Togii
Smash Apprentice
Zero Suit Samus
Pros
We can duck under almost all of her attacks
Kirby has much more reliable on-stage kill options
Semi-gimpable recovery if the ZSS is predictable
Cons
ZSS is much faster than Kirby
Kirby's fall speed makes it difficult to land vs ZSS
Copy Ability
It's pretty good. You can use it to block ZSS's own shots, as they'll cancel each other out no matter the charge difference between them. You can also combo it into an up air/Upper Cutter at later percents for damage or a kill.
Custom Moves
Jumping Inhale, because Ice Breath sucks in this matchup and you'll never catch her with Inhale.
Hammer Bash - if you're quick, you can land this after you land a Paralyzer shot, or if she whiffs her Flip Jump kick. Giant Hammer is also good, as ZSS's grab has ridiculous lag if it whiffs.
Upper Cutter - Final Cutter sucks, and Wave Cutter is semi-useless agaist ZSS
Grounding Stone - synergizes with paralyzer really well; ground them then paralyze them (or vice versa), then follow up with an air combo/Upper Cutter.
Stage Picks
I want to recommend Final Destination, as it pretty much forces ZSS to stay relatively grounded. This is ideal for Kirby has we can duck under almost all of her grounded attacks. Stay away from Delfino Plaza; sharking doesn't work well against ZSS, and majority of the transformations favor her.
Additional Notes
Duck. I played against one of the best ZSS's in AZ and destroyed him because he couldn't grab, dash attack, paralyzer, zair, or nair me. Strategic ducking removes practically all of ZSS's approach options. This entire matchup is pretty much bait and punish. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but you'll most likely win if you play smart.
Also, note to see what the ZSS is doing when you approach from the air. If you can predict what she's going for, you can usually get a punish. If she's going for utilt, you can dair since utilt has a buttload of endlag. If she's going for usmash, you can ff fair or even hammer if you're fast. If she's going for uair... air dodge it. I don't think you can effectively punish a ZSS who can shff uairs, but you can at least avoid it.
Overall Score
70:30
This is, imo, one of Kirby's best matchups in the entire game, and I would go so far as to say that Kirby is one of ZSS's worst.
Pros
We can duck under almost all of her attacks
Kirby has much more reliable on-stage kill options
Semi-gimpable recovery if the ZSS is predictable
Cons
ZSS is much faster than Kirby
Kirby's fall speed makes it difficult to land vs ZSS
Copy Ability
It's pretty good. You can use it to block ZSS's own shots, as they'll cancel each other out no matter the charge difference between them. You can also combo it into an up air/Upper Cutter at later percents for damage or a kill.
Custom Moves
Jumping Inhale, because Ice Breath sucks in this matchup and you'll never catch her with Inhale.
Hammer Bash - if you're quick, you can land this after you land a Paralyzer shot, or if she whiffs her Flip Jump kick. Giant Hammer is also good, as ZSS's grab has ridiculous lag if it whiffs.
Upper Cutter - Final Cutter sucks, and Wave Cutter is semi-useless agaist ZSS
Grounding Stone - synergizes with paralyzer really well; ground them then paralyze them (or vice versa), then follow up with an air combo/Upper Cutter.
Stage Picks
I want to recommend Final Destination, as it pretty much forces ZSS to stay relatively grounded. This is ideal for Kirby has we can duck under almost all of her grounded attacks. Stay away from Delfino Plaza; sharking doesn't work well against ZSS, and majority of the transformations favor her.
Additional Notes
Duck. I played against one of the best ZSS's in AZ and destroyed him because he couldn't grab, dash attack, paralyzer, zair, or nair me. Strategic ducking removes practically all of ZSS's approach options. This entire matchup is pretty much bait and punish. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but you'll most likely win if you play smart.
Also, note to see what the ZSS is doing when you approach from the air. If you can predict what she's going for, you can usually get a punish. If she's going for utilt, you can dair since utilt has a buttload of endlag. If she's going for usmash, you can ff fair or even hammer if you're fast. If she's going for uair... air dodge it. I don't think you can effectively punish a ZSS who can shff uairs, but you can at least avoid it.
Overall Score
70:30
This is, imo, one of Kirby's best matchups in the entire game, and I would go so far as to say that Kirby is one of ZSS's worst.
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