerable position when the lava subsides. I also feel that, generally, it is worse for Marth to get hit by the lava than it is for Sheik, especially when they both get hit at the same time, since Sheik can easily pick Marth off with one of her aerials, which is something that Marth himself cannot so easily do to Sheik. I feel that this stage might be good for Marth against Fox and Falco (and probably some others, like Falcon), though. Of course, I haven't really spent a whole lot of time on this stage, so this is all just a combination of my limited experience and my thoughts.
As for DK64, I don't like the uneven terrain, the ledges seem to force Marth to be more precise with his recovery, Marth doesn't seem to be able to do much with the revolving platforms (and it seems as though they could also easily break an upthrow chain at low percents, and the fact that they're moving doesn't help a precision-based character like Marth, either), and characters who land on the upper side platforms really seem pretty safe from Marth. It doesn't seem like Marth could benefit from the barrel as much as characters who are better-equipped for travelling horizontally through the air, either, and he seems to have a harder time punishing characters who recover with it than characters who have kill moves that require less precision. However, as with Brinstar, I think that this stage might advantage Marth against Fox and Falco, and perhaps some other characters (Falcon, Ganon?), but I really don't think that isn't a very good stage against Sheik (not to mention Peach and Jigglypuff). Again, though, I haven't exactly put in a lot of time on this stage or read much about it, so I'm open to correction.
Of course, if I have said anything that anyone (or even just the mechanics of the game) disagrees with, please share your ideas/knowledge with me (and the rest of the community, at that).
who cares if she dies at 230% i can run in circles chasing my tail forever.
