Currently looking for a secondary for my Ike

[SmoothieOtter]

I feel like my Ike can handle just about everybody after getting used to more and more match-ups. But the only one's I tend to struggle with are the obvious one's like Sheik, Fox, Sonic, Pikachu, really just anyone who's extremely aggressive and all up in your face especially those that are shorter. Do you guys think it's worth getting good with another character to pull out for these other guys or should I just keep using Ike and just adapt to them and learn how to fight back?

If you guys think it'd be smart to grab a secondary I'm down I just don't really know who to choose. All I know is that someone who can handle aggressive characters would be a huge help. Maybe someone who can kinda space out and push their opponent away some and get some fresh air.

 

[XDaDePsak]

In my personal experience, Ike is a great secondary for Ike.

Good luck.

 

[goose32]

I use Ryu / Captain Falcon as my two main backups, and am considering turning one of them into my main because of those matchups you listed. You can expect to run into good Sheik / Pika players at any sort of tournament, and they can give Ike big problems. I also tend to struggle with good Metaknights

Falcon definitely doesn't cover up all of Ike's weaknesses, but his fast speed can prevent people from spacing you out. He, too, struggles with Sheik, but it doesn't feel as bad to me (he can also pull off dthrow to knee on her at around 65%, which can kill if she's near the ledge). I feel Falcon goes pretty even with Fox, since both can combo the other easily and he can get Fox into some knee setups to secure early kills. Sonic is also less of a problem with Falcon, since he can keep up with him pretty well and has far more reliable kill options.

Ryu is not easy to play at a high level, but I think he has the tools needed to compete with the top tier characters. He's not a very quick runner, but his frame data is solid. Most of his attacks deal as much damage as Ike's, and he can kill anybody below 100%. He doesn't really have a combo throw, but his pummel and throws can be great for racking up damage (bthrow does 12%) and controlling the stage.

 

[Hanku Hirru]

I roll with Ryu as my secondary and it pains me to admit this (YOU'RE MY BOY, IKE), but I, too, may be switching to Ryu main. He is easily the most complex character in the game, making Ryu difficult to pick up and play effectively; but once you master his play mechanics (combo-ing off tilts into his true inputs, mastering negative edge, knowing when and how to use FA/FADC), he's an absolute monster. His tool kit gives him so much versatility (projectile, hybrid counter, great OOS punish, good recovery) that he can easily go toe-to-toe with any top tier.

 

[MasterExocuter]

Now this won't necessarily help you with matchups, but you could try Charizard. He's fun, and a lot of his moves are similar to ikes (nair, dair, tilts, horizontal move). I picked up Ike because I thought he felt similar to Charizard. If you're looking for a high tier variant, you could try Wario (also heavy) or Roy (for the fire emblem and the swords) or Yoshi (somewhat heavy, hits hard). Shulk is also similar to Ike, but I think Ike is just a better version of Shulk.

 

[Ryusei the Falling Star]

My other two are Link and Roy if that helps. Link for projectiles and offstage game; many more options and my ace. Roy for speed and ability to aggressively pressure.

 

[Nidtendofreak]

Considering Ike has the advantage against Sonic and is right about even with Pika if not ever so slightly having an advantage against him...

I'd recommend getting more comfortable with Ike first. After that, focus on picking up a secondary for Sheik if you still feel the need. Whoever you pick, it's almost guaranteed has to be another high/top tier.

 

[goose32]

Considering Ike has the advantage against Sonic and is right about even with Pika if not ever so slightly having an advantage against him...

I'd recommend getting more comfortable with Ike first. After that, focus on picking up a secondary for Sheik if you still feel the need. Whoever you pick, it's almost guaranteed has to be another high/top tier.

I realize a massive amount of this is personal opinion, but I disagree with Ike being even or especially having a slight advantage against Pikachu. I think Ike is at a disadvantage for a number of reasons, but it isn't a rough as against Sheik. Pika's small body makes her/him/it/whatever harder to hit, so short hopped bairs aren't reliable. It can be spaced out decently, but quick attack and their massive combo potential against Ike can really cause problems.

I'd also say that Ike and Sonic are relatively even, not with Ike having an advantage. Sonic is just too fast for Ike to be favored in that matchup, in my opinion. Ike has options to deal with Sonic, but at best, I'd say it's even (though I personally feel it's a small disadvantage).

Again, this is really all subjective.

 

[Mario766]

Pikachus small body makes it easier to space him out, due to Pikachu having no disjoints. Quick Attack can be beaten by Ragnell, and his combos do piss poor damage, compared to our 2-3 hits doing 20-30 percent which work for a decent while on Pikachu because he falls into our combos.

 

[goose32]

Pikachus small body makes it easier to space him out, due to Pikachu having no disjoints. Quick Attack can be beaten by Ragnell, and his combos do piss poor damage, compared to our 2-3 hits doing 20-30 percent which work for a decent while on Pikachu because he falls into our combos.

Again, this is largely subjective. Even though his small body gives him disadvantages, it also makes him a smaller target. I don't feel at an advantage when I play against Pikachu, but I know that he/she/it can be spaced out. What do you mean that it can be beaten by Ragnell? That's the name of his sword, what attack(s) are you referring to? Ike doesn't have many lingering hitboxes (outside of nair and up-air, I suppose), which tend to do well against QA.

His combos can still rack up damage, even though each hit only does a small amount. We're subject to his up tilt/up air combos at low percents, but a ton of characters can do that to us, too.

 

[Mario766]

We also jump out of those combos rather early. Now, when I have a lingering hitbox that is +0 on block and easily beats qa...I'd want to abuse it. N-Air is fantastic against QA and we can down tilt any non fair attack on shield for punishes.

Stay grounded and space. Simple enough

 

[Deleted member 269706]

Well I dual-main Ike and Falcon and I can tell ya that Falcon is a good way to mix-up your opponents and give them trouble adjusting seeing as he's so much faster and plays a totally different game than Ike. However he's still a close ranged fighter and doesn't excel in much that Ike doesn't so if you don't really love Falcon the way I do, then he's probably not for you. You're best bet is to pick up a top tier character. You could also try someone like Ryu who hits hard and can be aggressive and also has projectiles. I've been working on learning Ryu lately for a third character to add to my list. I'm not fluent enough with him to really tell you how he is as a secondary for Ike. Just mess around with a variety of other characters for now, see who ya like.

 

[neil2020]

I second Pika and sheik bc I'm a tier-*****, but only when I obviously can't gain any ground against top tiers

 

[Duck SMASH!]

Ryu is NOT a good secondary... if you really want to do well with Ryu he demands FULL commitment to learning how he operates, sorta like Peach. You will end up adopting Ryu as your main if you try this, or your Ryu may not be strong enough to handle the problem MUs for your Ike.

I use Sonic sometimes, because his speed lets him compete with many of the characters that ruin Ike's day. Pikachu and Fox are much more doable MUs with the blue blur.... He's not the easiest to pick up because if you want to optimize your punishes with Sonic you need to put in some serious work, but it's worth trying if you're set on not adopting a pocket Sheik/Mario like 2/3 of everyone else...