Noob Saibot is a zoning character who relies on using his shadows to control space. Noob Saibot is best played at mid-range, having the ability to attack opponents from long distances with his shadow clones. He also has good normals for up-close combat, with his fastest mid attack starting up in 9 frames, and strong anti-airs to stop opponents from approaching. Additionally, he’s able to counter enemy zoning using his Tele-Slam move.

Key Moves

Name	Input	Description
For the Brotherhood	+,+,	Fast 9 frame mid, restand, triggers a Krushing Blow if it is a Kounter or Punish
Resurrected	,,	High, hit confirmable, -4 on block
Dark Push	+	Advancing mid, Armor Break
Evil Within	+,,	Advancing high, hit confirmable, staggerable
Shadow Tackle		Mid projectile, triggers a Krushing Blow if you have connected with at least 10 Shadow Special Moves
Rising Shadow Kick		Fast 8 frame anti-air
Tele-Slam		High teleport, unsafe on block

Combo Starters

• Tele-Slam
• Shadow Slide

With the Shadow Portals ability equipped, Noob Saibot is able to Amplify his Tele-Slam (), sending his opponent through a portal for a combo. If the Shadow Slide () ability is equipped, Noob Saibot can combo off of it in the corner after Amplifying the move.

Combo Enders

• Tele-Slam
• Shadow Tackle
• Shadow Slide
• Sickle Snag
• +,+
• +,+

There are many ways Noob Saibot can end his combos. Ending with Tele-Slam () will deal a good amount of damage and leave the opponent fairly close. Combos can ended with Shadow Tackle () for maximum damage while sending the opponent away. If the opponent has been hit by 10 shadow Special Moves, Amplifying Shadow Tackle will trigger a Krushing Blow. To switch positions with the opponent, use +,+. Alternatively, combos can be ended with +,+ for a restand. Although Noob Saibot’s restand is 0 on hit, it is much stronger with the Spirit Ball () ability equipped, which will leave him at +5 on hit. Using the Shadow Slide () ability, ending combos with the move and Amplifying it will increase the number of shadow Specials Moves landed in order to trigger the Shadow Tackle Krushing Blow. The Sickle Snag () ability can also be used at the end of combos which will deal good damage and leave the opponent close on knockdown.

Evil Within

Noob Saibot’s strongest move to use in footsies is his Evil Within (+,,) string. +,, is an advancing high attack. + is -1 on block and can be staggered for pressure. Once blocked, Noob Saibot will then be able to attack or throw the opponent. Using a quick attack such as + after + can be very strong as it can whiff punish opponents trying to interrupt with a poke. +, is -6 on block while creating a decent amount of pushback. +,, is -3 on block but will leave Noob Saibot up-close. Using a + after this string will beat any attack that is slower than 10 frames. When using this string, it is usually best to stop the string short with + or +, as they will leave Noob Saibot in a much better position than +,, on block.

Empty Grave

Empty Grave (,,) is a high attack that is mainly used up-close. The final hit of this string is an overhead attack that leaves Noob Saibot safe at -3 on block. However, the last hit can be Flawless Blocked and punished. To prevent from being punished, ,, can be used instead which can stop opponents for attempting to Flawless Block the overhead. ,, is punishable at -8 on block, so it’s normally best used with the Shadow Slide () ability equipped and Amplifying it to make the string safe.

It’s important to note that because ,, is -8 on block, it is completely safe against characters without a 7 frame attack.

As One

One of Noob Saibot’s best moves to use at close range is his As One (+,+) string. +,+ is a fast 9 frame mid attack. Although it is -17 on block, it creates a substantial amount of pushback making it difficult for many characters to punish or even safe on block. Since Noob Saibot attacks with his shadow, it can be troublesome for opponents to hit him out of this attack. Additionally, +,+, triggers a Krushing Blow on Kounter or Punish. When using this string, it’s essential to be able to confirm into +,+, for the Krushing Blow.

When used at the end of combos, +,+ will restand the opponent. If the Spirit Ball ability is equipped, it can be linked into Spirit Ball () which will leave Noob Saibot at +5 on hit. After the restand, quickly dashing forward into +,+ will create a frametrap. If the opponent tries to attack or escape, they will be hit. Once conditioned to block after the restand, Noob Saibot can then dash forward and throw the opponent.

Resurrected

Noob Saibot’s Resurrected (,,) string is a high to low attack that is primarily used up-close. , leaves Noob Saibot at -5 on block while having a good amount of pushback. ,, is -4 on block and can be hit confirmed into a combo. This string is best used when mixed with throws as it can be difficult for opponents to block ,, and defend against being thrown.

Sinister Silhouette

Sinister Silhouette (+,+) is a low attack with very good range. It will trigger a Krushing Blow if the opponent was stand blocking and not in block stun. Because it is unsafe on block, +,+ is mainly used as a combo ender to switch positions with the opponent. Using Special Moves such as Shadow Slide or Spirit Ball after + can also be a great tactic as it will allow Noob Saibot to attack safely from a distance.

Pokes

Noob Saibot has very strong pokes to use at close range. His + is a 7 frame mid attack that is -4 on block. + is a 9 frame low attack that lowers Noob Saibot’s hurtbox, allowing him to avoid enemy attacks. Using consecutive +s on block can be a solid strategy as Noob Saibot will low profile underneath the opponent’s attacks. Noob Saibot’s + is a 9 frame low attack. Since + is a weapon attack, Noob Saibot will be able to attack from a distance without putting himself at risk.

Throws

Both Noob Saibot’s Toward Throw and Back Throw send the opponent away, allowing for him to start his zoning game. Additionally, they both trigger a Krushing Blow if the opponent failed to Throw Escape the previous throw. Mixing up which direction to throw the opponent can be a good way to trigger the Krushing Blow. Noob Saibot’s throws are great when mixed with ,,,,, and ,,.

Anti-airs

Noob Saibot has a variety of anti-airs to prevent opponents from jumping at him. His + serves as a great anti-air due to its vertical hitbox. Another strong anti-air tool is Rising Shadow Kick (). When used, Noob Saibot will launch a shadow diagonally upwards. Rising Shadow Kick has a start-up of 8 frames making it a very good anti-air to use. Alternatively, the Sickle Snag () ability can be used for anti-airing opponents as well. With a start-up of 9 frames, Sickle Snag allows Noob Saibot to counter airborne opponents and when Amplified, will launch the opponent for a combo.

Zoning

Noob Saibot’s greatest strength is his ability to zone with his shadows. Shadow Tackle () is a mid shadow attack that is mainly used in zoning. Having a rather slow start-up of 24 frames, it’s best to use at far distances. When Amplified, Shadow Tackle will deal increased damage and can trigger a Krushing Blow if you have connected with at least 10 shadow Special Moves. It’s imperative to always keep count of how many shadow Special Moves that have hit the opponent, then Amplify Shadow Tackle for the Krushing Blow when the time is right.

Abilities

Ghostball
Adds Ghostball Special Move. Unblockable projectile.
Spirit Ball
Adds Spirit Ball Special Move. A fast moving projectile.
Sickle Snag
Adds Sickle Snag Special Move. Grab the opponent with sickle and slam them down.
(Air) Tele-Slam
Modifies Tele-Slam. Gain the ability to activate Tele-Slam in the air.
Shadow Portals AMP
Modifies Amplified Tele-Slam. Now sends only the opponent through the portal.

(Air) Sickle Port
Adds (Air) Sickle Port Special Move. Throw sickle at a downward angle, teleporting to where it hits the ground.
Sickle Toss
Adds Sickle Toss Special Move. Throw sickle into the air, where clone grabs it and slams down.
Shadow Slide
Adds Shadow Slide Special Move. Send clone sliding forward.
Shadow Strike
Adds Shadow Strike Special Move. Clone jumps out and attacks the opponent.
(Air) Shadow Dive
Adds (Air) Shadow Dive Special Move. Clone dives down towards the opponent.

Ghostball

Ghostball () is a slow 42 frame unblockable projectile. Once hit, it will decrease the opponent’s Offensive Meter and Defensive Meter, depleting 1 bar each. While this move is very rewarding on hit, it can easily be avoided by ducking on reaction to the start-up and thus should rarely be used. Ghostball can also be done at the end of combos after restanding with +,+, which can work occasionally against ill-prepared opponents.

Shadow Slide

Shadow Slide () is an 18 frame low shadow attack that reaches halfscreen. Due to its quick travel speed, Shadow Slide is an amazing move for controlling space and stopping the opponent’s movements. What’s great about Shadow Slide is that if it’s Amplified, it will count as 2 shadow Special Moves, making it easier to access Noob Saibot’s Shadow Tackle Krushing Blow. A good strategy is to mix up the regular and Amplified Shadow Slide. If the opponent tries to move after blocking the regular Shadow Slide, they may be hit by the Amplified version.

Aside from zoning, Shadow Slide can be used up-close as well. Since Noob Saibot’s ,, ends in an overhead, Shadow Slide can be used for a 50/50 mix-up. It should be noted that this mix-up can be blocked on reaction or fuzzy guarded due to Shadow Slide hitting earlier than the overhead. Shadow Slide can also be used after blockstrings such as ,, and +,, as a way to prevent opponents from immediately attack. If Amplified, Shadow Slide will leave Noob Saibot at -8 on block, which is completely safe due to pushback. Additionally, Shadow Slide is great when used after ,,,+ and + making them safe on block.

Tele-Slam & Sickle Port

As well as having a strong zoning game, Noob Saibot has the ability to counterzone with teleports. Tele-Slam () is a high teleport that can be used to counter enemy projectiles. Against slower projectiles, Tele-Slam can be used on reaction to punish the opponent. Amplifying Tele-Slam will deal additional damage, and can launch the opponent up for a combo if the Shadow Portals ability is equipped.

Using the (Air) Tele-Slam () ability, Noob Saibot will be able to teleport while in the air. Tele-Slam boosts Noob Saibot’s aerial mobility as he will be able to jump and teleport at any given moment. This makes punishing projectiles much easier as Noob Saibot can jump on reaction to thrown projectiles and teleport to punish his opponents.

Sickle Port () is a teleport that can be used to approach opponents from the air. This allows Noob Saibot to counter projectiles while airborne and when Amplified, will launch the opponent up for a combo. Amplifying Sickle Port will leave Noob Saibot at -9 on block, but can be difficult to punish especially against characters with an 8 frame attack as they will only have 1 frame to punish. It’s a good idea to mix up the regular Sickle Port and the Amplified version to keep opponents guessing on how to punish.

Sickle Toss

Sickle Toss () is an overhead attack and can be directed close, mid or far. Sickle Toss attacks from above and has a very large hitbox, allowing Noob Saibot to hit airborne opponents. If Amplified, Sickle Toss will launch the opponent up for a combo. Noob Saibot can convert off of this by immediately using Tele-Slam after Sickle Toss. At closer ranges, Noob Saibot can combo after Amplified Sickle Toss by dashing forward and using +,,.

Shadow Dive

While in the air, Noob Saibot will be able to zone with the (Air) Shadow Dive () ability equipped. When used, Noob Saibot will launch a shadow diagonally downwards. Shadow Dive is mainly used while jumping backwards to hit advancing opponents. When jumping forward, Shadow Dive can also be used to counter anti-air attempts. Once the opponent respects the Shadow Dive, Noob Saibot can then freely jump at the opponent without being anti-aired.