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Ridley Matchup Discussion Week#2

Gleam

Smash Ace
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I wanted to create a topic specifically for discussing the different matchups Ridley has among the cast. What are his advantages, disadvantages, the best way to approach each fight and the overall view of whether the match is in Ridley's favor or not. Since there's such a wide variety of characters and even more along the way, I'd like to spend about a week on three characters at a time starting in alphabetical order.

You can discuss anything you want on whatever characters are currently being discussed. After a week, I'll get an overview posted on the front page. I'll also keep things edited for anything new that might come up.


CHARACTER MATCHUP WEEK #2 :ultfalcon::ultcloud::ultcorrin:

#1.) Bayonetta:ultbayonetta:
- Platforms can be abused by both, but overall I'd say Ridley edges out wanting a stage that allows keep-away (Bayo needs to play close range more, meanwhile Ridley doesn't mind switching up close and mid range) while also giving him an easier time landing. Bayo obviously can juggle Ridley's massive hurtbox for days, so being able to retreat with moves like N-air and fireballs is essential.
-On the note of projectiles, Plasma Breath is very useful at farther ranges than most match ups, since Bayo can't clear the distance fast and her Bullet Climax needs the proper angle to be effective (crouching and dashing makes it more difficult). That said, both can abuse the other when off stage, and neither is a fan of recovering high for obvious reasons. Ridley again has better angles since his fireballs arc downward, though usually you'd want to go off stage and intercept with moves like N-air/F-air (taking Bayo's double jump is much more devastating this game).

-That said, Ridley has to be very careful not getting his neutral B punished by Bullet Arts (Bayo holding A after any move to shoot her guns) or Bullet Climax. Taking a quick 10-20% adds up quickly, especially with how fast Bayo can rack up damage.

-Ridley does however enjoy the weight difference. No featherweight likes getting F-smashed, SH/RAR B-air, or getting caught with Ridley's Side B. Conversely, Bayo's main KO options (B-air and Up/F-Smash) take well past the early/mid-100% range to effectively finish the job, so she'd much rather try and get a ladder kill or try to go for an edgeguard most of the time.

-Range also makes a difference. Witch Twist and "sword legs" have been toned down for Bayo, and ABK isn't a free cross-up on shield anymore. Meanwhile Ridley can keep his distances and poke with Down/Forward Tilt, N-air, U-air, Up Smash, etc. I've gotten away with getting Witch Time'd at max range of almost all of these moves, and not getting that hard a punish since it lasts so short now and my position was just outside of their best answer/option.

-Having long/lingering hitbox moves also benefits Ridley since Bayo's air dodges/spot dodges/Bat Within (on top of her built in landing lag when she uses more aerial specials) leaves her very vulnerable to moves like F-air, U-air, N-air, and makes it easier to land an option with more start up such as Side B/a smash attack and downward-angled Up B (which causes a small shockwave if you land with it). While Ridley is also susceptible to this, he has good aerial drifting and can mix up his recovery/landing (Bayo typically has to risk a lot landing with downward angled ABK, aerial or air dodge after using either special).
Match Rating:80/20


#2) Bowser:ultbowser:
As a Bowser main I have to say that the match up against ridley is pretty even. Bowser's ground speed and aerials are great. But ridley has a better recovery and more range. So it creates an interesting game of chicken. If ridley can get Bowser off stage she can gimp him. But if Bowser can get in close there is little ridley can do to avoid taking a serious beating.

Overall I think ridley has the advantage. But I think a Bowser with strong fundamentals and some good reads can be very hard to deal with.
Bowser is a match I have a bit more knowledge on and one I'm not afraid to admit might be a bit slanted in favor to Bowser. Super Armour more or less negates jab which sucks because its one of the easiest moves to punish with, builds up damage and knockback. I've got to remind myself constantly to F-tilt when I punish or something so I don't fall into the risk of using jab and getting F-Smashed in the face. Flame breath is quite decent at spacing and forcing approach and Bowser's ground game gives Ridley a run in both power, range and I might even say priority.

Luckily Ridley still has his air-game and can hold off Bowser with multiple combos and force him into Ridley's territory. However, note needs to be made that Bowser's Nair is surprisingly difficult to deal with. It almost feels as a good as Ridley's own Nair. Again, luckily Bowser's a large target which makes him a prime target for easy combos and offstage gameplay. On the other side, gimping Bowser I find to be difficult sometimes. Nair and Flying Fortress has a decent amount of priority and range that it may be better to lob fireballs and gimp Bowser from a distance.

Overall, it's not a hard match by any means but it's one that each time I do, I can't help but appreciate Bowser's advantages.
Ridley's Skewer will always sweet spot Bowser. Intentionally missing that sweetspot is honestly difficult on such a large character, for the same reasons it's hard on Zelda's lightning kicks, the sweetspot is the highest priority hitbox ID, rather than the lowest like with Marth's tippers, and Bowser is a fat target. Still not a safe move to throw out, but it's a compelling footnote, and a more viable risk to take in this matchup compared to most.

However, being Ridley against Bowser can be terrifying off stage, because Bowser can D-air trade that Up B for an instant kill. Bowser's F-air is also a massive hitbox to try to avoid. And if you did air dodge through it, Bowser can still take advantage of Ridley's low altitude and D-air that recovery move rather than returning to the ledge immediately. And as previously mentioned, yes Ridley's multijab will not cause Bowser to flinch due to passive tough guy armor. It's knockback is so low that this is even the case in Sudden Death. Use Jab 3 instead, because Bowser's optimal punish is waiting in his shield for the jab finisher before punishing with a smash attack or Down B.

As far as other tricks, there's nothing wild I've really noticed. Bowser is slower at running but faster in the air, he matches ridley range on a number of attacks with limb intangibility adding to his priority against aerials and no goofy, long tail adding to his hurtbox. If Ridley is charging Plasma Breath at long range as I'm landing, I will counter with Fire Breath to safely get rid of the projectiles rather than burn a double jump. If Bowser is at very high percent, he may try to end that stock with a Bowsercide, and Ridley cannot return to the ledge, at least not on battlefield. His Side B in general is the most threatening command grab in the game at frame 6 and you need to be prepared for him landing on you with it as a mixup. If he takes you to the highest platform on Battlefield, it can be an early kill, and it's a lot of damage besides. You will have majority control on where you land if Bowser currently has much more damage than you do. His new attack armor on tilts and smashes isn't too threatening but opens the door for mixups, like Bowser armoring through Ridley's repeated shorthop N-air with an Fsmash, or baiting you with his charging Dsmash when you've grabbed the ledge. So don't get repetitive with your attack choices in neutral. His N-air combos are scary and if he crosses up your shield expect him to grab you with Side B. I recommend shield jumping or forward rolling rather than attempting a block punish in that scenario. And if you're new to the Bowser matchup it warrants mention that his Usmash is invincible, and his Up B is a built in answer to cross ups so don't get cute trying to land on him.
Match Rating: 50/50


#3) Bowser Jr.:ultbowserjr:
One of the main tools a Bowser Jr. looks for is to possess stage control via the mechakoopa and the general followups he can get utilizing it. It can be entirely neutralized simply by shielding, but if the Bowser Jr. is smart then you'll get punished if he knows he can expect a forced shield. Ridley actually has other options of getting it off the field though if it's walking around. If you see it coming towards you then a charged-semi charged plasma breath will both destroy the mechakoopa and prevent a clown cart dash follow-up and shutting down any attempts to pick the thing up. Unfortunately since it's so low to the ground and the plasma breath bounces, there is a chance it slips through the opening but more often than not this will remove it from the playing field. However, the forward tilt is even more effective, if you can get the timing down it will reliably destroy the mechakoopa in one hit while keeping Ridley undamaged and quick enough that he'll be free from followup, it works on thrown mechakoopa as well if you can successfully predict when the BJ picks it up to use as a projectile, though that's a bit harder to time, you can at least limit its use as a stage control move. Another massive handicap on Bowser Jr. is that his up special doesn't refresh if he's hit by a weak attack, which should let Ridley have a field day with him since he has so many gimping tools. Nair, Bair, and Fair can only do it below 20% which would be difficult to capitalize on, but since Plasma Breath is a chain of weak hits you can land it upwards of 200% and it still won't refresh his clown cart which makes it an excellent gimping tool, getting a poke with the down special will also work but the timing is tight and you'd have to be mindful of the hammer/wand they gain to discourage such a thing.

Another thing that could be useful to note is that f-tilt can drop an uncharged or lightly charged cannon, but at a certain point in its charge it will have enough momentum that it will hit you regardless so don't bother trying if you see him charging one up. Even semi-charged his cannon will tear through every hit of your plasma breath like it's not even there, so that's another thing to be mindful of.
I use Jr., and I generally have more success using mechakoopas by deploying them backwards so that they cover an approach. Deploying it forwards is best reserved for when the opponent is trying to land. And you'd better believe Jr. can make this difficult if he lands a good hit at low percents, juggling Ridley like there's no tomorrow. Gimping Jr. with Plasma Breath seems harder than you make it out to be since the kart dash gives him a great horizontal recovery with the ability to go high now that it doesn't take away his jump. Conversely, Jr. can drop exploding mechakoopas and cars that can get through his wing invincibility, along with his own competent set of edgeguarding aerials. The matchup swings heavily on momentum, but Ridley has an edge in footsies as long as he keeps Jr. from setting up his mechakoopa stage control.
Match Rating: 55/45


Please feel free to give your thoughts on the discussion, whether as a Ridley main or as a user of one of the selected characters.
 
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RomanceDawn

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I've played so few Bayonettas and Jr's it's hard to make any real calls. I can't say I've played too many Bowsers either. Just too many characters and everyone else using someone from Fire Emblem at the moment.

Bowser: Avoid rapid jab especially if you are at a kill percent. His tough guy lasts a while and I've been reliably taken out while Ridley's rapid jab was in affect and I've reliably taken out a ton of Ridley's while they tried to rapid jab my Bowser.

Thats all I got.
 

Gleam

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I never realized the first time just how nerfed Bayonetta had been. I came in expecting...well Smash4 Bayonetta and in such a case, yeah, Ridley stands no chance. But Bayo got hit with such a massive nerf football that everything she was good at more or less got thrown down the toilet. Her recovery still makes it difficult to gimp her at times but her massively decreased combo game among other Nerfs means that if this isn't in Ridley's favor, it's at least far, far more doable than what it might have been had Bayo not been patched.

Bowser is a match I have a bit more knowledge on and one I'm not afraid to admit might be a bit slanted in favor to Bowser. Super Armour more or less negates jab which sucks because its one of the easiest moves to punish with, builds up damage and knockback. I've got to remind myself constantly to F-tilt when I punish or something so I don't fall into the risk of using jab and getting F-Smashed in the face. Flame breath is quite decent at spacing and forcing approach and Bowser's ground game gives Ridley a run in both power, range and I might even say priority.

Luckily Ridley still has his air-game and can hold off Bowser with multiple combos and force him into Ridley's territory. However, note needs to be made that Bowser's Nair is surprisingly difficult to deal with. It almost feels as a good as Ridley's own Nair. Again, luckily Bowser's a large target which makes him a prime target for easy combos and offstage gameplay. On the other side, gimping Bowser I find to be difficult sometimes. Nair and Flying Fortress has a decent amount of priority and range that it may be better to lob fireballs and gimp Bowser from a distance. O

Overall, it's not a hard match by any means but it's one that each time I do, I can't help but appreciate Bowser's advantages.
 

Dunharrow

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As a Bowser main I have to say that the match up against ridley is pretty even. Bowser's ground speed and aerials are great. But ridley has a better recovery and more range. So it creates an interesting game of chicken. If ridley can get Bowser off stage she can gimp him. But if Bowser can get in close there is little ridley can do to avoid taking a serious beating.

Overall I think ridley has the advantage. But I think a Bowser with strong fundamentals and some good reads can be very hard to deal with.
 

Zapp Branniglenn

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Bowser dork here. Ridley's Skewer will always sweet spot Bowser. Intentionally missing that sweetspot is honestly difficult on such a large character, for the same reasons it's hard on Zelda's lightning kicks, the sweetspot is the highest priority hitbox ID, rather than the lowest like with Marth's tippers, and Bowser is a fat target. Still not a safe move to throw out, but it's a compelling footnote, and a more viable risk to take in this matchup compared to most.

However, being Ridley against Bowser can be terrifying off stage, because Bowser can D-air trade that Up B for an instant kill. Bowser's F-air is also a massive hitbox to try to avoid. And if you did air dodge through it, Bowser can still take advantage of Ridley's low altitude and D-air that recovery move rather than returning to the ledge immediately. And as previously mentioned, yes Ridley's multijab will not cause Bowser to flinch due to passive tough guy armor. It's knockback is so low that this is even the case in Sudden Death. Use Jab 3 instead, because Bowser's optimal punish is waiting in his shield for the jab finisher before punishing with a smash attack or Down B.

As far as other tricks, there's nothing wild I've really noticed. Bowser is slower at running but faster in the air, he matches ridley range on a number of attacks with limb intangibility adding to his priority against aerials and no goofy, long tail adding to his hurtbox. If Ridley is charging Plasma Breath at long range as I'm landing, I will counter with Fire Breath to safely get rid of the projectiles rather than burn a double jump. If Bowser is at very high percent, he may try to end that stock with a Bowsercide, and Ridley cannot return to the ledge, at least not on battlefield. His Side B in general is the most threatening command grab in the game at frame 6 and you need to be prepared for him landing on you with it as a mixup. If he takes you to the highest platform on Battlefield, it can be an early kill, and it's a lot of damage besides. You will have majority control on where you land if Bowser currently has much more damage than you do. His new attack armor on tilts and smashes isn't too threatening but opens the door for mixups, like Bowser armoring through Ridley's repeated shorthop N-air with an Fsmash, or baiting you with his charging Dsmash when you've grabbed the ledge. So don't get repetitive with your attack choices in neutral. His N-air combos are scary and if he crosses up your shield expect him to grab you with Side B. I recommend shield jumping or forward rolling rather than attempting a block punish in that scenario. And if you're new to the Bowser matchup it warrants mention that his Usmash is invincible, and his Up B is a built in answer to cross ups so don't get cute trying to land on him.
 
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Great Potato

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I haven't actually haven't encountered any Bowser Jr.'s so I'm not sure how that match would entirely play out, moreover he's a character I feel never got his true potential discovered since his lack of play in but I do have experience playing a lot of Morton in Smash 4. I did go into training mode to experiment with a few things.

One of the main tools a Bowser Jr. looks for is to possess stage control via the mechakoopa and the general followups he can get utilizing it. It can be entirely neutralized simply by shielding, but if the Bowser Jr. is smart then you'll get punished if he knows he can expect a forced shield. Ridley actually has other options of getting it off the field though if it's walking around. If you see it coming towards you then a charged-semi charged plasma breath will both destroy the mechakoopa and prevent a clown cart dash follow-up and shutting down any attempts to pick the thing up. Unfortunately since it's so low to the ground and the plasma breath bounces, there is a chance it slips through the opening but more often than not this will remove it from the playing field. However, the forward tilt is even more effective, if you can get the timing down it will reliably destroy the mechakoopa in one hit while keeping Ridley undamaged and quick enough that he'll be free from followup, it works on thrown mechakoopa as well if you can successfully predict when the BJ picks it up to use as a projectile, though that's a bit harder to time, you can at least limit its use as a stage control move. Another massive handicap on Bowser Jr. is that his up special doesn't refresh if he's hit by a weak attack, which should let Ridley have a field day with him since he has so many gimping tools. Nair, Bair, and Fair can only do it below 20% which would be difficult to capitalize on, but since Plasma Breath is a chain of weak hits you can land it upwards of 200% and it still won't refresh his clown cart which makes it an excellent gimping tool, getting a poke with the down special will also work but the timing is tight and you'd have to be mindful of the hammer/wand they gain to discourage such a thing.

Another thing that could be useful to note is that f-tilt can drop an uncharged or lightly charged cannon, but at a certain point in its charge it will have enough momentum that it will hit you regardless so don't bother trying if you see him charging one up. Even semi-charged his cannon will tear through every hit of your plasma breath like it's not even there, so that's another thing to be mindful of.

---

I did have the pleasure of facing a Bowser this morning who went several rounds with me. I don't think I can add too on what Zapp said, but it does have to be emphasized once again DONT USE JAB ON BOWSER, even at high percentage Bowser acts like you're just tickling him which leaves you wide open to be punished, and being punished by Bowser means potential stock loss at very early percentages. It's tricky since you need to unlearn a valuable part of your moveset but you'll just have to keep in mind to use tilts and aerials in situations where you might normally use your jab.

I haven't faced any Bayonettas and I don't know much at all about her playstyle so I can't comment ont that one.
 

meleebrawler

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I haven't actually haven't encountered any Bowser Jr.'s so I'm not sure how that match would entirely play out, moreover he's a character I feel never got his true potential discovered since his lack of play in but I do have experience playing a lot of Morton in Smash 4. I did go into training mode to experiment with a few things.

One of the main tools a Bowser Jr. looks for is to possess stage control via the mechakoopa and the general followups he can get utilizing it. It can be entirely neutralized simply by shielding, but if the Bowser Jr. is smart then you'll get punished if he knows he can expect a forced shield. Ridley actually has other options of getting it off the field though if it's walking around. If you see it coming towards you then a charged-semi charged plasma breath will both destroy the mechakoopa and prevent a clown cart dash follow-up and shutting down any attempts to pick the thing up. Unfortunately since it's so low to the ground and the plasma breath bounces, there is a chance it slips through the opening but more often than not this will remove it from the playing field. However, the forward tilt is even more effective, if you can get the timing down it will reliably destroy the mechakoopa in one hit while keeping Ridley undamaged and quick enough that he'll be free from followup, it works on thrown mechakoopa as well if you can successfully predict when the BJ picks it up to use as a projectile, though that's a bit harder to time, you can at least limit its use as a stage control move. Another massive handicap on Bowser Jr. is that his up special doesn't refresh if he's hit by a weak attack, which should let Ridley have a field day with him since he has so many gimping tools. Nair, Bair, and Fair can only do it below 20% which would be difficult to capitalize on, but since Plasma Breath is a chain of weak hits you can land it upwards of 200% and it still won't refresh his clown cart which makes it an excellent gimping tool, getting a poke with the down special will also work but the timing is tight and you'd have to be mindful of the hammer/wand they gain to discourage such a thing.

Another thing that could be useful to note is that f-tilt can drop an uncharged or lightly charged cannon, but at a certain point in its charge it will have enough momentum that it will hit you regardless so don't bother trying if you see him charging one up. Even semi-charged his cannon will tear through every hit of your plasma breath like it's not even there, so that's another thing to be mindful of.

---

I did have the pleasure of facing a Bowser this morning who went several rounds with me. I don't think I can add too on what Zapp said, but it does have to be emphasized once again DONT USE JAB ON BOWSER, even at high percentage Bowser acts like you're just tickling him which leaves you wide open to be punished, and being punished by Bowser means potential stock loss at very early percentages. It's tricky since you need to unlearn a valuable part of your moveset but you'll just have to keep in mind to use tilts and aerials in situations where you might normally use your jab.

I haven't faced any Bayonettas and I don't know much at all about her playstyle so I can't comment ont that one.
I use Jr., and I generally have more success using mechakoopas by deploying them backwards so that they cover an approach. Deploying it forwards is best reserved for when the opponent is trying to land. And you'd better believe Jr. can make this difficult if he lands a good hit at low percents, juggling Ridley like there's no tomorrow. Gimping Jr. with Plasma Breath seems harder than you make it out to be since the kart dash gives him a great horizontal recovery with the ability to go high now that it doesn't take away his jump. Conversely, Jr. can drop exploding mechakoopas and cars that can get through his wing invincibility, along with his own competent set of edgeguarding aerials. The matchup swings heavily on momentum, but Ridley has an edge in footsies as long as he keeps Jr. from setting up his mechakoopa stage control.
 

Great Potato

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I use Jr., and I generally have more success using mechakoopas by deploying them backwards so that they cover an approach. Deploying it forwards is best reserved for when the opponent is trying to land. And you'd better believe Jr. can make this difficult if he lands a good hit at low percents, juggling Ridley like there's no tomorrow. Gimping Jr. with Plasma Breath seems harder than you make it out to be since the kart dash gives him a great horizontal recovery with the ability to go high now that it doesn't take away his jump. Conversely, Jr. can drop exploding mechakoopas and cars that can get through his wing invincibility, along with his own competent set of edgeguarding aerials. The matchup swings heavily on momentum, but Ridley has an edge in footsies as long as he keeps Jr. from setting up his mechakoopa stage control.
I actually wasn't aware of that buff to the Clown Cars, haven't put much time into the Koopalings this time around and it's rare to come across a Jr player. That's true with the reverse mecha-koopa setups, those are harder to deal with, they can even shuts down Ridley's command grab because he'll run into the mechakoopa and be blown up.
 

IsmaR

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There's only one Bayonetta user I play consistently with, but I figure no one else has posted anything otherwise.

- Platforms can be abused by both, but overall I'd say Ridley edges out wanting a stage that allows keep-away (Bayo needs to play close range more, meanwhile Ridley doesn't mind switching up close and mid range) while also giving him an easier time landing. Bayo obviously can juggle Ridley's massive hurtbox for days, so being able to retreat with moves like N-air and fireballs is essential.

-On the note of projectiles, Plasma Breath is very useful at farther ranges than most match ups, since Bayo can't clear the distance fast and her Bullet Climax needs the proper angle to be effective (crouching and dashing makes it more difficult). That said, both can abuse the other when off stage, and neither is a fan of recovering high for obvious reasons. Ridley again has better angles since his fireballs arc downward, though usually you'd want to go off stage and intercept with moves like N-air/F-air (taking Bayo's double jump is much more devastating this game).

-That said, Ridley has to be very careful not getting his neutral B punished by Bullet Arts (Bayo holding A after any move to shoot her guns) or Bullet Climax. Taking a quick 10-20% adds up quickly, especially with how fast Bayo can rack up damage.

-Ridley does however enjoy the weight difference. No featherweight likes getting F-smashed, SH/RAR B-air, or getting caught with Ridley's Side B. Conversely, Bayo's main KO options (B-air and Up/F-Smash) take well past the early/mid-100% range to effectively finish the job, so she'd much rather try and get a ladder kill or try to go for an edgeguard most of the time.

-Range also makes a difference. Witch Twist and "sword legs" have been toned down for Bayo, and ABK isn't a free cross-up on shield anymore. Meanwhile Ridley can keep his distances and poke with Down/Forward Tilt, N-air, U-air, Up Smash, etc. I've gotten away with getting Witch Time'd at max range of almost all of these moves, and not getting that hard a punish since it lasts so short now and my position was just outside of their best answer/option.

-Having long/lingering hitbox moves also benefits Ridley since Bayo's air dodges/spot dodges/Bat Within (on top of her built in landing lag when she uses more aerial specials) leaves her very vulnerable to moves like F-air, U-air, N-air, and makes it easier to land an option with more start up such as Side B/a smash attack and downward-angled Up B (which causes a small shockwave if you land with it). While Ridley is also susceptible to this, he has good aerial drifting and can mix up his recovery/landing (Bayo typically has to risk a lot landing with downward angled ABK, aerial or air dodge after using either special).

I wouldn't put it down as a score just yet, as I'd want to play others before just generalizing based one one person's habits. Though I'd lean towards favorable for us.
 

Gleam

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So I've edited the first page to fill in a lot of the stuff everyone has suggested. I basically just copied your text and put it there. As for the ratings.

I put an 80/20 for the matchup, not because I believe Ridley has such an advantage, but because what else would I put it? One person addressed the matchup and it wasn't even in a Bayo Main. I sent a message to all the character forums currently being discussed right now and if the Bayo Mains want to treat their character as the worst piece of garbage fire since Brawl Ganon, that's their choice. I'll treat Bayonetta as garbage fire as they do. When more discussion on Bayonetta is made, I'll do the correct changes needed.

Now Bowser we had the most discussion about and the general consensus was a pretty even matchup with both sides holding selective advantages and disadvantages. I put it at a good 50/50.

And as for Bowser Jr, we had a little less discussion but obviously far more than Bayonetta. I feel more discussion will be needed later but I put the matchup at 55/45 in favor of Ridley but we could also put that at 60/40 if necessary. Again, I feel a little more discussion would be needed.

That's it for Week #1,

For Week #2, we'll be discussing Captain Falcon, Cloud and Corrin.
 

Great Potato

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I've been having some good success against Falcon as Ridley, I feel we just have a lot of tools with our disjoints to keep him from getting in right up close and personal where he operates and he seems to have trouble challenging our air game from what I've played against him. That's especially important since Ridley is such a big target for the knee we can have him think twice about when he tries to jump in to land it.

Captain Falcon is also a character that finds himself susceptible to our edge guard game, Bair and Nair can shut down his raptor boost and plasma breath can give his dive troubles otherwise.

---

Surprised to see the second week matchups haven't gotten any real discussion, it would be a pity to let the thread die. Unfortunately I can't comment on Corrin since I don't have experience in that matchup and I'm not familiar with his/her tools.

I've faced off against a fair shake of Cloud's though and I feel Ridley actually has some good tools to bring into the fight, I think a big thing is that Ridley's edgeguard game can make a mess of Cloud's less than stellar recovery. If you can get Cloud off stage at a good percentage without Limit Break Climhazzard available there's pretty good chance you can prevent him from getting from getting back on.

I think an important thing to keep in mind against Cloud is that Ridley doesn't need to fully charge his Plasma Breath in order to make good use of it. Cloud is a character that's going to be looking for opportunities to charge his limit break meter and in this game he loses meter if he gets hit while charging. Being able to send out a quick single fireball or two will let the Cloud know that he's not safe to charge at a range and that it's not going to guarantee him a forced approach from Ridley. Moreover, Plasma Breath clashes with Blade Beam so if you predict when he might throw it out you can trump him, as he'll only cancel the first fireball and then get hit by the rest in the stream. Ftilt, Fair, and Nair also eat right through his blade beam so that's something to keep in mind if the Cloud is trying to use it to shut down your approaches. (Note: This all only applies to normal special, not the Limit Break variant which you can't challenge.)

Cloud's being a swordsman is naturally difficult to outspace since he has disjoints of his own, but our tilts still seem to get the job done and outreach the his sword, his aerials have comparable to superior range than our own but there's more startup on his Fair chop than our arsenal and we can still outspace his nair so we're still able to challenge him there.

His Limit Break only last 15 seconds so generally you want to try some keep away, which the stage is going to play a big part in how manageable that will be, but having three jumps and a good dash speed helps. Just make sure not to charge plasma breath during that time period because you'll eat a limit charged projectile for your trouble as it has transcendent priority.
 
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Dcas

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:ultfalcon:: I think this MU is pretty even but slightly favored towards Ridley. In neutral, ridley´s disjoints help a lot to keep Falcon at bait, we can keep up with his speed in ground game so thats not a problem. If we get caught in disadvantage it can get nasty for us, our hurtbox is massive so the knee is very problematic but the same can be said for falcon, once he gets stucked in our strings, he is for a world of hurt.

Edgeguarding and ledgetrapping is when we totally destroy falcon either with nair, fireballs dtilt or angled ftilt.

:ultcorrin:: Dont have enough data to coment, dare to say it might be a bit problematic since he has longer reach (?). Not sure tho.

:ultcloud:: Similar to cfalcon, can go either way in neutral but a bit more towards cloud since he has bigger disjoints, better frame data and limit. Still Ridley gotta play very grounded so we can excel in range with our tilts, if we challenge the air we will probably lose to clouds disjoints-. In offstage we destroy him, hence we gotta always try to keep him near the ledge.
 

Thermithral

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For Captain Falcon, I have had great success online as he seems to be one of the character Ridley is really good at gimping once he is thrown off the stage. His Falcon Punch also seems to take longer to get out then Ridleys Impale, and I am always looking for another chance to use that. >:p

I have actually not encountered a Corrin online in quick-play, which I had to fight (they always end up as my team member in a 2v2) so I have no idea how the match up is.

Cloud I actually have some problems with, as his attacks seem to have more range to them then Ridley does. Though, as with Captai nFalcon, he becomes more managable once he is off the stage, and from what I have seen has no way to deal with the wave of fire Ridley unleashes
 

KrakatoaPower

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Cloud is excellent against Ridley. One tip that I have picked up on is that his back-air can be shield grabbed unless it is spaced perfectly. You HAVE to be brave offstage versus cloud. Staying back with plasma breath is not optimal. Additionally, parrying is essential for this matchup and it makes it easily winnable for Rodney.
 

ItsASquid

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Bowser secondary here, just wanted to address an earlier discussion. There is very little Bowser can do to Ridley. All Bowser has going for him is the super armour on jab and a less laggy command grab.

If we approach from the ground, our laggy titls and slow jump means we always get command grabbed. If we approach from the air we're easily outraged and in most cases sent further.

We literally cannot shield the fireballs on reaction - I've seen multiple matches where a Bowser has no time to tilt the shield, and even though it hasn't taken a hit and shrunk yet, they are hit through the shield.

Worst of all we have a terrible disadvantage state. Ridley can keep up with our power in very few hits, demolish our recoveries and make it back after going very far off stage. Plus even if Bowser recovers high, his edgeguarding ability isn't exceptional, so Ridley should have few troubles returning to neutral.
 
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KrakatoaPower

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Can we talk about Roy next? That matchup is abysmal. Also Villager I will be uploading a tournament match soon it was against a pretty high-level villager, so that would be a huge help!
 

Dcas

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Can we talk about Roy next? That matchup is abysmal. Also Villager I will be uploading a tournament match soon it was against a pretty high-level villager, so that would be a huge help!
I think this MU is extremely funny, both Roy and Ridley deals excesive damage to each oother.

The key here is edguarding and who gets in advantage first.
 

KrakatoaPower

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I think this MU is extremely funny, both Roy and Ridley deals excesive damage to each oother.

The key here is edguarding and who gets in advantage first.
Yea I think I just need more experience with it. He just always seems to hit me first since he is so fast. Also countering our recovery is a very strong option.
 

Wakko

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Zelda is my new Nightmare.
3.9 GSP, every online Zelda spamming ghost/flames/neutralB destroys me
Same in tournament.(I usually rank top 3-5 on a 30-40 roster)
Is this matchup 10%-90% for Zelda or am I just superbad?
 

Dcas

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Zelda is my new Nightmare.
3.9 GSP, every online Zelda spamming ghost/flames/neutralB destroys me
Same in tournament.(I usually rank top 3-5 on a 30-40 roster)
Is this matchup 10%-90% for Zelda or am I just superbad?
For zelda just play at midrange/close range. Your disjoints destroys her, Ridley will be winning all the trades and Ridley kill her extremely early. Dont play long range or she will get you, use up throw a lot since zelda has horrible time landing so you can juggle her and condition her, imo Rdiley wins 55-45.
 

Wakko

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can't get into the close quarter, don't know how to neutral approach.
and a good zelda player will keep you at bay the longer he can, the space you with lightningheelz :l
 

Team Orchid

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Hi, Rookie Zelda main here a week late with more advice. Our...ahem, ghost and flames are not really good spam tools as they have a heck of a windup. Assuming you're on stage dodging din's fire is as simple as pressing whatever you got shield bound to. It's slow and easily predictable and Zelda can't move after using it for a few frames, so you can just keep approaching.

Now as for the stand phantom knight, I recommend hopping into training mode, picking Zelda, and figuring out the timing and ranges of each phase so you know when you can hop in and when you should stay away. Also if you're in fully charged phantom range you're in grab range so don't press that shield button here.

Now, Nayru's Love, the get off me tool. What you want to do here is to bait it out, because this move has a lot of endlag that you can punish. Get a feel for when the Zelda pulls it out, then hit her with your kill move/combo starter of choice.

As for the lightning kick, you are an absolute unit. We like kicking absolute units. What we don't like kicking is a fresh shield. If you think the LK is headed for you, shield. Higher level Zeldas will try to use jab 1, down tilt, and down throw to combo into the kick. Jab 1 can be shielded just fine and you outrange dtilt with your moves...heck you probably outrange jab 1. With down throw...mix up your DI and mix it up HARD or you will feel the wrath of the magical boots.

One last thing, if Zelda's on the ground and you're on the ground don't do something dumb from mid to long range. If you do, we're gonna punish you with Wind 2 which not only hurts but also can potentally kill if you're percent is high enough. That said if you bait this and don't get hit/shield it wind also has lots of endlag.

Hope this helps, I'm still a rookie Zelda main after all.
 
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