Sheik (SSBM)

This article is about Sheik's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For the character in other contexts, see Sheik and for information about Sheik's alter-ego, see Princess Zelda.

Sheik in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Sheik
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Alternate form	Zelda
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Tier	S (4)

Announced at E3 2001, Sheik is a character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. She transforms from Zelda by using her down special move (Transform), and can transform back into Zelda. By holding A at the stage loading screen, Zelda will automatically transform into Sheik at the start of a match.

Sheik used to be 1st on the tier list, to the point where some smashers considered her to be "broken". On July of 2006, however, she slipped to rank 3, ousted by Fox and Falco. In the current Melee tier list, she slipped to fourth, ousted this time by Jigglypuff.

Sheik stands in the high tier primarily due to her chain throw, excellent combos, a great finisher in her fair, a very good approach due to fast aerials and good air speed, 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 wavedash.

Attributes

File:Sheik.jpg

Sheik using Needle Storm.

Sheik is a very fast character (in both movement and attack speed), but her attacks lack power and are vulnerable to being crouch cancelled. However, as her opponent's damage percent climbs higher, the knockback of her attacks increase many fold.

Sheik's needles are arguably one of the best in the game. Not only are they quick to charge, but she can save her needles and continue charging them whenever she is given time to do so. Her needles can neutralize opponents' projectiles, especially Samus's charge shot and Mewtwo's shadow ball, and thanks to its hitstun can add to her edge-guarding game. Needle canceling makes for a speedy and unpredictable air-to-ground game. For the advanced player, reverse needle canceling improves mobility and recovery, as they can turn themselves the other way to follow up into finishing blows. Her side special move (Chain) has decent range, but it has almost no hitstun, and is slow to execute; as a result, the chain has almost never seen use in tournaments.

Sheik has one of the fastest wavedashes in the game. She has excellent dodging ability thanks to her unusually low crouch, which can help dodge projectiles like Fox's and Falco's blasters. Sheik has a very high short hop, so her SHFFL is slowed significantly. Sheik's tilts are known not only for being fast like her other attacks, but for also having long reach and juggling capabilities. Sheik is also famous for her down throw, which can chaingrab against much of the NTSC cast. Not only is Sheik's up smash quick, but it is also the second strongest in the game (next to Ganondorf's) if sweetspotted at the tip of her hands. Sheik can also wall jump. Although her recovery doesn't travel much distance (a combination of relatively fast-falling speed, fairly poor air speed, and not much distance on her third jump), Vanish has a large number of invincibility frames and damages foes around her due to the explosion. Sheik can transform into Zelda if the player has a disadvantage as Sheik, or for her better recovery when knocked far offstage. However, Transform is fairly slow and grants few invincibility frames, allowing her to be easily punished. Pressing start, while illegal in most tournaments, allows for Sheik's transformation to be instantly finished.

Moveset

Ground Moves

Normal

• Neutral attack- Two swipes that do 3-4%, followed by a fast series of punches doing 1% each.
• Dash attack- spreads her arms apart and stops running. 10% damage
• Forward tilt- A round kick in front of her. Short range, but launches the foe directly up leaving them open for aerial combos. 6% damage.
• Down tilt- A quick kick while crouching. Not particularly useful due to low range. 7% damage.
• Up tilt- Kicks up, and lets her leg down in an axe-like way. This attack is famous for it's chainability against heavy characters such as her up tilt infinite on Bowser. First hit does 8%, second 3%

Smashes

• Forward smash- Kicks twice in front of her, has moderate knockback. 4% then 12% uncharged, 6% then 19% fully charged.
• Up smash- Puts her arms above herself and violently separates them to her left and right. 13% uncharged, fully does 17% in the NTSC version, 16% in the PAL. Incredibly powerful when sweetspotted, being among the most powerful in the game, but otherwise does moderate knockback.
• Down smash- A powerful breakdance-like sweep. 13% uncharged, 17% fully charged.

Other

• Ledge attack- Kicks back on the stage, 8% damage.
• 100% Ledge Attack- Slowly does a similar attack to her ledge attack below 100% damage, does 8%.
• Floor attack- Gets up and kicks in front and back of herself. 6% damage.

Aerials

• Neutral aerial- A Sex Kick, does 14%, and gets weaker the longer it's out.
• Forward aerial- a quick swipe in front of Sheik, Great knockback and great for edgeguarding. Usually does 13%
• Back aerial- A quick kick in back of Sheik, good for edgeguarding. 8% damage
• Up aerial- A spinning kick upwards, does 12%, Great for KO-ing. In the PAL version, does 10%.
• Down aerial- A downwards kick, does 9-11% damage

Grabs & Throws

• Pummel- She punches the opponent with her fist. 2% damage each punch.
• Forward throw- Launches her foe forward with low horizontal knockback and hitstun. 8% damage.
• Back throw- Kicks an enemy behind Sheik. Better knockback and hitstun than forward throw but otherwise weak. 7% damage
• Up throw- Launches the enemy above her. Excellent for an aerial-attack follow up, but due to low histun follow-ups are difficult. 8% damage.
• Down throw- Punches enemy to the ground, 8% damage. Overall, this is the best of Sheik's grabs because it can reliably chain grab or tech chase many characters to high percentages.

Special Moves

Sheik's special moves

Neutral special	Needle Storm
Side special	Chain		Burst Grenade
Up special	Vanish
Down special	Transform		Bouncing Fish

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Melee Character Matchups

Avg.

PAL changes

• Down throw has a more horizontal send, making it impossible to chain grab or directly follow up if the opponent DIs away from Sheik.
• Up aerial is weakened significantly to 10% damage from 12%. This makes it a powerful juggling tool at even high percentages (especially against fast fallers), but makes it a terrible KO move.
• The damage and knockback of the Up Smash tipper hit is slightly weaker, doing 16% damage instead of 17%.

Trophy information

This is Zelda's alter ego. Using a variation of the name of the ancient Sheikah tribe, she appears before Link and teaches him melodies instrumental to his success. It's believed that she's not just a quick-change artist, but rather that she is able to instantaneously alter her clothing and her eye and skin color by using her magical skills.

Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time [11/98]

Smash Red

Strategically switching between Zelda and Sheik is key. Compared to her Zelda form, Sheik is nimble and has gorgeous moves, but she lacks a strong knockout attack. The number of needles thrown in Needle Storm is based on how long you hold the B Button before releasing it. Use the Control Stick to wave the Chain after brandishing it.

Smash Blue

The best strategy to use when playing as Sheik is to let her flow from one powerful attack into another, like a river of quicksilver. Zelda has some techniques with more punch, however, so in one-on-one battles, use Transform as needed. Sheik only travels a short way when using Vanish, but the move comes with a small explosion that damages foes around her.

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Trivia

• Sheik is the only character in Melee to need a better reaction time for her dash dance.
• Sheik, Fox and Falco are the only Melee characters to have boost grabs.