"It's Freakin' Link!" - A look at Link in Smash 4

[Blubba_Pinecone]

Blubba_Pinecone's Smash 4 Wii U and 3DSLink moveset analysis and impressions.

Current plans for updates:

• Add custom moves to specials section.
• Continue to post new, useful information as it is found.

Hi all, I've been eagerly anticipating this new Link from what pre-release footage I've seen. Now that I have the demo, I'm going all out in learning what new tricks our Hero has in store for the battle, and I want to share everything with everyone. If you're wondering my experience, I've mained Link competitively since 2007, five years of Brawl Link experience and three years of Melee Link. I hope the information here is helpful to everyone looking at Link in Smash 4 and that we'll see plenty of new Heroes rise to the challenge. I want to see Link placing well and being viable for once.

Testing method:

• All listed %'s are FRESH hits, this document will not account for move staling. Due to training mode's percentage adjustment affecting both Link and Mario, KO percents listed will be accompanied by Link being at the same percent. Keep this in mind, due to Rage Effect. If this can be tested without changing both percents in the future, I will update it accordingly.
• All testing is done on Mario. Vectoring will not be accounted for until I have someone to test with, but keep possibilities of how it will affect Link's gameplay in mind.
• Position at Final Destination from center stage (consistent position via respawn platform) Center stage also means horizontal and diagonal KO percents listed may be much lower with better positioning.
• Although only whole integers are shown on screen, damage values in Smash are Real numbers, as such they will be listed as a value in-between two integers. If an attack does say, 5% on screen, it likely did somewhere between 5-6% damage.

Notes before reading:

• "Knockback scaling" or "scaling" refers to the increase in knockback behavior a move exhibits as the opponent's damage increases. Do not confuse this with staling, which happens when a move is used multiple times.
• I will not mention the range of each move as all of his moves have been given a slight increase in range, with perhaps the exception of the blast radius on Bombs, grounded UpB, Uair, Dair, and Nair, which seem to have stayed roughly the same. Fair 2nd hit is the only reduction of range, and it is very slight at that.

Assumptions about controls:

• I assume the L button on 3DS is the grab function, Z on GC controller, and will refer to it as Z.
• I assume the R button on 3DS is the shield function, L or R on GC controller, and will refer to it as L or R.

General Movement:

Spoiler

Link is much faster in this game than in any previous game. This includes basic maneuvering and the speed of his attacks. His dash speed is notably faster, his fastfall is well... fast, his jumps are higher. Yeah, that's right, Link can actually jump now. His shorthop is high enough to Nair/Bair/Fair at the opponent's feet on Battlefield's platforms. His second jump actually gives him height. To all of you who wussed out on Link before because of his poor movement capabilities, here's the time to give him another chance. To all of you who stuck with our man in green throughout the years, this is what you've been waiting for and what you deserve for all that dedication.

Normals:

Spoiler

Jab

2-3%, weak upwards knockback, weak scaling​

2nd jab

2-3%, weak upwards knockback, weak scaling​

3rd jab

5-6%, medium horizontal knockback, weak scaling​

Illusion jab from 64/Melee has not returned.

Jabs now properly combo even into higher percents (he was so bad in Brawl that they actually didn't). Mash that 5a fellas. Higher stun means jab canceling into other moves is more effective and less risky/gimmicky than before, Jab cancels such as jab > 2nd jab > dsmash/grab/upb are all legitimate combos at certain percents.

Utilt

*9-10%
*Weak-medium upwards knockback
*Medium-strong scaling
*Still reaches farther behind Link than in front of him
*Does not self-combo, but still a great juggle. Try to make your opponent lose their double jump for an even better juggle.
*Good KO option at 138%​

Ftilt

*13-14%
*Strong diagonal knockback with some vertical
*Medium-strong scaling
*Startup time decreased slightly
*Good KO option at 148%​

Dtilt

*12-13%
*Medium vertical knockback
*Weak-medium scaling
*Startup time has been greatly reduced
*Spikes (or is it a meteor?) off-stage. Not sure how reliable this is yet, but may be useful with no invincibility upon re-grabbing the ledge.​

Usmash

*1st hit 3-4% 2nd hit 4-5% 3rd hit 11-12%
*Fully charged 5-6%, 5-6%, 16%
*Strong vertical knockback
*Strong scaling on 3rd hit
*First two hits do a good job of keeping the opponent in place for the 3rd hit.
*Good KO option at 115% (connecting with all 3 hits)​

Fsmash

*This move has changed a lot, it now has different properties based on the range at which it hits.
*Tipper hitbox:

*14-15%
*Fully charged 20-21%
*Strong horizontal knockback with a small vertical amount
*Strong knockback scaling​

*Not "just the tip":

*7-8%
*Fully charged 10-11%
*Weak diagonal knockback (clese hit) or weak vertical knockback (midrange hit)
*Weak scaling
*Acts like Toon Link's Fsmash and truly combos into Fsmash 2nd hit very well (highest percent I've achieved a true combo into 2nd hit is 174% with midrange hit, and 241% for close hit)
*As of v1.0.4, the ability to combo into Fsmash 2nd hit has been greatly improved.​

*Great KO move at 124% for tipper, and 110% Fsmash > Fsmash 2nd hit.
*You'll want to make sure you space this move, as only the sword hits and Link takes a step forward, meaning it will whiff people standing too close to you (I'm not sure if this holds for characters with larger hurtboxes).​

Fsmash 2nd hit

*13-14%, 12-13% close hit
*Fully charged 19-20%
*Strong diagonal knockback
*Strong knockback scaling
*Difficult to get the close hit if following Fsmash
*Good KO option around 119%, 128% for close hit​

Dsmash

*1st hit

*18-19% sweetspot (closest to link)
*13-14% sourspot
*Fully charged sweetspot 23-24%
*Fully charged sourspot 20-21%
*Strong vertical knockback​

*2nd hit

*13-14% sweetspot (farthest from link)
*10-11% sourspot
*Fully charged sweetspot 17-18%
*Fully charged sourspot 16-17%
*Strong horizontal knockback, almost as nasty as Melee's UpB semi-spike. Almost.​

*Strong scaling on both hits
*Good KO option at 112% for 1st hit,169 % for 2nd hit​

Dash attack

Normal hit

*13-14%
*Strong vertical knockback (closest hit) or strong diagonal knockback (midrange hit).
*Closest hit good KO option at 111%
*Midrange hit good KO option at 124%
​

Tipper
*14-15%
*Strong diagonal knockback, more horizontal than normal midrange hit.
*Good KO option at 132%​

*Strong scaling
*This move has drastically changed, it is now a strong KO move with slow startup instead of a quick juggle.
*Try using this after hits like Zair > DownB Cancel at lower percents, or to punish get-up options and rolls, etc.
*Link jumps above the ground a fair amount, you can use this to jump over moves to dodge them as you attack if you are confident of your opponent's move selection.

Grab and Throws:

Spoiler

Link's grab has been significantly buffed in this version.

• The grab comes out at about the same speed but has somewhat less lag. This is only a slight buff and not the real kicker here, and don't think it means Link can throw out grab with any less care than before, you still don't want to ever miss.
  
• The big change to his grab now is that it grabs opponents out of the air for the full distance of the clawshot. Before this was only possible when other characters were point blank in Link's face, but now you can easily snatch people up when they try to land anywhere in front of you within the clawshot's range, as well as when they jump towards you on a platform or even while recovering.

All of Link's throws do 7-8%
Pummeling does 2-3% per hit

• Uthrow and dthrow combo into other moves at low percents.
  
• v1.0.4 Uthrow better combos into a Bomb thrown upwards than before.
  
• Fthrow, bthrow, and dthrow can combo with a returning Gale Boomerang at low to mid percents.
  
• Uthrow is a KO option when opponents are living too long. Mario test KOs at 172%.

Defensive options:

Spoiler

Out of Shield options:

*UpB
*Usmash
*Jump
*Grab
*Bomb throw, any direction (this is extremely good due to new Bomb properties)
*Spotdodge
*Forward Roll
*Back Roll (this is really good now)​

Hylian Shield:

Hylian Shield has received multiple improvements, one change is incredibly powerful.

• No longer dropped during idle animations.
• Slightly larger than before, protecting more of LInk's body.
• IMPORTANT: Can now be used while walking. I expect this to be worked into Link's gameplay in certain match-ups.

Air attacks:

Spoiler

Nair

*Initial hit

*11-12% sweetspot, 9-10% sourspot
*Medium-strong horizontal knockback
*Medium scaling
*Good for a combo ender or edge guarding tool
*Good KO option at 169% for sweetspot​

*Weak hit

*6-7%
*Weak-medium horizontal knockback
*Weak scaling
*Good when combined with fastfalling and for edge guarding​

*Extremely little landing lag
*Fullhop Nair > Nair, Nair > Uair, and Nair > Bair (1st hit) are possible
*I don't recommend using this as a common approach, unless you space the initial sweetspot or land behind them to prevent shield grabs.​

Fair

*1st hit

*8-9%
*Weak-medium horizontal knockback
*Medium scaling​

*2nd hit

*10-11%
*Weak-medium horizontal knockback
*Medium scaling
*No longer a KO move​

*Extremely little landing lag
*More of a combo/damage racking tool than a KO tool now
*Good pressuring/spacing tool (SH FF Fair 1st hit, SH Fair both hits)​

Bair

*1st hit

*3-4%
*Fixed knockback​

*2nd hit

*5-6%
*Weak-medium horizontal knockback
*Weak-medium scaling​

*Extremely little landing lag
*Can use the 2nd hit as an "air jab" when landing
*SH Bair double-jump is possible
*Good pressure and edge guarding tool. Gives positional advantage, combos into other moves.​

Dair

*Initial Meteor hit

*15-16%
*Extremely strong meteor, stronger when opponent is hit in the air
*Medium-strong scaling
*Ground hit KO option at 191%
*Air hit good KO option at 172% with missed tech (tested with Mario set to Jump, hit at peak of jump)​

*Strong hit

*18-19%
*Strong vertical knockback
*Strong scaling
*Good KO option at roughly 128%
*This hit is the hardest to land. You must hit with the rising hilt on startup, or immediately after the Initial Meteor hit but before the Weak hit.
​

*Weak hit

*15-16%
*Medium vertical knockback
*Weak-medium scaling, very similar to dtilt
*Good KO option at 154%​

*A double Dair can be scored from the initial to the weak hit after the opponent bounces off stage, or remains still at low percents.
*The second hit of a double Dair does only 8-9% damage, and has reduced knockback
*While Dair has notably less KO power than before, it can still be used as a KO move.
*I seem to be experiencing variance on KO percentages, not sure why. Those listed are a consistent KO option, though I've seen lower.
*Fastfalling Dair no longer increases damage or knockback.
*Shieldbouncing is back, just as before only happens when not fast falling.​

Uair

*Initial hit

*16-17%
*Strong vertical knockback
*Medium-strong scaling
*Good KO option at maybe 136%​

*Weak hit

*10-11%
*Medium vertical knockback
*Medium scaling​

*This good vertical KO for lower percents than Dair if you can hit them higher on the screen. Try getting confirms like Bomb > Uair, or calling out jumps and high recoveries.
*It also serves as a good juggle or combo ender.
*Fullhop Uair autocancels
*Long lasting hitbox allows for following air dodges.​

Zair

*Initial hit 2-3%, 2nd hit 4-5% (both hits connecting 6-7%)
*Weak horizontal knockback
*Weak scaling
*Still a great move, and even better than before.
*Roughly 25% longer than Brawl's zair
*Still autocancels upon landing.
*Can airdodge into zair (which lets you zair with bomb in hand, else you drop the bomb), however you will still experience airdodge landing lag as you would normally.
*Link's short hop is higher this time around so you may find you need to slightly delay the zair in order to use it optimally.
*Use this as a spacing tool, a combo starter and pressure tool.
*Just like in Brawl, pressing Z after being hit out of Zair will result in doing a normal air attack. To prevent this, input your next Zair as (L or R) + A. This tends to be more important while recovering, but if you want to do another Zair (probably with airdodge landing lag) this is how you'd do it.
*My personal favorites right now are zair > jab and zair > grab.​

Specials:

Spoiler

B:

Arrows:

*Uncharged 4-5%

*Weak horizontal knockback
*Weak scaling​

Full charge 13-14%

*Weak-medium knockback
*Weak-medium scaling​

*Arrows now come out slightly faster than before, and travel farther in a more horizontal trajectory.
*Uncharged arrows travel about 60% the length of Omega BattleField from a short hop.
*Fully charged arrows are insanely fast and go very far, too far to see in the demo.
*Arrow Canceling/Quick Draw does not exist how it did in Brawl, so you can't throw them out as a quick interrupt like before, but they may be effective for tacking on damage from far away as well as a useful edge guarding tool.​

[reserved for other possible B moves]​

SideB:

Gale Boomerang:

*Point blank through midrange 7-9%
*Long range 4-5%
*No difference for a smash rang or tilt rang, for change of angle, or for using from the air.
*Notably less recovery animation than before. At certain percents, this and its stun allows it to combo into itself.
*The gale effect in this game is much weaker than Brawl. Some people think it is stronger, but they are mistaken and probably tested it on the sandbag which is affected by the gale differently than normal characters.
*Returning gale will let you combo from a fthrow or bthrow very well, best at lower percents.​

[reserved for other possible SideB moves]​

DownB:

Bombs:

*Direct weak throw, direct hard throw, and resting bomb 5-6%
*Indirect weak throw, indirect hard throw 9-10%
*Hitstun and knockback properties on bombs allow for good combo-ability.
*Bomb fuse is now about 4 seconds, shorter than before.
*Bombs may now be neutral dropped on the ground without exploding at any point during a short hop.
*Neutral dropping a bomb also makes you Zair, unless you do it the first frame you leave the ground which will prevent Link from Zairing. I guess we can call this Quick Drop, unless someone has something more amazing in mind.
*Bomb Dthrow > Footstool > Stuff still works for silly tricks
*IMPORTANT: Bombs have changed a lot, and I notice a lot of people have been overlooking the biggest buff:

*Bomb blasts no longer hit Link when they directly hit the opponent, this is important. This means Link has combo breakers by mashing neutral drop, and can combo easier than ever due to not hurting himself in the process.
*Bombs cannot be hit by any of Link's attacks.
*Bomb throws Out of Shield are serious business now. Thanks to not hurting ourselves, we can punish a blocked attack with a Bomb and start a combo. Examples:

*What's that? You used unsafe move X? OoS Bomb > Utilt > Usmash > stuff for damage at low percents, or OoS Bomb > Usmash/Dsmash/Fsmash for the KO. No, I'm not kidding, it's THAT GOOD.
*Oh, so you're a smart player and baited my OoS Bomb with a safer move and shielded it. Don't worry pal, I got'cha with my OoS Bomb mix-up option: OoS Bomb > Grab.
*Ok, you're a REALLY smart player. This time you're gonna try jumping after a safe move. Well, I can jump OoS too, and I still have this beautiful Bomb to throw in your face.​

[reserved for other possible DownB moves]​

UpB:

Spin Attack:

Grounded:

*Initial hit

*12-13%
*Fully charged 20-21%
*Hits just as strong both behind and in front of Link, unlike Brawl.
*Strong diagonal knockback
*Medium-strong scaling
*Good KO option at 158%​

*Weak hit

*Unable to test adequately on CPU, will update later​

*This move will probably best be used Out of Shield or combod into near the ledge for lower percent KOs.​

Air:

*Link's best vertical recovery to date. Roughly 140% the height of Brawl's UpB.
*Better horizontal acceleration after starting UpB
*1st hit 4-5%, next 3 hits 2-3%, final hit 4-5% (total 14-15%)
*Difficult to test knockback and scaling on CPU, will update later
*Decent priority and multi-hit
*Now hits behind Link as well, unlike Brawl.​

[reserved for other possible UpB moves]​

Recovery:

Spoiler

Ledge options

*Ledge attack (A, B or Z) (seems to be the same both above and below 100%)

*7-8%
*Weak-medium knockback
*Weak scaling
*Link's only nerf in my opinion
*New animation, Link crawls up the ledge and stabs low to the ground
*Doesn't cover any vertical range like before, but on the bright side has a bit more horizontal range
*Might also shield poke easily, not sure on this so don't quote me​

*Ledge Roll (L or R)
*Ledge Jump (X, Y, or tap up)
*Let go/Ledge drop (tap away)
*Let go and fastfall/Ledge drop fastfall (tap down)
*Ledge hop: Technically not a ledge option, but one we can create. Simply let go and double jump while using one of Link's air options.

*Ledge hops are more dangerous in this game than before, this is because you do not retain invulnerability from the ledge upon leaving it.
*Recommended ledge hop techniques:

*Ledge hop Fair
*Ledge hop Zair
*Ledge hop Bomb throw, or pull Bomb
*Ledge hop Uair
*Empty ledge hop (you'd be surprised how many people you can trick into letting you on stage by simply moving past them quickly)
*Experiment with others!​

*Under the ledge

*Certain moves can be done underneath the ledge easily now with Link's recovery

*Uair from underneath the ledge to poke from below
*Pull a bomb safely beneath the ledge​

Double Jump

*Much higher reaching than before, about 3 times the height, maybe more.
*Use your double jump wisely, as Link's UpB is still dependent on momentum. His recovery is greatly improved, but not indomitable
*Combine using, or not using, your double jump with fast falling and other techniques to mix-up your recovery.​

UpB

*As stated above, this goes about 140% the height of Brawl Link's UpB. Easily his best UpB to date.
*You can still hold down to prevent snapping onto the ledge, this is useful for making the final slash come out safely from below the ledge (then release down to grab the ledge) to bump people away when they aren't paying attention.​

Tether

*Tether reaches ledge from extremely far away
*Tether retracts to ledge faster
*You can tether when someone else has the ledge and vice-versa. This will not edge-trump them or your tether.
*You may retract when the ledge is occupied by your tether and by an opponent, resulting in you edge-trumping them.
*Hang-time only allowed to about 2 seconds before auto-retract, much less than before
*You can tether the ledge up to 3 times before needing to stand on solid ground.
*Just like in Brawl, pressing Z after being hit out of tether will result in doing a normal air attack. To prevent this, input your next tether as (L or R) + A.
*Tether recovering has met fundamental changes of mechanics, I will explain my observations here:

*You may not tether a ledge within roughly 1 second from leaving it, no matter how you grabbed it. This allows for ledgehop Zairs for coming back on stage.
*You now have muliple ways to retract a tether that behave as your normal ledge options upon meeting the ledge. They are as follows:

*Ledge attack: A, B, or Z while tethered (I find these all can be finnicky at times and not work. To prevent that, mash the button a couple times)
*Ledge jump: X, or Y while tethered
*Ledge roll: L or R while tethered
*Manual tether retract: tap up while tethered
*Tether cancel: tap down while tethered (use this for crazy recovery mix-ups! Tether cancel > double jump > situation appropriate move)​

Bomb Recovery

• The short Bomb fuse time of 4 seconds means recovering with one should be a much more common occurrence.
• Bomb jumping is back! ...Well, kinda. You cannot hit Bombs with your UpB, however the fuse is short enough that you should often be able to throw the bomb up and then UpB to follow it. Allows for extra recovery mix-up by choosing to avoid or get hit by the bomb.
  
• Alternatively, just hold the bomb while UpBing. No extra mix-up, but very easy to do.
  
• If needed, don't use your UpB without having used your double jump. Getting hit out of your UpB will eat up your double jump.
  
• Bombs send Link in many directions based on what animation he is in. Learn how Bombs affect Link's positioning upon detonation and how to DI the blasts accordingly to your benefit. You will find the most consistent control of DI for Bombs during his free-falling, free-falling post second jump, and helpless-falling animations. Certain parts of other animations may yield more or less favorable trajectories, simply based on what part of the animation was happening when the Bomb detonated.

Advanced Techniques

Spoiler

*Here is a list being tested by another Brawl Link player, FSK. He is checking out which ATs are returning from Brawl and which seem to be gone.

http://www.pasteall.org/53980
For descriptions of ATs in here for those who don't know, please refer to this thread.
http://smashboards.com/threads/secr...ng-thread-complete-at-list-and-combos.277706/
*Bow Canceling/Slow Draw:

Using an arrow high enough above the ground will result in Link not having to put his bow away, but instead have about the same amount of landing lag as an air dodge, which is still faster than putting the bow away. You can even charge the bow a short amount during a short hop and still achieve this.
​

*Quick Drop:

With Bomb in hand, tap Z the first frame you leave the ground from a jump. Link will neutral drop the Bomb without Zairing.
​

*Quick Pickup:

When a Link is by a resting Bomb, jumping and performing any air attack or air dodging immediately upon leaving the ground will pick up the Bomb. This can also be done when landing, and needs to be so close to the ground that you won't get any hitbox out before landing, but it still a faster way to pick up the bomb than landing and grabbing it.​

*Instant Bomb Throw:

Ok, this isn't new and is mentioned with FSK's findings, but I want to bring it clearly to light. Bombs caught in the air by an air dodge can be instantly thrown by pressing air dodge + attack + direction you want to throw. This is useful combined with Quick Pickup, or with resting Bombs on platforms, etc.​

*Pivot Cancel Ftilt

The same as a pivot grab or SideB from a dash before, except Ftilt. Should be pretty good with Link's Ftilt for a quick dodge and punish (Ftilt isn't the quickest, so do this slightly preemptively).​

*Bomb Bouncing

Run off a ledge and throw the Bomb back at it, it will bounce off. Not entirely sure how useful this will be yet, but there are some crazy ideas.

• Bomb Bounce > double jump Bair and hit opponent > UpB to hit opponent farther offstage > recover with Bomb
• Bomb Bounce > double jump Dair
• Bomb Bounce > continue holding towards stage and tether ledge, hang. Bomb covers Link's back, forces opponent to avoid Bomb (with Meteor Bombs?)

*Jab Cancel

Another not new, but returning technique from Brawl. Highlighted in this guide for its notably great applications for Link in Smash 4. Near the end of the jab 1 or jab 2 animation, you are able to crouch to prevent Link from continuing the standard jab combo, and instead follow up with other moves. This has some great applications for Link. Here are some examples.

• Jab cancel (jab 1 or 2) > grab
• Jab cancel (jab 2) > Dsmash
• Jab > utilt for KO(this does not require a true jab cancel but will still combo with proper timing)
• Credit to Dan Salvato for discovering Link's jab cancel infinite. Simply preform jab 1 > jab cancel repeatedly, this technique does not work on all characters or at all percents, but can true combo many to a guaranteed KO.

*Pheonix Bombing

By catching a Bomb on the same frame it explodes on an enemy, the Bomb will be grabbed by Link and stay in play, able to be used again.​

​

Setplay:

Spoiler

Link has some fantastic techniques that allow for strategic gameplay. Here's what we've thought of so far.

• Short hop Quick Drop followed by an air attack is a safe form of both pressure and an easy hitconfirm for starting a combo or juggle, or KO.
  
  Example: When near the opponent or after shielding an attack, perform short hop Quick Drop > Bair, (preferably land behind the opponent to prevent them from any chance of shield grabbing), this will give you enough time to see if they blocked the attacks or got hit. If hit, you can combo with Utilt, Usmashes, juggle, or even KO. If blocked, you can choose to pressure them more or grab them out of their shield.​
• Alternatively to directly above, you can shorthop Dthrow the Bomb, followed by Bair 1st hit, Nair, Uair, or double jump. This is much easier and accomplishes the same strategic gameplay. Differences to consider are that the Bomb comes out slower, but you can also reach farther horizontally.
• Short hop Zair Bomb set. Can be used as a defensive form of zoning, a spacing tool, and to safely learn about your opponent. Landing near the Bomb will give Link quick access to using it after the Zair. If done well while retreating, Link will land about a tipper Fsmash length away from the Bomb.
  
  Example for when retreating:
  

  • If the Zair hits or is shielded, you will most likely be able to continue zoning or start some pressure with or without the Bomb (short hop Quick Pickup air attacks, Instant Bomb Throw, etc.).
  • If Zair is shielded or whiffs, you can see how you opponent reacts to a resting Bomb on the playing field. Ones who try to grab it can be punished for doing so, others can be continued to be zoned.

  
  Both outcomes are listed after being shielded as they should both be viable depending on the opponent's playstyle and habits.​

Overall Impressions:

Spoiler

Air game:

• Link's air game is less potent in terms of knockback than before, most notably Dair. This is not a bad thing.
  
• He can throw out fast attacks such as Nair and Bair to protect himself.
  
• Link players might now experience more trouble from below when in the air, especially once more people learn that Dair is not a KO move. This isn't entirely bad, as mixing up both Link's fast fall and other moves (primarily Nair/Bair/Fair) should let you reach the ground, not to mention that Dair still does considerable damage and puts Link in an advantageous position.
  
• Multiple juggle tools, Uair and Dair
  
• Short hops with moves like Nair, Bair, Fair, and probably even Uair will be great for pressuring opponents.
  
• All his air moves give a positional advantage on hit, either offering juggle or putting the opponent at a good range for Link.
  
• Good edge guarding and gimping capability. Fairs, double Nairs, ledge drop double jump backair after ledge trumping by retracting tether immediately after letting them grab the ledge.
  
• Air mobility is great, both horizontally and vertically. Should be capable of following up many moves more effectively than ever before.
  
• In summary, his air game is good and now more focused on helping you rack up more damage while maintaining control of the match.

Ground game:

• Link's mobility increase lets him cover the ground he needs finally to use all his options. Far, mid, and short range options should all be useful now.
  
• Link's moveset still leaves a blind-spot for high-diagonal approaches, his new speed allows him to deal with this better.
  
• You can set up an effective spacing game with Link's normals. They have good reach, and of course, use a sword.
  
• The speed of his moves means Link's not totally helpless to throw one out when someone is near.
  
• Link's biggest weakness in this game will be being out-spaced by better players, or faster characters. His moves are quick and ranged, but like Marth in Melee, will still be punishable with poor spacing, namely whiffing moves just outside their range. That being said, for now it looks like a weakness that good Link can adequately compensate for with his mobility.
  
• I hope I'm not being short-sighted, but in general he doesn't appear to have any glaringly obvious shortcomings.

Gameplan:

• Link now has the tools to do what he's designed to do best: be creative. As always, he has many reasonable options in many situations, the only difference is that this time he seems to not suck, plain and simple.
  
• I think Link will have a strong defensive game, with the ability to pressure other characters as well with a flurry of quick moves.
• At low percents, Link has some short combo game on top of midrange spacing and zoning that can get the opponent to mid percents.
• At mid percents, Link can play his midrange spacing and zoning games to rack up more damage until kill percents.
• At kill percents, Link may have a little trouble securing the kill, but has lots of possible KO moves, a number of which are somewhat safe to fish with, and there's a great chance you'll end up KOing them anyway by just continuing to play a spacing game with moves like Ftilt and Utilt. Jab cancels into other moves is also an option, as well as Bomb combos (Bomb > Uair initial hit looks strong).
• Any time you hold a Bomb, it is unsafe the the opponent to touch you. Period.

The game is in its infancy, so I will not make tier list predictions of any sort. As of right now I am happy with what Link has been given. Now get out there and do work.

Special thanks to FSK, Akio, Elessar, KirinBlaze, and the rest of the old Brawl Link community who has been helping me get info and test stuff out.
Special thanks to Fox is Openly Deceptive for his comprehensive Brawl Link AT list.
Special thanks to based anime masher Colpevole for helping me get my hands on the demo. I've been dying to learn about Smash 4 Link.​

 

[Elessar]

This is too good Blubba. The hype was real all along, Link feels great this time around. I can't wait until the game comes out and we can start developing his metagame fully.

 

[Nat Goméz]

You should put that a full-charged arrow have enough knockback to kill middle weight in Sudden Death, it's really cool! :D

 

[Oblivion129]

This is great info. Link has a lot more options now and new tricks.

 

[Huggles828]

It's about time Link looked like a legit character. He's sucked for far too long.

 

[ItsRainingGravy]

This post is amazing. Well done, @ Blubba_Pinecone .

The bomb changes are my favorite thing about Link. You can literally run up to someone with a bomb, throw it at them (and not get damaged by the explosion), and then link it into an Up Tilt, Up Smash, Grab, or any aerials of your choice.

Throwing a bomb downwards in the air and then following it up with a Nair, Uair, or meteor Dair feels so good and I simply can't get enough of it.

Protip to all Smash 4 Link players: Bombs ftw. Use them.

 

[Radical Larry]

This is good information, though I have to say that you need to test on a lot of other characters to get a knowledge of when it will KO. Test various character weight classes, like Lightweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight. In the demo, this means Villager, Mario and Link.

For Example:
Link can succumb to the F-Smash at the exact percent you say, but...
Mario succumbs to it at ~80%
Villager succumbs to it at ~70-80%

So, you'll need to test it out a lot more.

As for Link's recovery; its horizontal distance, due to less need on momentum, is 200-280% further than his Brawl one, and it's about 150% more vertical, and 200% more powerful. This means his recovery is one of the best, if you also factor in how fast the bombs explode, and the tether recovery buff.

 

[chandy]

:O :O :O!!! Link can recover now?!?!?! Day = made. Great guide btw!

 

[LinkSpecialist]

It's good to be home. Glad to see the training weights come off now.

 

[zeldasmash]

Apparently this is Unlimited Link who activated his Overdrive.

Glad to see Link not suck for once and hopefully he will be a viable force in this game with what he is given here.

 

[Onomanic]

Good stuff Blubba. I'll certainly be referring to your post often and I hope to see your analysis on the various custom moves.

 

[lanbobyonson]

Good stuff. This makes me even more excited for Link. I've heard he's the best character on the demo. Sounds like he might be the best of YL and Link combined with that speed buff? Makes me happy. Definitely gonna be playing that swag Purple Link.

 

[NofroTwist ProteinfartPie]

Great stuff Blubba, you're doing god's work son.
Really looking forward to testing some of this out when i get the demo

 

[Zane the pure]

Glad to hit the ground running on where Link stands, between the bestbuy event and the 3ds release build, he's seen more improvement of his recovery and his mobility & maneuverability have all gone up since.

This time around the metagame can be subject to balance changes and patches in the future, so a strong sense of the fundamentals is always a good idea. And I suspect we'll not see the true extent of Link's capability until the wii-u version arrives and we have access to a more robust control scheme. He's probably gonna be one the higher skill requirement characters, and I feel that the 3ds is gonna limit how much of that potential we can tap into for the time being. Can't wait for the full release in NA to get started on building my Hylian empire.

And it's definitely good to so all of you again.

 

[LinkSpecialist]

So I found this out while playing against Mega Man. Link will still auto-block projectiles with his shield even if he's walking (not running) at full speed. pellets be damned.

 

[Archimedes]

Glad to hear Link has a few tricks up his sleeve.

 

[Rizen]

Great work Blubba!

 

[FSK]

Doing work. That is all.

 

[Onomanic]

Ooo grats on the sticky! =]

 

[Ryu Myuutsu]

Just wanted to add something else I noticed.

Gale Boomerang has almost no lag after launching it. Right after you throw the boomerang you can act immediately out of it, you can jump, pull a bomb, draw your bow, attack, etc. This opens a lot of possibilities regarding this move, perhaps use it for zone control and act according to your opponent's reaction or harass them with projectiles more easily.

 

[Soldner Kei]

awesome work Blubba, I noticed that Uair has "*Fullhop Uair autocancels" on the list, but not on Dair list, thou it's a little different to perform:

Dair autocancels with fullhop on first jump and inputing dair as soon as you make your second jump, useful to catch some people off guard

again excellent info for the people who will be able to try out Link on the demo starting from today

 

[Blubba_Pinecone]

I'm glad you guys are liking the thread!

@ LinkSpecialist This is literally my favorite thing ever right now. Walk-n'-block all day.

@ Ryu Myuutsu Gale Boomerang does have significantly reduced recovery animation, enough that when combined with its stun, can even combo into itself. I'll add that to its description, even with the beginning section mentioning nearly all moves have been sped up.

@ Soldner Kei I haven't listed Dair as having a fullhop autocancel because it doesn't, it requires your double jump. You are right that it autocancels with a double jump, though. I was messing with it myself a few days ago, but I didn't find or think of any particularly great uses for it with Dair's new properties, since you won't be threatening them with a KO (and risk being hit around without your double jump), maybe a juggle at best. If Link's juggle game becomes insanely good that threat may still be important. We'll see how it turns out, I guess.

Another rather silly option would be to fullhop dj dair to bait them to try to punish the non-existent landing lag, and punishing their punish attempt. But that's kinda on the extremely going-ham side.

 

[ADAPT Chance]

Good thread solid information, definitely plan on leveling up my Link knowledge through here.

 

[FSK]

I'm glad you guys are liking the thread!

@ LinkSpecialist This is literally my favorite thing ever right now. Walk-n'-block all day.

@ Ryu Myuutsu Gale Boomerang does have significantly reduced recovery animation, enough that when combined with its stun, can even combo into itself. I'll add that to its description, even with the beginning section mentioning nearly all moves have been sped up.

@ Soldner Kei I haven't listed Dair as having a fullhop autocancel because it doesn't, it requires your double jump. You are right that it autocancels with a double jump, though. I was messing with it myself a few days ago, but I didn't find or think of any particularly great uses for it with Dair's new properties, since you won't be threatening them with a KO (and risk being hit around without your double jump), maybe a juggle at best. If Link's juggle game becomes insanely good that threat may still be important. We'll see how it turns out, I guess.

Another rather silly option would be to fullhop dj dair to bait them to try to punish the non-existent landing lag, and punishing their punish attempt. But that's kinda on the extremely going-ham side.

I think it will be a good bait option in the early meta game since people are used to be able to punish dairs from Melee and Brawl. Later on when people catch on, the bating option will disappear.

 

[FlynnCL]

Amazing work! Link is a lot of fun in this game, and he feels pretty nice too.

*Link's best vertical recovery to date. Roughly 180-200% the height of Brawl's UpB.

Hmm... aren't they roughly similar? I have both games next to me, and it's definitely not close to double the height. The best buff is that it doesn't butcher his horizontal momentum, so it feels comparable to his Melee recovery more than anything.

IMPORTANT: Can now be used while walking. I expect this to be worked into Link's gameplay in certain match-ups.

I'm not sure if it was in Melee, but you could definitely walk while shielding projectiles in Brawl.

 

[NofroTwist ProteinfartPie]

Amazing work! Link is a lot of fun in this game, and he feels pretty nice too.

Hmm... aren't they roughly similar? I have both games next to me, and it's definitely not close to double the height. The best buff is that it doesn't butcher his horizontal momentum, so it feels comparable to his Melee recovery more than anything.


I'm not sure if it was in Melee, but you could definitely walk while shielding projectiles in Brawl.

The upB might not be 180-200% the height of the previous one, but there has been a pretty significant increase. I think most people will agree on that.
And the hylian shield isn't active during Link's walk animation in brawl. He's not even holding the shield up in front of him.

 

[DarkDeity15]

I have the demo, and I must say. My main Link is far better than I thought. He feels even better than Project M Link imo. He's very, vefy fast in the air (almost PM Lucas-like with pressure ability) and has plenty of kill options. His bombs don't explode as easily compared to previous iterations, which is a huge buff although he can't hit the bombs like in Melee and PM which I really don't mind. It's very easy to plant bombs on the ground. I've even done it by accident a few times. Setting up bomb traps with Link will be a pretty big thing in high level play. I'm very excited about this new and improved Link. Can't wait for the full game!

 

[HeavyLobster]

Bomb traps are indeed very exciting. Pluck a bomb, chuck the Boomerang, and then do a retreating Zair bomb drop. Your opponent has to contend with a Boomerang behind them ready to suck them in, a Bomb in front of them ready to blow, and you're in a relatively safe position while still being close enough to follow up should they get hit. There are plenty more possibilities but the general idea remains the same. Link has tons of toys to put the opponent in a bad position and finally has the mobility to make full use of them.

 

[DarkDeity15]

Bomb traps are indeed very exciting. Pluck a bomb, chuck the Boomerang, and then do a retreating Zair bomb drop. Your opponent has to contend with a Boomerang behind them ready to suck them in, a Bomb in front of them ready to blow, and you're in a relatively safe position while still being close enough to follow up should they get hit. There are plenty more possibilities but the general idea remains the same. Link has tons of toys to put the opponent in a bad position and finally has the mobility to make full use of them.

Did I mention that your bombs bounce off of shields? This allows you to re-grab the bomb in midair and throw it back at the the opponent. Just like in Melee/PM.

 

[2nLio]

I think its pretty dumb that link cant drop bombs without Z-airing -__-

So many combo opportunities gone because of that one stupid detail.

 

[Tenryuga]

Hey guys I'm new to this game and to link. Is there a vid or thread I can take a look at to understand what you guys mean by z-airing, some link tricks, and how to play smash in general?

 

[FSK]

Hey guys I'm new to this game and to link. Is there a vid or thread I can take a look at to understand what you guys mean by z-airing, some link tricks, and how to play smash in general?

All the terminology is taken from Brawl Link, so if you head over to the brawl boards and look at some threads there you'll find explanations.

 

[Lozjam]

Fantastic analysis. I feel the exact same way.

 

[LinkSpecialist]

I'm not sure if it was in Melee, but you could definitely walk while shielding projectiles in Brawl.

That's a big ole nope. Project M yes, but not brawl itself in it's vanilla state.

 

[ScizorVX]

so i've been playing smash3ds(full version) for a week now i have a good grasp on link his returning ATs and stuff any questions L:?

 

[Rizen]

so i've been playing smash3ds(full version) for a week now i have a good grasp on link his returning ATs and stuff any questions L:?

Does he play similarly to Brawl but better or will we have to learn Link again for the next SSB4?

 

[ScizorVX]

Does he play similarly to Brawl but better or will we have to learn Link again for the next SSB4?

he's similar to brawl link but way faster and his options are actually useful and approaching with bombs is god like now with the new bomb mechanic you can pressure their shields safely and bait everything so easily i've been playing for glory for a week i feel like link is pretty solid

 

[Lozjam]

Does he play similarly to Brawl but better or will we have to learn Link again for the next SSB4?

He plays largely the same, everything is just must more effective. His up tilt has less knock back, but is very useful for juggling. His Dair doesn't have that much knock back after the initial hit, but the initial hit serves as a very potent meteor smash. He can actually combo now, and can actually put pressure with bombs and his many lag less aerials. He has better KO power, but some of his ko moves are still hard to hit. He can now effectively gimp people now. He still pretty much has the same weaknesses in Brawl(except he has a pretty good recovery now) but he now has ways to get around those weaknesses.

 

[Supersmashbrothers.]

Hes great and all but am I the only one who thinks they slowed him down/made him heavier?

They probably made Toon link a bit faster... Hopefully.

 

[Lozjam]

Hes great and all but am I the only one who thinks they slowed him down/made him heavier?

They probably made Toon link a bit faster... Hopefully.

He's heavier and more maneuverable, kind of like Captain Falcon. Which is perfectly fine by me.
Edit. I really feel bad for Megaman mains. HIs Jab, Ftilt, fair, fsmash, fspecial, nspecial, and his dspecial are all useless when Link is just standing still or walking.