Meta "This is the Monado's Power" - Metagame Discussion

[Berserker.]

So... U-throw > Air Slash in jump art KO's Mario at 123% in FD at the 3DS version around Mario's starting point. Guess that means it works earlier. Issue here is idk if it's a true combo from that percent (because from what I've tested, it isn't). Same pretty much goes for Marth. I can't seem to get it to true-combo at higher percents.

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I plan on doing this the next time I have a tournament to go-to. I like risking things and experimenting during tournaments anyway despite the possibility of flopping and losing

I'll just continue racking up damage with any art (mostly buster) until ~130-150%. Once my opponent reaches that percentage, I'll just go for the Smash art kill throws. No f-airs. No d-airs. No f-tilts. No u-tilts. Just dash to shield grab. There's a selling point to this idea. First off, buster is safer on hit because the opponent is at a higher percent. Second, at this percent, you can also land kills with speed f-tilt which isn't hard to land tbh. Although you would be afraid to go into Smash art against opponents with rage, theoretically, the only risk you'll be facing is getting kill thrown yourself. If you're in the mindset of just being defensive, just dash to shielding, shielding, etc. you'll be fine. As long as you manage to shield something, just grab afterwards then *bop*. Kill 'em with d-throw or b-throw. Another issue with this is that the efficiency of this strategy is dependent on how well you utilize buster or speed or whichever art you're using. Smash art is kind of straightforward.

Anyway, thoughts? It's something I thought of since Smash art is really risky, and buster art is amazing for damage racking. Opinions are cool. I don't bite

I also think shield potentially has room to be an option in Shulk's neutral game but I'll delve into this another time

 

[kenniky]

So... U-throw > Air Slash in jump art KO's Mario at 123% in FD at the 3DS version around Mario's starting point. Guess that means it works earlier. Issue here is idk if it's a true combo from that percent (because from what I've tested, it isn't). Same pretty much goes for Marth. I can't seem to get it to true-combo at higher percents.

---

I plan on doing this the next time I have a tournament to go-to. I like risking things and experimenting during tournaments anyway despite the possibility of flopping and losing

I'll just continue racking up damage with any art (mostly buster) until ~130-150%. Once my opponent reaches that percentage, I'll just go for the Smash art kill throws. No f-airs. No d-airs. No f-tilts. No u-tilts. Just dash to shield grab. There's a selling point to this idea. First off, buster is safer on hit because the opponent is at a higher percent. Second, at this percent, you can also land kills with speed f-tilt which isn't hard to land tbh. Although you would be afraid to go into Smash art against opponents with rage, theoretically, the only risk you'll be facing is getting kill thrown yourself. If you're in the mindset of just being defense, just dash to shielding, shielding, etc. you'll be fine. As long as you manage to shield something, just grab afterwards then *bop*. Kill 'em with d-throw or b-throw. Another issue with this is that the efficiency of this strategy is dependent on how well you utilize buster or speed or whichever art you're using. Smash art is kind of straightforward.

Anyway, thoughts? It's something I thought of since Smash art is really risky, and buster art is amazing for damage racking. Opinions are cool. I don't bite

I also think shield potentially has room to be an option in Shulk's neutral game but I'll delve into this another time

I think that once people realize what you're doing you're going to get majorly screwed.

 

[Berserker.]

I think that once people realize what you're doing you're going to get majorly screwed.

Vague, but it's all player dependent. The opponent can understand the tactic from inside and out all he wants, but how he handles or counters it in a tournament match will matter the most and how he executes his counter-plan. It's basically up to the Shulk player to make sure that he doesn't get perennially ****ed by, well you know, playing the match-up properly, outplaying the opponent, and having on-point spacing

 

[Masonomace]

I plan on doing this the next time I have a tournament to go-to. I like risking things and experimenting during tournaments anyway despite the possibility of flopping and losing

I'll just continue racking up damage with any art (mostly buster) until ~130-150%. Once my opponent reaches that percentage, I'll just go for the Smash art kill throws. No f-airs. No d-airs. No f-tilts. No u-tilts. Just dash to shield grab. There's a selling point to this idea. First off, buster is safer on hit because the opponent is at a higher percent. Second, at this percent, you can also land kills with speed f-tilt which isn't hard to land tbh. Although you would be afraid to go into Smash art against opponents with rage, theoretically, the only risk you'll be facing is getting kill thrown yourself. If you're in the mindset of just being defensive, just dash to shielding, shielding, etc. you'll be fine. As long as you manage to shield something, just grab afterwards then *bop*. Kill 'em with d-throw or b-throw. Another issue with this is that the efficiency of this strategy is dependent on how well you utilize buster or speed or whichever art you're using. Smash art is kind of straightforward.

Anyway, thoughts? It's something I thought of since Smash art is really risky, and buster art is amazing for damage racking. Opinions are cool. I don't bite

I also think shield potentially has room to be an option in Shulk's neutral game but I'll delve into this another time

Theoretically that sounds good on paper because you're using Smash Art in the best manner I feel. You intentionally refrain from using your Jab Tilts DA aerials & smash attacks because they're all unsafe on shield, which leaves out grabs pummels & throws, & Shulk happens to have F-throw B-throw & mostly D-throw to seal a stock near the ledge. Smash Art tends to promote usage to grabs / throwing anyhow, but I see a problem with this in that it makes us predictable with our hunger to fish for grabs. . .which isn't that great considering Shulk's dash grab and standing grab are meh. Pivot grab is amazing but that's because all pivot grabs have a better grab-box since they're capable of grabbing characters who are even crouching like WFT or Jigglypuff. And RCG isn't really discussed frequently unless we talk about Shield Art. Overall, Smash Shulk has Vanilla movement which is so-so, but I would still use retreated aerials hitting with the Beam on-hit or on-shield & sparingly use smash attacks if I knew I could get a solid connection with up angled F-smash or D-smash near the ledge.

 

[Berserker.]

Theoretically that sounds good on paper because you're using Smash Art in the best manner I feel. You intentionally refrain from using your Jab Tilts DA aerials & smash attacks because they're all unsafe on shield, which leaves out grabs pummels & throws, & Shulk happens to have F-throw B-throw & mostly D-throw to seal a stock near the ledge. Smash Art tends to promote usage to grabs / throwing anyhow, but I see a problem with this in that it makes us predictable with our hunger to fish for grabs. . .which isn't that great considering Shulk's dash grab and standing grab are meh. Pivot grab is amazing but that's because all pivot grabs have a better grab-box since they're capable of grabbing characters who are even crouching like WFT or Jigglypuff. And RCG isn't really discussed frequently unless we talk about Shield Art. Overall, Smash Shulk has Vanilla movement which is so-so, but I would still use retreated aerials hitting with the Beam on-hit or on-shield & sparingly use smash attacks if I knew I could get a solid connection with up angled F-smash or D-smash near the ledge.

I actually never gave a thought about the predictability of Smash art if it was used that way. Whoops. Lol. Thanks for the input

 

[Zatchiel]

Jump Up throw -> Air Slash is reaaaally ****ing good. If it hits, and doesn't kill, it's still setting up a ledgeguard and doing solid damage.

If you condition your opponent to start airdodging to avoid it you can chase their DI and make use of up smash's glorious range. I've been getting people with it in Speed too.

Also, something separate about Smash: F-air edgeguarding is incredible. Better than Jump ledgeguarding when it comes to not-so-true combos. Plus there's the possibility of an Air Slash KO during the edgeguard.

Edit: Got another good example of this utility.

Vanilla's smash attacks are decent for killing right after Buster.

It's actually better than I thought.

 

[Berserker.]

So I'm back from practice and my little plan turned out fine...... until I was camped the **** out of in Smash art. I had a lot of issues doing this against campy characters. It worked well against rush downs tho but it was a lot simpler to get kills via kill throw at a reasonable percent near the ledge or by landing a read. Conclusion: This tactic won't really work consistently so it isn't worth trying

Tried out edge guarding with smash art f-air and holy crap, I'm not really sure as to why I never took advantage of this. I got surprisingly early kills/gimps from using this .-.

Think we should look into our options with smash art edge guarding unless you guys are like... way ahead of me on that because tbh, I was kind of (actually really) fixated on jump art edge guarding

 

[WindHero]

So I'm back from practice and my little plan turned out fine...... until I was camped the **** out of in Smash art. I had a lot of issues doing this against campy characters. It worked well against rush downs tho but it was a lot simpler to get kills via kill throw at a reasonable percent near the ledge or by landing a read. Conclusion: This tactic won't really work consistently so it isn't worth trying

Tried out edge guarding with smash art f-air and holy crap, I'm not really sure as to why I never took advantage of this. I got surprisingly early kills/gimps from using this .-.

Think we should look into our options with smash art edge guarding unless you guys are like... way ahead of me on that because tbh, I was kind of (actually really) fixated on jump art edge guarding

Generally, I feel that Smash art and Jump art edge-guarding have their own specific uses, and both are great. I generally have tended toward Smash 80% of the time for quite a while... But Jump is safer if you whiff your edge-guard attempt, especially when chasing off-stage.

Campy characters are always a pain for me to deal with, but I'm slowly learning...

@ Zatchiel : Indeed, I have always loved Vanilla Shulk's kill power, particularly with USmash. I often feel like that move is one of his earliest kill moves, but it takes a hard read to land it. Where it really shines is when you land it right after Buster or Speed ends, because the foe will be expecting a low-KB attack, and might not try as hard to dodge. (Yes, I know that is a terribly bad assumption.)

 

[TheHopefulHero]

I second this research / posting results on Smash Art stuff. More options are always a good thing to have for Shulk.

On the subject of camping characters / play styles, I feel like these types characters are Shulk's biggest weakness. They're able to anticipate just about our attacks and retaliate with their own, or move out of the way for a punish. MALLAC helps, but we can't rely on it forever in a match. I was wondering if anyone has a similar experience when it comes to camping characters / play styles and if you guys have any advice on the matter.

 

[Locke 06]

Edit: Got another good example of this utility.

It's actually better than I thought.

Now imagine deactivating buster and going immediately into smash off of a hit confirm.

*_*

Edit: this might actually be applicable where a buster hit would lead into a grab and then you can wait for smash art to activate before throwing. But yeah... 8 button clicks.

 

[Berserker.]

I focus more on jump/speed since buster isn't really a good asset (although still pretty efficient) against these types of fighters. Just wait for them to commit to an attack or a projectile then go in with n-air, f-air or b-air, or if you're using speed art, just take advantage of your walk speed and just walk. Dash to shield works but your walking speed is amazing. You have more options with walking as opposed to dashing wherein you're left with either dash grab, u-smash, shield, or dash attack. If they're the ones waiting for you to attack, just FF into a grab.

 

[Berserker.]

Random ramblings

- Most of us use rushdown n-air to approach. Well, not most of us but anyway. Don't underestimate your dash grab and walk speed. Remember that RAR b-air exists too. This is assuming that you're using speed art btw
- When you feel like you're about to **** up, don't hesitate and quickly switch to shield art if you're unsure. The match's pace will flow the way you want it to flow so even though the opponent runs away, you can take advantage of this to wait out the cooldown of his arts
- Buster (imo) will ALWAYS be the go-to art against any character. Exceptions ofc are heavies, and maybe campers. Reason I'm not so sure about it not being effective against campers is because with MALLC, it is effective
- When you're cornered, you have three options although one is easy to anticipate and counter. First one is to roll behind the opponent but tbh, I'm against the use of this tactic because if you opponent catches on that, they'll punish you next time you attempt it again. Another one is to embrace the position for a while. If you're not comfortable with that, just switch to jump art and position yourself away from the edge
- My views with smash art edge guarding vs jump art edge guarding are basically.... Jump art allows you to go deep and have multiple attempts to edge guard although the falling speed makes it hard to snipe (at least when compared to smash art edge guarding). Smash art is deadlier and it's easier to aim due to the slower fall speed but you don't really have as much possible attempts because your recovery is horizontally handicapped.

**** everybody knows (?) but just some things I wanted to remind myself. I have a lot of faith in buster and b-air

Things I'll try another time:
- N-air is possibly good for edgeguarding.... mostly against air dodgers. Hear me out here but if they air dodge n-air, they'll still get hit by the lingering hit box. Although the issue with n-air is that it has an FAF of 71 so using it off-stage can be suicide if you don't instantly use it off the edge. Their only options against n-air is to jump away or go up close to Shulk and use a faster move. Idk tbh. Just something I thought of

 

[Plain Yogurt]

I think one of my biggest problems with Shulk (beyond trying to grab with him ever) is that I always mistime Bair so either that he lands before the beam comes out or I start to high so it shoots over their heads. Probably something I could stand to practice a bit because you always speak so highly of it Berserker.

Also heck yes to edgeguarding Nair, especially reverse nair. As long as you aren't in jump (and if you start high enough even if you are) that thing throws people off good.

 

[Berserker.]

It takes time to get used to b-air's timing tbh. Once you get used to it, you become so reliant on it

Just DON'T use it out of no where. Throw it out when your opponent does something

Edit: N-air edgeguarding is really good with smash art. Hooray for more reasons to actually use that art!

 

[Zatchiel]

I think one of my biggest problems with Shulk (beyond trying to grab with him ever) is that I always mistime Bair so either that he lands before the beam comes out or I start to high so it shoots over their heads.

I had the same problem when I picked up Shulk. Needless to say, it still happens a lot; especially when I'm in Jump art and have increased fallspeed to account for. The hitbox is very narrow.

I remember going into training mode one day and just practicing for a few minutes, against a short character. Even today I'm still trying to get the hang of the timing.


With regards to something else: What comes to mind when you all read "f-air slash?"

 

[kenniky]

With regards to something else: What comes to mind when you all read "f-air slash?"

Confusion.

 

[WindHero]

With regards to something else: What comes to mind when you all read "f-air slash?"

Redundancy. F-air IS a slash, common knowledge, so no need to add slash at the end.

Alternatively, you might be trying to put some sort of innuendo there...

 

[Masonomace]

Ha. . .ha. . So guys, Shulk has more than just FH F-air autocancels.. . . Just Full Hop & Doublejump rising aerial together & you'll be able to autocancel N-air B-air U-air & D-air!. . . . .I don't think we care though.

With regards to something else: What comes to mind when you all read "f-air slash?"

I think of forward drifting Air Slash, which is a vital technique / tactic to learn especially with the Speed Art making the drifting much better than even Jump. Jump just makes the delayed drifting 2nd slash reach higher with a bit better drifting, but the falling speed mixing in gives off a love-hate feeling. Mostly love.

Also guys, I'm working on the OPs adding in extra stuff & I'm tackling on how Vision's damage calculations work. To skip doing stuff, just read what I got for Vision so far:

About Vision
Vision will usually deal 10% base damage when countering a move dealing 6% or less which means the 1.3x multiplier won't apply in the damage caulculations. However, countering a move dealing 6.16% or higher becomes Vision's damage. Therefore, Vision's 10% base damage will be replaced while also applying the 1.3x multiplier.

Example #1: Kirby's D-tilt deals 6% & hits Shulk's Vision counter window. Kirby is dealt Vision's 10% base damage.

Example #2: Shulk's N-air deals 7% & hits the other Shulk's Vision counter window. Shulk is shown to be dealt 9%, but it's actually 9.1% because of N-air's 7% base damage becoming Vision's damage multiplied by 1.3x


Vision countering a move dealing 6% or less with Monado Arts
Damage Calculator for Vision: 10% × Monado Art's damage multiplier

Example #1: Lucario's Jab1 hits Shulk's Vision counter window while the Buster Art is active, grating Shulk 1.4x the damage. Buster Shulk's Vision deals 14% to Lucario.

Example #2: Mario D-throws Shulk & proceeds to U-tilt but Shulk has the Shield Art active, granting Shulk 0.7x the damage, & the Shield Art reducing hitstun allows Shulk to input Vision before Mario can U-tilt. Therefore, Mario's U-tilt hits Shield Shulk's Vision counter window & deals 7% to Mario.

Vision countering a move dealing 6.16% or more with Monado Arts
Damage Calculator for Vision: Damage of countered move × 1.3 × Monado Art's damage multiplier

Example #1: Ganon inputs U-tilt near the ledge while Shulk is ledge-hanging with the Smash Art active. Right before Ganon's U-tilt starts to unleash 28% damage of wrath, Smash Shulk quickly ledge-jumps to interrupt the jump with Vision & counters the U-tilt dealing 18.2% of damage while KO'ing Ganon in the process.

Example #2: Shulk with the Speed Art active Short Hops & airdodges through Ness' PK Fire as Ness already readies his PKT2 to deal 25% right as Speed Shulk is about to land. However, Speed Shulk can cancel his airdodge's landing lag with a special move, which in this case will be Vision countering PKT2 & deals 26% of damage to Ness.

*Edited typos in the 2nd OP regarding this quoted info*

 

[Zatchiel]

At first, I was thinking of using the term to encompass f-air and air slash ledgeguarding, since they're the most reliable tools we have for the job. I figured it would be confusing at first glance.

Confusion.

Redundancy. F-air IS a slash, common knowledge, so no need to add slash at the end.

Alternatively, you might be trying to put some sort of innuendo there...

These did come to mind. I thought that would be the most immediate interpretation. Thank you both.

I think of forward drifting Air Slash, which is a vital technique / tactic to learn especially with the Speed Art making the drifting much better than even Jump. Jump just makes the delayed drifting 2nd slash reach higher with a bit better drifting, but the falling speed mixing in gives off a love-hate feeling. Mostly love.

This one I didn't think of, but it makes sense. Very nice.

Ha. . .ha. . So guys, Shulk has more than just FH F-air autocancels.

Playing Roy for the past month has really opened my eyes to f-air's IASA frame. You can jump out of full hop f-air in any art, but you can only jump out of short hop f-air in Jump. Full hop f-air in Speed also leaves you at the perfect height to footstool a grounded opponent afterwards.

 

[Masonomace]

Playing Roy for the past month has really opened my eyes to f-air's IASA frame. You can jump out of full hop f-air in any art, but you can only jump out of short hop f-air in Jump. Full hop f-air in Speed also leaves you at the perfect height to footstool a grounded opponent afterwards.

I just found another silly IASA moment & it's for N-air of all aerials. . .lol. Jump Shulk must input Short Hop F-air & immediately doublejump N-air. As you're landing you'll usually take landing lag but you can cancel it with a special. The SH, F-air, DJ, & N-air must all be inputted very quickly in order to cancel N-air's lag with a special.

Speed Shulk can do Full Hop F-air & immediately doublejump D-air or U-air. Input it all quickly & we can cancel U-air or D-air's lag with a special. There's probably more even with Shield Art. And by special, I kinda mean Air Slash since this is a weird mix-up option to trick people that Shulk will take landing lag. I find it a bit surprising when I watch an opponent run towards my landing location only to be swiped by Air Slash but hey I'll take it.

 

[Berserker.]

So, I've been trying to tinker around with arts. I feel like zoning characters really require you to think. With rushdowns, dealing with them is surprisingly a lot more straightforward than you think. It's basically buster+shield to win. Playing a good keep away and having the right defensive mindset will do wonders for you against rush downs. Keep-aways though are much more complicated. Now for zoners.... PARTICULARLY projectile users, it gets complicated

Now at first, I thought I was completely content with going jump and speed all the way against campers. Issue is my damage output wasn't enough and due to the strict spacing requirements needed for Shulk's attacks in speed and jump to be safe, I tend to find myself getting knocked back and I find myself having to get in again. This got REALLY annoying. I needed to think of a way on how to stay on them. I remember trying the "rush-in -> buster art when in range" strategy ages ago. It didn't work well..... probably because I think this was a time when I thought buster f-air was safe on shield. Because buster is generally harder to punish if spaced properly (that and because it's easier to space with buster tbh), I was able to rack up more damage while staying at my desired zone. I think I already said this about the Link MU although using buster is a must now when the opportunity arises because ****, his bombs and boomerangs can get annoying. You can't really punish bombs but you can definitely find an opening once he pulls out his boomerang or bow.

I feel like this trick is good against . I'm already p.sure about it being good against (Actually, Locke got first to me on that but idk about his present opinion) because I've tried it already. I haven't tried it against the rest so it's only a gut feeling

Edit: There is one exception. That exception is jump art. Now jump art is an exception because of the possibility that once you land d-throw, d-tilt, or n-air, you can pretty much kill them if you're at the right position on stage.

Lastly, opinions are great so I'm fine with anyone not liking the idea

 

[Trieste SP]

So, I just picked up Shulk so I'll be contributing to the discussion.

I'm not particularly familiar with him. In fact the last time I've played the character is about a couple months ago. Nevertheless, I did find out a couple of things about him while I was labbing.

The most underdeveloped thing about him IMO is his arts. No one I've seen uses them alike, every Shulk has different Monado Art usages. Everyone believes their picks are optimal and efficient, and in some cases its clear, but the fact of the matter is: We don't really know yet. Sure, we know exactly what the arts do and a general idea of when to use them, but you said it best, he's very dynamic. The problem with optimizing Shulk is, He relies on being unpredictable. To try to figure out the most efficient times to use which art is very hard, and only people who dedicate most of their time playing him will learn to fully utilize his abilities. Full potential, he is solid top 20-30 and even higher with customs.

Note: I don't have the game with me.

 

[Berserker.]

The most underdeveloped thing about him IMO is his arts. No one I've seen uses them alike, every Shulk has different Monado Art usages. Everyone believes their picks are optimal and efficient, and in some cases its clear, but the fact of the matter is: We don't really know yet. Sure, we know exactly what the arts do and a general idea of when to use them, but you said it best, he's very dynamic. The problem with optimizing Shulk is, He relies on being unpredictable. To try to figure out the most efficient times to use which art is very hard, and only people who dedicate most of their time playing him will learn to fully utilize his abilities.

Yep. This is basically the approach I'm currently thinking of when it comes to match ups (ty to Locke also for this)

I don't think we should look at arts as "another way of playing Shulk." Usually, we see that speed and jump should be used to maximum utility for campy characters, use buster against rushdown, etc. etc. I think we should look at the Monado arts as tools. I think the key to optimizing Shulk will be to find the several methods of how to utilize the arts such that each match-up will be much easier. A good example of this would be the Rosalina match-up. Before, we did say that the match-up isn't hard for Shulk since he can take out Luma with relative ease due to his range and damage output in buster BUT then smash art happened then we exploit Smash art's augmented knockback and use it to deal with luma instead of going through the pain of chipping its health away with buster. This is the type of thinking I feel that we should use when it comes to figuring out match-ups. Learn the frame data, and character mechanics of your opponent's character. After that, figure out how the arts work against those mechanics and numbers, how they synergize and which art is optimal at the right time and which art can be a viable substitute for the optimal art

It's a lengthy process. Tbh, you don't really have to go through EVERYTHING if the match-up (for you at least) can be simply solved with simply using speed all the way or buster all the way, or jump all the way, then switch every now and then depending on the situation.



Like for Link. The grab mechanics don't seem like much but believe me, it changes the dynamic of the match-up by a LOT. I still think Shulk wins but winning the match-up will be tricky especially when one whiff will get you grabbed. Link's d-throw set ups are something to watch out for. Now in this match up, the best thing to do is to start with speed. You have options for approaching. You either rush in with b-air (RAR b-air) or dash to shield/walk and shield. Both options work very well but for the first option (RAR b-air), that requires some precise spacing. Although it would be a good idea to stick to speed, against Link's new grab? Not really. Maybe it would be fine if Shulk's air acceleration weren't so abysmal (it really sucks, seriously) so once you get into mid-range against Link. This is the time where in you switch into buster. Buster art will be your go-to art obviously when dealing with Link at mid-range. N-air is pretty much useless tbh and FF f-air is definitely not a good idea. Rising f-air and SH b-air are your main tools for poking Link. If you're close enough, you can start applying more pressure with d-tilt or f-tilt. Link's fastest option is his jab which is frame 7 (?) so Shulk's jab should do the trick. Once you go at CQC range, jab. None of Link's moves are faster than frame 5. NOW IF THINGS GET ****TY, you can either IMMEDIATELY go into shield. Link's option against shield art is.... attempt to perform d-throw set ups OR run away OR if they're near the edge, b-throw you off which is the worst case scenario, but only dumb Link mains would let themselves stay near the edge because the last thing they want is to get cornered by Shulk... or basically anyone in the cast because Link's recovery is fairly easy to edgeguard or gimp. If they run away, good. You won't take that much damage anyway. If the Link player tries to perform d-throw set ups, it won't work at all. Lol. No seriously, Shulk can jump out of it. SO when is jump art and smash art useful? Jump art is useful for escaping d-throw set ups. Like, immediately switch from shield then into jump then air dodge/jump away. When you air dodge, your air speed suddenly changes. The "physical attribute" effects (aka: air dodge speed, running speed, walking speed) will not kick in even if you activate the art until you do anything. You can also use jump art to approach Link but this can get really tricky because if you **** up your mix ups, you're going to take a LOT of damage. Shulk's best option (which I neglected for some reason) is to FF into a grab (frame 7) but tbh, I feel like jump should be used for recovering and maybe escaping the disadvantage. Smash art is good for edgeguarding Link. I'd say landing the kill but that tends to be inconsistent tbh. If you want another solid way of killing Link, you'll have to rely on speed or jump to land the KO (speed u-smash reads, or jump gimping)

My bro helped me point out some errors when I played with him for hours, said that I forgot a bunch of options that I should have used (tyty). This seems hard to apply in practice but truth be told, it's a lot simpler than it seems. The only thing that complicates things is how good you are at spacing (which applies for every match-up) and how you let Link's grab affect you. Remember that **** is frame 12. Frame 14 if you dash with it and frame 16 if pivoted

As always, be less predictable in the match-up. I think there's more than one way to go about Link and even during those strategies, things can radically change and it's up to you to adapt and respond. If we were to break down Link's mechanics and general traits.....

D-throw set ups are countered by shield art
D-throw set ups can be escaped via jump art although it's easier said than done
Projectile walls can be solved by power shielding
Projectile walls can be solved by speed art (dash to shield or simply walking and shielding)
Mid-range harassing with buster art or speed art
At CQC, just jab or grab. Link lacks CQC options, surprisingly
When **** hits the fan, either use speed art and run away or switch to shield and take the heat

Even if you know which art to use, knowing your options and remembering them is the most important aspect when optimizing arts. I don't think this is the optimal way of handling Link. Maybe it is, but I prefer not to think so. I just feel like looking at what the character's capable of and using the arts and your options with the art activated to counter or deal with those capabilities are the correct way of looking at how to go about any match up you're dealing with

Just know that things won't always go the way you want, especially if you're impatient or if you whiff your attacks too much. Oh boy. Learn how to not panic. Remember, shield art is there for you in case you feel pressured. Make sure you aren't predictable with your options.


Aaaaand... I went off-topic. Not really though because this is how I'll be thinking when it comes to dissecting match-ups from now on. I had my say on several match-up topics but I feel like I'll redo my inputs. I'll have a clearer mind and a clearer answer once I've done enough research and enough matches. Honestly, I think this is the way to go but if there's a less complicated/basic and functional/working method of going about a certain match-up, then go with that method. It's simpler and it works so well, y'know. It's cool

 

[Locke 06]

Pretty much all of the above.

I haven't played Shulk seriously in a while, but tailoring your art usage to the MU is something I strongly encourage. This makes Shulk less schizophrenic and more cohesive as a character. You can be a versatile character, but suboptimal art usage for the sake of versatility is... suboptimal. This is not to say "I must do X and never do Y because this is how the matchup is played," but it's to say "I want to do X because this is effective and I'll throw in Y as a mixup." Versatility shines how you are able to switch strategies based on your opponent and their playstyle.

In the same way as Berserker's laid out how he plays against Link, someone else can jump in and say, "Well, the way I play CQC is to shield in my opponent's face in Smash and then usmash OoS when Link does something unsafe or whiffs a grab, because he has poor CQC options." (Note: Not advised, just an example). That's your way of optimizing arts based on what you like to do and how you play the character.

Knowing what situation you want to use each art in, I think is key. And that changes with each matchup. Against slow airspeed opponents, some might want to use speed to walk>utilt juggle forever while some might want buster to trap their landing with a grab or something for a lot of damage. And off of that, knowing what situation you don't want to use each art in is equally important. If you start to get juggled by Mega Man and you're in shield, you might think "Oh, that's fine. I won't take that much damage and I'll just drift." But you're wrong, because Mega's up air does 20% point blank and combo's into itself (so above 25% even with shield mode) and you'll just keep getting juggled because he has the airspeed to trap you. Speed/jump to reset is likely the best option you have. Which, if I were to put it in Monadorator terms, is saying "Mega Man up air juggles beats shield mode tanking but is countered by speed/jump resets."

Hope that helps. I have a weird love for your character, even though I am pretty bad at the fundamental spacing and combos. At some point, I'd love to make him my true secondary... but he's competing with Ryu and my current secondary, vanilla DK.


Edit: Don't forget how powerful vanilla is as an art. I briefly talked about this with Berserker, but being able to have the monado arts hovering, but not activated, can lead to large momentum shifts off of hit-confirms/grabs along with any opening you see to abuse MALLC/MADC.

For instance, if you MALLC an airdodge vs Mega Man's up air juggles and he tries to up tilt you during your invincibility, that's a free partially charged up smash. Being in vanilla can be scary, and most opponents don't even know it.

 

[Nammy12]

Buster lock setups by @ Masonomace

Spoiler

 

[Berserker.]

Whoa. Those buster locks definitely look good and nifty. Gonna lab with buster locking now and I'll see what I get

Omega stage - 3DS version, Sheik gets killed by MALLC n-air > Smash art air slash at 63% from her starting point. I'll post this in the combo thread but it's worth noting in this thread too, I guess

 

[ExcaliburGuy]

I've been playing more and more on Anther's Ladder, and I've found that in Jump mode, jumping over your opponent and performing a fast fall back air is a great option. It's a fast maneuver, and you get a decent slide on landing, making it safe on shield. You can mix this in with empty hops and tomahawks to keep in unpredictable. I've gotten great milage with this strategy against grounded Sheiks and projectile zoners. I find it less useful against characters that are always moving around like Captain Falcon, because if they get behind you, you'll get punished.

 

[SGJet]

Hope you guys have been watching One Smash's Tech of the Week series, because it seriously has got some stuff Shulk can benefit from. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFXOgPi6_N5Q1AR3Z9l549HBoZzpBAz0h

 

[Berserker.]

Probably relevant to this thread too so
Buster strings
N-air > D-tilt > Dash grab > D-throw > F-smash (56%)
D-tilt > D-tilt > Dash grab > D-throw > F-smash (58%)
N-air > D-tilt > D-tilt (35%)
D-tilt > Dash grab > D-throw > F-smash (46%)
N-air > D-tilt > F-smash (52%)
N-air > D-tilt > F-tilt (38%)
N-air > U-tilt > B-air (37%) ~Depends on how the opponent reacts after u-tilt

Hope you guys have been watching One Smash's Tech of the Week series, because it seriously has got some stuff Shulk can benefit from. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFXOgPi6_N5Q1AR3Z9l549HBoZzpBAz0h

Buster locking = Taking advantage of slip-edge

Definitely gonna look into these techs tho. Thanks

 

[SGJet]

@ Berserker. No problem. Also, I'm not sure if any of you guys have noticed, but Shulk can actually trip people with some hitboxes of his fair. I had a video of it, but it got deleted in one of the updates. Anyone else come across this?

 

[Berserker.]

@ Berserker. No problem. Also, I'm not sure if any of you guys have noticed, but Shulk can actually trip people with some hitboxes of his fair. I had a video of it, but it got deleted in one of the updates. Anyone else come across this?

It happens occasionally (rarely). I'm not really sure about the specifics behind the tripping mechanics for Shulk

 

[SGJet]

It happens occasionally (rarely). I'm not really sure about the specifics behind the tripping mechanics for Shulk

Me neither, but it'd be cool if we could take advantage of it somehow. I'll look into it.

 

[kenniky]

I think it's Sakurai angle has a low chance of tripping if the knockback is small enough.

 

[Peppa]

Daaaaang. Those buster locks look sweet.

Its something I wouldn't mind learning, but it seems rare you'd ever be in a position like that at low percents where I assume they work at.

 

[gridatttack]

Wow, thanks for the Buster lock pics. They should come in handy

Anyway, I been noticing this while messing around with speed and jump arts while waiting online.

Dunno if they have been posted before.

But anyway, it seems that with speed art, if you dash and the stop dashing, you will slide a considerable distance.
It seems that you can do a variety of stuff like:
-Pivot grab and pivot F tilt, the basics.
-You can press the attack button at the end of the sliding distance (when its about to stop) to execute the dash attack. You will gain more distance and regain the speed if you were dash attacking at full speed..
-You can pivot and the use a Forward Smash. If done correctly, you will do the F smash while you continue sliding a little distance in the opposite direction you are attacking.

For the Jump art, there's something similar to the last point. If you jump to the platform or reach the platform with enough air speed, you will slide to the direction you landed. You can do a F smash while sliding to reach unsuspecting opponents.

 

[Berserker.]

Added this to my OP:

Shulk's neutral

So, we all know what the neutral is. This is basically and honestly the most important state you need to know because how you play at the neutral will determine whether if you'll be at the advantage or the disadvantage. Smash 4 is very neutral heavy. Don't be surprised if you find yourself in this state in matches. You're going to find yourself having to win at the neutral over and over AND OVER again (if you're good enough), but whatever. Now, let's take a look at Shulk's neutral.

Now, Shulk's options at neutral vary a lot depending on his arts. His arts are made to respond to the situation he's in. Say, if he has to deal with projectiles, his go-to art would be jump and speed. If the opponent is trying to break into his zone, he can either use buster art and attempt to keep the opponent at bay, or he can use speed and jump to stay mobile such that he can keep himself away from the opponent if ever he or she gets too close to Shulk. He can also use shield and take the hit then punish the opponent for actually hitting or even throwing Shulk at low to mid percentages. Your arts will be used for specific situations. You should see them as tools when it comes to dealing with match-ups but there are those times where you need to maximize your utility of the art you're currently using depending on the situation. Shulk's playstyle ultimately is all about footsies/mid-range, unless you're in smash art, in which case, you shouldn't use it at all in the neutral unless you're trying to go for the read.

Knowing Shulk's poking options with each of his arts are extremely important, even in shield and that art decreases Shulk's damage output. Anyway, Shulk's range is amazing. Yeah, you get it. We all get it. Your opponent probably gets it. Abuse it. Use it to your advantage and space the **** out of your opponent. You do not want your opponent to get any closer to you because Shulk's CQC is utter crap. How do you keep them away? What moves do I use with Shulk?

In vanilla
- B-air is pretty safe on shield if well-spaced, if you hit it up close on shield, you're ****ed
- Retreating n-air (tipped) is safe although it requires precision to land
- D-tilt is relatively safe on shield although landing it up close on shield will get you wrecked

In speed
- Retreating b-air is safe on shield
- Retreating FF f-air is safe on shield
- Retreating n-air is safe on shield
- RAR tipped b-air is safe on shield (?)

In shield
- Retreating tipped n-air is safe on shield

In buster
- Retreating f-air is safe on shield
- B-air is safe on shield
- Tipped FF n-air is safe on shield
- F-tilt is safe on shield
- D-tilt is safe on shield
- F-smash (possibly) is safe on shield if tipped (?)

In smash
- Nope

So yeah. Those are his options with footsies. Just balance it and mix it up between tilts and aerials. Make sure you aren't predictable with your footsies or the dash to shield grab will happen when they find your obvious patterns. Before I move onto mobility, I'd like to make a special mention for u-tilt because of its amazing vertical coverage. It's great for covering aerial/vertical approaches so take note of that! With buster art, you can even chain u-tilt repeatedly!
Mobility is also an important aspect when it comes to the neutral. As mentioned earlier, mobility is important for mixing up your movement against your opponent. With speed, you can dash dance, dash to shield, jump back and forth, very well while sticking close to the ground while abusing SH n-air, b-airs, pivot f-tilts, and pivot grabs. With jump, the whole stage is basically your playground. You can jump around like an idiot, confuse your opponent with your sheer mobility, perform tomahawks, use n-airs in mid-air or f-airs to gain coverage or catch air dodges, etc. etc. You get the point. Mobility is an amazing tool in Smash Bros. Try it out. Learn how to apply it and abuse it in certain situations

Also, make sure you take note of MALLC. MALLC is a crucial and must-learn tech for Shulk mains since executing it successfully will cancel the landing lag from Shulk's aerials. This is really important in Shulk's neutral since it does and can potentially do the following:

1) Maintain mid-range dominance with the rapid use of MALLC b-air
2) Punish opponents for punishing MALLC
3) Combo'ing into f-tilt, f-smash, jab or dash grab after canceling landing lag

Oh, and yes. MALLC has invincibility. Well, art activation animation already has intangibility to begin with but the window varies depending on which art you use. You still need to space with MALLC though because landing up close with MALLC will still get you punished. Hit with the middle part of the aerial to maximize MALLC's potential

If you ever find yourself feeling like you're on the brink of being at a disadvantage, use jump or speed (mostly jump art) to escape or use shield and take the heat if you think the damage won't be that much. Shield is kinda useless though against those characters who already hit hard to begin with (Bowser, Ike, Ganon, Falcon... sort of, D3, Zard, etc.)

Now Shulk's primary issue in the neutral is the fact that his attacks have commitment. This is easily noticeable especially when you look at his beautifully atrocious frame data. Yeah, there's that. Take note that his attacks have lag so make sure you make the most out of your monstrous range. There's that, and also against defensive opponents with a patient mindset, you'll be forced to approach and Shulk doesn't like to approach. When this happens, just stay away from close-range and stick to mid-range harassment. Shulk is hopeless at CQC (well... almost)

Shulk's advantage

When do you know if you have the advantage? Well, it's quite simple really. If you have the opponent in a combo, if you're opponent is hanging on the ledge, if you opponent is down on the ground, if the opponent is above you, if the opponent is off-stage and trying to recover, and if the match's pace is basically being dictated by you. Shulk's advantage is AMAZING. He gains so much profit from jump art and buster art, most notably. Smash art is also the art to go-to once you have your opponent in a disadvantageous position. Speed art is also decent at advantage due to it having a good number of strings and combos (thanks to its augmented mobility) but the damage is lackluster and unlike jump, your combos are more limited due to your shortened jump height. Even shield art is useful at this state. You can dictate the pace of the match and turn it into a slow crawl by being a defensive *****. The advantaged state can appear in many forms but truth be told, each situation in this state can be optimized depending on a certain set or just one art.
For example, an opponent off-stage trying to recover? Nice! An edgeguarding opportunity! Jump art and smash art are the optimal arts for edgeguarding. Jump art's increased recovering capabilities allow you to go in deep without any fears of self-destructing. Your options while edgeguarding in jump art are f-air, d-air and b-air, although f-air is much more notable, precise and easier to use but anyone can react to it if you're too predictable. Learn how to condition and mix up your movements. Shulk falls fast so you don't really have that much time to think while staying off-stage. With smash art, the increased knockback basically insures death even at surprisingly low percentages (~60-70%). It's a lot easier to aim since you fall slower and n-airing off-stage isn't really a bad idea. Plus, you can even catch air dodges with n-air! You can't really go far though because unlike jump art, Smash art does not augment your recovering capabilities so don't get too crazy.

As far as combos go, landing d-tilt, n-air or d-throw will allow you to follow up very well and rack up a lot of damage but that's detrimental on which art you're using. Buster art, speed art, and jump art are the notable arts when it comes to combos. Buster art combos are incredibly potent and deadly. So deadly, you can rack up an easy 35% damage in 2 hits, and if you land the tighter strings, you can easily rack up ~56% damage or even more than that. It's all thanks to the lowered knockback. With jump art, from ~30%+, you have the potential to basically take the stock from the opponent if you manage to sweep them off-stage with some f-airs. Speed art is basically functions like jump art but it has less combos and it even deals less damage. Speed art combos are good for setting the opponent in a certain position, or in other words: "Speed art combos are good for setting up."

Some notable follow-ups/strings/combos (some are DI/reaction based):
Jump art (N-air > F-air > F-air)
Jump art (D-tilt > F-air > F-air)
Jump art (D-throw > F-air > F-air)
Jump art (N-air > U-tilt > F-air > Air slash)
Jump art (N-air > F-air)
Jump art (N-air > B-air)
Jump art (N-air > D-air)
Buster art (N-air > F-smash)
Buster art (N-air > F-tilt)
Buster art (N-air > d-throw > F-smash)
Buster art (N-air > d-tilt > d-throw > F-smash)
Buster art (D-tilt > D-tilt > D-throw > F-smash)
Buster art (D-tilt > D-throw > F-smash)
Buster art (B-throw > Back slash)
Speed art (N-air > D-throw > F-air)
Speed art (N-air > B-throw > Back slash)
Speed art (D-tilt > F-air)
Speed art (N-air > F-air > F-air)

Now we're done with the combos, let's talk about Shulk's ledge trapping.... It's amazing. It doesn't matter which art you're using but... if you want to rack up damage, use buster when ledge trapping? If you want to KO, use smash. If you want to set up for an edgeguard attempt, smash or jump art works. If you want to have an easier time ledge trapping, use speed because sliding u-smashes and RAR b-airs are great for covering options from the ledge. Pretty much almost all of Shulk's moves are amazing for ledge trapping. The only moves that aren't good for ledge trapping are u-air, d-air, back slash, air slash (due to it being HORRIBLE on whiff), and counter. All his other moves are seriously good for ledge trapping. Most notably, speed art sliding u-smash and u-tilt. You can rack up so much damage with buster just from keeping up the ledge pressure and you can even land the KO with smash art u-tilt or u-smash or f-smash or d-smash. It's all goooood

Shulk's disadvantage

Oh god. This one. Shulk's physical attributes basically make him combo meat in every art sans smash art and shield art. This is one of Shulk's main weaknesses and that isn't the only reason why his disadvantage is pretty bad. His recovery without the help of jump art (and a bit of speed art) is easy to gimp. It's not bad for recovering but it is definitely easy to gimp since it doesn't ledge snap instantly. Knowing how to escape the disadvantaged state is extremely crucial with Shulk because if you don't know your options at the disadvantage, your ****ed and **** can go south reeeeal fast.

Shield art is basically your best panic button for this. You take less damage and you even get the chance of escaping the combo early since you take significantly less hitsun while being in shield art (thank you based defense buff and weight buff!). Also, take note that you should STAY AWAY from this art if you're near the ledge of the stage. Your opponent will most likely attempt to throw you off-stage. Anyway, one more thing about shield. If the tendency of your opponent is to run from shield art, take advantage of that habit and use shield art. They'll run and try to camp you out thus you reset back to the neutral state

Jump art is your go-to art for escaping juggles and recovering back on-stage. With jump art, recovering is MUCH MUCH easier and your vertical recovering ability is godlike. Your jump height is increased and your air mobility is amplified so you can take advantage of that when it comes to getting around edgeguarding attempts (FH air dodge, etc). With regards to using it against juggles, you basically jump away and use your air speed to escape. So yeah. Be careful though with jump, because you take more damage. As in, +22%. That's quite a lot of additional damage you're taking per hit...

Final words

In the end, the best way to handle the 3 states is to know your opponent and the mechanics of the character the opponent is using. Once you learn the opponent's mechanics, determine which art is optimal when you're in a situation wherein the opponent is attempting to exploit a certain mechanic/set-up against you. Should you use jump to jump away? Should you switch to smash and take more knockback to get out much faster? Or use shield and take the hit and punish them? Treat the arts as tools. Maybe there will be times wherein you can treat them as other ways on how to deal with situations (i.e: playing mid-range ALL THE WAY with jump/speed/buster). It really depends. Shulk is a dynamic character and we all have different methods with playing the character

So yeah. Feelin' it

 

[SGJet]

Added this to my OP:

Shulk's neutral

So, we all know what the neutral is. This is basically and honestly the most important state you need to know because how you play at the neutral will determine whether if you'll be at the advantage or the disadvantage. Smash 4 is very neutral heavy. Don't be surprised if you find yourself in this state in matches. You're going to find yourself having to win at the neutral over and over AND OVER again (if you're good enough), but whatever. Now, let's take a look at Shulk's neutral.

Now, Shulk's options at neutral vary a lot depending on his arts. His arts are made to respond to the situation he's in. Say, if he has to deal with projectiles, his go-to art would be jump and speed. If the opponent is trying to break into his zone, he can either use buster art and attempt to keep the opponent at bay, or he can use speed and jump to stay mobile such that he can keep himself away from the opponent if ever he or she gets too close to Shulk. He can also use shield and take the hit then punish the opponent for actually hitting or even throwing Shulk at low to mid percentages. Your arts will be used for specific situations. You should see them as tools when it comes to dealing with match-ups but there are those times where you need to maximize your utility of the art you're currently using depending on the situation. Shulk's playstyle ultimately is all about footsies/mid-range, unless you're in smash art, in which case, you shouldn't use it at all in the neutral unless you're trying to go for the read.

Knowing Shulk's poking options with each of his arts are extremely important, even in shield and that art decreases Shulk's damage output. Anyway, Shulk's range is amazing. Yeah, you get it. We all get it. Your opponent probably gets it. Abuse it. Use it to your advantage and space the **** out of your opponent. You do not want your opponent to get any closer to you because Shulk's CQC is utter crap. How do you keep them away? What moves do I use with Shulk?

In vanilla
- B-air is pretty safe on shield if well-spaced, if you hit it up close on shield, you're ****ed
- Retreating n-air (tipped) is safe although it requires precision to land
- D-tilt is relatively safe on shield although landing it up close on shield will get you wrecked

In speed
- Retreating b-air is safe on shield
- Retreating FF f-air is safe on shield
- Retreating n-air is safe on shield
- RAR tipped b-air is safe on shield (?)

In shield
- Retreating tipped n-air is safe on shield

In buster
- Retreating f-air is safe on shield
- B-air is safe on shield
- Tipped FF n-air is safe on shield
- F-tilt is safe on shield
- D-tilt is safe on shield
- F-smash (possibly) is safe on shield if tipped (?)

In smash
- Nope

So yeah. Those are his options with footsies. Just balance it and mix it up between tilts and aerials. Make sure you aren't predictable with your footsies or the dash to shield grab will happen when they find your obvious patterns. Before I move onto mobility, I'd like to make a special mention for u-tilt because of its amazing vertical coverage. It's great for covering aerial/vertical approaches so take note of that! With buster art, you can even chain u-tilt repeatedly!
Mobility is also an important aspect when it comes to the neutral. As mentioned earlier, mobility is important for mixing up your movement against your opponent. With speed, you can dash dance, dash to shield, jump back and forth, very well while sticking close to the ground while abusing SH n-air, b-airs, pivot f-tilts, and pivot grabs. With jump, the whole stage is basically your playground. You can jump around like an idiot, confuse your opponent with your sheer mobility, perform tomahawks, use n-airs in mid-air or f-airs to gain coverage or catch air dodges, etc. etc. You get the point. Mobility is an amazing tool in Smash Bros. Try it out. Learn how to apply it and abuse it in certain situations

Also, make sure you take note of MALLC. MALLC is a crucial and must-learn tech for Shulk mains since executing it successfully will cancel the landing lag from Shulk's aerials. This is really important in Shulk's neutral since it does and can potentially do the following:

1) Maintain mid-range dominance with the rapid use of MALLC b-air
2) Punish opponents for punishing MALLC
3) Combo'ing into f-tilt, f-smash, jab or dash grab after canceling landing lag

Oh, and yes. MALLC has invincibility. Well, art activation animation already has intangibility to begin with but the window varies depending on which art you use. You still need to space with MALLC though because landing up close with MALLC will still get you punished. Hit with the middle part of the aerial to maximize MALLC's potential

If you ever find yourself feeling like you're on the brink of being at a disadvantage, use jump or speed (mostly jump art) to escape or use shield and take the heat if you think the damage won't be that much. Shield is kinda useless though against those characters who already hit hard to begin with (Bowser, Ike, Ganon, Falcon... sort of, D3, Zard, etc.)

Now Shulk's primary issue in the neutral is the fact that his attacks have commitment. This is easily noticeable especially when you look at his beautifully atrocious frame data. Yeah, there's that. Take note that his attacks have lag so make sure you make the most out of your monstrous range. There's that, and also against defensive opponents with a patient mindset, you'll be forced to approach and Shulk doesn't like to approach. When this happens, just stay away from close-range and stick to mid-range harassment. Shulk is hopeless at CQC (well... almost)

Shulk's advantage

When do you know if you have the advantage? Well, it's quite simple really. If you have the opponent in a combo, if you're opponent is hanging on the ledge, if you opponent is down on the ground, if the opponent is above you, if the opponent is off-stage and trying to recover, and if the match's pace is basically being dictated by you. Shulk's advantage is AMAZING. He gains so much profit from jump art and buster art, most notably. Smash art is also the art to go-to once you have your opponent in a disadvantageous position. Speed art is also decent at advantage due to it having a good number of strings and combos (thanks to its augmented mobility) but the damage is lackluster and unlike jump, your combos are more limited due to your shortened jump height. Even shield art is useful at this state. You can dictate the pace of the match and turn it into a slow crawl by being a defensive *****. The advantaged state can appear in many forms but truth be told, each situation in this state can be optimized depending on a certain set or just one art.
For example, an opponent off-stage trying to recover? Nice! An edgeguarding opportunity! Jump art and smash art are the optimal arts for edgeguarding. Jump art's increased recovering capabilities allow you to go in deep without any fears of self-destructing. Your options while edgeguarding in jump art are f-air, d-air and b-air, although f-air is much more notable, precise and easier to use but anyone can react to it if you're too predictable. Learn how to condition and mix up your movements. Shulk falls fast so you don't really have that much time to think while staying off-stage. With smash art, the increased knockback basically insures death even at surprisingly low percentages (~60-70%). It's a lot easier to aim since you fall slower and n-airing off-stage isn't really a bad idea. Plus, you can even catch air dodges with n-air! You can't really go far though because unlike jump art, Smash art does not augment your recovering capabilities so don't get too crazy.

As far as combos go, landing d-tilt, n-air or d-throw will allow you to follow up very well and rack up a lot of damage but that's detrimental on which art you're using. Buster art, speed art, and jump art are the notable arts when it comes to combos. Buster art combos are incredibly potent and deadly. So deadly, you can rack up an easy 35% damage in 2 hits, and if you land the tighter strings, you can easily rack up ~56% damage or even more than that. It's all thanks to the lowered knockback. With jump art, from ~30%+, you have the potential to basically take the stock from the opponent if you manage to sweep them off-stage with some f-airs. Speed art is basically functions like jump art but it has less combos and it even deals less damage. Speed art combos are good for setting the opponent in a certain position, or in other words: "Speed art combos are good for setting up."

Some notable follow-ups/strings/combos (some are DI/reaction based):
Jump art (N-air > F-air > F-air)
Jump art (D-tilt > F-air > F-air)
Jump art (D-throw > F-air > F-air)
Jump art (N-air > U-tilt > F-air > Air slash)
Jump art (N-air > F-air)
Jump art (N-air > B-air)
Jump art (N-air > D-air)
Buster art (N-air > F-smash)
Buster art (N-air > F-tilt)
Buster art (N-air > d-throw > F-smash)
Buster art (N-air > d-tilt > d-throw > F-smash)
Buster art (D-tilt > D-tilt > D-throw > F-smash)
Buster art (D-tilt > D-throw > F-smash)
Buster art (B-throw > Back slash)
Speed art (N-air > D-throw > F-air)
Speed art (N-air > B-throw > Back slash)
Speed art (D-tilt > F-air)
Speed art (N-air > F-air > F-air)

Now we're done with the combos, let's talk about Shulk's ledge trapping.... It's amazing. It doesn't matter which art you're using but... if you want to rack up damage, use buster when ledge trapping? If you want to KO, use smash. If you want to set up for an edgeguard attempt, smash or jump art works. If you want to have an easier time ledge trapping, use speed because sliding u-smashes and RAR b-airs are great for covering options from the ledge. Pretty much almost all of Shulk's moves are amazing for ledge trapping. The only moves that aren't good for ledge trapping are u-air, d-air, back slash, air slash (due to it being HORRIBLE on whiff), and counter. All his other moves are seriously good for ledge trapping. Most notably, speed art sliding u-smash and u-tilt. You can rack up so much damage with buster just from keeping up the ledge pressure and you can even land the KO with smash art u-tilt or u-smash or f-smash or d-smash. It's all goooood

Shulk's disadvantage

Oh god. This one. Shulk's physical attributes basically make him combo meat in every art sans smash art and shield art. This is one of Shulk's main weaknesses and that isn't the only reason why his disadvantage is pretty bad. His recovery without the help of jump art (and a bit of speed art) is easy to gimp. It's not bad for recovering but it is definitely easy to gimp since it doesn't ledge snap instantly. Knowing how to escape the disadvantaged state is extremely crucial with Shulk because if you don't know your options at the disadvantage, your ****ed and **** can go south reeeeal fast.

Shield art is basically your best panic button for this. You take less damage and you even get the chance of escaping the combo early since you take significantly less hitsun while being in shield art (thank you based defense buff and weight buff!). Also, take note that you should STAY AWAY from this art if you're near the ledge of the stage. Your opponent will most likely attempt to throw you off-stage. Anyway, one more thing about shield. If the tendency of your opponent is to run from shield art, take advantage of that habit and use shield art. They'll run and try to camp you out thus you reset back to the neutral state

Jump art is your go-to art for escaping juggles and recovering back on-stage. With jump art, recovering is MUCH MUCH easier and your vertical recovering ability is godlike. Your jump height is increased and your air mobility is amplified so you can take advantage of that when it comes to getting around edgeguarding attempts (FH air dodge, etc). With regards to using it against juggles, you basically jump away and use your air speed to escape. So yeah. Be careful though with jump, because you take more damage. As in, +22%. That's quite a lot of additional damage you're taking per hit...

Final words

In the end, the best way to handle the 3 states is to know your opponent and the mechanics of the character the opponent is using. Once you learn the opponent's mechanics, determine which art is optimal when you're in a situation wherein the opponent is attempting to exploit a certain mechanic/set-up against you. Should you use jump to jump away? Should you switch to smash and take more knockback to get out much faster? Or use shield and take the hit and punish them? Treat the arts as tools. Maybe there will be times wherein you can treat them as other ways on how to deal with situations (i.e: playing mid-range ALL THE WAY with jump/speed/buster). It really depends. Shulk is a dynamic character and we all have different methods with playing the character

So yeah. Feelin' it

Excellent post Berseker! Should really help us all continue to feel it. ^_^ I'm not sure if uair is so bad on whiff though, is it? It's landing lag isn't terribad.

 

[Berserker.]

Excellent post Berseker! Should really help us all continue to feel it. ^_^ I'm not sure if uair is so bad on whiff though, is it? It's landing lag isn't terribad.

It has 17 frames of landing lag. It's as bad as f-air's but at least f-air compensates for having good horizontal range. I think it might be safe on shield in buster and maybe vanilla/jump art only because the 2nd hit deals a lot of damage but it's hard to land so idk

 

[SGJet]

Properly spaced it shouldn't be too bad. I like catching people in the air with it when the Monado shoots up cause most people underestimate its range.

On another note, what button is everyone using to cycle through arts? I was thinking about switching over to the L button for added precision.

 

[Berserker.]

Properly spaced it shouldn't be too bad. I like catching people in the air with it when the Monado shoots up cause most people underestimate its range.

On another note, what button is everyone using to cycle through arts? I was thinking about switching over to the L button for added precision.

Yeah, the vertical range of u-air is surprisingly longer than I expected

I'm sticking to the B button. I fear that I might accidentally back slash off-stage with L as the special button :<