If you get close enough for grab to actually connect, dtilt isn't safe on Shield. Dtilt won't hit aerial approaches, but they might start doing things like fair, nair, uptilt, or just avoiding the zone your fair threatens altogether if you start doing that. You can of course, change drift, fast fall to empty land or waveland, or, needle the ground or needle turn around bair to change things up (or just nair instead, or vary if/when you fastfall), and if they aren't right there to catch your landing/you coming down, you can just do different things on landing as it's extremely unlikely they'll be ready to cover all of them. If they're dashing away as you land or too far to hit you with a move they can do right at that moment, don't spotdodge. At least, not immediately. You can also whiff punish the down tilt, by coming in right after it comes out. Approach and stop out side of its range, or dash dance before going in.
