Marth
Gameplan
- Grab
- Don't get grabbed
- Get Marth above you
- Don't get above Marth
- Stay in the center of the stage
- Don't let Marth stay in the center of the stage
- Keep Marth off stage or on the ledge
- Stay on stage, ledge is OK
- Use needles for damage and to take space
Down Throw Flowchart
Almost always you will want to down throw Marth whenever you grab him. In very niche circumstances are upthrow and fthrow used. Back throw is almost never good since Marth does not fall fast enough and the reward of back throw is significantly less at almost all percents compared to down throw in most positions.
Down throw is a relatively slow move (read: takes a lot of time to go through the complete animation), but Sheik can act extremely quickly out of it. This is what Sheik's down throw looks like:
Down throw has a total of 57 frames. The animation is nearly 1 full second so you can blink after landing the grab to make sure you are reacting to DI as best as possible. A voluntary blink takes around 1/3 s which is around 20\~ frames. Use this to your advantage. Trust yourself.
No DI
Note: All percents are before the throw
| Percent | Possible Options | Rationale | Marth Counterplay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-18% | Utilt | This combos into fair, grab, utilt, or uair depending on the DI+SDI on the first utilt. | Marth will want to SDI the first hit of utilt so that the second hit does not connect. If you notice this, delay the utilt slightly. |
| 19-26% | Fh uair, sh uair | Fh uair: you hitconfirm into a falling aerial on all DI. Sh uair: can lead to a platform tech chase easier than fh uair or any other option. | Marth more or less will eat at least 1 hit and will try to DI ambiguously to get to either platform or a platform slide-off mixup. |
| 27-51% | Sh uair, utilt | Sh uair: leads to fh fair on DI away and fh uair -> aerial on DI in; need to autocancel the uair for maximum effectiveness. Utilt: will always lead to sh fair which can lead to either a tech chase situation or a 50/50 on dash attack or jump read; this option is probably better than sh uair but is more effective with more space | Marth can minimize damage on sh uair by DI-ing away and trying to floorhug DI to return to stage as fast as possible. For utilt, Marth can minimize poor position by forcing the 50/50 option. |
| 52%+ | Fair, fh uair | When near the ledge, fair will lead to an edge guard/kill while fh uair will lead to a juggle scenario or another aerial depending on the DI. Closer to the center of stage, 50/50 the fh uair to mixup their DI. | Most Marth's will survival DI and not give you the easy kill option. |
| Usmash% | Usmash | It kills. | Ambiguous DI to make it hard OR somehow get 3 SDI down inputs to live. |
The Usmash% per stage and position are:
| Stage | Ground | Side Platform | Top Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreamland | 87% | 80% | 75% |
| Fountain of Dreams | 75% | N/A | 63% |
| Battlefield | 74% | 68% | 59% |
| Final Destination | 71% | N/A | N/A |
| Pokemon Stadium | 69% | 59% | N/A |
| Yoshi's Story | 65% | 57% | 52% |
Note: percentages above are pre-down throw
DI In
The flowchart for DI in is very similar to the no DI flowchart. However, you will need to do turnaround utilt and dash jc usmash instead of standing in place.
Slight DI In
This is what normally is the best DI is if Marth is trying to tech on a platform or SDI the utilt. Use the same flowchart but take into account the DI in changes when necessary.
Slight DI Away
Chaingrab city is unlocked. From 0% to 16%, you can standing grab. Otherwise, walk or dash before doing the utilt or uairs. Don't unintentionally cross them up otherwise you'll shorten your punish state.
DI Away
Chain grab from 0% to 75% guaranteed regardless of port. You can follow up with fair, walking ftilt, and dash attack after the chain grab percents to force an edge guard or juggle situation.
Edge Guarding
Marth Recovering Low
- Grab the ledge
- Sami-stall until you feel comfortable to bair/nair or to hold ledge
Marth Recovering High
If they are super high:
Drift out and minor babysit with bair until you feel comfortable to bair safely or force them lower.
If they aren't super high:
- Throw a single needle when Marth gets to stage height and grab ledge
- See the Marth Recovering Low flowchart
Defense
- Hold gray stick down
- Hold yellow stick down
- Boost grab out of cc
- ASDI down tech is good but don't make your techs easy to follow
Try and force Marth's weaker hitboxes as tipper hitboxes will allow him to start juggle situations or force you off stage.
If you are being juggled, mix up your DI, try and SDI uair, and save your jump to try and jump out. Otherwise, glhf o7.
Sets to Watch
Here is a list of some good Sheik v Marth sets which I found very helpful in order to develop my approach to this match up. Yes I am a big fan of Plup.