Link
Page 2
Characteristics
-Shield
-Running
-Roll
-Jump
-Flight Path and Falling
Cpu Tendencies
Strategies
-Sword Attacks Galore
-Edge Guarding with Link
Versus
-Luigi
-Mario
-DK
-Link
-Samus
-Captain Falcon
-Ness
-Yoshi
-Kirby
-Fox
-Pikachu
-Jigglypuff
Pros/Cons list
Final Verdict
Characteristics
Shield
Buttons: Z or hold R while on the ground.
Description: Link has a regular shield like most characters. It looks
like a translucent sphere that shrinks with every hit delivered on to
it. Links shield isn't too big or too small.
Running
Buttons: Tap control stick sideways while on the ground.
Description: Link runs forward with his shield (the one he holds) in
front and his sword arm behind him. Link is a pretty slow runner, probably
due to the amount of equipment he carries.
Rolling
Buttons: Z or hold R + push stick sideways
Description: Link really rolls for forward and the backward roll. Links
rolls aren't particularly quick, but they are not too slow.
Jump
Buttons: Tap stick upwards or press any C buttons
Description: Links jumps straight up for his first jump. He does a half-ass
corkscrew for the second jump most of the time. He will somersault backwards
for the second jump if the control stick is pulled back. Link is the
worst jumper in the game, and you can see and feel him straining to
obtain height. Just so you know, Link is the only character who cannot
double jump and grab the edge on the fin when jumping from the right
part of the Sector Z stage.
Flight Path and Falling
Link is heavy, so he doesn't fly all that far. However, he does fall quite fast which means he doesn't gain much altitude from a launch. This is bad news for Link who already can't jump. Combined with bad jumping, this means Link has the worst recovery capability in the whole game.
Cpu Tendencies
The cpu Link is one of the best cpu players available. He knows he has powerful sword attacks and he will use them liberally against opponents. Cpu Link likes his boomerang a lot. He also likes his forward strong and smashes, plus the up and down aerial and the spin slash. Link's downward sword stab is quite powerful and he'll use it whenever he is above you. A level 9 Link will never use the pathetic bomb of his. He knows how to use the spin slash on the ground and in the air, but sometimes he spin slashes for no apparent reason. Cpu Link will use his grappling hook, but not very often. I know cpu Link is good because I put him with other character's cpus in several free for all stock matches. He won every single one of them. Even though this is far from a complete study, it does prove that cpu Link can fight better than most other cpus.
Strategies
Sword Attacks Galore
Link has a wide range of power moves that involves his trusty Master Sword. You need to use those attacks and know which time is appropriate for which attack. Here's some pointers. The forward strong attack is used to raise peoples damage and knock them away. The forward smash is used to knock people out, edge guard and also to defend against air attacks. The down smash is used for clear out or if someone is rolling around Link. Of course, you can KO with the down smash too. The upward air stab is best used to hit someone on a platform above Link. The down stab is better for hitting someone a short distance below Link. The spin slash is used for clear out on the ground and used to knock people out when in the air. Get it? Got it? Good. Of course it's not always this simple. The only way you'll learn is to play, so go turn on your system, grab some friends, and start playing. Finish reading my guide first before you play though.
Edge Guarding with Link
Link is arguably the best edge guarder in the game of Smash. Not only does he have a forward smash that hits hard and low, he also has two, count them, two projectiles he can use and also a spin slash. Since Link is a bad jumper and can't spike on his own, there's no point trying to jump off the stage to hit someone. Just stay near the edge and wait. If you feel like it, chuck the boomerang and a bomb at the person who is trying to coming back. These are often enough to screw up a comeback attempt. If the projectiles miss, just stand near the edge and use the forward smash to hit them back out. If the enemy tries to drift back on the stage, either use the forward smash if the person isn't too high up in the air or jump up beside the person and use the spin slash to knock the victim back out.
Link vs...
Luigi
Luigi can jump better and can out grab Link, but Link shouldn't be afraid. Use the longer reach of the sword to get Luigi. Dodge his smashes and don't get hit by the fire punch or tornado. Knock him off the stage with Link's superior sword attacks and then edge guard Luigi off until he dies. Watch the fireballs and hit back with Link's boomerangs.
Mario
Mario is about the same as Luigi, but he has no fire punch, a better running move and fireball, and can combo a bit better. Use the same strategy as the one used for Luigi to beat Mario.
Donkey Kong
DK is not easy to beat with Link, because DK is no less powerful or has less reach than Link. Watch out for DK's powerful smashes and of course the giant punch. The back throw is also dangerous especially since Link cannot compete with DK in terms of throws. Use Link's projectiles to keep DK at bay and use the clear out moves (down smash or spin slash) to get DK away if he is too close. Bring the fight to the air where Link has better attacks. If DK doesn't want to follow, hit him with the boomerang. Once you get DK off the stage, edge guard like crazy. Remember that the spinning kong has a lot priority initially, so Link may want to stand back a bit or jump and use the downward stab instead just to be cheeky.
Link
This is a mirror match. Only skills (and possibly luck will determine who wins here.
Samus
The key to beating Samus is to stick close to her where Link's sword can slice her while she can't quite reach Link. Do not give Samus a chance to charge her shot. Watch out for the screw attack by not standing directly above or very close to Samus. Samus also has a slow grab so trick her into doing the grab and you get a free hit. Samus has faster moves in the air and is a better jumper, so try to stick to the ground where Link's superior smashes can be used. Once Link knocks Samus off the stage, edge guard her since she usually manages to come back to the stage.
Captain Falcon
Falcon is another powerhouse character and he can run circles around
Link. However, most of this KO moves leaves him open for a long time,
especially the falcon punch. Of course, experienced Falcon players will
seldom use that move, but you still need to watch out for it. The punch
will still send Link pretty far. Link needs to beware of the fire kick
smash, which comes out faster than you think and is pretty powerful.
The falcon kick can also come out of nowhere to hit you, but there's
considerable recovery time for the kick, so if Link dodges it or blocks
it, then he can counter attack. Falcon's up A juggle is especially annoying
and is quite powerful, but Link can counter with the downward stab.
Falcon is capable of spiking but he's not a very good at send downs
because of his poor jumping, but you be aware of his ability nonetheless.
Falcon players might use the Falcon Punch to edge guard DK, so it's
best to come back from above when fighting against Falcon.
Like Link, Falcon is hard to KO outright because his weight but is easy
to hitting him off the sides of the stage due to his poor recovery capabilities.
When Edge guarding Falcon, watch out for the falcon dive recovery move
that can deal 20% of damage and send Link flying away. If you can time
your edge guard hit well then Falcon doesn't stand a chance. Link has
better reach than Falcon, so use that to your advantage when fighting
Falcon.
Ness
Nesses like throw, spike and juggle. Good Ness players will also use
their step kick to combo, so avoid that as well. The PK fire can also
cause headaches. When coming back against Ness, you better cross your
fingers and aim for the edge. Ness' down smash yo-yo is a potent edge
guarding tool and also coming back by floating will surely get the attention
of Ness' foot in the form of a step kick send down.
Against Ness, Link should use his boomerang a lot since Ness can't absorb
it. The boomerang at close range will set up a power move that will
send the light Ness flying. Don't let Ness grab you. Either jump away
or use some attacks (Lin's neutral A would do) to stun Ness. Edge guarding
Ness is a bit different since his comeback move is very powerful. Chuck
projectiles at him in hopes of hitting him. If Ness manages to shoot
himself back on the stage, hit him when he is still trying to fall to
the ground. Link has better reach than Ness, so the attacks will probably
hit first. If Ness tries to juggle Link, teach the kid a lesson by poking
him in the head with Link's big sword.
Yoshi
Even so Yoshi is pretty heavy, he is quite easy to kill. Get his damage up then knock him off the stage. When he tries to jump back with his second jump and he's starting to fall downwards, jump out and hit him back out. Since Yoshi has no third jump, he's basically screwed. Do not try to hit Yoshi during the rising part of the jump since none of Link's other moves are strong enough to cancel out the jump's momentum and Yoshi could in fact spike DK down with his tomahawk headbutt in mid air. You don't want to get smashed by Yoshi, especially the up smash which is the most powerful smash attack for sending people over the side boundaries. Good Yoshi players will combo with the flurry kick (air down A) withe the up smash and that could do some tremendous damage. The ground pound is dangerous as well but it is easy to avoid and its slow recovery gives Link the chance to hit back. Link doesn't need to worry too much about Yoshi's spiking since Link will usually come back from below.. Some Yoshi players will try to egg you over the side. If you get turned into an egg near the edge, use the analog stick to control where the egg lands and mash the buttons to get out faster. Don't try to follow Yoshi into the air since Yoshi is a lot better in the air and he will ground pound Link if Link follows.
Kirby
Kirby is not easy for Link to beat. Kirby can out run, out grab and
out smash Link. Kirby's most dangerous weapon is his forward smash lunge
kick, which happens to be the most powerful forward smash in the game
and is quick and combos very nicely. Kirby's running combo consisting
of lunge kicks and tackles are very effective and hard to escape if
your damage is low. Do not get trapped between Kirby and a wall, because
Kirby will bounce Link against the wall like a pinball or trap him there
with his infinite combo. Kirby can also spike very well and the lunge
kick is a good edge guard so comebacks will be difficult. Kirby's air
moves are also formidable with an array of power moves and drill kicks.
The stone also hurts a lot, but you should be able to dodge it if you
pay attention and get Link to hit back when Kirby transforms back.
To win agains Kirby, Link needs to roll a lot, get behind Kirby, and
get some hits in. Kirby is quite light so Link's power moves should
make short work of Kirby. Link can use his longer reach sword attacks
to counter Kirby's quickness and boomerang Kirby to setup hits. If Kirby
tries to drill kick, use the forward smash to knock Kirby away. Kirby
is good a comebacks but Link is good at edge guarding. You probably
won't edge guard Kirby too much since a power move will usually knock
him out for good.
Fox
Fox is fast and nimble, and he juggles real well. Don't try to be above Fox because his juggle kick and up smash are very powerful. Link, however, can try to counter with the downward sword stab. Fox also has his annoying blaster that he likes to peg people with. Avoid getting hit by the blaster and never run straight at Fox because he'll peg you like crazy. Fox will try to run and kick or throw Link around. Stop Fox in his tracks by using the boomerang. Fox can't react fast enough if Link uses the boomerang up close. Use Link's better reach to hit Fox before Fox can hit Link. Fox isn't very heavy so Link's power hits will send Fox pretty far.
Pikachu
Pikachu is pretty fast and nimble also, but he doesn't juggle. Pikachu players like to throw a lot and for good reason. Pikachu has one of the fastest grabs in the game and has a very strong back throw. Link needs to avoid getting thrown. If Pikachu or any one else runs at Link, use the spin slash on the ground the knock them back. Pikachu is also good in the air with his electric drills and kicks. As Link you should try and keep the fight on the ground where you can use your powerful smashes. Pikachu's forward smash is great for edge guarding, but too slow for hand to hand combat, so make him pay by dodging the hit and then pay him back with a power move. His other smashes are pretty quick so Link will need to do some fancy dodging and quick blocking. Do not block for too long or Pikachu will throw Link. Pikachu is pretty light, which means Link can kill him pretty easily. Pikachu will usually recover from attempts to knock him out of the stage sideways, unless of course you send him over the boundary outright. Watch out for Pikachu's thunder jolts which can get annoying and try to avoid being straight above Pikachu because he'll probably thunder Link. Use Link's boomerang often since Pikachu can't really counter it.
Jigglypuff
Jigglypuff is an easy opponent unless the player is extremely skilled. Jiggly is basically a weakened and lightened version of Kirby with less jumping ability. Jigglypuff is simply too light to do much. He'll get killed at absurdly low percentages, so Link, a very powerful character of all, should be able to kill him easily. The two things you should watch out for against Jiggly is the up smash, which isn't any weaker than Mario's headbutt and the drill kick/rest combo which can kill at really low damages. Avoid the drill kick by dodging or using the overhead hand swat to counter. Jiggly also has a pretty good back throw, and the pound move can become annoying over time. Even though his other smashes aren't great, they can still knock Link pretty far if Link has some damage. Anyways, Jiggly shouldn't be too hard for Link. Any of Link's power moves will send the pokemon packing.
Pros and Cons List
Pros:
-powerful sword attacks
-long reach for his attacks (he does have a sword...)
-good damage tolerance (heavy)
-two projectiles
-long range grab
Cons:
-worst jumper in the game
-slow air attacks
-bad at recovering due to the fast falling speed and bad jumping
-slow grab
Final Verdict
Link can be a formidable force, with his big sword and projectiles. Link doesn't respond too well to cheap plays (throwing continously) but a skilled Link can counter anything. Because Link's bad jumping and recovery abilities, he is best at big stages where his weight will keep him from flying too far.
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