ChatGPT Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Squirtle is strongest at speed-driven rushdown and combo-based advantage, while Pichu is strongest at speed-driven rushdown and combo-based advantage.
Raw scrambles make this matchup volatile. The side that wins more landing traps and cleaner shield punishes usually gets the stable edge.
The table shows reliable shield punishes on Neutral B, Down B, Up Smash, Down Smash, and Dash Attack, with OOS Nair, OOS Bair, OOS Fair, and OOS Uair showing up most often as the clean ways to take the turn back.
Do not force shield punishes on the relatively safer choices like Down Tilt and Neutral Air. It is usually better to read the landing or ledge route and punish the next action.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Squirtle OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab | 2 | -11 |
| |
| Forward Tilt | 5 | -11 |
| |
| Up Tilt | 7 | -10 |
| |
| Down Tilt | 7 | -4 |
|
|
| Dash Attack | 6 | -20 |
| |
| Forward Smash | 16/19/22/25/28/31 | -16 |
|
|
| Up Smash | 9 | -21 |
| |
| Down Smash | 8/11/15/19/23 | -21 |
| |
| Neutral Air | 3 | -4/-4 |
|
|
| Forward Air | 10/14/18/22 | -10/-10 |
| |
| Back Air | 5/11/15/19/26/30 | -16/-16 |
|
|
| Up Air | 4 | -8 |
|
|
| Down Air | 14 | -16 |
|
|
| Neutral B | 18 | -29/-30 |
| |
| Side B | 17 | -20 to +3 |
| |
| Up B | ** | — | ||
| Down B | 9 | -27 |
| |
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 8 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 9 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Reduce raw scrambles and take the first clean turn through landing traps and shield punishes.
- After blocking Neutral B, Down B, Up Smash, Down Smash, and Dash Attack, answer immediately with OOS Nair, OOS Bair, OOS Fair, and OOS Uair so the opponent cannot keep the turn.
- Do not force immediate retaliation on Down Tilt and Neutral Air; take the landing route, escape route, or ledge direction first.
- Finish stocks through repeated landing traps and ledge pressure instead of overcommitting to single hard reads in center stage.
Actions to Avoid
- Opting into every raw scramble and making the matchup more volatile than it needs to be.
- Swinging after every blocked Down Tilt and Neutral Air and feeding the whiff punish or reset the opponent wants.
- Overchasing for the kill and giving up the positional lead you already earned.
- Accepting a heavy swing at the ledge and letting the opponent cash in on their highest-reward situation.