Struggling with the Sheik matchup : Need some help here !

[Luggy]

Hi there, nice to meet you, I'm Luggy.
I'm not the type of person who likes to whine about how a character is broken. Buuuut...I need some help for understanding the Sheik matchup.

I'm encountering more and more Sheik players that are coming just to win. And while Sheik is surely duable for the plumber, I still struggle to catch the ninja and finding ways to get the stock. I normally don't struggle that much with Mario, and I usually lost due to skill, but Sheik is a different problem. I don't understand how to defeat the character properly and have trouble getting out of her so original combos.

So, can someone please explain to me the matchup ? This could also help a lot of beginners who wants to main Mario, but like me, struggle to defeat Sheik.

Have a nice day !

 

[FrankTheStud]

How often do you use your nair, and up+B? I know it sounds silly, but almost whenever Mario is stuck in a combo (even a jab combo), he can break out of it fairly safely with his up+B, and a fastfall downward. Forward air strings are annoying, but don't deal too much damage, and can probably be up+b'd, nair'd, or uair'd out of. Sheik is very fast, and has a lot of really good options on approaching Mario. There's no way around the fact that Sheik will be a difficult matchup for our pudgy plumber, but keep in mind that while she can stack damage, she can't kill very easily. This is good because the rage effect will enable us to kill her before she gets rage, should we get juggled around a bit.

Having FLUDD charged is a good option to have at all times, as it will force Shiek out of controlling the stage if she's hit by it. If she tries to jump into the air, or is dashdancing/running wild, sometimes a good FLUDD spray can break up her momentum, giving you a chance to possibly Uair string or get in on her. Short hopping with fireballs also isn't too bad against her, just be careful that she won't perfect shield and rush you if you're too close. A backair wall of pain is also not a bad option against Sheik, and is probably Mario's most reliable/"safe" way of approaching her. Once you get in, I find it better to not get out as Mario. Once you're in, keep the pressure up (grab, downthrow, utilt into uair strings, etc) and take advantage of that for as much as you can.

She'll harass with needles, but don't bother trying to reflect...Short hopping or shielding are probably your best options if she should harass with needles. (These don't do much damage, but can leave you stunned long enough for her to get in on you). Her recovery is hard to gimp, but it's possible. Having FLUDD ready to hit a bouncing fish or up+b is never a bad option, neither is tossing out a cape every now and then off the edge. Should she miss the ledge with her up+b, FLUDD+Cape will punish her terribly for it.

Also, dair is more useful than we think...It's a decent way to approach and jump around your opponent, while also KOing off ceilings at upper percents that are lower than what uair would do. (dair can KO about 20-40% earlier than uair on it's last hit...Think of Luigi's downthrow+down-B combo, just with Mario's downthrow + Dair. If she air dodges, remember that and wait it out the next time you grab and downthrow her!)

Basically, do your best to adapt and keep the pressure on when you're in. Try breaking out of combos with either nair, uair, or up+b. It's a hard matchup for Mario because of her overall fast speed and her fantastic frame data, but it's possible to win. Also remember that your UpSmash has invincibility frames in your head, and if she's attempting to approach you via shorthop+fair, you could try to catch her by pivoting into UpSmash.

Let me know if this helps!

 

[Ha Sarcasm]

I need some help with this too! I played k9's sheik at a local tournament and i just didnt know what to do !
Now that i look back at it, i would of done things differently . After all it was my second tournament and dealing with the nervousness is hard for me lol.

 

[Slam Jammington]

The problem I seem to have is the neutral game. Playing a defensive sheik that camps with needles is very hard to get in on without doing a punishable approach. Any tips for trying to win the neutral?

 

[Xeze]

The problem I seem to have is the neutral game. Playing a defensive sheik that camps with needles is very hard to get in on without doing a punishable approach. Any tips for trying to win the neutral?

As @ FrankTheStud already mentioned, FLUDD helps a lot against camping Sheiks. Push her offstage with it to make her lose stage control. Pressure her with Fireballs too, so you can try to get in and either get a grab or a SH n-air in case she spotdodges.

 

[Luggy]

Thanks for your help, all of you. I've trained my Mario a bit, so I'm more familiar with the Sheik matchup.

But I think we should still let this thread up for those who struggles with her. She might be the next "Top Tier Character", thanks to the fall of the Hoo Hah Boy. Or we could move this discussion to this matchup thread.

What do you all think ?