Blistering Speed
Smash Champion
Sheik Community Walkthrough
This thread is dedicated solely to the total and complete coverage of the character Sheik, every metagame facet, so that we might find a better understanding of her by pooling our perspectives together and develop her as a character. This can then cater to future Sheiks, considering we don't actually have a guide for her (I think we're the only board, primitive ain't we).
This is a community walkthrough. This means I am not the sole creator of this guide, I write the summaries and form the guide itself. The actual information is contributed from anyone and everyone who posts in this thread. The structure of it is, I give a topic to discuss, posters contribute their thoughts on it and I write up a summary, giving important details and referencing the posts discussing the topic. This gets everyone's view point and creates a more detailed, more balanced guide.
What this means is, every time you post in this topic, you are making a contribution to the guide. So I ask that you take some responsibility and don't make ill informed, stupid or otherwise rudimentary posts. I will flat out ignore some posters if I find their posts fit this description so it's been a waste of your time posting it. If you're dubious of whether you fall into this category or not, I recommend:
A Guide to Posting Intelligently by Fear Dragon64
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?p=5740739#post5740739
"Post because you have something to say, not because you have to say something."
I would also request you don't discuss anything else pertaining to Sheik other then the topic I have currently to discuss in the OP, otherwise it defeats the purpose of the thread.
When Sheik's entire moveset has been discussed and summarised, then we'll move onto other facets of the metagame e.g. playstyle, character specific gimping, AT Discussion and Utility etc. I want this to develop into a very up to date, intelligent, all encompassing guide to Sheik and I need your help.
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A, Jab
Discussion of this move pertains to all uses and forms of the jab e.g. jab cancel, rapid jabs etc.
Jab--------------------Second Jab----------------Rapid Jabs
HIT: 2-----------------HIT: 16---------------------HIT: 29, 33, 37, 41, 45, 49, 51
END: 20 <17>-------END: 33 <24>------------END: 55
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 and coming out the same frame as a shield. 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.
Jab Flurry is situational at best. If you're using it on stage then you should have a better option. However, Jab Flurry 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.
In any other place you are better jab cancelling into something else, because on stage a decent opponent should SDI out and punish you, taking minimal damage whilst you're still jabbing, though after the last flurry jab there are only four frames of cooldown.
PENDING TESTING
- How many frames of hitstun does the jab, second jab and flurry all have (as well as if the flurry's hitstun vary between rapid jabs).
- What effect does pressing down on the control stick have after both the first and second jab, how many frames does it cut off cooldown.
Posts of Jab Discussion: Post #4 - #43
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D Tilt, Ground Sweep
HIT: 5
END: 29
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.
Posts of D Tilt Discussion: Post #44 - #74
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U Tilt, Split Leg Kick
HIT: 5, 25
END: 40 <35>
U 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 U 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 U Smash, but U Smash is slower and F Tilt only works on certain characters due to feet position). U 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 U 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.
PENDING TESTING
- How many frames does the opponent have out of hitstun between the first and second hit. It's already known that it's at least one frame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=JP&hl=ja&v=f-lfiS_PeVA
Posts of U Tilt Discussion: Post #75 - #87
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F Tilt, B0rked Sweep
Ankoku's thread on responses to all DI whilst using F Tilt:
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=199888
HIT: 5
END: 24 <21>
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.
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.
Posts of F Tilt Discussion: Post #88 - #105
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N Air, Sex Kick
HIT: 2
END: 44 {31}
LAND: 15
Discuss...
