Official Zero Suit Samus Matchup Thread

[noradseven]

What. I said to play against them if you had to as a last resort to learn their fall speed and movement mechanics, not to learn the match-up at an explicit level. It's kind of a "duh" that CPU experience isn't much or anything at all.

Well you were mentioning how you don't want to go to a tourney without really knowing this match, and I was saying that these things will not help you at all, its probably better to watch a couple matches of how Diddy's play, than go against a compy or on wifi.

 

[Supermodel From Paris]

Well you were mentioning how you don't want to go to a tourney without really knowing this match, and I was saying that these things will not help you at all, its probably better to watch a couple matches of how Diddy's play, than go against a compy or on wifi.

Regardless, I removed it so no one will get the wrong idea.

 

[Nefarious B]

I think we need to get some Diddy mains in here to talk about their general strategy with banannas. How do they bounce off a shield? PS? What are their options against spot dodges, aerial approaches. I don't think anyone but a Diddy main can explain their thought process, and they would know better than us what options we have.

 

[shlike]

Seriously get Diddy into the air AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

in my experience zss gets pretty much wrecked on ground (if diddy has amazing banana game ESPECIALLY ON EDGES ON FLAT STAGES (fd, smashville)

-Learn how to sdi his forward smashes

- at high percentages expect a dsmash/fsmash/ and be ready to shield

- gimping diddy is relatively easy so try to get him into the air and offstage whenever possible

-uair WRECKS diddy so

all in all i am repeating myself

so basically

a) get diddy into the air/off stage
b) if you get a banana BE SMART ABOUT USING IT
c) ban fd/smashville

all in all i think this matchup is pretty much even

 

[mountain_tiger]

IMO, it's probably about 50:50. I'm not 100% sure, though. Not much experience with this matchup.

 

[ADHD]

Ask snakeee about this lol. It's 60:40 in diddy's favor if he camps, otherwise it's 55-45 in Zero suits favor. Trust me, that camping factor is really important. She has no options within her character to deal with it and diddy's camping is so unique.

 

[DMG]

Ask snakeee about this lol. It's 60:40 in diddy's favor if he camps, otherwise it's 55-45 in Zero suits favor. Trust me, that camping factor is really important. She has no options within her character to deal with it and diddy's camping is so unique.

True words spoken.

ADHD be careful with camping I might do it to u.

 

[Supermodel From Paris]

Ask snakeee about this lol. It's 60:40 in diddy's favor if he camps, otherwise it's 55-45 in Zero suits favor. Trust me, that camping factor is really important. She has no options within her character to deal with it and diddy's camping is so unique.

Actually Snakeee told me last night that he thinks the match up might not be as bad as he thought for some mysterious reason he didn't elaborate on much.

 

[noradseven]

Ask snakeee about this lol. It's 60:40 in diddy's favor if he camps, otherwise it's 55-45 in Zero suits favor. Trust me, that camping factor is really important. She has no options within her character to deal with it and diddy's camping is so unique.

I didn't know diddy's played any other way.

I think its 45:55 even with the camping and if diddy doesn't camp probably more of a 55:45 like you said, I'm not too sure.

The main thing ZSS has to get good at is get good at grabbing his nanners and peanuts, and have a battle for item control if you can manage this, it becomes pretty much anyones game.

Just be wary of where his nanners are and his dash attack, those are the two things that stop over B spam lol, diddies grab is also good which makes spacing b-air even tricker.

Don't forget our dash attack picks up nanners fairly easily, and yes it combos (on the off chance it connects lol) into a glidetoss trip into a d-smash.

One thing I have seen some diddies do to us is when they are behind us d-tilt the **** out of us, because well, we can only roll dodge away, but don't forget you can pivot shield then standing d-tilt, will outspeed it.

This match really comes down to the skill of the players, and how well they know the matchup, if both come in not knowing it, ZSS is going to get raeped.

Personally I think this is a very fun match, and pretty interesting to watch, its all about space controll, and sorry diddy you lose our CP p.bad depending on if anything super platform is available.

I was assuming these matches were occurring on FD or smashville though for reference.

 

[bludhoundz]

Diddys have great item micromanagement, so be careful with suit pieces. On the other hand, experience with suit pieces can make handling the bananas a little easier (but mostly you need matchup experience).

In terms of range, ZSS has a few moves that are medium range (b, side b), where Diddy has his bananas and peanuts. In terms of melee attacks, I think they have similar range. Diddy has Ftilt, Dtilt, ZSS has dtilt, dsmash. Aerial range ZSS definitely wins with her uair and bair, but Diddy's fair is no joke and his bair is also pretty good. She also has superior aerial mobility, so taking to the air is probably your best bet most of the time.

Juggling Diddy is ideal, of course, but you have to be wary of falling bananas, b reversals, and side b, they're all useful tools for Diddy in avoiding juggling and getting back to the ground.

In terms of recovery ZSS definitely wins out. Diddy can recover from practically the same range, but can be knocked out of his barrels by practically any move if properly timed. That said, assuming both players are of high calibur (as is done in matchup discussions), their DI will be good and Diddy will rarely be forced to use his barrels, leading to probably an average of 0-1 gimps per set (this is my estimate). ZSS will probably not be gimped. The only way she can be gimped is being hit out of her second jump with a peanut and then being edgehogged -- if it's done with a banana her down b footstool will save her, but peanuts disappear upon contact. She also has to be below the stage, otherwise the down b footstool will again save her, so this situation pretty much assumes not such great DI and a badly timed second jump (peanuts are not particularly fast and are fairly predictable).

Mostly I think this matchup comes down to ZSS competing with Diddy on the ground for short intervals, taking to the air for most approaches and trying to get Diddy into the air. Diddy has a good anti air game -- well timed peanuts can ground opponents or force them to throw out an airdodge or aerial, which can often by punished by a banana or sometimes another move. His utilt is also good, though doesn't have great horizontal range, it has pretty good vertical range and it's fast. Running Usmash for going under aerial opponents is good (note: usmash has a larger hitbox behind Diddy than in front). Upward angled Ftilt isn't used much but I think can be a useful tool in the right situations -- it has decent range, though a bit of cooldown time.

I think ZSS is probably not going to use bair as a kill move in this one, but rather a spacing tool, since it beats out all of Diddy's aerials (though maybe not fair, but I haven't done any testing). Since Diddy will be on the ground I think that Dsmash is going to come into play for landing the finishing move, probably plasma whip (not such a great spacing tool in this match because of the bananas).

ZSS has stronger kill moves, but Diddy is a little heavier so it evens out slightly (though ZSS will still probably be living slightly longer on average).

I think this matchup is a very interesting one that goes fairly close to even, perhaps slightly in Diddy's favor 55-45, but I have little actual experience in it so most of what I said is theorycrafting (raises flame shield), so it could be 50-50 as well.

 

[sasook]

The only way she can be gimped is being hit out of her second jump with a peanut and then being edgehogged -- if it's done with a banana her side b footstool will save her, but peanuts disappear upon contact. She also has to be below the stage, otherwise the side b footstool will again save her, so this situation pretty much assumes not such great DI and a badly timed second jump (peanuts are not particularly fast and are fairly predictable).

Downb, not sideb =)

Also, she can footstool off edgehogging opponents.

 

[bludhoundz]

Yeah, mistake, I meant down b. >.<

And I know that she can footstool over a character hogging the edge -- that's why the scenario in which I said she can be gimped REQUIRES her to be below the stage. Basically if the two players are of high calibur, ZSS will be gimped at an incredibly low rate (most likely verging on never).

 

[sasook]

I know what you mean, but when you said...

The only way she can be gimped is being hit out of her second jump with a peanut and then being edgehogged

I wasn't sure if you knew about flipstools off the edgehogging opponent. That's all, just a misunderstanding.

 

[Nefarious B]

I want to know how Diddy camps. I guess I'll just go watch some Dapuffster vids, but can anyone explain why this is so hard to get around?

 

[ADHD]

actually Snakeee Told Me Last Night That He Thinks The Match Up Might Not Be As Bad As He Thought For Some Mysterious Reason He Didn't Elaborate On Much.

........................................................................

 

[Supermodel From Paris]

ADHD I can't really speak for him but you should check the date that was posted, it was before you two played.

 

[Nitrix]

I want to know how Diddy camps. I guess I'll just go watch some Dapuffster vids, but can anyone explain why this is so hard to get around?

When Diddy simply has 2 Bananas on the stage in his control, he can camp with the Peanut Gun and start throwing the Bananas when they get close. Although the Peanut Gun may not be very strong at camping, approaching Diddy is a nightmare.

The other, more powerful form of camping is when ZSS is on the edge of the stage. Diddy plants 2 bananas near the ledge so ZSS trips if she walks up. Then Diddy spaces the Peanut Gun to hit ZSS when she is on the ledge and if she jumps up. Thus, ZSS essentially loses her options because she cannot walk onto the ledge since she will slip, and she cannot jump up over the ledge because the Peanut Gun will hit her and cause her to fall into the Bananas, causing another slip. ZSS also cannot simply stay on the ledge because the Peanut Gun will be hitting her. Thus, Diddy takes away a ton of options.

 

[noradseven]

I want to know how Diddy camps. I guess I'll just go watch some Dapuffster vids, but can anyone explain why this is so hard to get around?

its not Z grab his nanners/peanuts alot, you can grab nanners that are on the ground with Z air, I mean it takes a while to get used to but once you get it down, it becomes a really close match.

 

[Yankee]

Made a match up chart. It can be quoted into the original post. Makes looking at match ups easier.

 

[sasook]

I thought we decided Snake is 50:50 at worst, and probably in our favor?

 

[Yankee]

I thought we decided Snake is 50:50 at worst, and probably in our favor?

I went by what was linked to in the op, i thought so too. I can always change it.

Edit: Fix'd

 

[Zero]

Rargh, I actually really like the way our matchup thread is organised, it's much more concise than the other boards. Matchup charts are normally incredulously tedious to look at, but you've done it well, Yankee. But first, get rid of that emboss. >.<

...We've done so few matchups, we really need to vamp it up a bit. Most boards are already finished. >.<

 

[FadedImage]

The problem is, we have so few contributors each match-up takes a while to hammer out.

here's some stuff to get the diddy kong discussion flowing...


what does everyone find to be the most successful way to approach diddy when he's got bananas in his hand / on stage?


what is the best way to edgeguard diddy?


I hear a lot of "you just need match-up experience" when people talk about this fight, but what are you learning when you play a diddy? how to deal with bananas?


what's diddy's best kill moves? what's the best way to avoid them? if you get hit how should you DI?


what are diddy's most commonly used moves, dash attacks, glide tosses, etc? how do we counter them best?


do we have anything broken on diddy, locks/chains, etc.? does he have anything like that on us?


what stages should we cp'ing on diddy, and why? what on those stages should we be abusing?

 

[FUNKLAB]

I thought we decided Snake is 50:50 at worst, and probably in our favor?

I don't think the Snake matchup is in our favor by any means, although it is close. more like 60:40 Snake's advantage and 55:45 if the ZSS knows the matchup really well.


But on the discussion of Diddy, obviously we don't have the advantage in the matchup. I personally find that with correct spacing i use the uncharged paralyzer when a Diddy has the nanerz out. The stuntime paired with her fast enough dashing allows me to either run and pick up a naner or attack. So I throw in a lot of those. I NEVER grab a Diddy as I find I get ***** if I miss. A lot to be talked about, but my opinion I'd say 60:40 Diddy's advantage though because without the bananas I find Diddy's fairly easy.

 

[Supermodel From Paris]

I don't think the Snake matchup is in our favor by any means, although it is close. more like 60:40 Snake's advantage and 55:45 if the ZSS knows the matchup really well.

It's even at worst. If it wasn't for the weight difference and for the raw power in his tilts, we'd probably soft counter him or worse.

 

[noradseven]

Snake is even guys come on, also Rob is only 70:30 if you can do the infinite which I know that is the point but keep in mind without it the match is like 60:40, Im so sad I lost to a rob player , ohh well he did get 2nd overall, and now I have good rob experience yeah.

 

[ph00tbag]

Snake is even guys come on, also Rob is only 70:30 if you can do the infinite which I know that is the point but keep in mind without it the match is like 60:40, Im so sad I lost to a rob player , ohh well he did get 2nd overall, and now I have good rob experience yeah.

Karn will make the ROB match-up look tougher than it is. Note that he also has ZSS experience thanks to yours truly.

Although I can't understand why he would have gone ROB against ZSS.

 

[sasook]

What are Diddy's KO moves? Fsmash? DI into him. Dsmash, DI up. Same with fair. The barrels probably hit you straight up, so DI left or right, and the same probably applies for his usmash. If he tries that dash attack -> dair spike, DI into him during the dash attack. If you fail to do that, hold towards the stage. Not up and towards the stage, just towards the stage.

 

[ph00tbag]

For the record, on the Diddy match-up, the biggest thing is getting past the bananas, and if the Diddy's any good, he'll have ways to beat every means we have of getting around the bananas. The post that Faded Image quoted is very, very important in this match-up, and almost no one in the entire Smash Community pays attention to those facts, even Diddy mains. Especially Diddy mains. (If you don't believe me, compare their match-up numbers to what other mains think of the Diddy match-up; you'd think Diddy was lower mid to low tier).

Bananas are a multi-tasking tool that flows from one use to the other with very little prodding on the part of Diddy. We might have the tools to deal with one banana, and I believe that we do. But with two bananas, Diddy has the tools to counter all of our anti-banana game, mostly on reaction, too. If we can get inside and really pressure Diddy consistently and make it so he can't pull out more than one banana at a time, we can win, but the chances of that happening every match aren't so great. For that reason, I think the match is in Diddy's favor. 60:40 Diddy is my rough guess, although it may be more or less.

I've got a post in the works on this topic that I want to put up in tactical. I think a lot of people underestimate Diddy.

 

[A1lion835]

The kirby boards are now discussing Zero Suit Samus, and any help you could give us would be greatly appreciated. http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?p=7671768

 

[noradseven]

Karn will make the ROB match-up look tougher than it is. Note that he also has ZSS experience thanks to yours truly.

Although I can't understand why he would have gone ROB against ZSS.

Didn't help the pika player much but then again I have like no ROB exp, nobody I know even plays the dude, we only play him when he pops up in random.

He probably said lol nobody actually knows the infinite, the snake match probably would of been similar overall(Im lacking in exp there but not as badly as rob I know like a few ppl that use him as a #2), and if he played any of the other top tiers cept falco it probably would of landed in my favor.

Karn was a p. cool guy though, and he was hella good. It just seemed so uphill cause rob weighs 1 million pounds. Also Echo didn't like me very much but then again I don't him, so its , plus its not hate more like a unfortunate personality clash.

 

[Tien2500]

The problem is, we have so few contributors each match-up takes a while to hammer out.

here's some stuff to get the diddy kong discussion flowing...


what does everyone find to be the most successful way to approach diddy when he's got bananas in his hand / on stage?


what is the best way to edgeguard diddy?


I hear a lot of "you just need match-up experience" when people talk about this fight, but what are you learning when you play a diddy? how to deal with bananas?


what's diddy's best kill moves? what's the best way to avoid them? if you get hit how should you DI?


what are diddy's most commonly used moves, dash attacks, glide tosses, etc? how do we counter them best?


do we have anything broken on diddy, locks/chains, etc.? does he have anything like that on us?


what stages should we cp'ing on diddy, and why? what on those stages should we be abusing?

I'll try my best to help out here but I have limited matchup exp against him.

1. Approaching Diddy with Bananas is tough. Best bet I've found is to try to get a banana (try airdodging when he throws for example, or if one is on the stage dash attack it) in your hand. From there you can throw it, or glide toss to a smash etc. Otherwise you may be able to get him with side B if he's not careful. Otherwise not many options I've found that work well. If you can get him alone without bananas keep the pressure up.

2. Diddy's air attacks have high priority and he can suicide spike you with his forward B. For this reason I like trying Side Bs as an edgeguard. If he's recovering fron underneath you can sometimes Dsmash to bair stagespike. You can also knock him out of his rocketbarrel charge if he's in the right position.

3. Yep you have to learn how to deal with bananas.

4. Best kill moves are Dsmash, Fsmash. He'll probably try glidetossing into them so the best way to avoid is to not get hit by bananas. DI has been covered. Fair and Bair can also KO.

5. Diddy will use his dash attack allow to both attack and pick up bananas at the same time and then sometimes he'll combo that into a toss. If he's spaced wrong you can sometimes punish by grabbing or Dsmash. Not sure if jab will know him out if it. I'd assume ftilt might. He'll glide toss alot and frankly I'm not sure how to stop it. If he's gliding into fsmash you can block then Utilt but he may also glide into a throw.

6. Nothing particularly broken on either side.

7. Bfield works well because his bananas often wind up on the platforms. You can often get them before him, or hit him with air attacks as he goes to get them. Lylat may have something similar. I don't play rainbow cruise often but I think it would be better for you than Diddy due to the changing stage preventing him from setting up and the awkwardness of his Up B. Avoid long flat stages. FD is his best stage to my knowledge so I'd ban it.

 

[sasook]

he can suicide spike you with his forward B

He can also drag you low enough and then recover himself ._.

That's the worst feeling

 

[ph00tbag]

Didn't help the pika player much but then again I have like no ROB exp, nobody I know even plays the dude, we only play him when he pops up in random.

Dublio doesn't really play the ZSS match-up. He's a very good player, but that match-up is in ZSS's favor, IMO, and he doesn't try to emphasize ZSS's weaknesses.

Try LDPK if you ever meet him. He'll focus more on ZSS's weaknesses. He's also **** near impossible to recover against.

 

[noradseven]

Dublio doesn't really play the ZSS match-up. He's a very good player, but that match-up is in ZSS's favor, IMO, and he doesn't try to emphasize ZSS's weaknesses.

Try LDPK if you ever meet him. He'll focus more on ZSS's weaknesses. He's also **** near impossible to recover against.

What, and how many rob players are their in NC, I played another rob main, after he gimped me once it didn't happen again, I also played someone else who seconded rob.

I need to fight more snakes as well, I know it better than rob but that match is still a problem. I think I know most of the other S-C tier matches quite well.

 

[TheZeroSuit]

Please, if you need to post off topic, take it to one of our many off-topic threads (General Discussion, Snakeee's, etc.)


Okay, I updated OP with a new format for match-up information. I'll slowly be re-writing the guides with this new format, and I suggest that we move ahead with match-ups in this manner. We will do rediscussion (and fill in any gaps in the new format) after we have covered every character.

I will post the format in the character post, and slowly fill it up as the discussion continues. Once the format is complete, we will move onto the next character.


If anyone has any questions or complaints about the new format, feel free to post.

 

[TheZeroSuit]

Pikachu Summary

PIKACHU

Strengths:

• ZSS's light weight and Pikachu's slightly lighter weight result in a slight gap in survivability
• ZSS's has better aerial game with higher priority aerials.

Weaknesses:

• Pikachu's short size will result in missed attacks
• Pikachu has more options for recovery

Final Verdict:​

Matchup Advice:

• Exploiting Strengths:
  
  ...slight gap in survivability: The best way to exploit the weight advantage is to assure kills at the earliest percent and avoid getting gimped. Saving the B-Air for a solid kill at ~110-120% is ideal. Make sure to check the "How to Recover" section to avoid gimp kills as best you can. Another important factor is avoiding Pikachu's early kill moves, such as Thunder or F-Smash. Read the "Attacks to Look For" section for more in-depth information.
  
  ...better aerial game...: As with many match-ups, we have the aerial superiority. The advantage is not great however, so you will still need to be sharp in order to exploit this aerial advantage. Make sure to stick to tilts and throws that put your opponent above you and make sure to read the "In the Air" section for more details.
  
  
• Minimizing Weaknesses:
  
  ...short size...: Because Pikachu has such a short hitbox, ZSS will miss a lot of her higher attacks. This can occur when Pikachu is crouching or during attacks that place Pikachu in a crouched state (such as d-tilt, landing f-air, etc.). Try to avoid using moves like grab, U-Tilt, and Jab in such situations. Also, you will be unable to perform rising aerials on Pikachu as well as having a more difficult time with landing aerials.
  
  ...more options for recovery: Since Pikachu has so many options for recovery, it will be highly unlikely to get a gimp kill on him. Your best bet is to avoid edgeguard situations entirely. Read the "How to Recover" and "How to Edgeguard" sections for the how-to.
  
  
• Suitpiece Strategy:
  
  Under Construction
  
  
• Approach Alterations:
  
  Pikachu will probably not be spending to much time approaching you on the ground. As such, our normal keep-away game will be insufficient. Many Pikachu approaches will begin with a Thunderjolt. Make sure to know how to get around them, either with P.Shields or Aerials. In this match-up you will most likely rely much more on Aerials than your Side-B for appropriate spacing, since Thunderjolt will likely hit you out of your Side-B. Focus on punishing Pikachu for jumping or approaching, meanwhile avoiding Pikachu's Thunderjolts.
  
  
• In the Air:
  
  As stated, ZSS has the advantage in air combat. As usual, this does not apply when Pikachu is directly under us. Pikachu's U-Air is sufficiently fast and can combo into other aerials if you're not careful. If the Pikachu is beside or above you, you will be able to out-space all of his aerial options with U-Air or B-Air. If he is above you, watch for D-Airs (slow start-up time) and N-Airs (Fast, but not a very large hitbox). If he is beside you, look for F-Airs (multi-hit, don't be afraid to trade hits) and N-Airs. Pikachu really doesn't have any extended hitboxes below or behind him, so try to stay in those weaker areas.
  
  
• Attacks to Look for:
  • D-Smash
    
    Description: Pikachu spins on the ground, creating multiple hitboxes on either side. The last hitbox will hit you vertically upwards, leaving you at risk for a thunder kill. Since the hitboxes are relatively low to the ground, the D-Smash may shield spike you when your shield is severely weakened.
    
    How to Counter/Avoid: Shielding is your best option for the D-Smash since Pikachu has significant lag afterwards. You have enough time to D-Tilt or Dash Attack. Make sure to wait for all the hitboxes, it has a significant amount of them. If the Pikachu starts a D-Smash without you in the range, feel free to Side-B or D-Smash at the proper range.
    
    DI: 0° or 180°
    SDI: 90°
    
    
  • xxxx
    Description:
    How to Counter/Avoid:
    DI: 0°
    SDI: 0°
  
  
• How to Edgeguard:
  
  Going off stage to edgeguard Pikachu is a fruitless venture. Instead, wait on stage for Pikachu to grab the edge, and then try to predict his method of return from there. Pikachu's attack and stand from the ledge are relatively slow, so those options are generally unused. Look for rolls and jumps from the ledge and try to punish them with D-Smash or Aerials. Another option Pikachu's frequently use is Quick Attack from ledge. The weakness of this method is that Quick Attack severely increases Pikachu's hurtbox in weird ways. If timed properly, D-Smash will hit Pikachu out of his Quick Attack as well. This can lead to spikes, so make sure to watch for it!
  
  
• How to Recover:
  
  Recovering against Pikachu can be difficult since Pikachu has so much mobility off stage, and nearly limitless recovery. A frequent method of edgeguarding is thunders aimed just off stage beside the ledge. This will delay most people's recovery by creating danger along the edge. To avoid this, either tether quickly to the edge and reel in before Pikachu gets a chance, or use your Flipjump invincibility to travel through the Thunder safely. Of course, be watchful when going through the Thunder with Flipjump, as the Pikachu may be waiting on the other side to deal punishment with his N-Air. Another gimping tool is Pikachu's Thunderjolt. The angle of the projectile is good for gimping jumps from below the stage. The best option to counter these gimping methods is to simply recover high. A Thunder will hit you easier, but your avoidance method can't be punished as easily.
  
  
• Special Information:
  
  Pikachu has a F-Throw Chaingrab on ZSS from 0-47%. Of course, the stage will limit this Chaingrab significantly. Pikachu can also D-Throw Chaingrab ZSS at ~50% for a couple throws.
  
  

Counterpick Advice:

• Stages to Counter-pick:
• Stages to Avoid:

Pikachu Contributors:

xxxx​

Pikachu's Thread​

Old Information:

From Orion's:

Pikachu is small, fast, and can CG for a while. His fair traps you, and has very little after lag so he can hit you again. Thankfully Pikachu cannot kill very well. DI his d-smash holding UP and you will go flying to the side before it is done. Beware of high-up thunders around 70% and higher. Stun gun is a good way to deal with his QAC. (Quick-attack cancel)

>B has much more range than anything he has. Up-B can be cancelled out by his Dair, so don't be so quick to use it. Thunder-jolt can gimp your second jump making edgeguarding easy. Thankfully, Pikachu is very light, and dies at around 70% from a fresh >B, disregarding the fact that >B is usually never fresh (save when you respawn), and 80% or so from a big-height bair.

Continuing with the Tier List trend, let's move onto Pikachu. Remember, try to focus on answering the questions in the format!

 

[NickRiddle]

Wow, the information I wrote is so out-dated... I'll write up the matchup IMO when I wake up.

 

[FadedImage]

haha yeah, it's pretty bad. d:

It's weird, I actually alt Pikachu (for Falco), but I really don't have any idea how to play against one. Anyways, I'll try to post what I can tomorrow after Riddle steps up to the plate.

 

[ph00tbag]

Nair is your lifeline in this match-up. Nair will cut through t-jolt like a hot knife through butter, and go right on to slice up Pikachu as well. Any time Pika goes for a SH t-jolt, just nair, and you'll have a massive opening. Pikachu also leaves huge openings when doing full jumped t-jolt for Plasma Whip. If you predict a full jumped t-jolt, use Plasma Whip (you will hit if you space correctly, then just continue past the t-jolt. The result is that ZSS shuts down Pikachu's spam game, which means the rat has to rely on offense. This isn't such a bad thing for Pikachu, since he's no slouch on offense, but it means that ZSS has the defensive advantage, which is really useful.

Regardless, don't get hit. Pikachu is one of those rare characters that can actualy do some combos, and he'll uair u all dai if you let him. Get out of there ASAP, and continue to work the defensive angle until you can start a dazlock or land a dsmash.

Pikachus love dsmash, and with good reason. The move is difficult to punish on block and does massive damage. It is imperative in this match-up to learn to SDI up on dsmash. Otherwise you will take a ton of damage, and you will be perfectly set up for a Thunder. (You can usually airdodge or Flip Jump out of this combo, but it's better safe than sorry.)

SAVE YOUR KO MOVES. Pikachu is almost impossible to edgeguard, and won't be dieing until around 150-170% from anything if he's DIing and momentum canceling at all. Futhermore, his recovery is absolutely incredible. You can't just go out and gimp every time because he'll be spamming t-jolt, and he'll generally be at a good angle for them to hit. If you find an opening, go for it, but don't expose yourself too much, because Pikachu is perfectly suited to turn the tables here. For the most part, against good Pikas, I wait for them to recover, because he has an option for any edgeguard you can do. If you try to go offstage, he'll QAC onstage. If you stay onstage, he'll go for the ledge. I prefer my opponents on the ledge and me onstage rather than the other way around, so I usually don't edgeguard Pikas too aggressively.

On your recovery, be patient about getting on the stage. Pikachu will always cover the ledge with a Thunder if he has the time to set one up. It's best to wait the thunder out and just tether the ledge when it's done. Once you've done that, it's really a guessing game as to how he'll defend the stage. Guess right and you'll be back on stage. If you can manipulate him into trying to gimp you, that's even better, because your uair will be able to protect you. But be careful, because t-jolt eats ledgestalling for breakfast.

Overall, I think ZSS has a slight advantage simply because she can play defensive, and Pikachu can't, meaning she's got more options in a neutral setting. Basically, ZSS should get that initial advantage more often than Pikachu, and that will tip a match-up that's otherwise fairly balanced.

55:45 ZSS. 60:40 on a good day.