[Melee] Sheik Data

[Flint]

Sheik used to be first on the Melee tier list until the eighth version of it, where Fox now currently takes the top spot. Sheik now ranks third on the tier list, in the S tier primarily due to her chain throw, excellent combos, a great finisher in her f-air, a very good approach due to fast aerials and high jumps, and one of the best edgeguarding games in Melee. Sheik, however, suffers from a relatively short and predictable recovery, as well as a rather short but quick wavedash.

Moveset:


Total: 17
Hit: 2-3
IASA: 16
Window for Second Jab: 3-25
Second Slice begins: 10 (or later)

Total: 18
Hit: 3-5
IASA: 17
Window for Jabs: 2-18
Rapid Jabs Starts: 10

Total: 55
Hit: 3-4, 7-8, etc.
IASA: Unknown
Jabs start: 10
Neutral Attack: Slicing Blade, Cutting Blade, Piercing Blade. 3-4%.
Two fast swipes with good jab cancel potential followed by a series of rapid jabs.



Total: 29
Hit: 5-10
IASA: 27
Forward Tilt: Wheel Kick. 6%.
A round kick in front of her. Short range, but launches the foe directly up leaving them open for aerial combos. Can be done repeatedly, and is very fast.



Total: 33
Hit: 5-10, 19-24
IASA: 26
Up Tilt: Bow Form. 11% if both hits connect. First hit does 8%, second 3%.
Kicks up, and lets her leg down in an axe-like way. This attack is famous for its chainability against heavy characters such as her up tilt infinite on Bowser.



Total: 29
Hit: 5-8
IASA: 28
Down Tilt: Crouching Sweep. 7%.
A quick kick while crouching. Not particularly useful due to low range, but can disrupt attacks.



Total: 37
Hit: 6-12
IASA: 36
Dash Attack: Gale Form. 10%.
Slashes with her arms to a stop. Excellent juggling due to little ending lag, sends opponents up and behind her.



Total: 50
Hit: 12, 27-29
Charge frame: 5
IASA: 46
Forward Smash: Double Snake. 4% then 12% uncharged, 6% then 19% fully charged.
Kicks twice in front of her, has moderate knockback. Decent for racking up damage, but not exactly easy to land both hits at higher percentages.



Total: 47
Hit: 12, 14-16
Charge frame: 10
Head and forearms invincible: 12-16
IASA: 40
Up Smash: Razor Wing. 13-19% (arms), 17-23% (tip, NTSC)/16-22% (tip, PAL).
Puts her arms above herself and violently separates them to her left and right. Incredibly powerful when sweetspotted, being among the most powerful in the game, but otherwise does moderate knockback when sourspotted. In the NTSC version, it can be a reliable KO move after a d-throw chaingrab or a d-throw on its own.



Total: 49
Hit: 5-9, 16-19, 22-24
Charge Frame: 2
Legs Invincible: 5
IASA: 46
Down Smash: Windmill. 13% uncharged, 17% fully charged.
A long-ranged breakdance-like sweep with multiple hits, but low knockback and KO potential.



Total: 48
Hit: 3-30
IASA: 42
Auto Cancel: <2, >31
Landlag: 16
L-Canceled: 8
Neutral Aerial: Falling Leaves. 14%.
A typical Sex kick that gets weaker the longer it's out. Mostly used for its horizontal knockback, continuing combos, or potentially setting up an edgeguard game, but an f-air is more reliable and stronger.



Total: 33
Hit: 5-7
Auto Cancel: <4, >11
Landlag: 16
L-Canceled: 8
Forward Aerial: Hatchet. 13%.
A quick swipe in front of her, great finisher/edgeguarder that semi-spikes with high knockback, and very deadly offstage against characters with poor recovery. Can potentially be done against an opponent repeatedly if Sheik can maneuver correctly.



Total: 37
Hit: 4-19
Auto Cancel: <3, >25
Landlag: 16
L-Canceled: 8
Back Aerial: Flying Swallow. 14% (foot), 8% (otherwise).
A quick kick in behind her, good for edgeguarding. The sweetspot is located at the foot.



Total: 39
Hit: 5-20
IASA: 37
Auto Cancel: <4, >30
Landlag: 24
L-Canceled: 12
Up Aerial: Vortex Form. 12% (NTSC), 10% (PAL).
A spinning kick upwards with high vertical knockback and KO potential. In the PAL version, the attack's knockback is considerably reduced, making it a better attack for comboing.



Total: 48
Hit: 15-33
Auto Cancel: <2
Landlag: 20
L-Canceled: 10
Down Aerial: Butcher Bird. 9-11%.
A downwards kick with long ending lag.

Special Moveset:


Holding 1st needle: 8
Set that frame as 1.
Another needle at 19
Set that as 1 (etc)
Releasing B at frame 1 counts with
new needle.

When you release B
Needles released at 4, 7, 10, 13, 16,
19
Total: 40

Needles released at 11, 14, 17, 20,
23, 26
Auto cancels upon landing
Last frame: 39

Needles last 30 frames
Neutral Special: Needle Storm. 3% per needle, 18% maximum.
Charges up needles, which can be fired by releasing the B button. The charge can be saved by pressing the shield button, and continued by pressing B again. They are quick to charge, travel fast and far when thrown, can cut through or stop most other projectiles in the game, and also have high hitstun and low knockback, making them good for distracting foes. They can even edgeguard characters easily and effectively. If used in the air, they travel roughly 45 degrees to the ground.



Comes out on 22
Fully extended at 34
Earliest retraction starts on 44

Upon B release…
Pullin hurt: 19-31 (sooner if swinging)
Last frame: 41
Side Special: Chain. 1-5%.
Pulls out a long metal chain and whips it around (controllable with the Control Stick). Does minor damage to opponents, and an electric effect at the tip of the chain. Due to the low damage and high lag, it is almost never used in competitive play.



Total: 94
Hit: 36-42
Invincible: 18-55
The frame of choosing direction: 35
Landlag: 30
Landfallspeciallag: 4
Up Special: Vanish. 6-12%.
Vanishes into the air, then reappears further in one direction, which can be controlled with the Control Stick. Used for recovery. It does not travel as far as Zelda's Farore's Wind, though if Sheik is above the ledge and far away from the stage, transforming into Zelda to get back to the stage is possible, but this should only be done if Vanish absolutely can't make it to the stage.



Total: 62
Invulnerable: 27-36
First frame of Zelda: 37

(Zelda's Transform is not the same)
Down Special: Transform. 0%. Transforms into Zelda.

Grabs:


Total: 30
Grab: 7-8

Total: 40
Grab: 8-9
Pummel: Forearm. 2% per pummel.
Punches the opponent with her fist.

Forward Throw: Battering Ram. 8%.
Launches her opponent forward with low horizontal knockback and hitstun.

Back Throw: Backlash. 7%.
Kicks opponent behind her. Better knockback and hitstun than f-throw but otherwise weak, though it can force opponents offstage to set up edgeguards.

Up Throw: Standing Crane. 8%.
Launches opponent above her. Excellent for an aerial-attack follow up, but due to low histun follow-ups are difficult.

Down Throw: Guillotine. 8%.
Punches enemy to the ground, 8% damage. Overall, this is the best of Sheik's throws because it can reliably chain grab or tech chase many characters to high percentages, with a reliable KO option being a u-smash. However, in the PAL version, it does more knockback and so it cannot chaingrab reliably.

Floor Attack (Front) 6% Gets up and kicks in front and back of herself.
Floor Attack (Back) 6% Gets up and kicks in front and back of herself.
Edge Attack (Fast) 8% Kicks back on the stage.
Edge Attack (Slow) 8% Slowly does a similar attack to her ledge attack below 100% damage.

Dodges:

Air Dodge

Invulnerable 4-29 out of 49

Spot Dodge

Invulnerable 2-15 out of 22

Forward Dodge

Invulnerable 4-19 out of 31

Backward Dodge

Invulnerable 4-19 out of 31

-

Match-Ups:
Fox; -1 (Soft Countered).
Falco; ±0 (Even Match)
Sheik; Mirror Match.
Marth; +1 (Soft Counter).
Jigglypuff; -1 (Soft Countered).
Peach; +1 (Soft Counter).
Captain Falcon; +1 (Soft Counter).
Ice Climbers; -1 (Soft Countered).
Dr. Mario; +1 (Soft Counter).
Pikachu; +3 (Hard Counter).
Samus; +1 (Soft Counter).
Ganon; +2 (Counter).
Luigi; +2 (Counter).
Mario; +1 (Soft Counter).
Yoshi; +3 (Hard Counter).
Young Link; +2 (Counter).
Link; +3 (Hard Counter).
Donkey Kong; +2 (Counter).
Roy; +3 (Hard Counter).
Zelda; +3 (Hard Counter).
Mewtwo; +2 (Counter).
Mr. Game & Watch; +3 (Hard Counter).
Ness; +3 (Hard Counter).
Bowser; +3 (Hard Counter).
Pichu; +3 (Hard Counter).
Kirby; +3 (Hard Counter).


Sheik has one of the best matchup spreads in the game. She is soft countered by three characters, has one even matchup, soft counters six characters, counters five, and hard counters ten. She generally has a large advantage against characters whom she can 0-death with her down throw chaingrab, including Bowser, Donkey Kong, Ganondorf, Link, Mr. Game & Watch, Ness, Pichu, Pikachu, Roy, Sheik, Yoshi and Young Link, most of whom she hard counters (obviously outside of Sheik due to it being a mirror match), with a few being solid countered due to having reliable approaching and spacing options, allowing them to avoid being grabbed easier. She has trouble the most against characters who can camp and avoid her approach options easily, most notably Fox, Jigglypuff, and Falco, as well as characters who can escape her down throw easily and lack the tools to escape powerful KO options, such as the Ice Climbers. Overall, Sheik wins against the majority of the characters in the game.