East
Crappy Imitation
Under Construction
Current Discussion: Throws
This is the project I've been working on for the past few months [on and (mostly) off], but now that the school year has started, I don't have as much time as I'd like to have, and I've reached a point in which doing it solely by myself is simply out of the questions. With that said, I have the format set up, and an outline, I just need you guys to help me fill it. Ideally I'd like to skip around topics [to keep things fresh], and take the discussions to form a complete entry in the guide. . What this needs is highly in-depth discussion about the topic. In order to form an amazing guide, we need to go the extra mile with our thinking, testing, and working. I have some of the things already filled in, however some of the information may be wrong or may need to be updated. That is where I hope the sheik community will come in and lend me a helping hand.
So far most of the information has been consolidated from various parts of the Sheik board, of which appropriate credit will be given once the guide is complete.
P.S. I need pictures of each move. If anyone has nothing else to do, I need at least 3 pictures of each move [Ideally one pic of the beginning of the move, one pic of about the middle of the move, and one pic of the end of the move.] If you can do this, PM me, so we can get started ASAP.
Key:
[Name of Move | Combo Starter! | Combo Finisher! | Advanced Technique!]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
Analysis of Sheik's Moves
Basic Ground Attacks
[Jab | Combo Starter!]
[Images Here]
- Sheik will slash forward with her hand twice. Holding or pressing A past that point will cause Sheik to begin a rapid slashing sequence that takes a bit of time to stop.
- Max Damage: 3% | Min Damage: 1%
- Startup: 1 Frame | Hit: Frame 2, 9, 22, Every 4 Frame After 22 | End Lag: 1st Two Jabs: 15 Frames / Rapid Jabs: 11 Frames
- Range: Short
Sheik's jab is decent all round, but is sadly neglected because of the omnipotent F Tilt. However, because of this moves sheer speed it still has uses. The single jab comes out frame 2, making it the fastest ground option [except ZSS' and Squirtle's jab] in the game. This of course opens up huge possibilities, if you're within jab range of your opponent (which is decent, and in fact outranges some grab ranges) and they aren't shielding you're going to hit them. Every other jab attribute is decent, in priority, range and damage [relative to other jabs].
For followups, the jab or second jab can be basically mixed up into anything. Full hop N Air, F Tilt, Grab and even D Tilt for a shield poke are all viable options. N Air comes out frame 2 and if you hit the shield then you're safe from punishment. F Tilt of course comes out frame 4 and...is F Tilt. D Tilt can leave you unshieldgrabbable to some characters, is easier to jab cancel into and can shield poke. Grab of course goes through shields, which is a common reaction to the jabs and leaves your opponent with very limited options.
Rapid Jabs is situational at best. If you're using it on stage then you should have a better option. However, Rapid Jabs IS good when:
1. Using it against a wall, basically stopping your opponent from DIing away and forcing them to DI upwards, which causes more damage and gives you a better chance of not being punished in cooldown.
2. When your opponent is off the stage and you are jab flurrying them on the edge. In this case it is possible to DI away from the rapid jabs but it forces them into a disadvantageous position.
[Dash Attack]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Up Tilt | Combo Finisher!]
[Image Here]
- Sheik kicks upward, and then swings her leg down for a second hit. The first hit has barely any knockback and typically leads directly into the second, which has pretty decent knockback. It probably won't combo, but it's useful to get your opponent off you or if your forward tilt won't combo into anything else.
- Max Damage: 13% [All Hits Connected] | Min Damage: 6%
- Startup: 4 Frames | Hit: Frame 5, 16| End Lag: 14 Frames
- Range: Short
Up Tilt is decent, but it's held back by an inherent flaw. The move has two distinct hits, the second of which often misses unless you space it optimally. This is only worsened if you're playing someone with good reactions, who's DI will lessen it's chance of hitting moreso, though this becomes less pronounced the larger the character. This double hitting feature also leaves it punishable on shield (well, so is virtually every move in Brawl, but it's more apparent). Every other aspect of Up Tilt is great however. It's Sheik's most damaging tilt, dont lose sight of the fact it's still very quick, comparing it relatively to Sheik's moveset is potentially misleading. It has a large hitbox with decent priority, its vertical range being particularly notable.
This makes it both a good anti-aerial move [character dependant] and it finds use as a platform "poker", if you want a quick option which hits through the platform [other alternatives are F Tilt and Up Smash, but Up Smash is slower and F Tilt only works on certain characters due to feet position]. Up Tilt in the lower percentages has a good trajectory for follow ups e.g. walk to F Tilt, but it's utility for "comboing" is lessened significantly the higher the damage. Because of Up Tilt's good damage and speed, it often finds its primary use in an F Tilt lock ender, being faster then N Air (jump frames) and doing good damage. When using it for this purpose, remember you can manipulate your opponent's position during the F Tilt so you can put it in the space which is most likely to double hit.
[Forward Tilt | Combo Starter!]
[Image Here]
- Sheik does a twirling kick. This is a really fast attack and has low to moderate knockback. It combos into more forward tilts, and can eventually combo into an aerial, a grab, or a smash attack. It'll probably never kill, but its knockback is amazing for comboing into something that does.
- Max Damage: 5%| Min Damage: 3%
- Startup: 4 Frames | Hit: Frame 5 | End Lag: 16 Frames
- Range: Short
F Tilt is Sheik's best move and not even by a small margin. Every aspect of it is good. It's range covers a wide area in front of her with good reach (note, outranges your grab, consider it therefore OOS) making F Tilt a good anti aerial move along with U Tilt and as a general defensive manouver, it has the lowest cooldown of all Sheik's tilts, it hits frame 5, but above all else is it's knockback.
Dependant on character fall speed, their percentage, your opponent's DI and the F Tilt's decay, F Tilt always has a response of some form. Putting two and two together with the low cooldown, low knockback and fast speed, Sheik can chain F Tilts in an F Tilt lock. F Tilt in the right circumstances (these aren't that specific) combo's into itself for an extended number of moves. Think of it as a CG, but it's easier to hit with. When your opponent eventually can DI out, dependant on how they did it, Sheik has a number of F Tilt lock finishers (usually N Air, U Tilt, grab, D Smash or U Smash). Another slightly less reliable option is jabs, which will "bring down" the person for an F Tilt again, the jab can be SDI'd away but it comes out so fast it's not likely.Without certain decay, characters with very fast attacks have responses e.g. Marth and Bowser's frame 1 invincibility B Up's, but it will still true combo in the right circumstances. If the decay's not right, it's best to finish these early (around two F Tilts). Here's a good explanation of F Tilt's decay dependant on matchup.
The last sentence is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHeaLSnaFqI, which happens because of their fall speed.Ankoku said:
The other very important aspect of this move is that it can lead, under the correct circumstances. directly into the tipper U Smash on all characters. Because of this, played correctly, Sheik doesn't have a killing problem whatsoever, in fact she's good at it.
[Down Tilt]
[Image Here]
- Sheik does a sweeping kick underneath. Has a little less knockback than the forward tilt. Mostly just used this for mix-ups during shield pressure.
- Max Damage: 8% | Min Damage: 4%
- Startup: 4| Hit: 5| End Lag: 24
- Range: Short
D Tilt is mediocre, primarily because any time you'd use it, there's usually a better option. Coming out frame 5, it's still a quick move (it's easy to forget how quick frame 5 is when relative to other Sheik moves) but ending at frame 29, it's fatal flaw is in it's punishability on cooldown. There are however ways to lessen this punishability, one strange aspect of the move being it's large hitbox at the end of the foot, making it pseudo-disjointed and difficult to punish on shield. Connection to shield becomes rarer still because of the height of the move, making it a semi-effective shield stabber. You can also crawl backwards with this move and create a minor form of spacing (credit RyokoYaksa).
The fact that this is Sheik's immediate option out of crawl and allows her to stay low to the ground during the entire move also gives this move unique situations where it works over F Tilt. The duck can keep Sheik completely safe from some aerial hitboxes e.g. DDD's B Air, meaning D Tilt can situationally work very effectively as an anti-air move. This same property can actually make it a good followup out of F Tilt lock against some near instant aerials e.g. Luigi's N Air. The crouching motion also makes it easy to use out of jab cancel (one of it's best uses).
Upon contact, D Tilt has a good knockback trajectory, reasonably vertical and quite weak. This allows the D Tilt a decent followup from virtually any percentage. At low to middle percentages, D Tilt can situationally (under the correct decay and enemy percent) combo into itself and lead into any other ground option, though F Tilt will almost always be your most rewarding. At higher percentages, D Tilt becomes quite easy to follow up with F/N/U Air, it's not unescapable but you can always bait the airdodge if they react, infact if they do anything other then double jump immediately you can punish it.
Aerial Attacks
[Neutral Air | Combo Finisher!]
[Image Here]
- A very fast aerial with decent range. It also has pretty strong knockback, but only in the beginning part of the attack. There are two different hits. The beginning of the attack does more damage and has more knockback than hitting with it later.
- [Strong Max Damage: 13% | Strong Min Damage: 7%] [Weak Max Damage: 5% | Weak Min Damage: 3%]
- Startup: 2 Frames| Hit: Frame 3| End Lag: 46 Frames
- Range: Short
Summary
[Up Air]
[Image Here]
- Fast, and has good range above Sheik. This attack now decays in power similar to neutral- air and back- air, in that the immediate strong hit can be devastating but the late weak hit barely has any knockback. Obviously, this attack sends the opponent upward.
- [Strong Max Damage: 11% | Strong Min Damage: 6%] [Weak Max Damage: 6% | Weak Min Damage: 3%]
- Startup: 3 Frames| Hit: Frame 4| End Lag: 35 Frames
- Range: Short
Summary
[Forward Air]
[Image Here]
- A decently fast aerial with little lag. Unlike Melee, this move won't kill often. It has extremely low base knockback, though it will be able to kill at around 150%. You're better off using this for spacing or shield pressure, really.
- Max Damage: 9%| Min Damage: 5%
- Startup: 4 Frames | Hit: Frame 5| End Lag: 28 Frames
- Range: Short
Summary
[Down Air]
[Image Here]
- Sheik pauses in the air, then shoots down. It's her only aerial that has a laggy startup and laggy landing. A hit pops them up into the air, too.
- Max Damage: 10%| Min Damage: 5%
- Startup: 14 Frames| Hit: Frame 15| End Lag: 34 Frames
- Range: Medium
Summary
[Back Air]
[Image Here]
- A decently fast aerial with good range and little lag. This move has about as much knockback as the neutral- air, but only if you connect with the tip of her outstretched foot. Since it's got good range and can be spammed, though, this will probably be your best edgeguarding attack.
- [Strong Max Damage: 12% | Min Damage: 6%] [Weak Max Damage: 6% | Weak Min Damage: 3%]
- Startup: 3 Frames| Hit: Frame 4| End Lag: 33 Frames
- Range: Short
Summary
Smash Attacks
[Up Smash | Combo Finisher! | Advanced Technique!]
[Image Here]
- Fast, and has good range above Sheik. This attack now decays in power similar to neutral- air and back- air, in that the immediate strong hit can be devastating but the late weak hit barely has any knockback. Obviously, this attack sends the opponent upward.
- [Strong Max Damage: 11% | Strong Min Damage: 6%] [Weak Max Damage: 6% | Weak Min Damage: 3%]
- Startup: 3 Frames| Hit: Frame 4| End Lag: 35 Frames
- Range: Short
Summary
[Forward Smash]
[Image Here]
- A decently fast aerial with little lag. Unlike Melee, this move won't kill often. It has extremely low base knockback, though it will be able to kill at around 150%. You're better off using this for spacing or shield pressure, really.
- Max Damage: 9%| Min Damage: 5%
- Startup: 4 Frames | Hit: Frame 5| End Lag: 28 Frames
- Range: Short
Summary
[Down Smash]
[Image Here]
- Sheik pauses in the air, then shoots down. It's her only aerial that has a laggy startup and laggy landing. A hit pops them up into the air, too.
- Max Damage: 10%| Min Damage: 5%
- Startup: 14 Frames| Hit: Frame 15| End Lag: 34 Frames
- Range: Medium
Summary
Throws
[Grab Pummel]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Up Throw]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Forward Throw]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Down Throw]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Back Throw]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
Get Up Attacks
[Ledge Attack < 100]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Ledge Attack > 100]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Normal Get-Up Attack]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Get-Up Attack From Trip]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
Specials Attacks
[Needles [Neutral B]]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Code:
Mario's Fireball Goes Through
Mario's F.L.U.D.D Goes Through
Luigi's Fireball Goes Through
Fox's Laser Goes Through
Falco's Laser Goes Through
Link's Arrows Goes Through
Link's Boomerang Goes Through
Link's Bombs Clash 2 Needles Destroy
Bowser's Fire Goes Through
Peach's Turnips Goes Through
Wolf's Blaster Goes Through
Zelda's Din Fire Goes Through
Ness's PK Fire Clash 1 Needle Clash
Ness's PK Thunder Goes Through
Lucas' PK Fire Clash 1 Needle Clash
Lucas' PK Thunder Goes Through
Samus' Charge Beam Goes Through
Samus' Missles Goes Through
Samus' Zair Goes Through
Zamus' Stun Gun Goes Through
Zamus' Forward B Goes Through
Olimar's Red Pikman Clash 3 Needles Destroy
Olimar's Blue Pikman Clash 3 Needles Destroy
Olimar's Yellow Pikman Clash 3 Needles Destroy
Olimar's White Pikman Clash 2 Needles Destroy
Olimar's Purple Pikman Clash 4 Needles Destroy
Toon Link's Arrows Goes Through
Toon Link's Boomerang Goes Through
Toon Link's Bombs Clash 2 Needles Destroy
Toon Link's Zair Goes Through
Diddy Kong's Bananas Goes Through
Diddy Kong's Peanut Gun Clash 1 Needle Destroy
DeDeDe's Waddle Dees Clash
DeDeDe's Waddle Doos Clash
DeDeDe's Spiky Clash
DeDeDe's Hammer Goes Through
Pikachu's Thundershock Goes Through
Pikachu's Thunderbolt Goes Through
Lucario's Aurashpere Goes Through
Lucario's Aura Goes Through
Squirtle's Watergun Goes Through
Ivysaur's Razorleaf Goes Through
Ivysaur's Bulletseed Goes Through
Charizard's Flamethrower Goes Through
Charizard's Rocksmash Goes Through
Ice Climber's Ice Block Clash
Ice Climber's Blizzard Goes Through
Pit's Arrows Goes Through
Snake's Grenades Clash 1 Needle Destroy
Snakes Nikita Clash
Game & Watch's Stirfry Goes Through
R.O.B.'s Top Clash
R.O.B.'s Lasers Goes Through
Yoshi's Eggs Goes Through
Yoshi's Rollout Clash 1 Needle Destroy[Vanish [Up B] | Advanced Technique!]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Chain [Side B] | Advanced Technique!]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
[Transform [Down B]]
[Image Here]
- Description
- Max Damage: | Min Damage:
- Startup: | Hit: | End Lag:
- Range
Summary
Offensive Maneuvers
Approaching
Forward Tilt
Killing is a *****
Defensive Maneuvers
Spacing and Junk
Needle ****
Bait & Punish
Running the **** Away: Evasion Tactics
You Must Recover! AT 400 PERCENT!!!
Ninja Tricksies: Sheik's Advanced Techniques
Needles Techs
Needle Glide [Aka B Boosting, Needle Boosting] -- Charging Sheik's needles when quickly approaching a ledge will force her to decend quickly while charging her needles. You may or may not choose to roll upon contact with the ground, but the end result is similar to a cross between the Vanish Glide and a Wavedash-drop.
To perform, dash towards a ledge [you can do this from any point - even from the teetering animation] and just as Sheik is about to fall off the side, hit B once. Sheik will begin to charge her needles and gain some horizontal momentum. You can use this simply to decend from platform to platform, or to dodge incoming attacks.
It should be noted that like the Vanish Glide, you can choose how far you want to go. By hitting down as you approach the edge and waiting before you hit B [while Sheik is still ducking], you will just slide right off the edge vertically downwards. Sheik actually does fall faster when you do this, which makes it useful for edgeguarding.
This technique can also be done in reverse. Hit backwards on the joystick when you would usually press B to B-Boost. Sheik will turn around and stop on the edge just for a second. Press B at this point and she will do a reversed B-Boost. From here you can choose to shoot needles underneath the stage or jump and B-air.
Needle Pull -- Whenever you are very close to your opponent, shooting needles will pull them towards you. This works because of the animation Sheik throws the needles, they won't hit until they are on the back of the opponents hurtbox, knocking them toward you. This is also why farther away, needles will turn an opponent around randomly.
To perform stand with your back foot on the very very edge of the stage. When your opponent is so close to you that you're practically touching, shoot out your full NeedleStorm.
The "back fire" will shove you off, and you will grab the ledge. Your opponent will fall past you.
A couple of other things can happen. You can decide what you want. If they're REALLY close to you, you will grab the ledge and they will be pulled into the place where they would teeter just by turning around.
If they're in that place where they would teeter already, you can dodge behind them, and when you fire your needles, no matter how many, you will fall off the side.
When you're on a platform in say, Battlefield, things are a little different. Rolling to the edge and firing one needle will cause only you to fall. Standing near the edge and firing one needle will pull you both to the ground below. When this happens, your opponents fall has a footstool effect. You can fire two seperate single needles after the fall until they get up.
I found it easier to run up to them and shoot your needles, however many you have, just as you come into contact with them. A similar effect happens, but it's hard to get them to fall doing it like this. However, since this works from the air, you can just jump at them if they're on a platform.
General Needle Tricks -- When charging the needles, you can dodge immediately, lag free, upon contact with the ground, just by pressing left or right.
Needles have enough power to divert homing missles but not detonate. Very situational, but may be useful against Samus players.
A single needle used close to an enemy will turn them around.
To perform, dash towards a ledge [you can do this from any point - even from the teetering animation] and just as Sheik is about to fall off the side, hit B once. Sheik will begin to charge her needles and gain some horizontal momentum. You can use this simply to decend from platform to platform, or to dodge incoming attacks.
It should be noted that like the Vanish Glide, you can choose how far you want to go. By hitting down as you approach the edge and waiting before you hit B [while Sheik is still ducking], you will just slide right off the edge vertically downwards. Sheik actually does fall faster when you do this, which makes it useful for edgeguarding.
This technique can also be done in reverse. Hit backwards on the joystick when you would usually press B to B-Boost. Sheik will turn around and stop on the edge just for a second. Press B at this point and she will do a reversed B-Boost. From here you can choose to shoot needles underneath the stage or jump and B-air.
Needle Pull -- Whenever you are very close to your opponent, shooting needles will pull them towards you. This works because of the animation Sheik throws the needles, they won't hit until they are on the back of the opponents hurtbox, knocking them toward you. This is also why farther away, needles will turn an opponent around randomly.
To perform stand with your back foot on the very very edge of the stage. When your opponent is so close to you that you're practically touching, shoot out your full NeedleStorm.
The "back fire" will shove you off, and you will grab the ledge. Your opponent will fall past you.
A couple of other things can happen. You can decide what you want. If they're REALLY close to you, you will grab the ledge and they will be pulled into the place where they would teeter just by turning around.
If they're in that place where they would teeter already, you can dodge behind them, and when you fire your needles, no matter how many, you will fall off the side.
When you're on a platform in say, Battlefield, things are a little different. Rolling to the edge and firing one needle will cause only you to fall. Standing near the edge and firing one needle will pull you both to the ground below. When this happens, your opponents fall has a footstool effect. You can fire two seperate single needles after the fall until they get up.
I found it easier to run up to them and shoot your needles, however many you have, just as you come into contact with them. A similar effect happens, but it's hard to get them to fall doing it like this. However, since this works from the air, you can just jump at them if they're on a platform.
General Needle Tricks -- When charging the needles, you can dodge immediately, lag free, upon contact with the ground, just by pressing left or right.
Needles have enough power to divert homing missles but not detonate. Very situational, but may be useful against Samus players.
A single needle used close to an enemy will turn them around.
Vanish Techs
Vanish Wind -- Vanish creates a huge amount of outward "wind." It's enough to completely negate Vanish's knockback and it'll push people away from you normally when you reappear.
The "Wind" at the end of the move can be used to push lighter characters like Kirby, Jigglypuff, Luigi or Mario who are at the edge, off the stage from quite a distance. It can also be used more practically to shove a Up-B Charging, edge-guarding Link. [Courtesy of slickmasterizzy] You can then charge your D-smash, which is difficult to escape from.
You can use the Wind to shove recovering opponents away from the ledge. With characters like DeDeDe, if you're at the right place at the right time, you can shove them away from the ledge, and they will fall to their doom. I haven't tested, but it may also work in a similar way for Link/Tink/Zss/Sheik/GW d-airs.
More importantly, you can use the Wind to give characters a significant boost, sort of like a mini-Gale Boomerang. Pit doing a Forward B, for example, will shoot right off the edge of the stage. If you can drop down before he finishes the move, and realises what happened, you may be able to KO from VERY low percentages.
The Wind is capable of outprioritizing certain attacks, for example, Luigi's fireball.
Vanish Catch -- At certain percentages, Wind will "catch" an opponent who is flying away quickly. There is a brief stun period where Sheik can perform a quick Smash attack before the opponent has a chance to flee.
If you are able to position your Vanish so that when you re-appear, you are where your newly-flying opponent will be, Sheik will "catch" them forcing either a change in direction or a stop in momentum. They are unable to use any B-moves until they contact the ground or after the "stun" wears off. Depending on when you reappear, you will control which way the Wind knocks the opponent.
Tested on Mario:
0% - ~30% : No contact.
~30% - ~120 : Momentum reversed
~120% - ~190 : Momentum cancelled
~200+% : Continue forwards
[Opponents tend to move at 45 degree angles, in the opposite direction to which Sheik is located in relation to them.]
The higher the percentage, the longer the stun. Off the stage, this means they will fall for quite some time before they are able to recover. Either way, this allows you to do any move at your disposal. Ergo, You can KO with a Forward Smash from the side of the stage at percentages that wouldn't kill with a Vanish attack. This is also a GREAT tool for team setups.
Best used:
1. When recovering from below the stage. Vanish so that you strike your opponent towards the ledge. Sheik will appear at the ledge before they do, and the Wind will push them back away from the stage.
2. On the ground, after catching your opponent, immediately do a D-Smash, F-Smash, or any other of Sheik's quick attacks.
Vanish Glide -- First discovered back in the Melee days, Sheik's Vanish, when used close to an edge, will ignore the barrier between ground and air, and transfer her horizontal momentum off the stage. Though now often regarded as a flashy technique, it is nonetheless a tool for edgeguarding and KO'ing simultaneously with Sheik.
When running towards the edge of a stage, perform the Vanish attack anywhere from 1 to 2 character lengths away from the edge. The later you perform the move, the farther Sheik will travel. Once you have left the ground, hold towards the stage so Sheik can recover.
Vanish Glides can be done without a run up. Just stand at the edge, facing outwards, and move the control stick forward then immediately roll it straight up. Depending on how far/slowly you tilt the control stick left or right, you can decide how far you want to fly away from the edge. For example, on a edge-hogger on the right side of FD, I would tilt it slowly forwards, and then roll it upwards quickly to hit them and then hold left to grab the ledge before they get the change. On the other hand, I would tap it to the extreme right and then up to fly out for a recovering opponent.
This is identical to the vanish glide. It's just a way of doing it quicker and easier to control, since it is a little hard to accurately judge how far you will fly if you run up to the edge. Using the technique above, you can do a Vanish Glide Fakeout by JUST tapping right or left enough to move Sheik off the edge. She will spin like she usually does, but instead of exploding she'll just grab the ledge. As long as you don't hold DIRECTLY towards the ledge, you can still have Sheik explode.
The vanish glide also comes in another variation for tight edgeguarding. Instead of using the momentum from Sheik's run, the momentum from a roll is used instead. This does not send sheik very far, if anywhere at all. To perform this variation known as the edge glide, teeter on the edge, roll back, take a step forward and then roll toward the ledge. At the right time, you should perform the vanish, and Sheik will float slightly off of the edge, and explode, moving in the direction of your choosing. After you get this a few time, you should be able to eyeball the distance for rolling forward into the edge.
General Vanish Techniques -- When standing next to an opponent at the edge of the stage, with Sheik being the closer one to the edge of the stage, she will perform a psuedo-Vanish Glide without having to move. Simply press Up+B and she will slip off the side, adjacent to the ledge and then explode - It is similar to doing a Vanish Glide very early. You can grab the ledge if you want to from there after you reappear. Basically, this is just a ledge-stall from above.
You can use Vanish near ANY explosive item to detonate it without taking any damage. This includes Snakes D-Smash. Snake's C4 is the only explosive device that is impervious.
With the proper timing, you can hold on to an explosive, like Snake's Grenade, and Vanish towards an opponent. From when Sheik "explodes" to when the white light fades after she re-appears, she will be invincible. Timing the Vanish so that the item explodes during this time frame will allow you to recover from landing-lag and attack before your opponent recovers from the explosion.
The "Wind" at the end of the move can be used to push lighter characters like Kirby, Jigglypuff, Luigi or Mario who are at the edge, off the stage from quite a distance. It can also be used more practically to shove a Up-B Charging, edge-guarding Link. [Courtesy of slickmasterizzy] You can then charge your D-smash, which is difficult to escape from.
You can use the Wind to shove recovering opponents away from the ledge. With characters like DeDeDe, if you're at the right place at the right time, you can shove them away from the ledge, and they will fall to their doom. I haven't tested, but it may also work in a similar way for Link/Tink/Zss/Sheik/GW d-airs.
More importantly, you can use the Wind to give characters a significant boost, sort of like a mini-Gale Boomerang. Pit doing a Forward B, for example, will shoot right off the edge of the stage. If you can drop down before he finishes the move, and realises what happened, you may be able to KO from VERY low percentages.
The Wind is capable of outprioritizing certain attacks, for example, Luigi's fireball.
Vanish Catch -- At certain percentages, Wind will "catch" an opponent who is flying away quickly. There is a brief stun period where Sheik can perform a quick Smash attack before the opponent has a chance to flee.
If you are able to position your Vanish so that when you re-appear, you are where your newly-flying opponent will be, Sheik will "catch" them forcing either a change in direction or a stop in momentum. They are unable to use any B-moves until they contact the ground or after the "stun" wears off. Depending on when you reappear, you will control which way the Wind knocks the opponent.
Tested on Mario:
0% - ~30% : No contact.
~30% - ~120 : Momentum reversed
~120% - ~190 : Momentum cancelled
~200+% : Continue forwards
[Opponents tend to move at 45 degree angles, in the opposite direction to which Sheik is located in relation to them.]
The higher the percentage, the longer the stun. Off the stage, this means they will fall for quite some time before they are able to recover. Either way, this allows you to do any move at your disposal. Ergo, You can KO with a Forward Smash from the side of the stage at percentages that wouldn't kill with a Vanish attack. This is also a GREAT tool for team setups.
Best used:
1. When recovering from below the stage. Vanish so that you strike your opponent towards the ledge. Sheik will appear at the ledge before they do, and the Wind will push them back away from the stage.
2. On the ground, after catching your opponent, immediately do a D-Smash, F-Smash, or any other of Sheik's quick attacks.
Vanish Glide -- First discovered back in the Melee days, Sheik's Vanish, when used close to an edge, will ignore the barrier between ground and air, and transfer her horizontal momentum off the stage. Though now often regarded as a flashy technique, it is nonetheless a tool for edgeguarding and KO'ing simultaneously with Sheik.
When running towards the edge of a stage, perform the Vanish attack anywhere from 1 to 2 character lengths away from the edge. The later you perform the move, the farther Sheik will travel. Once you have left the ground, hold towards the stage so Sheik can recover.
Vanish Glides can be done without a run up. Just stand at the edge, facing outwards, and move the control stick forward then immediately roll it straight up. Depending on how far/slowly you tilt the control stick left or right, you can decide how far you want to fly away from the edge. For example, on a edge-hogger on the right side of FD, I would tilt it slowly forwards, and then roll it upwards quickly to hit them and then hold left to grab the ledge before they get the change. On the other hand, I would tap it to the extreme right and then up to fly out for a recovering opponent.
This is identical to the vanish glide. It's just a way of doing it quicker and easier to control, since it is a little hard to accurately judge how far you will fly if you run up to the edge. Using the technique above, you can do a Vanish Glide Fakeout by JUST tapping right or left enough to move Sheik off the edge. She will spin like she usually does, but instead of exploding she'll just grab the ledge. As long as you don't hold DIRECTLY towards the ledge, you can still have Sheik explode.
The vanish glide also comes in another variation for tight edgeguarding. Instead of using the momentum from Sheik's run, the momentum from a roll is used instead. This does not send sheik very far, if anywhere at all. To perform this variation known as the edge glide, teeter on the edge, roll back, take a step forward and then roll toward the ledge. At the right time, you should perform the vanish, and Sheik will float slightly off of the edge, and explode, moving in the direction of your choosing. After you get this a few time, you should be able to eyeball the distance for rolling forward into the edge.
General Vanish Techniques -- When standing next to an opponent at the edge of the stage, with Sheik being the closer one to the edge of the stage, she will perform a psuedo-Vanish Glide without having to move. Simply press Up+B and she will slip off the side, adjacent to the ledge and then explode - It is similar to doing a Vanish Glide very early. You can grab the ledge if you want to from there after you reappear. Basically, this is just a ledge-stall from above.
You can use Vanish near ANY explosive item to detonate it without taking any damage. This includes Snakes D-Smash. Snake's C4 is the only explosive device that is impervious.
With the proper timing, you can hold on to an explosive, like Snake's Grenade, and Vanish towards an opponent. From when Sheik "explodes" to when the white light fades after she re-appears, she will be invincible. Timing the Vanish so that the item explodes during this time frame will allow you to recover from landing-lag and attack before your opponent recovers from the explosion.
Chain Techs
Chain Lock -- The Chain Lock [Pictured Left] is simply a technique that uses the chain to shield stab, punish spotdodging, and quickly rack up damage. The multiple hits from the chain literally eats away at shields and traps in the opponent momentarily in a series of rapid chain hits before being knocked away by the tip.
The Chain Lock can also be done behind Sheik, dubbed the "Reverse Chain Lock" [Pictured Right]. The Reverse Chain Lock works the same way, but your back is facing the enemy. This setup causes the tip of the chain to knock the enemy back into the Chain instead of away. Sheiks slides forward during the chain lock, making it more of a true lock as the enemy will be trapped until they can DI out of it.
The chainlock doesn't need to be a down and down [direction] motion. You could do it between any two points, like downforward+forward, or even forward+upforward for larger characters. However, this can only be done infront of Sheik. Reverse chainlocks don't work this way.
This will allow you to do weaker version of the lock from a farther distance. By weaker, I mean that it is easier to escape, since it is harder to maintain a steady flow of hits, and it is more likely that the tip will connect, thus breaking the lock.
You can chainlock someone that is behind you by going between South-SouthEast, SouthEast and East-SouthEast, assuming you're facing West. By hitting them with the end of the chain [by quickly tapping towards them], at low percentages, it will knock them infront of you where you can chainlock again. This works beautifully on certain large, recovering characters like C. Falcon or Ganondorf who are unable to do anything after their third jump.
When doing the reverse chainlock, you will slide forwards in the direction Sheik is facing at a moderate pace, like walking. Since the chainlock has a tendancy to push the opponent infront of Sheik, you should be able to hold them longer.
I found an easier way to get the lock to work. If you face the opposite direction and sweetspot them with the chain from BEHIND, no matter how far they are, it will pull them into the perfect position for the reverse chainlock. Like Zelda's Nayru's Love, it will always knock them the way Sheik is facing. [It is believed that this works better than the original chainlock because you are moving, and thus the hitbox gets a larger range. I don't know for sure though, since I don't have anyone to test it on.]
Chain Jacket -- By performing the Chain Jacket, you can infuse the knockback of ANY Sheik move into the chain hits. So if you do a D-Smash Chain Jacket, each time the Chain hits the enemy, they'll be struck with the knockback and damage of a D-Smash.
WARNING!!: Make SURE you have attacked at least three times before attempting the jacket. Failure in doing so will result in a highly annoying buzz and a game crash. As far as I know, this won't damage your system, but you will have to reset the game.
In Order to Perform: Perform the move you would like to Jacket onto the Chain. It does NOT need to hit someone. Perform a short hop and deploy the Chain JUST after you reach the apex of the hop. This does NOT have to be done immediately after Step 1. If done correctly, you should see the Chain deploy "dust" come out about or slightly below Sheik's shoulders. It is also accompanied by a lower pitched Chain deploy sound. Your Chain is now jacketed until you retract it.
You can chain-jacket attacks, specials, throws, and even certain items.
If a move has two hitboxes [i.e. Strong B-Air vs. Soft B-Air], the Chain Jacket will adopt the last hitbox. For example, if you performed a B-Air, and fast-falled it before the weak hitbox took place, you will Jacket the strong hit. If you full jump the B-Air and let it complete before landing, you will Jacket the soft B-Air.
The chain will behave like whichever move is being jacketed. A similar priority attack will "clash" and the chain will retreat.
General Chain Techs -- A chain, held down, from above an opponent can break a smash attack from a safe distance. This only works downwards because the chain will sort of "snap" into a stiff vertical column. Not the most useful move, but if you pull it out by accident and don't have time to fix the problem...
I'll post this in the form of a heroic couplet.
If you hold B while trying to tether,
Sheik will ignore the ledge all together.
~Sinking Higher
The Chain Lock can also be done behind Sheik, dubbed the "Reverse Chain Lock" [Pictured Right]. The Reverse Chain Lock works the same way, but your back is facing the enemy. This setup causes the tip of the chain to knock the enemy back into the Chain instead of away. Sheiks slides forward during the chain lock, making it more of a true lock as the enemy will be trapped until they can DI out of it.
The chainlock doesn't need to be a down and down [direction] motion. You could do it between any two points, like downforward+forward, or even forward+upforward for larger characters. However, this can only be done infront of Sheik. Reverse chainlocks don't work this way.
This will allow you to do weaker version of the lock from a farther distance. By weaker, I mean that it is easier to escape, since it is harder to maintain a steady flow of hits, and it is more likely that the tip will connect, thus breaking the lock.
You can chainlock someone that is behind you by going between South-SouthEast, SouthEast and East-SouthEast, assuming you're facing West. By hitting them with the end of the chain [by quickly tapping towards them], at low percentages, it will knock them infront of you where you can chainlock again. This works beautifully on certain large, recovering characters like C. Falcon or Ganondorf who are unable to do anything after their third jump.
When doing the reverse chainlock, you will slide forwards in the direction Sheik is facing at a moderate pace, like walking. Since the chainlock has a tendancy to push the opponent infront of Sheik, you should be able to hold them longer.
I found an easier way to get the lock to work. If you face the opposite direction and sweetspot them with the chain from BEHIND, no matter how far they are, it will pull them into the perfect position for the reverse chainlock. Like Zelda's Nayru's Love, it will always knock them the way Sheik is facing. [It is believed that this works better than the original chainlock because you are moving, and thus the hitbox gets a larger range. I don't know for sure though, since I don't have anyone to test it on.]
Chain Guard -- Using the chainlock against certain characters that are recovering from below the stage can permanently stunt their recovery for an easy KO. This is done simply by deploying the chain so a portion of it hangs over the ledge and continually performing a chainlock.
To Perform: Get the opponent below the stage, probably using a D-smash, f-air or aerial needles, Approach the ledge quickly, Deploy the Chain, Initiate Chainlock motion. Be advised some characters can overcome this or have recoveries that can hit you from below the stage. Use your own judgement to know where you should be when chainguarding.
To Perform: Get the opponent below the stage, probably using a D-smash, f-air or aerial needles, Approach the ledge quickly, Deploy the Chain, Initiate Chainlock motion. Be advised some characters can overcome this or have recoveries that can hit you from below the stage. Use your own judgement to know where you should be when chainguarding.
Chain Jacket -- By performing the Chain Jacket, you can infuse the knockback of ANY Sheik move into the chain hits. So if you do a D-Smash Chain Jacket, each time the Chain hits the enemy, they'll be struck with the knockback and damage of a D-Smash.
WARNING!!: Make SURE you have attacked at least three times before attempting the jacket. Failure in doing so will result in a highly annoying buzz and a game crash. As far as I know, this won't damage your system, but you will have to reset the game.
In Order to Perform: Perform the move you would like to Jacket onto the Chain. It does NOT need to hit someone. Perform a short hop and deploy the Chain JUST after you reach the apex of the hop. This does NOT have to be done immediately after Step 1. If done correctly, you should see the Chain deploy "dust" come out about or slightly below Sheik's shoulders. It is also accompanied by a lower pitched Chain deploy sound. Your Chain is now jacketed until you retract it.
You can chain-jacket attacks, specials, throws, and even certain items.
If a move has two hitboxes [i.e. Strong B-Air vs. Soft B-Air], the Chain Jacket will adopt the last hitbox. For example, if you performed a B-Air, and fast-falled it before the weak hitbox took place, you will Jacket the strong hit. If you full jump the B-Air and let it complete before landing, you will Jacket the soft B-Air.
The chain will behave like whichever move is being jacketed. A similar priority attack will "clash" and the chain will retreat.
General Chain Techs -- A chain, held down, from above an opponent can break a smash attack from a safe distance. This only works downwards because the chain will sort of "snap" into a stiff vertical column. Not the most useful move, but if you pull it out by accident and don't have time to fix the problem...
I'll post this in the form of a heroic couplet.
If you hold B while trying to tether,
Sheik will ignore the ledge all together.
~Sinking Higher
A-Input Techs
DACUS / Boost Smash -- "DACUS" stands for Dash Attack Cancelled Up Smash, which perfectly describes this technique. There are a limited number of characters within the cast of the game that can perform this; however, let it be known that Sheik's has the smallest timing window to cancel the Dash Attack [3 Frames] into an Up Smash, making it the most difficult DACUS to perform.
The DACUS, or "Boost Smash" is basically a sliding Up Smash that allows the character to cover large distances. This can be very handy when trying to get a surprise kill very quickly. The DACUS is also a very punishable as well, and a failed attempt whether through a missed hit or failed input sequence could net you eating damage from your opponent.
The move itself is very very simple. The timing is ridiculous. It stands for Dash Attack Cancelled into Up Smash. It's pretty clear how to do it from that. There are many ways to do this, but ultimately it all boils down to your Tap Jump and controller configuration preferences. I'll cover them all below.
The DACUS, or "Boost Smash" is basically a sliding Up Smash that allows the character to cover large distances. This can be very handy when trying to get a surprise kill very quickly. The DACUS is also a very punishable as well, and a failed attempt whether through a missed hit or failed input sequence could net you eating damage from your opponent.
The move itself is very very simple. The timing is ridiculous. It stands for Dash Attack Cancelled into Up Smash. It's pretty clear how to do it from that. There are many ways to do this, but ultimately it all boils down to your Tap Jump and controller configuration preferences. I'll cover them all below.
- Tap Jump ON, Default Configuration
This is what you do. It helps to think of it as a 1, 2, 3, 4 motion.
1. Forward
2. C-stick Down
3. A
4. Up.
It is crucial that you press A before you press up, otherwise you will find yourself doing aerials.
While your left thumb rotates the joy stick from Forward to Up, your right hand hit's C-stick Down and A.
As soon as Sheik begins the Dash Attack, input the Up Smash. You have BARELY half a second to do it. Timing is everything here [And for a mommeennttt the worrllddd disappears. And maybe if you're luckkyyy..... Anyway....]
Practice practice practice. You have to pretty much hit Cstick Down and A at the same time, and A and Up at the same time, yet it has to be 3 different inputs.
- Alternate Configuration
The most popular alternate configuration I know of is simply to set Z to "Attack" and either L, R, X, or Y (whichever one you don't use) to Grab.
Assuming Z is now attack, all that happens now is:
1. Forward
2. Z
3. Up
4. A.
You can change the configuration to whatever you want. Hell, you can change every button. The only thing that matters is that two different buttons are set to attack.
1. Forward
2. Whatever makes you dash attack.
3. Whatever makes you attack.
4. Up.
However, some might say that in Sheik's instance, 2, 3, and 4 could just be one step.
!
