dtilt is not a poke move, dtilt is a pressure tool

[Pierce7d]

dtilt is a pressure tool. I keep reading people say it's amazing poke, but no one here pokes with Dtilt. Poking with dtilt probably means you got wrecked by a dash to shield grab by any respectable character. Marth pokes with speed and mobility, meaning he uses either Dancing Blade 1 or Fair, or Nair. The vast majority of you do not walk around and then just poke with dtilt, and that is not the optimal use for it.

Dtilt is best used as follow-up after safe poke to generate pressure. If you connect on your opponent's shield safe poke, then the best move to follow-up with is probably Dtilt. Aside from Fair just being absurd risk-reward, one of the whole reason that Marth is safe is because if the Fair is blocked, it leads into dtilt which has a ridiculous chance to net damage due to the amount of pressure you can generate. The best option from getting hit by Marth's spaced Dtilt on block is to roll away from Marth, which still generates stage advantage. Marth pretty much ****s on almost every other option, because another Dtilt will reduce your shield to an unusable amount, and Danciing Blade covers over half the other options,. Additionally, your mix-up potential after dtilting an oppnent's shield is safe, and Ftilt is a safe anti-rise option that cannot be dragon-punched, which is especially good since jump is the most favored option of many characters from pressure.

Ftilt is actually also a much better poke move in some match-ups because if you use any ground move against a shield dash, you can be punished but at least ftilt is an anti-air and awkward to punish on whiff. Dtilt is pretty safe on whiff, so you CAN poke with it, but it is not a poke move. Only at a low level, immobile play is dtilt strong poke. If your "poke" straight up loses to Dash to shield, and also loses to a jump in, and is also an immobile move, it's not really strong to use as poke.

Grab/*pivot grab is far better poke. Pivot grabbing is a mobile option, awkward to punish on whiff, and directly counters dash to shield, which is one of the strongest and most universal approaches in the game. It also counter many, many aerials.

Please, learn to use dtilt as a pressuring tool, and stick to fast and mobile poke options.

 

[Pr0phetic]

Excellent point there... Thank you enlightened one!

 

[Shaya]

I think you misinterpreted what someone like C.J means by poking with dtilt (although I appreciate your post here because people will get easily confused).

Dtilt is very weak against dash to shield, everyone knows it because anyone who's ever tried to use it thinking it's "amazing" get ****ed by it, but when it comes to it hitting someone's shield at tipper range? It's usually at best dash attackable on power shield. So "poking dtilt" is using dtilt and moving away in such a way as to trap their dash to shield.

See the funny thing here is that you can do downtilts out of doop walking (or more commonly known as mikehaze walk) very very easily in any direction you choose due to slightly downwards angle + cstick down giving you dtilt.

 

[MintyFlesh]

Please do commentary at apex.

 

[Pr0phetic]

I think you misinterpreted what someone like C.J means by poking with dtilt (although I appreciate your post here because people will get easily confused).

Dtilt is very weak against dash to shield, everyone knows it because anyone who's ever tried to use it thinking it's "amazing" get ****ed by it, but when it comes to it hitting someone's shield at tipper range? It's usually at best dash attackable on power shield. So "poking dtilt" is using dtilt and moving away in such a way as to trap their dash to shield.

See the funny thing here is that you can do downtilts out of doop walking (or more commonly known as mikehaze walk) very very easily in any direction you choose due to slightly downwards angle + cstick down giving you dtilt.

It might also be because it's a good shield stab* against a weakened opponent's shield, allowing you to poke the characters feet.

 

[reslived]

I'm glad this post was made. As a newbie I've been trying to integrate dtilt into my play more. Glad I have a guide so I know whether or not I'm doing it correctly.

 

[Pierce7d]

I will be doing commentary at Apex. Apparently I'm back by popular demand.

Also, there will be SOME INSTANCES where Dtilt is actually the best poke option, but against good (read: mobile) players, this will be rare. Continuing pressure is quite common.

 

[Celestial Luna]

Thank you for the info Pierce I look forward to seeing you commentate at Apex ^^

 

[light-zion]

Nice work as always, And I cant wait to see you commentate at apex neither.

 

[SnowCold]

oh good. i've been using fair to dtilt regularly and have been a bit scared that i've been building a bad habit due to my lack of advanced opponents, but now i see that it is actually a great option. Ty pierce. I also now know that i shouldn't spam dtilt. not that i ever did anyway, but it will keep me from developing that habit.