I Need Help Dealing with Shorthoppers

[AlextheTwin]

One tactic that's constantly giving me issues when using D3 are fast characters that short hop constantly and attack D3's face area. It feels like I have no options. The short hop jumps right over my F-tilt, down smash and jabs. At the same time they are out of my up air's hitbox.

If I try to shield and grab, often times the fast characters with seemingly no ending lag on their attacks beat me to the grab, even if I block their initial attack. D3 seems too slow to keep up. Is this true or do I need to just work on my grab game?

I've had some success rolling backwards baiting them into back airs. Against characters that can't reflect well I can sometimes up gordo too, but overall I feel lost.

Last night I was dealing with a captain falcon who did it constantly, what's the best way to counter this?

 

[shrooby]

You're on the right track with shield-grabbing. That's the simplest way.
Many aerials aren't safe on shield. Dedede's great grab range makes this one of his prime tools. Though, obviously some attacks are safe on shield if their properly spaced. Even against Dedede. Like Math's fair.
Keep it at with the grabbing out of shield. You'll get the hang of it!


But don't get to predictable with your shielding, though, otherwise they'll just grab you!

 

[HeavyLobster]

You can also just run away and pivot Ftilt. If you know your opponent is going to take to the air you can use Bair to beat out most attacks. Shielding can work, but just sitting in shield can leave you vulnerable to cross-ups as well as some of the faster shield-safe aerials, so if this is happening to you be sure to move so you can maintain proper spacing.

 

[ShatterPoints]

One tactic that's constantly giving me issues when using D3 are fast characters that short hop constantly and attack D3's face area. It feels like I have no options. The short hop jumps right over my F-tilt, down smash and jabs. At the same time they are out of my up air's hitbox.

If I try to shield and grab, often times the fast characters with seemingly no ending lag on their attacks beat me to the grab, even if I block their initial attack. D3 seems too slow to keep up. Is this true or do I need to just work on my grab game?

I've had some success rolling backwards baiting them into back airs. Against characters that can't reflect well I can sometimes up gordo too, but overall I feel lost.

Last night I was dealing with a captain falcon who did it constantly, what's the best way to counter this?

Hi I signed up just to chime in on this. I am determined to make D3 viable. For short hoppers you can up tilt or short hop nair. You have to be fast, you need the nair to start as soon as possible, it does have some ok priority and will help hit the side of the short hopper's hit box. It can also juggle people up in the air decently. Another thing I do with some success is pivot and jump above the attacker and fast fall back air. Lastly you can short hop a gordo out as the hammer swing to hit the gordo has its own hitbox and damage. You can attempt to miss with the gordo and hit with the hammer. It's a judgment call because if they hit your gordo it'll backfire.

 

[AlextheTwin]

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep working on it. Just to clarify, what exactly do you all mean when you say "pivot" the f tilt?

 

[HeavyLobster]

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep working on it. Just to clarify, what exactly do you all mean when you say "pivot" the f tilt?

While running away, turn around and f tilt in the direction you're pivoting while in the pivot animation. Note that good opponents will adjust to this and mix up their approaches, so be sure to adjust to what they're doing as well.

 

[Girthquake]

I have the same problem sometimes but I usually switch to uptilt and shop nair like Shatter said. Though the pivot Ftilt is an interesting idea