Toon Link Matchup Thread

Toon Link Matchup Thread

The purpose of this thread is to give the community a decent analysis of how Toon Link does vs the rest of the cast, and also promote discussion on my research. This information is not going to find itself, people. It's up to us, the community as Toon Link players to research this and share our knowledge. Here's what I've got. Ask me anything you wish about my findings, and if you have good logic and great reasoning, I'll be more than willing to change my matchup ratios.

Stats

Overall Offense: 3/5

Quickness: 3/5
Quickness is the ability to attack without being punished, and also the ability to punish your opponent's mistakes. Toon Link is quicker than a lot of characters, but his moves lack the amazing speed required to constantly punish your opponent, whether it's them missing their attack, or Toon Link punishing out of shield. Snake's Ftilt and Marth's Dancing Blade are examples of extremely fast moves.

Range: 3/5
Toon Link can outrange a good amount of the characters, but can't rely on spacing like Marth or DK can. Spacing is not a central part of Toon Link's game, but he can use it to his advantage in a good amount of matchups.

Priority: 4/5
Toon Link has a sword with a disjointed hitbox, so naturally he's going to have more priority than a ton of the cast. Other characters with swords, like Metaknight or Marth, or just plain retarted characters *cough Snake cough* can rival Toon Link's priority.

Power: 3/5
Toon Link's main problem is that he has trouble scoring kills, but he's not completely helpless like characters such as Sonic or R.O.B. He's more along the lines of Falco/Metaknight when it comes to killing.

Overall Defense: 4/5

Speed: 4/5
Speed refers to Toon Link's ability to run away from enemies when they get close. His running speed is great, and his spotdoge/roll are good.

Projectiles: 4/5 Toon Link's projectiles are amazing, and can keep around 90% of the cast far away, or at the least, force them to approach, which really highlights Toon Link's defensive game. R.O.B. and Pit are pretty much the only characters that have better projectiles than Toon Link.

Weight: 3/5
Toon Link is about middle on the weight list, give or take a few spots. He dies relatively easy compared to the characters that are above him, do don't expect to be living past 130 most of the time.

Recovery: 4/5
Toon Link's recovery is amazing. This is a result of the ridiculous range of his Up B, and his amazing aerial DI. The only real way Toon Link is going to be dying most of the time, is by destructing off screen...Otherwise, you should make it back to the stage almost everytime...Not to mention the fact that he has his tether recovery too, for more options.

Versatility: 5/5

Close Range-3/5
Like stated before, the only real way Toon Link can fight up close with decent results is either by fighting vs a slower character, or by using quick attacks like his Jab Series to get your opponent away from you. Most of the time, if you try and attack out of shield, your opponent can get their shield up or spotdodge your retaliation.

Mid Range-5/5
This is where Toon Link excels the most. At Mid Range, all of your projectiles will hit your opponent, and you can swat them away when they get close. You have many options at mid range...You can camp, move to long range, move to close range, bait an approach...The possibilities are endless really.

Long Range- 5/5
Toon Link's projectiles reach across almost every stage, his arrows having the most range. His long range game is top tier, along with R.O.B.'s and Pit's, although vs Toon Link, they beat him out in terms of camping. At any rate, staying at Long Range allows you to outcamp other characters like Olimar easier, who relies on Mid Range camping.

Mix Up Game- 5/5
Toon Link can easily switch between Short Range, Mid Range, and Long Range with success. At any range, he has a huge variety of options that allow him to stay unpredictable under any conditions.

Bowser - 7:3 Toon Link
Captain Falcon - 9:1 Toon Link
Charizard - 8:2 Toon Link
Diddy Kong - 6:4 Toon Link
Donkey Kong - 7:3 Toon Link
Falco - 5:5 Even
Fox - 6:4 Toon Link
Game & Watch - 6:4 Toon Link
Ganondorf - 8:2 Toon Link
Ice Climbers - 7:3 Toon Link
Ike - 7:3 Toon Link
Ivysaur - 7:3 Toon Link
Jigglypuff - 7:3 Toon Link
King Dedede- 5:5 Even
Kirby- 7:3 Toon Link
Link- 6:4 Toon Link
Lucario - 6:4 Toon Link
Lucas - 7:3 Toon Link
Luigi - 6:4 Toon Link
Mario - 7:3 Toon Link
Marth - 5:5 Even
Meta Knight- 6:4 Meta Knight
Ness - 7:3 Toon Link
Peach - 7:3 Toon Link
Pikachu - 5:5 Even
Pikman & Olimar - 6:4 Toon Link
Pit - 5:5 Even
R.O.B. - 6:4 R.O.B.
Samus - 6:4 Toon Link
Sheik - 5:5 Even
Snake - 5:5 Toon Link
Sonic - 7:3 Toon Link
Squirtle - 6:4 Squirtle
Toon Link - 5:5 Even
Wario - 6:4 Toon Link
Wolf- 5:5 Even
Yoshi - 7:3 Toon Link
Zelda - 6:4 Toon Link
Zero Suit Samus - 6:4 Toon Link

Bowser- Immediately, Toon Link has an advantage vs. Bowser due to projectiles...If you wanted to, you could just spam retreating projectiles, camp from far away and rack up damage until he's in killing range...The entire game. There is really not much Bowser can do against your projectiles. If you really want to win, your main gameplan and surefire way to do so will be by forcing Bowser to approach via projectiles, and then punishing his approaches with attacks out of shield. Hell, if you REALLY wanted to win, you'd force Bowser to approach, and then run away and throw more projectiles until time ran out...But that's probably not necessary. If Bowser does get close, keep in mind all of his attacks are laggy, meaning they will be easy to punish out of your shield. If Bowser manages to get close, he still can't directly beat you, but beware of his Ftilt and his Up B. Both of them have range. Punish accordingly with out of shield attacks. Jab series works well if he's REALLY close, but otherwise, just either do out of shield attacks to punish, or do retreating aerials on his shield to regain space. Retreat fair, and then shoot an arrow before you land to prevent him from getting close. This should help Toon Link regain his advantageous position, which is far away. In terms of the off the stage game...Toon Link has the advantage, as he can just spam projectiles to disrupt Bowser's recovery safely from the ledge, go for Dair spikes since Bowser's recovery is set trajectory...Careful when Dair spiking though, if you miss off the ledge, it's an instant death for you. Bowser can edgeguard you only if you are medium height off the stage...If you are at that height though, which you probably won't be very often, Bowser can jump wayyy out and attack you due to the horizontal range of his Up B. However, if you recover low, Bowser shouldn't be able to do anything to you due to his horrible vertical recovery. Bowser's neutral B has some range, but if he spams that just sit back and shoot arrows. As always, beware of Bowser's Forward B suicide...Even if he doesn't suicide, it still does around 18% damage. Keep your spacing so that you don't get punished by this. Bowser is very heavy, and due to the great horizontal range of his Up B, not only will you not be killing him any time soon, but you probably won't be killing him horizontally ever lol. This is probably one of the only real reasons this match up is winnable by Bowser. He can live a very long time, and Toon Link doesn't really kill at earlyish percents, so it may be a pain in the butt getting kills off of Bowser. He can't really do much to you, but he'll have a lot of time to try. I'd rate this match about a 7/10 for Toon Link.

Captain Falcon- This matchup should not be hard at all for Toon Link. Projectiles work well to force Falcon to approach, however, he's fast, so it's likely you won't spend a lot of time long range, or even mid range for that matter. Luckily, Falcon is a slouch, and once he gets in close range, there's not much he can do. I wouldn't even worry about retreating with aerials to gain your spacing...Just attack him. You outrprioritize him, and also outrange him. He can't approach you safely due to being outranged, so just Nair, Fair, or Bair him all day. Be careful of his Raptor Boost. It comes out rather quickly, and can lead to a Uair or two. Other than that, you don't have much to worry about. His recovery is pretty horrible, in the fact that not only is its range limited, but it's easy to predict, and you can harass it with projectiles, or if you're feeling risky enough, a Dair. Keep it simple vs Falcon. Projectile him to come to you, beat him down, **** his recovery. 9/10 for Toon Link.

Diddy Kong- Diddy is no slouch, and this matchup should be approached with a bit more caution than the previous two. Diddy has his peanut gun as a projectile, but this should pose no threat to you. If he fires his gun uncharged, it has no range, and bounces so you can either jump over and arrow him, or let it bounce over you while you arrow him. If he charges his gun up, the peanut will move in a straight line, and deal more damage. There are so many ways to deal with this, but I'll just name a few. You can use platforms and throw projectiles from there, you can let the peanut hit Toon Link's shield, you can powershield it...It's really not a threat. The real danger begins when Diddy begins to use Bananas.

Bananas are Diddy's game. Bananas also completely change the way this matchup should be approached. This matchup needs to be played completely differently from any other matchup in the game. Think Melee Falco...You can't just Dash Dance and Wavedash around, because you will get mauled by lasers. You need to focus on getting around the lasers. The same thing applies to this matchup. You'd be a fool to try and beat Diddy without worrying about Bananas. Bananas can lead into combos, more Bananas, or a grab...Anything really. They can become extremely frustrating, and against someone that doesn't know what they're doing vs Bananas, will most likely make the matchup impossible for them. Let's go over the basics. Diddy pulls out Bananas by pressing down B. They are thrown up into the air behind him. He can pull out up to 2 Bananas at a time. It takes a while for him to pull each Banana out, and the Bananas take a second or two to pull out, however, Diddy can move almost immediately after he pulls the Banana out, and will have to wait until the Banana hits the ground before he can use it, unless he jumps in the air and catches it...Which is unlikely. Diddy needs to pick up the Bananas in order to throw them. Once thrown, if they come in contact with you, you will trip. If they hit your shield, they will fall to the ground and lay there. If you step on the Banana, you will trip. If Diddy steps on the Banana, he will not trip. Either character can walk over to the Banana and grab it. Any character can also grab the Banana by using their Dash Attack. After a while, the Banana will disappear if it's laying on the ground for a while.

Bananas are very good because of the fact that, they make the opponent trip. When you trip, there is a split second when you are on your butt, and you can't move at all. It is at this time, where you are vulnerable. Basic Diddy strategy is to throw a Banana at you, and when you trip, capitalize on it by throwing another Banana, or Dash Attacking, and comboing from a Dash Attack or hopefully pick up the thrown Banana in the process. Diddy will be Dash Attacking across the stage in hopes of hitting you/picking up Bananas. Diddy's Dash Attack is retartedly good. It hits multiple times, and is lagless, meaning that he can move instantly after it. It has range also, which adds to it's amazingness. 9/10 times if Diddy throws a Banana at you, he will follow it up with a Dash Attack. Even if you shield the Banana, he will Dash Attack, since it's lagless, you are forced to roll away pretty much.

Now, hopefully you have an idea of how good Bananas are. Diddy will set the pace of the match.. You will not be able to approach. You won't be able to do anything you want. You can't just run around freely, spacing yourself perfectly. You have to focus on the Bananas if you want any chance at winning this match. That being said, Toon Link's Anti Banana game is better than that of most characters.

To begin with, Toon Link is pretty much the same speed as Diddy Kong...A TAD bit slower, but not enough to make a difference. This helps greatly in being able to get to Bananas before Diddy/just as quick. Basically, it puts you even with Diddy in terms of being able to control the stage. Whichever character is closer to the Banana will get there first. You can also pick up Bananas with your Dash Attack. Toon Link's Dash Attack isn't that great, mainly because of it's laginess at the end, however, it can still help if Diddy is close to the Banana, since your Dash attack beats his...You do have a sword, afterall xD. You can grab Bananas in the air too, and Toon Link's amazing aerial DI also helps with this. The main way you are going to want to pick up Bananas is by running, tapping the shield button, and then buffering a Jab, which, if close to a Banana, will pick it up. This is the quickest and least laggy way to pick it up. If Bananas are being directly thrown at you...Well, catch them. This is the easiest and believe it or not, safest way to deal with Bananas being thrown at you, not to mention the most rewarding way. You can shield them, and then jump out of shield and catch them in the air. You can spotdodge them, and then run behind you and pick them up...There are a lot of ways really. I prefer the catching method, or the Shielding method though. They're just quicker and easier.

Now, when you get the Bananas, you have to capitalize on them. Make them your tools. Once you have the Banana, Diddy is now not only on the same level, but below you. Toon Link as a character is better, it's just the Bananas that make Diddy so good. Once the Bananas are yours, consider yourself Toon Link with Bananas. You're just better. Make sure that your Bananas connect though lol. Don't hit Diddy's shield, or it means nothing. When the Banana connects, follow up with a Dash attack of your own, since that is most likely the only attack that you'll have time to use, or your grab, since it has range. If you're close enough, you can hit them with a Nair also...And, if you wanna be real cool...At low-mid percents...Zair to Fsmash works xD. It's hard to pull off though, but it's badass. If you pick up another Banana as they are recovering from their trip, you can time it so you hit them with the Banana and they trip again. Everything Diddy can do to you with Bananas, you can do back to him. The only advantage Diddy has in regards to Bananas is that his Dash Attack is amazing for picking them up, and he begins with them...But, those advantages are far outweighed by the fact that Toon Link is just better overall, so if he has Bananas...It's good game for Diddy.

And THAT...Is how you deal with Bananas my friends. Yes, I spent around 5 hours playing solely vs Diddy Kong to make sure everything I tested was true and worked not only in theory, but in practice. It all works.

The rest of the matchup is straightforward. You outrange him and outprioritize him for the most part, save his Ftilt. Be careful of his Ftilt. Airdodge out of combos, but don't get too predictable with your airdodges. You can combo him also using Bairs, so do it up. You can kill him much easier than he can kill you, as he has to rely on his Fair, Dsmash, and Fsmash to kill you, all of which should be pretty easily avoided. Toon Link can kill Diddy, from the middle of Final Destination with no DI with his Uair at 105%, Usmash and Fsmash at 110%, 105%, his Fair at 125%. Diddy can kill Toon Link under the same conditions with his Dsmash at 125%, Fsmash at 125%, Fair at 140%, Ftilt at 155%. Edgeguarding is about even, as neither characters can really do much to each other...I'd probably have to give it to Toon Link, as the chances of him harassing Diddy's recovery with projectiles is greater than Diddy using Diddy hump on Toon Link's recovery.

Overall, Toon Link is a better character. With a solid anti Banana game, there's not much Diddy can do besides the same things you can...just worse overall at it due to being worse than Toon Link without Bananas. 6:4 Toon Link

Donkey Kong- Easily outcamped, and put to an immediate disadvantage because of that. Not only is he outcamped, but he doesn't have projectiles to fight back with. Not only does he not have projectiles, but he is slow and big...Meaning you will be getting shield stab with projectiles, and he's very easy to run away from. Just like Bowser, you can win this battle by pressuring from long range and using retreating aerials when he gets close. There is really nothing D.K. can do about this. This is a huge reason for why the matchup is in Toon Link's favor. When a character is simply outclassed by just one strategy, it really ruins the matchup for them. I suppose if you don't want to sit back, throw projectiles and run away all day, the matchup can become more even. D.K. is good in Brawl. His Bairs are amazing, and he can use 2 in one shorthop, so it's a great pressure move. His Ftilt and Dtilt are good for spacing, as they have long range. His up air is a decent anti air, but you most likely won't get caught in that. His Usmash is the 3rd most powerful in the game, but limited to right above him. If you hit his shield, he will likely Dsmash out of shield, which hill hurt. He has 3 spikes/meteors, the most prevalent being his Dair. If he gets up close, DK will outrange you. However, you still do well up close due to DK's large body combined with Toon Link's disjointed hitbox on his sword. You should be able to approach over his Dtilt with short hop nairs, but it's risky since DK can Ftilt fast as hell. Also, his Fsmash can sometimes be used to poke, so be wary of that...Toon Link doesn't want to get hit by that. If he gets up close...I would not try to outrange him. Use your Jab series to get him off of you. If you try and roll behind him, you may eat a Dsmash to the face, so be wary of that also. So yeah, your best bet is Jab series, as if DK powershields one of your attacks, he can easily punish with Ftilt. Also, your Fsmash works well to keep DK off of your ***. Jab series may not work all the time, since he can shieldgrab it, and his grabs are pretty nice. DK can kill you so many different ways, it's not funny. Usmash, Fsmash, Dsmash, Uair, Bair, Donkey Punch...The possibilities are endless. Point being: Stay far, far away. You can **** DK as he tries to approach, using retreating aerials or Fsmash...But once he's up close, Toon Link gets put to a disadvantage due to how DK outranges him.

You should be able to Dair spike DK relatively easily, since his recovery is pretty predictable. If you're not feeling risky, harass it with some bombs. Do not jump out from the stage unless DK has no second jump left though. You will get spiked lol. Be very careful in the air vs DK. Stay far away, when DK gets close, regain your spacing using your speed and quick close range attacks like Jab series and Dtilt. Fsmash works well too, if timed correctly. DK beats you close range, so if he gets close, find a way to regain your spacing. It's crucial. He can kill you very, very easily. The only reason this matchup isn't more in Toon Link's favor, is due to how easily DK kills Toon Link. 6/10 for Toon Link.

Falco-Falco goes even with Toon Link. They can both do some pretty shady things to each other, so really it just comes down to who is the better player. Starting off, like most people already know, Falco can chaingrab Toon Link to around 40%, his lasers can be a pain in the butt, and he can run away quickly using his Side B. Falco has some priority through his attacks, mainly his Dair. He has a bit of range also, which can screw you up sometimes. Lastly, Falco's shield pressure game is really good, so it's going to be hard for Toon Link to attack out of shield, which is already hard because not many of Toon Link's attacks are quick enough to punish out of shield anyways. For Toon Link's favor, he doesn't get ***** by projectiles as badly as other characters, due to Toon Link having projectiles of his own. He has more range and priority than Falco, a better recovery, and he can kill Falco easier than Falco can kill him.

As far as projectiles go, both characters should take about the same amount of damage, if not Toon Link should deal more damage. Don't sit back and let Falco laser spam you, but get in range where you can hit him with projectiles, and he'll be afraid to laser you because you're so close. Sneak your projectiles in between your attacks, via missed techs, while your opponent is recovering etc...You have more uses for your projectiles than Falco does, so make sure to be using them at all times. Falco does have his reflector, but the uses for his projector are more in theory than in actual practice. Sure he'll reflect a few of your projectiles if you get spam happy, but it's not like he's going to be reflecting them all. If you can catch Falco full hop double lasering, you can run under the second laser and hookshot grab him when he lands.

As far as actual onstage fighting goes, it's about even. Falco can really do a number to your shield, and if you let go to punish some of his attacks, you'll find yourself getting hit by any of his attacks really. Falco has some range and priority, but you still outrange and outprioritize him. Using retreating aerials on his shield works well, and shooting an arrow before you land also is good. Basically, Falco should have a tough time punishing you out of shield, like most characters should. The shield game is pretty much even here, due to Toon Link's amazing DI and Falco's quick attacks. Both characters shouldn't have too much of a hard time approaching each other because of this fact also. I find that Toon Link's hookshot grab works very well in this matchup for some reason. Anyways, combo like always using Bairs too. In terms of killing, Toon Link should have a much easier time killing Falco than Falco will killing Toon Link. This is because your killing moves are stronger, come out quicker, and becuase you outrange and prioritize Falco.

Edgeguarding goes to Toon Link, due to the fact that Falco's recovery is predictable/easily gimped, while there's nothing really Falco can do aside from shoot lasers if you are far away off the stage...Which shouldn't happen much. If Falco Side B's, he will either end up on the stage or on the ledge. If you suspect he's going for the ledge, edgehog. If he's going for the stage, you can shield his Side B and then punish with a running Usmash or grab, or if your timing is good enough simply Usmash them out of it. If Falco is forced to use his Up B, simple Dair spike him or edgehog...Almost all of the time, Falco's Up B will be too short to get back on the stage if you are grabbing it. He's easy to gimp.

Overall, the matchup is even, if anything leaning towards Toon Link, but I'll call it even for now, due to the fact that Falco is just an amazing character in general with his potential not really fully discovered. Toon Link can kill Falco better, and Edgeguard him better, while Falco can chaingrab you to 40% and then Dair spike you, and the rest of the aspects are even. 5/5 Even.

Fox- Fox's blaster is alright in Brawl. Not as good as Melee, but alright. This makes the projectile battle in Toon Link's advantage. Your projectiles stun, his don't. Because of how fast his Blaster fires, he's likely to get a few hits off. Don't fret though, these hits only do between 1-3 damage. Your projectiles, in addition to doing more damage, stun him, and will eventually force him to approach. If he begins shooting stationary lasers, remember to attack from above with your projectiles. Although you win the projectile war...Does that mean you win the camping war? A difficult question to ask, since there is one move Fox has that completely renders your projectiles useless: Shine. Fox's down B, or Reflector, or Shine, reflects back your projectiles. Will most Fox's use this from long range while you are spamming them? It depends. If you are playing smart and avoiding lasers while attacking with projectiles, then yes. Theoretically, they can just wait in the Shine all day while you throw projectiles and have them reflected back at you. However, this will almost never be the case.

Instead of focusing on trying to outcamp Fox with your projectiles, position yourself in mid range. This is where you can really take the pain to Fox, as he is basically forced to approach you. He can't laser you, because if he tries, all you need to do hit him with your own projectiles while he is in the air. If he tries to shine them back at you...Be smart, bait it. His Shine takes a while to get out of, so use that opportunity to attack him. It won't be easy though. Fox's lasers are quick, and combined with his Shine, you just may find it too hard to try and time projectiles/worry about his Shine etc...That's when the battle gets taken up close. Who wins the up close game? It's close, but Toon Link does. There is one general rule to keep in mind when fighting Fox. Do not let him get on top of you. Fox can easily combo any character using a combination of his drill, utilt, smash attacks and shine. To combat this, retreating aerials will be your best friend here, along with a more...unorthodox type of defense. Forward Smash. Your Forward Smash will help immensely here, for one huge reason: Fox can't approach.

His approaches are garbage, with only his Dair, which is alright, his grab, which is avoidable/nothing to worry about if he gets it off, and his Nair, which has no range. Fox's dair will be used to try and start a combo, his grab will be used due to Fox's fast running speed, resulting in good dash grabs, and his Nair will be used because it autocancels, meaning if he lands after/in the middle of a Nair, he can immediately use another attack. That means, if he hits your shield with it, don't let go of your shield, just roll away. If he misses with it, don't run in to punish it, unless it's with something that outranges him like your hookshot grab. Back to Forward Smash. Fox's approaches have no range, priority, and each one of them is easily avoided due to Fox's horrible DI and lack of spacing tools. Use your Fsmash when he gets close. Toon Link leans in when he Fsmashes, so it has incredible range. This should stop all of Fox's approaches if spaced properly. Like I mentioned, it's not like he can attack in the air, then DI away to avoid an Fsmash...It's not like he can outrange your Fsmash. Simply put, if he approaches and you Fsmash, you have him trapped. If he catches on and starts dashing and shielding, then don't use the second hit of your Fsmash. It's safe. Be wary of his Dash Attack also, which can lead into a combo, but again is easily taken care of with the strategies discussed above.

Basically, you're going to want to stay mid range against Fox, making it so he can't laser you or do much against your projectiles without fear of being punished. When you get close enough, camp him mid range using retreating aerials and Forward Smashes to punish any thoughts he has of getting close to you. This is a tactic used commonly by Marth in Brawl, mid range camping. Toon Link can do it also, perhaps not as well, but the option is still there, and it's clutch in several matchups, including this one. It's common sense really. If a character cannot approach you safely due to being outranged and a lack of safe approaches...Just make sure he can't approach safely, and punish when he does. Now, to kill Fox. If you want to get technical and talk percentages, Fox can normally kill Toon Link quicker than the other way around, despite Fox being the 7th lightest character in the game. His Usmash is deadly, be careful of it.

However, technicalities aren't always the way to judge things, especially not in a game as deep and unpredictable as Smash. Fox shouldn't be racking up damage on you. If you've camped him mid range, you should stay safe and, for the most part, out of harm's way, save a few lasers here and there and maybe a grab once in a while. Fox can be killed many ways. He dies at low percents due to his light weight. Fsmash works amazing in this match up as a kill move, especially since you'll be using it as a spacing tool anyways. Also, Toon Link's aerials have nice knockback, so at around the mid to high 100's, your aerials can do the trick. Basically, Fox will die on his own due to trying to approach you and being camped mid range.

To edgeguard Fox with Toon Link is easy. Fox has 3 useful options to recover. First, he can use his Illusion, or side B to grab the ledge. Next, he can use his Illusion to come back onto the stage. Lastly, he can use his Foxfire, or up B, which they will almost never use unless forced to. Going back to basic strategy, you're going to want to cover as many options as possible. Here's how you do it. Throw either a boomerang, or, preferably if you can time it right, an arrow off of the edge. This covers his option to Illusion back to the stage. If he tries, he will get hit by your arrow/boomerang and fall down, forcing him to Foxfire. After you throw your projectile of choice, quickly edgehug. This covers his option to Illusion to the ledge, as if he tries, he will fall to his death. Now, if your projectiles hit him while he was trying to Illusion to the stage, all you need to do is let go of the ledge, DI towards Fox, and either Nair him or even Dair him. It takes some practice to get down, so practice it as much as possible until you become comfortable with it. You'll have to throw your projectile as soon as you throw/hit Fox off the ledge, so Fox has less time to recover. Also, this is not guaranteed to work 100% of the time, as if they catch on, they can just Foxfire or Illusion way above you and onto the stage to avoid the gimp. This is commonly avoided since they are left defenseless if they recover onto the stage, and you should punish it accordingly.

Basically, it's a battle of spacing against Fox, one that he loses horribly. I don't think this matchup is too much in Toon Link's favor, as Fox is pretty fast, and is likely to get some hits in if you mess up. His Usmash kills at early percents, to be exact, on Final Destination with no DI, it kills Toon Link at 90%. Yeah, stay away from his Usmash. He can combo you until between 30 and 40 percent if you're not careful. So, Fox has the ability to kill you early, and also deal some damage if he gets into your range. Toon Link has the ability to keep Fox away by smart projectile use, and mid range camping. He can kill Fox at early percents also, even if it isn't as early as Fox can kill him. Toon Link can gimp Fox's recover pretty hard, so he should die a roughly estimated 1/3 times he is off of the stage. Remember, Fox can kill you early...But he shouldn't be able to touch you. That's the key. As Isai's famous advice goes, "Don't get hit." It shouldn't be that hard to do, due to Toon Link's ability to obliterate Fox's horrible approaches. I rate this match 6/10 in Toon Link's favor.

Game & Watch

Ganondorf

Ice Climbers- Ah, the Ice Climbers. If there is anything anyone knows about the Ice Climbers...It's don't get grabbed. If the Ice Climbers grab you, they can take you from zero to death, and if they do it properly, there is nothing any character can do about it, save another Ice Climbers. In addition to their grabs, their attacks can do ridiculous damage if spaced properly...Their Dsmash can hit for up to 39%! It's ridiculous, and to make it worse their Dsmash/any Smash attacks have good killing power. Also, the Ice Climbers can Desynch, allowing for endless possibilities. The Ice Climbers also have many disadvantages also though. They have little to no approaches, they have little range, and when there is only one Ice Climber, they're pretty easy to take care of.

Your main asset in this matchup will be your projectiles. Your projectiles serve many purposes in this match...To force the Ice Climbers to approach, to rack up damage on them, and most importantly, to keep you from getting grabbed. I prefer bombs and boomerangs in this matchup, but arrows can also work in between. The Ice Climbers have their Ice Blocks to try and disrupt your projectile game, but it shouldn't be a problem. Toon Link can just jump over the Ice Blocks and throw projectiles, and if the Ice Climbers try and attack Toon Link in the air, they'll be easily swatted away by any of Toon Link's aerials...He outspeeds and outprioritizes the Ice Climbers in the air, so it shouldn't be a problem. Your projectiles will really be setting the pace of the match here, as the Ice Climbers have no real way to deal with projectiles aside from shielding them, and when they get close, their approaches are pretty terrible. Basically, Toon Link will be controlling the match through use of his projectiles, and it's up to the Ice Climbers to try and find openings and get close to Toon Link so they can punish with hopefully a grab...AKA, an instant kill. They will have trouble getting through your wall though, but if they do get through and grab you, you may find yourself with a loss of stock. It's a match of patience and caution. Don't get antsy and approach them. If you do find yourself up close though, Toon Link still has the advantage. His amazing aerial DI allows him to avoid being grabbed, or even punished out of shield for that matter. Use your projectiles and spacing tools to avoid punishment from the IC's. Also, having a bomb out at all times is not a bad idea, since if you get grabbed with a bomb in your hand, it will eventually explode and disrupt the IC's chaingrab, if you find yourself in a grab combo.

Eventually, you're going to have to kill the IC's. To do this effectively, you're going to want to take out Nana first. This will make your job so much easier, as you can get close without much risk, and without the constant worry of being instantly killed via grab. Also, without Nana, Popo's attacks drastically decrease in damage and knockback. Seperating them shouldn't be too hard, but it is tricky. Like always, getting close can be difficult. Grabbing is a risky method of separating them, but sometimes effective. Unlike in Melee, if you grab one Ice Climber, it's not easy for the other to come and Dsmash you. There is no quick method of movement in this game like Wavedashing, and overall the game is just slower. If you miss your grab however, you will be the one that ends up grabbed, and we all know what happens when the IC's grab you. Be careful with your grab, use it every now and then, and make sure it does not get spotdodged. The more damage you do to Nana, the easier it is to separate them, so make sure you're spamming projectiles at all times. Dsmash works well to separate them also, as it has a big hitbox, comes out quick, and sends enemies at a weird trajectory. To make things easier, if it all possible, keep them juggled in the air...The Ice Climbers are completely helpless in the air, and are also easily separated. Platforms are like your Nana in this matchup...Use them.

Overall, Toon Link comes out with the win in this matchup, due to his great ability to avoid getting grabbed by the Ice Climbers, and his relatively easy ability to separate them. They can't really approach him well due to their lack of approaches, and in the air Toon Link completely dominates them. The Ice Climbers can kill Toon Link with one grab, and kill him at low percents if you get caught in one of their smash attacks. Overall, the matchup goes to Toon Link, 7:3. Thanks goes to Smashless for basically helping me with the entire matchup.



Ike- In the beginning, Ike was godly. Hell, he's still godly on WiFI, or even TV's with lag. But, once people found out Ike's weaknesses, or played on normal televisions...He became average, and barely at that. Ike is slow, and can't approach for crap. If he approaches, all that needs to be done is either spotdodge his attack, or shield it and punish out of shield because his attacks are slow/laggy. Spam projectiles. Lots of projectiles. Careful of Ike's Dash Attack though, as it beats your SHDA, going under the first and through the second. Think of Ike like DK, except DK's attacks aren't as laggy or slow, so you're more likely to get hit by DK's attacks, which is why this matchup is easier. Beware of Ike's Jab Series...It's fast, stupid, and deals 16% damage. Ike can kill you at ridiculously low percents, so play it safe. Don't go for flashy approaches or combos if you know your opponent will airdodge...Instead, run away and force Ike to approach. Toon Link's inability to score kills easily is gone now...If Ike attacks your shield, simply punish out of shield with a Usmash or Dsmash. If you decide to Usmash, make sure you run closer to Ike, as his attacks on your shield will knock you back greatly, and unless you run up to him your Usmash may not hit. I give this match up 7:3 in favor of Toon Link, due to how bad Toon Link's defense ***** Ike and it's not 8:2 because, you will get hit by some of Ike's attacks no matter how good you are...And you will die early.

Jigglypuff

King DeDeDe- King DeDeDe is a punk. He's got a chaingrab that works at any percent, and ends it with Ftilt when you're at the edge of the stage. He's got range with his Ftilt, he's hard to kill due to his weight, and his edgeguarding is ridiculous. Toon Link can camp him however, using his projectiles and speed to his advantage, while DDD is too slow to really catch you handily. Toon Link is much faster than DDD, and his aerial DI combined with his speed make it very hard for DDD to touch Toon Link.

First off, your main advantage in your matchup is your projectiles. Your long range game is superior to DDD's, as he only has Waddledees which really aren't that great...They can help shut down a character's ground game, and deal some damage if you get hit by them, but other than that you can just stand back and pump DDD with arrows, boomerang, and bombs to your heart's content. Now, normally I would say that normally it's not necessary to spam projectiles and run away, but this time it's most likely your best option, and a good strategy to rely on, since DeDeDe has his...

CHAINGRAB! Yes, he can cg toonlink across the stage until he gets to the edge. All it takes is one grab, and you're looking at anywhere between 20% to 50% damage. And, Toon Link dies pretty early compared to some characters...Not to mention, the chaingrab will put you off the stage, into edgeguard position...And DDD's edgeguarding is very good. There's only one solution to DDD's chaingrab...Don't get grabbed. For Toon Link, it's really not that difficult either, thanks to his projectiles, speed, and aerial DI. Keep DDD away, and if he gets close, run away, attack with an aerial and DI away, etc...Do what you can to get away. DDD's a big target, so you shouldn't have much trouble hitting him/getting shield stab. DDD will most likely be killing you earlier than you will be killing him, for a few reasons. His edgeguarding is great, and he's much stronger than you...Not to mention the fact that he's heavier than you. Really though, DDD's kill moves are slow, you shouldn't be getting hit by them. His main killing moves are his Fsmash, Usmash, Bair and Fair....You should only get hit by his bair and Fair, and even then those are pretty obvious, so you can avoid them most of the time. Killing DDD can be a pain...Fsmash works if you can get it off, but if you miss or get shielded, you'll be dealing with a chaingrab, so use at your own risk. You can edgeguard him pretty well actually, as his jumps really don't make him that unpredictable, and his Up B goes directly up...You can spike him using Dair, hit with with Uair as he's coming down, or jump out and Fair even. He does have armor frames though, so be careful.

The DDD matchup is straightforward. Don't get grabbed, avoid getting killed early, and keep him the heck away using projectiles. Abuse your speed and DI to strike without fear of punishment. Really, the matchup is simple. You are fast with projectiles, which almost completely shuts DDD down. To compensate for hit, he has his chaingrab, and can kill you early. Abuse your advantages, and try and make him abuse his as little as possible. The matchup is even. 5:5.

Kirby

Link

Lucario

Lucas

Luigi

Mario

Marth- Marth is a debated matchup for Toon Link. I think it's even. Marth has tons of advantages on Toon Link, but Toon Link also has a counter for everything Marth has. To begin with, Marth is amazing. He's quick, has range, and can kill very easily. Everyone of his moves is good, so his creativity is near endless. Toon Link has advantages on Marth too though. He has his projectiles, which definitely gives Toon Link a boost, although for a character with no projectiles himself, Marth has good options vs your projectiles. Your aerial DI is a bit better than his, which is important in this matchup, as I'll discuss later on.

This matchup is going to be all about spacing. You will want to use as many projectiles as you can, however, Marth is not going to sit back and let you camp him. Rather, you may find yourself being camped by Marth. Marth has a long sword, that swings quickly. Up close, Toon Link can do nothing about this. If Marth just keeps pressuring you from close range, you'll be hard pressed to be able to hit him. You're going to want to not find openings for your sword, but instead for your projectiles. Don't bother attacking him unless you see you're sure you will connect. Instead, use retreating aerials to avoid being camped by Marth. His spacing game is absolutely amazing, so don't stay up close. Your DI should help you retreat quickly, and your arrows/bombs/boomerangs work well in racking up damage on Marth. Your projectiles won't be setting the pace of this matchup though. The control should go back and forth between players of equal skill. Also, Toon Link's great DI helps to not get camped by Marth, as you can move away quickly while firing projectiles, or you can move in quickly if you're feeling feisty. Just make sure to stay out of his range...Don't stay just out of his range, as you're likely to get tippered if you're too close. Stay out of range by a good margin if you can.

Marth can kill. Marth can kill well. Marth can kill Toon Link at ridiculously low percents. It sucks. Don't get hit. Watch out for his Fsmash, Usmash, Dsmash on the ground. Tipped, they kill you easily. Marth's Dancing Blade is AMAZING. It's his quickest attack, deals around 17%, and can be used as an approach, defensive manuever, or as an out of shield attack. If you shield it, make sure to shield every hit. Do not let go of your shield vs Dancing Blade. His aerials beat yours in terms of range and speed, so don't try to beat him in the air. Your best bet, like I said, is well spaced projectiles. Just get as much space as you can and throw. Marth will kill you much easier than you can kill him, but if you can, punish his laggier attacks such as Fsmash, Dsmash and Usmash by attacking with your Usmash or Dsmash out of shield.

Marth can edgeguard you better than you can edgeguard him though. Not to say he can gay you like Meta Knight or R.O.B. can, but he can definitely jump out far and swat you away. You can harass him with projectiles, but it won't be that easy. Spiking Marth will be very difficult, so I wouldn't try it. Make sure to recover low vs Marth, as is the case vs most characters.

All in all, the matchup is even. Marth can kill you and pressure you very well, but at the same time, he can't really do THAT much vs projectiles. Marth doesn't get camped by projectiles like say, DK does, but he still has trouble vs them. Find openings and kill with strong attacks out of shield. Even 5:5.

Meta Knight- This can be a very difficult matchup for Toon Link...He doesn't **** Meta Knight nearly as hard as people say. For every advantage Toon Link has on Meta Knight, Meta Knight has just as many on him. Even more. To begin with, you will never approach Meta Knight. This does not mean that you will be camping him though. You will be trying, but you'll quickly find that Meta Knight is much too fast to be camped. He can get through your projectiles easily due to his speed. You're going to find yourself close range most of the time, but you're going to want to aim for mid range. If you can't keep mid range spacing, then basically just try and stay as far away from Meta Knight as you can. For me, I normally find that although the best position vs Meta Knight is mid range, I am satisfied with just outside of Meta Knight's range...In between close and mid range. It is at this range, that you want to alternate between racking up damage with projectiles, and keeping Meta Knight away with your attacks. You'll soon realize that this is not easy.

Let me make this simple for you: Meta Knight ***** Toon Link up close. There is nothing he can do once Meta Knight gets in his face, provided the Meta Knight player is halfway decent. All of his attacks are faster than yours, so if he just walks up to you and attacks, you are at an immediate disadvantage. Don't bother trying to punish him out of shield either, because none of your attacks are fast enough to do...You'll find that you'll drop your shield to punish, only to get hit by Meta Knight again due to his quick sword and minimal lag. You don't outrange him, so don't bother trying. If you hit his shield, you will likely meet a Dsmash to the face. You do not want to hit Meta Knight's shield, unless you DI away with an aerial, which is difficult since Meta Knight's attacks are so quick, and your aerials simply do not come out fast enough. If you try and roll behind him, you will get hit by any of Meta Knight's moves, since they all hit in front and behind him, which I think is absolutely ******** but whatever, that's how it is. If Meta Knight gets up close, you have very few options. I find myself grabbing a lot, since it's the only attack Toon Link has that outranges Meta Knight, and it covers the option of MK shielding. If he spotdodges however, you're dead. This is just common sense though, and a good player will wait for his opponent to spotdodge before grabbing, if he knows his opponent will spotdodge. Also, while it isn't the best option for punishing an attack normally, Jab Series out of shield works very well to get Meta Knight off your back. Toon Link's Jab series is quick enough to punish Meta Knight's barely noticeable lag, and while it doesn't do much damage, it helps to regain optimal spacing. Your 2 best options when Meta Knight gets up close is either Jab Series out of shield, or grab him and throw him away. You're also going to want to be careful of his Tornado. If you manage to see the Tornado coming, throw a Bomb at it or Dair it to knock MK out of it. If you find yourself caught in it, mash Up and Airdodge to avoid the last hit, which is the strongest.

As far as killing goes, Meta Knight can be a pain to kill...Not because he lives long, but for the fact that, as stated above, he completely dominates Toon Link up close. Your main killing moves are Usmash, Uair, and Fsmash. At higher percents, Meta Knight can easily DI and jump out of the second hit of the Fsmash, so count that out vs a good Meta Knight. Usmash as always works as a killing move, but you're going to have to find your way inside Meta Knight to hit with it...Wait for him to approach in the air, then run under him and use Usmash is probably you're safest bet. If you have a good hand on your opponent and you know he/she will spotdodge, bait it and punish with Usmash. Basically, it's not so much a specific character strategy getting the Usmash off, it's being a good player. Uair works well, because it outranges Meta Knight's Dair and it has insane priority. If you can get under Meta Knight in the air, and then follow his airdodge DI with your Uair, at higher percents you should kill. Try setting this up with a Uthrow, as that is probably the only way you will get Meta Knight above you. Now, here comes the bad part. Meta Knight has a much easier time KO'ing you than you do him. If you hit his shield at higher percents, you'll likely meet your end to a Dsmash. Once he throws you off the edge, it's very difficult to get back on due to Meta Knight's amazing edgeguarding. His Up B, as always, is a pain to get around, but I'd be more worried about his edgeguarding. He can even grab the ledge, and as you are recovering below him, drop down and Dair you to your death...Through your Up B. Yeah, it's homo. Be very very careful at higher percents, and try to rack up as much damage as you can before he kills you...Because he will kill you lol. A nice edgeguarding trick I found, is to pull out a bomb, jump just over the ledge, and drop the bomb using Z when Meta Knight uses his Up B. I haven't found a way to follow up after this yet, but so far it works to rack up damage.

So, this matchup is in Meta Knight's favor. His up close game is devastating to Toon Link...It easily outweighs anything Toon Link has vs Meta Knight. The only reason I didn't give this match a 7:3 is because Meta Knight can have a tough time at mid range getting past Toon Link's wall of projectiles/sword/hookshot. 6:4 Meta Knight

Ness

Peach

Pikachu

Pikmin & Olimar

Pit

Pokemon Trainer

R.O.B.- R.O.B. is a good character, with mostly defensive options, but also some decent offense. His edgeguarding is amazing, as well as his ability to stay alive/recover. His projectiles are great, and makes him difficult to approach for many characters. R.O.B. also has weaknesses though. He has an extremely hard time killing, as his moves either don't kill, or come out too slow to actually connect with. He's big, so he gets comboed easily and hit easily, as he is likely to be getting shield stabbed if he spends too much time in his shield.

As always, mess around with your projectiles in the beginning of the match...Chances are, R.O.B. will end up outcamping you though. His Gyro stays on the ground, and prevents ground approaches, while his Tilts will beat your aerial approaches. There are ways around R.O.B.'s Gyro though. You can let it hit your shield, in which case it will disappear. It will also disappear if it hits Toon Link's shield that he is holding. If it doesn't hit your shield, your best bet is to grab the Gyro and throw it up in the air. This way, R.O.B. can't use it for a while and it disappears when it hits the ground. R.O.B.'s lasers are annoying as crap. They basically beat Toon Link's SHDA's, which sucks. This means you are forced to either approach, or try and psuedo approach with projectiles/attacks. Besides, R.O.B.'s side B reflects your projectiles, so if he wanted to he could just use that all day and make your projectiles useless.

R.O.B.'s up close game is definitely on par with Toon Link's, if not better. All of his tilts outrange your attacks, so you're likely to end up getting smacked away a few times before you finally can hit R.O.B. This is why, you may be better off alternating between projectiles and sword. Sort of run in with a well spaced Nair, back off and before you land shoot an arrow...Those kinds of strategies. R.O.B.'s Dtilt comes out extremely quickly and trips you too, so be wary of that. You'll probably get Dsmashed a lot up close too. R.O.B.'s spotdodge to Dsmash is very good. Don't ever challenge his Dsmash. It's near lagless, and if you drop your shield to punish it you will get hit by another one. Just roll away. Let me emphasize this. R.O.B.'s Dsmash is good. Stay away from it. Your best bet vs R.O.B. up close, is to attack him with retreating aerials, and shooting an arrow before you land. Luckily, R.O.B.'s up close game is always his greatest weakness. R.O.B. can't kill you. Unfortunately, you may have a hard time killing R.O.B. also due to his heavy weight, but you should still kill him before he kills you. As always, Usmash, Dsmash, and Fsmash will be your main killing moves. If you can manage to get R.O.B. in the air, use your Uair to pressure him from below, as he really can't do anything about this. R.O.B.'s killing attacks are garbage. His Fsmash has decent knockback, but if DI'd well, it won't be killing anytime soon. His Usmash can kill, but it only hits directly above him, and is easily airdodged. His aerials have great knockback, but each one of them takes a second to come out. They're slow and easily avoided. You may think it's hard to airdodge through is aerials at first, but chances are it's because you're not used to them coming out slow, and you airdodge immediately. Timing is key here. Once you have the timing down, it's a cinch.

Off the edge, R.O.B. dominates you. This is probably R.O.B's greatest asset, is his off the edge game. His Up B is ridiculous, letting him fly way off the edge and then return safely. Your recovery is also good, but still gimpable by R.O.B. If he hits you off, he will chase you down with Fairs or Bairs. You may be able to airdodge through one or two of them, but don't try it too much, as if you airdodge too many times, you won't be able to make it back to the edge. Your best bet if R.O.B comes for you off the edge is to throw some projectiles at him, preferably bombs, as you can aim them easier. If possible, try and recover low. If R.O.B is off the edge, it can either go your way or not. Due to R.O.B.'s amazing Up B, you can't just jump out and Dair him. I mean, if R.O.B. gets close then sure, by all means do it. But, chances are R.O.B. will be recovering from way far away. Harass his recovery with projectiles, and then when he comes close, that's your chance to hop out and Dair him. If you're not feeling daring and don't feel like risking your stock for the Dair, dropping bombs right at the ledge works well too.

Overall, R.O.B. most of the time forces Toon Link to approach, although Toon Link isn't helpless defensively vs R.O.B., as your projectiles are also a force to be reckoned with. R.O.B outranges you up close, so it's going to be hard to get strong attacks in. You can kill him much faster than he can kill you though, so that's a bonus for Toon Link. Up close, he doesn't dominate you like Marth would dominate Toon Link up close, but R.O.B. does have the advantage up close. Off the edge, R.O.B. can edgeguard you better than you can him, although you can harass the crap out of his recovery with projectiles, and he's fairly easy to Dair. The matchup goes to R.O.B. 6:4.
Samus

Sheik

Snake- The matchup everyone wants to know about. Snake is a tough cookie, however, Toon Link posesses an arsenal of abilities that just so happen to pinpoint Snakes weaknesses. To begin with, Toon Link is one of the only characters that can outcamp Snake. It's not easy. Grenades are a pain to deal with, since there can be two out at a time. The most basic way to deal with grenades is by picking them up and tossing them right back at Snake. Your arrows should be enough to force Snake to approach. However, the real surprise trick here is the Boomerang. Snake's entire game is his ground game. His best approach is his Dash attack. Force him to come to you with arrows, then throw a boomerang when he begins to approach. This forces him to shield, which at least slows his approach down, and gives you time to get your spacing correct. Normally after the boomerang, I pull out a bomb. Anyways, your goal is to force Snake to approach, and then punish his approaches. It helps to slow them down with a Boomerang. This tactic is often referred to as "controlling space" in 2D fighters. You limit Snake's area to move in. When Snake gets close, this is where you need near perfect spacing.

Snake's best move, without a doubt, is Forward Tilt. He will approach with Ftilt, he will Ftilt you out of shield, he will Ftilt to edgeguard you...Anytime Snake can Ftilt you, he will. You need to be very careful, as this move has huge range and knockback, meaning you will be in killing range before 100%, and it's not hard to get hit by this move. Same goes for his Utilt. His Utilt range is deceptively long, and it's knockback is ridiculous. You have ways to deal with these moves though. Using Toon Link's incredible DI, you can attack Snake's shield, and then DI away out of Ftilt's range. It's hard though, but possible. Your spacing must be near perfect. If you DI far enough away, the Snake player will likely try and punish you by using Dash Attack out of shield. To stop this, you can either shoot an arrow before you land, or you can land into a shield. There's not much you can do to punish it, however, due to the fact that Snake rolls very far when he uses his Dash attack., which brings me to my next point. Snake's boost smash is ridiculous, allowing him to slide around 3/4 of the way across the stage. You can get hit by the Dash Attack part of this attack, the Mortar release part, or the actual Mortar landing. This can be very hard to avoid, as there are 3 parts to the attack, it comes out insanely fast, and it's range is ridiculous. Your best bet is to shield it and get away from the Mortar coming down.

Snake's shield pressure game is pretty good too. If you get caught in your shield and you let go, you will most likely get hit by a Jab combo, or Ftilt. He can basically pressure you by using the first hit of Ftilt, and also mixing it up with the first hit of his Jab combo. Simply, roll away if Snake catches you in your shield. Or, you can powershield the first hit of his Ftilt and shieldgrab him. Rolling away is safer though.

If you can get Snake in the air, you're golden, and it shouldn't be too difficult considering yoru Usmash and Utilt are good. Snake loses in the air, it's as simple as that. You're generally going to want to be directly below him, as your Uair outprioritizes his Dair. Also, the great thing about Toon Link's Uair, is that it lasts for so long. If you are directly below him, and use this move while he airdodges, you will be able to follow him through his airdodge, following his DI and hit him when it ends. It shouldn't be difficult, considering your DI is much better than his. You can combo him with Bairs, but again, he's likely to airdodge. Apply the same strategy. Just be careful of Snake's Nair, as it has 4 hits and basically creates a wall between you and him. It also autocancels, so be wary of that also.

As far as edgeguarding goes...Well, who doesn't edgeguard better than Snake? Snake is likely to stay on the stage and shoot mortars while you recover, which you shouldn't be afraid of really. Basically...Dair the crap out of Snake. It's not hard at all. If he's too far away, at least jump out and Fair/Nair/Bair him.

Overall, Snake is very tough on the ground. Limit his approaches, and stay far far away from Ftilts and Utilts. Also, be careful of Jab combo to a lesser extent. Pressure his shield safely, using your great DI and arrows to cover your retreat. Edgeguard him with Dairs and other aerials, and the match should be in your favor. Snake can kill you very early, so be careful to not get hit. 5/10 Toon Link.

Sonic-

Squirtle-

Toon Link-

Wario-

Wolf- Wolf is stupid. Really stupid. Most of his attacks don't make sense, and you'll find yourself getting hit by them much more than you expect. They have insane range, some multi hit, and he's pretty strong too. Camping is meh in this match, as both of you have projectiles, and you're likely to be hitting each other with them. His Blaster travels in a straight line and can be fired rather quickly, while you're going to be sneaking in projectiles between hits and such.

Up close and on the ground, Wolf has a ton of moves you should watch out for. His Ftilt has alright range, and if it hits you or your shield, there are actually 2 hits in it. So, if you hold your shield and shield it and let go, you will get hit by the next part of the move, which is retarted but whatever. His Fsmash is by far my least favorite move in the game. It comes out quick, is rather strong, and has ridiculous range. Not to mention the fact that it combos into itself, which is beyond stupid. If you shield it and he used it when he was close to you, he may end up on the other side of your shield, which may throw you off, so be careful. His Dsmash is also good, hitting on both sides and killing relatively easily. Wolf's down B is his reflector, which puts you in perfect range for an Fsmash, so after you get reflected, either roll away or hold your shield up. It's used a lot to create distance if you're really close. To combat Wolf's good ground game, your out of shield game is very important. Dsmash out of shield works well on his laggier attacks, such as Fsmash and Dsmash, while Jab series out of shield or shieldgrabbing stops his quicker attacks. I also like to Bair out of shield if I can find the opportunity, as Wolf can be Bair comboed to oblivion. If you get a Bair on the ground at low percent, chances are Wolf will be taking up to 40% damage. To approach Wolf, use your Nairs, as there's not much he can do about this. Good aerial DI prevents getting punished out of shield, so you have a safe approach.

In the air, Toon Link wins handily. Wolf has his Fair and Bair, which can both be a nuisance if you don't feel like pressing the A button to swing your sword, which beats both of those aerials. His Uair won't be used much, and his Dair spikes, so you should be careful of that. Your Nair, Fair, Bair all beat his aerials anyways though, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Killing goes to Wolf, unfortunately. Toon Link is rather light, and Wolf's smashes are strong and hard to avoid. Good DI, as always, will help you live longer, since Wolf isn't extraordinarily strong. I find Usmash works best for killing Wolf, as it comes out quickly enough to punish out of shield sometimes. Edgeguarding Wolf is also another fairly easy way to kill him. If he has no jump, his Up B range is terrible, so you can edgehog him to death provided he has no jump. Dropping bombs on his Up B also works well, as does dropping off and Fairing him. Wolf can't edgeguard you for crap, so you don't need to worry about it too much.

Overall, Toon Link has the advantage in this matchup. He outranges Wolf for the most part, can combo him to oblivion, edgeguards him better, and just has more options to land hits overall. Wolf can kill you fairly easily, but if you're careful about his deceiving attacks, you should stay safer. Matchup goes to Toon Link, 6/10.

Yoshi-

Zelda-

Zero Suit Samus-



Any of the above are subject to change, whether it's a change in the ratio, advice I have given...anything really. It's likely I will add to these as time goes on.

Discuss.

I'm convinced Toon Link vs Pikmin & Olimar is 5:5 or 4:6 in Olimar's favor.

Hmm, care to elaborate? Here's what I've got.

Toon Link outcamps Olimar, as we've both discussed before. It's not easy, but it's definitely doable. If two players of equal skill were caught up in a camp war between the two characters, Toon Link wins.

Mid range, Olimar can spam Fsmash. This outranges all of Toon Link's attacks, and it is from this distance that Olimar is safe vs Toon Link. Olimar's side B helps too, since the Pikmin come out very fast.

However, if Olimar insists on attacking from mid range...Just run. The only move that truly outranges you is Fsmash, and the move has too many drawbacks to be relied on. Attack depreciation, only one set trajectory, and lack of creativity. Also, if you powershield the Fsmash, you can run in and hookshot grab Olimar before he can do anything.

If you play from long range, Olimar can't do anything to you. Mid range, Fsmash can be a nuisance, but there are plenty of ways to deal with it. Up close, you outrange Olimar with your sword, and well spaced aerials should be more than enough to deal with Olimar.

In the air, it seems like where Olimar will have his best chance at fighting. His Fair has pretty good knockback, as does his Uair, Bair and his Dair lol. However, Toon Link and Olimar's DI are about the same, AND your sword outranges Olimar's main aerial approach, Fair. Good spacing takes care of the aerial battle. The only thing to really look out for here is if Olimar uses his side B in the air. This could potentially cost you some damage, but that's nothing compared to the fact that overall, Toon Link wins the aerial battle.

They are both relatively light, so don't expect to see either character live long. Your best bet at killing Olimar will probably be your Fsmash. His beats yours due to range, so it may be tricky getting it off vs a good Olimar. You can try for Usmash, this may connect easier if Olimar is playing an airgame, and you happen to time it after his airdodge, which btw if he cancels it into a shield, you have 3 frames to hit. It comes out rather fast though, and since it swings in an arc, it stays out for what I imagine would be a bit more than 1 or 2 frames, so if you are directly beneath him when he lands, you should have a better bet at connecting with it. Your aerials may kill him if he runs into one, but if he's smart he will realize he loses the aerial game, and he likely won't get hit by your fair or nair. Go for the Usmash or Fsmash.

All in all, I think Olimar loses to Toon Link due to the fact that he gets outranged long range, and his only viable option mid-close range is Fsmash, and as I said, Toon Link has many ways to deal with that.

I think it's 6:4 Toon Link, if not more, but for now I'll keep it at that.

My view is based on the Olimars I play. Either my version of spam sucks since I choose to approach more often than not, or Olimar throwing out a wall of Pikmin effectively and consistently blocks TL's projectiles, not to mention Pikmin Throw seems to hit me more often than a boomerang or arrow can hit him.

In any case, I'm in a disposition to experiment with a wider variation of Olimar players, as I am at home where there is an absence of wireless, and the ethernet is no where near a TV or the Wii. If possible I'd rather draw from the opinions of everyone else to help form an analysis.

Teh Umby said:

My view is based on the Olimars I play. Either my version of spam sucks since I choose to approach more often than not, or Olimar throwing out a wall of Pikmin effectively and consistently blocks TL's projectiles, not to mention Pikmin Throw seems to hit me more often than a boomerang or arrow can hit him.

In any case, I'm in a disposition to experiment with a wider variation of Olimar players, as I am at home where there is an absence of wireless, and the ethernet is no where near a TV or the Wii. If possible I'd rather draw from the opinions of everyone else to help form an analysis.

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Understood. Yeah, I mean when I describe these matchups, I am talking about every possible advantage, played correctly by both players. So, it's understandable that if you approach more, it may seem more difficult, as a big part of the matchup is that Olimar has to approach Toon Link. Also, I'd like to hear more opinions as well. I still believe in what I said though, and am pretty confident in it haha.

I would also hear your opinions of TL vs Fox. I've never really seen TL as having the upper hand in that match either.

The Fox match up has been added. I will separate it into paragraphs when I'm not exhausted to make it more readable haha.

*whistle* Nice analysis. Seeing as it's 5 am, I only read half of it, but in the part that mentions fsmash screwing Fox's approaches, for all technical purposes it should mention his dash attack, as that goes fluidly into utilt iirc.

Ah, yes...I'll add that in, it's a handy little approach. Well, we're troopers, Teh Umby. 5 AM and we're both awake...Hah, that's good stuff right there. Anyways uhh...Yeah...I'm tired. Goodnight dude LOL

While I think Luigi is likely better than Mario, I think Luigi does worse vs Toon Link than Mario.

Luigi is notably worse at dealing with projectile spam for multiple reasons. One is because he generally moves slower unless he's using the Tornado. Two is because his projectile spam is still bad. Three is because he doesn't have a Cape. Not that it actually means much, but he's also taller than Mario too.

Mario also can actually ledgeguard Toon Link, while Luigi can't. If Mario Capes or FLUDDs Toon Link's Up-B, he could get a free meteor smash in the process.

Now Luigi does have the ability to kill vertically better, but the problem here is getting within range to use Smash attacks when Luigi kinda moves slow, and has fairly lousy ways compared to Mario when dealing with projectile spam.

I'd say Mario loses to Toon Link 6:4, while Luigi loses 7:3; the opposite of what you said earlier.

Alright, I'll definitely take what you said into consideration...Later though, when it's not so late, hah. Plus, I need to study the matchups a tad more before I finish their analysis anyways. Thx for the input.

WALL OF TEXT

Ok, i love TL and all, but youve given him more checks than even the marth and snake boards give thier respective mains.

and why on earth is squirle of all things deemed a disadvantage while the likes of kirby and DK get a miserable 3:7. they are amazingly strong and will KO TL at around 60% if you so much as miss a d-air or jump over the ledge while recovering

I've added the Donkey Kong matchup, but am short on time so I will most likely add more later.

He obviously believes Toon Link is a beast.


How silly.

Changed the DK matchup, due to recent findings, and added the Snake matchup.

Give me Mario vids. I haven't seen Mario play at all, so I couldn't give an opinion on how well Mario plays as opposed to Luigi. I'm too lazy to go look up vids.

hey

rob and meta kinght should be below 6.0

Haha.

Dude you are going to catch so much heat for saying that TL only loses to Falco. LOL.

Anyway, I disagree with quite a few of your match-ups.

But I won't get into that. I'm here for Marth.

Now, don't go thinking I'll hold back just because you are my *****. So, tell me why you think TL vs Marth is 6:4 in TL's favor. To get things rolling the ball is in your court. For the record I think it's even.

I believe Emblem Lord would have sex with Martha if he could.

You are an idiot.

Emblem Lord said:

You are an idiot.

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Didn't know those existed on Smashboards, did ya? :o

Uh... Umby, why did you even say that in the first place? <_<

The topic creator and Emblem Lord are probably friends so they probably can talk to eachother that way.

On the match up thread, Pikachu is listed advantage, but here you say it's even. I'm curious to why that is. Also, why is Squirtle an advantage on Toon Link yet not Lucario? Lucario has a projectile while Squirtle doesn't, in the air, Lucario has better range than Squirtle, and is just as quick. Furthermore Squirtle doesn't have as many kill moves as Lucario does. Squirtle is easier to KO than Lucario is, etc. All Squirtle has against Toon Link that Lucario can't do better is up smash, down throw and withdraw.

With dealing with projectiles, Squirtle is faster, Lucario has reverse double team. In aerial combat, Lucario's got a forward air that is only a bit smaller than Marth's, greatly out ranging Squirtle...

So yeah, how does Squirtle get the advantage, and not Lucario? o_O

Emblem Lord, what do you think about that, since I'm pretty sure you know a bit about Lucario.

LOL@ Squirtle beating TL.

No effin way.

I'm gonna give TL the heads up on that one.

Not huge advantage, but 6:4 in TL's favor seems likely. 7:3 at the most.

Squirtle just doesn't compare to TL as a character and doesn't have the tools to have advantage over him. TL has more priority, more range, better kill moves, better moves in general and his projectile game to fall back on. Squirtle has a better air game thanks to his DI, but that's it.

Lucario probably goes even with him or is at very slight disadvantage. 5:5 or 6:4.

Lucario has good range, but TL outcamps him and overpowers him until Lucario's damage is high.

Also TL has way better kill moves and Lucario is one of the easier characters to gimp.

Actually 6:4 in TL's favor sounds about right IMO.

To begin with, this is just a rough estimate of the matchups right now...I can confidently say that by the end of this, once I'm done studying every character and have a firm grasp on the matchups, the matchups won't change that much, but possibly vary a little. For example. I did a quick look over on DK, using what I knew already, and asking around a bit. Someone brought up the fact that DK kills Toon Link very, very easily, even if the person that did say it sounded like an idiot, I decided to ask my friend who plays DK very well if we could get some matches. I changed the matchup to 6:4 after realizing just how easily Toon Link dies to DK, and how badly Toon Link gets outranged. So, Like I said, I'm open to any and all advice...

And, I've already had sex with Marth...I beat EL to it.

Pentaoku said:

Uh... Umby, why did you even say that in the first place? <_<

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1) My cells contain a total of 47 chromosomes each (not including sex cells).

2) It was a mere observation of Emblem Lord's posts which show a strong sense of infatuation (for lack of a better word) between he and Marth as his character. There's nothing wrong or truly humorous about this, I simply chose to make an observation using a humorous statement.

3) There's two suns and no women; what the hell am I supposed to do??? (cookies for anyone who gets the reference)

reverse double team makes short work of projectile camping

discuss

Oops, disregard my last post.

Added the Meta Knight matchup, and changed it's ratio from Toon Link's favor to Meta Knight's. Yeah, it's hard

ugh metaknight is a nightmare. i've not given up hope on the projectile defense, however. I'm working on a really defensive projectile game against metaknight.

I think that if a better strategy for the mk matchup comes forth, it'll be projectile based, as it's his only "real" advantage in the matchup.

can this thread be stickied?

you should update this thing pretty often until its really accurate.
;]

Yeah, I'm trying haha...Takes a while to get accurate info though.

Good thread. But I think Snake has this Nikita...that goes through all of our (TL) projectiles

You need a sticky kthxbai

Nikita is not really a problem, except when he's edgeguarding with it. It's possible for toon link to take almost no damage in the camping war vs. snake. The key is patience- when he fires nitika, just shield it. You won't be able to hit him, but whatever, wait till he's done. I haven't played a snake player yet who hasn't gotten antsy and gone for the grenades or approach, both of which can be punished by arrows, boomerangs, or tossing back his grenades.

The trouble comes when he boost smashes over to you and tilts you for 20% : /

i know it's been said a few times in this thread already but, there is no way toon link has the advantage over olimar. im too lazy to elaborate on this since many people already have.

I'm still against the idea of TL outcamping Olimar. Like seriously aaaaaa.

djbrowny said:

reverse double team makes short work of projectile camping

discuss

Click to expand...

Double Team makes a distinct noise and animation long before the attack comes out, giving most characters a lot of time to shield before the double team attack can hit. Therefore, double team is really not very good.

Hype said:

i know it's been said a few times in this thread already but, there is no way toon link has the advantage over olimar. im too lazy to elaborate on this since many people already have.

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No one has elaborated on it...People keep telling me, but no one is providing evidence...However, I'll definitely look into the matchup more, if no one else is willing to help out...I did have trouble vs an Olimar at a local tourney, and he ended up outcamping me, so there's definitely a lot for me to look over.

I may be very opinionated, but I'm not stubborn at all, and gladly admit when my ideas are wrong.

Well for one thing, there's an Olimar I can always 1-2 stock with Sonic, but I never win with Toon Link, and if I do win it's because of some random genius last minute shit.

Stay all up on Olimar's grill and at medium range. Jump and throw projectiles, then go in with nair's or something. Olimar's I've played seem to go into panic mode as soon as I get in close and RAR them.

I think what I also do is stay in the air a lot when facing Olimar. If you're on the ground, he can just dsmash out of shield, shield grab, or some other dumb move. Just work different sides of his shields and keep him guessing.

I think Marth is a baddddddd match up for TL. Maybe worse than MK.