Neutral:

• Ike’s main tools in neutral are N-Air, D-Tilt & grab since his grounded options are slow & generally unsafe. Ike’s gameplan is all about conditioning the opponent.
• Ike’s N-Air:
  • Ike players will almost always be landed. Rising/buffered N-Air can be punished.
  • The lower they land w/ the move, the safer & faster it is. If they do that & space it correctly on shield, they have 4 options:
    • Shield —> Punish
    • FH (To avoid grounded & SH options)
    • Attack immediately (i.e. aerials or tilts to call out a shield or jump)
    • Dash away
  • If they land low but don’t space the aerial, it’ll be a 50-50 between blocking the attack or spotdodging/FH to avoid grabs
    • Ike can cross up on shield w/ the move to avoid the 50-50
  • Good Ike players will mix up FH & SH N-Air so their jump pattern is harder to read
• Ike’s U-Air:
  • This move can be used as a counter measure against jumping opponents trying to anti-air Ike
• Counterplay to N-Air & U-Air:
  • Parrying the move
  • Anti-air (Up-B, U-Smash, U-Tilt, etc.)
  • If you choose a defensive option, mix it up (i.e. shield, spotdodge, roll, tweek turnaround, etc.).
• Be aware of Ike’s Up-B OOS. It has super armor frame 5.
• Ike’s Up-B doesn’t have a hitbox behind him.

Edgegaurding & Ledgetrapping (Kirby P.O.V):

• Ike’s recovery options are the following:
  • DJ’ing & charging Side-B for a rough 50-50 between going high or going to ledge
  • Save his DJ & just charge Side-B to go to ledge
  • Recover low & use Up-B
  • DJ directional airdodge if he’s close enough to ledge
• Counterplay to Side-B:
  • If Ike recovers w/ Side-B & hits opponents, he has a second to try inputting another special move or jump into imagination if he still has DJ.
  • DJ Side-B 50-50 can be called out w/ FH aerials & projectiles to deny high recovery. Ike recovering high w/ Side-B at FH distance makes him land w/ no lag. If this happens, you have to respect it.
  • If Ike releases Side-B any higher than FH distance, he’ll suffer a ton of lag.
  • If Ike Side-B’s to ledge, it can be punished w/ a well timed attack or projectile.
• Counterplay to Up-B:

  • Ike’s Up-B can be challenged w/ any attack as he rises up.

  • Be careful not to overextend against Ike’s recovery. You can get caught in the move & take you down to hell.

    

  • You don’t need SUPER precise positioning, it’s more about timing the hitbox as he rises up.

Disadvantage:

• DO NOT mash in disadvantage
• Ike is great at catching landings. The best thing you can do in disadvantage is reset to ledge.
  • Obviously the best answer isn’t always the right answer. You can utilize your multiple jumps & a well timed airdodge to mix up your landing back to stage.

Edgegaurding & Ledgetrapping (Ike P.O.V):

• D-Tilt pressure against ledge hang stall
• Shield to grab options in front
• Mix up w/ jump N-Air or F-Air to cover rolls
• If you regular getup, he can dash back & harass you w/ B-Air, D-Tilt & F-Tilt.