SSBM/Sheik

Introduction

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.

"A" Moves Analysis

Ground Moves

Normal

Neutral A- Two swipes that do 3-4%, followed by a fast series of punches doing 1% each.
Side 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%
Dash Attack- spreads her arms apart and stops running. 10% damage

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.

Aerial Attacks

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
Upwards 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.

"B" Moves List

Neutral Special

When the special button is pressed, Sheik will throw a slim, almost-invisible needle to attack. They can either travel straight or at an angle (roughly 45 degrees towards the ground), depending on whether Sheik is in the air or not. The special button can be held to add up to 5 more needles, and the needles can be saved for a short time later by pressing the shield button or grab button. This is a very fundamental technique that should be applied to all Sheik players. It is recommended that right after the battle starts, after holding the special button to charge needles, to save the charged needles.

Each needle does 3% damage, allowing this move to deal a maximum of 18% damage. Sheik can also hold onto stored needles after losing a life by transforming into Zelda before being KO'd, then turning back into Sheik during the next life. Needles can disturb your opponents while getting back to stage and can pass through opposing hitboxes in Brawl, as they have transcendent priority. In Melee, like Link's arrows, the needles have hurtboxes and can be attacked; this can be used to block other projectiles.

If thrown after the apex of the jump and below the maximum height of Sheik's single jump, in a technique called needle canceling, the needle storm incurs no significant landing lag, allowing Sheik to combo aerial needles immediately into ground attacks, grabs, dashes, or even more needles. Reverse needle canceling refers to charging needles in the air, then tapping the shield or grab button to stow them. This too produces zero lag, and can be used to efficiently store needles, to grab the ledge, or to increase jump distance.

Side Special

Her chain involves Sheik pulling out a long metal chain and whipping it around. When Sheik pulls out the chain, the player has full analog control over it. The player can whip it in all directions - above and even behind Sheik's head. When a foe makes contact with the middle of the chain, they are slightly damaged. However, when the foe makes contact with the tip of the chain, they are given a small electric shock. Due to its poor damage and lag, it is almost never used in competitive play.

Up Special

Vanish:It involves her throwing a Deku Nut and vanishing into thin air. Using the control stick, players can determine where Sheik will reappear by tilting in a certain direction. Vanish does not go as far as Farore's Wind, but transforming in midair is not recommended, as the transformation takes time, and barely slows her descent. The initial explosion deals damage and knockback, and is capable of KOing at around 120%, but has a noticeable start up lag. However, Sheik will be granted invincibility frames when she is about to use the Deku Nut.

The re-entry of Sheik's Vanish has a very small push effect. This can be seen as it moves an opponent further than simply landing on them would. It has just enough push to knock someone, standing near the edge, off it, causing them to cliff-hang. This can be used downwards, in the air to stop potential ground guarding. On the ground, this can be used to mess with opponents and clear space when fighting close range.