What are Cloud's best edgeguarding options?

[Rango the Mercenary]

Off-stage, he has Nair, walk-off Limit Cross Slash, and turn-around Limit Blade Beam into the ledge. He can also airhop into a Dair spike for a kill.

On stage, he can Dair spike through the stage sometimes when they try to snap the ledge. Once they're at the ledge, I feel I'm lost here. Besides standard edgeguarding, like shieldgrabs on neutral ledge recoveries, I don't know what all of Cloud's options are. Sometimes I try retreating Nair, but Ike has 15 frames of Nair and it covers him lower. Cloud has 10 frames, and it acts faster, so I'm not entirely sure about it being a solid edgeguarding option. DSmash is also risky and punishable, but could otherwise make for effective early kills. However, DSmash lasts only 2 frames.

I'm also considering shorthop retreating Dairs or even ascending Dair into an autocancel. If it misses, we can still retreat for free.

What else can he use effectively?

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I hardly do any online matches, so I can't really say much. What I can say is that I'm not too comfy with going off-stage while using Cloud, simply because his recovery is normally poor.

Anyway, I would think that using a Limit Break boosted Blade Beam would be a good edge-guarding option if you want Cloud to stay on-stage, but it's probably more meant for fighters who can't afford to do any air dodges. F-smash can't be ignored either.

 

[HFlash]

Off-stage, he has Nair, walk-off Limit Cross Slash, and turn-around Limit Blade Beam into the ledge. He can also airhop into a Dair spike for a kill.

On stage, he can Dair spike through the stage sometimes when they try to snap the ledge. Once they're at the ledge, I feel I'm lost here. Besides standard edgeguarding, like shieldgrabs on neutral ledge recoveries, I don't know what all of Cloud's options are. Sometimes I try retreating Nair, but Ike has 15 frames of Nair and it covers him lower. Cloud has 10 frames, and it acts faster, so I'm not entirely sure about it being a solid edgeguarding option. DSmash is also risky and punishable, but could otherwise make for effective early kills. However, DSmash lasts only 2 frames.

I'm also considering shorthop retreating Dairs or even ascending Dair into an autocancel. If it misses, we can still retreat for free.

What else can he use effectively?

You covered almost all of Cloud's options. You can add using the second part of CH to catch 2 frames, as well as dtilt depending on the character/stage.