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Meta Link's Metagame Thread (Informative Quotes Can Be Found in the OP)

Fox Is Openly Deceptive

Smash Detective
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[Due to technical difficulties wherein it became impossible to enlarge quotes, I was forced to turn all of the quotes into spoilers. You can still see who the quote is from and it functions perfectly well, but it's less pretty now. "Oh dear, how sad, never mind."]

The updating of this thread is up to the this post > https://smashboards.com/threads/lin...-found-in-the-op.379659/page-50#post-21654229
This means that by reading through everything below and the posts following that ^ post, you will have gotten up to date on every significant metagame post in this thread.


The following quotes (i.e. spoilers) have been specifically selected by me so that they comply with a personal standard. If you don't get quoted, don't take this as an offense.
Note that I have edited some of the posts; for example I will trim out unrelated parts before and after the particular quote I'm after; where I have deemed it necessary I have made spelling corrections (only in cases where the post could have been easily misunderstood), and in very rare cases I have made edits to the text itself to avoid misinformation (this does not mean that I have edited things I don't agree with, only things that are demonstrably wrong and only where simply deleting it is not an option) Note also that a lot of the time I'll simply make notes in square brackets for the sake of clarity. Other than that, the quotes remain untouched with the poster's intended thought and opinion left intact.


Research and Development:

D-throw Combos, Strings and Mixups
D-throw is very read heavy. Learn the habits of your opponent. Do the d-throw->u-tilt-> as many u-tilts as you can->maybe u-smash if their DI is bad. If they air dodge early, they'll land in front of you and you have a guaranteed forward smash, unless they DI towards you (because our forward smash doesn't like it when our opponent is right next to us, apparently), but then you can just do f-tilt or d-tilt.
So this took longer than expected. Here's hoping they don't change D-throw...


The following is very self explanatory (which is why I'm about to explain it XD). It is all you'll ever need to know about D-throw follow ups in relation to all of your opponent's relevant options at 10% intervals for every character. It is important for me to note early on that staleness and rage will affect the results as obviously it will matter how far the opponent was launched (I plan to eventually include a guide that indicates what works at what percents with rage factored in for each character, but atm only some have it).

I am only interested in guaranteed followups out of D-throw. Therefore I will not be mentioning any punishes you could potentially get out of reads. You can figure that stuff out for yourself.

You'll notice that beside the name of each character there is a rating out of 5 as well as an indication as to what the FAF (first actionable frame) out of D-throw is. The rating is a rough estimate to let you know how good/bad D-throw is in that particular MU (without Platform Drop options being a factor). So a 5/5 means they get destroyed, and a 0/5 means that nothing is ever guaranteed. The FAF gives you an indication of when you will need to input your actions out of D-throw without having to guess. The FAF will change of course depending on the weight of the character being thrown.

Inside the spoiler for each character you will find another spoiler which contains a less detailed list of guaranteed follow-ups and advised follow-ups [work in progress]. The advised follow-ups will be what I believe should be used in a more practical sense, and it will assume opponent miss-inputs where what is required is e.g a frame perfect DJ airdodge. I will advise to go for FH Uairs even when they are not strictly guaranteed and you have to follow DI and get the late hit of Uair. Aerial Up-B is a tricky one because it does great damage but it is less reliable, so it will be less advised, even if it is technically guaranteed.
Use the second spoiler merely as a quick reference and feel free to make your own minds up about what options you will use given the information provided.

Keep in mind that each percent given represents a segment, so 10% to 20% doesn't necessarily just mean 10%, 11% .... 19% and 20%, it could in fact, for all you know, mean 1% to 29%, but a more prudent estimate would be 5% to 25%. So bare that in mind.

Note that for the sake of keeping things concise, if I don't mention it, assume it isn't an option for one reason or another.

I have assumed frame perfect inputs taking advantage of buffering from both players, but at the same time, in places, especially where there is no buffer window, I have been realistic and specifically mentioned that something needs to be frame perfect to emphasise the fact that mistakes can be made.

Recently I added Sourspot Uair stuff. Just note that because the point of this follow-up is to force and airdodge then outlast the airdodge with your Uair, sometimes you will actually need to delay the Uair at higher percents, otherwise it won't outlast the airdodge.

Shout-out to @Stryker95 for labbing out the SHUFF percents against the rest of the cast.
Please note that with the SHUFF I will only list it as working if you have a guaranteed follow-up such as Jab which you need at least 7 frames for. This is because some characters begin to be forced to airdodge the SH Uair at percents where you end up having a greater frame advantage than 7, but for some you will have less at the beginning. For more detailed SHUFF information including where you can get a guaranteed re-grab follow-up among other things, see here https://smashboards.com/threads/lin...-found-in-the-op.379659/page-50#post-21581626




Bayonetta: Rating = 2/5. FAF = 52.
Guaranteed:
20% to 30%: U-tilt.
30%: U-smash.
40% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B
50% to 90%: FH Nair.
70% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.

Recommended:
0%: Don't use D-throw unless you want to shield and see what they do.
10%: U-tilt, otherwise go for a read.
20%: U-tilt. U-smash if you don't think they'll DI away.
30%: U-smash.
40%: U-smash if you don't think they'll DI away.
50% to 90%: FH Nair.
Bayonetta is a difficult character to talk about combos with because of 'Bat Within' ('BW'). When Bayonetta goes to airdodge (i.e. the only currently relevant move that will activate BW) she has invulnerability starting on frame 5, which is super bad. If however she gets hit on frame 1 to 4 it will activate BW. Technically this counts as a hit, and therefore a combo, it's just that there will be reduced damage and you wont cause any hitlag/hitstun/knockback, so I won't be saying that Bayonetta 'avoids' something if BW is activated. It then becomes a question of who regains control first and whether or not you're ok with that outcome.

0%: Bayonetta can airdodge or DJ airdodge to activate BW if you U-tilt, otherwise she can Up-B you before U-tilt hits. She can avoid U-smash by doing a DJ airdodge or by using Up-B.
If Bayonetta airdodges to avoid U-tilt you will be able to act 4 frames sooner than her (i.e. you'll have a 4 frame advantage).
If Bayonetta DJ airdodges to avoid U-tilt she has a 5 frame advantage.

10%: If Bayonetta DIs behind Link she can barely airdodge and activate BW if you U-tilt, giving you a 4 frame advantage. If Bayonetta DIs either away in front or behind Link and airdodges she will activate BW against the first hit of U-smash and avoid the second and third hits giving her a huge frame advantage.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable. If Bayonetta DIs away in front of Link and airdodges she can activate BW against U-smash.

30%: As above except U-smash is also unavoidable.

40%: U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link. If Link tries to Dash forwards before U-smashing, BW can be activated by airdodging.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above except FH Nair is unavoidable.

60%: As above except U-tilt is now out of range.

70%: As above except Aerial Up-B is now an option and U-smash is out of range.

80%: As above.

90%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

100%: FH Nair can be avoided. An airdodge can activate BW against Aerial Up-B.

Beyond, it's not worth going for anything.

Bowser: Rating = 0/5. FAF = 61.
Guaranteed:
Nothing.

Recommended:
20% to 60%: U-tilt to at least force a DJ, or just don't D-throw.
80% to beyond: FH Uairs, though be wary of ballsy Dairs and Down-B's even if you have lagless landings. Otherwise don't D-throw.
0%: Bowser can airdodge or DJ to avoid U-tilt. U-smash will catch airdodge but not DJ.

10%: As above; Bowser can simply DJ to avoid everything.

20%: As above.

30%: As above.

40%: As above.

50%: As above.

60%: Bowser can no longer avoid U-tilt with airdodge unless he DIs behind Link, but can still avoid U-tilt and U-smash with DJ.

70%: U-tilt is out of range. So lol, D-throw to U-tilt never works on Bowser. And DJ still avoids U-smash, and it also avoids FH Nair. Platform Drop Through to Up-B can always be airdodged.

80%: You may as well start going for U-airs. Nothing is guaranteed. Bowser can DJ or Airdodge to avoid it, but FH U-air autocancels so it's pretty safe. Depending on whether Bowser DJ's or airdodges will depend on whether you want to FH Uair or DJ Uair.

90%: As above.

100%: As above.

Beyond, as above. It doesn't get any better. Bowser is thoroughly immune.

Bowser Jr.: Rating = 0.5/5. FAF = 57.
Guaranteed:
(50% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
80% to 90%: FH Nair.
89% to 111%: SHUFF.
120% to 130%: Sourspot FH Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 50%: U-tilt. (U-smash if you note that he's not DIing behind you)
(50% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
70% to 90%: FH Nair.
91% to 111%: SHUFF.
120% to 140%: Sourspot FH Uair.
0%: Bowser Jr. ('BJ') can airdodge or DJ behind Link to avoid U-tilt. U-smash will catch airdodge (because of the third strike) but not DJ.

10%: As above except that U-smash will now catch both airdodge and DJ. In order to escape the U-smash BJ must DJ and immediately airdodge or DI the D-throw behind Link and DJ away.

20%: As above except that U-tilt and U-smash are now only avoidable if BJ DI's the D-throw behind Link.

30%: As above.

40%: As above.

50%: As above except Platform Drop To Up B works.

60%: As above except that BJ can avoid U-tilt by DIing anywhere away from Link.

70%: As above except that U-tilt is now out of range even with no DI. FH Nair is now only avoidable by DIing behind Link and DJing.

80%: Platform Drop Up-B no longer works, U-smash is now out of range, and FH Nair is now unavoidable.

89%: SHUFF works.

90%: As above.

100%: Nair is avoidable. Technically FH immediate Aerial Up-B is a thing.

112%: SHUFF no longer works.

120%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, though it can work as low as 100.

130%: As above.

140%: Sourspot Uair can be avoided by DIing away and DJing but only if Link was facing left (z-axis interaction). In any case, it will stop working beyond this.

Captain Falcon: Rating = 4/5. FAF = 56.
Guaranteed:
0% to 10%: Jabs.
30% to 50%: U-tilt.
40% to 50%: U-smash.
(40% to 90%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60% to 80%: (Dash) U-smash.
60% to 100%: FH Nair.
80% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
85% to 118%: SHUFF.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 10%: Jabs.
20% to 50%: U-smash.
60% to 80%: (Dash) U-smash.
85% to 118%: SHUFF.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: The only way to avoid U-tilt is to DJ airdodge frame perfectly, which is why Jab is unavoidable.

10%: The only way to avoid U-tilt is to airdodge into the ground, but Jab is still unavoidable.

20%: The only way to avoid U-tilt is to DI behind Link and airdodge. Jab can be avoided by DIing behind Link too. (If they DI behind you, B-revered Up-B is unavoidable, though whether you want to go for it is up to you).
The only way to avoid U-smash is to DI behind Link then DJ airdodge.

30%: As above except U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except U-smash is now also unavoidable.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above.

60%: FH Nair is unavoidable. U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, but U-smash can still be unavoidable if Link dashes in for a frame or two first.

70%: As above.

80%: As above except that Aerial Up-B is now unavoidable. U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link, though again, U-smash can still work if Link dashes for a frame or two in the direction of the DI.

85%: SHUFF works.

90%: As above except U-tilt is now out of range, and Dash to U-smash no longer works for following DI away.

100%: As above except U-smash is now out of range, and Aerial Up-B no longer works.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

110%: FH Nair no longer works.

119%: SHUFF no longer works.

120%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI. Just note that you'll have to dash in first if he DI's away.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170% Sourspot Uair can be avoided by DIing away and DJing.

Charizard: Rating = 0/5. FAF = 59.
Guaranteed:
(60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)

Recommended:
0% to 10%: Don't D-throw.
20% to 60%: U-tilt or attempt to punish DJ.
100% and beyond: FH Uair when Charizard doesn't DI away.
0%: Charizard can airdodge or simply DJ to avoid U-tilt, but then he can also take the hit with the super-armor of Up-B or Down-B and then inflict more damage on you than you did to him.

10%: As above.

20%: As above except Down-B will not help Charizard avoid U-tilt any more and Up-B will no longer hit Link.

30%: U-tilt is only avoidable by DIing behind Link then DJing away or airdodging, or by DIing in front and away from Link then DJing.

40%: As above except Charizard can also avoid U-tilt be DIing away in front of Link then airdodging.

50%: As above except Charizard can also avoid U-tilt be merely DIing the D-throw away in front of Link.

60%: As above except Charizard can also avoid U-tilt be merely DIing the D-throw behind Link.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

70%: U-tilt is out of range and Platform Drop Up-B no longer works. Nothing works.

Beyond, nothing works, but at around 100% you may as well go for FH Uairs. Charizard can avoid it entirely by DIing away then DJing away, but without DI if Charizard airdodges his airdodge will end before he lands allowing us to hit him with the long-lasting hitbox of Uair.

Cloud: FAF = 55.
Without Limit Charged: Rating = 3/5.
With Limit Charged: Rating = 4/5.
Without Limit Charged:
Guaranteed:
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
(40% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60%: U-smash.
70% to 80%: (Dash) U-smash.
70% to 90%: FH Nair.
78% to 108%: SHUFF.
80% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
110% to 170%: (Dash) Sourspot FH Uair.
180%: (Dash) Sourspot DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 50%: U-tilt.
60%: U-smash.
70% to 80%: (Dash) U-smash.
81% to 108%: SHUFF.
110% to 170%: (Dash) Sourspot FH Uair.
180%: (Dash) Sourspot DJ Uair.



With Limit Charged:
Guaranteed:
20% to 60%: U-tilt.
40% to 60%: U-smash.
(40% to 90%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60% to 90%: FH Nair.
70% to 90%: (Dash) U-smash.
80% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
88% to 121%: SHUFF.
130% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 20%: U-tilt.
30% to 60%: U-smash.
70% to 90%: (Dash) U-smash.
91% to 121%: SHUFF.
130% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
Without Limit Charged:
0%: Cloud can avoid U-tilt by using airdodge or DJ airdodge.

10%: Cloud must DI behind Link in order to avoid U-tilt, at which point he must airdodge or DJ airdodge.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

30%: As above.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above. Cloud can still completely avoid U-smash be DIing behind Link and simply DJing.

60%: U-smash and FH Nair are unavoidable. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link.

70%: As above except U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, though you can still make it work if you dash forwards for a frame or two before doing U-smash.

78%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except U-tilt is out of range. Aerial Up-B is now an option.

90%: As above except U-smash is also out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

100%: FH Nair and Aerial Up-B can be airdodged.

109%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you will need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: As above.

180%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

190%: DJ Sourspot Uair can be avoided by DIing away.


With Limit Charged:
0%: Cloud must DJ airdodge to avoid U-tilt; if he just airdodges he'll land while U-tilt's hitbox is still out and get hit regardless of DI. Obviously DJ by itself won't work, and Limit Climhazard's intangability comes out too slow.

10%: Cloud must DI behind Link in order to avoid U-tilt, at which point he must airdodge or DJ airdodge.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

30%: As above except the only way to avoid U-smash is to DI behind Link and DJ airdodge.

40%: As above except U-smash is now also unavoidable.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above.

60%: As above except now FH Nair is also unavoidable.

70%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, though you can still make U-smash work if you dash forwards for a frame or two first.

80%: As above except Aerial Up-special is now an option.

88%: SHUFF works.

90%: As above except U-tilt is out of range.

100%: As above except U-smash is also out of range and FH Nair no longer works.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

110%: Aerial Up-special no longer works.

122%: SHUFF no longer works.

130%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you will need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: As above.

180%: As above.

190%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

200%: DJ Sourspot Uair can be avoided by DIing away.

Corrin: Rating = 3/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
40% to 50%: U-smash.
(40% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60% to 70%: (Dash) U-smash.
60% to 90%: FH Nair.
70% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
77% to 103%: SHUFF.
110% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 20%: U-tilt.
30% to 50%: U-smash.
60% to 70%: (Dash) U-smash.
77% to 103%: SHUFF.
110% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Corrin can avoid U-tilt by using airdodge or DJ airdodge.

10%: In order to avoid U-tilt Corrin must DI behind Link and airdodge or do a frame perfect DJ airdodge.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

30%: As above except U-smash is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and DJ airdodging.

34%: Note that Corrin will be able to DI away and airdodge to avoid U-smash at this specific percent, i.e. at 33 and 35% it will not work and no other DI is relevant.

40%: As above except U-smash is now also unavoidable.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above.

60%: FH Nair is unavoidable. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link. U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, but Link can still make it work by Dashing forwards for a frame or two before using U-smash.

70%: As above except Aerial Up-B is now an option and U-tilt is out of range.

77%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except U-smash is also out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: As above.

100%: FH Nair no longer works.

104%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Aerial Up-B no longer works. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, though you will need to dash forwards to follow DI if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: FH Sourspot Uair will stop working, but you can keep making Sourspot Uair technically unavoidable if you do a quick DJ Uair, still dashing forwards slightly if they DI away, and still forcing them to airdodge then following their DI.

180%: DJ Sourspot Uair stops working.

Diddy: Rating = 4/5. FAF = 54.
Guaranteed:
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
30% to 50%: U-smash.
(40% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
50% to 80%: FH Nair.
60% to 70%: (Dash) U-smash.
70% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
75% to 103%: SHUFF.
110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170% to 190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 10%: U-tilt.
20% to 50%: U-smash.
60% to 70%: (Dash) U-smash.
75% to 103%: SHUFF.
110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170% to 190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: The only way for Diddy to avoid U-tilt is to DJ then immediately airdodge. DJ will get hit and airdodge will avoid it initially but then get hit by the latter frames of U-tilt when Diddy lands. Trying to hit Link with an aerial is too slow.

10%: U-tilt can only be avoided by DIing the D-throw behind Link and airdodging into the ground. We cannot punish the airdodge into the ground if it was used to dodge an U-tilt.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable regardless of DI. U-smash is only avoidable by DIing away and airdodging or DIing behind Link and DJing then immediately airdodging.

30%: As above except now U-smash is unavoidable regardless of DI as well.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above except FH Nair is now also unavoidable regardless of DI. Also FH Bair is only avoidable if Diddy DI's away in front of Link, which can then combo into Aerial Up-B or DJ Bair.

60%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash can now be avoided by DIing the D-throw away or behind Link (unless Link dashes briefly before the U-smash).

70%: As above except that FH immediate Aerial Up-B is unavoidable now too. FH Bair is still possible, but it now needs to be delayed slightly, not buffered out of the jump-squat frames, only now nothing combos out of it.

75%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except U-tilt is now completely out of range, and U-smash hits at the very tip, causing the opponent to be able to escape, so consider it out of range from this point onward as well. Nair, Bair and Up-B work, all of which should be delayed slightly to hit the higher opponent.

90%: As above except Nair and Platform Drop Up-B no longer work.

100%: Bair no longer works. Up-B is guaranteed still.

104%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge.

120%: As above except you'll need to dash in for a frame or two if Diddy DI's away to get the Sourspot Uair.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to get the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

180%: As above.

190%: As above.

200%: DJ Sourspot Uair will no longer work.

Donkey Kong: Rating = 2.5/5. FAF = 60.
Guaranteed:
40% to 60%: U-tilt.
(50% to 90%: Platform Drop Up-B.
70%: U-smash.
70% to 90%: FH Nair.
90%: Aerial Up-B.
120% to 140%: Sourspot FH Uair.
150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
20% to 60%: U-tilt.
70% to 90%: Nair.
120% to 140%: Sourspot FH Uair.
150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: DK can airdodge or DJ to avoid U-tilt.

10%: As above.

20%: DK can DJ to avoid U-tilt, but with no DI airdodge will not work.

30%: As above.

40%: U-tilt is unavoidable regardless of DI. U-smash is unavoidable in its entirety with no DI (airdodge and Up-B can avoid the first hit), but can be avoided if the D-throw is DI'd behind Link.

50%: As above except the first swing of U-smash cannot be avoided anymore where there is no DI, though the move can still be avoided by DIing behind Link.
Also Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: As above.

70%: U-smash and FH Nair are now unavoidable regardless of DI, and U-tilt can be avoided by DIing the D-throw away either in front or behind Link.

80%: U-tilt is out of range, and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away from Link (dashing forwards briefly will not help). FH Nair is still unavoidable if you follow the DI though

90%: As above only now U-smash is out of range and Aerial Up-B is now technically a thing.

100%: Nair and Up-B can be avoided with DI away. Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

120%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above except you'll need to dash in for a frame or two if DK DI's away to get the Sourspot Uair.

160%: Sourspot Uair can be avoided by DIing way and DJing.

Dr. Mario: Rating = 1.5/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
30% to 40%: U-tilt.
(40% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
77% to 91%: SHUFF.
100% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: Don't D-throw.
10% to 50%: U-tilt.
60% to 70%: FH Nair.
77% to 91%: SHUFF.
100% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Doc Nair or Up-B us before we can U-tilt him, otherwise he can airdodge or DJ airdodge to avoid it.

10%: Doc must DI behind Link in order to avoid U-tilt, at which point he can reverse Up-B, airdodge or DJ airdodge.

20%: Doc can only avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and airdodging, at which point we can hit him with a grounded Up-B (no need to turn around).

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIng away in front or behind Link.

60%: FH Nair is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and airdodging. U-tilt is out of range.

70%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

77%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above.

90%: FH Nair no longer works.

91%: SHUFF no longer works.

100%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge. You will need to dash in for a frame or two if they DI away.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to get the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

160%: As above.

170%: DJ Sourspot Uair can be avoided by DIing away and DJing.

Duck Hunt: Rating = 2/5. FAF = 54.
Guaranteed:
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
40% to 50%: U-tilt avoiding the Can.
(40% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
50%: U-smash.
74% to 97%: SHUFF.
80% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
110% to 130%: Sourspot FH Uair.
140% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
Not worried about the Can?:
10% to 20%: U-tilt.
30% to 50%: U-smash.
Worried about the Can?:
30% to 50% U-tilt.
60% to 70%: FH Nair.
74% to 97%: SHUFF.
110% to 130%: Sourspot FH Uair.
140% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: DHD can avoid U-tilt by airdodging or DJ immediate airdodging. DHD also has the option of spawning the Can, but then this won't avoid U-tilt and will just cause both players to be damaged by the explosion as you hit it into DHD. This would only be worth it for DHD if Link was on a higher percent such that DHD gains a significant enough frame advantage. Note also that DHD can spawn a Can in between the hits of U-smash.

10%: DHD can only avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and airdodging. DHD must DI behind Link in order to spawn the Can.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable. Though the Can will not help DHD avoid U-tilt, it is still an option if DHD DI's behind Link.

30%: As above except U-smash is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and doing a frame perfect DJ to airdodge. (Naturally the Can can be spawned as well.)

40%: It is no longer possible to spawn the Can by DIing behind Link before U-tilt hits. U-smash can now be avoided by DIing behind Link and simply DJing away.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above except U-smash is now unavoidable (and the Can cannot be spawned). Also FH Nair (and Bair if DHD doesn't DI away, though nothing combos out of it) are unavoidable, but the Can can be spawned.

60%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either in front of or behind Link, and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link. FH Bair no longer works. FH Nair can only be avoided by DIing behind Link and airdodging.

70%: As above except U-tilt is out of range and U-smash can be avoided by DIing to either side.

74%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except U-smash is out of range and Aerial Up-B is now an option.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: As above except FH Nair is no longer an option.

98%: SHUFF no longer works.

100%: Aerial Up-B no longer works.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above except to force the airododge and get the Sourspot Uair you will need to dash in slightly if they DI away, otherwise they can DJ out.

150%: As above.

160%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

170%: As above.

180%: DJ Sourspot Uair will stop working.

Falco: Rating = 4/5. FAF = 52.
Guaranteed:
0% to 40%: U-tilt.
20% to 40%: U-smash.
(30% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
40% to 80%: FH Nair.
50% to 60%: (Dash) U-smash.
60% to 80%: Aerial Up-B.
63% to 93% SHUFF.
70%: FH Uair.
100% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 40%: U-smash.
50% to 60%: (Dash) U-smash.
63% to 93% SHUFF.
100% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

10%: As above.

20%: As above except U-smash is now also unavoidable.

30%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: As above except now FH Nair is unavoidable too, and FH Bair is a thing and can combo into Aerial Up-B or DJ Bair if the first Bair hits with Falco inside Link (e.g. if there was no DI and you just jump straight up).

50%: As above except U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front or behind Link, and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, though Link can still make U-smash work by Dashing forwards for a frame or two before doing U-smash. Link can no longer combo out of Bair effectively.

60%: As above except U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link as well, though again as before, Link can dash in the direction of the DI and still get the U-smash. Aerial Up-B is now an option.

63%: SHUFF works.

70%: As above except that U-tilt and U-smash are out of range. Also FH Uair is now unavoidable. FH Bair in no longer a thing.

80%: As above except FH Uair can be avoided by DIing away from Link (Dashing in first won't help).
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: As above except FH Nair and Aerial Up-B no longer work.

94%: SHUFF no longer works.

100%: As above except Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge; you will need to dash forwards briefly if they DI the D-throw away.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

160%: As above.

170%: As above.

180%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Fox: Rating = 4/5. FAF = 51.
Guaranteed:
0%: B-reversed Grounded Up-B.
0%: Turn around Jab.
0% to 8%: SH, Z-catch, footstool, down-throw, re-footstool, Nair, FF, Nair Lock.
10% to 30%: U-tilt.
20% to 40%: U-smash.
(20% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
40% to 60%: (Dash) U-smash.
40% to 80%: FH Nair.
56% to 87% SHUFF.
70% to 100%: FH (Dash) Uair.
(70% to 100%: Platform Drop DJ Fair.)
100% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: Nair Lock if a Bomb is at your feet, B-reversed Up-B if it will hit them off-stage, otherwise try Turn around Jab or don't D-throw.
10% to 40%: U-smash.
50% to 60%: (Dash) U-smash.
61% to 87% SHUFF.
88% to 100%: FH (Dash) Uair.
100% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Fox lands behind Link and can shield any attack except for a B-reversed Grounded Up-B, or a frame perfect Turn Around Jab. (To help with the later, try holding backwards after the D-throw and timing the Jab input by hitting the A-stick diagonally.)
However if you are near a bomb on the ground, you can also SH, buffer a Z-catch during your jumpsquat frames, immediately do a grounded footstool and throw the bomb down, re-footstool, Nair lock. This will work up until 8%.

10%: U-tilt is unavoidable. The only way to avoid U-smash is to DI behind Link and do a frame perfect DJ airdodge.

20%: As above except U-smash is now also unavoidable.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

30%: As above.

40%: U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, but Link can Dash forwards and U-smash which will still easily work. FH Nair is now unavoidable, and FH Bair is a thing but it won't combo.

50%: As above.

56%: SHUFF works.

60%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link as well; as with before though, Link can dash in the direction of the DI and still get the U-smash. Aerial Up-B is now an option, but it doesn't connect well into the last hit, so not worth it.

70%: As above except that U-tilt and U-smash are out of range. FH Uair can be unavoidable if you're perfect enough even if Fox DI's away from Link and airdodges (requires you to Dash forwards for one frame only to follow DI away).
Platform Drop DJ Fair works.

80%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

87%: SHUFF no longer works.

90%: As above except FH Nair no longer works.

100%: As above except Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable if you are slightly off your timing when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge; you will still need to dash forwards briefly if they DI the D-throw away.
Platform Drop DJ Fair no longer works.

110%: FH initial hit Uair can now be avoided by DIing away and airdodging even if you only dash forwards for a single frame.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

160%: DJ Sourspot Uair can be avoided by DIing away and DJing.

Ganon: Rating = 1.5/5. FAF = 58.
Guaranteed:
20% to 40%: U-tilt.
(40% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
80% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
120% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 10%: U-tilt.
11% to 19%: Beware of DJ away Down-B beating U-tilt, in which case try counter it with FH Fair.
20% to 40%: U-tilt.
60% to 70%: FH Nair.
80% to 100%: Aerial Up-B if you want to risk it.
120% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: The only way for Ganon to avoid U-tilt is to DJ then airdodge. U-smash can be avoided in the same way or by hitting Link with Uair.

10%: As above except just airdodge will avoid U-tilt as well now.

11% to 19%: Ganon can avoid U-tilt by DIing away and DJing, and he can then punish an U-tilt attempt with Down-B. If you know this will happen, counter with a buffered FH Fair jumping forwards.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable regardless of DI.

30%: As above.

40%: As above except U-smash can only be avoided by DIing behind Link.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link.

60%: As above except FH Nair can only be avoided by DIing behind Link and DJing.

70%: As above except FH Nair can only be avoided by DIing away from or behind Link and DJing away. Also U-tilt is now out of range.

80%: As above except U-smash is now out of range. Aerial Up-B is an option now; unlike FH Nair, immediate Aerial Up-B cannot be escaped by DIing away and DJing away, but as always the timing is strict due to there being no bufferable window like with FH Nair in the jump-squat frames and so you risk it being avoided by airdodge. If you get it right however, at this stage it is the only thing that is guaranteed.

90%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works

100%: As above except FH Nair can be airdodged.

110%: Nothing works reliably.

120%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge; you will still need to dash forwards briefly if they DI the D-throw away.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: Sourspot Uair can be avoided by DIing away and DJing.

Greninja: Rating = 1.5/5. FAF = 54.
Guaranteed:
30%: U-tilt.
(40% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
90% to 120%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 9%: Punish scrubby Shadow Sneak attempts, or if a bomb is at your feet, SH Z-catch, grounded footstool, Down-throw, re-footstool, Nair, FF, Nair Lock.
10% to 30/40%: U-tilt.
60% to 70%: FH Nair.
90% to 120%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: Greninja will land and be able to shield any follow ups.
However if you are near a bomb on the ground, you can also SH, buffer a Z-catch during your jumpsquat frames, immediately do a grounded footstool and throw the bomb down, re-footstool, Nair lock. This will work up until 9%.

Note that Greninja is a strange one due to being able to use shadow sneak during non-tumble hitstun i.e. in this case as soon as he is thrown between 0 and 9%. While it will always allow Greninja to avoid the first follow up, he will then be leaving himself open to another follow up.

10%: U-tilt can only be avoided by DIing behind Link, at which point either airdodge or just DJ away will work.

20%: As above.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link.

60%: FH Nair is only avoidable by DIing behind Link.

70%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

80%: FH Nair is no longer an option. Nothing works.

90%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge; you will still need to dash forwards briefly if they DI the D-throw away.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: Sourspot Uair stops working reliably if they DI away and DJ.

Ike: Rating = 3.5/5. FAF = 57.
Guaranteed:
30% to 60%: U-tilt.
50% to 60%: U-smash.
(50% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
70% to 90%: FH Nair.
80% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170%: Sourspot (Dash) Uair.

Recommended:
20% to 30%: U-tilt.
40% to 60%: U-smash.
70% to 90%: FH Nair.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170%: Sourspot (Dash) Uair.
0%: Ike can avoid U-tilt by simply DJing.

10%: Ike can avoid U-tilt with airdodge or DJ airdodge.

20%: The only way to avoid U-tilt is to DI behind Link and airdodge.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except the only way to avoid U-smash is to DI behind Link and DJ immediate airdodge.

50%: As above except now U-smash is unavoidable.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: As above.

70%: FH Nair is unavoidable. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link. U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link.

80%: As above except U-tilt is out of range, U-smash can be avoided by DIing to either side, and Aerial Up-B is now an option.

90%: As above except U-smash is also out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

100%: As above except FH Nair and Aerial Up-B no longer work. Nothing works.

110%: Nothing works reliably.

120%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge; you will still need to dash forwards briefly if they DI the D-throw away.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

180%: DJ Sourspot Uair will stop working.

Jigglypuff: Rating = 4/5. FAF = 49.
Guaranteed:
0% to 20%: U-tilt.
10% to 50%: FH Nair.
40% to 100%: FH Uair.
(50% to 60%: Platform Drop DJ Fair.)
110% to 140%: Sourspot DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: U-tilt.
10% to 30%: FH Nair.
40% to 100%: FH Uair.
110% to 140%: Sourspot DJ Uair.
0%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

10%: As above except U-smash is also unavoidable, but the hits don't connect well, and FH Nair is unavoidable.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

20%: As above.

30%: As above except U-tilt is out of range. Aerial Up-B is a thing but the hits don't connect well.

40%: As above except FH Uair is unavoidable. Also U-smash is out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

50%: As above. Platform Drop DJ Fair works.

60%: As above except FH Nair and Aerial Up-B are no longer things.

70%: As above. Platform Drop DJ Fair no longer works.

80%: As above.

90%: As above.

100%: As above.

110%: FH Uair is out of range. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a DJ Uair and follow DI after airdodge.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

King Dedede: Rating = 3/5. FAF = 59.
Guaranteed:
30% to 70%: U-tilt.
(50% to 100%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
70%: U-smash.
70% to 80%: FH Nair.
90% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
118% to 152%: SHUFF.
150% to 170%: Sourspot FH Uair.
180% to 200%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
210% to 220%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 20%: U-tilt.
30% to 70%: U-smash.
80%: FH Nair.
90% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
118% to 152%: SHUFF.
150% to 170%: Sourspot FH Uair.
180% to 200%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
210% to 220%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: DDD can avoid U-tilt and U-smash by DJ immediate airdodging. (If DDD tries to airdodge he will land and get hit by U-tilt.)

10%: As above except DDD's Nair will trade with U-smash.

20%: As above except Nair will not trade and U-tilt can be avoided by simply airdodging.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable and U-smash can only be avoided by DIing behind Link then doing a frame perfect DJ airdodge.

40%: As above.

50%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: As above.

70%: As above except U-smash and FH Nair are now unavoidable. FH Bair also works and it can combo into Aerial Up-B or DJ Bair if the first Bair is used inside DDD.

80%: As above except U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link, and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link.

90%: As above except U-smash and Nair can also be avoided by DIing behind Link. Also Aerial Up-B is an option now.

100%: As above except U-tilt is out of range and FH Bair is no longer a thing.

110%: As above except U-smash is now out of range too and Aerial Up-B no longer works.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

118%: SHUFF works.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI after airdodge.

153%: SHUFF no longer works.

160%: As above.

170%: As above.

180%: As above except you will need to dash forwards for a frame or two in order to force the airdodge and make the Sourspot Uair still unavoidable if the DI away.

190%: As above.

200%: As above.

210%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

220%: As above.

230%: DJ Sourspot Uair stops working.

Kirby: Rating = 5/5. FAF = 51.
Guaranteed:
0% to 30%: U-tilt.
10% to 30%: U-smash.
(10% to 40%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
30% to 50%: FH Nair.
45% to 55%: SHUFF.
50% to 70%: Aerial Up-B.
60% to 110%: FH Uair.
(70%: Platform Drop DJ Fair.)
120% to 140%: Sourspot DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: U-tilt.
10% to 30%: U-smash.
40%: FH Nair.
45% to 55%: SHUFF.
60% to 110%: FH Uair.
120% to 140%: Sourspot DJ Uair.
0%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

10%: As above except U-smash is also unavoidable.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

20%: As above.

30%: As above except now FH Nair is also unavoidable.

40%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by simply DIing the D-throw away in front or behind Link.

45%: SHUFF works.

50%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash are out of range and Aerial Up-B is now an option.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

56%: SHUFF no longer works.

60%: As above except FH Uair is unavoidable now and FH Nair can be avoided by DIing behind Link and airdodging.

70%: As above. Platform Drop DJ Fair works.

80%: As above except Aerial Up-B no longer works. Platform Drop DJ Fair no longer works as Kirby can avoid it by DIing behind.

90%: As above.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: FH Uair can be avoided. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a DJ Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Link: Rating = 2/5. FAF = 56.
Guaranteed:
30% to 50%: U-tilt.
60%: U-smash.
(40% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
70%: Dash U-smash.
79% to 103%: SHUFF.
80%: Aerial Up-B.
110% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
60%: U-smash.
70%: Dash U-smash.
79% to 103%: SHUFF.
110% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Dark Link can avoid U-tilt with DJ immediate airdodge, and airdodge. The airdodge into the ground cannot be punished if it was used to avoid an U-tilt.

10%: As above.

20%: U-tilt is only avoidable by DIing behind Link

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable. U-smash is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and DJing.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works

50%: As above.

60%: U-smash is now unavoidable, but note that if the opponent doesn't DI the D-throw, the second swing of U-smash will miss if you buffer it, so you'd need to slightly delay the U-smash if they didn't DI. FH Bair can only be avoided by DIing away infront of Link while FH Nair can only be avoided by DIing behind Link. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away or behind Link.

70%: As above except now U-smash is avoidable by DIing away or behind Link if Link doesn't Dash in the direction of Dark Link's DI briefly first.

79%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except now U-tilt and U-smash are out of range (U-smash can barely nick with the tip of the first swing but then they'll escape). Also Aerial Up-B is unavoidable. And Bair no longer works.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: Nair and Up-B stop working.

100%: As above.

104%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you will need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

180%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Little Mac: Rating = 5/5. FAF = 52.
Guaranteed:
10% to 50%: U-tilt.
30% to 50%: U-smash.
(30% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
40% to 80%: FH Nair.
60% to 70%: (Dash) U-smash.
60% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
70% to 90%: FH Uair.
75% to 104%: SHUFF.
110% to 120%: Sourspot FH Uair.
130% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: Don't use D-throw.
10% to 50%: U-smash.
60% to 70%: Dash U-smash.
80% FH Uair.
84% to 104%: SHUFF.
110% to 120%: Sourspot FH Uair.
130% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Mac can avoid U-tilt with DJ immediate airdodge, airdodge, Nair, or Up-B.

10%: U-tilt is unavoidable regardless of DI. U-smash is barely unavoidable but only if Mac DI's behind Link then DJ's and immediately airdodges.

20%: As above.

30%: As above except now U-smash is also unavoidable.
Also Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: As above except now FH Nair is also unavoidable. FH Bair is only avoidable by DIing away from link in front of him, and it will combo into DJ Bair or Aerial Up-B for big damage.

50%: As above except you won't be comboing out of Bair anymore.

60%: As above except U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front and behind Link. U-smash can be avoided by DIing in front of Link if Link doesn't dash forwards slightly first. Also Aerial Up-B is now unavoidable.

70%: As above except now FH Uair is unavoidable. Also you need to delay Bair slightly if you want it to hit.

75%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except now U-tilt and U-smash are now out of range.

90%: As above except Bair and Nair won't work.
Also Platform Drop Up-B stops working.

100%: As above except FH Uair can be avoided if they DI away and airdodge as you will be forced to spend at least one frame dashing forwards to reach them.

105%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Aerial Up-B stops working. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge. (If they don't DI away, the initial hit of Uair can still connect.)

120%: As above.

130%: As above except you will need to dash forwards for a little if they DI away.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

180%: As above.

190%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Lucario: Rating = 2.5/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
30% to 50%: U-tilt.
(50% to 90%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60% to 70%: (Dash) U-smash.
70% to 80%: FH Nair.
80%: Aerial Up-B.
85% to 106%: SHUFF.
110% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
180% to 190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: Don't D-throw.
10% to 50%: U-tilt.
60% to 70%: (Dash) U-smash.
80%: FH Nair.
85% to 106%: SHUFF.
110% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
180% to 190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Lucario can DJ behind Link to avoid U-tilt entirely. Alternatively, he can Dair us or airdodge.

10%: As above except that Dair will no longer help Lucario avoid U-tilt and Lucario can no longer simply DJ out, but must DJ airdodge (or airdodge).

20%: Lucario can only avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and airdodging into the ground.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above.

50%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link. U-smash can now only be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, but then this can be covered by dashing forwards for a frame or two then using U-smash to make it unavoidable.

70%: As above except Lucario can DI behind Link to avoid U-tilt and U-smash, but U-smash can still work if Link follows their DI and dashes towards them. FH Nair is unavoidable.

80%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash are out of range. Also, Aerial Up-B is now an option.

85%: SHUFF works.

90%: FH Nair and Aerial Up-B no longer work.

100%: Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

107%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: As above.

180%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

190%: As above.

200%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Lucas: Rating = 2.5/5. FAF = 54.
Guaranteed:
20% to 40%: U-tilt.
(30% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
80% to 90%: FH Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 40%: U-tilt.
50% to 70%: FH Nair.
80% to 90%: FH Uair.
0%: Lucas can avoid U-tilt with airdodge, DJ airdodge, or just by DJing behind Link.

10%: Lucas must DI behind Link and airdodge in order to avoid U-tilt, at which point if he continues to DI away we get no follow-up.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

30%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: As above.

50%: FH Nair can only be avoided by DIing behind Link and airdodging. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front or behind Link.

60%: As above except U-tilt is out of range.

70%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

80%: FH Nair is no longer an option. FH Uair is unavoidable.

90%: As above.

100%: FH Uair can avoided by DIing away from Link and airdodging, and we cannot punish the airdodge.

Beyond, as above.

Luigi: Rating = 0/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
(40% to 50%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
90% to 110%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
120%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 10%: Don't D-throw.
20% to 40%: U-tilt.
90% to 110%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
120%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Luigi can Nair you to trade with U-tilt or he can avoid the U-tilt with airdodge or DJ.

10%: Luigi can avoid U-tilt only by airdodging with no DI, otherwise he can DI behind Link and DJ away.

20%: Avoiding U-tilt is only possible if Luigi DI's behind Link.

30%: As above.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Through Up-B works.

50%: As above except even with no DI U-tilt won't work.

60%: Platform Drop Through to Up-B stops working.

70% Start attempting SH/FH U-airs, but they are not guaranteed as he can do DJ airdodge or even Nair if you get too close.

80%: As above.

90%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

130%: DJ Uair no longer works.

Mario: Rating = 1.5/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
30% to 40%: U-tilt.
(40% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
77% to 90%: SHUFF.
80% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
100% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 20%: Don't D-throw.
30% to 50%: U-tilt.
60% to 70%: FH Nair.
77% to 90%: SHUFF.
80% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
100% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: Opponent DI does nothing.
Mario can Nair or Up-B you before you can do any attacks. You get nothing guaranteed.
Dash away or shield or don't d-throw at all.

10%: From this point DI is a thing.
With no DI, Mario's Nair, Up-B, airdodge and DJ will come out, but they will not be quick enough to stop Link from getting an U-tilt.
DIing away from Link (i.e. in the direction Link is facing) only makes matters worse for Mario.
DIing behind Link will allow Mario to airdodge U-tilt or B-reverse an Up-B to hit Link. Turning around to U-tilt in this case will only help if you are literally frame perfect, so I won't be bothering much with that sort of thing.

20%: As above.

30%: As above except that DIing behind Link will no longer help to avoid U-tilt even if Link doesn't turn around.

40%: As above except that U-smash is now unavoidable in most scenarios whereas before Mario could Nair and trade.
Mario can avoid U-smash by DIing behind Link and airdodging or DJing, assuming that Link doesn't turn around U-smash, in which case only DJ will help.
Also Platform Drop Through to Aerial Up-B is unavoidable.

50%: As above except that U-tilt will stop working if Mario DI's away and DJ's, and U-smash will stop working too if you don't dash forwards slightly to follow the DI.

60%: As above except that U-tilt will not work, and U-smash will not work if Mario DI's upwards. However FH Nair works except when the opponent DI's behind Link and airdodges.

70%: Platform Drop Through Up-B stops working. Nothing except FH Nair works as indicated above.

77%: SHUFF works.

80%: FH to immediate aerial Up-B works though you have to be very precise otherwise Mario can airdodge. Mario's Nair trades with our FH Nair.

90%: FH immediate aerial Up-B still works.

91%: SHUFF no longer works.

100%: Aerial Up-B no longer works. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

160%: As above.

170%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Marth/Lucina ('Lucitha'): Rating = 3.5/5. FAF = 54.
Guaranteed:
30% to 50%: U-tilt.
50%: U-smash.
(50% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60% to 80%: FH Nair.
66% to 96%: SHUFF.
80% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
100% to 110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
10%: U-tilt.
20% to 50%: U-smash.
60%: FH Nair.
66% to 96%: SHUFF.
100% to 110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Lucitha can avoid U-tilt with airdodge or DJ airdodge.

10%: U-tilt is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and using Dolphin Slash (in the air it is intangible from frame 1), but it won't hit Link and so unless Lucitha is under e.g. the middle BF platform, this option will not be taken. Be aware however that it is an option and so instead of an U-tilt you may read the DS to the platform and get an Uair instead.

20%: As above except the only way for Lucitha to avoid U-smash now is to use Dolphin Slash which again will not hit Link.

30%: As above except U-tilt is now unavoidable and Lucitha must DI behind Link in order for DS to avoid U-smash.

40%: As above.

50%: As above except now U-smash is unavoidable. FH Nair can only be avoided by DS, but it hits us so not worth it.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front of or behind Link and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link. FH Nair is now unavoidable.

66%: SHUFF works.

70%: As above except U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link too.

80%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash are out of range and Aerial Up-B is now an option.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: As above except FH Uair is only avoidable by DIing away from Link and airdodging which will barely avoid the Uair if Link Dashes forwards for a frame or two before the FH Uair (otherwise Lucitha is simply out of range). FH Nair can be avoided by DIing behind Link.

97%: SHUFF no longer works.

100%: As above except Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

110%: As above except Aerial Up-B doesn't work.

120%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards if they DI away to force the airdodge and guarantee the FH Sourspot Uair.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

170%: As above.

180%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Mega Man: Rating = 3/5. FAF = 56.
Guaranteed:
20% to 60%: U-tilt.
(40% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
50% to 60%: U-smash.
60% to 90%: FH Nair.
70% to 80%: (Dash) U-smash.
70% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
85% to 118%: SHUFF.
120% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
180% to 190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 30%: U-tilt.
40% to 60%: U-smash.
70% to 80%: (Dash) U-smash.
85% to 118%: SHUFF.
120% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
180% to 190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: The only way to avoid U-tilt is to DJ immediate airdodge.

10%: MM must DI behind Link in order to avoid U-tilt, at which point he can airdodge or DJ airdodge.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

30%: As above.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works. MM must DI behind Link and DJ airdodge to avoid U-smash.

50%: As above except U-smash is unavoidable too.

60%: As above except FH Nair is also unavoidable.

70%: As above except Aerial Up-B is an option. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front or behind Link, and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, but then U-smash can still be unavoidable if Link dashes in for one or two frames first.

80%: As above except U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link, but as before, if Link dashes in the direction of the DI for one to two frames U-smash is still unavoidable.

85%: SHUFF works.

90%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash are out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

100%: FH Nair no longer works and Aerial Up-B must be frame perfect so forget that too.

119%: SHUFF no longer works.

120%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you will need to dash in for a frame or two if they DI away.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: As above.

180%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

190%: As above.

200%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Meta Knight: Rating = 4.5/5. FAF = 52.
Guaranteed:
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
30% to 50%: U-smash.
(30% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
40% to 80%: FH Nair.
62% to 84%: SHUFF.
70% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
70% to 100%: FH Uair.
110% to 140%: Sourspot FH Uair.
150% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: U-tilt.
10% to 60%: U-smash.
62% to 84%: SHUFF.
85% to 100%: FH Uair.
110% to 140%: Sourspot FH Uair.
150% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: MK can only avoid U-tilt by airdodging. MK can avoid U-smash by trading with Dair or it can do a frame perfect DJ airdodge away from Link.

10%: The only way to avoid U-tilt is by DIing behind Link and airdodging. The only way to avoid U-smash is to DI behind Link and DJ airdodge.

20%: As above except U-tilt is now unavoidable.

30%: As above except U-smash is also unavoidable.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: As above except FH Nair is also unavoidable, and FH Bair is a thing which can be comboed into Aerial Up-B or DJ Bair.

50%: As above except Bair will no longer combo.

60%: As above except U-tilt no longer works and U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link.

62%: SHUFF works.

70%: As above except FH Uair is unavoidable, Aerial Up-B is now an option, U-smash is out of range, and FH Bair no longer works.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

80%: As above.

85%: SHUFF no longer works.

90%: As above except FH Nair no longer works.

100%: As above except Aerial Up-B no longer works. FH Uair is still unavoidable.

110%: FH Uairs can be avoided by DIing away from Link. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: FH Uair will no longer reach so you'll have to do a DJ Uair and you'll have to dash in for a frame or two if they DI away to ensure the Sourspot Uair.

160%: As above.

170%: As above.

180%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Mewtwo: Rating = 5/5. FAF = 50.
Guaranteed:
0%: Grounded Up-B.
0% to 20%: U-tilt.
0% to 30%: U-smash.
(20% to 50%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
30% to 70%: FH Nair.
40% to 50%: (Dash) U-smash.
60% to 70%: FH Uair.
60% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
(70% to 90%: Platform Drop DJ Fair.)
80% to 110%: (1 frame Dash only) FH Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 30%: U-smash.
40% to 50%: Dash U-smash.
60% to 70%: FH Uair.
80% to 110%: (1 frame Dash) FH Uair.
0%: U-tilt, Grounded Up-B, and the last two hits of U-smash are unavoidable.

10%: As above except Grounded Up-B is no longer unavoidable and U-smash is completely unavoidable.

20%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

30%: As above except FH Nair is unavoidable and U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link. Also FH Bair to Aerial Up-B or DJ Bair works.

40%: As above except U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, though you can still make U-smash work by Dashing forwards for a frame or two first. Also FH Bair no longer works.

50%: As above except U-tilt is out of range.

60%: As above FH Uair is unavoidable, U-smash is out of range, and Aerial Up-B is now an option.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

70%: As above. Platform Drop DJ Fair works.

80%: FH Nair no longer works. FH Uair can be avoided by DIing the D-throw away then airdodging or DJ immediate airdodging only, though if you dash forwards for a frame only, FH Uair is still unavoidable. If you dash forwards for two frames though, Mewtwo will be able to airdodge then can drift behind you to avoid the Sourspot Uair.

90%: As above.

100%: As above except Aerial Up-B no longer works. Platform Drop DJ Fair no longer works.

110%: As above.

120%: FH Uair no longer works.

Mii Brawler: Rating = 2.5/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
(40% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60%: (Dash) U-smash.
70% to 80%: FH Nair.
78% to 107%: SHUFF.
80%: Aerial Up-B.
120% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: Don't use D-throw.
10% to 50%: U-tilt.
60% to 80%: FH Nair.
78% to 107%: SHUFF.
110% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Brawler can avoid U-tilt by using Nair, airdodge, DJ airdodge, or by simply DJing behind Link.

10%: In order to avoid U-tilt Brawler must DI behind Link and airdodge or do a frame perfect DJ airodge.

20%: U-tilt is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and airdodging.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above.

60%: FH Nair can be avoided by DIing behind. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link. U-smash will start to work, but it can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, though you can still make it work if you dash forwards for a frame or two.

70%: FH Nair is unavoidable. As above except U-tilt and U-smash are out of range.

78%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except Aerial Up-B is now an option.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: As above except Aerial Up-B and FH Nair no longer work.

108%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Sourspot Uair not yet reliable enough.

120%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

170%: As above.

180%: As above.

190%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Mii Gunner: Rating = 2/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
30% to 40%: U-tilt.
(40% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
86%: SHUFF.
100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110%: to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 50%: U-tilt.
60% to 70%: FH Nair.
100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110%: to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: Gunner can avoid U-tilt by airdodging or DJ airdodging.

10%: In order to avoid U-tilt Gunner must DI behind Link and airdodge or DJ airodge.

20%: U-tilt is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and airdodging, at which point we can get a guaranteed Grounded Up-B.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link.

60%: FH Nair is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and airdodging. U-tilt is out of range.

70%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

80%: FH Nair no longer works. Nothing works.

86%: SHUFF works.

87%: SHUFF no longer works.

100%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

110%: As above except you'll have to dash forwards for a frame or two to force the airdodge and ensure the FH Sourspot Uair.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

160%: As above.

170%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works

Mii Sword: Rating = 2/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
30% to 50%: U-tilt.
(40% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
78% to 101%: SHUFF.
110% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 50%: U-tilt.
60% to 77%: FH Nair.
78% to 101%: SHUFF.
110% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Sword can avoid U-tilt by airdodging, DJ airdodging, or just DJing behind Link.

10%: In order to avoid U-tilt Sword must DI behind Link and airdodge or DJ airodge.

20%: U-tilt is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and airdodging.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above.

60%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link. FH Nair is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and airdodging.

70%: As above except U-tilt is out of range.

78%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: FH Nair no longer works.

102%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

170%: As above.

180%: As above.

190%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Mr. Game & Watch: Rating = 4/5. FAF = 51.
Guaranteed:
10% to 30%: U-tilt.
30%: U-smash.
(30% to 40%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
70% to 100%: FH Uair.
110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120% to 140%: Sourspot DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: U-tilt.
10% to 30%: U-smash.
40%: FH Nair.
70% to 100%: FH Uair.
110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120% to 140%: Sourspot DJ Uair.
0%: GW can avoid U-tilt with DJ immediate airdodge, and airdodge. If GW airdodges into the ground, this can be punished with a turn around U-tilt (if you don't turn around it can be powershielded) or even better you can just buffer a grounded Up-B without needing to turn it around.
Technically it can also be avoided with Oil Panic but it won't hit Link so whatever. Because GW has Oil Panic which is a frame 2 move than is invulnerable from frame 1 through to 6, it is especially important to only go for guaranteed follow ups when GW has it fully charged, otherwise don't use options that need to get in his face. I will not mention it again because I refuse to fill it up every time I test something.

10%: U-tilt is unavoidable regardless of DI. U-smash is almost unavoidable too in that U-smash will catch DJ and the third strike will hit an airdodge attempt unless GW DI's behind Link.

20%: As above except that DIing behind Link will not help avoid the U-smash anymore.

30%: As above except now the first hit of U-smash is completely unavoidable regardless of DI as well.
Also Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: U-tilt is out of range and U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link, FH Nair is only avoidable by DIing behind Link, and FH Bair is possible if they don't DI away in front of Link.

50%: Platform Drop Up-B no longer works. Nothing is guaranteed. May as well go for Uair as GW can only avoid it with airdodge.

60%: As above.

70%: FH Uair (A-stick up during the jump-squat frames) is unavoidable.

80%: As above.

90%: As above.

100%: As above.

110%: FH Uair can be airdodged. You can still get a FH Sourspot Uair by following the airdodge though.

120%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Ness: Rating = 2.5/5. FAF = 54.
Guaranteed:
20% to 30%: U-tilt.
40%: (Walk) U-tilt.
(30% to 50%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
80% to 100%: FH Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 30%: U-tilt.
40%: (Walk) U-tilt.
50% to 70%: FH Nair.
80% to 100%: FH Uair.
0%: Ness can airdodge or DJ airdodge to avoid U-tilt.

10%: Ness must DI behind Link and airdodge to avoid U-tilt, and if he continues to drift away he can avoid a turn-around Jab.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

30%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front or behind Link. Both can be covered by walking in that direction for a couple of frames then U-tilting.

50%: U-tilt is out of range. FH Nair can only be avoided by DIing behind Link and airdodging.

60%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

70%: As above.

80%: FH Uair is unavoidable. FH Nair no longer works.

90%: As above.

100%: As above.

110%: FH Uair can be avoided by DIing away and airdodging, then we cannot get a Sourspot Uair

Olimar: Rating = 5/5. FAF = 51.
Guaranteed:
10% to 40%: U-tilt.
10% to 40%: U-smash.
(20% to 50%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
40% to 70%: FH Nair.
46% to 67%: SHUFF.
50%: (Dash) U-smash.
50% to 80%: Aerial Up-B.
60% to 110%: FH Uair.
(70% to 80%: Platform Drop DJ Fair.)
120% to 130%: Sourspot FH Uair.
140% to 150%: Sourspot DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: U-tilt.
10% to 40%: U-smash. (Use U-tilt instead if their SDI is on-point.)
46% to 67%: SHUFF.
68% to 110%: FH Uair.
120% to 130%: Sourspot FH Uair.
140% to 150%: Sourspot DJ Uair.
0%: Olimar can only avoid U-tilt with airdodge, at which point we can get a turn around Jab, U-tilt or even a frame perfect U-smash (good luck), though if you're feeling lazy you can just buffer a grounded Up-B.

10%: U-tilt and U-smash are unavoidable.

20%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

30%: As above except now FH Nair can only be avoided by DIing behind Link.

40%: As above except now FH Nair is unavoidable.

46%: SHUFF works.

50%: As above except Aerial Up-B is now an option. U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front or behind Link, but U-smash can still be unavoidable if Link follows the DI and dashes toward Olimar for a frame or two first.

60%: As above except now FH Uair is unavoidable. U-tilt and U-smash are out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

68%: SHUFF no longer works.

70%: As above. Platform Drop DJ Fair works.

80%: As above except FH Nair no longer works.

90%: As above except Aerial Up-B no longer works. Platform Drop DJ Fair no longer works.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: FH Uair can be airdodged. You can still get a FH Sourspot Uair by following the airdodge though.

130%: As above.

140%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

150%: As above.

160%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Pac-Man: Rating = 1.5/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
20% to 40%: U-tilt.
(40% to 50%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
90% to 120%: Sourspot FH Uair.
130%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
140%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 10%: Don't D-throw.
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
60%: FH Nair.
80% to 120%: Sourspot FH Uair.
130%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
140%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Pac can Nair us or DJ out to avoid U-tilt.

10%: Pac must DI behind Link in order to avoid U-tilt, at which point he can Nair, airdodge or DJ airdodge.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

30%: As above.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIng away in front or behind Link.

60%: FH Nair is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and airdodging. U-tilt is out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

70%: Nair no longer works. Nothing works.

80%: Sourspot Uair is not yet reliable but it can work.

90%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

140%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

150%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Palutena: Rating = 1.5/5. FAF = 54.
Guaranteed:
60% to 80%: Aerial Up-B.
90% to 110%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 30%: U-tilt.
50%: FH Nair.
60% to 80%: Aerial Up-B.
90% to 110%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: Palutena can avoid U-tilt with airdodge or DJ airdodge.

10%: Palutena can avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and then airdodging or DJing.

20%: Palutena can avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and then DJing.

30%: U-tilt is only avoidable by DIing away in front of Link. U-smash is only avoidable by DIing behind Link then DJing.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: U-tilt is out of range. U-smash can be avoided by DIing either behind or in front of Link.

50%: As above except now FH Nair is only avoidable by DIing behind Link.

60%: As above except U-smash is out of range and Aerial Up-B is now an option.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

70%: As above except FH Nair can be airdodged now.

80%: As above.

90%: Aerial Up-B can be airdodged now. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: Sourspot FH Uair can be avoided by DIing away and DJing, and trying to dash in and DJ Uair won't help.

Peach: Rating = 2/5. FAF = 53.
Guaranteed:
10% to 30%: U-tilt.
(30% to 40%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
70%: Aerial Up-B.
80% to 90%: FH Uair.
100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 30%: U-tilt.
80% to 90%: FH Uair.
100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: Peach can DJ out.

10%: Peach is unable to avoid the U-tilt.

20%: As above.

30%: As above except now U-smash is an option too. Without DI the first hit cannot be avoided, but then it may have trouble linking into the other hits. If Peach DI's behind Link and DJ's she can avoid the U-smash.
Also Platform Drop Through to Up-B works.

40%: As above only now U-tilt no longer reaches high enough.

50%: Nothing works as now even U-smash and Platform Drop Through to Up-B don't work and Nair is too slow.

70%: Start attempting FH U-airs, but they are not guaranteed. It is technically possible to get an aerial Up-B to connect but it is very precise and probably not worth going for.

80%: Peach cannot avoid FH U-air, so just follow her DI. You will not need to dash anywhere first; if she DI's away from Link, just FH in that direction and buffer the U-air out of the jump-squat frames with A-stick. Note that when buffering the FH out of the D-throw you must not hit the A-stick Up too early otherwise you'll just get an U-tilt.

90%: As above.

100%: Peach can airdodge the FH U-air. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

110%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: Sourspot FH Uair can be avoided by DJing, and trying to DJ Uair won't help.

Pikachu: Rating = 4/5. FAF = 51.
Guaranteed:
0% to 30%: U-tilt.
(20% to 50%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
30%: U-smash.
40% to 50%: (Dash) U-smash if necessary.
40% to 70%: FH Nair.
50% to 80% Aerial Up-B.
54% to 77%: SHUFF.
(70% to 90%: Platform Drop DJ Fair.)
70% to 100%: FH Uair.
110% to 130%: Sourspot FH Uair.
140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 20%: U-tilt.
30%: U-smash.
40% to 50%: (Dash) U-smash.
54% to 77%: SHUFF.
78% to 100%: FH Uair.
110% to 130%: Sourspot FH Uair.
140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

10%: As above except U-smash is now only avoidable by DIing behind Link and DJ airdodging or avoiding the third hit of U-smash by simply DIing the D-throw behind Link and using thunder.

20%: As above except U-smash is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and using thunder to avoid the third hit of U-smash.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

30%: As above except U-smash is unavoidable.

40%: U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, though Link can still make U-smash work by Dashing forwards for a frame or two before doing U-smash.
FH Nair is unavoidable now though, and FH Bair is a thing and can combo into Aerial Up-B or DJ Bair if the first Bair hits with Pikachu inside Link (e.g. if there was no DI and you just jump straight up).

50%: As above except U-tilt is out of range and U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link, though Link can still make U-smash work by dashing towards Pika's DI first.
Also Aerial Up-B is now an option.
FH Bair is no longer a thing.

54%: SHUFF works.

60%: As above except U-smash is out of range too.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

70%: As above except that now FH Uair is unavoidable. Platform Drop DJ Fair works.

78%: SHUFF no longer works.

80%: As above except FH Nair no longer works.

90%: As above except Aerial Up-B no longer works.

100%: As above. Platform Drop DJ Fair no longer works.

110%: As above except now Pikachu can DI away in front of Link and avoid the initial U-air by airdodging.
Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

150%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

160%: As above.

170%: DJ Sourspot Uair no longer works.

Pit and Dark Pit ('Pit'): Rating = 2/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
40% to 50%: U-tilt.
(50% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60% to 70%: FH Nair.
80%: Aerial Up-B
110% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 50%: U-tilt.
60% to 80%: FH Nair.
90% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Pit can avoid U-tilt with airdodge or DJ airdodge, and I guess he can trade with the first hit of Nair, but that would be dumb.

10%: Pit can avoid U-tilt only by DIing behind Link and then airdodging or DJ immediate airdodging. If Pit airdodges into the ground it is possible to turn around Jab Pit before he can shield.

20%: As above except Link can turn around U-tilt Pit before he can shield and it is technically possible to turn around D-smash too if you're good enough (though it would be safer and easier to just buffer a grounded Up-B).

30%: Pit can avoid Utilt by DIing behind Link and simply DJing away.

40%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

50%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: FH Nair is unavoidable. U-tilt can be avoided by simply DIing away either in front or behind Link.

70%: As above except U-tilt is out of range.

80%: As above only now Aerial Up-B is an option and FH Nair can be avoided by DIing behind Link.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: Up-B is no longer an option. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

100%: As above.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

160%: As above.

170%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

R.O.B.: Rating = 3.5/5. FAF = 57.
Guaranteed:
20% to 60%: U-tilt.
40% to 60%: U-smash.
70% to 80%: FH Nair.
97% to 100%: SHUFF.
110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
20% to 60%: U-smash.
70% to 80%: FH Nair.
110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Rob can airdodge or just DJ out to avoid U-tilt.

10%: As above.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable. U-smash is only avoidable if R.O.B does a DJ airdodge with only 1 extra frame of padding.

30%: As above except in order to avoid U-smash the DJ airdodge must be frame perfect.

40%: As above except now U-smash is unavoidable too.

50%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: As above.

70%: FH Nair is unavoidable. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link, and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link (dashing forwards first will not help as Rob can DJ away in time).

80%: As above except now U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link as well.

90%: U-tilt and U-smash are out of range, and FH Nair no longer works. Nothing works.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

97%: SHUFF works.

100%: As above.

101%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

120%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

180%: As above.

190%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Robin: Rating = 3/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
(40% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60%: FH Nair.
80% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 50%: U-tilt.
60% to 70%: FH Nair.
80% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Robin can avoid U-tilt by airdodging or DJ immediate airdodging.

10%: Robin can only avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and airdodging.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

30%: As above.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above. (U-smash can still be avoided by simply DIing behind Link and DJing)

60%: U-tilt is now avoidable by DIing away in front of Link. FH Nair is now unavoidable. (U-smash can not be avoided by DIing behind Link and DJing, but now it can be avoided by simply DIing away in front of Link.)

70%: As above except U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link and Nair can be avoided by DIing behind Link.

80%: As above except U-tilt is out of range and Aerial Up-B is now an option.

90%: As above except FH Nair is no longer an option. Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

100%: Beyond, Aerial Up-B stops working. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

110%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

170%: As above.

180%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Rosalina: Rating = 2.5/5. FAF = 51.
Guaranteed:
(Assuming Luma is unable to interfere.)
10% to 20%: U-tilt.
(20% to 40%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
50% to 70%: Aerial Up-B.
(70%: Platform Drop DJ Fair.)
70% to 90%: FH Uair.
100% to 110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120%: Sourspot DJ Uair.
130%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
(Assuming Luma is unable to interfere.)
10% to 30%: U-tilt.
50% to 60%: Aerial Up-B.
70% to 90%: FH Uair.
100% to 110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120%: Sourspot DJ Uair.
130%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Luma will hit you if it's nearby, otherwise she can just DJ out.

10%: If Rosalina is by herself, then U-tilt is unavoidable. U-smash is almost unavoidable insofar as DJ will not be able to avoid the first hit but then the second hit will get messed up and allow Rosalina an opportunity to escape, and airdodge will only dodge the first two hits before landing and getting hit by the third strike. Otherwise Luma will either hit you or get hit by U-tilt/U-smash which will delay it long enough for her to get away.
You can try to grab Rosalina toward the end of the grab and instantly D-throw to separate her from Luma even if it's still alive, otherwise just hit it away first.

20%: As above. U-smash is still avoidable by DIing behind Link and DJing or airdodging.
Platform Drop Through Up-B works.

30%: As above except U-tilt can be avoided by DIing in front of or behind Link.

40%: U-tilt is now out of range.

50%: FH immediate Aerial Up-B is now unavoidable. Platform Drop Through Up-B no longer works.

60%: As above.

70%: As above except FH U-air is also unavoidable now. (DI will not avoid Aerial Up-B or U-air if you jump towards them.) Platform Drop DJ Fair works.

80%: Rosalina can airdodge Aerial Up-B now, but not Uair. Platform Drop DJ Fair no longer works.

90%: As above.

100%: The initial hit of FH Uair can be avoided with airdodge. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

110%: As above.

120%: FH Uair will stop reaching, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

130%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

140%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Roy: Rating = 3.5/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
20% to 60%: U-tilt.
40% to 60%: U-smash.
(40% to 90%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60% to 90%: FH Nair.
70% to 80%: (Dash) U-smash.
80% to 109%: SHUFF.
90%: Aerial Up-B.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash for a bit longer) FH Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 30%: U-tilt.
40% to 60%: U-smash.
70% to 80%: (Dash) U-smash.
83% to 109%: SHUFF.
120% to 160%: Sourspot (Dash for a bit longer) FH Uair.
0%: U-tilt can only be avoided with a DJ immediate airdodge.

10%: Roy must DI behind Link and airdodge or do a frame perfect DJ immediate airdodge to avoid U-tilt.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

30%: As above.

40%: As above except U-smash is also unavoidable.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above.

60%: As above except FH Nair is unavoidable.

70%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, though U-smash can still be unavoidable if Link dashes forwards for a frame or two first.

80%: As above. SHUFF works.

90%: As above except U-tilt is out of range, dashing forwards then doing U-smash no longer works if Roy DI's away, and Aerial Up-B is now an option.

100%: U-smash is out of range, and FH Nair and Aerial Up-B no longer work.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works. Nothing works.

110%: SHUFF no longer works.

120% Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above but note if they DI away you have to Dash in for a bit longer than normal.

160% As above.

170%: Sourspot FH Uair can be avoided by DIing away.

Ryu: Rating = 1.5/5. FAF = 56.
Guaranteed:
40% to 50%: U-tilt.
120% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 10%: Don't D-throw.
20% to 70%: U-tilt.
110% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
150%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
Beware that Ryu has invulnerability on frame 1 of True Shuryuken (TS), which means if you are close enough he can hit you any time he can absorb a hit with Focus Attack (FA) below.

0%: Ryu can avoid U-tilt by using Nair, FA, TS, airdodge or DJ airdodge.

10%: In order to avoid U-tilt Ryu can FA or TS. You can beat FA by doing Jab 1 to 2, but regardless of what you do TS will hit you if you don't shield/dodge.

20%: U-tilt can only be avoided by DIing behind Link using FA or TS. FA must be reversed in order to face Link, which can be avoided with a roll even if released as early as possible. If Ryu DIs behind you and does a TS then reverses it, he will avoid the U-tilt but will miss you.

30%: As above.

40%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

50%: As above.

60%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link.

70%: Aerial Up-B can be beaten FA + SDI or just using TS. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing behind Link as well.

80%: As above except U-tilt is out of range.

90%: As above.

100%: Aerial Up-B can be airdodged.

110%: FH Uair is only avoidable by DIing away and either using FA or airdodging. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away. They can still DI away and FA the Uair though.
Note, if Ryu tries to TS, you will be beneath him and will get a Sourspot Uair.

120%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame if they DI away. If you dash forwards for anything more than a frame, the Uair can be absorbed with FA.

130%: As above except you may dash forwards for up to 3 frames, a generous enough window to make this reliable.

140%: As above.

150%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ. If you're on-point and they DI away you can hit them before FA or DJ come out.

160%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works if they DI away.

Samus: Rating = 0/5. FAF = 57.
Guaranteed:
(50% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
110% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
20% to 60%: U-tilt.
110% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: Samus can DJ out.

10%: As above.

20%: Samus has to DJ then airdodge to escape U-tilt without DI, otherwise she can just DI behind Link and DJ.

30%: Samus must DI behind Link then DJ to avoid U-tilt.

40%: As above.

50%: As above except U-tilt can also be avoided by simply DIing away in front of Link.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: U-tilt can be avoided by simply DIing either away in front or behind Link.

70%: U-tilt is out of range entirely.

80%: Platform Drop Up-B no longer works. Nothing is guaranteed. Go for Uairs.

90%: As above.

100%: As above.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: Sourspot FH Uair no longer works and doing a DJ Uair won't help.

Sheik: Rating = 4/5. FAF = 52.
Guaranteed:
0%: Jab.
10% to 30%: U-tilt.
20% to 30%: U-smash.
(30% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
40% to 60%: (Dash) U-smash.
50%: FH Nair.
62% to 77%: SHUFF.
70% to 80%: Aerial Up-B.
100% to 130%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
140%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: Jab.
10%: U-tilt.
20% to 30%: U-smash.
40% to 60%: (Dash) U-smash.
62% to 77%: SHUFF.
80%: Aerial Up-B.
(Between 70% and 110%, (Dash) FH Uair can only be avoided by DIing away and airdodging.)
100% to 130%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
140%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Jab is unavoidable. Sheik can avoid U-tilt by airdodging and can avoid U-smash only by DJing away to an immediate airdodge, or by hitting Link with Nair.

10%: U-tilt is unavoidable. Jab no longer works.

20%: As above except that U-smash is unavoidable now too.

30%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: FH Nair can only be avoided by DIing behind Link. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link. U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, but this can be countered by dashing forwards for a frame or two first. FH Bair is a thing if Sheik DI's behind you, but then there are no followups.

50%: As above except that FH Nair is unavoidable and U-tilt can also be avoided by simply DIing behind Link.

60%: As above except U-tilt is now out of range and FH Nair can be avoided again.

62%: SHUFF works.

70%: As above except U-smash is now out of range, Aerial Up-B is now an option, and FH Uair can only be avoided by DIing away from Link, however if Link dashes in for a frame or two first, the only way to avoid Uair is to airdodge.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

78%: SHUFF no longer works.

80%: As above.

90%: As above except Aerial Up-B no longer works .

100%: As above except Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

110%: As above.

120%: FH initial hit Uair no longer works (when they weren't DIing away). Sourspot Uair still works though.

130%: As above.

140%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ and make sure your dash in far enough if they DI away.

150%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works when they DI away.

Shulk: FAF = 56.
Default: Rating = 2.5/5.
Jump: Rating = 3.5/5.
Speed: Rating = 2.5/5.
Shield: Rating = 2/5.
Buster: Rating = 2.5/5.
Smash: Rating = 2.5/5.
Default
Guaranteed:
30% to 50%: U-tilt.
(40% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
50%: U-smash.
60% to 80%: FH Nair.
78% to 95%: SHUFF.
100% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 40%: U-tilt.
50%: U-smash.
60% to 77%: FH Nair.
78% to 95%: SHUFF.
100% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 170%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Shulk can avoid U-tilt by DJing behind Link among other things.

10%: Shulk must DI behind Link in order to avoid U-tilt, at which point he can airdodge or DJ airdodge.

20%: Shulk can only avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and airdodging, at which point we can hit him with a grounded Up-B (no need to turn around).

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except that Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above except now U-smash is unavoidable too.

60%: FH Nair is unavoidable. U-tilt can be avoided by DIng away in front or behind Link. U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front of Link, and dashing forwards first will not help.

70%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash are out of range.

78%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: FH Nair no longer works.

96%: SHUFF no longer works.

100%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ

170%: As above.

180%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.



Jump
Guaranteed:
30% to 60%: U-tilt.
40% to 70%: U-smash.
(40% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
60% to 90%: FH Nair.
70% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
80% to 90%: (Dash) U-smash.
85% to 119%: SHUFF.
130% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 30%: U-tilt.
40% to 70%: U-smash.
80% to 90%: (Dash) U-smash.
91% to 119%: SHUFF.
130% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
190%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Shulk can only avoid U-tilt by DJ immediate airdodging.

10%: Shulk must DI behind Link in order to avoid U-tilt, at which point he can airdodge or DJ airdodge.

20%: Shulk can only avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and airdodging; we cannot punish the airdodge if it was used to avoid an U-tilt.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except now U-smash is unavoidable too.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above.

60%: As above except FH Nair is unavoidable.

70%: As above except U-tilt can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link. Aerial Up-B is now an option.

80%: As above except U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front or behind Link, but you can still make U-smash work if you Dash towards the DI for one or two frames.

85%: SHUFF works.

90%: As above except U-tilt is out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

100%: As above except U-smash is out of range and FH Nair can be avoided by DIing behind Link.

110%: FH Nair and Aerial Up-B no longer work.

120%: SHUFF no longer works.

130%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above.

170%: As above.

180%: As above.

190%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

200%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works if they DI away.



Speed
Guaranteed:
30% to 50%: U-tilt.
(40% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
50% to 60%: U-smash.
60% to 80%: FH Nair.
70%: (Dash) U-smash.
70% to 80%: Aerial Up-B.
78% to 95%: SHUFF.
100% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 40%: U-tilt.
50% to 60%: U-smash.
70%: (Dash) U-smash.
78% to 95%: SHUFF.
100% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Shulk can airdodge or DJ airdodge to avoid U-tilt.

10%: Shulk must DI behind Link and airdodge or DJ airdodge in order to avoid U-tilt.

20%: The only way to avoid U-tilt is to DI behind Link and airdodge, at which point grounded Up-B is unavoidable.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above except U-smash is also unavoidable.

60%: As above except FH Nair is now unavoidable. U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front or behind Link.

70%: As above except U-tilt is out of range. U-smash can be avoided by DIing away in front or behind Link, but U-smash can still work if Link dashes towards the DI for a frame or two before doing U-smash. Aerial Up-B is now an option.

78%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above except U-smash is out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

90%: FH Nair and Aerial Up-B no longer work.

96%: SHUFF no longer works.

100%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ

170%: As above.

180%:

190%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.



Shield
Guaranteed:
120% to 150%: U-tilt.
(130% to 160%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
140% to 150%: U-smash.
150% to 180%: FH Nair.
160% to 170%: (Dash) U-smash.
170% to 180%: Aerial Up-B.
176% to 198%: SHUFF.
120% to 270%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
280% to 300%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 130%: U-tilt.
140% to 150%: U-smash.
160% to 170%: (Dash) U-smash.
176% to 198%: SHUFF.
120% to 270%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
280% to 300%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: U-tilt is avoidable by DJing behind Link or by DJ airdodging.

10%: As above, no need to DI.

20%: As above.

30%: Shulk can on longer DJ behind Link and avoid U-tilt (regardless of DI). DJ airdodge is the only way to avoid U-tilt, no need for DI.

40%: As above.

50%: As above.

60%: As above except now Shulk can also airdodge to avoid U-tilt, no DI required.

70%: As above.

80%: As above.

90%: Shulk must DI behind Link and either airdodge or DJ airdodge in order to avoid U-tilt.

100%: The only way to avoid U-tilt is to DI behind Link and airdodge, at which point we can do a Grounded Up-B which Shulk cannot shield.

110%: As above.

120%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

130%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

140%: As above except U-smash is also unavoidable.

150%: As above except now FH Nair is unavoidable too.

160%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link, however U-smash can still work if Link dashes towards the DI for a frame or two.

170%: As above except U-tilt it out of range. Aerial Up-B is now an option.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

176%: SHUFF works.

180%: As above except U-smash is out of range.

190%: FH Nair and Aerial Up-B no longer work.

199%: SHUFF no longer works.

210%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

220%: As above.

230%: As above.

240%: As above.

250%: As above.

260%: As above.

270%: As above.

280%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ

290%: As above.

300%:

310%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.



Buster
Guaranteed:
30% to 50%: U-tilt.
(40% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
50%: U-smash.
60% to 80%: FH Nair.
78% to 95%: SHUFF.
100% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 40%: U-tilt.
50%: U-smash.
60% to 77%: FH Nair.
78% to 95%: SHUFF.
100% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
160%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Shulk can airdodge, DJ airdodge, or DJ behind Link to avoid U-tilt.

10%: Shulk must DI behind Link and airdodge or DJ airdodge to avoid U-tilt.

20%: The only way to avoid U-tilt is to DI behind Link and airdodge into the ground, at which point we can do a grounded Up-B which is unavoidable.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above except U-smash is also unavoidable.

60%: FH Nair is unavoidable. U-tilt and U-smash can be avodied by DIing either way in front or behind Link (dashing forwards first will not allow U-smash to connect).

70%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash are out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

78%: SHUFF works.

80%: As above.

90%: FH Nair no longer works.

96%: SHUFF no longer works.

100%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ

170%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.



Smash
Guaranteed:
0% to 30%: U-tilt.
(20% to 40%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
30%: U-smash.
40%: (Dash) U-smash.
40% to 60%: FH Nair.
56% to 72%: SHUFF.
80% to 130%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
140%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 20%: U-tilt.
30%: U-smash.
40%: (Dash) U-smash.
50%: FH Nair.
56% to 72%: SHUFF.
80% to 130%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
140%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

10%: As above.

20%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

30%: As above except U-smash is unavoidable too.

40%: FH Nair is unavoidable. U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by DIing either away in front or behind Link, but U-smash can still work by dashing towards the DI for a frame or two first.

50%: As above except U-tilt and U-smash are out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

56%: SHUFF works.

60%: As above.

70%: FH Nair no longer works.

73%: SHUFF no longer works.

80%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

90%: As above.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ

150%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Sonic: Rating = 1/5. FAF = 54.
Guaranteed:
30%: U-tilt.
(40% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
75% to 77%: SHUFF.
90% to 100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110%: to 130%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 40%: U-tilt.
60%: FH Nair.
75% to 77%: SHUFF.
90% to 100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110%: to 130%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: Sonic can avoid U-tilt by using Up-B (U-tilt hits the spring), airdodge or DJ airdodge.

10%: Sonic must DI behind Link in order to avoid U-tilt, at which point he can airdodge or DJ immediate airdodge.

20%: Sonic can only avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and airdodging, at which point we can hit him with a grounded Up-B (no need to turn around), or a turn around re-grab among other things.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: U-tilt can be avoided by DIing away in front or behind Link.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: As above.

60%: FH Nair is only avoidable by DIing behind Link and airdodging.

70%: FH Nair no longer works.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

75%: SHUFF works.

78%: SHUFF no longer works.

90% Sourspot Uair becomes unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

100%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

110%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ

150%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Toon Link: Rating = 1.5/5. FAF = 54.
Guaranteed:
30%: U-tilt.
80% to 110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
130% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 40%: U-tilt.
80% to 110%: Sourspot FH Uair.
120%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
130% to 140%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: The only way for Toon to avoid U-tilt is to DJ then airdodge. If Toon tries to only DJ, Utilt will hit. If Toon tries to just airdodge Link will be able to punish the landing lag with another U-tilt or even a D-smash among other things.

10%: Toon will only be able to escape U-tilt by DIing behind Link and DJing then immediately airdodging. If Toon just airdodges into the ground, then we'll be able to punish with an U-smash or turn around U-smash depending on DI (though grounded Up-B will cover everything).

20%: U-tilt is only unavoidable if Toon DI's behind Link and airdodges, but then we can punish even with an unavoidable turn around re-grab or an F-smash.

30%: U-tilt is unavoidable.

40%: U-tilt can be avoided by simply DIing away in front or behind Link.

50%: U-tilt is out of range.

60%: As above.

70%: As above.

80%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

90%: As above.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

130%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ

140%: As above.

150%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Villager: Rating = 0/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
(40% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
90% to 120%: Sourspot FH Uair.
130%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0%: Don't D-throw.
10% to 50%: U-tilt.
90% to 120%: Sourspot FH Uair.
130%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Villager can DJ out or Nair us to avoid U-tilt.

10%: Villager can DI behind and DJ out to avoid U-tilt.

20%: As above.

30%: As above.

40%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B works.

50%: U-tilt can be avoided by simply DIing away from link or behind him.

60%: U-tilt is out of range.

70%: Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

80%: As above.

90%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away and FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ

140%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Wario: Rating = 1.5/5. FAF = 57.
Guaranteed:
40% to 50%: U-tilt.
(50% to 70%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
80% to 90%: Aerial Up-B.
89% to 103%: SHUFF.
110% to 150%: Sourspot FH Uair.
160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 10%: Don't D-throw.
20% to 50%: U-tilt.
70% to 80%: FH Nair.
89% to 103%: SHUFF.
110% to 150%: Sourspot FH Uair.
160%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
170% to 180%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Wario can Nair us before we can hit with U-tilt, or he can airdodge or he can DJ to instant airdodge.

10%: As above except that Wario's Nair trades now.

20%: Wario can only avoid U-tilt if he DI's the D-throw behind Link (and DJ's or airdodges).

30%: Wario can only avoid U-tilt and U-smash if he DI's the D-throw behind Link.

40%: As above except U-tilt is now unavoidable regardless of DI.

50%: As above except that Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: As above except U-tilt is avoidable by DIing D-throw away or behind Link.

70%: As above except that FH Nair is only avoidable by DIing the D-throw behind Link.

80%: As above except Platform Drop Up-B no longer works, U-tilt and U-smash are out of range, and FH to immediate Aerial Up-B is technically a thing now but must be done perfectly. At this point go for Uairs only.

89%: SHUFF works.

90%: As above except Nair is no longer a thing.

100%: Aerial Up-B no longer works.

104%: SHUFF no longer works.

110%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

120%: As above.

130%: As above.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

170%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

180%: As above.

190%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Wii Fit Trainer: Rating = 0/5. FAF = 55.
Guaranteed:
(50% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
90% to 100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110% to 120%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.

Recommended:
20% to 30%: U-tilt.
90% to 100%: Sourspot FH Uair.
110% to 120%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
0%: WFT can avoid U-tilt by simply DJing out.

10%: WFT can DI behind Link and simply DJ out, otherwise there's airdodge or DJ airdodge.

20%: WFT must DI behind Link to avoid U-tilt, but can still simply DJ out.

30%: As above.

40%: As above except WFT can also just DI away in front of Link to avoid U-tilt.

50%: U-tilt is out of range.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

60%: As above.

70%: Platform Drop Up-B no longer works. Nothing works.

80% As above.

90%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

100%: As above.

110%: As above except you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

120%: As above.

130%: Sourspot FH Uair no longer works, and DJing does not help.

Yoshi: Rating = 1/5. FAF = 56.
Guaranteed:
90% to 120%: Sourspot FH Uair.
130% to 140%: Sourspot DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 30%: Don't D-throw.
40%: U-tilt.
80%: FH Uair.
90% to 120%: Sourspot FH Uair.
130% to 140%: Sourspot DJ Uair.
0%: Yoshi's DJ and Nair say no.

10%: As above.

20%: And here things get interesting. U-tilt will hit Yoshi if he tries to airdodge or DJ, but then the heavy armor on DJ means that Yoshi can take the hit and then Down-B to hit us before we can shield. So as far as I'm concerned, DJ says no.

30%: As above.

40%: U-tilt and U-smash will connect before DJ can come out, but then they can be avoided entirely if Yoshi DI's behind Link and DJ's.

50%: As above except U-tilt is now out of range.

60%: U-smash now out of range too. Platform Drop B-reverse Up-B will hit beat a Yoshi trying to DI behind you and DJ, but then it won't beat no DI DJ.

70%: Nothing works.

80%: You may as well start going for U-airs. U-air will eat through the DJ heavy armor.

90%: Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

140%: As above.

150%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Zelda: Rating = 2.5/5. FAF = 53.
Guaranteed:
20% to 30%: U-tilt.
(30% to 60%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
40%: U-smash.
40% to 60%: FH Nair.
60% to 70%: Aerial Up-B.
64% to 75%: SHUFF.
80%: FH Uair.
90% to 120%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
130% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.

Recommended:
0% to 10%: U-tilt.
20% to 40%: U-smash.
50% to 60%: FH Nair.
64% to 75%: SHUFF.
80%: FH Uair.
90% to 120%: Sourspot (Dash) FH Uair.
130% to 150%: Sourspot (Dash) DJ Uair.
0%: Zelda can avoid U-tilt with DJ immediate airdodge only. If she does just a DJ the U-tilt will hit. If she does just an airdodge the lag will mean she cannot avoid the next U-tilt (but will be able to shield an U-smash). If she does neutral special to avoid the first U-tilt it won't hit Link and she'll be open to being hit by anything you want. (I won't bother testing neutral special from this point.)

10%: Zelda can only avoid U-tilt by DIing behind Link and airdodging, which can then be punished with a turn around U-smash among other things. Just doing another U-tilt however will be powershielded. Personally I'd just go for a buffered grounded Up-B, no need to turn it around, easy, no risk.

20%: U-tilt is unavoidable. U-smash can only be avoided with a frame perfect DJ to airdodge.

30%: As above except U-smash can be avoided by DIing behind Link and DJing.
Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: U-smash and FH Nair are now unavoidable and U-tilt is out of range. FH bair is possible if they don't DI away in front of Link but you won't get any followups so I won't bother testing it from this point.

50%: As above except U-smash is now out of range too.

60%: As above except Aerial Up-B is now an option.

64%: SHUFF works.

70%: As above except FH Nair no longer works.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.

76%: SHUFF no longer works.

80%: FH Uair is unavoidable. Aerial Up-B no longer works.

90%: FH Uair can only be avoided by DIing away from Link. Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

100%: As above.

110%: As above.

120%: As above.

130%: FH Uair will stop reaching in time, so to force the Sourspot Uair you'll need to DJ.

140%: As above.

150%: As above.

160%: Sourspot DJ Uair no longer works.

Zero Suit Samus: Rating = 3.5/5. FAF = 52.
Guaranteed:
10% to 20%: U-tilt.
30%: U-smash.
(30% to 80%: Platform Drop Up-B.)
40% to 70%: (Dash) U-smash.
40% to 80%: FH Nair.
62% to 84%: SHUFF.
70% to 100%: Aerial Up-B.
80% to 130%: Sourspot (Dash far enough) FH Uair.

Recommended:
10% to 20%: U-tilt.
30%: U-smash.
40% to 68%: (Dash) U-smash.
69% to 84%: SHUFF.
85% to 130%: Sourspot (Dash far enough) FH Uair.
0%: ZSS can avoid U-tilt with DJ to airdodge, airdodge, or Flipkick.

10%: U-tilt is unavoidable regardless of DI. U-smash can only be avoided by DIing behind Link at which point it's a simple matter of DJing out.

20%: As above except U-smash can only be avoided by DIing behind Link then either DJing and immediately airdodging, or Flipkicking.

30%: As above except now U-smash is unavoidable regardless of DI as well.
Also Platform Drop Up-B works.

40%: FH Nair is unavoidable and FH Bair is only unavoidable if ZSS DI's behind Link (and if you jump backwards Bair can combo into Aerial Up-B or DJ Bair). U-tilt and U-smash can be avoided by simply DIing away in front of Link, though U-smash will still easily work if Link dashes forwards briefly first.

50%: As above.

60%: As above.

62%: SHUFF works.

70%: As above except now Aerial Up-B is unavoidable. FH Uair can only be avoided by DIing away from Link and airdodging. Also U-tilt is out of range, and FH Bair is no longer a thing.

80%: As above except U-smash is now out of range too.
Sourspot Uair becomes unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

85%: SHUFF no longer works.

90%: As above except FH Nair can be airdodged.
Platform Drop Up-B no longer works.
Sourspot Uair becomes reliable and unavoidable when you do a FH Uair and follow DI, forcing them to airdodge; you'll need to dash forwards for a frame or two if they DI away.

100%: As above.

110%: As above except aerial Up-B no longer works.

120%: As above.

130%: As above but note you'll need to dash forwards far enough if they DI away.

140%: FH Sourspot Uair no longer works if they DI away and DJ. You can't get there in time.
So, this applies to Link. http://smashboards.com/threads/mechanics-techniques-discussion.368206/page-69#post-20874193

It works for the edge of platforms as well.

But basically, if Link grabs someone and is right up against the edge of the stage or the edge of a platform facing inwards (with his back to the edge) and you D-throw them, they will not get hit as far.
As a general rule, you can safely extend everything already listed by anything between, say, 10 to 20%. (It varies, greatly...)
The thing with D-throw to Uair is that it almost always requires frame perfection, which is totally doable of course if you buffer the inputs, but it's only possible to buffer the Uair if you have the A-stick (unless you want to deal with lightly tilting the joystick, which you don't, because it's imprecise at best and you need to free your joystick up to follow DI). The A-stick allows you to input the Uair during your jumpsquat frames without cancelling the jump.

For the characters that you never have to dash forwards for a frame or two for:
What you want to do is grab them, know that you're going to go for an Uair due to their percents (with your own rage factored in), hit down to D-throw them, then from this moment onward you want to only be focused on which direction they got launched; you should have memorised the timing for the other inputs. You want to hit and hold jump so that it gets buffered within the last 10 frames before the FAF of the D-throw animation, then you want to hit the A-stick up at any point during the 7 frames of your jumpsquat to ensure that it gets buffered and begins on the first airborne frame. The timing for these two inputs should be done mechanically without thinking, which frees your mind up to focus on which direction you want to jump. You have until the last jumpsquat frame to recognise which direction the opponent got launched and then simply point the joystick in the right direction. That should be the extent of what you need to worry about, which is very humanly possible; the rest should be done frame perfectly without you needing to think about it.

For the characters who will require you to dash forwards for a frame or two first:
I feel that this can't as realistically be reacted to, and so it will require a read on your part; will they DI away or behind you? I've found that it's only after they start to get consistently punished for DIing away that they'll start to mix it up. If you need to dash forwards first (remember, only for a frame or two (just enough to make you slide forwards during your jumpsquat)), then you want to buffer the dash forwards input in the last 10 frames of the D-throw animation, then time it so you immediately jump as soon as you begin to dash (hit and hold jump) followed by an immediate A-stick Up input.
I was testing drop through platform>aerial spin attack as a follow up. I'm not sure how many frames dropping through a platform is but drop>upB could be a good way for Link to avoid the laggy 7 frame jumpsquat for followups.
Thoughts?
First of all, how long does it take to drop through a platform?
Link will drop through the platform on frame 3. You can input the aerial Up-B on frame 4 at the earliest (without it cancelling into a grounded Up-B) but the first frame of the aerial Up-B won't actually occur until frame 5 regardless (so there's a 1 frame buffer window for some reason), meaning that the first hit will hit on frame 12 at the earliest. How very interesting.
Does this mean I have something to test against the whole cast? Yes, yes it does.

But why stop there? How about platform drops to instant aerials? or platform drops to DJ aerials? (DJ activating immediately of course). With the time we might be able to shave off our jump-squat by dropping through the platform instead, it could open up quite a few follow-ups that either maximise damage or allow for a follow-up where one would otherwise be impossible.
Anyway I've got a lot to look into.

Edit: omg.. the dream is real. D-throw to Drop Through to DJ Fair, guaranteed on Fox between 70 and 90%. [still requires a bit more testing but I'm not even supposed to be focusing on this right now.. I was just curious.]

Edit 2: It should be noted that instead of a 10 frame buffer window at the end of the d-throw animation, I believe you only have a 4 frame buffer window to hit and hold down in, otherwise if you hit and hold down on the 5th last frame of the d-throw animation, you'll just crouch. (checked using the 7 frames of a shield-drop)
[Basically, execution-wise, any platform drop follow-ups are going to be very difficult.]
A while ago I promised I'd look into which characters we can get a guaranteed 'd-throw to platform drop through to DJ Fair' on. Well I forgot about it till just now.
At some point I'd also like to look at the possibilities with other aerials too, but for now, Fair hype.
Yes, the dream is indeed real. Guaranteed D-throw to Fair, if you're on a platform, if you perform it perfectly, against a select few lighter characters.
I tested in reverse order of character weight so I would eventually get to a point where it stopped working and safely avoid having to test every character.
Note that this is assuming frame perfect inputs, i.e. you're probably not good enough, and if you are good enough you will definitely need to practice because this is by no means easy. First you've got the smaller window out of the d-throw to do the platform drop, followed by a 2 frame window for the DJ, followed by a 1 frame window (in some cases) for the Fair if you want it to connect without them being able to airdodge. You have been warned..
I'll be using 10% intervals (which means the ranges it works will most likely be larger, just not all the way to the next 10% interval) tested in training mode (so no rage) as always:

Jiggs: 50% to 60%
Mewtwo: 70% to 90%
Rosalina: 70%
Kirby: 70% to 80% (though Kirby can DI behind Link to avoid Fair at 80% even if you follow the DI and DJ backwards)
Olimar: 70% to 80%
Pikachu: 70% to 90%
Fox: 70% to 90%

And that's it. Anyone heavier was able to airdodge. More of this kind of thing to come at some point. Probably.
Below is listed the percents where DThrow to UAir will begin killing. This was tested in 5% increments outside of training mode. All results are on BF [which has a high ceiling] with Link at 0%. Some of these numbers may seem odd, but one has to take into consideration the fall speed, weight, and gravity of both moves; and that our DThrow is weight dependent.
Bayonetta: 110%
Bowser: 125%
Bowser Jr: 117%
Captain Falcon 120%
Charizard: 115%
Cloud: 115% Cloud (Limit): 120%
Corrin: 115%
Dark Pit: 110%
Diddy Kong: 110%
Donkey Kong: 130%
Dr. Mario: 115%
Duck Hunt Duo: 115%
Falco: 105%
Fox: 100%
G & W: 90%
Ganon: 120%
Greninja: 105%
Ike: 120%
Jigglypuff: 85%
King DeDeDe: 135%
Kirby: 95%
Link: 120%
Little Mac: 110%
Lucario: 120%
Lucas: 105%
Lucina: 110%
Luigi: 105%
Mario 115%
Marth: 110%
Mega Man: 120%
Meta Knight: 100%
MewTwo: 95%
Mii Brawler: 115%
Mii Gunner: 110%
Mii Swordsman: 115%
Ness: 105%
Olimar: 100%
Pac-Man: 110%
Palutena: 100%
Peach: 95%
Pikachu: 100%
Pit: 110%
ROB: 115%
Robin: 110%
Rosa: 95%
Roy: 115%
Ryu: 115%
Samus: 115%
Sheik: 100%
Shulk: 115% (Vanilla, Buster, Speed, Jump), 100% (Smash), 180% (Shield)
Sonic: 110%
Toon Link: 105%
Villager: 110%
Wario: 120%
WFT: 105%
Yoshi: 110%
Zelda: 100%
ZSS: 100%
I was just labbing Robin's 'checkmate' thing against Link when I wondered whether we have anything like that. And apparently we do. There may be other examples (Pikachu comes immediately to mind), all of which will be very character and percent specific, but this is what I have for now.

Against a Fox, if you D-throw then FH Fair, within a specific percent range (outlined below) Fox will have to airdodge to avoid the Fair, and if he does airdodge he will fall and land in airdodge landing lag. If we fast fall at the peak of the FH Fair (regardless of whether it hit or not), we will then be able to land and punish Fox's airdodge landing lag with a grounded Up-B that he cannot shield in time. If he tries to DI the D-throw we can follow it and the Fair will still connect, then so long as there is a stage beneath him, there will be nothing Fox can do to avoid our FF to grounded Up-B.

Here are the percent specifics: (Training mode so no rage.)

75% and under: Fox is able to DJ to avoid the FH Fair.

76-86%: Fox must airdodge to avoid the Fair and then he will unavoidably land in airdodge landing lag and then be unable to avoid a FF to grounded Up-B. (FF to F-smash is possible on and over 85%, but this would be overkill and is risky.)

87-97%: Fox must airdodge to avoid the Fair but then he can act before he lands to avoid airdodge landing lag. If however he doesn't act and instead just lands, he will get the airdodge landing lag and can be heavily punished with whatever the hell you want.


To make myself perfectly clear, what I am saying is that if you grab Fox toward the edge of the stage between 76 and 86%, he's dead.
The percents above and below this specific range allow Fox an option to escape, but they are still potentially lethal if he chooses the wrong option.

I might look into other things like this later.


Edit. Works for Pika too. Slightly differently.

Pikachu:

59% the highest percent that Pika will be able to shield the FF grounded Up-B.

60% the highest percent when DJ by itself will let Pika escape the FH Fair after D-throw.

68% the highest percent that Pika's Nair will beat Link outright

75% the highest percent that Nair will trade.

77% the highest percent that airdodge will still force airdodge landing lag with Pika being unable to act before landing.

87% the highest percent that airdodge will still cause landing lag if Pika chooses to do nothing until landing.
I found another way to make D-throw to Fair a thing.

Essentially, this method takes advantage of the fact that you can DJ almost immediately if you were standing right up against the edge of the stage (or the edge of a platform). Specifically, if you're right on the edge and you dash off, you can DJ on the second frame if you hold forwards, or you can DJ in any direction on the third frame or any later frame.

So what does this mean? Well it's pretty simple. If for example you read that someone will do a normal ledge getup, you can dash in and do a delayed dash grab such that you will be pretty much inside them when you grab, you still grab them, then you will slide over to the very edge of the stage. At this point, you can do a D-throw then buffer a dash forwards (off the edge) out of the D-throw, and then almost immediately do a DJ. And because DJ has no jump-squat frames, we end up shaving off around 5 frames. The time we save by doing this allows for pretty much any follow-up you want in some cases. E.g. against Fox, I was just now able to get a D-throw to dash off-stage DJ Fair to combo between 55% and 100% (testing at 5% intervals), which, if you haven't figured out already, will typically kill seeing as you're already so close to the blast-zone.

Now I'm still looking into this, but I just thought I'd keep you all up to date. I have every reason to believe that D-throw to Fair will work on a large portion of the cast using this method. Let's not forget either that the more standard combos will all work much much better and in cases where they otherwise couldn't. E.g. D-throw to Aerial Up-B (right near the edge mind you) and D-throw to Uair will work on characters and percents where they otherwise simply would not.

One last thing. D-throw to Dair Spike is a thing now. You heard me right. Dair has the same start-up time as Fair, so if Fair works and the opponent is still low enough, Dair can connect. And it kills ridiculously early.

Naturally this kind of idea will work for any character, but we have the most to gain out of it seeing as we have 7 jump-squat frames to shave off.

Edit: To give you an idea for other characters, I got D-throw to Fair to work against Mario between 80 and 95%. Considering that I wasn't really expecting it to work against characters like Mario at all, this is a win.
Earlier I was talking about this idea of getting a dash grab so that you end up right on the edge of the stage allowing you to do a D-throw and then run off stage and immediately DJ and follow-up with a bunch of cool options thanks to the time you save from bypassing the jumpsquat frames. The only trouble with this was that the setup is unrealistic. It's too difficult to get that grab and end up sliding all the way to the edge.

So here's the same kind of idea only with a better setup.
You just want to get a grab so that you're all the way up against the side of the stage, and you can do that by e.g. rolling toward the edge against an opponent's ledge option and then grabbing them, or dashing past them and doing a pivot grab right up against the edge. This will of course leave you with your back right up against the side of the stage.
While it does have the advantage of being an easier setup, there are some distinct disadvantages.

Because you have your back up against the edge it will require one extra frame to turn around and then dash off the side of the stage, but the most critical disadvantage is obviously the fact that the opponent will not be sent off-stage by the d-throw unless they DI the D-throw behind you, and so this obviously limits the effectiveness of a DJ Dair follow-up in that the ability to spike them and get an early stock relies on the opponent DIing the D-throw off-stage, and the DJ Fair is also weakened by the fact that it can be avoided entirely by DIng the D-throw toward the centre of the stage.

With that said, the realistic setup makes this worth trying imo.
I've labbed out the percents against Fox for now to give you an idea.

Note that with the DJ Dair percents, there is an extra frame to work with because you are required to DJ forwards anyway. It's a quirk to do with a certain edge mechanic, but basically so long as you are holding forwards, you can DJ one frame sooner, and so this obviously doesn't apply to the DJ Fair percents as you'll want to be DJing backwards. That's why there's a difference in their starting percents even though they come out on the same frame. I don't believe I bothered to take advantage of this earlier, but it makes sense to do so now because you are committed to following a specific DI anyway.

Labbing Aerial Up-B as a follow-up in these circumstances was tougher for a few reasons.
For starters are we talking about instant aerial Up-B or DJ aerial Up-B (the DJ can help gain height and it can be used to re-position Link before using the Up-B e.g. by jumping back towards stage), do we reverse it or leave it so Link stays facing off-stage, and are we connecting with the front hit or back hit first depending on DI?
Not only that, but it's no longer just a matter of 'does it hit' like the previous two options because you have to consider whether or not the opponent will actually stay in the Up-B until the final hit. So while dash off-stage to instant reverse aerial Up-B will hit Fox from as little as 10%, it will only connect all hits from around 40%. Assume that percents given can connect all hits.

[Keep in mind that this is frame perfect and that you are fallible. Tested at 5% intervals in training mode.]


Against Fox

DJ Dair:
55-80% [Fox needs to DI the d-throw off-stage for this to be worth it.]

DJ Fair:
65-105% [but only so long as Fox doesn't DI the d-throw away to centre stage. If you DJ back it will cover both no DI and DI off-stage. If Fox doesn't DI, the Fair will only start to hit Fox off-stage in the direction of the Fair upwards from 80%.]

Instant Reverse Up-B (Link facing toward centre stage):
If Fox DI's the D-throw away toward centre stage it will work from 40-75%.
With no DI it will work from 40-115%.
If Fox DI's the D-throw behind off-stage it will work from 40-100%.

DJ Reverse Up-B:
DI away, can go up to 125%.
No DI, can go up to 120%.
DI behind, can go up to 110%.

Instant Up-B (Link facing off-stage):
DI away, it'll never work.
No DI, 60-110%.
DI behind, 40-95%.

DJ Up-B:
DI away, can work from 90-110%.
No DI, can go up to 130%.
DI behind, can work up to 115%.
D-throw to SHUFF.


Foxy's D-throw Follow-up post was only ever intended as a basic starting point. It lists the straight-forward guaranteed punishes. Since then there have been multiple ways developed to get better punishes using unconventional methods. For example it was noted that going for a FH Fair after a D-throw could force a couple of characters to airdodge to avoid it, at which point we could FF and punish their airdodge landing lag with a grounded Up-B. A great idea, but very limited, which is where the SHUFF comes in.

We present the SHUFF, or Short Hop Uair Fast Fall. When you do a D-throw to a buffered SH UAir, if the opponent’s percent is high enough, double jump, double jump airdodge, or attack will not avoid it, but most characters can still airdodge to avoid it. However, (if their percent isn’t too high) if they airdodge they will receive airdodge landing lag. So, in certain percent ranges on certain characters (listed below), if we D-throw, SH UAir, and then FF, we will get a frame advantage on the ground if they airdodge. If they don't airdodge they eat an Uair, which is a decent punish out of a D-throw, especially on some of the characters listed. This can lead into a regrab or in some cases, FSmash. Note that with certain characters at specific percents, the Uair will of course actually be unavoidable; in these cases you'll want to do a slightly delayed Uair out of the SH instead of buffering it, then the rest is the same.


Listed below first are all the characters this does not work on as they can jump or jump airdodge away. The % next to them is the latest percent where after a DThrow, if they airdodge, they will still receive airdodge landing lag, just in case you want to bait them anyway, assuming they are unaware that they have a guaranteed escape option other than airdodge.


Below that are the characters and percent ranges this works on. The first % is where it begins to work from the grab, so before they are D-thrown. To clarify, this will be the lowest percent the opponent can be before the D-throw where their only option to avoid the Uair is to airdodge. Next to this percent I will note the frame advantage we have over the opponent at this point. The following %s are when we start to get the frame advantage listed next to the %. Frame advantages selected are 7 (for jab) 8 (for SA) 10 (for USmash) wherever they can be regrabbed at (due to different spotdodges) and 15 (for FSmash). The last % is where it stops working as they can make an input to receive different land lag or DJ after the airdodge. If they choose to do nothing they will receive airdodge landing lag, which increases the range this SHUFF works. Note again that SH UAir is true on some characters at certain percents, so the UAir may have to be delayed. If so, I have it pointed out in the % ranges to mark at what point a buffered UAir becomes unavoidable.

To quote Foxy in the throws section:

Miscellaneous:

Because of Bat Within, Bayonetta gets the frame advantage after it is activated because… reasons.

In Cloud’s DJ animation, his feet pick up which can avoid the UAir, but if he airdodges after the DJ, he gets hit. We can still hit him if he only DJs but we have to follow him a little.

Ness, Lucas, and Mewtwo can drift away during their airdodge to avoid followups.

Characters the D-Throw SHUFF doesn't work on:

Bayonetta: 103%
Bowser: 85%
Charizard: 77%
DK: 123%
Ganon: 112%
Greninja: 83%
Ike: 111%
Jigglypuff: 25%
Luigi: 65%
Mr. G&W: 47%
Pac-Man: 76%
Palutena: 70%
Peach: 50%
Pits: 86%
Robin: 90%
Rosa: 50%
Ryu: 94%
Samus: 73%
TL: 54%
Villager: 72%
WFT: 57%
Yoshi: 69%

Characters the D-Throw SHUFF works on:

BJ: 89% gives 9 frame advantage
94% 11 frames
106% 15 frames
111% 16 frames
CPT Falcon: 79% 5 frames
85% 7 frames
88% 8 frames
94% 10 frames
110% 15 frames
118% 17 frames
Cloud: 78% 7 frames
79% 8 frames
86% 10 frames
101% 15 frames
108% 17 frames
Limit: 78% 4 frames
88% 7 frames
91% 8 frames
97% 10 frames
101% 11 frames
113% 15 frames
121% 17 frames
Corrin: 77% 7 frames
78% 8 frames
84% 10 frames
98% 15 frames
103% 16 frames
Diddy: 75% 7 frames
77% 8 frames
83% 10 frames
86% 11 frames
98% 15 frames
103% 16 frames
Dr. Mario: 77% 12 frames
85% 15 frames
90% 16 frames
Duck Hunt: 74% 7 frames
75% 8 frames
81% 10 frames
84% 11 frames
95% 15 frames
97% 15 frames
Falco: 62% 6 frames
63% 7 frames
66% 8 frames
70% Start delaying UAir
71% 10 frames
74% 11 frames
86% 15 frames
93% 17 frames
Fox: 54% 6 frames
56% 7 frames
59% 8 frames
61% Start delaying UAirs
65% 10 frames
68% 11 frames
79% 15 frames
86% 17 frames
King Dededededede: 95% 1 frame
118% 7 frames
121% 8 frames
125% 9 frames
129% 10 frames
146% 15 frames
152% 16 frames
Kirby: 45% 13 frames
50% 15 frames
54% Start delaying UAir
55% 17 frames
Dark Link: 79% 9 frames
81% 10 frames
96% 15 frames
103% 17 frames
Little Mac: 63% 3 frames
70% Delay UAir
75% 7 frames
78% 8 frames
84% 10 frames
87% 11 frames
99% 15 frames
104% 16 frames
Lucario: 85% 8 frames
89% 10 frames
92% 11 frames
104% 15 frames
106% 15 frames
Lucas: 67% 15 frames
75% Start delaying UAir
76% 18 frames
Mario: 77% 12 frames
85% 15 frames
90% 16 frames
Marcina: 65% 6 frames
66% 7 frames
69% 8 frames
73% Start delaying UAir
75% 10 frames
78% 11 frames
89% 15 frames
96% 17 frames
Mega-Man: 78% 5 frames
85% 7 frames
88% 8 frames
95% 10 frames
110% 15 frames
118% 17 frames
MK: 62% 8 frames
66% 10 frames
69% Start delaying UAir. 11 frames
79% 15 frames
84% 16 frames
Mewtwo: 52% 8 frames
55% 10 frames
58% 11 frames
59% Start delaying UAir
68% 15 frames
70% 15 frames
Brawler: 78% 7 frames
81% 8 frames
87% 10 frames
102% 15 frames
107% 16 frames
Swordfighter: 78% 9 frames
79% 10 frames
94% 15 frames
101% 17 frames
Gunner: 86% 16 frames
Ness: 67% 16 frames
71% 17 frames
Olimar: 46% 10 frames
54% Start delaying UAirs
59% 15 frames
67% 18 frames
Pikachu: 54% 8 frames
55% 9 frames
57% 10 frames
60% 11 frames
61% Start delaying UAir
71% 15 frames
77% 17 frames
ROB: 97% 14 frames
98% 15 frames
100% 15 frames
Roy: 75% 5 frames
80% 7 frames
83% 8 frames
89% 10 frames
104% 15 frames
109% 16 frames
Sheik: 62% 11 frames
73% 15 frames
70% Start delaying UAir
77% 17 frames
Shulk
Vanilla: 78% 11 frames
88% 15 frames
95% 17 frames
Jump: 77% 4 frames
85% 7 frames
88% 8 frames
93% 10 frames
111% 15 frames
119% 17 frames
Speed: 78% 11frames
88% 15 frames
95% 17 frames
Shield: 176% 11 frames
188% 15 frames
198% 17 frames
Buster: 78% 11frames
88% 15 frames
95% 17 frames
Smash: 56% 11 frames
65% 15 frames
72% 17 frames
Sonic: 75% 15 frames
77% 15 frames
Wario: 89% 10 frame advantage
101% 15 frames
103% 15 frames
Zelda: 64% 14 frames
67% 15 frames
71% Start delaying UAir
75% 18 frames
ZSS: 62% 8 frames
66% 10 frames
69% Start delaying UAir 11frames
80% 15 frames
84% 16 frames
Have fun SHUFFling.
A fun idea just occurred to me.

Against Fox between 0 and 8%, and Greninja between 0 and 9% (no rage), if you manage to get a grab near a bomb (e.g. z-drop then a slightly delayed grab to make sure the bomb isn't still active when you reel them in), you can do:

D-throw, SH buffered Z-catch, instant grounded footstool (short footstool), buffered bomb d-throw, FF at the peak and move towards them to re-footstool (short footstool again), to easy Nair FF Lock, to fun.

It's all unavoidable if you do it right, but doing it right will be difficult. You have been warned.

The Soft Throw Bomb
Here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqLCgbazuGs
I like it. You can do it with just the joystick and the attack button as well, but having an A-stick makes it super easy.
It can be done out of an initial dash or a walk.
If you're using just the joystick and the attack button and you're doing the initial dash variation, it's similar to doing a Perfect Pivot only you have to do a very light flick of the joystick that only barely goes back in the other direction.
I posted my matches with Lawz in the video thread

http://smashboards.com/threads/video-critique-thread-25th-january.369394/page-8#post-18485239

The reason I'm posting it in here is because I wanted to draw attention to Lawz usage of z-drop bombs and soft bomb throws. The stage control that the bombs had, coupled with the occasional boomerang, really felt like it limited my options during the matches. Honestly, the only times I felt like I was capable of doing anything is when Lawz let up on bombs and started going more aggro.
I've been using the soft throw a whole bunch ever since I switched to the a-stick, and I just have to talk about it. Not just the fact that it's insanely good, but I wanted to make sure everyone knows how it works and also all of the different ways that it can be done. The vid linked above, while informative and amazing, is slightly off.

First of all, to clarify, the reason why the soft throw works has nothing to do with the slide back in the opposite direction making the throw somehow have less momentum or something. The only difference is in the arch that the Bomb travels when soft thrown forwards as opposed to being soft thrown backwards. When soft thrown forwards, the bomb has a slightly higher arch while when it is soft thrown backwards it is a flatter throw. To see proof of this, go to the stage Jungle Hijinxs, stand over to the right of the main stage, use the a-stick (or just the A button) to throw a bomb forwards towards the leafy platform on the right and it will land on the platform. Now turn around, and use the a-stick to throw a Bomb backwards towards that same platform and it will not land on it.

Because this tech has nothing to do with momentum going backwards, this means three things. The first is that, as alluded to above, you can just use the a-stick from a standing position and throw the bomb backwards and it will land on the ground. The second is that if you want you can do the input for the backwards JC throw instantly, such that it doesn't even look like you moved when in fact you turned around twice very quickly, and it will still work. Furthermore, it means that you can run or dash forwards, hit backwards, and then interrupt the beginning frames of your turn around animation with a JC throw back in the same direction you were originally running and you'll still get the soft throw effect.

Now for the rant about how good this tech is. The soft throw means that you have an active hitbox out for much longer. While it is bouncing on the ground, it will explode on impact and pop up on shield, and obviously a moment later it will explode of its own accord. Having as many active hitboxes out for as long as possible at any one time is absolutely essential for overwhelming pressure spam. If your opponent is afraid to move or drop their shield, that's good. I like to think of these Bomb mines as being similar to Snakes Nades. Sure, Snakes nades had a larger hitbox and they did more damage and they could be grenade stripped, but Link's soft throw has an active hitbox that will explode on contact when thrown out and Link has a plethora of other tools to keep the pressure on. The zoning and pressure and stage control potential for this tech is actually ridiculous
I don't know how people could NOT be using soft bomb throws. It forces people to work around them because it just bounces to their feet. It is, in my opinion, Links most useful technique in this game.
If you soft-throw bombs on the ground, pikmins that return to olimar/alph(After being thrown) will pick up the bombs and bring them to olimar/alph. This often results in the olimar being forced to shield or taking damage.

keep this in mind next time you fight an olimar/alph. Bombplanting and soft-throwing ftw.

Bombsliding
Go to the AT thread for a complete explanation of bombsliding. Many posts will be left out that simply state how it works etc and instead the following posts will be about the practical applications of bombsliding.
Here's why you should bombslide in a neat compilation. A good half of the clips are from tournament games. It's more than a gimmick guys, go do it.

Great practical demonstrations here. A lot of those examples really highlight the usefulness of being able to 'throw' yourself forwards; that slight boost in speed can really throw off the opponent's spacing calculations, and importantly it leaves you in a neutral position where you can use any option you want unlike running where you have to skid first.
I upward bombslide a lot now: having a bomb in the air often is neat and the slide is huge. Btw, forward bombsliding (any variation) on opponent's shield on BF, having the bomb bounce and land on the platform, then grabbing and throwing the opponent then Z grabbing the bomb and throwing it after him is the greatest thing on earth. Fthrow's new angle actually makes it fairly feasible to hit, or to force them to jump over it. Up Bombslides to Fthrow / Bthrow / Uthrow are also not uncommon, and far from being a silly gimmick I do it all the time: you can even see Scizor do it against Master Zenyou in the video! I also do a lot of Up bombsliding under jumping people, then pivot grabbing (ready to be thrown into the bomb). It's great.
As FSK noted, if you do non-fake-out variations of the bombslide, logically the animation will be over sooner because otherwise you're just delaying the second throw animation by a couple of frames give or take. This means that you are able to act out of the slide sooner.
One might be tempted to think then that the best forward throwing bombslide variation will be the non-fake-out forward throw bombslide. However, this is not so obviously the case.
Best case scenario for the bombslide forward-throw: you can cancel the dash throw animation on frame 1, that means that the explosion will be on frame 9 (at best) and you'll be able to act on frame 22. Compare this to doing a Bombslide Down-throw fake-out where the explosion is on frame 5 and if the down-throw is done on the first possible frame (frame 3) you'll be able to act on frame 22 as well. These are the two undisputed best possible bombslide options that throw the bomb forwards in terms of frame data. The down-throw fake out one gets the bomb out sooner and covers more of your slide, but then you'll get a longer slide with a non-fake out forward throw bombslide.

Stutter stepping and Kara Smashing
So I found this video and could find here on the boards so I decided to share it here in the Link boards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LE1emLDAZ8

Z-drop Tricks

I think you guys were talking about this stuff in previous threads, (the Zair stuff was talked about in here) but I decided to make a short video about it showing Z-dropped bomb stuff that Link can pull off. However I'm mainly showing off his Z-Drop Bomb Bair walls and Zair Bomb Aerials.

iirc, @ Fox Is Openly Deceptive Fox Is Openly Deceptive talked about dropping bombs out of an aerial which can be used to chain multiple aerials (specifically Bairs) while holding a bomb.
if you do an instant z-drop [i.e. z-drop the bomb on your first airborne frame immediately following the jumpsquat] such that the Zair doesn't come out, and you do it right on the opponent, the Bomb will of course explode instantly, and because the bomb blast doesn't hurt you and z-drops are lagless this allows you to do some interesting things. Connecting a footstool after the blast is of course easier because you can do it immediately unlike when you throw the bomb down (it's just that the set up for the footstool is easier by simply throwing it down).
But even just the idea of being able to put out a hitbox within 2 frames of you leaving the ground that then combos into an aerial of your choice essentially means that so long as you are holding a bomb, you have a 2 frame rising aerial, just with a very small hitbox.
So I found something interesting. If you Zair drop a bomb and immediately grab the opponent, the bomb explodes as you pull them in, doesn't hurt you, and still allows you to pummel/throw.
can zair bombdrop be good option for a landing mix up? Just dropping the bomb as Link is landing, so zair doesn't actually come out but the bomb just C4s.
From experience, it's great when you're getting rushed down. If they get hit by the bomb, it gives you follow up opportunities which can lead to stage control. Even if they don't take the bait, the active bomb should give you a little window to re position yourself.
Zair only has 8 frames of landing lag. But yes, I use it quite a bit myself. Characters often are rushing at Link. Dropping the bomb puts a hitbox out for a while and often catches people off guard in my experience.
Here is a video showing it, if you can do an instant Z-drop, you can IZAC.
Another way to do a Dair off stage and get a low spike is too simply bring the bomb with you off stage. Drop the bomb [near the edge of the stage], [then jump off-stage and use a rising aerial to] regrab [the bomb] then [buffer a zairless z-drop toward the end of the aerial] off stage. Then simply catch the bomb [at any point with whatever you want, for example] a rising Dair. [The] Explosion will save you and all is good.

Edge Slip True Combos
So I stumbled upon this video on true comboes based on platform slides (Link's combo is at 2:05). It seems to be really good and have potential for interesting variations and follow ups. What do you guys think?
In the edge slip true combos section there's a link to a 3DS video. I made a Wii U version for Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY0ic-YgYG0

Bomb Properties
I apologize in advance if this is common knowledge to most of you, but I just learned this yesterday and I think it could be very important to Link's metagame.

Link's bombs in Smash 4 are not affected by stale move negation.

I did a little testing this morning with bombs and Zair, because Zair didn't have SMN in brawl and I wasn't sure if that carried over. Here's what I found:
Zair is now affected by SMN like any other move. The lowest % I got with both hits was 3% (1%-2%). Consequently, it can now be used to unstale other moves, unlike it brawl.
Bombs are quite unique because they do not stale, but they still unstale other moves. A direct hit from a bomb will always do 5% no matter how many consecutive hits you make. Likewise, using several bombs will cause a previously stale move to become fresh.
We all know that Link's bombs are amazing and that they're even better than before in smash 4. One of the improvements is that they are much more durable and seem to have more priority vs other projectiles. Naturally, this got me curious (curse you curiosity) about the exact data on bomb's priority vs other projectiles. So without further to do, here is the data I collected.

Note: Going off the data I have here, it seems that once a bomb receives 6% damage it will explode.

Fireball: Bomb Wins
F.L.U.D.D: The water remains unaffected and the bomb is sent upwards
Fireball: Cancel [Note that the fireball has to be perfectly fresh in order to cancel out the bomb.]
Luigi's fireballs fly at a low trajectory so bombs typically go right over them​
Priority vs peach is dependent upon which turnip she pulls and whether Link and peach do soft or smash throws.
Turnip | Both Soft | Both Smash | Link Smash - Peach Soft | Link Soft - Peach Smash
Smile | Bomb Wins | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
Circle Eyes | Bomb Wins | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
Line Eyes | Bomb Wins | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
T Shaped Eyes | Cancel | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
Curved Eyes | Cancel | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
Wink | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel
Dot Eyes | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel
Stitches | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel
Firebreath: Bowser's firebreath remain unaffected by the bomb. The firebreath seems to have a windbox of sorts that affects the bomb depending on how hard you throw it. A smash throw will result in the bomb being tossed up in the air. A soft throw will result is the bomb slowly "riding" the fire until it hits Bowser.
Egg: Cancel
Yoshi Bomb (star): Bomb Wins
Uncharged Luma Shot: Both Win
Fully Charged Luma Shot: Luma Shot Wins
Star Bits: Both Win
Cannonball: Cannonball wins regardless of charge
Mechakoopa: A direct hit will not affect the mechakoopa, but an indirect hit will cause it to explode
Uncharged Peanut: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Peanut: Cancel
Banana: Bomb Wins
Chef: Bomb Wins
Oil Spill (filled with 3 bombs): Oil Spill Wins
Uncharged Bow: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Bow: Cancel
Bombs: Cancel
Boomerang: The bomb will always cause the boomerang to return when it hits it. Whether or not the bomb pushed through depends on when you hit the boomerang. Hit the boomerang anywhere from the middle to the end and the bomb will continue flying, but if you hit the boomerang right after link throws it then your bomb will explode.
Din's Fire: This is a tricky one. For starters, once Zelda initiates a Din's Fire the explosion cannot be prevented. I believe this is common knowledge, but the fireball cannot be affected by our bombs (or anything for that matter) until it explodes. Hitting Zelda during a Din's Fire will cause her to lose control of when it explodes and therefore forcing it to go the max distance. However, she will still be able to control the trajectory. Din's Fire will cancel our bombs if it hits with the center sweet spot, but a sour hit will not affect the bomb.
Needles: Bomb Wins
The bomb can withstand up to 5 needles. If it hits all six then it will explode.​
Burst Grenade: Another tricky one. What happens depends on how far along on the attack Sheik is when the bomb hits it. If you hit the grenade at the very beginning your bomb will push through and the grenade will fall harmlessly to the ground and then slide towards you. Hitting the grenade anywhere from shortly after she throws it until she pulls the pin will stop the grenade in it's tracks. Your bomb should push through, but the grenade will still detonate. After Sheik's pulled the pin there seems to be no stopping it. Throwing your bomb at the grenade during the part where is pulls people towards it will send your bomb flying in a random direction.
Uncharged Bow: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Arrow: Cancel
Bombs: Most of the time Gay's bomb would explode and Link's bomb would continue flying. Occasionally they would both explode on contact. I think it may be dependent on whether they collide directly or off-centered, but I'm not sure.
Boomerang: Bomb Wins
Uncharged Charge Shot: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Charge Shot: Cancel
Homing Missile: Bomb Wins
Super Missile: Cancel
Bomb: Samus' bombs seem to be intangible until they explode. Throwing a bomb into one of hers as it exploding will cause our to explode as well.
Uncharged Paralyzer: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Paralyzer: Cancel
Uncharged Bow: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Bow: Cancel
Auto Reticle: Bomb Wins
Can withstand up to two shots. If Palutena hits the bomb with all three shots it will explode.​
Thunder: Bomb Wins
Elthunder: Cancel
Arcthunder: Bomb Wins
Thoron: Thoron Wins
Arcfire: Both Win
Elwind: Both Win (first hit), Elwind Wins (second hit)
Clay Shooting: Cancel
Wild Gunman:
Red Bandanna: Both Win
White Shirt: Both Win
Black Coat: Both Win
Brown Coat: Gunman Wins
Sombrero: Gunman Wins​
Trick Shot: After the dog kicks the barrel it can survive 8 attacks until it starts smoking. Hitting the barrel with a bomb counts as one of those attacks. If you throw a bomb at the barrel as it's smoking they will both explode.
Final Cutter: Final Cutter Wins
Gordo: The bomb will explode and the gordo will be sent flying back toward D3, damaging him if it connects.
Super Dedede Jump (star): Bomb Wins
Blaster: Bomb Wins
Blaster: Bomb Wins
Thunder Jolt: Bomb Wins
Thunder: Thunder Wins
Flamethrower: Both Win
Rock Smash: Bomb Wins
Can only withstand one rock fragment. If the bomb hits a second one it will explode.​
Uncharged Aura Sphere: (0%-43%) Bomb Wins, (44%-999%) Cancel
Fully Charged Aura Sphere: Cancel
Force Palm:
Sweet spot: Force Palm Wins (the timing window for Lucario to destroy the bomb and stay outside the blast radius is very small)
Tip: (0%-27%) Both Win, (28%-999%) Force Palm Wins​
Uncharged Water Shuriken: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Water Shuriken: Both Win
Robo Beam: Both Win
Super Robo Beam: Robo Beam Wins
Gyro: Cancel
PK Fire: If the bomb hits the bolt the bomb will explode and PK Fire will activate
PK Thunder: Cancel
PK Flash: Much like Din's Fire, PK Flash is intangible until it explodes. Hitting Ness while he's charging PK Flash will prevent it from exploding. Our bomb will explode if it is caught in PK Flash's explosion.
Gyroid: Cancel
Fair/Bair: Bomb Wins
Pocket: The Priority on Villager's pocketed projectiles are the same as ours with the exception of an uncharged arrow which cancels our bombs, and the latter half of boomerang which stops the bomb without exploding it.
Pikmin: Bombs stop all of Olimar's ranged attacks including Pikmin Toss and Fsmash, unless it's a red pikmin. Bomb's are considered a fire type attack in Smash 4 so naturally red pikmin, which are immune to fire attacks, are unaffected by bombs. For all other pikmin, bombs will either stop them in their tracks or kill them if they're received enough damage.
Uncharged Sun Salutation: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Sun Salutation: Cancel
Header: Cancel
Pill: Bomb Wins
Uncharged Bow: Bomb wins
Fully Charged Bow: Cancel
Bonus Fruit:
Cherry: Bomb Wins
Strawberry: Cancel
Orange: Cancel
Apple: Cancel
Melon: Cancel
Galaxian: Galaxian Wins
Bell: Bell Wins
Key: Key Wins​
Metal Blade: Both Win
Crash Bomber: Bomb Wins
Leaf Shield: Both Win
The bomb will destroy any leaf it touches, but I don't think it's possible for it to hit all four​
Lemons: Bomb Wins
Charge Shot: Cancels regardless of charge
Hard Knuckle: Both Win
Let me just put it this way, if you want to hit someone with a Bomb who is standing up from the ledge and then buffering shield, the only way to hit them is for the Bomb to explode by hitting the ground or miraculously of it's own accord. What I am seeing right now is a Bomb literally inside a character, and then the moment that their intangibility runs out, with one frame of vulnerability mind you, they are able to shield the explosion caused by the Bomb reacting to their hurtbox. The reason for this of course is that Bombs don't explode immediately on impact. The upshot of all this is, Bombs are pretty much useless against someone standing up from the ledge and shielding.
Once the bomb is stationary (inactive) it will no longer detect hurtboxes, even if you make it move again by pushing it off a platform with your character model or pushing it with a windbox etc.
If we're just talking about the bomb itself being shielded, then there are zero frames [of shield hitlag/stun]. In context this obviously wasn't the information you were after, but it's good to be clear about these things.
So we're talking about the explosion generated by the bomb.

But then the amount of blockstun inflicted will depend on how much damage the explosion would have otherwise done, and this in turn depends on e.g. how fast the bomb was moving at the time it exploded. In context however it would seem you are after how much blockstun it inflicts when the timed fuse runs out while being held, i.e. the least amount.

But then there's something else to consider as well. When talking about hitboxes that are disconnected from your own body (items and projectiles), the amount of 'time spent in shield unable to do anything' should consist not only of blockstun but also block-freeze (i.e. shield hitstun and shield hitlag respectively if you're more familiar with those terms). If we were talking about e.g. a normal Jab hitting a shield, we wouldn't really care about the block-freeze because both we and our opponent have to wait out the same time, and we only start to gain an advantage of some sorts when talking about blockstun, during which we continue the animation of our move while they are still stuck in shield. This is why disembodied hitboxes like projectiles are so good against shields, because the attacking character doesn't freeze during blockfreeze. To counteract this brokenness they used a different shield stun formula for projectiles to reduce the amount of shield-stun given, but it's still a significant point to bring up.

But then the context you're referring to is talking about either dodging the explosion or perfect shielding it, and I should note at this point that perfect shielding isn't as effective as you might think. The greatest advantage it gives is freeing up your standard options (minus walking/dashing) without having to wait through the 7 frames of shield-drop, but in terms of comparing a regular OoS option such as grab when used out of a regular shield or when used out of a perfect shield, the difference is unimpressive at best. This is because a perfect shield only reduces around a quarter of the blockstun inflicted. So to take an example, if Link shields Mario's D-tilt with a standard shield, he will endure 6 frames of blockfreeze then 4 frames of blockstun and be able to start his grab on frame 11. But if Link powershields Mario's D-tilt he will still endure 6 frames of blockfreeze then 3 frames of blockstun and be able to start grab on frame 10. Normally because blockfreeze doesn't matter so much, this is still a semi-decent gain from 4 frames to 3, but when talking about disembodied hitboxes it becomes a lot worse (as it would have been a gain from 10 to 9).

With all of that in place, let's look at exactly how many frames you would be able to move before the opponent can due to powershielding the timed explosion of a held-bomb where they only shield it normally.

And the answer is 1. You can act 1 frame earlier only. Granted, you can use any grounded option immediately instead of being restricted to OoS options, but still. Considering Link's slower frame data, this is a dumb idea. End of story.
Just so you know, bombs, being items, are not affected by rage.
I'm going to try to boil down what is essentially a full day of labbing to tell you the truth about bomb activity and inactivity after being shielded. Forget everything you thought you knew.

Just a reminder that by 'active' I mean 'the bomb will detect enemy hurtboxes' and obviously by 'inactive' I mean 'the bomb will not detect enemy hurtboxes'.

The rules are as follows:
1. Counting from the first frame of the bomb pull animation, if a bomb is shielded on frame 84 or later, then regardless of how the bomb was thrown or z-dropped etc and regardless of how it was shielded, the bomb will be inactive from the moment it touches the shield and will remain inactive.
2. Counting from the first frame of the bomb pull animation, if a bomb is shielded on frame 83 or sooner, then regardless of how the bomb was thrown or z-dropped etc and regardless of how it was shielded, the bomb will become active on frame 84, i.e. it will be inactive until then, and then it will remain active until it comes to a complete rest on the ground or is caught etc, with one exception.
3. The exception to rule 2 is if the bomb is thrown or z-dropped within a shield, i.e. so that on the bomb's first active frame it is already within the shield, and it hits the shield between frames 76 and 83, counting from the first frame of the bomb pull as always. Doing this will cause the bomb to bounce up high and perfectly vertically, and the only active frame will be frame 84. From frame 85, the bomb will be inactive. Note however that the bomb will usually then explode upon hitting ground because it gained enough speed while falling from so high up.

Obviously then what you want to do is hit a shield before frame 84 if you want the added benefit of keeping an active bomb on the field for a few moments longer. To give you an idea of how much time you have to hit a shield with the bomb, here are some examples:
- If you pull a bomb and immediately buffer a soft throw, it will touch the ground first on frame 80.
- The same goes buffering a forward throw (non-smash), only of course it will explode when it lands on frame 80.
- If instead you buffer a smash throw immediately after pulling a bomb it will land and explode on frame 78.
- Finally, if you do a FH bomb pull then do a DJ D-throw, it will hit the ground on frame 68.

So essentially, the bomb has to be used almost immediately depending on how long it will take to hit a shield, otherwise the bomb will become inactive upon touching the shield and it will pose no threat to the opponent from that point other than the timed explosion of course.

Note that if the bomb bounces off a shield on or before frame 83 and becomes active again on and after frame 84, this will mean that it can bounce off their shield again, because naturally, bombs bounce off shields when active. Because the second bounce necessarily has to hit their shield on or after frame 84, the bomb will necessarily become inactive as per rule 1, and so it is impossible to get a third bounce.

It's possible that there are scenarios that I didn't test, and I'll let you know when I know, but for now, these are the rules.
List of how opponent's projectiles deal with our C4 bomb. If something "wins" then it remains while the other leaves, if something "trades" then they both explode or disappear.

Bayonetta: Bullets go over bomb.

Bowser: Bomb explodes after taking too much damage from flamethrower

BJ: If cannon hits bomb, bomb explodes, otherwise cannon will go over bomb

Mecha-koopa walks through bomb, mecha-koopa will be slowed for a few frames but other than that nothing is affected.

The kart after an Up-B will explode and cause the bomb to explode

Charizard: Bomb will explode once it takes enough damage.

Cloud: Both blade beams trade with bomb.

Corrin: Uncharged Dragon Fang Shot goes over bomb. Fully charged trades with bomb.

Diddy: Peanuts will fly over the bomb. If it lands on the bomb, the bomb wins

Banana will fly over the bomb. If banana lands on the bomb, the bomb wins.

Dr. Mario: Pills can go over bomb. If they hit bomb, bomb wins.

DHD: Can can go over bomb. If they connect then they will trade.

Frisbee goes over bomb. If it hits bomb it will bounce off and neither will explode.

Falco: Laser goes over bomb.

Fox: Laser goes over bomb.

G&W: Bomb beats bacon

Greninja: Bomb beats uncharged Water Shuriken.

Bomb trades once charged. Fully charged and neither explode.

King Dedede: Gordo explodes the bomb, bounces back towards DDD for one bounce.

Link: Arrow goes over bomb, otherwise bomb beats arrow if it hits. Boomerang goes over bomb. Thrown bomb explodes once it hits C4 bomb, C4 bomb does not explode. Thrown bomb can fly over C4 bomb.

Lucario: Uncharged can go over or will lose to bomb. Charged will trade.

Force Palm can go over bomb depending on spacing, otherwise it beats bomb.

Lucas: PK Freeze does not affect bomb.

Bomb beats PK Thunder.

PK Fire trades with bomb.

Luigi: Fireball floats over bomb

Mario: Bomb beats fireballs, fireballs can bounce over bomb

Mega Man: Metal Blade goes over bomb.

Sticky bomb goes over bomb.

Bomb will beat one leaf and the rest will go over.

Pellets go over bomb.

Mewtwo: Uncharged Shadowball floats up and down and can float over bomb, if it his, bomb wins.

Once charged enough, Shadowball will start to trade with bomb if it hits.

Ness: PK Flash causes bomb to explode.

Bomb causes PK Fire to explode and will stay active.

PK Thunder causes bomb to explode.

Olimar: Pikmin toss: Pikmin go over bombs and then bring the bomb to Olimar. Purple beats bomb.

FSmash (and other Pikmin attacks): Pikmin go over bomb and do not bring it back. Purple beats bomb.

Pac-Man: Hydrant beats bomb.

Cherry can go over bomb, if it hits then it bounces up and bomb does not explode.

Strawberry can go over bomb, if it hits it causes bomb to explode and then bounces up.

Orange cannot go over bomb, it causes bomb to explode and then bounces up.

Apple can bounce over bomb, if it hits it causes the bomb to explode and bounces up.

Melon can float over bomb at mid range. If close or very far it will hit and cause the bomb to explode and then bounce up.

Galaga beats bomb.

Bell can bounce over bomb or just beat it.

Key beats bomb.

Palutena: Autoreticle (neutral B) goes over bomb.

Peach: Turnips bounce after hitting bomb, bomb explodes

Pikachu: Thunder Jolt can hop over bomb. Otherwise they trade.

Thunder will cause the bomb to explode.

Pits: Arrow goes over bomb. If directed into bomb, bomb wins.

ROB: Laser goes over bomb

Gyro bounces off of bomb and bomb explodes

Robin: All variations of Neutral B go over bomb.

Side-B can go over bomb, if it connects bomb will lose after taking enough damage.

Bomb beats Elwind.

Ryu: All forms of Hadouken go over bomb.

Samus: Missals fly over bomb.

If charged shot is large enough to reach bomb, they will trade. Otherwise it will fly over the bomb.

Sheik: Needles go over bomb.

Grenade can pull in bomb. If it explodes on bomb, both will explode. If it lands on the bomb, neither will explode and grenade will carry on with its animation.

Tink: Arrow goes over bomb, otherwise bomb beats arrow if it hits. Boomerang stops at bomb and then goes back to Tink. C4 bomb beats Tink’s thrown bomb, does not go over C4 bomb.

Villager: Loid rocket trades with bomb.

Fair and Bair will go over bomb.

Tree beats bomb.

Wario: Riding his bike over the bomb will cause it to explode and for him to get hit off the bike, the bike will still drive forward. If he does a wheelie, however, the bomb will not explode and Wario will remain on his bike.

If Wario throws his bike onto the bomb the bomb will explode, the bike, depending on its health, will either explode or stay intact.

WFT: Soccer ball will cause bomb to explode and then fly back towards WFT.

Sun salutation goes over bomb.

Zelda: Din’s Fire goes over bomb. If Din’s Fire explodes above the bomb, bomb wins.

Phantom pushes the bomb away from Zelda. If the bomb is in range of the Phantom’s sword during the swing animation, Phantom wins.

ZSS: Blaster goes over bomb

Hylian Shield stuff
I did some testing on what Link's Hylian Shield (HS) blocks.
HS will only block while Link is walking, standing still and crouching without an item (bomb) in hand. If Link is in 'off balance' animation at a ledge HS won't block.

I checked everything and Hylian Shield blocks all range attacks (provided they hit the shield and not Link) except:
Luma's Star Bits
Bowser Jr's upB
Wario's Waft
Ground Shockwaves like From DK's downB
G&W's Oil
Link's gale wind
Returning Boomerangs
Samus' Bombs
Zairs
ZSS' Dsmash
Palutena's Reflector
Ike's Eruption
Any Grab type move (like Robin's downB, Kirby's inhale etc)
Duck Hunt's Smashes
Pikachu's downB after it hits pika
The main rock of Charizard's rock smash (though the little rocks can be blocked)
Lucario's Aura Sphere as it charges and force palm's grab (but the farther reaching aura is blocked)
Olimar's Pikmin throw provided the pikmin grab you (so purples are blocked)
Pacman's Ghost smashes, forwardB, fire hydrant after it is launched by an attack, hydrant's water
Mii Gunner's Smash attacks and Uair (but Fair is blocked).

Interesting notes:
The following normal attacks are range attacks and will be blocked:
Mega Man's Fsmash, lemons, Uair, Dair
Villagers Fsmash, Fair and U-smash (very situational e.g. Link must be on a platform above Villager and crouch).
Olimar's smashes but Dsmash must be crouch HS blocked,
Mii Gunner's Fair

These Multi-hit attacks will be blocked but can push through and hit Link's back:
Zelda's charged phantom
Greninja's charged water star
Mega Man's metal blade
Bowser Jr's mecha koopas can push through then turn around and hit Link

Other interesting things:
Mario's Fludd, Falco's reflector, Luma shot will be blocked. HS is great for removing pesky DH clay pigeons/can and DDD's gordos from the battle. Vertical moves like Robin's upB energy waves, sonic's spring up can be block if they touch the HS. HS can block explosions as well as bombs in smash 4. Stars from Yoshi and DDD's ground pound moves can be blocked but to block DDD's Link must crouch. Flame thrower attacks like Charizard/Bowser's can be blocked but they can angle them so don't bother. Crouch to block PK Fire.
I have two questions about the Hylian Shield that I didn't see in the information about it on the OP, so I figured I'd ask.
  1. At what frame in the pivot animation does Hylian Shield begin working? I've been hit by lots of aura spheres and charge shots that I thought a pivot Hylian Shield would cover only to be sadly mistaken.
  2. How does the stun of Hylian Shield work? Is it a set amount of stun or is it calculated similarly to shield stun and if so, is there any situation in which Hylian Shield would be the better option?
Hylian Shield blocks on frame 12 of the pivot (i.e. standing turn around) animation, which is to say that it will not work for the entire duration of the pivot animation.

Hylian Shield works better than power-shielding. Not only do you go through slightly less shield-lag/stun than power-shielding, but you are able to dash or walk immediately after shield-stun (whereas with power-shielding while you can do any other option immediately after shield-stun, you have to wait for some shield-drop frames before you can dash/walk).
MM's Jab 1 pellet at full range, 2%:
Perfect Shield gives you frame 1 of Link's Jab on frame 4, and it gives you frame 1 of Dash forwards on frame 11.
Hylian Shield gives you frame 1 of Link's Jab on frame 8, and it gives you frame 1 of Dash forwards on frame 8.

Ok let's try something slightly stronger. Toon's arrows are good because they do consistent damage throughout the whole flightpath.

Toon's Arrow, uncharged, 4%:
Perfect Shield, Jab starts on frame 9, Dash starts on frame 16.
Hylian Shield, Jab starts on frame 9, Dash starts on frame 9.

Luigi has an early and late hitbox on his fireball, but I'll be using the earlier one.

Luigi's Fireball, early, 6%.
Perfect Shield, Jab starts on frame 11, Dash starts on frame 18.
Hylian Shield, Jab starts on frame 10, Dash starts on frame 10.


That's kind of a weird jump from 2% to 4% am I right?
Out of curiosity I'll quickly test Pit's arrows, which apparently do 3.27% with no charge.
Power Shield, Jab starts on frame 9.... what?
Hylian Shield, Jab starts on frame 8.

You know, I'm thinking that there's just something weird going on with MM's Jab pellets. They don't follow the rules. To prove this I'll try one more test.
Sheik's single needle at max range. It does slightly more than 1%, say, roughly 1.25%.
Power Shield, Jab starts on frame 7, add 7 for dash
Hylian Shield, Jab starts on frame 8, same as dash.
This is pretty much what I expected. MM's pellets are just weird apparently in that they must have a special modifier that makes them do less stun to (regular) shields.

And anything beyond e.g. a fully charged Samus shot doesn't matter so I'm not bothering to test multiply reflected stuff because who cares? What mattered to me was at what point the powershield was better than the Hylian shield, and I believe I found my answer.
And strangely about 1/20 times I walk a bomb forward the Hylian shield actually blocks the explosion. I think this has something to do with walk animation position or some nonsense like that so it may in fact be impossible to consistently block your own grounded bomb in matches but it is quite neat. I need to test further.
That makes exactly all of no sense to me from past experience. And you're totally right. For some reason, when walking both ways, it will randomly shield the explosion. I must know why.

Ok, I think I've got it almost figured out. But for now, I'm just going to say that you can auto-block bombs with the Hyrulian Shield that have been thrown up, come back down and exploded on the ground inside you. At this point I think it's either a very specific spacing thing, or it's a very specific part of the walk cycle, or perhaps even a very specific walk cycle/speed, or perhaps a transition between certain speeds, or perhaps a combination.

I've ruled out the spacing theory because I blocked a falling bomb that landed in front of me.
Note that the Hylian shield will not block until frame 8 on the way up or down while Link is transitioning between standing and crouching.
Note also that normally if you shield drop, the Hylian Shield will not block until frame 16, but if you walk forward out of the shield drop, it can block as early as frame 8.

Gale Boomerang Wind Effects
I found an interesting new Gale Boomerang AT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnrAkUvkR8c
If you space the Gale Boomerang so the attack has just ended the wind will catch and pull the opponent without going past them. The spacing is consistent and can be adjusted with tilt or smash strength throws.
This is one of my favorite things to do with an opponent.

Typically it ends up happening when they're offstage, so I do end up pulling them back to the stage, but that often leads to a tilt or Smash Attack given to the opponent for damage.

At times I've also noted with this phenomena that it can pull an opponent recovering past the ledge, so if you get lucky and catch them using their Up Special or something, you can punish them as they fall back to the stage in a helpless state after missing the ledge.

Trumping
So a thought occurred to me this morning. But let's review the basics first. When you grab the ledge there is a small period of time in which you cannot do anything. When someone gets trumped, there is a small period of time in which they cannot do anything. In order to punish someone who is trumped then, you must grab the ledge at almost the exact same time as them so that by the time they get kicked off, your period of time on the ledge in which you cannot move has already been used up. Seems fair enough.
Now add to this picture the fact that when you tether to the ledge, you can act immediately and you don't have any period of time on the ledge in which you cannot do anything. You see where this is going?

Take the situation where someone is on the ledge and you Tether to the ledge such that your timing isn't perfect (your timing doesn't have to be perfect i.e. you can do it at any point, not just the very moment after they grab the ledge) you reel it in, then when you grab the ledge they get trumped (they can be trumped any time after their period of time in which they cannot act has run out). Well did you know that in this situation you have a guaranteed D-air spike on every character?
Different characters have slightly different trump distances and archs that they travel, but this difference is not enough to make any difference. If you Tether Trump then immediately hit away from the ledge and double Jump Dair, it is impossible for the opponent to escape being spiked regardless of what character they are playing. Of course, this situation can be avoided by simply avoiding the trump, but still, you can see how this situation might occur, and knowing exactly what to do should you find yourself in this situation could easily win you the game.

Now if you Tether the ledge and your timing is perfect, i.e. you reel the tether in and grab the ledge just after they grab the ledge, you find yourself in a very advantageous position.
Even though you can act immediately, if you chose to stay on the ledge till the opponent can act and if they don't buffer a ledge option, they will be trumped and you can get that guaranteed Dair spike.
If you immediately stand up, the opponent is still forced to buffer a ledge action otherwise they will be trumped. Note that hitting away from the stage to let go of the ledge does not count as a buffered ledge option, and any attempts to do so will simply get you trumped. While I don't believe at this stage that you have anything guaranteed out of a trump in this situation with you standing up and all, it is still clearly advantageous. They cannot re-grab the ledge or they will be stuck on the ledge with no invincibility frames this time around (yelling please hit me), and you are by this time in complete control of your character and ready to punish them when they try to return on-stage.
Seeing as they will likely want to buffer a ledge option in this situation and seeing as you've already stood up, you are now in a prime position to punish whatever option they choose. This is very different from simply standing near the edge while someone is on the ledge because now you know that they must choose a ledge option and you also know exactly when it will come out. They have the option of immediate ledge roll, ledge hop, ledge attack, or stand up. [Metagame thread OP edit: Note that ledge get-up cannot be buffered and so is not an option that can be used to avoid being trumped, so the only options they have are to buffer ledge attack, ledge jump or ledge roll.] I'll leave it up to you to decide how to react in this situation.

(Is 'Tether Trump' too boring of a name?)
So ledge-trumping... what can we follow up with that hits in time? Bair (though seems like a weak punish)?
I've been thinking about what Link's best option after ledge trumping is. It's either ledge hop Bair or drop from the ledge>reverse upB covers most things
You can just react to them too, if they jump you can Uair them or you can wait for them to get back to the ledge, without invinciblity that time. That gets more and more necessary the worse the ledge trump timing.
A pretty solid option that I just thought of is ledge trump > bair > turnaround Up-B - which can kill very early, especially combined with rage.
So I found a way to make zair trump> dair a little bit safer. If you lay a bomb at the end of the edge, Link will grab the bomb when he does dair after the zair ledge trump.

What does this mean? It means that the bomb explosion will help Link from getting punished for re grabbing the ledge. When the bomb explodes, Link will get his invincibility back when he grabs the ledge. The problems with this are the timing for setting the bomb and trumping the opponent.
Pretty nice setup for the Tether Trump. http://smashboards.com/threads/tether-ledge-trump.429128/
I tested it and this quick version works for Link too, it's just difficult.

Edit: To be specific, Link needs to SH backwards off-stage from the very edge (RAR) and input tether anywhere between frame 3 to 7 of your airborne frames. Any earlier or later and you'll get a Zair. So you know, it's a 4 frame window. Definitely do-able with a bit of practice. And the pay-off! Well worth practicing imo. It's admittedly more telegraphed than a normal trump, so mix-it up and incorporate tether-trump to ledge get-up.
I heard that people were having difficulty with the quick tether trump.
I'll do my best to explain how it's performed more clearly.
For now, just roll to the edge to set it up so that your back is to the edge.
You want to input a SH. It must be a SH. If you FH instead it is impossible to tether the edge.
You want to immediately hit and hold backwards on the joystick during the jump-squat frames. Continue holding backwards at least until you see the tether turn into a tether.
Then it's just a matter of timing the tether input. The above quoted number of airborne frames, while entirely accurate, obviously doesn't mean anything to most people, so instead try to think of it this way: Try to hit tether when Link is almost half-way up to the peak of his SH. If necessary do a quick SH on the spot first to roughly gauge the timing.
And, it should work. I don't know what else to say. Once you can definitely tether with some consistency, only then should you start thinking, I want to try running towards the edge then doing a RAR to start it off, or, I want to immediately reel in the tether. Make no mistake, it will require practice even once you understand what you're supposed to do, but hopefully this will help people understand what they're supposed to do.
I realised just recently that the quick tether trump actually works differently on different stages. In the explanation I give in the quote inside the linked post, I stated that you can only hit tether on the 3rd airborne frame at the earliest (4 frame window from that point) and that it had to be out of a SH. Well while this does apply to most stages, there are a few stages that are much more lenient, making the quick tether trump very possible even for people who have never practiced it before.
The only legal stage this applies to is Dream Land.
On Dream Land, you can SH or FH backwards from the edge, and the tether will work from the first airborne frame. This means that you can actually buffer the tether during your jumpsquat frames. Hold Jump, hold back, hold grab, and watch it work.
The quick tether trump is an amazing AT, normally only held back by the difficulty of performing it, but on Dream Land this difficulty does not apply.
hey remember that ledgetrump to reverse up b that's useful but rarely done, here it is again by that guy that placed 9th at battle of bc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxEl9asWP14
if they jump after trump it'll hit too even with a late trump so it's not even that difficult to hit
When it comes to working out what kind of frame advantage you have after trumping someone, it sort of depends. Here's one example though.
Let's say you tether trump someone and they've already been on the ledge for over 20 frames. 10 frames to reel in the tether, on frame 11 you grab the ledge, on frame 12 they get trumped, and then on frame 13 you can let go of the ledge. Counting from the first frame that they get trumped as frame 1, they have 28 frames in which they cannot act, meaning in this example you have 27 frames to punish if you let go of the ledge frame perfectly, but then if you account for airdodging start-up lag, assuming the character has invulnerability on their 3rd airdodge frame, you have 29 frames to punish.

Nair Locks, Arrow Locks, and Jab Locks
It's not new but we haven't discussed it. Any hard landing (the opponent is 'injured falling' ['tumbling'] and bounces on the ground) that's not teched can be arrow locked as long as the bow isn't fully charged. You have to hit with an arrow as they land during the bounce or 'wobble' animation. For those unfamiliar with locks, after the arrow hits the opponent can't roll or get up attack and are forced to do a normal stand get up, which is punishable. Even across a medium stage this leads to a free dash attack. The gale and normal boomerangs hit and can cause a hard landing at low-medium %s but they launch the opponent higher than Brawl so it's more dependent on the opponent missing a tech. At low %s (0-40ish, %s vary with characters' weights etc) a strong hit Nair (first few frames of attack) leads to a low launch that easily hard lands and gets arrow locked. At higher %s (40-100 roughly) a weak hit FF Nair leads to the low launch and hard landing.
On extremely low percent ftilt can also be a setup for the arrow lock.

Also you can punish harder than simply doing a dash attack when using the range of a completely uncharged arrow. If you do the weak Nair set up at higher % you can follow up with an f-smash and kill pretty early. Below that you can use Links combos to do more damage than with an dash attack. If you have a bomb in your hand while getting the lock near the ledge , you can kill many characters at almost any % with a bomb->dair spike.
We can link together Nair locks, and here's how. The first Nair lock can be done in any way you want, e.g. SH/FH bomb throw down to footstool (it should go without saying to use the SH version of the footstool, not the FH version) then Nair at the peak of the footstool to FF the Nair asap (i.e. the very moment you stop rising and start to fall, hit down). At this point, [you have three options, the first is] to immediately bomb pull, dash in, SH/FH, return the joystick to neutral and z-drop the bomb as you are jumping (i.e. the 'instant z-drop' - look it up in the AT thread) so that the bomb is within the opponent's hurtbox, the bomb will blow up on the next frame allowing you to footstool them
[The other two ways are to simply pull a bomb then throw it immediately if they are very close to you, or pull a bomb and do a dash throw if they are further away, and then get the re-footstool. Much easier. Just do these two methods instead.]

Depending on the character this can be done multiple times, but will eventually stop working when the sourspot Nair starts hitting too hard. The only thing holding you back is your own tech skill.
The downthrow arrow lock at the right %'s below the platform seems interesting because you can cover all options with the arrow even if they tech the throw on the platform. You can charge to adjust for timing if they tech in place or tech roll. Then the arrow will push them off the platform (slide animation) and you can land and shoot another arrow to lock them on the stage floor.
Technically Link should be able to Nair lock everyone when they "bounce" off the ground, but in this scenario, you won't always be able to. Some characters can be Nair locked because they are both able to be hit by Nair and because the bounce animation is long enough for it to do so, and some can never be hit by Nair after a footstool either because their bounce animation is too short, their hurt box is too small/low for Nair to reach, or both. However in most cases, you can still Nair lock if you footstool the opponent right before throwing the bomb down at them, because the distance needed to travel in order to hit them with Nair after the second footstool will effectively have been reduced, allowing you to hit to them earlier in the bounce animation when it's possible to do so. Weight is just about the only factor that determines what % Nair will stop locking along with Rage (but we won't get into that, it's enough work as it is).

Let's all thank @Nd_KakaKhakis for doing most of the hard work. If there is no note underneath the character icon, just assume that you need to land the Nair as fast as possible (even though in a lot of cases, you don't actually need to). There's also a tidbit of information underneath DK I think is pretty important, you should check that out.

Out of a SH/FH bomb throw down to footstool, you are able to Nair lock:
:4link:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to footstool:
Direct hit of Bomb: 38%
Indirect hit of Bomb: 34%

:4metaknight:
Note: Very difficult to get the Nair lock consistently if you don't practice since MK is extremely small.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 32%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 28%

:4ganondorf:
Note: Hit his torso, you've gotta be quick.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 40%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 44%

:4dk:
Note: This goes for all big-bodied characters, but usually the bigger they are, the easier things get. Also the heavier they are, the longer Nair will be able to lock them, naturally. And one more thing. Arrow locking the fatties immediately after Nair locking them is a very viable option. It works against smaller characters too, but only at higher %s.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 42%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 38%

:4dedede:
Note: Same as DK.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 41%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 37%

:4charizard:
Note: Same as DK.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 40%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 36%

:4bowser:
Note: See DK.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 44%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 40%

:4kirby:
Note: Same as MK.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 32%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 28%

:4jigglypuff:
Note: Same as MK, except Jiggs can float behind Link and make it hard to land Nair.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 29%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 25%

:4rob:
Note: See DK.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 38%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 34%

:4gaw:
Note: See Jigglypuff.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 30%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 26%

:rosalina:
Note: You have to come down with Nair as fast as possible though otherwise Nair won't hit. Also watch out for Luma.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 31%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 27%

:4myfriends:
Note: Same as Rosa.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 38%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 34%

:4feroy:
Note: You need to be quick.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 32%

:4marth:/:4lucina:
Note: Same as Rosa.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 34%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 30%

:4corrin:/:4corrinf:
Note: Surprisingly easy. He has a very lengthy bounce animation and it isn't hard for Nair to hit.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 32%

:4mario:
Note: You need to come down fast with Nair here as well, really strict.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 32%

:4luigi:
Note: He slides really far after the Nair lock so chaining him is just about impossible, just go for an arrow lock into a grounded option after the Nair lock or run up and grab.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 32%

:4wario2:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 38%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 34%

:4drmario:
Note: Same as Mario.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 32%

:4bowserjr:
Note: See DK
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 38%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 34%

:4pacman:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 35%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 31%

:4pikachu:
Note: See Mario
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 32%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 28%

:4yoshi:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 38%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 34%

:4samus:
Note: Hit her torso with Link's "crotch" hitbox.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 39%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 35%

:4cloud:
Note: You have to aim for his knee.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 37%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 33%

:4duckhunt:
Note: See Mario.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 35%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 31%

:4lucario:
Note: Needs higher height footstool, so only advisable at higher percents. You can still do it at low %s though.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 32%

:4ness:
Note: You have to be quick and hit his head/torso.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 35%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 31%

:4olimar:
Note: It's surprisingly easy to land the Nair despite his size, just try to be quick.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 32%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 28%

:4tlink:
Note: Also pretty easy. See Ness.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 35%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 31%

:4villager:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 32%

:4sheik:
Note: Double footstool necessary, otherwise it's extremely hard.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 32%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 28%

:4falcon:
Note: Double footstool necessary
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 38%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 34%; Not a true combo, so don't worry about it.

:4fox:
Note: Needs higher height footstool, so only advisable at higher percents.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 32%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 28%

:4falco:
Note: See Fox.
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 32%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 28%

:4shulk:
Note: Double footstool necessary
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
Normal Shulk:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 37%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 33%; Not a true combo, so don't worry about it.
Shield:
-Direct hit of Bomb: 71%
Smash:
-Direct hit of bomb: 31%
Damage or "Faster" as Shulk puts it (the purple one):
-Direct hit of bomb: 36%


:4wiifit:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 32%

:4diddy:
Note: Double footstool necessary
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 35%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 31%; Not a true combo, so don't worry about it.

:4megaman:
Note: Double footstool necessary
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 37%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 33%; Not a true combo so don't worry about it.

:4robinm:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 35%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 31%

:4littlemac:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 32%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 28%

:4zelda:
Note: See Sheik.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 32%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 28%

:4sonic:
Note: See Fox.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 35%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 31%

:4pit:/:4darkpit:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 32%

:4greninja:
Note: See Fox.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 35%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 31%

:4lucas:
Note: See Ness.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 35%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 31%

:4ryu:
Note: See Fox.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 37%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 33%

:4mewtwo:
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to Footstool:
-Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 30%
-Indirect hit of Bomb (9%): 26%

:4miibrawl:/:4miigun:/:4miisword: (smallest size)
Note: Double footstool necessary.
Max % that Nair will lock after the bomb to footstool:
Direct hit of Bomb (5%): 36%
Indirect hit of Bomb: (9%): 32%; Not a true combo, so don't worry about it.

Characters who can't be Nair locked after a Dthrow bomb to footstool:
Zero Suit Samus, Bayonetta, Palutena
Bomb to footstool nair has been labbed out thoroughly percentage wise by myself and then updated presentation-wise and patch-wise by DarkDeity15 DarkDeity15

My spreadsheet is here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bOdLl8fp4weeUTyuX75r324lk0JOCHAD-XsOr1DuNR8/edit#gid=0

The character-specific mechanics of the combo can be pretty frustrating and unintuitive, but its definitely a valuable setup to have in your pocket.
From the desk of @ScizorVX

This is when soft nair starts to put people in kb and its difficult to tech making it easy to arrow lock [into] charged fsmash/spin.
These are based in training mode but the only real difference in an actual match is like a 2% difference.

Bowser 91+
Donkey Kong 90+
King Dedede 86+
Ganondorf 85+
Charizard 85+
Samus 85+
Bowser Jr 81+
Ike 81+
Rob 81+
Wario 81+
Link 80+
Falcon 80+
Ryu 80+
Cloud 80+ with or without limit
Corrin 80+
Yoshi 80+
Lucario 80+
Mega man 80+
Villager 80+
Shulk 80+ (very strict timing)
Doctor Mario 80+
Mario 80+
Luigi 80+
Pit/Dark pit 80+
Greninja 80+
Wii fit Trainer 80+
Roy 76+
Ness 76+
Robin 76+
Sonic 76+
Lucas 76+
Pac-man 76+
Duck hunt 75+
Fox 75+
Zelda 75+
Diddy Kong 75+
Falco 75+
Marth/Lucina 75+
Toon link 75+
Bayonetta 75+
Peach 75+
Palutena 75+
Little mac 71+
Meta Knight 70+
Pikachu 70+
Sheik 70+
Zss 70+
Kirby 70+
Mewtwo 70+
Olimar 70+
Rosalina 70+
Game and watch 70+
Jigglypuff 65+

Once again, thanks to @ScizorVX for the information.
I briefly doubled checked everything shown above and I can confirm that it all works.
On Bowser you'll be able to get a footstool out of this Dair if he starts somewhere between 15 and 30% (5% intervals), and even if you start at 30% the Nair will still lock.
What the video doesn't tell you is that it is actually easier to get the footstool out of a FH DJ Dair on a smaller character because the Dair will hit later letting you footstool out of the pogo sooner, and the video did it to one of the tallest characters. Obviously Bowser was chosen for his weight so that the Dair wouldn't send him too far away, but this can work on Jiggs too (between 0 and 5%) just as an extreme example. The best candidate would be someone small and heavy.
Anyway, if you can get even more time in the air e.g. by doing a ledge hop DJ Dair or by using platforms or by getting hit into the air first, you'll be further optimising your ability to get the footstool out in time.
[Our Jab 1 can Lock] Specifically it's the two hitboxes attached to his arm that can lock, as they have 361 degree 'sakurai angles', just like Nair and Arrows. The trouble is they have low priority, so you have to miss the hitboxes on the sword completely, making Jab 1 pretty useless for locking practically speaking. http://i.imgur.com/F5psssK.jpg
There is a way after all to intentionally jab lock an opponent, and that's by perfect pivot jabbing. And just so you know, I was messing around in training mode when I got Nair lock to perfect pivot jab lock to work. I took this to Discord for discussion. Here's a gify:
https://gfycat.com/HardSoupyErne

And here's what Fox Is Openly Deceptive Fox Is Openly Deceptive has to say about it:

"Ftr, yes, you can do a PP Jab after a Nair lock and get a Jab lock, and then you can do a PP Jab after the Jab lock and get another Jab lock, against the likes of DK at least. Is it worth the extra 5% and distance you move the character forward? probably not considering you'd be giving up some time to charge F-smash or whatever.

It at least got me interested in the idea of using PP Jab to lock, so I looked into the possibility of e.g. standing underneath a platform, doing a SH Nair to force a ledge slip, FFing, then doing a PP Jab lock. What I found was that while we do have the time to do this, the PP Jab lock is extremely inconsistent at best, and you're giving up a guaranteed roughly 30 frame window to punish counting from the end of the Nair landing lag up to when they can act after the untechable ledge slip, to possibly get a 47 frame window to punish that in reality will probably not work because the PP Jab will likely miss entirely.

tl;dr - at this stage, going for PP Jab lock is not worth it imo."

This is what Sandbag had to say:

"Decided to try it out, on DK specifically I found it could be useful since after the jabs you can get the Bair combos and what not. Also if you want to move an opponent closer to ledge, though I'm sure the charge time >> how close you are to the ledge. If you're doing those Double Dair combos afterwards. I could see applications against heavies (ig) for maximum % since stuff won't kill but overall seems like a really messy inconsistent negligible optimization, though it has inspired me a bit. Interesting to note but I doubt it'll be used TL;DR Foxy is right, go figure lol."

Lagless SH Airdodges
It turns out that if you SH and instantly airdodge, you can land laglessly so long as you throw a bomb in any direction, use a grounded Up-b, use a boomerang, use an arrow, or pull a bomb. I'm personally very interested in using this as an approach and as an escape option.
I've used the airdodge lag cancel with bomb throws but it was more of a gimmick. It's funny with up b when they don't put up their shields but obviously not very useful.
The first actionable frame of Link's airdodge is frame 34, i.e. on frame 34 you can have the first frame of Uair out, and airdodge will autocancel regardless from frame 36. If Link lands on frame 34 or 35 without using (e.g.) U-air he will incur the airdodge landing lag, but if you buffer U-air as a 'just in case' sort of thing, and you happen to land on frames 34 or 35, then you will get the normal landing lag, and if you would have landed on frame 36 or more anyway (up to frame 43), nothing would have changed.

The issue is of course the fact that Link's SH airborne time is 33 frames. One more frame and it would be perfect.
So what can we do with this U-air autocancel that we can't otherwise?

Well we can FH buffer airdodge from the side platforms of BF onto the top platform and land with normal landing lag only if you input the Uair (or Nair, or Dair).

Again, we can fall through the top BF platform and immediately airdodge and land with normal landing lag only if we use the aerial autocancel.

Not much else though (?).

Just note that if you input an aerial during airdodge then you input shield soon after (within like 10 frames), Link will do a Zair, so when trying to go for the aerial autocancel, don't press shield until you land, or else do anything else but attempt to shield.

Fast Fall stuff
Do we know the air time of Link's short hop FF and full hop FF? Oh, and what's the first frame Link can fastfall out of a short hop and a full hop?
Including the (7) jump-squat frames, Link can FF at the earliest on frame 25 of his SH and on frame 32 of his FH. Note that you can buffer the FF on frame 22 of the SH and frame 29 of the FH at the earliest.

The airborne time for a SH immediate FF (which of course will naturally not include the jump-squat frames) is 22 frames, while the airborne time for a FH immediate FF is 34 frames.
That means, assuming fastfall on the first possible frame, that SH B-Air into immediate FF has a hitbox out during frames 18-22, with Link landing on the 23rd frame with 10 frames of landing lag. This could probably be possibly useful, but I do not know how safe the second hit of B-Air is on shield.
As for this particular instance where we're doing the SH buffered Bair to buffered FF ('the maneuver') against a shielding opponent, well the second hit of Bair has slightly more range than the first hit (visually it has a decent amount more), but then we wouldn't necessarily be hitting the shield as we land. The second hit of Bair has 5 active frames, which, if we can just take a moment to appreciate this, is kind of a lot really. This means that the effectiveness of the maneuver against shields will depend on the size of the opponent, but generally you'll be hitting their shield on frame 18 to 20, and then every frame it takes to continue falling until you finally land is going to be taken away from the safety of the maneuver.
I played around with the idea of buffering inputs mid air that come out as you land.
Links Uair has 10 auto cancel frames at the start of the move so if Uair then hold shield and you land during that 10 frame window at the start of Uair, the shield will be buffered out 'Instantly' as soon as you land [which means you don't need to time the shield input and you don't need to worry about accidentally airdodging] [He went on to explain that you can do a SH and FF at the peak of the SH, which he then went on to explain in more detail]

-Buffering the FF Uair-
Hold hold down or down diagonal, as long as you did this before you reach to the high point of the jump you will not FF, then when you perform the input for the Uair while holding down on the Left control stick it will instantly [automatically] fast fall. As long as the aerial has enough frames you will land on stage with a nice auto cancel. [so just input the Uair at or after the peak of your SH while holding down]

[then he went on to explain that anything can then be buffered after you've inputted the Uair and it will come out automatically as soon as possible when you land. cool.]
His fast fall ability is very important. It's definitely one of his notable attributes. Any reason why you would ever want to FF is made significantly better. It helps his recovery by throwing off the opponent's estimation of where you will be, letting you avoid aerials without needing to airdodge and allowing you to tether the ledge sooner than expected; it helps his landing while being juggled e.g. by FFing with a Dair or Nair to catch people attempting to use e.g. Uairs before their aerials can come out, or simply using it in conjunction with airdodge and tether; it does wonders for his trap game, allowing you to threaten opponents trying to land by making them afraid of e.g. Uair, only to be immediately on the ground covering all their escape options with e.g. U-smash; it means he is able to threaten with potential FF landing aerials (like Fair) even when he can simply not FF then drift away and not engage or use e.g. Zair; but perhaps most importantly, it means that once he has the FF available, say at the peak of a SH, he is able to threaten the same area on the ground with both aerials and ground moves at the same time, or in other words he is able to tomahawk very effectively, throwing off the opponent's dash in, OoS, and perfect shield timing as they expect you to land with an aerial, only to have you using grounded options instead.

SHFF has 22 airborne frames and FHFF has 34 airborne frames if you FF as soon as you can.

Footstool stuff (generally)
anyway footstool uses for link
1. jump off shield after pressure with bombs
2. bomb footstool nair lock
basic by zane
inb4won'thappeninrealmatch scizor doing it on larry lurr
nair lock is very specific I don't really have the data but someone will
3. bombstool to dair is sort of useless btw you might as well do aerial dthrow bomb to fair / uair then and save the effort, it could kill before but the hit was changed so I dunno, but good for styling
There is a specific technique that I use sometimes to gimp characters with bad vertical recoveries.
Such as corrin or mario

Works on every char. It's essentially just hitting with the last few active frames from Dair into a footstool

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l2vt8g3tmkxmjug/Datei 04.01.17, 03 57 16.mov?dl=0

Second Jump Renewal (a.k.a. the Triple Jump)
The Triple Jump.

Use up your DJ in any way at any point, pull a bomb, but make sure to time your bomb pull so that the FAF of the bomb pull is also your last airborne frame (it will create an extra 'airborne' frame in which you will come into contact with the ground and otherwise should have landed, which will replenish your DJ and on the same frame, being the FAF, you will be able to use it). If you do this correctly, you will be able to use another DJ without landing, i.e. a triple jump (TJ).

Unfortunately because it takes too long for Link to get rid of the bomb, under normal circumstances you will be limited to just using a TJ and will not be able to do this trick more than once, let alone indefinitely, however if you make use of platforms for example, then sure, technically you can keep doing it until you can't go any lower.

Because it requires frame perfection when inputting the bomb pull after a DJ (meaning that buffered setups are more or less out of the picture), it's going to be very difficult to find any reliable way to pull this off.

Having just said that here's what I came up with in 2 minutes. You do a FH buffered bomb pull, buffer a DJ and immediately throw the bomb in any direction (for throwing it down you need to throw it on the 5th frame of DJ; any other direction you want to throw it on the 3rd frame of the DJ), then buffer another bomb pull and buffer the TJ. It's actually surprisingly possible if I do say so myself.

I believe it was first stumbled upon here https://mobile.twitter.com/anzurizuri/status/815458920630128640
 
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Fox Is Openly Deceptive

Smash Detective
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General Theories On the Optimal and Most Effective Way to Play Link:

Link in a nutshell
When explaining why a character works, typically the focus will be on mobility, combo ability, and the start-up frames for attacks. When discussing Link however, these things aren't anywhere near as important. What Link lacks in mobility, extended combos and fast moves, he makes up for with his projectiles, range, option coverage, and power. Link is a character who flows best when the opponent's movement options are limited because it means he can safely throw out his attacks unchallenged. The range, duration and area coverage of his attacks will beat out most options that the opponent might take so long as they are where you expected them to be.
His primary objective is to limit his opponent's movement options, keep them like that, and then throw out his superior attacks to cover the options they have left. The opponent's movement options can be limited by being hit (whether that be upwards, into a tech situation, off-stage, or simply so that they are forced to give up stage control), being backed into the corner of the stage where they can no longer run away, being forced to jump or DJ, having a projectile block a movement option, being pressured to stay in shield, etc.
Because of this, Link can struggle against bait and punish playstyle whereas he can actually perform quite well against pure rush-down playstyles because the later is more predictable. It also means that Link can struggle against characters with superior air mobility. So long as you know where the opponent will be, Link's moves will do the rest.

Approaching
Link for the most part is served well by leading with projectiles (mainly Bombs) when approaching, as the added pressure of an extra hitbox means the opponent must contend with two attacks and make decisions based on where and when both will strike. In the heat of battle snap decisions are essential, and the more you can weigh down an opponent's options the better. It will be somewhat MU dependent as certain characters have either reflectors or better projectiles that will stymie Link's own options, but by in large this would be a good jumping off point when planning your advances.
The important thing is not so much which attack to approach with, but to cover your approach with a projectile or a disjoint like Zair. Link is not a rush character, so don't rush. Look for an opening or create one with your projectiles and approach only to punish. For example, throw a rang and bomb to force the opponent to shield, then approach for a grab as they're shielding. Try to time it so that if they let go of their shield they'll get hit by a projectile.
If you come down on someone with a Nair you want to always try to land behind them. If you land behind them then they can't grab you. With Fair you could possibly try spacing it so you hit with only the tip of the sword. As long as the opponent doesn't have a tether then you should probably be out of grab range.

Retreating
Zair/Fair from a backwards SH can stop opponents trying to rush Link. Zair with a bomb from a SH will C4 it and make it harder for the opponent to approach. On the ground pivot Ftilt/Fsmash works very well.
If you're a bit farther SH/Jump and throw the boomerang down or pull a bomb.
Platforms are Link's friends (except maybe the SV one that Link can't FH to). Link has good ways to attack below him with bombs and low landing lag so platform camping is often more effective that moving back on a flat surface.

To escape pressure and reset a situation:
Jump/SH Nair, jabs and rolls. Jab 2 cancel>roll away.
Just to add to what Rizen has said, retreating JC throws back at the opponent are amazing, as are retreating pivot F-tilts. If you can help it, try to dash away for retreating purposes instead of rolling away. Dashing is slightly faster and you can always shield after the initial dash and you have many other options still available to you during it, but rolling leaves you vulnerable if the opponent calls you out on it and runs straight through. This isn't to say that rolling is completely without it's place; it does get him out of harms way at least initially much quicker due to the invulnerability frames; but if you're forced to roll, that means you messed up earlier imo, and so you should be aiming to avoid the situations in which you feel that it is your best option.

Killing
I find myself killing with Up-throw often. I get about 150% on em and grab->pummel to 160ish%->Up-throw kill.
If the opponent approaches Link you can use defensive options like pivot attacks, punish grabs etc. If Link has to hunt the opponent down it's much harder to kill.
The fastest, safest kill move Link has is Utilt. It can work in most situations. U/Dsmash and UpB start fast but have a lot of endlag if you miss. Fsmash is Link's strongest kill move from a read, it can punish dodges with Fsmash 2 but is very punishable on shields.

Link can also go offstage and intercept the opponent or arrow snipe them.
Rather than outright forcing the kill in the neutral, you're better off going out of your way to first put the opponent in an awkward situation and then capitalise on this with e.g. a frame trap U-smash or reading your opponent's escape option.

Attacking (Combos/Strings)
Real quick, boomerang to forward air connects when thrown in CQ.
Bair -> [aerial] Up B. Its a 7-8 hit combo [registers in training mode as consecutive hits] that deals 22-24% damage
Running bomb throw, down tilt, fair, seems to be a 4 hit combo at 0%. It does 35%.
[Landing with the first hit of] Fair can combo into grabs at earlier %s, and so can [landing with] nair. Weak hit nair can also combo into Dsmash from low to almost mid %s I think.
Bomb thrown down from the air>any aerial or footstool.
Forward bomb throw>jab/Ftilt/Fair/Utilt/Usmash/upB (ground or air)/Zair/grab/Dash attack... pretty much everything except projectiles or Dair provided Link acts immediately and can reach the opponent after the bomb blows them up.
Zair 1st hit>immediately land>jab/upB/Dsmash
Fair 1st hit>jab/upB/Dsmash
Nair>jab/upB/Dsmash
Strong Nair>arrow lock: (provided the opponent doesn't tech).
Weak Nair>arrow lock: (provided the opponent doesn't tech). Arrows might need a slight charge the higher the damage %s.
Bair>Bair
Utilt>Utilt/Usmash at low %s
Dthrow> e.g. Utilt/Usmash/Uair, depending on the opponent's DI and damage %.
Jab 2>quick attack e.g. Up-B based on reads.
oh just dropping by to let you guys know that nair dash attack is a thing on every character somewhere from 85-110 depending on weights/fall speed its a good set up off of dthrow jump read an air dodge into nair dash attack and kill super early L; (Edit again) every nair version works with this hard nair is at like 40-55ish again depending on weight/fall speed, also the kill one is off soft nair
2nd hit of Back Air actually can send enemies into a tumble and be comboed into a Dash Attack at certain percentages. I presume the opponent can DI this
Link has garanteed follow-ups off of Fthrow on the platform in smashville at low very low %s while facing the way the platform is moving. It's definitely something to take note of against fatties and fast fallers. Dsmash out of fthrow is a thing as well and Fthrow to jab is guaranteed on DK from 0% to 11%. Longer if he DIs away, down or in (he would probably expect a Dthrow and end up DIing badly). I even got the combo counter on my side lol. Holy crap, even Utilt works. Cool. Fthrow to jab works on Fox but only until 4%, and jab is pretty much all you can do.

Funny thing is, because Fthrow isn't weight dependent, this is actually more guaranteed than the usual Dthrow follow-ups on characters like Bowser and Dedede.
Major thanks to @ScizorVX for the following data on possible combos for soft NAir to DA, not taking the silly critical hit reeling animation into account. These are all possible for DI away or no DI, but the opponent can DI down and tech. Still useful. Straight from @ScizorVX himself (who doesn't like posting):
Yoshi: 97-115(108-115 nair into them) (isn't safe!!)

Olimar: 85-95

Rob: 105-125

Corrin: 99-120(116-120 Nair into them)

(Isn't safe!)

Bayonetta: 96-110

Falcon: 110-120
Fox: 92-100 very unsafe at all points (tight spacing)

Ness: 85-105

Palutena: 96-105

Samus: 100-125

Bowser Jr: 97-120(110-120 Nair into him, unsafe)

Shulk: 100-120

Mewtwo: 85-100


The following are where soft hit NAir to DA are true, the NAir is autocancelled and hit as late as possible.
First number is where it began to work, second is where it stopped working:
Peach: 100-105
Rosa: 95-105
For JP one must FF the NAir and so will not get the autocancel (too short.)
JP: 80-95
Stryker posted (from Scizor) percents where Late Nair (the one that does 6%) will cause tumble. This info is useful because you can convert with arrow locks or you can go for a dash attack that potentially seals the stock. The trick to making this a tight (hard to tech situation) is to hit them with nair RIGHT at the percents where it starts causing tumble. It depends on their floatiness but i'd say within a 10% window of the percents given indicates a solid time to go for a dash attack follow-up. The applicability of when you can go for arrow lock has more variables because hitting them with the arrow isn't always easy.

All the data is there on a post on page 48.

I was looking into how rage factored in here though. You can find all the percents provided earlier but now I've given you the first percent nair will start causing tumble with Full (150%+) rage. I just finished the 100% rage as well.

These values were derived using http://rubendal.github.io/Sm4sh-Calculator/tsvgen.html and checked by myself using handicap in VS mode (I can't speak to the full accuracy of the non-rage numbers but I didn't find any errors when I double checked a couple characters.)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oh11gqs0fFU8n3YMxzMZfchOG1MDrpjb_nsb8rL65Lg/edit?usp=sharing

Take a look, hope you guys find this useful!
Back hit of U-tilt to FH Uair combo percents:

It's not a true combo because it can be avoided by DIing away, but otherwise they will be unable to avoid the Uair so it's still good to know.

I'm only interested in the strong initial hitbox of Uair connecting. In many instances you will be able to force an airdodge outside the percent range given and then still hit with the lingering Uair hitbox, and in that sense it will still be unavoidable, but I won't be bothering with that for now. I might in the future though.

I'll try to stay realistic here which will mean taking into account a few variables which are as follows:
There are two main hitbox frames that are going to be the 'back hit' of U-tilt depending on how close the opponent is and how tall they are, and these are frames 11 and 12 of U-tilt. Frame 12 is obviously optimal for comboing if you actually hit it because you'll be able to move one frame earlier, but if the character is tall enough that frame 11 is relevant, I'll mention both.
There are also two possible directions that the opponent can be sent by U-tilt depending on which hitboxes of the U-tilt hit and which miss (regardless of what frame you hit on). Basically all you need to know is that taller characters will always get hit the right way on both frame 11 and 12, small characters will not be hit by frame 11 (assuming they're not on top of Link) and will always be hit the right way by frame 12, but the medium height characters will either always get hit the wrong way by frame 11 or will get hit the wrong way by frame 11 if they are too far away. If they get hit the wrong way they will be hit up and away from Link as if they had DI'd the U-tilt away properly. What we want is for them to be hit up and towards Link so that they end up closer to him so that our FH Uair (jumping backwards, all buffered) will be able to connect. If there is any trouble in this regard for a specific character I'll mention it.
If the character gets hit the wrong way or the opponent DI's away, you'll have to dash back to follow them and you won't have anything guaranteed other than forcing an airdodge and then hitting them after that in some instances.

The following was tested at 5% intervals in training mode so no rage etc. What this means is that if I say e.g. 45% to 55%, it worked on these percents and it didn't work on 40% and 60%, i.e. maybe the true range is in fact 41% to 59%, or maybe it really is just 45% to 55%. Rage is always a factor you should take into account, but it will not stop these combos from working; it will merely shift the general percent range given below so that it happens earlier.


Bayonetta:
Bat Within says no.

Bowser:
Frame 11: 50% to 60%
Frame 12: 45% to 60%

Bowser Jr.:
Frame 11: BJ's height is such that frame 11 will always hit the wrong way.
Frame 12: 45% to 60%

Captain Falcon:
Frame 11 and 12: 45% to 65%

Charizard:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 45% to 60%, but because Charizard sticks his head out it's hard to avoid frame 11, so this is not really relevant.

Cloud:
(non-limit)
Frame 11: 45% to 55%
Frame 12: 40% to 55%
(limit)
Frame 11: 45% to 60%
Frame 12: 40% to 60%

Corrin:
Frame 11: 45% to 60%
Frame 12: 40% to 60%

Dark Pit:
Frame 11: Not enough hitstun.
Frame 12: 45% to 55%

Diddy:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 45% to 55%

Donkey Kong:
Frame 11: 45% to 65%
Frame 12: 45% to 70%, but not really relevant.

Doctor Mario:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 55%

Duck Hunt:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 55%

Falco:
Frame 11: Not enough hitstun.
Frame 12: 40% to 50%

Fox:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 50%

Ganon:
Frame 11: 45% to 60%
Frame 12: Not relevant.

Greninja:
45% to 55%

Ike:
Frame 11 and 12: 45% to 60%

Jigglypuff:
30% to 40%

King Dedede:
Frame 11 and 12: 45% to 70%

Kirby:
35% to 45%

Link:
Frame 11 and 12: 45% to 60%

Little Mac:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 55%

Lucario:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 45% to 55%

Lucas:
40% to 55%

Lucina:
Frame 11 and 12: 40% to 55%

Luigi:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 50%

Mario:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 55%

Marth:
Frame 11 and 12: 40% to 55%

Mega Man:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 60%

Meta Knight:
40% to 50%

Mewtwo:
Frame 11: Not enough hitstun.
Frame 12: 40% to 50%

Mii Fighter:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 60%

Mii Gunner
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 55%

Mii Sword
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 55%

Mr Game and Watch:
40% to 45%

Ness:
40% to 55%

Olimar:
35% to 45%

Pac-Man:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 50%

Palutena:
Frame 11 and 12: 40% to 50%

Peach:
Frame 11 and 12: 40% to 45%

Pikachu:
40% to 50%

Pit:
Frame 11: Not enough hitstun.
Frame 12: 45% to 55%

R.O.B.:
Frame 11: 45% to 60%
Frame 12: 45% to 65%

Robin:
Frame 11: 45% to 55%
Frame 12: 40% to 55%

Rosalina:
(assuming Luma doesn't interfere)
Frame 11: 40%
Frame 12: 35% to 40%

Roy:
Frame 11: 45% to 60%
Frame 12: 40% to 60%

Ryu:
Frame 11: 50% to 55%
Frame 12: 50% to 60%

Samus:
Frame 11: 45% to 55%
Frame 12: 45% to 60%

Sheik:
Frame 11: Not enough hitstun.
Frame 12: 40% to 50%

Shulk:
(vanilla)
Frame 11: 45% to 60%
Frame 12: 40% to 60%
(jump)
Frame 11 and 12: 40% to 65%
(speed)
Frame 11: 45% to 60%
Frame 12: 40% to 60%
(shield)
Frame 11: Not enough hitstun.
Frame 12: 80% to 95%
(buster)
Frame 11: 45% to 55%
Frame 12: 40% to 60%
(smash)
Frame 11: 40% to 50%
Frame 12: 35% to 50%

Sonic:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 45% to 50%

Toon Link:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 45% to 50%

Villager:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 40% to 50%

Wario:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 45% to 60%

Wii Fit Trainer:
Frame 11: Not enough hitstun.
Frame 12: 45% to 50%

Yoshi:
Frame 11: Hits the wrong way.
Frame 12: 45% to 55%

Zelda:
Frame 11 and 12: 40% to 50%

Zero Suit Samus:
Frame 11: Not enough hitstun.
Frame 12: 40% to 50%

Defending (includes OoS options)
[Just to clarify what this section is about, it's broadly about dealing with the opponent's offence, so you're no longer in a neutral situation, they are on the attack, and the goal is to reset back to neutral, counter, or avoid the heavier punish.]
When being comboed you want to make sure your DJ counts. Pull it out too early or use it too predictably and you'll lose it without escaping the situation. Sometimes you need to assess whether it's better to take the hit rather than avoid it and leave yourself open to something worse, whereas some hits must be avoided at all costs, even if it means doing something unconventional.
With strings of attacks, sometimes offence is the best defence, e.g. throwing out a Nair to break a string of attacks if the opponent is way too keen and isn't backing off.
If you're in the air in a juggle situation, remember that airdodging is a good option if you're able to fast fall first then airdodge and then tether the ledge. Airdodging will not cancel the fast fall in the same way that aerials will, so you can fast fall airdodge and most characters will be unable to keep up with you. In a pinch, if the opponent is up too high especially if they're floaty, fast falling into an airdodge should get you back to the ground safely. Otherwise if they want to cover your landing and don't jump up to meet you, pull a bomb and use it to help cover your landing.
Combo DI is very important here. Usually you want to be DIing up and away from the opponent (relative to the direction the attack naturally sends you in) to break out of their offence sooner, but sometimes you can catch your opponent out by deliberately DIing in an unconventional way if they weren't expecting it which can avoid the follow up they otherwise would have gotten (if the combo window is tight and they don't have time to react).
Zan posted this not too long ago http://smashboards.com/threads/the-...o-critique-thread.368737/page-7#post-19995599
I linked FSK to it and we got to labbing. These are the results. I'll start with the basics first.

When you get hit and experience low level knockback all actions will be capable of being performed on the same frame (they can of course be buffered). When you get hit and experience medium to high level knockback, this changes. Airdodge is able to come out earlier than all other options, and the amount of frames earlier that it comes out on will depend on how much hitstun Link would otherwise have had to go through.
[Edit: For more detail, see here. http://smashboards.com/threads/mechanics-techniques-discussion.368206/page-44#post-20106322 ]

So let's say you're holding a bomb and you get hit with medium to high knockback, what are your options? Well you can throw the bomb, and that will come out later than an airdodge, and if you try to z-drop it something weird happens. If you input Grab (to z-drop) and you buffer the input before hitstun ends, you'll get a Zair while holding the bomb, the bomb won't be dropped, and the Zair will come out later than airdodge. If you instead wait for the period of hitstun to wear off and hit grab, Link will instead throw the bomb. You have to wait around another 15 frames after the period in which you can throw the bomb to be able to input just grab in order to z-drop the bomb. Normally then, in order to get a Z-drop to work soon out of hitstun, you would have to do it immediately after using your DJ, which is still after an airdodge, which has obvious downsides. But then here's where things get interesting.

The first four frames of airdodge can be canceled by Z-drop and Bomb throw. These are known in the AT thread as the 'airdodge cancelled z-drop' and the 'instant bomb throw' respectively. What this means is that when Link receives medium to high knockback, he can airdodge earlier than any of his other options then immediately cancel that airdodge by throwing the bomb or Z-dropping the bomb - which allows him to throw a bomb or z-drop a bomb out of hitstun noticeably earlier than usual, at least in comparison anyway. This could just be a generally useful thing to know when throwing Bombs out of hitstun, but for now we're interested in the potential for combo breaking in the airdodge cancelled z-drop and how it can be used as an alternative for airdodging. Note that coming out of hitstun, the airdodge can be buffered, but the Z-drop input must be done separately no sooner than the initial frames of airdodge and certainly no later. [Though it's possible to just mash the Grab button really fast during hitstun and have it work.]

To be honest, at this stage I'm quietly skeptical as to just how useful the airdodge cancelled z-drop will be for breaking combos. I just don't want to get ahead of myself here. It's not on the same level as the 'Invincibomb' from Brawl, nor is it on the level of the all too quickly patched out 'Bomb Throw Cancel'. It does in fact put a potential hitbox out much earlier than any other option Link has out of hitstun from medium to high knockback. So there's that. Out of Sheik's D-throw to U-air though for example you need to get the bomb to be dropped right in the way, which is difficult.
Note that if you input the Z-drop on the first frame of airdodge it will be dropped in front of Link, on the second frame it will be dropped inside Link, and on the third and fourth frames it will be dropped behind Link. Let me just make a point of mentioning at this stage that airdodge only starts giving you intangibility on frame 3 anyway.
If Sheik goes for the D-throw to Up-B, the Bomb has to fall on and hit her before the hitbox comes out, but then Up-B has a semi-decent hitbox size, so if a Sheik catches onto the trick, she could probably just deliberately avoid the bomb entirely by using Up-B to the side of you.
One more thing: when you do the airdodge cancelled Z-drop, you are stuck in the air doing your Zair if you don't get hit (in the vid Zan linked he got hit by a single 1% hitbox in the middle of Sheik's U-air), and while the Bomb can provide some protection, you're still quite vulnerable in your Zair state; and worse still, because you cancelled the airdodge with Zair, if you land during that Zair animation (which is very very long) you will go through the airdodge landing lag when you land.
[just to add to that ^] normally, you can't regain control of your mobility until hitstun wears off; airdodging, while it allows you to act before the usual hitstun time wears off, is actually detrimental to regaining your mobility. But when you cancel your airdodge with either a z-drop, Zair, or bomb throw, you not only cancel hitstun sooner but regain control of your mobility much sooner.
Stryker's vid on Link's OoS options: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7GlG9BSaaE

Shield Pressure/Breaking
And then there was everything: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GaDXAPQJlz0AiIYSSOWFwy_dg04Rrq4a-YF9-VDOhZI/edit#gid=0

If you follow the link, it will show you a bunch of numbers. What I'd like to draw your attention to for now is the last two columns. A positive number means that we have a frame advantage, and a negative number means that they have a frame advantage.

The first thing you should note then is that Nair, Fair, Bair and Zair all give us a frame advantage on drop. [Assuming of course that you land immediately after hitting them.] What this means is, if you space it so that the opponent can't hit you with an OoS option, you can act before they can. This is more than just 'safe'. This allows you to continue pressuring them at your discretion.

Something I found particularly interesting however was that Nair is potentially 'safe' even when used right up close. You're only at a -2 disadvantage, which is silly. Let's say the opponent has a 6 frame grab (Mario and Fox have a 6 frame grab; it's the standard fastest grab in the game). You come in, land a Nair in their face on shield and they attempt to punish with a frame perfect grab OoS. With you at a -2 frame advantage, that's like them having a 4 frame grab. But hang on a second. If you buffer a spotdodge, it has invulnerability starting on frame 3, and if you buffer a roll it has invulnerability starting on frame 4, which means... 'whiff'. Now obviously being able to roll away requires landing the Nair frame perfectly, but then we're talking about the quicker grabs in the game here. There are plenty of matchups that won't require frame perfect precision to avoid their OoS options, and this will open up a whole new playing field for us.

It should go without saying that Jab 2, D-tilt and F-tilt are 'safe' against shield drop options, which is made practical by their range and/or shield pushback.
I should clarify the implications of this, because it's very likely that people don't realise how good projectiles technically are on shield. There is a very good reason why they gave projectiles less shield-hitstun then normal moves. The source linked above calculates shield-stun only, but it says nothing of shield-hitlag. With normal moves this wouldn't matter because both players experience the same amount of hitlag. E.g. Link's Nair hit the shield, both players are stuck in place for a little while, then Link starts to move again and the shield-stun starts at the same time, which lasts for like 8 frames or whatever and everyone moves on with their lives. Projectiles however, don't follow these rules. For projectiles, the frames of shield-hitlag they inflict are as good as shield-stun frames because Link doesn't freeze when one of his projectiles hits a shield.

What this means is that projectiles are better on shields than you may have realised.

Take the simple boomerang for example. It does 7%, so using the formula for calculating projectile shield-stun it does 4 frames of shield-stun (though I'm not actually so sure about this now that I look at it closely; the formula may be off slightly, it looks more like 5 frames but I don't care because calculating projectile shield-stun only is stupid, which is what I'm trying to explain) whereas a normal attack would have done 6 frames of shield-stun. But then when factoring in the amount of shield-hitlag the boomerang does, the opponent is stuck in shield unable to do any OoS options etc for 10 frames, all while Link is busy finishing off the boomerang animation or doing something else, meaning that projectiles actually get a better frame-advantage than normal attacks.

But now to answer your question:
If a bomb (not the explosion) hits a shield there is no shield-hitlag or shield-stun whatsoever. They can act OoS immediately, otherwise they have to wait 7 frames for the shield-drop.
If the explosion hits their shield, well then it will depend on how much damage the explosion is doing, and as you know that depends on how fast the bomb was independently traveling at the time it exploded (when talking about indirect explosions, which we necessarily are).
To give you an idea, let's say you throw the bomb down out of the air (while rising/falling, doesn't matter) and it hits the ground right next to their shield. If it wasn't shielded it would have inflicted 9%, so now the opponent is stuck in shield for 12 frames before they can do any OoS option or anything at all; they are locked in shield, and if hit by e.g. an aerial before these 12 frames end, this will be a true block-string; if 1 or 2 frames too late, it will be a pseudo block-string in that the opponent only has the option of taking the next hit on their shield or getting hit by it.

The thing about projectiles is that you can of course also increase the amount of frame-advantage you have by making the projectile hit later in the animation that started it (perhaps once the animation is already over), e.g. if you were further away when the boomerang or bomb was thrown.
Ok so I wanted to look into whether and to what degree SH bomb throw down to Nair was a pseudo block-string. I already knew that it wasn't a true block string, but I figured it would be nice to know how well it can be used in such a way that the opponent must shield the Nair or else get hit by it.

The first thing you need to note is that it will work differently on different characters. E.g. note the difference in spotdodge intangibility frames. http://kuroganehammer.com/Smash4/Spotdodge
When dealing with something that is determined largely by a matter of mere frames, the difference between a 2 frame spot-dodge and a 3 or 4 frame spotdodge means everything.

The situation I am testing is Link SHing (slightly forwards) throwing a Bomb down then buffering a Nair. The ideal situation is where Link throws the bomb down on frame 16 of the SH (including the jump-squat frames), because this will mean that if the Nair is buffered it would put the hitbox out on the last airborne frame; though it should be noted that for the purposes of getting the bomb throw to Nair to work as a pseudo block-string, you can throw the bomb down on frame 13 to 16, i.e. such that you're throwing it down at around the peak of the SH and such that a buffered Nair comes out just before you land. Not impossible, 4 frame window.
Obviously the situation I am testing assumes that the bomb blast was not power-shielded.


Using the link above as a reference, here are the results:

Any character with a 2 frame spotdodge will be able to avoid the Nair entirely.

Any character with a 3 or 4 frame spotdodge will not be able to avoid it entirely and must either block Nair or get hit by it.

If a 2 frame spotdodge character does spotdodge the Nair, you have a significant frame advantage over them, at which point depending on which way you're facing and where they are in relation to you, you'll want to use something with a decent amount of active hitbox frames that is also relatively quick, e.g. U-tilt, U-smash, or Grab, and they will not be able to avoid this.

Naturally every character can simply shield Nair, at which point everything hinges on how late the Nair hit their shield (i.e. was it the last airborne frame or do you still have 4 frames left to fall before you land) and how fast their OoS options are.
I won't go into this too much as it is a long and arduous tangent, but as a frame of reference, if you throw the bomb down at the ideal time then buffer the Nair such that its hitbox comes out on the last airborne frame, the opponent will have a 2 frame frame advantage over you but will be limited to OoS options. We will be able to spotdodge frame 5 options and roll to avoid frame 6 options, and the fastest grabs are frame 6.

Against characters with slow OoS options it will be relatively safe to throw out an attack after the Nair is shielded, but there is absolutely no situation in which the Nair leads into a pseudo block-string because Link's options are too slow and Nair doesn't give enough frame advantage. Every character will be perfectly capable of avoiding the attack following Nair if they want to, but whether or not they'll be able to attack you depends on the character.
Here is the raw data on what moves are safe for Link on an opponent's shield. First are Link's moves with the DD and DO of the move. Following that are the opponents OOS with their frame count, what they can do to punish Link's moves. This list already takes into account the 7 frames necessary for a shield to drop on moves that cannot be done directly out of shield. It also takes into account for the 2 frame startup of Link's spotdodge before he can avoid a grab. However, this list does not take into account the range of Link's moves or his opponents, you will have to take that into consideration when checking the safety of a move on your opponent's shield. (The example below gives step by step instructions.)

Also keep in mind that when attacking the back of an opponents shield, they will lose most options that do not require them to drop shield first. Bair is their only guaranteed option, but some may have a Up-B or U-Smash that can reach behind them like we do.
DD: Disadvantage drop- this means how many frames the opponent has to punish Link after dropping shield first.
For example, Link’s jab 1 has a DD of 10. If a character has a DD punish of 10 or less, that will punish. OOS will not use DD for this list.

DO: Disadvantage out of shield- this means how many frames a character has to punish Link using a direct OOS, like grab or jump cancelled moves.
For example, Jab 1 has a DO of 17, so if the opponent has a move of 17 or less, that move will punish. All OOS listed are for DO.
Take a move of Link’s, let’s say UTilt. The DO is 20. Now go to the opponent’s character and look at their OOS. If it is 20 or less, that move can punish Link’s UTilt.

Some notes: This is raw data only. This does not account for the reach of a move. For example, the DO of FTilt is 13, so Falcos grab should punish as it is 6 frames. However, if spaced right, Falco cannot reach so he will have to drop shield instead of shield grabbing, adding 7 frames. So now the DO of FTilt is 13 and the grab punish is 13, not accounting for Falco having to run at Link to grab him, making it no longer a punish.

Link has a spotdodge of 3, meaning on the 3rd frame he cannot get grabbed. So Falco’s grab is really 8 frames but because it takes Link 2 frames to spotdodge, it is listed as 6.
For data on shields I used this document by LordWilliam1234 and looked at the advantage drop and advantage out of shield (I called the disadvantage drop and disadvantage out of shield so I don’t have to deal with negative numbers).

For frame data I went to Kurogane Hammer’s site here.

Here are Link’s moves:
Jab (1): DD: 10 DO: 17
Jab (2): DD: 4, DO: 11
Jab (3): DD: 19 DO: 26
F-Tilt: DD: 6 DO: 13
D-Tilt: DD: 2 DO: 9
U-Tilt: DD: 13 DO: 20
Dash Attack: DD: 20 DO: 27
F-Smash (1): DD: 23/19 DO: 30/26 (Sourspot/ Sweetspot)
F-Smash (2): DD: 39 DO: 46
D-Smash: DD: 23/13 DO: 30/20 (Hit1/Hit2)
Up-Smash: DD: 21 DO: 28
Aerials
Nair: DD: -5/-2 DO: 2/5 (Early hit/ Late hit) Landing lag: 10 Auto-cancel: 1-3, 36>
Fair: DD:-3/-4 DO: 4/3 (First hit/ second hit) Landing Lag: 12 Auto-cancel: 51>
Bair: DD: 0/-1 DO: 7/6 (First hit/ Second hit) Landing lag: 10 Auto-cancel: 29>
Dair: No shield data for some reason Landing lag: 32 Auto-cancel: 1-9, 65>
Upair: DD: 6 DO: 13 Landing Lag: 23 Auto-Cancel: 1-10, 47>
Zair: DD: -2/-3 DO: 5/4 (First hit/ Second hit) Landing Lag: 8
Specials
Hero’s Bow: DD: 13/9 DO: 20/16 (Uncharged/ full charge)
Gale Boomerang: DD: 0 DO: 7
Bomb: DD: DO:
Spin Attack (Grounded): DD: 52 DO: 59
For Opponents OOS I always had USmash, Grab and Up-B when possible. Bair is added to help one understand how safe a move can be on the opponents shield. Otherwise if a punish takes too long it is omitted.
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 18
Up-B: 4
FAir: 11
Nair/ UAir: 13
BAir: 15
DTilt/UTilt: 14
Jab: 16
Heel Slide: 22
Grab: 7
U-Smash: 16
Up-B: 6
NAir: 16
BAir/ UAir: 17
Jab: 14
FTilt/ DTilt/ DSmash: 17
Dash Attack/ UTilt: 18
Grab: 10
U-Smash: 7
Jab/DTilt: 11
FTilt/ UTilt: 14
Dash Attack:15
UAir: 12
Nair: 13
Bair: 18
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 22
Up-B: 12
Jab: 10
Dash Attack: 14
FTilt: 16
UAir: 11
Nair: 12
Bair: 15
Grab: 6
U-Smash: 7
Up-B: 9
Jab: 11
DTilt/ UTilt: 16
Dash Attack: 17
Fair: 15
Nair: 16
Bair: 21
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 15
Up-B: 7
Jab: 11
UTilt: 13
DTilt: 14
DSmash: 15
Dash Attack/ FTilt: 16
Nair: 9
UAir: 11
BAir/ DAir: 15
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 13
Up-B: 18
Jab/DTilt: 12
UTilt: 14
FTilt: 15
Nair: 12
Fair/ UAir: 13
BAir: 19
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 6
Jab: 12
Dash Attack: 14
UTilt/ DTilt: 13
Nair: 9
Bair: 15
Fair: 16
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 5
Item toss: 7
Jab: 10
DTilt: 11
DSmash: 13
Fair: 10
BAir: 9
UAir: 8
Nair: 12
Grab: 6
U-Smash: 14
Up-B: 19
If DK jumps and then does his up-B: 10
Jab/ UTilt: 12
DTilt: 14
Dash Attack: 16
UAir: 12
Nair: 16
BAir: 13
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 9
Up-B: 3
Jab: 9
Dash Attack: 13
UTilt/DTilt/FTilt: 12
Nair: 8
UAir: 9
BAir: 11
Grab: 6
U-Smash: 12
Jab: 11
DTilt:13
FTilt/UTilt: 15
Nair/UAir: 10
Fair/ Bair: 11
Grab: 6
U-Smash: 7
Jab: 9
UTilt: 12
FTilt: 13
DTilt: 14
Dash Attack: 15
Nair: 9
Bair: 10
Uair: 13
Fair: 16
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 8
Jab: 9
UTilt: 10
Dash Attack: 11
DSmash: 13
FTilt: 13
DTilt: 14
Nair: 8
Fair: 11
BAir: 13
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 21
Up-B: 12
Jab: 14
UAir: 13
Nair: 14
Bair: 17
Grab: 9 (Dash grab is 7 but requires shield to drop and dash to begin first)
U-Smash: 12
Jab: 10
Dash Attack: 14
DTilt: 12
Bair: 9
UAir: 11
Grab: 5
Up-B: 18
Jab: 11
DTilt: 14
Bair: 14
Nair/ Fair: 19
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 16
Jab/ Dash Attack: 12
FTilt: 14
UTilt: 16
DTilt: 17
Nair: 12
Dair: 13
Fair: 14
UAir: 15
Bair: 18
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 17
DTilt: 13
UTilt: 16
Jab: 17
FTilt: 19
Nair: 13
UAir: 16
BAir: 23
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 14
Up-B: 23
Jab: 10
DTilt/ UTilt: 11
FTilt: 12
Bair: 10
Nair/ Fair/ Uair: 14
Grab: 10
U-Smash: 10
Up-B: 8
Bomb toss: 8
Jab: 14
UTilt: 15
DSmash: 16
Bair: 13
Nair: 14
Grab: 7
U-Smash: 10
Up-B: 3
Jolt Haymaker/ KO Punch: 16
Jab: 8
DTilt: 10
UTilt: 11
FTilt: 11
Dash Attack 14
Nair: 7
Uair: 10
Dair: 12
Bair: 16
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 15
Jab/ UTilt: 13
Dash Attack: 14
DTilt: 16
Force Palm: 14
Dair: 9
Fair: 12
Nair: 13
Bair: 21
Grab: 10
Up-B: 20
Jab: 9
DTilt: 10
UTilt: 11
FTilt: 14
Nair/ Uair: 12
Fair: 14
Bair: 20
Zair: 14
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 13
Up-B: 5
Jab: 12
UTilt/ DSmash: 13
DTilt: 14
FTilt: 15
FSmash: 17
Uair: 10
Nair/ Fair: 11
Bair: 12
Dair: 14
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 9
Up-B: 8
Jab: 9
Dash Attack: 11
FTilt/ UTilt/DTilt: 12
DSmash: 13
Cyclone: 17
Nair: 8
Uair: 10
Bair: 11
Fair: 12
Dair: 15
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 9
Up-B: 3
Jab: 9
Dash Attack: 13
FTilt/DTilt/UTilt: 12
DSmash:12
Nair: 8
UAir: 9
DAir: 10
Bair: 11
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 13
Up-B: 6
Jab: 12
UTilt/ DSmash: 13
DTilt: 14
FTilt: 15
FSmash: 17
UAir: 10
Nair/ Fair: 11
Bair: 12
Dair: 14
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 8
Jab: 14
Dash Attack: 15
Item Toss: 11
DTilt: 12
UTilt: 13
FTilt: 14
Bair: 8
Nair: 11
Fair: 13
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 8
Up-B: 8
Dash Attack: 14
DTilt: 10
FTilt: 13
UTilt: 15
DSmash: 11
Dair: 8
Uair/ Nair: 10
Bair: 11
Fair: 13
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 9
Jab/ DTilt: 13
UTilt: 15
Dash Attack/ FTilt: 17
Fair: 11
Nair: 12
Uair: 16
Bair: 19
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 8
Up-B 1: 16
Up-B 2: 8
Up-B 3: 4
Jab: 9
UTilt: 12
FTilt/ Dash Attack: 13
DTilt: 14
DSmash: 16
Nair: 8
UAir: 11
Bair: 12
Fair: 13
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 11
Up-B 2: 11
Jab/ UTilt: 12
DTilt: 15
DSmash: 16
FTilt/ Dash Attack: 17
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 11
Up-B 1: 13
Up-B 2: 24
Up-B 3: 8
DTilt: 12
Jab: 13
DSmash: 14
UTilt: 15
Dash Attack: 16
Bair: 15
Nair/ Fair/ Uair: 18
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 24
Up-B: 9
Jab: 11
Dash Attack/ DTilt: 13
FTilt/ UTilt: 17
Uair: 11
Nair: 12
Fair/ Bair: 15
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 6
Up-B: 20
Jab/ DTilt: 10
FTilt/UTilt: 14
Dash Attack: 15
DSmash: 17
Nair: 10
UAir/ Fair: 13
Bair: 15
Grab: 8
U-Smash: 12
Jab: 11
UTilt/ DTilt: 13
Dash Attack: 15
DSmash: 17
Nair/ Fair: 12
UAir: 13
Dair: 14
Bair: 15
Grab: 10
U-Smash: 13
Up-B: 4
Item toss: 8
Jab: 11
FTilt: 12
UTilt/ DTilt: 14
Dash Attack: 17
Nair: 8
Fair: 10
Dair: 11
Bair/ Uair: 14
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 18
Dash Attack: 13
Jab: 15
UTilt: 17
Nair: 10
Bair/ Uair: 13
Fair: 14
Dair: 15
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 14
Up-B: 7
Jab: 9
Dash Attack/ DSmash: 13
FTilt: 14
UTilt: 16
Nair: 10
Bair: 11
Uair: 15
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 10
Up-B: 15
Jab: 9
Dash Attack/ FTilt: 13
UTilt/ DTilt: 14
DSmash: 15
Nair: 7
Bair/ Uair: 8
Fair: 14
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 6
Jab: 12
Dash Attack: 14
UTilt/ DTilt: 13
Nair: 9
Bair: 15
Fair: 16
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 10
Item Toss (Gyro in hand): 7
Jab/ DTilt: 10
UTilt: 11
Dash Attack/ FTilt: 14
Fair: 11
UAir: 12
Bair: 24
Gyro: 16
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 12
Up-B: 8
Jab: 11
UTilt: 13
DTilt: 14
Dash Attack: 15
FTilt: 16
Nair/ Bair: 16
UAir: 17
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 8
Jab: 15
Dash Attack: 13
DTilt: 12
DSmash: 13
FTilt: 14
UTilt: 16
Nair: 14
Fair: 16
Bair: 14
UAir: 13
U-Smash: 10
Jab: 11
Dash Attack: 13
FTilt: 15
UTilt: 11
DTilt: 12
DSmash: 13
Nair: 8
Bair: 15
Fair: 16
UAir: 8
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 12
Up-B: 9
Jab: 12
UTilt/ DSmash: 13
DTilt: 14
FTilt: 15
Nair: 11
UAir: 10
Bair: 13
Fair:15
L= Light
M= Medium
H= Heavy
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 9
Up-B: 6 LMH, 7 Grounded
Tatsumaki Senpukyaku: 15
Tatsumaki Senpukyaku:17 LMH
Jab: 9 L, 16 M
Dash Attack: 14
FTilt: 15 L, 20 M
UTilt: 10 L, 14 M
DTilt: 9 L, 14 M
DSmash: 12
Nair: 9
UAir: 11
Bair/ Dair: 15
Grab: 14
U-Smash: 11
Up-B: 5
Jab: 10
DTilt: 13
Dash Attack/ Ftilt: 15
DSmash: 16
FSmash: 17
Uair: 9
Fair: 10
Nair/ Zair: 12
Bair: 13
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 11
Needles: 12 for <6, 18 for >5
Jab: 9
Dash Attack/ FTilt/ UTilt/ DTilt: 12
DSmash: 18
FSmash: 19
Nair: 7
BAir/ UAir: 8
Fair: 9
Grab: 5
U-Smash: 18
Up-B: 10
Jab: 12
DTilt: 17
UTilt: 18
Nair: 18
Fair/ UAir/Dair: 19
Bair: 23
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 19
Jab: 10
Dash Attack: 12
FTilt/ DTilt: 13
UTilt: 14
Fair/ Uair: 10
Nair: 11
Bair: 18
Grab: 10
U-Smash: 11
Up-B: 9
Bomb toss: 8
Jab: 13
UTilt: 15
DTilt/ FTilt/ DSmash: 16
Nair: 11
Bair: 12
UAir: 16
ZAir: 16
Grab: 13
U-Smash: 12
Jab: 10
UTilt: 14
FTilt/ DSmash: 15
DTilt: 16
Axe: 13
Nair: 8
Fair: 15
Bair: 18
UAir: 13
DAir: 15
Grab: 6
U-Smash: 11
Up-B: 6
Chomp: 6
Waft: Ranges from 12-23
Jab/ DSmash: 15
Dash Attack: 11
DTilt: 12
UTilt/ FTilt: 19
Nair: 10
Fair: 11
UAir: 14
Bair/ DAir: 15
Grab: 4
U-Smash: 14
Up-B: 8
Jab: 11
UTilt: 12
FTilt: 13
DTilt: 14
Bair: 10
UAir: 11
Fair: 14
Grab: 12
U-Smash: 11
Up-B: 15
Jab: 10
FTilt: 12
DSmash: 14
UTilt/ DTilt: 15
Dash Attack: 17
Nair: 9
UAir: 11
Bair: 17
Grab: 8
U-Smash: 9
Up-B: 7
Jab: 18
DSmash/ DTilt: 12
Dash Attack: 13
UTilt: 14
FTilt: 17
Nair/ Bair: 12
Fair: 15
Grab: 14
U-Smash: 10
Up-B: 4
Jab: 8
UTilt: 10
FTilt: 13
Dash Attack: 14
DTilt: 15
Fair/ UAir: 10
Bair: 12
Nair: 14
Zair: 13
Okay, for the example of Diddy holding a banana and in shield. Upon hitting his shield with NAir he cannot punish with grab as he has a banana (shield grab becomes banana throw). We can shield or spotdodge the banana but other than that we have no followups to NAir that will beat the banana. Timed perfectly (getting the 2 DO) we have a 5 frame advantage but because nothing we have comes out in 5 frames we most likely have to go for a defensive option.
Edit: We could also roll (4 frames).
This isn't guaranteed but if you have the opponent cornered and are feeling ballsy do this:

SH Fair 1 (11%) try to space it at the tip so you can't be shield grabbed, Fair 2 (13%)>land and jab 1 then 2 (for 5% total)>upB (for 14% close or 11.2% at the tip), this can be replaced by Dsmash for more damage but it starts 1 frame later and is harder to buffer. This is relatively safe if the opponent can't shield grab and doesn't have good OoS options because you can stop after jab 2 and react if they escape and the ending upB/Dsmash can catch rolls behind Link.

edit, @Stryker95 informed me shields have 50 hp but this will work due to shield depletion.
According to the Smash Wiki and Kurogane shields have 50 hp, not 40. That being said, all attacks have a 1.19 multiplier. Adding this all up, finishing with close Up-B and weakest DSmash hitbox deals 51.17 damage. Finishing with the tip of Up-B (11.2%) deals 47.838. Now for shield depletion. Shield depletes at 0.13 per frame up. So with 9 frames between Fair 1 and FAir 2, the 8 frames of landing lag, 7 frames of Jab 1 start up, 6 frames of Jab 2 start up (3 frames between the end of Jab 1 and Jab 2, but 3 frames of shield stun) 8 IASA frames to end Jab 2 and then 8 frames for Up-B start up means 46 frames. (I already subtracted shield stun frames as shield does not deplete during shield stun.) That is 5.98 hp damage, enough to break shield. Fun stuff and good find.

Spacing
the aim is to take advantage of your range and generally hit with the tip of your attacks. What this means in practice is that you have to predict where your opponent will be given their current movement and potential movement options, and what spacing options they'll have when they get there in time to meet your own attacks. Good spacing is particularly important for a character like Link who has to deal with shields a lot as you don't want to always commit to a grab, and the only way to make his other moves safe on shield is to apply proper spacing.
Link's spacing game is actually fairly straight forward, just in terms of what the game-plan is anyway. His moveset out-ranges most characters, so it's not as if he has to transition between out-spacing the opponent's attacks and getting into his own range very often. The majority of the time you can just play the zoning and retreating game while trying not to be baited into whiffing moves that can be punished, but it should be noted that against characters such as Shulk/Ike, you will have to play a different spacing game.

Camping/Spamming
you use the projectile to force a reaction and then have an option to cover the reaction of your opponent. With projectile traps the goal is to use your projectile to test your opponent and see what they do. Once you have observed their reactions and most of the common ways they deal with your projectile you can devise appropriate counter measures.

http://smashboards.com/threads/the-...-traps-a-primer-for-gameplay-concepts.380200/
I've tried to write about effective spamming before, but every time it seems that I leave out some important aspect or fail to convey the right meaning or place too much emphasis on one aspect to the detriment of all else. I'd like to claim that it's notoriously difficult to write about, but then I'm unaware of anyone else's experience with it.

First off I'm going to go out and say that spamming cannot always be a case where every single thing you do is a well laid out and thought out plan. Often when talking about effective spamming in the theoretical sense this is brought up or claimed to be the case, but it ignores reality somewhat. Sometimes for example you might just want to put a quick wall of projectiles up or maintain that wall if you're still in a neutral situation with a decent gap between you and your opponent, and you can't say that every single projectile thrown out in these situations is going to be thought out as opposed to simply mixed up.
We'll say for now that the wall of projectiles is the more neutral state. It will typically consist of at least one projectile being out at any one time and often several. The wall is purely an obstacle to overcome and will (at this stage) keep Link constantly busy.
For some, this is as far as 'spamming' goes. You just throw stuff out generally towards the opponent as fast and efficiently as possible, and your opponent usually ends up getting hit by something and then everything. But this is just the comparatively thoughtless side to spamming.

I believe that the key phrase to effective spamming is 'adapt and change', and in order to do this, you will need to monitor, react, anticipate, and predict. Monitoring is more than just watching, but rather it involves being aware of what options your opponent has, being aware of what options they are nonetheless choosing, and being ready to notice any change in the options they choose to take (or else ready to notice that they aren't changing). Reacting is obvious enough. Anticipating is basically a lesser version of predicting; it's an assumption or a guess based on experience with your own character and human opponents in general. Predicting is much more case by case; it's seeing a pattern in your opponent and specifically choosing an option ahead of time that will counter that pattern next time you're in that situation.

There are two main goals to keep in mind when spamming. What you should be trying to achieve is to stifle their approaches (which tends to involve retreating where necessary) and at the same time open up approaches of your own (which tends to involve advancing). It's very important to understand that the best way to avoid damage isn't going to be to run away the whole time as that is only the first aspect, that is, constantly stifling their approach, and this will become predictable and in turn less effective leading to you receiving more damage. The same can obviously be said for constantly approaching with projectiles. Both goals compliment each other and will make the other more viable and less predictable. It's also important to understand that opening up approaches of your own does not mean that you will always wait for them to get hit with a projectile first before you go in. Often times it is by avoiding a projectile or expecting to have to avoid a projectile (or even expecting that you will retreat) that they will leave themselves open for you to approach.

Then it's a simple matter of applying the concepts of 'adapt and change' mentioned earlier to ensure that you always choose to go after the correct goal at the right time in relation to what your opponent does. See, it's not strictly true to say that you should find a balance between both main goals of approaching/retreating, because maybe your opponent consistently covers one goal more than the other, meaning that the complimentary opposite goal should be used more often in that case.

In order for everything to be said there'd really need to be an entire thread or something, so just know that there has been a lot left out due to not being bothered right now. There are of course other goals to spamming, for example chip damage and forcing approaches, but these aren't as relevant for Link when talking about 'effective spam' as they are for a character such as Fox. Also I made no mention of frame traps or controlling the opponent by reducing the options available to them, but you can see how these could fall into the two larger goals.

Projectiles

The purpose of projectiles in fighting games is to manipulate your opponent from a distance. Once a projectile is sent out, your opponent is forced to act in relation to it, whether that be by shielding, reflecting, negating it with an attack or projectile of their own, or avoiding it altogether. Even if the projectile is used in such a way that it will miss the opponent, it will still stop them from e.g. jumping freely, and so you are manipulating them. These are actions your opponent wouldn’t have had to take otherwise, in other words, you made them take these actions. If they don’t do one of these actions, they will be punished by being hit by the projectile, at which point you have still manipulated them by taking away their movement and other options momentarily.

There are two distinct goals for projectile use. The first is stifling approaches, and the second is opening up approaches of your own. The two will often go hand-in-hand, as it will often be that by stifling an approach you have opened up an approach of your own and vice versa. The distinction is more reflective of your intention at the time of using the projectile. It is important to note at this point however that either goal can become predictable and that finding a good balance between the two will make both goals easier to achieve. The correct balance will be very dependent on the character and player you are versing.

At the most basic level, if the opponent is unable to act in order to overcome the projectiles because of a combination of character/player limitations, the damage that the projectiles do will be enough of a reward, as the projectile user will be in no danger themselves. If however the projectiles are perfectly possible to overcome, as is most often the case, you need to play the projectile game at a deeper level. You will only have a limited control over your opponent, and what you do with that control will determine the strength of your projectile game.

Let’s say for now that your opponent always chooses one particular action to deal with projectiles. What you need to recognise is that all actions will limit options, and most importantly, a lot of the time your opponent will end up choosing these evasive actions pre-emptively in order to put themselves in a better position to punish you; this is because smash is a game of prediction more than it is a game of reaction. Often overcoming projectile ‘spam’ will mean having to deal with two projectiles for instance; the opponent may in fact react to the first projectile, but then often they will be predicting the use of the second projectile, which you can simply choose not to use. If a character is doing nothing (or just walking), they have all their options available to them at any moment; but as soon as they commit to an action, they will momentarily limit their options. If your opponent is always choosing the same evasive action and they are using it in a way that predicts that you will use a projectile in that moment, you can recognise this and even predict ahead of time that they will use the evasive action, then instead of using the projectile like they anticipated, you can instead choose an action that directly counters the evasive action they took in a way that takes advantage of their limited options to ensure you win that encounter.

The next step is to realise that the opponent will have many different options for dealing with projectiles, and they will be trying to mix these options up, especially if you start punishing them. What you want to do then is use your projectiles to observe the actions your opponent chooses to take, and take note of the ones they don’t typically use, and quickly build up an idea of which options they will tend to favour; then you will want to capitalise on this knowledge and continue to observe their habits to see if they adapt to your adaption.

Note that with projectiles, shield hitlag is as good as shield hitstun. Normally when an attack hits a shield, both the attacker and the shielder freeze during shield hitlag, then they both move again during shield hitstun, during which the attacker continues their attack animation and the shielder slides backwards in shield and will still be unable to do anything for as long as shield hitstun lasts, meaning that any frame advantage gained will depend almost entirely upon how much shield hitstun was inflicted. With projectiles however, the attacker and attack are separate, and so the attacker does not experience any hitlag freeze frames when their projectile hits. In this sense then, for projectiles, shield hitlag is essentially equivalent to shield hitstun. Note also when dealing with projectiles on shields, you can obviously get more of a frame advantage by having the projectile hit the shield later on in the move’s animation.

Recovering
It might be an oldy, and it was based on Brawl Link, but it's still a good read.

How To Recover
I found something useful for specific MUs. Link can't whiplash [tether the edge] in [i.e. briefly after] hitstun like Brawl but he can whiplash wind and water pushes.
His recovery is definitely good. It's one of the few recoveries that can actually threaten people that try to gimp you. All it takes is a read with a bomb in hand, and you're outspacing their aerial or FFing to avoid it then countering with a reverse Up-B to potentially seal their stock, at which point the bomb will explode and let you recover. Overall, his recovery options are all certainly beatable, but I feel like he always has an option that he could have used to recover safely, and it's just a matter of getting a feel for it with experience. Some characters will have far less mixups but a solid recovery nonetheless simply because their recovery move is that good in and of itself, but Link isn't really like that. You will always have a way back to stage, and you just need to pick one of the right options; case in point, often the best thing to do is to simply use Up-B early to hit people as they jump out attempting to hit you out of your tether or a later Up-B.

Gimping
Just finished watching a video on 2-Frame Punish and I've started wondering what' would the best ways for Link to use this technique to his advantage.

Link's Ftilt [can catch] his opponents during the 2-Frame Punish.
If he goes for the 2-Frame Punish offstage, then Dair would be the most effective move at getting a guaranteed KO if you managed to get the spike off

[Note that Nair and Bair 2 are also good at catching the two frame]

Returning to the Stage From the Edge
IMO the quick stand up doesn't help Link as much as other characters due to his slow QCQ. Link doesn't have any perfect ways to climb back on stage but he has a lot of mix ups.
Ledge hops (tap away from the ledge>tap back toward the stage+jump>enter an attack) can be good if the opponent is far enough away but if they hit you you'll be offstage without a 2nd jump. Fair, Nair, Zair, boomerang and arrows all work well from a ledge hop depending on the distance. If you're not being threatened you can ledge hop bomb pull to save time.
Ledge jump is good if the opponent is hanging back on the ground. Bombpulling from a ledge jump gives Link a trump card.
Ledge rolls are best if the opponent uses an aerial to hop offstage or does a long lasting move at the edge.
Ledge attacks aren't great but can be a quick, safer than ledge hop, attack to punish the opponent if they commit to an action.
Mix up recoveries to not be punished.
This I feel is very opponent dependent, probably more-so than it is character dependent. A lot of the time you can just react to what the opponent is doing if they showed their hand too early, so consider just sitting on the edge for a moment to see what they'll do. If I could choose I'd usually opt for doing a ledge jump or ledge get-up as they give you control of your character the quickest without having to use up your DJ. On smashville I like doing a ledge jump to immediate DJ backwards onto the platform for example. Ledge roll is something I'll do on reaction if I see the opponent look like he's going off-stage either for a trump or a stage spike or if they've used an option that covers the ledge jump but is very committed. Ledge attack is something that again I'll do on reaction if I see the opponent over commit to an attack to cover ledge get-up or ledge jump or staying on the ledge too long, and with there being no slow and terrible version of this beyond 100% anymore that's one less thing to think about.

One thing that should be mentioned is z-dropping the bomb out of a ledge jump (i.e. without Zair coming out). If the opponent is too close to the edge for whatever reason it is a very quick and safe option.

As Link you'll often get to the ledge with a bomb, which in some ways limits and in others expand his options. Ledgejump Z-drop covers opponents under you on the stage and on the ledge without their shield up, and ledgehop bomb throw covers a lot too. Ledge-rolls covered by a bomb explosion are also significantly safer. I am not fond of jumping from the ledge with a bomb still in hand: the opponent can aerial on reaction and the bomb will explode during your hitstun. Normal get-up is by far the safest this game, and a lot of play you'll see is just a psychological game where you are simply waiting for the right time to normal get-up, possibly risking a trump.

Ledgejump bomb pull is a silly habit which keeps appearing with certain people: a ledgejump is dangerous enough as it is, don't make it more so with the incredibly slow bomb pull animation.

You should also be careful not to form habits when trying to avoid a trump. When avoiding a trump you can buffer a get-up attack, get-up roll or jump. A get-up attack can still be punished easily, but mix up the other two. Fairly often I trick people by trumping them the first time, then later, sometimes immediately as they return to the ledge, reading their buffered ledge roll, after which they'll eat an Fsmash.
When you do ledgehop, the question is between Fair and Zair usually. Fair has strong shield damage, good damage, and the gimmicky advantage that people might drop their shield for the second hit if they are unfamiliar with Link -- I've seen it happen a lot. Zair reaches a lot further which catches people off-guard, and if the opponent is very close to the ledge you'll land behind them -- often people will react wrong.
I covered an important element of this recently in a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBLN2U4j4kE&t=8ms

Don't always draw a bomb when you are offstage, because once you get to the ledge you are limiting your ledge get-ups, and Link is very vulnerable to ledge trapping already. If the opponent is not going to chase after you off-stage -- is, in other words, gonna let you get to the ledge for free, as so many do nowadays (gimping isn't so hot anymore), there is no reason to draw a bomb and limit your own options at the ledge.
Another quick question to follow-up your answer.
You say in your critique video that pulling a bomb offstage when you're close enough to the stage to safely recover without worrying about getting gimped is unnecessary, to which i agree. But if you're feeling pressured at the ledge by a threatening edgeguarding game from your opponent, would pulling a bomb and timing the explosion during your ledge option's i-frames a good mixup to get back to stage safely, even at the range you specified not to pull a bomb?(not right next to the stage, but let's say just outside tether range..?)
That sort of things is all up to your own discretion. It is a viable mix-up, to be sure, entirely depending on opponent. At higher level, having very many mix-ups at the ledge is best, especially if the opponent is unfamiliar with both Link and you as a player. If he is familiar with you or Link, perhaps keep it simple, as you will not catch him off-guard too much. I am not here to say: this 1 option is it, do that; only to warn you not to do the same thing every time, especially when it is far from ideal, as is being at the ledge with a bomb.

Link can DJ airdodge onto stage from the ledge and land without receiving airdodge landing lag if you're quick enough. This can be made slightly easier by buffering an Uair out of the airdodge so that you land during the autocancel frames at the start of it (A-cancel), however the gain from this is minimal, allowing you only 1 extra frame to do the airdodge in, and then what you lose by going for the A-cancel is you guarantee that you will get hard landing lag (5 frames) instead of soft landing lag (2 frames), making you that much more vulnerable in a situation where you want to stay as safe as possible; this effectively punishes you for getting good at this tech as it will give you more landing lag in situations where you never had to A-cancel anyway. So I would recommend that you don't A-cancel at all and simply practice it until you can do it without the A-cancel. It only requires you to be one frame quicker after all.

Try assigning a face-button like X or Y to shield to make your inputs more precise, because the timing of this is strict. It depends on what frame you DJ and also whether or not you're jumping up into the lip of the stage on the way through, because it will slightly reduce the height you gain.

The first number will be the frame you DJ on and the second number will be the latest frame you can airdodge on and still get the A-cancel. Remember that if you don't A cancel you have one less frame to do the airdodge in. I will be assuming that you are hitting away from the stage, not hitting down so as to avoid accidentally fast falling.

Double Jumping up into the lip:
9, 10
7, 9
5, 8
3, 7

Double Jumping and avoiding the lip:
9, 11
7, 10
5, 9
3, 8

Edge-Return Guarding
If you just want a move that will hit people using ledge options with consistency and safety, Nair is the key imo. Doing a SH (towards the edge) Nair at the same time they move will hit the opponent out of a stand up to shield or it will avoid their ledge attack and punish them. Nair also works well for punishing ledge rolls and ledge jumps for the same reason, that being it picks apart their small windows of vulnerability with it's long lasting far reaching hitbox. Now obviously it may not seem like the most rewarding punish, but it can easily lead into moves as you're well aware, and I believe it's far better to get consistent punishes from the ledge to rack up damage rather than get one good punish if you're lucky and take a lot of damage yourself throughout the game for your trouble.
I like grabbing when people simply getup and hold shiled, and I usually time a bomb throw with the enemy's landing on ledge jump.
The great thing about evidently ledge-trapping is that the opponent will eventually start to idle on the ledge, which adds the possibility of ledge-trumping. Link's trumping game is good because Ftilt, Dash attack and DSmash [usually] will all hit opponents on the ledge without invincibility, and Ftilt usually covers jumping back on stage immediately too. If they jump back you can also ledgejump then dair spike on the right timing. Now if the opponent sees your trump coming he can buffer either a get-up attack (bad option, you can still ledgehop attack for punish then), roll or jump. Most people instinctively roll, but this is the worst option.
Ftilt at the ledge beats a ton of options, but the problem is normal get-up is by far the best and if they do that while you Ftilt they have a good punish.
Just note that if the opponent does a ledge get-up into shield, the bomb is unable to hurt them directly. The bomb takes a frame to detect an enemy hurtbox before it explodes on the following frame, so because there is only one frame of vulnerability in a ledge get-up to shield, a direct hit will never harm them and always be powershielded. An indirect hit is different of course.
rolling into the ledge is really legit. Just don't Up B after.

It's really good though -- we can get some ledgerolls on reaction merely by pressing A when we've rolled into the ledge and are in shield because our grab extends far enough. Normal get-up with Nair, ledge get-up attack and ledgehops naturally covered. Jumps are more difficult, but you could always chase. I'm looking into usefulness of footstool coverage when ledgetrapping, here's a start.
So a while ago when talking about what we should do against people getting up from the ledge, I suggested that we SH Nair towards them (fast falling where necessary) as they are getting up to cover many ledge options by sticking a hitbox in them as their invulnerability frames run out. I suggested this because it was safe as well as really easy to beat out popular options such as stand up into shield. The down-side, as I mentioned back then, was that we'd be giving up damage and a hard punish (e.g. from F-tilt) in exchange for sheer consistency. Well now I'm here to tell you that you can have the best of both worlds.

At certain percents (detailed below), roughly within a 15% window, the lingering sourspot hitbox of Nair will combo into the first hit of Fair if you land near the edge then immediately run off the edge and then immediately use Fair. You get all the consistency of the SH Nair for punishing ledge options combined with the big damage of comboing into Fair, and to top it all off, in most instances the Fair will kill outright.

[All percents tested in training mode against a character doing a ledge stand-up, no DIing the Nair, rage and staleness are not accounted for, tested at 5% intervals.]
[Also, while testing there were often instances of me fast falling and happening to hit the opponent on the last airborne frame resulting in a frame sync Nair, which obviously meant that any follow-up after that would have been free, but I didn't count these cases. In a real game it would simply ensure your Fair even if the percents were off.]

In no particular order for now...

Sheik: 70%-80%. Kills.
Fox: 70%-85%. Kills.
Pikachu: 65%-85%. Kills.
Mario: 75%-85%. Kills.
Ness: 65%-80%. Kills from 70%.
Greninja: 75%-85%. Kills.
Peach: 65%-80%. Kills.
DDD: 85%-110%. Kills.
Samus: 70%-90%. Kills from 75%.

If you happen to see the opponent at around these percents, with your own rage factored in of course, and they happen to be on the ledge, honestly it's worth going for a simple SH Nair towards them as they use their ledge option. It's quite safe and the potential pay-off, being a very early confirmed kill, is well worth it.
[in regards to the above, at percents lower than what will combo into Fair]
If the opponent's Up-special recovery isn't the type that would destroy you, your best bet would be to run off stage and go for a second Nair at lower percents and not FF, then either catch any DJs or force them to recover lower, at which point you can use DJ aerials. Not everything has to be a combo to be good.
Edit: Dear god... At lower percents you can get soft hit Nair to cause a ledge slip, which we can then combo into a run off Dair spike. (Ledge slips have their own hitstun unrelated to the opponent's percent etc which is why Dair will still combo at 0%; the only real factor then becomes at what point does soft hit Nair stop causing the ledge slip.)
Edit 2: Works way better on floaties. Still testing.
Edit 3: Yeah wow... against floatier characters this is super legit and could net you some really early kills. Take Samus for instance. Soft hit Nair will force a ledge slip against a Samus (who has just done a ledge get-up) between 0 and 40% (tested at 5% intervals in training mode) and will kill from 20%. It's not even that difficult to land either. That's insane.
I'll do my best to explain further.

Preferably you want to hit them with the sourspot Nair just before you land, i.e. just as their invulnerability runs out on one of your last airborne frames, i.e. not so it hits them on the top of their head. If you hit them too high up on their hurtbox you'll need to FF to the ground to make up for lost time; if you see that you started the SH Nair too late, you'll need to FF at the peak of your SH height before you hit them with the Nair to make up for lost time so that you hit them closer to the ground. In fact FFing in general is a good thing. These adjustments just make it much easier by saving a few frames.

You need to land right on the edge, the closer the better (but it doesn't necessarily have to be perfect, especially if the previous step was done well), that's why I said you need to SH Nair forwards, as in, full aerial momentum forwards, so get an idea of where you need to start from first. The momentum forwards will ensure that you hit them on the proper side so as to hit them off-stage, and then allow you to follow through and land right on the edge.

Then it's just a matter of inputting the dash during your landing lag (at any point during the 10 frames of landing lag will do) and hitting Dair as soon as you're clear of the stage (practice doing it too early then slowly increase the time you wait to get an idea of when you can do it asap). Note that you can always FF for a brief moment before the Dair if you need to make up for lost time.

It's a short period of precise inputs, not necessarily frame perfect by any means, but just precise enough so as to be very efficient with your time and save a few frames here and there. It all adds up. When you get it right and you're setting yourself up for the Dair, and you can see that they are within range, you'll know. I guess you could try it at a slower speed at first till you get an idea of what you're doing, but I personally didn't need to.
 
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Fox Is Openly Deceptive

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Specific Theories on the Optimal way to Play Link as well as Specific Move Analysis


Jab
[Info on Jab 2]
Purpose

Link’s jab 2 puts opponents in a vulnerable position and allows attacks to be strung after jab 2 dependent on several variables. Depending on the MU, opponents can range from being barely affected to being forced into a game of high risk and low reward “rock-paper-scissors” with Link. Through thoughtful conditioning of the opponent, Link can transition this otherwise niche technique into a kill option.

Test Conditions

It was quickly discovered that many variables influence the consistency of the results:

· Damage

· Rage effect

· Opponent DI

· Attack used after jab 2

· Opponent weight, fall speed, and size

· Point of contact with jab 1

The last point is highlighted due to it being the hardest variable to control. While the results show an absolute best effort to maintain consistent spacing, anomalies occurred somewhat often that were explained by spacing of jab1. It was hypothesized that a single hitbox with consistent knockback covers all of Link’s hand and sword hilt. Hitting at the hand would put the opponent at the center of the blade and the hilt would put them more between the shaft and the tip (MU dependent, of course). The center of the blade on jab2 has more upwards knockback than the tip and results in very different percent thresholds for an opponent’s options. At times, the knockback from jab1 could not be controlled or predicted and could only be described as “jank.”

All testing was done on Final Destination outside of training. In order to replicate these results, no DI was used unless stated. Link’s rage was always zero (That part was a pain). All characters can jump out at any percent unless otherwise stated (Sheik, Fox, ZSS, Greninja, Falco sorta). Close positioning is the absolute closest position the models can be placed in and remain without sliding away (some characters slide away due to movement in their idle animations ie. Jigglypuff). Mid-range positioning is at roughly the center of Link’s sword at full jab1 extension. Long range was not tested after the first few characters due to having similar and sometimes exact results as mid-range. The fastfall thresholds show when the opponent can FF and pull up shield in time to stop spin attack. Spin attack was the follow up of choice due to being able act out of jab2 as quickly as possible by mashing upB and not transition to jab3. It stands to reason that utilt would work at very similar thresholds as spin attack due having the same frame speed. It may even work at larger thresholds due to having an upward sweeping hitbox; however, significant practice would be required to consistently get utilt as soon as possible without transitioning to jab3. All obvious and suspected attacks that would keep the opponent from being hit by a follow-up were tested. If no results are shown, the attack is not viable to avoid spin attack. If spacing was not given, then it had no perceivable effect. Also please note that all thresholds given are when the corresponding option is available to the opponent and Link CANNOT follow-up with spin attack. Anything outside the given thresholds are when spin attack will connect even if the opponent attempts the option (ex. Mario uses nair at 100%. He will get hit by spin attack). Notes and observations are behind asterisks.

Results

Mario

FF: 0-35 (75% DI down)

Nair: 59-75 (Close only)

Uair: 0-75 (Close only)

Jab: 0%


Luigi

FF: Never

Nair: 0-80 (Close only)

Uair: Occasionally 0%

Fair: 34-85 (Close) *trades only*

0-45% (Mid)


Bowser

FF: 0-80 (DI down only)

Dair: 0-160 *occasional trades after 100%*


Yoshi

FF: 0% (DI down)

Nair: up to and beyond 150% (Close)


Rosalina

FF: Never

Nair: 0-100% (with Luma only)

Never without Luma


Bowser Jr.

FF: 0-40 (DI down)

Dair: 0-40

50-65 *trades*

Fair: 0-40 *trades*


Zelda

FF: Never

Nair: 0-100 (close)

0-66 (mid) *trades from 50-66*


Sheik

Jump: >119%

FF: Effectively always (0-124% without DI)

Jab: 0-90


Ganon

FF: 0-40 (127 w/ DI down)


Wario

FF: 0-15 (DI down)

Nair: up to and beyond 140% (close range)

0-68% (mid range)

Fair: up to and beyond 150%


Donkey Kong

FF: 0-50 (DI down)


Diddy Kong

FF: 0-40? (No DI)

>143% (DI down)

Jab: up to and beyond 130% (close only)


Game and Watch

FF: 0-60% (No DI)

0-40 (DI down) *….wut?*

Nair: 0-40 (close) *trades from 40-86*

0-50 (mid) *trades 50-80*


Little Mac

FF: 0-67 (96 w/ DI down)

Counter: Always


Link

FF: Always *2nd hit misses >70%*

Nair: Never

*jab1 placement has a very exaggerated effect on Link compared to other fighters*


Toon

FF: 0-32 (DI down)

Nair: Always (occasional trading at all percents)


Samus

FF: 0% (DI down)

Nair: 0%

Bomb: Always


Zero Suit Samus

Jump: 0% (Close)

>40% (Mid)

FF: <130% (No DI) *effectively always*

Jab: 0-130 (Close)

0-40 (Mid)

UpB: Always *initial hitbox even before the animation…well *****

*similar to Link in that jab1 has an exaggerated effect in regards to knockback and spacing*

Pit/Dark Pit

FF: 0 (Mid-range DI down)

0-48 (Close range DI down)

Nair: Always (Close and Mid)

0-20 (Anything passed Mid-range)

SideB: Always (Hits from 0-140%. Wiffs at >140%) *trades occasionally dependent on spacing*


Palutena

FF: 0-85 (90 w/ DI down)

Counter: 10-25 and >121%

Jab: 70-80%


Marth/Lucina

FF: 0% (DI down)

Counter: Always

Nair: Never (close)

0-90 (Mid) *trades passed 90%. Jab 1 may be better for follow ups after 100 here*

Fair: 0-90 *trades after 90. All ranges*


Ike

FF: 0-20 (30% w/ DI down)

Counter: Never

UpB: Rare at any percent *likely spacing dependent*


Robin

FF: 0-42 (DI down)


Duck Hunt

FF: Never

Nair: 0-50 (close) *trades after 50*

0-20 (med)


Kirby

Jump only *Low 2nd jump. Easy to punish?*


King DDD

Jump only *Too much landing animation?*


Meta Knight

FF: 0-40 (80% w/ DI down)

UpB: 0%


Fox

Jump: Never *not even close*

FF: Always and forever *gg*

Jab: Always


Falco

Jump: >50%

FF: 0-80% (Always w/ DI down)

Jab: 0-40%

Nair: Never

Fair: >50% *landing hitbox only*


Pikachu

FF: 0-90 (DI down)

Nair: Always *clearly spacing dependent but unknown spacing to land spin attack*


Charizard

FF: 0-87 (DI down)

Rock Smash: Always


Lucario

FF: 0-65 (DI down)

Fair: 0-68 (close) *trades >50%*

Counter: Always

Dair: 0-80 *unreliable*


Jigglypuff

FF: Never

Nair: Effectively always *At mid-range >100%, nair trades with 2nd hit of spin attack*

Dair: 0-30 (close only) *trades after 30%*


Greninja

Jump: 0-120%

FF: See Fox

Jab: See Fox

Counter: 0%



Discussion

Any error in data is likely the result of jab1 misplacement or failed execution of fastfall into shield. Although the data is approximate, it is likely that error is less than 10 (maybe 5) on every threshold.

It should be noted that fastfall into shield was perceived to be more difficult based on the size of the character. Diddy Kong, Game and Watch, and Pikachu all required multiple attempts to collect fastfall data due to accidentally air dodging right before touching the ground. The timing is strict enough that presumably even players who main characters these would have issue executing this movement (After all, labbing fastfall to shield after Link’s jab2 is likely not at the top of anyone’s priority list).

The most promising results from this test come from data sets similar to the one that belongs to Sheik in terms of the options available after jab2. After jab2, shielding and jabbing are the only options available to Sheik. Using jab2 into grab would trump Sheik’s attempt at shielding. Sheik can be conditioned to jab out of our jab2 if we go for a grab. Getting jabbed is hardly a punishment that we should be concerned about. The tricky part is that jab is no longer a viable option for Sheik after 90%. If jab2 -> grab can be used at least twice prior to 100%, it stands to reason that Sheik would adjust to either jumping or jabbing (neither of which are an option against spin attack). This would allow for a clean jab2-> spin attack at kill percent since spin attack trumps both jump and jab and our opponent has been conditioned to avoid using shield out of jab2.

Similar results come from data sets that are similar to Donkey Kong’s. Donkey Kong can only jump out of jab2 after 50%. That jump can be punished or at least dissuaded by attempting fair, nair, or zair follow-ups (I regret that the conditioning part was a little beyond the scope of this test). If DK can be conditioned to fastfall to the ground after a jab2, then he can be punished with spin attack at kill percent since he cannot fall fast enough to shield and has no aerial fast enough to stop it.


Conclusion

Jab2 follow-ups allow for mind games with certain MUs that can be extremely rewarding for Link. Since it is not a true combo, every character has a way out at every percent, but that way out changes depending on several factors. By arming ourselves with the knowledge of each character’s escape from jab2, we can condition our opponent’s and stack the odds in our favor in an otherwise game of chance.
What if I told you that Link can get a kill confirm out of a Jab against Sheik?
Just a little something I've been looking into. Rage Jab 2 into grounded Up-B.

At the given percents below, you can hit Sheik with Jab 1, use a (slightly delayed) Jab 2, and then buffer an Up-B. If you timed the Jab 2 correctly, Sheik will not be able to avoid the Jab 2, she will then experience 18 to 19 frames of hitstun in the air (percent dependent), be unable to DJ before landing, will land with 4 frames of landing lag, and consequently will be unable to shield the Up-B.

Granted, in order to do this, you will typically have a 2 frame window to input the Jab 2 and the timing will vary depending on the percent, but then, what if you miss the timing? Well, if you use Jab 2 a frame or two too early, Sheik will be able to DJ before landing, sure, but because it takes her 4 to 5 frames to DJ out of the way of our Up-B, the Up-B will still connect unless Sheik does a frame perfect DJ airdodge (which of course cannot be buffered).

The rough percents this starts to work on (because Link's Jab 2 starts to induce 18 hitstun frames) are as follows.

Link 150%, Sheik 60%.
Link 125%, Sheik 90%.
Link 100%, Sheik 130%.
Link 80%, Sheik 150%.


Note that this is a bit character specific and we got lucky with it working on Sheik the way that it does. I've already looked into some other characters and I was unimpressed by the results. If the character is too light then we can't get Jab 2 to connect; falls too fast then we can't get enough airborne frames to match the available hitstun frames; too heavy and we can't get enough hitstun frames, etc. I'll probably come back to this later though and I'll let you know if I find any other characters that it works on.

Jab 1 is the fastest move by 1 frame, but then it also has bad end-lag such that you're almost always better off using Jab 2 as well. Overall the Jabs tend to be relatively safe if spaced half decently simply because of the mix-up, that being, should the opponent continue to hold shield or drop it/roll/jump/attack, and if they didn't shield, should they approach, and if they do, should they approach in the air or on the ground, i.e. will you continue to Jab or not. Jabs aren't exactly something you can just throw out in the neutral for no reason but they are great for stopping approaches like dash grab. You can use Jab 1 directly out of a walk by hitting the a-stick diagonally, which is one of the faster and safer 'burst' options Link has, simply because Link doesn't have any good burst options at all outside of bombslides. Without rage and at low to medium percents you should almost always finish with Jab 3 if either Jab 1 or 2 connect imo. You get guaranteed damage and you get control of where your opponent will be next by forcing them into a corner or off-stage. Once you get rage and the opponent is at higher percents, things like Jab 2 to grounded Up-B become much more viable because of the added hitstun frames.

U-tilt
Note for Links with this bad habit while on the subject: [hitting things behind you] with Utilt is a bad idea [in some situations]. Turn-around Utilt is actually faster to give you an idea of how long the back-hit [of U-tilt] takes to hit. Do turn around jab/Utilt or B-reversed JC Up B or Bair if you have that much time.
U-tilt is our fastest tilt. It can combo into itself within a small percent window at low to medium percents. The back hit of U-tilt will combo into a FH U-air within a small window at medium percents. It covers a large area around Link so it can be used as an anti air that has less commitment than U-smash (i.e. it should be used if you're not sure whether the opponent will land on top of you or will drift away out of range, or whether they will use up their DJ to bait a response from you). It also has a hitbox within Link for the duration of the move from frames 8 to 12, so it could potentially be used to beat invulnerability frames so long as the opponent remains close enough to you. It's main down-side is that it is not very safe on shield (or whiff), unless you hit with the back hit at full range. Finally, U-tilt can be a reliable kill move.

F-tilt
Against a Mario:
Even if he is standing right up against Link, F-tilt has too much shield knockback so Mario will not be able to grab Link OoS.
If Mario is standing right up against Link then drops shield and immediately does a dash grab, it is just barely possible for Mario to grab Link before he can spot dodge.
If Mario is standing very close to Link such that Link's shield is rubbing his nose, Link can spot dodge this dash Grab.
If Mario is standing far enough away from Link such that Mario's Jab 1 just barely misses, Link can Jab Mario before he can dash grab.
If Mario powershields the F-tilt and the F-tilt is well spaced, Link will be able to spotdodge a dash grab and if Link Jabs it may cause a grab break.

But then all of the above gets thrown out slightly if the opponent was running in when they shielded as there will be less shield push-back. This is especially true for really well timed powershields out of a run (yeah, apparently there is such a thing as good and bad powershields) as Mario will retain a lot of his momentum such that even a perfectly spaced F-tilt will be punishable with a grab.
I read something very interesting today. http://smashboards.com/threads/mechanics-techniques-discussion.368206/page-32#post-19359504
This would explain for example why really well spaced F-tilts can be safe even on powershields. The powershielding opponent can't dash in to cover the distance between them and us any sooner than they normally would even though they powershielded.
F-tilt, while technically the second safest tilt on shield (-6 against shield drop options and -13 against OoS options), in practice probably remains our safest and easiest ground move to use against shields for two mains reasons. Even though it has a worse frame advantage on shield and less range than D-tilt, it can be used out of a pivot and it has more shield-push-back than D-tilt. This means that it is easier to space properly in practice, and then due also to the extra push-back the opponent will more likely be unable to use their OoS options to punish you. At this point it should be noted that power-shielding negates shield push back while also resulting in slightly less shield-stun (source: https://smashboards.com/threads/shields-in-smash4-1-1-1.419235/), and its main advantage is that the one power-shielding can bypass the 7 shield drop frames to use attacks immediately, but they cannot walk or dash any sooner. In this regard, D-tilt is arguably going to be better than F-tilt against power-shields because shield-push back is no longer a factor, and it also means that both D-tilt and F-tilt are safe against power-shielding so long as they are spaced well enough to require the opponent to move forwards first in order to punish you.
F-tilt isn't a frame 15 move out in front of Link, which is something that everybody always gets wrong. If you want to hit someone in front of you, F-smash is actually faster. Frame 15 of F-tilt hits within Link and slightly above/behind him, then frame 16 hits in front of him, diagonally up and in front, which will miss small grounded opponents, and at that point frames 17 to 19 are all on the ground and can hit characters hanging on the ledge without invulnerability frames, whether because they waited there too long or because they re-grabbed the ledge. However note that it is only frames 18 and 19 that will be catching the 2 frames of ledge grab vulnerability because they hit lower. Finally, F-tilt can also kill.

D-tilt
So I did some testing with Link's dtilt to fair. I tested it on Mario with no DI. It registered as a consecutive hit in training mode.

-Dtilt to both hits of fair works from 0-30%.
-Dtilt to first hit of fair works from 0-50%

Dtilt > Both hits of fair = 29% Damage!
So I was testing dtilt follow up again. I was able to combo usmash from dtilt. I was testing it on Lucario with no DI. It works from 0-10%. After 10%, it whiffs after the first hit of usmash.
D-tilt is probably the safest move/poke to throw out in neutral, as well as being the best at starting combos at low to medium percents. It has more range than Jab 1 and F-tilt; it allows you to act only 1 frame later than Jab 1 over all (ignoring Jab 2); it has less lag following its active hit frames than F-tilt so it's safer on whiff; it is 4 frames safer on shield than F-tilt, disregarding the advantage gained from shield push-back of course (it's -2 against shield drop options and -9 against OoS options, so you do still need to space it enough avoid fast OoS options, which shouldn't be difficult considering its superior range); and unlike Jab 1 and F-tilt, it actually combos into things (i.e. Fair). Being able to use an instant D-tilt out of a walk is something we should be taking advantage of more often if we're going to be using the tilt-stick anyway. Unlike the other tilts though, D-tilt cannot cover aerial approaches. Once a D-tilt connects with a shield with reasonable spacing, against most opponents, even though you will act 2 frames later, the range on your attacks will allow you to attack again immediately with e.g. a Jab or another D-tilt which will hit them if they try to punish you or else will continue to apply shield pressure/damage if they continue to hold shield. D-tilt used out of a bombslide at low percents is amazing. There is of course a spike hitbox on D-tilt, but it sucks. You're almost always going to be better off missing the spike hitbox. The spike hitbox won't hit grounded opponents. If you hit an opponent with it who is barely airborne, it won't actually force them to tech until high percents, i.e. over around 100%. You're actually better off not getting the tech situation though at medium to high percents, because what it does do at these higher percents is it causes hard landing lag that includes the hitstun frames caused by the D-tilt. This is the one time that the spike hitbox can actually be good imo, apart from obvious extreme cases against characters with bad recoveries over-shooting the ledge at percents where a D-smash or F-tilt would probably kill them anyway. As an example of what I'm talking about though, if you hit e.g. a Wii-Fit trainer at 100% in training mode just as they become airborne out of their jump, this hits WFT back to the ground and into landing lag resulting in Link being able to act 13 frames sooner than Wii-Fit trainer, i.e. we can do pretty much whatever we want.

U-smash
U-smash will kill earlier or later depending on where the first and second hit positions the opponent to be hit on the third swing. In general, the higher up and the more towards the centre, the more chance it has of killing early. But there is no notable difference between starting with the opponent behind you or infront of you (that I can make out). The first two hitboxes simply try to position the opponent as best they can for the third hit to connect, and the adjustments they make to compensate (or in some cases over-compensate) will depend on factors such as how far away the opponent is etc. This can lead to situations where an opponent is killed perhaps 10% earlier (give or take depending on the opponent/stage etc) purely because of some dumb luck to do with being in the perfect position relative to Link when they got hit, but this can happen both in-front and behind Link.
U-smash is probably my favourite move period. Anyone who has played me will tell you that I probably use it too much, but that admittedly they did get hit by it quite a lot. That's because this move is all about option coverage, which is my preferred playstyle. Used in conjunction with our FF and empty hops, it is the perfect move to cover whatever their response is. Dealing a total of 18%, this attack covers options all around Link with three disjointed long range attacks. The first hit has the most range horizontally on both sides (technically tied with the second hit for in front of Link, but the second hit doesn't sweep as close to the ground), while the third hit has the most range vertically. The second hit has poor range behind Link, while the third hit may miss grounded opponents who aren't within Link, e.g. potentially some characters who have airdodged to the ground and are in their landing lag animation. Much like with U-tilt, throughout the duration of each hit there will be an active hitbox within Link. The first and second hits always try their best to position the opponent directly above Link to set them up for the third hit, but sometimes this can go wrong, especially against light and floaty characters when they are hit while already above the ground initially. U-smash will cover most options in the game if the opponent ends up within range from any angle. The options it won't cover if the opponent comes within range are shielding, disjointed and well spaced ground attacks, extremely disjointed and well spaced air attacks, well timed attacks that utilise fast mobility to hit Link in between the U-smash hits, well timed moves that have armor or invulnerability frames, and counters. Even if the opponent shields, they may still drop shield too early or use an OoS option at an inappropriate time, because your opponent is human, and so the U-smash will still win, and so sometimes FFing and landing near the opponent without an aerial and immediately U-smashing will beat out the option your opponent had planned to take (this applies to the Jabs too btw). As an OoS option, U-smash can technically come out on frame 10 at the earliest if the jump and the U-smash are inputted on the same frame, but keep in mind that if your shield is hit you will have to wait till after shield stun is over before attempting to input the U-smash otherwise you'll get a Grab. As with all OoS options, often they will be more helpful if used preemptively, i.e. before the opponent hits your shield, and this is perhaps especially true of U-smash because it has such great range and hits everywhere.

F-smash
One thing we lose by switching from c-stick to a-stick is the ability to easily do F-smash backwards directly out of a run.
It is already known that one way to make this easier is to use A+B instead of just hitting attack, and I decided to get the frame data explaining why.

If you want to F-smash backwards directly out of a run or the later frames of a dash with just attack and the joystick, then assuming that hitting the joystick backwards counts as the first frame (which I'll use for the remainder of this post), you must hit attack on the 2nd frame and you have to continue to hold the joystick backwards till the F-smash begins its animation on the 5th frame. Hitting attack on the first frame, i.e. the same frame as the joystick input, will give you a dash attack, while hitting it on the 3rd frame or any later will give you a F-tilt.

Then there's the A+B method. If you hit A and B on the same frame (continuing to hold the joystick input as always) you can input it anywhere between frames 2 and 13. Moreover there is a period between frames 2 and 4 where you can press A by itself then B without having to hit them on the same frame, and it will still F-smash (this does not work for B then A). So your options in this small period are hitting A on frame 2 then B on frames 2 , 3 or 4, hitting A on frame 3 then hitting B on frames 3 or 4, or otherwise hitting A and B on the same frame. I'd advise you to aim for frame 2 or 3 (very quick) and try to hit A and B on the same frame, if not hit A ever so slightly earlier, and you should be able to F-smash backwards consistently.
[The above] post, while accurate, is misleading. If you want to F-smash back in the direction you were just running in and you don't have a c-stick, the easiest way to do this by far is to simply hold either A or B at any point in preparation (e.g. hit and hold one of them from the point you use it to activate a move, or during another animation before the 10 frame buffer window at the end of that animation, or just do something simple like hit and hold B as you shield then immediately release shield if you wish), then run, hit backwards to turn around, then anywhere between (and including) frames 2 and 13 of that turn around animation hit the other button (e.g. if you were holding A, hit B) [and this will give you an F-smash back in the direction you just ran from; so between the method in the above post and the method outlined in this one, you should have no trouble using pivot F-smash without the c-stick].
F-smash has the tipper, which I personally hate because it means you get less damage and kill later than if you had been allowed to connect with the second hit of F-smash. The first hit combos into the second hit which then kills ridiculously early coming from an initially 15 frame attack. Both hits of F-smash are very laggy however and so you'll want to ensure they hit by punishing a particularly laggy move that whiffed or hit your shield, baiting and then outspacing an approach, or setting up a pressure situation causing the opponent to e.g. airdodge into the ground. When baiting and outspacing an approach you'll probably want to take advantage of the fact that you can F-smash backwards out of a Dash Turn, allowing you to effectively run away to adjust your spacing then F-smash backwards.
Technically F-smash should never cause a shield break or shield pressure situation because the opponent is free to e.g. roll behind Link in between the hits and have a slight frame advantage even if Link doesn't use F-smash 2; however it does require the opponent to recognise the situation and be confident and capable enough to act appropriately as soon as they are able to, which in practice is surprisingly rare, so the shield pressure situation caused by the threat of F-smash 2 remains relevant even if it is fraudulent.

D-smash
D-smash 1 is our fastest smash attack on startup. The 17% hitbox can kill impressively early for how quick it is, so it's great when used as an option out of a power-shield at close range for the kill. Where I believe this move may truly shine is in its ability to ignore clanking with grounded attacks that it does 9% or more than. D-smash 1 does 14% at the tip, 16% in the middle, 17% on Link's arm, and 16% within Link (useful visualisation: https://youtu.be/zheUdc5bIPI?t=33). If the opponent's hitbox comes in contact with the 14% hitbox then D-smash uncharged will only beat moves that do 5% or less, but if the opponent's hitbox manages to avoid the 14% hitbox, D-smash uncharged can beat moves that do 7 or 8% (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV2xTqIf_yg). This is where partially charging D-smash and the staleness of the opponent's move will come into play in order to beat out attacks that you otherwise wouldn't be able to or beat them with the 14% hitbox of D-smash too . So D-smash can potentially be useful for beating out certain low percent grounded attacks that are otherwise unpunishable if shielded and where grab is too slow, e.g. arguably against Sonic's spin dash if you predict them properly (and to this effect you can charge D-smash for a moment first and then release on reaction; the D-smash will hit on frame 5 upon release). Moving on though, D-smash can be a useful way to get a guaranteed punish against landing opponents who try to avoid punishment by mixing their movement up and either landing behind you or landing too far away. Sure, you won't get as big of a punishment as you might otherwise get, but guaranteed damage is always nice. The second hit of D-smash has that really janky 30 degree launch angle which can potentially kill certain characters very early, but landing it is difficult.

Dash Attack
scizor's weak hit nair to dash attack, do that, he fiends for it hard sometimes and now there's a reason to. You can bait the airdodge from dthrow to get weak hit nair to dash attack too, here's him trying but failling it's a very exact percent where it's true... then there's just, read a jump, I know I once won a set cause of yolo dash attack reading short hop, and boys and girls remember it extends very far off-stage when used at the edge and hits under the ledge
Bomb footstool> nair > dash attack works around 70-100ish depending on the character. But it is not true if they di away unless they are sent offstage by nair. They can tech if they are still on stage when hit by Nair while di away. But if they are sent offstage while di away, dash attack can work because they are still in hit stun.
Btw, I've been noticing that Dash Attack has some pretty good aerial range. It definitely catches some folks offguard when you hit them with a dash attack while they're in the air.
Dash Attack, a.k.a. the unnecessary fourth smash attack, is slow enough that it can be reacted to and then shielded and punished if the opponent is able to shield at the time. Typically dash attack is used to hit characters up on low platforms that aren't expecting it (perhaps as they are landing), or as a follow-up to an arrow lock, or to hit them as they are off stage but close to the ledge (e.g. because they were drifting towards the ledge and didn't think you'd make it in time or because they didn't sweetspot the ledge), or as a follow-up from connecting a Nair then immediately landing, or as a punish on opponents who are SHing predictably, or as a hard read against rolls away. It can be combo'd out of a Bomb throw but you need to know that the bomb will hit and immediately use dash attack, and typically you could have gotten a Grab or Fair anyway. I'm tempted to mention that you can pick bombs up with a dash attack and then use it to make your dash attack less punishable either by letting the fuse run out as soon as the hitbox connects or as soon as you are able to shield etc, but it's not really used in practice. You can get an instant dash attack (thereby avoiding an unwanted F-smash) by hitting the c-stick (or a-stick) down after the first frame of a dash.
Note that Dash attack doesn't have a tipper exactly. There are three hitboxes attached to the dash attack for the duration of the active hitbox frames. The one on his arm is a 12% hitbox, the one in the middle does 13% and the one on the end does 14%. (for reference: https://youtu.be/zheUdc5bIPI?t=7) It's just that the order of priority goes 14 then 13 then 12, i.e. if all of the hitboxes connect at the same time, the opponent will be hit by the 14% hitbox because it take priority over the others. This isn't how tippers function typically. It's not like e.g. his F-smash 1 where there is a clear tipper, and the way to hit it is to miss all the other hitboxes, because the tipper hitbox has the least priority. So it really just comes down to whether you'd call a high priority hitbox a tipper or not.
Having said that, it should be noted that while the 14% hitbox has a lower launch angle (of 45 degrees, whereas the 13% hitbox is 50 and the 12% is 55) which would help to kill earlier, it actually has less base knockback than the 13% hitbox, so there are times, e.g. at medium percents close to the edge, where the 13% hitbox will actually kill earlier.

Zair
I want to open some discussion about Zair briefly in the context of smash 4. This should hopefully help people understand not just how to use it, but when to use it.
Up close and on the way out, the initial hit does 2% and the final hit does 4%. (Though I think it adds up to something like 6.5%)
If you want to do any kind of damage, you have to hit with the tip, otherwise 2% is absolutely terrible.
Against small to medium characters and character who lean forwards when they run which lowers their hurtbox (that's a lot of characters btw), because of how fast Link falls, in order to get the tip of the attack, you have to land just as the tip comes out which means that the start of the Zair must be used toward the peak of a SH. The problem with this is those same characters can literally just run at you and get straight under the Zair when you use it in this way. If they are at about half way along the Zair or closer towards you, a lot of characters simply won't get hit and then they'll be on top of you (and that's when the small amount of landing lag will really hurt you). The hitbox for Zair is very very small, which wouldn't be so much of an issue if Link didn't fall so fast or stand so (relatively) tall.
Yes, there is landing lag, but it's not much. However I will say that the same can be said for Nair, Fair and Bair which only have slightly more landing lag.
The Zair will only combo if it is used close up with the 2% hitbox. This means that you would have to commit to using that 2% hitbox by starting the Zair closer to the ground knowing that you won't get the full length Zair to come out.
Zair should mostly be used at longer range when there's not much chance of the opposing character closing the distance or if they are in shield or unable to immediately run towards you for any reason. But then, wouldn't projectiles be a better option in this situation? The answer is that it depends.
Retreating Zair? Why not retreating projectiles though? Again, the hitbox of Zair is very small and would not lead into anything in this situation.
So what exactly does Zair have going for it? Well it's admittedly pretty fast for the range it covers. About the same speed as an arrow, but then the arrow goes further. But then Zair does have that nice two hit thing going on, which would put much more pressure on shields. In general, it's sort of like if it's correctly spaced, it has less lag then any of your other options.
Another problem with Zair in this game though is that you can't airdodge Zair or Zair while continuing to hold a Bomb without receiving all of the landing lag [if you don't edge cancel].
Also, if you want to use Zair after doing any action without doing an airdodge or a double jump first, you must wait till the absolute end of that last move's animation is finished otherwise you'll get an airdodge, which, to be frank, basically means that you may as well forget about ever doing Zair without doing an airdodge or a double jump first if you've done any other action in the air.
It's a very slow aerial if you want to use it with any range, so saying it's a 12 frame move is kind of beside the point. Once extended though this move is pure disjoint. It has two separate hitboxes, the first doing 2.5% as the Zair is extending which hits the opponent into the second which does 4% with the second hitbox activating at full range. It has 8 frames of landing lag which isn't much. Because of the way Zair works, by extending a hitbox as the move wears on, this will mean you will want to alter the timing of the Zair input relative to when you want it to hit such that you can land immediately after. Typically you will be wanting to just use Zair at full range as a poking tool such that the second hitbox comes out and you land immediately after.
While the first hitbox of Zair can combo into things if used at close range, this is usually a bad idea due to how ineffective the first hitbox of Zair is on shield, the fact that you do in fact have landing lag even if it isn't much, and also due to the fact that the first hitbox of Zair is very small and comes out from the middle of Link, meaning that Zair has a blind-spot beneath Link such that if your opponent challenges you from below they will win. If you want to combo out of it you have to commit to using it as a combo tool rather than a spacing tool, because of course you will land soon after Zair comes out. And in the end, we're talking about an extra 2.5% here; most of the time you would have been better off simply not using anything in the air and just FFing instead of committing to the Zair. Having said that, up-close Zair will combo slightly better as the percents get higher, and so there is the very real possibility of comboing into F-smash, and before that things like D-tilt and D-smash, for what it's worth, which isn't much I would stress. Similar to how airdodging works and unlike aerials, you can FF before using Zair and you will retain your FF speed, but you cannot FF during it. (Potential for FFing then Zairing from up high and comboing out of the FF Zair? I mean at this stage you're only looking at 3 extra landing lag frames, and it's not as obvious that you're doing something like with Nair. I dunno though, it still has such a small hitbox so it suffers from the same problems and can be difficult to hit with.)
Back to how I think the Zair should actually be used, i.e. at full range. As was said before, Zair has a blind-spot beneath it, and this is abundantly clear when using it at full range out of a SH. Any character who is relatively small or who becomes relatively small when running will easily be able to run straight under Zair if you planned to use it at full range but you ended up using it too close to the opponent for this purpose, e.g. because they approached and closed the gap before you could react. Because of this, it is best to use Zair only when you feel confident that they will not be able to run under it in time, e.g. because they are currently in shield and would need to shield drop first, or because they are using a move that will require them to wait through the end lag, or because they are currently jumping around and their air-speed isn't good enough to close the distance in time, or because they are currently too far away and so an approach would simply cause them to come in range of your full length Zair, etc. It is in these moments that you should be using Zair as a poking tool.
Unlike a boomerang, Zair can cancels out and go through projectiles that do less than 11.5% (assuming you're hitting them with the first hitbox). Granted, you actually have to hit them, and Zair has such a small hitbox which is off the ground, so you're looking at beating out SH-height projectiles mostly. Unlike a boomerang, Zair can ignoring clanking, so it cannot be swatted out of the air with an attack. Unlike a boomerang Zair can actually potentially ignore powershields if the opponent powershields the first hit slightly before full range then lets go of their shield, because the second hit will still get them.
As a spacing tool you should retreat or approach with your SH Zair to place the full length Zair exactly where it needs to be. Used to approach, a SH instant Zair is one of our better (but still terrible) burst options without a bomb. Just note that unlike aerials, in order to buffer it out of a jumpsquat you need to either continue to hold the grab button until you are airborne or hit the grab button and hold the shield button instead until you are airborne, otherwise if you let go of grab too early without holding shield you will buffer an airdodge out of the jump and not a Zair.
The Zair can be Edge canceled (which is simply where you land with it close to an edge while facing the edge with momentum going into the edge such that you slide off and cancel all the lag). Zair doesn't have much lag to begin with but it's a thing you can do, and it means you can cancel out all the lag that carries over from an airdodge if e.g. you do a Zair while holding a Bomb. Note that landing on surfaces that are slanted down and away from you makes sliding off them easier, e.g. as seen on Lylat.
You can Zair and Z-drop at the same time obviously, but I figure I'd go into that with Bombs.
Unlike aerials and airdodges, or anything else for that matter, you can actually fall through platforms while using Zair by simply holding down.
Zair can be great as an option used out of a ledge hop much like Fair, hitting opponents who are deliberately out of reach of Fair, and because you're using it then landing on a higher surface that means that the blind-spot beneath you is no longer a factor, so the opponent will still be hit even if they run in.

Tether
Tether

The tether is Link’s go-to option for recovery; it is only really when the opponent has it covered that you will want to consider his other options. Being able to cancel an airdodge or a FF airdodge with a tether can allow you to avoid danger and then quickly recover in one motion. If you’re holing a bomb you can choose whether or not you’ll tether while holding it or if you’ll just drop it, depending on whether or not you tether out of an airdodge. Having a bomb can be a good or a bad thing depending on the situation, for example you might want to tether and buffer a ledge jump then buffer a z-drop to hit an opponent who is close to the ledge, otherwise you may be better off without the bomb as it will mean you can take your time on the ledge and choose when you return instead of having to worry about the timed explosion.
You are restricted to using your tether within a certain area that looks something like a square with round edges shifted up slightly from the line of the stage so that it reaches slightly further up (at around half a SH height), but then consequently doesn’t reach as deep down in relation to the ledge as it does far out. The maximum range of the tether then is if you use the full horizontal reach, but then you’d probably be surprised by how deep it can go too. If you keep this area in mind, and make good use of your DJ and airdodge, you can avoid needing to use your Up-special recovery unless they have specifically gone out of their way to cover your tether option.

It is extremely important to know when you can use the tether and when it will fail to work, and this is assuming that you’re in the area that the tether will work within. Other than the instances where you’ll have to use airdodge and then tether like after an aerial or during the tumble state, or the very rare instance where you’re trying to tether more than 3 times without standing on the stage, there will be times when the ledge itself is simply unavailable and so trying to tether at that point will result in a Zair and could easily lose you a stock. This will occur if you’ve recently been on the ledge, and if you’ve recently been hit with something that induces hitstun.
If you’re hanging on the ledge already and you hit away from the ledge to let go of it, you will be able to grab the ledge again on frame 55; if instead you do a ledge get-up, you have to wait until frame 89 to grab the ledge, though that includes the time spent doing the ledge get-up.
If you get hit, the rules are a bit more complicated. You have to wait till the 54th frame following hitlag to be able to grab the ledge; so for example if the move that hit you has 10 frames of hitlag, you’ll be able to grab the ledge on frame 64 counting from the frame you got hit. If you were hit hard enough that you would have been put into the tumble state, and you don’t do anything following hitstun to avoid the tumble state, you have to wait till the frame you enter the tumble state unless your character model was moved by the edge of the stage as you fell. You wouldn’t have to worry about this last part if you were using a tether in any case, because you’d be airdodging after hitstun and then tethering, thus avoiding the tumble state.
But then if you tether to grab the ledge, you actually have a 3 frame buffer window in which a Zair will turn into a tether. So for example you’d be able to input the tether on the 51st frame following hitlag, and then on the 54th frame following hitlag, the Zair would turn into a tether. Likewise, if you input the tether on frame 86 counting from the frame you input the ledge get up, it would be a Zair and then turn into a tether on frame 89. Being able to input the tether on frame 52 after letting go of the ledge makes it perfect for doing ledge hop Fair then drifting back off-stage and tethering, seeing as the FAF for Fair is 50, so that even assuming you were frame perfect with letting go then double jumping then using Fair, you can simply go for the airdodge tether as soon as you can following the Fair and you’ll know it’s safe.

If necessary, it is possible to cancel a tether that has latched onto the ledge by hitting or tilting the joystick down. If you hit down on the joystick however, it will cause you to fast fall except if you hit down while rising; this can be either during the swing of the tether as you are coming back up, or it can be as soon as the tether grabs the ledge if you tethered while jumping. In each case you will retain the momentum you had once you cancel the tether i.e. you will continue going forwards if you cancel during a swing and you will continue to rise if you cancelled out of the jump tether. It’s possible to travel under stages using this or just confuse your opponent if they react to the tether and try to intercept you. As I said earlier, it is impossible to tether the ledge more than three times before standing on-stage, so note that tethering the ledge then cancelling the tether will count towards this total.

Ok so let’s say that you tethered and the tether has attached itself to the ledge. At this point you can either hit the jump or attack/grab button to reel in the tether and automatically buffer a ledge jump or a ledge attack, otherwise, you can just hit up on the joystick to reel in the tether and grab the ledge without doing anything once you get there, or else you can choose to buffer an option of your choice at any point during the reel in, including ledge roll.
Importantly, note that when you reel in the tether, it takes the exact same amount of time to reel in every time regardless of how far away you tethered from or how long or short the tether chain is at the time; to be precise, it will take 10 frames counting from the input that reels in the tether, with Link grabbing the ledge on frame 11 every time. Because it always takes 10 frames to reel in the tether, you can have the final frame further away from the ledge if you tethered from further out, which as we noted before, will be by taking advantage of the horizontal reach. [Note that the tether reel-in animation will be cancelled if you tethered so close to the ledge that you ended up already within ledge grab range, in which case you will grab the ledge on frame 2.]
Note also that there are no '2 frames' of ledge grab vulnerability when tethering, but you are still vulnerable up until the frame you grab the ledge. This can be good and bad; good in the sense that you can be less vulnerable to being hit by moves designed to catch the ‘2 frame’ if you tether from far enough away, but bad in the sense that if you are hit, you won’t get your DJ back.
Even if you would not otherwise get invulnerability when you grabbed the ledge (because you were re-grabbing the ledge), you can actually get invulnerability on the very first frame you grab the ledge by buffering a ledge jump/attack/roll, because tethering gives you zero forced ledge hold time (except if you want to do a ledge get-up or let go of the ledge, both of which will force you to wait on the ledge for 2 frames before you input either of them, and they cannot be buffered).
If you put it all together, the above means that you can effectively completely avoid certain '2 frame' traps like Sonic's D-smash (not Link's F-tilt though) by tethering from around max distance horizontally, then reeling in the tether roughly vertically (then buffering a ledge option if it will be a re-grab so that your first ledge frame has invulnerability). This is because the last vulnerable frame of your reel-in (just before you grab the ledge) will be much further away from the ledge than if you had tethered close to the ledge. In this way, moves like Sonic’s D-smash will not be able to touch you no matter what his timing is, even if you were trumped.

Finally, I’ll just briefly go over the Tether Trump. Because tethering to the ledge gives you zero forced ledge hold frames, or only 2 if you want to get up or let go of the ledge, it lets you act much sooner after trumping someone. This allows you to get easier and better follow-ups after trumping people (DJ Dair, DJ Bomb to Up-B etc). Even if you grab the ledge after the opponent, because you have zero forced ledge hold frames, you can actually move before them by e.g. beginning to do a ledge option, such as a ledge get-up, and the opponent can still be trumped even though you have started a ledge option. This puts you in a position to stop most opponents from getting back safely to stage if they are trumped, and if you choose the right ledge option it can even put you in a position to punish the opponent for avoiding the trump.
Tether Trumping can be impractical at times though due to how long it takes to set yourself up, but thankfully there is a way around this called the Instant Tether Trump. To do this you want to SH backwards off the stage while starting right up against the edge of the stage, and then tether the ledge as you are rising. You can set this up by running towards the edge and then doing a RAR. On most stages you will need to input the tether between frames 3 and 7 of your SH airborne frames, or in other words, input the tether when Link is roughly half-way up the total distance of his SH, not before and not after, which can take some practice, though a 4 frame window is achievable. On Dream Land however, you can input the tether during your jumpsquat frames, so that so long as you started right up against the edge and you jumped back and held back, you will always get the tether.

Nair
There's some stuff in the 'shield pressure' section in post 2, and there's stuff about Nair to DA, Nair locking, Nair as a potential string/pressure breaker, combo starter, and Nair as a edge-return guarding option in other places.
In general though, without going into any of that stuff, Nair is a sex-kick that has comparatively very little end-lag following its active frames, and sex kicks are great for poking shields if you move into the opponent slowly.

Bair
The dropkick (i.e. SH then Bair and FF at the same time at the peak of your jump to make it so that only the first hit of Bair comes out which is then immediately cancelled allowing you to combo out of it) is still a thing in smash 4 only it's ever so slightly less reliable. It strings into a buffered turn around U-tilt very reliably, and since most of us use an a-stick, getting the U-tilt immediately after you begin to turn around is super easy. [Continue to hold backwards after the Bair so that you buffer the turn around (i.e. without dashing) and then it's a simple matter of hitting the A-stick upwards at the right time to get the turn-around U-tilt with perfect timing every time.] This string will work at any percent due to the first hit of bair having set knockback so it can be used to set up U-tilt kills at high percents or U-tilt combos at low percents.
Bair 1 to Best Possible Follow-ups With and Without Rage:

This is an updated version of the previous Bair 1 post, now with Link's rage factored in. Different characters have different amounts of hitstun, air-time and landing lag when hit by Bair 1, and the amount will vary depending on Link's rage, so naturally there will be different 'best' options you can do when you connect a Bair 1 and then immediately land. I will provide the data but you must be the one that figures out what is the best and most realistic thing you can do out of a landing Bair 1 in each personally relevant matchup and then actually apply it in-game.

Below I'll be listing a bunch of numbers under each character.
The first will be total hitstun frames that Bair 1 induces assuming that the opponent doesn't land part-way through.
Then I'll state the amount of airborne frames the opponent experiences assuming they don't DI or SDI the Bair, and also assuming they don't DJ before they land if they can.
If they have the same or less airborne frames compared to the total amount of hitstun frames, this means they have no choice but to land.
Then I'll mention their total landing lag frames regardless of whether or not they have a forced landing.
At this point I'll be able to tell you how many frames we have to work with to get a follow up after Bair 1 against all of the opponent's best available options. I will assume that you have hit with Bair 1 on your final airborne frame and I will take into account the ten frames of landing lag you will have to endure immediately after.

Potential follow-ups include:
B-reversed Grounded Up-B: 8 Frames
Turn around Jab: 8 Frames.
Turn around U-tilt: 9 Frames.
Turn around D-smash: 10 Frames
Turn around U-smash: 11 Frames
Back hit of U-tilt: 11 to 12 Frames
Turn around D-tilt: 12 Frames
Turn around Grab: 13 Frames (but unaffected by shield)
F-smash backwards: 15 Frames

So for example, if you see "Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield", this means that technically a turn around D-smash will connect if the opponent tries to shield and you perform everything frame perfectly.
Keep in mind however that you're not perfect, so in all likelihood you will not perform the Bair 1 perfectly by connecting it on your last airborne frame, and if the follow-up requires you to turn around first, you may not only turn around for 1 frame. However your opponent is not perfect either, and the DJ Airdodges listed below are assuming frame perfection.



Bayonetta:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 16
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 10 against spotdodge Bat Within, 14 against spotdodge intangibility.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 11 against spotdodge Bat Within, 15 against spotdodge intangibility.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 13 against spotdodge Bat Within, 17 against spotdodge intangibility.

Bowser:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 16
Airborne Frames: 15
Landing Frames: 6
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 6
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 16 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 6
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against shield, 17 against spotdodge.

Bowser Jr.:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 15 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

Captain Falcon:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 14
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 8 against shield, 10 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 16
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 12 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

Charizard:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 15
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 12 against spotdodge

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against shield, 16 against spotdodge.

Cloud:
Non-Limit:

If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 15 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against shield, 16 against spotdodge.


Limit:

If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 16
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 12 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 15 against spotdodge.

Corrin:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 20
-Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 14 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

Dark Pit:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 19 against shield.

Diddy:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 12 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against shield, 15 against spotdodge.

Donkey Kong:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 16
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 14 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

Doctor Mario:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

Duck Hunt:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 25
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 19 against shield.

Falco:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 15
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 11 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 16
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 12 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

Fox:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 11
Landing Frames: 9
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 11 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 12
Landing Frames: 10
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 13
Landing Frames: 10
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

Ganon:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 15
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 15 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 16 against spotdodge.

Greninja:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 11
Landing Frames: 8
Total Frames to Work With: 9 against shield, 10 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 12
Landing Frames: 8
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 11 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 13
Landing Frames: 9
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

Ike:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 15 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

Jigglypuff:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 32
Landing Frames: 2
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 37
Landing Frames: 2
Total Frames to Work With: 16 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 23
Airborne Frames: 39
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 17 against DJ airdodge.

King Dedede:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 16
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 6
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 6
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 6
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

Kirby:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 25
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 29
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 31
Landing Frames: 2
Total Frames to Work With: 15 against DJ airdodge.

Link:
If you have no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

If you are on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against shield, 16 against spotdodge.

If you are on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

Little Mac:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 14 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge, 18 against shield.

Lucario:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

Lucas:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 14 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge, 19 against shield.

Lucina:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 8 against Dolphin Slash, 11 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against Dolphin Slash, 13 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 25
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against Dolphin Slash, 14 against DJ airdodge.

Luigi:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 18 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 26
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 20 against shield.

Mario:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against Up-B, 11 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against Up-B, 12 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against Up-B, 13 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield

Marth:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 8 against Dolphin Slash, 11 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against Dolphin Slash, 13 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 25
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against Dolphin Slash, 14 against DJ airdodge.

Mega Man:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 16
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 12 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 15 against spotdodge.

Meta Knight:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 12 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 15 against shield, 16 against spotdodge.

Mewtwo:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 26
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge.

Mii Fighter:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 16
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 11 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against shield, 15 against spotdodge.

Mii Gunner
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 12 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 18 against shield.

Mii Sword
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against shield, 16 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

Mr Game and Watch:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 27
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 29
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge.

Ness:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 18 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 25
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge, 19 against shield.

Olimar:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 27
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 29
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 15 against DJ airdodge.

Pac-Man:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 26
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge.

Palutena:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against shield, 16 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

Peach:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 28
Landing Frames: 2
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 30
Landing Frames: 2
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge.

Pikachu:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge, 18 against shield.

Pit:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 19 against shield.

R.O.B.:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 12 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 14 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

Robin:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

Rosalina:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 26
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 29
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 32
Landing Frames: 2
Total Frames to Work With: 15 against DJ airdodge.

Roy:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 15
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 11 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 5
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

Ryu:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 15
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 9 against shield, Focus Attack and True Shoryuken, 11 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 16
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, Focus Attack and True Shoryuken, 12 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, Focus Attack and True Shoryuken, 14 against spotdodge.

Samus:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 14 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 18 against shield.

Sheik:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 13
Landing Frames: 7
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 11 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 15
Landing Frames: 6
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 12 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 6
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

Shulk:
Vanilla

If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.


Jump

If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 15
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 9 against shield, 11 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.


Speed

If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 12 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.


Shield

If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 12
Airborne Frames: 13
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: lol

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 14
Airborne Frames: 15
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 7 against DJ airdodge, 9 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 15
Airborne Frames: 16
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 8 against DJ airdodge, 10 against shield.


Buster

If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.


Smash

If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 14 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 25
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 15 against DJ airdodge, 19 against shield.

Sonic:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

Toon Link:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 18 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 27
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 21 against shield.

Villager:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 25
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge, 19 against shield.

Wario:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 17
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against shield, 12 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against shield, 14 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 21
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 15 against shield.

Wii Fit Trainer:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 19
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ airdodge, 13 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 16 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 24
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 18 against shield.

Yoshi:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 17
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 7 against DJ armor, 10 against DJ airdodge, 14 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 23
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 9 against DJ armor, 12 against DJ airdodge, 17 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 25
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against DJ armor, 13 against DJ airdodge, 19 against shield.

Zelda:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 18
Airborne Frames: 22
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 11 against DJ airdodge, 12 against Nayru's Love, 16 against shield.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 26
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 13 against DJ airdodge, 14 against Nayru's Love, 20 against shield.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 21
Airborne Frames: 28
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against DJ airdodge, 15 against Nayru's Love, 22 against shield.

Zero Suit Samus:
If Link has no rage:
Hitstun Frames: 19
Airborne Frames: 16
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 10 against shield, 11 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 100%:
Hitstun Frames: 20
Airborne Frames: 18
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 12 against shield, 13 against spotdodge.

If Link is on 150% or more:
Hitstun Frames: 22
Airborne Frames: 20
Landing Frames: 4
Total Frames to Work With: 14 against shield, 15 against spotdodge.


Other than what's mentioned, Bair is our quickest aerial on startup and overall. Only does 8% total with both hits. In the air at the right percents it can combo into itself and into a reverse ASA. If you buffer it out of a SH (i.e. use it immediately while rising) then FF at the peak of your SH (the FF can be buffered which is a 4 frame window to FF perfectly) it just so happens to work out that your last active hitbox frame will come out on your last airborne frame, so the second kick will be active the whole way down. Speaking of which, the second hit of Bair is active for a whole 5 frames surprisingly (with the first hit being active for 3). This makes run off-stage immediate Bair fairly consistent at catching 2 frames and stage spiking if you don't have enough time to try anything else. Bair's main use however is to hit the opponent with Bair 1 just before you land then combo into something other than Bair 2, but there's a great post about all of that above.
Bair can be used as an OoS option to hit opponents behind Link where a b-reversed Up-B or an U-smash wouldn't reach. Bair 2 can work the same way as Nair in that it can combo into dash attack. They have the same knockback angle and the same landing lag frames, so at the right percents can work the same if you land right after hitting it, especially if the opponent is inside/in front of Link when they get hit (because both hits of Bair will always send the opponent in the direction of the Bair, unlike with other aerials e.g. Fair). With no DI Bair 2 can combo into dash attack at around 0 to 45% on lighter floatier characters. Against characters who can land earlier due to some combination of being a fast faller/heavy/high-gravity character, it might not work at all because they can tech before dash attack hits, but this can be bypassed if they are tall enough to be hit by a slightly delayed Bair 1 out of a SH (at which point you'll want to FF the Bair so that you land soon after Bair 2 connects), which will make it so they have further to fall before they can tech.

Fair
SH Fair near the peak of your jump then FF at the peak of your jump such that the first hit of Fair comes out just before you touch the ground. Essentially, the first hit of Fair cancelled immediately has slightly less range than Jab 1, and it has almost as little lag as the old Jab 1, but it makes up for this with more shield stun. If you hit their shield with it at max range just before you land, it is safe in pretty much all circumstances.
Fair is great in the neutral, superb at killing, and is our best move to damage shields. At low percents you want to get that sweet sweet double hit Fair damage, and this can be set up for with a bomb, a boomerang or a D-tilt. It is amazing for calling out jumps and challenging whatever options the opponent has horizontally in the air, whether that be SH's or FH's or ledge jumps because even if you're slightly off on your timing or spacing, the second hit can cover for you; it's one of those tools that will simply win so long as you know where your opponent will be. Out of a SH, you can choose to land with either the first or the second hit. The first hit has slightly more range than the second hit (the first hit is actually between Jab and F-tilt for horizontal range, all of which are very minor differences) while the second hit is one frame safer on shield, but generally you won't be thinking about this too much as both are safe on shield anyway. What you want to do is keep your opponent guessing; are they free to drop shield or use an OoS option or not? And this is where Link's amazing FF comes into play, because you can choose at any moment whether you'll have one or two (or zero) hits of Fair come out. Used in conjunction with empty SHFF's into grounded options and dashes, this can be a very quick and simple yet formidable walling tactic.
As a kill move Fair 1 is arguably his most reliable. Being able to combo out of a bomb/bombslide helps, but Fair 1 is also just incredibly strong when the opponent is on higher percents because of its ridiculous growth knockback. What was once a combo move at lower percents becomes a deadly kill move at higher percents. (Oh yeah, Fair 1 can combo into things at low percents.) Used as a recovery move after a ledge hop, Fair is pretty good if for no other reason than because it puts the opponent on notice and frees up your other ledge options a bit. Technically it doesn't even matter if they shield so long as you land immediately after hitting; the result after hitting Fair 1 and 2 on shield will be that you would have more than halved their shield health and then if you land soon after they will not necessarily be able to punish you for their trouble (because Fair 1 and 2 are +3 and +4 against shield drop options respectively, and -4 and -3 against OoS options respectively). If they weren't too close to the ledge to begin with, the two hits will often push them far enough away that they cannot use OoS options to hit you, so you don't have to be perfect. And sometimes the opponent will drop shield in between hits anyway; it happens. It may as well be noted as a mix-up that you have the option of doing a ledge hop Fair then drifting back off-stage and doing a delayed tether, then so long as you immediately reel in and buffer a ledge option it is possible to remain unpunished.
If for example the opponent is on a side platform of BF, a SH instant Fair will let you stay safe beneath them and connect both hits to their shield, but if you want to poke their shield from here, by far the best thing you can do is a SH instant Nair.
As a tool for gimping Fair doesn't muck around. While less reliable than Nair, it will outright kill. It can for example be used by running off the stage then instantly using it and catching the opponent by surprise if they happen to be in the right area for it to work.

Dair
if you FH d-air [off a platform], the move will auto cancel on the next closest platform/stage [further down from where you are] for the majority of the platforms in the game, without losing its hitbox until the moment you touch the ground most of the time.
The first 4 frames of Dair spike, the following 3 frames are the strong hit, and then there's the rest. Note that the autocancel is available on the frame after the last active hitbox frame, much like with Cloud, so yes, technically we can FF to avoid getting a pogo and then immediately autocancel after hitting someone or their shield, but the timing and spacing are strict. What is less strict is simply getting the autocancel; setups include FH DJ Dair, Ledge Jump DJ Dair, FH off platform Dair, or just using Dair from the right distance after being hit up.
If the opponent doesn't DI away, you can combo a Dair pogo into another pogo into whatever you want, or if you use Dair high up enough, you can combo pogo into anything like a footstool at low percents etc; it depends on whether you have your DJ or not. If however the opponent does DI away, you'll get nothing at all; except for like super specific situations like where you pogo late and then combo into a Fair on some characters (like CF between 35 and 40% lol); but generally speaking, DI away will avoid Dair combos, period.
It should be noted that when you Pogo off someone's shield, the Dair hitbox will not affect them for a total of 40 frames from the moment you hit their shield, so taking into account shield hitlag and shield stun, that gives the opponent 20 frames to hit you with in which they don't need to worry about the Dair while you're just sitting above them. Make no mistake, Dair is not safe on shield. Late hit Dair off-stage is great for easy damage because characters can't really challenge it from below (even beating out Cloud's Uair if he challenges it from directly below Link and not to the side). It can be used to get (potentially untechable) stage spikes and to beat 2 frames easily; 2 frame stage spikes. Spiking is typically going to be opportunistic, even if it can be combo'd into with bombs. It's the hardest punish you can attempt out of a tether trump, and if they grab the ledge without invulnerability frames. It can kill from like 20% or something nonsense like that (character dependent).

Uair
I was looking into using Link's landing Uair to combo when I noticed I was getting a frame sync. For those who need a quick memory jog, see here http://smashboards.com/threads/frame-syncing.434603/

What I was doing to combo with the Uair was a FH slightly delayed bomb throw down on the opponent, then I'd hold down on the joystick and hit up on the A-stick at the peak of our FH so that it buffered a frame perfect FF on the frame following the Uair.
(The following frame syncs assume you're doing a FF on the frame after the aerial is inputted, which of course can be done automatically by simply holding down on the joystick and inputting the Uair with the A-stick.)

For reference and so you have an idea of when these inputs are being made, we can FF on airborne frame 25 at the earliest out of a FH (though of course FF's at the peak of a jump can be buffered within a four frame window).

Inputting the Uair on airborne frame 24 of the FH (with the FF automatically being activated on frame 25) lets you land on the 7th frame of hitlag (if you hit the opponent's hurtbox obviously), syncing with 4 frames of landing lag, leaving you with 19 frames of lag instead of the normal 23 frames of landing lag.
If you input the Uair on frame 25 you will get a better frame sync, one that makes you land on the 5th frame of hitlag, effectively shaving off 6 frames of your landing lag, leaving you with 17 frames of lag.
And finally, inputting Uair on airborne frame 26 will give you a frame sync that lands on the following frame (the 2nd frame of hitlag), i.e. a perfect frame sync. That syncs 9 frames of your landing lag with the hitlag, leaving you with 14 frames of lag.

That's a 3 frame window to get a frame sync as opposed to the 1 frame window that you usually get without a buffered setup.

Uair can be autocanceled in a FH. It outlasts airdodges so you just need to follow their DI and hit with the weak part, which still does 13%; note that following the opponent's DI is made easy in most cases even though we don't have the best aerial mobility ourselves because character's mobility is weakened when airdodging out of hitstun, though this doesn't apply to the likes of Lucas and Ness, and I think Mewtwo from memory. Then there's all that stuff above about Uair being able to combo into things if you hit with it then land immediately after.
FH Uairs are a necessary part of Link's vertical trap game which includes Uair, bomb throws, empty hops, FFing, U-tilt and U-smash, then as they move to the side you could include things like dash grabs, dash attacks, bombslides, etc. Rising (DJ) Uair is great for reading and punishing predictable Jumps (especially DJ's) just like Fair, only you're using Uair to hit the ones that intended to jump over you where Fair won't be able to reach. Uair has amazing reach and will typically beat out any Dair that directly challenges it, including Cloud's so long as you get it out in time.

Grab
People really have to be careful about wiffing moves anywhere near Link now, because not only does our grab cover lots of range, but we can rack damage with Dthrow combos and can even use it as a kill setup into Uair. Not even other zoning characters are completely safe, since if they land inside of our grab range while using a projectile or something, depending on how much lag an opponent is stuck in after using the move, we can just grab them out of a shield or spot dodge. And like you basically just said, we can safely punish a lot more wiffed moves from a distance (even while the move's hitboxes are still active) now with no risk of getting hit, because our grab will almost always be able to out-range that move. Our grab is also be good at covering an opponent's landings. Especially if we find that they have a habit of landing with aerials which we can punish by grabbing them while they're stuck in landing lag, or while they are still in the air.

Grab

Link’s Tether Grab combined with the reward he gets from a grab is one of his greatest assets and fits perfectly into his overall game-plan of knowing where the opponent will be then covering their options with his disjoints. His Grab is extremely disjointed, being between the length of a tipper F-smash and a Zair. The range makes it so that many moves that are normally safe on shield due to their range and/or shield-pushback become unsafe, and it also means that dashing away for spacing purposes is no longer an option that will avoid getting you grabbed if the dash isn’t fast enough or the opponent didn’t dash far enough, which can be extremely frustrating for those not used to the MU. The range also makes it perfect for catching opponent’s landings, allowing you to out-space any landing aerial attempts and beat any immediate ground options that don’t grant invulnerability. It helps of course that the grab hitbox will be able to catch aerial opponents even before they land, which can be quite useful in plenty of other niche situations.

There are three basic types of grab; the Standing grab, the Dash grab and the Pivot grab. They all have the same amount of active hitbox frames, being 8 frames total, which is attached to the claw on the way out. Note that the grab hitbox attached to the hand no longer exists.
The standing Grab will first Grab on frame 12 and will grab up until frame 19. It has slightly less lag than the other two, allowing you to act 4 frames earlier than a dash grab. So does this mean it’s worth it to run, shield, and do a standing grab instead of a dash grab? The answer is no; this is because if you dash then shield out of a run then grab OoS, trying to grab on the first 3 frames of the shield will result in a dash grab anyway, so at most you’d be able to save one frame on your end-lag if you timed the grab perfectly, in which case the grab will still end up coming out one frame slower than it would have if you just did a dash grab.
The Dash Grab is a great burst option when used at full range. If you do a dash grab and grab the opponent with the last active frame, you will have saved 10 frames compared to if you had instead tried to continue running and grab them with the first active frame of the dash grab. This is because the grab hitbox travels faster than you can run. Keep this in mind if you’re trying to combo into Grab; simply grab earlier instead of trying to close the distance.
The Pivot Grab is extremely useful for making your opponent whiff an approach option and then punishing them. Please note that if you want to avoid getting a Pivot F-tilt, simply input the Grab first then immediately input backwards on the joystick.

Throws (Generally)
see the d-throw stuff at the top of the first post
All throws have 18 frames of invincibility at the start of the throw (i.e. frames 1 to 18).

Link's F-throw: 3% on frame 12, 4% on frame 18, FAF 41.
Link's B-throw: 3% on frame 12, 4% on frame 19, FAF 44.
Link's U-throw: 5% on frame 27, 2% on frame 33, FAF 55.
Link's D-throw: 3% on frame 21, 3% on frame 28, FAF 61 against Bowser, 49 against Jigglypuff.
Throws

Once you get a grab you can pummel for a little bit of extra percent, at which point you have 4 throws to choose from, each of which will give you 18 frames of invulnerability at the start, which is something you should keep in mind if you’re near a bomb that’s about to explode or if you’re in doubles.

F-throw and B-throw are more for stage positioning and throwing the opponent into falling bombs or throwing them off-stage if you think you’ll get a better reward than D-throw; after all, with some characters you don’t have anything guaranteed out of D-throw, so the extra 1% damage the F-throw/B-throw do coupled with the potential to put the opponent off-stage can sometimes be the best you’re going to get. With that said, F-throw can actually combo into Jab at low percents if you use it while moving forwards on the SV platform so long as you’re versing a large enough character or they end up being forced to land. This does not apply to B-throw.

U-throw’s primary use it is to kill as a last resort. The percent it will kill will vary greatly depending on the character you’re versing, the stage you’re on, whether or not you’re standing on any platforms, and whether or not you have any rage. But to give you an idea, it will kill DDD on the base of BF at 205% without rage, and it will kill Jigglypuff on the base of Town and City at 100% with full rage. Somewhere between the two is your best guess keeping all of the relevant factors in mind.

D-throw is going to be your primary throw in the vast majority of MU’s and situations as it is your combo throw and as such it will be a prime source of damage output. The combo-ability of D-throw is extremely MU dependant. For starters, D-throw is a weight dependant throw, meaning that the speed of the animation itself will change depending on the weight of the opponent. If they are heavier it means that the throw animation lasts longer, which will necessarily mean that you will be forced to act out of it later, giving your opponent longer to escape a follow-up. If the opponent is lighter, the throw animation will be quicker and you will be able to act out of it sooner, opening up better combos. Please note that this will also affect the buffer window for your follow-ups out of D-throw, meaning you will need to adjust the timing of your buffered actions depending on the MU.
I have a detailed post readily available in the first post of the metagame thread that lists the guaranteed combos Link has against every character at 10% intervals, so I recommend you check that out. To summarise it however, I’ll divide the cast into 5 different categories; immune, resilient, standard, vulnerable, and combo-food.

Immune:
Bowser, Charizard, Luigi, Samus, Villager, and Wii Fit Trainer.
For these 6 characters, so long as they choose the right option, nothing is ever guaranteed out of D-throw. What they have in common is a decent amount of weight and relatively slow fall speed.
Notable mention goes out to Bowser Jr for almost being immune if not for the fact that FH Nair is guaranteed between 80% and 90%, otherwise he’s the hidden 7th immune character.

Resilient:
Dr. Mario, Ganon, Greninja, Mario, Pac-Man, Palutena, Ryu, Sonic, Toon Link, Wario, and Yoshi.
A combination of just the right weight and fall speed, or 1 frame armor, makes these characters less concerned about being grabbed. The guaranteed punishes we have available out of D-throw are there, it’s just that they are relatively weak compared to the rest of the cast and will not be available for as long. Typically you’ll be looking for U-tilts from 20% up until 40 to 50%, and then beyond that you’ll be going for FH Nairs until around 70% or until they are out of range, at which point you’ll be attempting FH Uairs which will be able to outlast their airdodges.
The exceptions to this trend are Ryu, Toon Link and, Yoshi. For Ryu, you just want to stick to using U-tilt up to 70%, as nothing else is guaranteed. With Toon Link U-tilt will only be guaranteed at 30%, but if he avoids it before then with an airdodge he can be punished severely, and then don’t bother going for FH Nairs against him as they won’t work; instead use FH Uairs from 70% so you can beat out his airdodge. Yoshi has his DJ heavy armor which is a pain to deal with. U-tilt will be absorbed by DJ and then Yoshi can immediately use Down-special to hit us before we can shield. From 80% and beyond however, FH Uair becomes a viable option to beat it.

Important!
Please not that in order to use FH Uair as a follow-up out of D-throw, it will greatly help if you have a trigger button set to jump and your C-stick set to tilts (i.e. an A-stick); this will allow you to easily input the Uair during your jumpsquat frames so that you can buffer both the FH and the Uair, making it consistently frame perfect, which is what is required in most instances.

Standard:
Bayonetta, Cloud Without Limit, Corrin, Donkey Kong, Duck Hunt, King Dedede, Link, Lucario, Lucas, Mega Man, Mii Brawler/Gunner/Sword, Ness, Peach, Pit and Dark Pit, Robin, Rosalina, Shulk (all MArts), and Zelda.
D-throw to U-tilt will be a staple combo on these characters, but then unlike the previous characters, U-smash becomes a guaranteed option for a bit immediately following U-tilt, so you will want to go for it whenever you can to get the big reward from connecting with U-smash; often the only way to escape the U-smash follow-up where it isn’t technically guaranteed will be difficult anyway. The initial hit of FH Uair is still not guaranteed on these characters and so you will be using a lot of FH Nair and Aerial Up-B to get guaranteed damage, and the FH Uairs for airdodge traps.
There are three kinds of exceptions to this trend. Lucas, Ness, Peach and Rosalina cannot be U-smashed with any guarantee, but you can get guaranteed FH Uairs on them with the initial hit starting from 70 or 80%.
The Mii fighters, Pit/Dark Pit, and Robin cannot be hit with guaranteed U-smashes, but the standard U-tilt, and FH Nair work solidly on them.
Then there’s Zelda who can be hit by U-smash for a short period but can also be hit directly with Uair for a short period starting from 80%.

Vulnerable:
Captain Falcon, Cloud With Limit, Diddy, Falco, Fox, Ike, Jigglypuff, Marth/Lucina, R.O.B, Roy, Sheik, and Zero Suit Samus.
What all these characters have in common is that D-throw to U-smash is guaranteed within a large percent window. They are always going to eat a lot of damage with every Grab. If necessary wait till they’re on 10 to 20% if you don’t have rage, and dash forwards for a frame or two to follow DI around 50% and up, but just keep doing D-throw to U-smash.
The exception to this trend is Jigglypuff. U-smash will connect alright, but then because Jigglypuff is so light, the connecting hits don’t work well and so she ends up being popped out. Having said that, Jigglypuff has definitely earned her place in the vulnerable section, because the initial hit of FH Uair will be guaranteed from as little as 40% without rage, meaning that Jiggs will still be eating a lot of damage with every Grab.
For the other characters, once U-smash stops working you’ll be able to use FH Nairs and Aerial Up-B’s to get guaranteed damage; FH Uair won’t be guaranteed to connect with the initial hit, but you will be able to force an airdodge and then hit them after, dashing forwards first for a frame or two to follow DI where necessary. The exceptions to this being Cloud, Marth/Lucina, Roy, and ZSS who can avoid the Uair trap entirely by DIing away.

Combo-Food:
Kirby, Little Mac, Meta Knight, Mewtwo, Mr. Game & Watch, Olimar, and Pikachu.
Against every one of these characters, our two best follow-ups, U-smash and FH Uair (initial hit) are guaranteed within such generous percent ranges that in some cases such as with Mac, Mewtwo, and Olimar, you don’t even need to do any other follow ups. With the others, you might have to do a FH Nair or an Aerial Up-B for a short interval somewhere between 40 and 60%, but then it’s all FH Uairs from that point.

[Note that using D-throw if your back is right up against an edge will result in slightly less knockback, so in those instances you can do follow-ups that would have worked roughly 10 to 20% earlier.]

Ok so that’s all the standard guaranteed combos out of D-throw covered, but how about the less conventional ones? It is of course encouraged that you don’t always go for strictly guaranteed follow-ups. For example instead of going for another FH Uair only to have the opponent airdodge and then get hit with the lingering sourspot Uair, you will want to consider baiting the airdodge and then finishing their stock by hitting them with a delayed Fair or a landing soft Nair to Dash Attack. Or you might only have a Nair or an U-tilt guaranteed, and perhaps you’ve noted that your opponent likes to airdodge; well then why not consider charging an U-smash or an F-smash? Does the opponent like to DJ away instead? consider doing a FH/DJ Uair/Fair.

Of course, there are other ways to get unconventional follow-ups out of D-throw that don’t require a read. For example, if you get a Grab while standing on a platform you can shave off some frames from your jumpsquat by instead falling through the platform, at which point you can input an Aerial Up-B or DJ on frame 4 at the earliest to have it come out on frame 5 at the earliest, which is a potential saving of 3 frames. This might not sound like much but because of the frames gained using a platform drop, many characters that we don’t normally have any decent follow-ups on suddenly have to fear being grabbed on a platform. Even the aforementioned 7 immune characters will be hit by a platform drop Up-B between roughly 40 to 70%, weight dependant, the only exception being Bowser. With the frames saved by a platform drop DJ, you can get a guaranteed Fair to connect on seven lucky characters. Tested at 5% intervals, it works on Jigglypuff between 45 and 65%, Kirby between 65 and 75%, Olimar between 65 and 80%, Rosalina at 70%, Mewtwo and Pikachu between 70 and 90%, and Fox between 70 and 95%.
Just note that unlike with buffering a jump out of a D-throw, you don’t have 10 frames to buffer the platform drop-through, instead you only have 4 frames. Combine this with the 2 frame window to input the next action perfectly as well as the requirement to do an aerial immediately following the DJ, and the whole platform drop method can be very difficult, bordering on impractical.

Another unconventional way to get better guaranteed follow-ups out of a D-throw revolves around another way to shave off frames from your jumpsquat. This time you just need to get a grab while right up against the edge of a platform or the stage, then run off the edge and use a DJ. If you’re facing the edge you will be able to DJ on frame 2 of your dash if you just want to DJ forwards, otherwise you’ll need to wait till frame 3 to DJ in any direction. If you’re not facing the edge you will need to add an extra frame to turn around first. Considering that your jumpsquat is 7 frames, this method will allow you to input aerials between 3 and 5 frames earlier than normal. Not only will it let you get guaranteed follow-ups on otherwise immune characters, but it will allow you to hit even resilient characters with potentially deadly guaranteed follow-ups, for instance you can get a guaranteed DJ Fair on Mario between 80 and 95%. Against more vulnerable characters, you can obviously get the DJ Fair to connect at a much more generous percent range, for example it works between 55 and 100% on Fox, but you can even get D-throw to Dair to combo, which if used at the edge of the stage will kill very early; for example if you roll into the edge and grab a Fox after he has used a ledge option, if he DI’s your D-throw off-stage in an attempt to avoid an imperfect dash U-smash or dash FH Uair, you can instead dash off-stage, input the DJ on frame 2 (because you’ll be jumping out off-stage regardless and it will save the frame you lost having to turn around first), and then you can have the Dair spike be unavoidable between 55 and 80%. It’s little setups like this that you want to keep in mind. Obviously using the run off DJ will allow for the more standard combos like Uair and Aerial Up-B to work on characters it doesn’t normally work on and at percents where it usually misses.

All of that unconventional stuff can be difficult to perform though, but there is one more trick you may want to consider, but first some knowledge of game mechanics. If you are hit with low knockback, all of your actions will come out on the same frame following hitstun, but as your percent increases or the move you are hit with becomes more powerful, starting with medium-level knockback, airdodges will be able to come out first, followed by attacks, and finally DJ’s and specials. What this means is that at a certain point when D-throw is launching the opponent far enough, they will only be able to use airdodge to avoid certain follow-ups, and if they are close enough to the ground at the time they will then undergo airdodge landing lag, giving you time to punish them. Depending on how much time you have, you may be able to get some really nasty punishes.

[The following percents are assuming no DI of the D-throw, so just note that with DI the percents will change as it will affect how long the opponent is in the air for, which could end up being both good and bad.
Rage and staleness are not factored in either.
Also keep in mind that the list of characters is by no means exhaustive. They are there merely to give you examples.]

The best way to take advantage of this mechanic is to follow-up a D-throw with a SH Uair then FF at the peak of your jump (which I’ll refer to as a ‘SHUFF’). If the Uair is guaranteed to connect on the character in question, you’ll want to slightly delay it instead of buffering it during your jumpsquat frames, giving the opponent the option to airdodge it.

Take Pikachu for example.
Starting from 54% (before the D-throw), Pikachu will have no other option to avoid Uair other than airdodge, as Nair will stop trading. When Pikachu lands after airdodging at this percent you’ll have an 8 frame advantage (which will become more at higher percents), meaning if you’re close enough you can punish with a grounded Up-B. (From 55% you’ll have a 9 frame advantage and so you’d be able to punish with D-smash, etc.) This is useful to know because it’s around this percent that U-smash will stop working.
Starting from 60% a SHUFF will force Pikachu to airdodge if he wants to avoid the Uair (but note that you’d have to delay the Uair slightly otherwise it is guaranteed). Once you land you’ll have at least 11 frames to punish, meaning you can actually get a guaranteed re-grab on Pikachu, at which point you can feel free to pummel and repeat.
Starting from 71% a SHUFF will give you a 15 frame advantage, meaning you can actually punish the airdodge landing lag with an F-smash (which will kill).
Then from 78%, Pikachu will be able to act before landing after airdodging, and so will be able to avoid airdodge landing lag. However, just not that if the Pikachu doesn’t e.g. DJ or use an aerial, it will still receive airdodge landing lag for quite some time, but we’ll assume the best for now.

To take another example, let’s look at Marth, focusing now more on the two big punishes, i.e. the Grab and the F-smash.
Starting from 78% a SHUFF will give you an 11 frame advantage, which of course gives you the option of getting a re-grab.
Starting from 89% you’ll get a 15 frame advantage, which again lends itself to a guaranteed F-smash punish.
Then from 97%, Marth will be able to act after airdodge before landing to avoid the lag.

Kirby:
Starting from 40% you have an 11 frame advantage.
Starting from 50% you have a 15 frame advantage
Then from 56% Kirby can act before landing.

Fox:
Starting from 68% you have an 11 frame advantage.
Starting from 79% you have a 15 frame advantage
Then from 87% Fox can act before landing.

Cloud without Limit:
Starting from 89% you have an 11 frame advantage.
Starting from 101% you have a 15 frame advantage
Then from 109% Cloud can act before landing.

Cloud with Limit:
Starting from 101% you have an 11 frame advantage.
Starting from 113% you have a 15 frame advantage
Then from 121% Cloud can act before landing.

Mario:
Starting from 77% Mario will not be able to avoid the SH Uair with DJ, and at this point you have a 12 frame advantage.
Starting from 85% you have a 15 frame advantage
Then from 91% Mario can act before landing.

That’s enough examples for now. You get the idea.

I would stress at this point that getting a re-grab on the opponent after a SHUFF is arguably the best punish. Yes, F-smash may kill, but the percent range this works in is small. What the re-grab means is more than just a free 6% without pummels. It means that you are conditioning the opponent to not want to airdodge after D-throw. This means that they may start to get hit and even killed in scenarios where they could have otherwise avoided your follow-up with an airdodge. They don't know how large or small the percent window is that you can get a re-grab. Only you do.

The other variation of this is a lot more character specific. It works best on Fox. Instead of doing a SH Uair, you’ll want to do a FH Fair, and then FF at the peak of your jump as usual. Between 76 and 86%, Fox must airdodge to avoid the Fair, and then when you land you’ll be able to get a grounded Up-B to punish his landing lag. This is something you’ll want to consider pulling out against a Fox who knows to just take the Uair and not airdodge it in order to avoid being F-smashed or re-grabbed; when they do this, just Fair them instead which can kill, and if you guessed wrong you still might kill them with the Up-B.

Grounded Spin Attack
The uses I find for it are:
1. punishing, particularly a ledge get-up
2. catching an airdogde, especially after a Dthrow
3. a once-a-set tactic of cancelling [the landing lag of] an airdogde [out of a SH] with Up B
Grounded Spin Attack hits on frame 8 in front, so it’s our fastest option in many scenarios including out of a run (if we're not holding a bomb), a dash turn, and OoS because of course you can jump in all these scenarios and you can cancel jump with Up-B. Yes, when doing an Up-B e.g. OoS it is still frame 8, even though some people will tell you it is frame 9, because the jump and Up-B input can be made on the same frame and so you don't need one frame of the jump-squat to happen first. There are hitboxes out constantly when using grounded Up-B; it's not like they appear on each side of Link like with aerial Up-B, and they are connected to the sword and his hand; in other words, the hitboxs will dip in and out of the z-axis as Link spins around. If a large enough character is inside Link, the hand hitbox will be able to hit them throughout the entire duration of the attack, which can be useful for beating out invulnerability frames. Likewise, if you use it on a stage like Duck Hunt, Up-B is way better at beating out invulnerability frames because there is no z-axis on that stage, and so there is simply going to be an active hitbox moving in front and behind Link, crossing over within him as it goes and extending to cover more area as it reaches each side.
Shielding the grounded Up-B at any point will mean that it cannot hurt the one who shielded for the rest of the move. If Grounded Up-B is shielded while Link has his back right up against the edge of a platform or the stage, he will fall off backwards and use an aerial spin attack while falling (the hits of which will be able to hit the opponent), and he will not be able to grab ledges for the entire duration of the move, meaning if you do it next to the edge of the stage you die if you're not holding a bomb. It has to be right up against the edge though, so for example if you want to do a ledge getup then Up-B, that's fine. There are a total of 4 stages to the hitboxes that do less and less damage as the move wears on, and the tip of the sword will do less damage throughout. See kurogane's website for the specifics on the damage itself. The hitboxes in the first 3 stages have transcendent priority, while the final stage which also goes the longest (16 frames) will clank with other hitboxes. having transcendent priority is good in some ways but not in others. Basically, so long as you are able to reach their hutbox without them being able to reach your hurtbox, it's good because you'll be able to hit them even though they have an active hitbox out. If however they can also reach your hurtbox, then it depends on whether you want the trade or not. If they simply out-range you and you cannot reach their hurtbox, then it's bad because you don't even have the option of clanking to stop you from being hit. Against projectiles without hurtboxes for example it will always be bad because you can't stop them.
Grounded Up-B can of course be charged or semi-charged, and it will hit on frame 4 upon release. So there is some potential for beating out approaches by ignoring their hitboxes if you read them and time it properly. See what I was talking about with D-smash.
It is a requirement that you become good at using grounded Up-B OoS, especially B-reversing it OoS, as it is your fastest option OoS in front and is easily your fastest option behind (both frame 8 of course). Using it OoS when your shield is hit can be difficult though because only one input can be buffered in smash 4, so if you input the jump and the Up-B during shield hitlag or shield hitstun within ten frames of you being able to act, the game will only register the jump input. Because of this, I personally recommended that you simply wait until shield hitstun is over before making the inputs. Generally speaking, this will be as soon as you stop sliding in your shield. There is the option of inputting jump and then mashing Up-B till it comes out, but I feel like that's imprecise and you won't be able to get the b-reversal when required as easily like this.
Like with all specials and the bomb throw, you can do SH buffered airdodge then Up-B so you don't get airdodge landing lag.
I should note also that while it doesn't really make any sense, it's actually surprisingly good for hitting characters landing on top of you e.g. when used OoS. Can be a great kill move and in some circumstances can be used after Jab 2.

Aerial Spin Attack
While I'm at it:
Aerial Up-special has 30 frames of landing lag.
Aerial Spin Attack grabs the ledge very early when facing the ledge (on the 13th frame at the earliest), but very late when not facing it (on the 33rd frame at the earliest). You can of course hold down to not grab the ledge at all until you return the joystick to neutral. The aerial version actually also has transcendent priority as well. Transcendent priority can be useful for hitting Luma (e.g. when it's doing that rapid jab spin thing with the constant hitbox) without clanking, so e.g. if as you're recovering you see that the Luma is already doing the spin or is about to, you can hold down to not grab the ledge and hit it away with Up-B and Rosa will not be able to punish you (whereas aerials would clank and not hit Luma at all). It can be used to counter attempted gimps by first avoiding their attack with an airdodge or a FF or a combination of the two and then using an Up-B directed towards the side blast zone which will often kill; at which point if you are close to the ledge you can drift over and grab it, otherwise, as you were recovering you will probably be holding a bomb, in which case you can go in as deep as you want to secure the kill because the bomb blast will knock you back towards stage meaning your second Up-B will make it easily. Note that if you time it and space it right, you don't even have to avoid the opponent's attempted gimp first because the back hit of Aerial Up-B extends surprisingly far. For that matter, it can also be used as a powerful edgeguarding tool in the same way.
It can be combo’d into out of Bair, late hit Nair, and obviously things like D-throw, bomb, boomerang and D-tilt. It can be a good kill option, however in order to have enough knockback to kill, the opponent will need a decent amount of percent on them because the final hit is mostly reliant on growth knockback and it only does 4%. It typically won’t let the opponent escape between hits since the patch that fixed it, unless they are a fast faller and you hit them initially really high up on their hurtox, or if you hit a light/floaty really low down on their hurtbox. This is partly due to the fact that the hitboxes are kinda huge, and janky-looking. I'll let the video explain. https://youtu.be/zheUdc5bIPI?t=98 Feel free to slow it down. Note also just how far behind Link this move hits, surprisingly. Because it hits so far behind, it is possible to recover with it past the ledge facing off-stage by holding down if necessary, and scoop the opponent up who was waiting unwittingly near the edge, then you hit them toward the blast zone. As a recovery tool, you will often have to use it early to intercept the opponent as they jump out off stage. If you have a bomb, this is not so frightening. If you are ever in a position where you are recovering with Up-B below stage and you're hitting the opponent up with you, consider holding down on the joystick to miss grabbing the ledge so that you can stage spike the opponent with Up-B, then immediately return the joystick to neutral. If you are instead in doubles and carrying your team-mate, you can just grab the ledge and let them be safe.

Arrows
The reason for not using arrows that much is that they don't offer anything other than weak dmg. You can't follow them up with anything because of the end lag they have so you can't combo out of them

Personally I use arrows quite often, but only when the opponent is far enough for me to not worry about a punish. I use them to either push them off stage when they're near the ledge/on a platform, or to force a grounded approach.
About the only other time I use arrows is on recovering opponents. Charged arrows have a good bit of knockback at higher percentages and they have the most horizontal launch trajectory out of our three projectiles.

Arrows are a very basic projectile with some niche uses. They will do 4% damage uncharged while fresh throughout the duration of the flight path, and you can slowly build potential damage and speed while charging until you get to 12% when fully charged, at which point you can continue to hold the charge and release when you want. The basics techniques for specials obviously apply to arrows. That being, the turn-around special, the B-reversal, and the wavebounce. There are two ways to perform a turn-around special: (while in the air) you can either lightly tilt the joystick backwards and hit the special button, or you can flick the joystick backwards, returning it to neutral immediately, and then within 10 frames of hitting backwards hit special. To perform a B-reversal, while traveling forwards or backwards in the air, hit the special button then within 4 frames hit backwards to make you turn around and reverse your aerial momentum. Then a wavebounce is just a combination of the above two, turning around first then doing a B-reversal so you have effectively turn around twice quickly and reversed your aerial momentum. The B-reversal is sometimes used in combination with a backwards FH or backwards DJ in the direction of the opponent to make them think you’ll be above them only to change your momentum in the air and then come down with a well-spaced charged arrow.

The uncharged arrow, used for the purposes of a projectile in and of itself, is pretty standard, coming out at frame 18 and traveling at an average speed, which is easy enough to react to and even powershield. It will not allow you to combo into anything on-hit (except in specific situations which I will go into shortly) and is purely used in this situation for the sake of controlling your opponent. You might want to encourage them to approach either from the ground or in the air, depending on where you would have the most advantage, and so you can lob your arrows from a distance to show them the way through your spam.

If you charge the arrow, it becomes a different matter altogether. Charging an arrow allows you to hit opponents across the stage with a projectile that travels so fast that it cannot be powershielded on pure reaction alone (e.g. upon release it will travel across the entire smashville stage, with both characters rolled into opposite ledges, in just 14 frames). You can charge the arrow in situations where the opponent has missed a tech to cover all of their options on reaction for an easy 12%, which might then launch them off-stage where you can then potentially maintain the advantaged position.
If instead the opponent has full control of their options, you enter a game where the opponent has to decide whether to continue holding shield or try to jump out e.g. onto a platform without being hit. If there aren’t any platforms, you enter a game where the opponent has to choose between trying to take the arrow on their shield in response to you releasing the arrow early, or trying to jump over the path of the arrow and punish you for releasing the arrow too late. If they are too far away to be able to jump from where they are and reach you, just have patience; their shield will slowly lose health and they will start to worry about the arrow poking or breaking their shield; they might jump anyway, in which case wait for them to expend their DJ and potentially airdodge into the ground or use some other stalling technique. If they can reach you but only if they use their DJ, wait for the DJ then immediately release the arrow; you will regain control before they reach you and they will be landing near or on top of you without their DJ. You will begin to recognise that opponents will typically spend a specific amount of time in shield before attempting to jump out, which will be how long it takes them to realise that you are holding the charge, otherwise they will have gambled for the longer wait and you can have some fun with them; once you begin to note when the opponent jumps out early you can predict that they will attempt to leave the situation and release the arrow early in anticipation and hit them.

Arrows are great for gimping recoveries without risk. Unlike the boomerang or the bomb which hit opponents up, arrows stifle recoveries by hitting opponents away without giving them any vertical height. If you’re hanging on the ledge and the opponent is still a long way out, you can do a well timed ledge jump B-reversed arrow to arrow. Charged arrows are obviously best to connect with however, if you can make them connect. Often they will be enough to hit the opponent into the blast zone. Keep in mind that an arrow charged just short of full charge will dip toward the end of the flight path much lower than a fully charged arrow; you can mix the two up to hit opponents who aren’t sure whether to expect a straight shot or not.

Earlier I alluded to the possibility of arrows being able to combo into other moves. There are three possible ways to do this.
The first is to perform an edge cancelled arrow. To do this, you need to shoot an arrow in the air while moving forwards, continue to hold forwards after you inputted the arrow, then land on the edge of a platform (or the edge of the stage) after you’ve actually shot the arrow (the sooner the better), then if you kept holding forwards you will slide off the edge of the platform, cancelling all remaining lag, allowing you to use any action immediately. Note that you will slide further if you land on a platform that is slanted down, making the edge cancel more consistent. If the edge cancel arrow hits the opponent, it can then combo into e.g. an aerial. Very situational, but it’s there.
The second way is to get the arrow to cause a ledge slip. If the opponent is standing close enough to a ledge when they get hit by an arrow (e.g. you made the roll or get-up roll while on a platform), it will cause them to slide backwards and enter a ledge slip animation, which provides further stun. Even if the opponent is able to DJ before they land, there can be enough stun to combo into an U-smash if for example you do a SH arrow under the side BF platform while moving forwards. Otherwise, if the opponent cannot DJ before they land due to fall-speed, they will be unable to tech when they land, giving you enough time to combo into much more and from further away. There is even the possibility of getting and Arrow Lock out of the forced missed tech from some distance away. The third way to combo out of an arrow is to get an Arrow Lock. If you hit the opponent with any move that can lock, including an arrow, within 26 frames of them hitting the ground without a tech, they will be forced to stand up as soon as they can, opening them up for a hard punish. Some characters can be locked with an arrow up close, while others are too thin for this to work, but every character can be arrow locked from a distance. If you get an arrow lock from a distance this can allow you to combo into a dash grab or a dash attack.

Boomerang
Boomerang

The Boomerang is a more versatile projectile than the Arrow. Much like with arrows, the boomerang can be B-reversed and wavebounced. You can do a soft and a hard throw depending on whether you tilt or smash the input. It can also be aimed at different angles by moving the joystick to point where you want to throw it. There are the three primary angles, forwards, diagonally up, and diagonally down, which can be used by moving the joystick into the corresponding indents. Then in between each of these angles, if you move the joystick up against the side in between two indents, there are then two unique angles you can throw the boomerang for each side. Typically, you’ll be adjusting the direction you want to throw the boomerang right up until the moment it is actually thrown to adapt to the opponent’s projected movement.

Compared to other projectiles, the time it takes for the boomerang to actually come out is a bit slow, with its first hitbox coming out on frame 27. This is kind of bad, until you realise that the boomerang throw lets you act a mere 19 frames later at worst, so when you factor in the fact that shield hitlag and shield hitstun are essentially the same for projectiles, the Boomerang becomes surprisingly safe on shield. To be precise, it is -1 against shield drop moves (i.e. the opponent can act 1 frame before us if they drop shield first) and -8 against OoS options if used the boomerang right up close. In order to miss-space a boomerang then, we need to have thrown it within range of the opponent’s OoS options, and that’s assuming that they have decent OoS options, which not every character has.

Frames 27 to 36 will inflict 7%, while frames 37 to 64 will do 5% for both tilt and smash throws. Then between frames 65 and 87 if smash thrown or between frames 65 and 72 if tilt thrown, there is a small windbox that will lightly push an opponent. Upon this small windbox making contact with the opponent, the boomerang will return without fully extending as if it had hit the opponent. If this small windbox does not come into contact with the opponent, and the boomerang is allowed to fully extend, then on frame 88 for smash throws or frame 73 for tilt throws, a larger windbox will come out as the boomerang begins to return of its own volition, and if the opponent happens to be in the right place where they have avoided making contact with the small windbox and instead find themselves coming into contact with the big windbox as it appears, they will be pushed much harder.

The returning boomerang can be used to pull an opponent back in that you have hit away if it intercepts their launch angle on its way back to you, but it will only pull them back if their knockback velocity isn’t too fast at the time. This means it will only be relevant if the opponent has received low to low-medium knockback, otherwise it might just manage to slow them down a bit or adjust their launch trajectory to make it more vertical.

Another way to use the windbox is called Gale Guarding. This is essentially where you throw the boomerang back at the stage and have it bounce off to make the returning boomerang go towards a recovering opponent to push them further away from the stage. It sounds good in theory, but in practice you should know that it is highly impractical and almost completely ineffective. With that said, here’s how it works. When you throw the boomerang at a solid surface, one of two things will happen depending on the angle of the surface in relation to the angle of the boomerang throw. It with either bounce off the surface and immediately go back in the direction that it came from with the returning boomerang windbox, or it will ricochet off the surface and only begin its return once it has gone as far as it would have otherwise, at which point it might have trouble returning to you because it has found itself going the wrong way, so it will often e.g. just go generally up. In order to gale guard, you’ll want to use the first kind of bounce. The first kind of bounce will happen when the angle that the boomerang hits the surface is close to 90-degrees, so for example, if you use the vertical wall on the side of the stage on Duck Hunt, then regardless of what angle you throw the boomerang, the angle will be close enough to a 90-degree relation with the surface, so you will always get the first kind of bounce. On the lip at the very edge of every stage, there is a small area that works the same way as the entire side of Duck Hunt; you just have to hit it.

A more practical application of the boomerang would be its ability to combo at close range into Fair. This is useful at lower percents when you don’t have a bomb handy and it can be used out of a dash/run unlike D-tilt. A lesser known way to combo is by using the 5% soft hit out of a tilt throw at around medium range when the opponent is at kill percent and they are beneath a low platform, in this case the side platforms of BF. The hit will put them in a situation where they will need to tech on the platform as there will be nothing else they can do, otherwise you will be able to dash in and FH Fair them. Unfortunately for them, sometimes they might just get unlucky and the boomerang will induce the untechable reel animation. For an idea of the percents it works on without rage, you’re looking at Fox between 135 and 155%, Mario between 125 and 145%, and Rosalina between 95 and 100%. With rage this percent will be lowered, which will make it more realistic and useful, except that it then won’t work on lightweights as well, because the lowest their percent can possibly be to still induce the untechable reel is 95%.

Note that when the boomerang returns to you, if you aren’t doing any action after the boomerang throw ends other than e.g. standing, jumping, walking/running, or pivoting, you will be forced to catch the boomerang and endure 9 frames of lag. But then, not all lag is bad lag necessarily, especially when you can use it to replace worse lag. For instance, if you want to do a jab or a tilt but you’re currently running, you’d need to return the joystick to neutral and skid, which takes 14 frames, or, if the circumstances happen to be right, you could catch the boomerang instead and only have to wait 9 frames. The boomerang catch lag can replace landing lag as well, the notable ones being Uair, Dair and airdodge landing lag (including Zair while holding a Bomb), though it can be difficult to get the boomerang to interrupt your landing lag even if you want it to, because the boomerang will usually go over and past you on its return. To help prevent this from happening, you can do things like e.g. tilt throw the boomerang forwards then immediately SH forwards after the boomerang and perform the aerial/airdodge/Zair-while-holding-a-bomb. That’s just an example though. Another example would be to tilt throw the boomerang diagonally upwards while standing around the middle of BF, then immediately FH towards the boomerang using whatever you want, then land on the lower platform and have your landing lag replaced.

Bombs
Link's [dash] throw animation recovers extremely quickly in this iteration of Smash compared to previous ones.
The other thing is that JC throwing halts all of Link's forward momentum, whereas the running bomb throw animation has Link continuing to move forward a couple steps even as he tosses the bomb. For combos, grounded rushdown, and gap-closing, I'd say the running bomb throw is almost indisputably better.
The running bomb throw is only useful for offensive play, whereas the JC throw accommodates both offensive and defensive play. [Note that at longer range you'd want to use a bombslide instead.]
I know that everyone knows that bombs can be instant-dropped [without Zair coming out] when you do a [ledge jump], and the bomb falls from the ledge vertically. It is very handy to set up stage spikes and such... even some recovery moves are hit by the bomb.
You are off-stage and get a bomb in your hand, and some nasty opponent try to gimp you, you dodge him and get into the ledge (with Z or Spin attack). This is a very normal situation and not very situational.

You can do a instant bomb drop in the very second you jump-recover from the ledge, and the bomb makes a wall for the opponent to recover. I've gimped the best diddys in my country with this movement.

You can also soft-throw bombs if your opponent is off stage for a similar effect (bomb bounces a little before fall off the stage)
Right, I have me abusing the reverse fake-out bombslide like crazy, here's some more implementations of it. Look here (8 second mark) for how useful it is to have your back to the opponent for Bair, which is a better pressuring move than Fair and more versatile. Btw, yes it links into Bair easily when hit, and double Bair is very feasible. Then here is the use (1min 52 seconds) for turning around when anticipating, immediately followed by perhaps the best use: tech chasing. Notice how, by standing moderate distance away from him then using the reverse fake-out, I easily cover all get-up options. The bomb hits his get-up attack, roll away or normal get-up almost all the time, then I'm turned around in case he rolls towards me: I do that all the time.

A last use which I should get some footage of, is in my spam game. I tend to soft throw at least one bomb, then throw a second one with the reverse fake-out closer to that one. While turned around, the entire slide you can pick up that other bomb, which you can then easily JCT again towards him (i.e. another soft thrown bomb). Plus if the opponent tries to jump over the soft thrown bomb I am in a better position to hit him with Utilt.
I had two kills in a set against a Luigi through Z-dropping a bomb from a ledge-jump. In one instance, he was under me and had high percents, it blasted him up and I could quickly land and Ftilt him. In the second instance, he was standing next to the ledge: it blasted him up and I fastfalled Uair for the kill. Again: I can not under-emphasize how useful it is and how often I do it.
I covered an important element of this recently in a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBLN2U4j4kE&t=8ms

Don't always draw a bomb when you are offstage, because once you get to the ledge you are limiting your ledge get-ups, and Link is very vulnerable to ledge trapping already. If the opponent is not going to chase after you off-stage -- is, in other words, gonna let you get to the ledge for free, as so many do nowadays (gimping isn't so hot anymore), there is no reason to draw a bomb and limit your own options at the ledge.

Within neutral game don't draw too many, or at least not carelessly, because it is a very long animation. You say right when you "think" it's safe, but it's an extremely long animation that does put you in predictable spots, see here for a nice chase of a seemingly fairly safe bomb pull for instance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCgDxhfKEoY&t=3m17s

Also if you do it all the time when you think it's safe obviously it's a bit too linear and it removes a sense of pressure and surprise from your game.

But the real answer is -- who knows? Use it as much as you feel wise. Hyrule Hero barely pulls bombs; Cat pulls a lot. Whatever. Use with caution, with the opposing player, the match-up and your particular mental state in mind.


Bombs are the most important tool Link has so it’s important to understand how they work in order to fully optimise their usage. Therefore, I’ll go over the bomb’s properties first before talking about actual uses for them.

There is a difference between the Bomb itself and bomb blast hitbox it can generate.
The bomb itself is not a hitbox unlike other projectiles. It is a hurtbox that can detect enemy hurtboxes. When the bomb is able to detect enemy hurtboxes it is called ‘active’, and at all other times when it cannot detect enemy hurtboxes for whatever reason, it is called inactive. Bombs are active from the frame they are released after being thrown and on the frame they are z-dropped, and they will continue to be active if they then bounce off a surface and continue to move. Once a bomb has come to a complete rest on the ground it will become inactive, even if afterwards you make the Bomb move with your character model or a windbox. When Bombs come into contact with a shield, certain rules apply which will dictate whether they will be active or inactive.

The rules are as follows:
1. Counting from the first frame of the bomb pull animation, if a bomb is shielded on frame 84 or later, then regardless of how the bomb was thrown or z-dropped etc and regardless of how it was shielded, the bomb will be inactive from the moment it touches the shield and will remain inactive.
2. Counting from the first frame of the bomb pull animation, if a bomb is shielded on frame 83 or sooner, then regardless of how the bomb was thrown or z-dropped etc and regardless of how it was shielded, the bomb will become active on frame 84, i.e. it will be inactive until then, and then it will remain active until it comes to a complete rest on the ground or is caught etc, with one exception.
3. The exception to rule 2 is if the bomb is thrown or z-dropped within a shield, i.e. so that on the bomb's first active frame it is already within the shield, and it hits the shield between frames 76 and 83, counting from the first frame of the bomb pull as always. Doing this will cause the bomb to bounce up high and perfectly vertically, and the only active frame will be frame 84. From frame 85, the bomb will be inactive. Note however that the bomb will usually then explode upon hitting ground because it gained enough speed while falling from so high up.

Obviously then what you want to do is hit a shield before frame 84 if you want the added benefit of keeping an active bomb on the field for a few moments longer. To give you an idea of how much time you have to hit a shield with the bomb, here are some examples:
- If you pull a bomb and immediately buffer a soft throw, it will touch the ground first on frame 80.
- The same goes buffering a forward throw (non-smash), only of course it will explode when it lands on frame 80.
- If instead you buffer a smash throw immediately after pulling a bomb it will land and explode on frame 78.
- If you do a FH bomb pull then do a DJ D-throw, it will hit the ground on frame 68.
- If you pull a bomb then immediately shoot an arrow or throw a boomerang, you're already too late to throw the bomb.
- If you do a FH bomb pull, land, dash away slightly then do a JC throw backwards, only the first half of the distance covered by the bomb throw will be able to bounce off a shield and become active again.
- If you do a FH bomb pull then buffer a DJ and throw the bomb forwards, it will bounce off the top of Ganon's full shield on frame 85, so that's a no-go, unless they are on a platform or something.
- If you do a FH bomb pull and throw the bomb immediately before you land, the bomb will land on frame 82.
- If you do a grounded bomb pull then immediately do a SH bomb throw forwards, the Bomb will land on the ground on frame 94, but it can bounce off a shield on or below frame 83, e.g. it will bounce off the top of Mario's full shield on frame 80. So I guess we're looking at it being a bit MU dependent.
- If you do a SH bomb throw forwards to DJ Bomb Pull to immediate bomb throw forwards, the bomb will land on frame 91. This can easily hit shields on or below frame 83.

So essentially, the bomb has to be used almost immediately depending on how long it will take to hit a shield, otherwise the bomb will become inactive upon touching the shield and it will pose no threat to the opponent from that point other than the timed explosion of course.
Note that if the bomb bounces off a shield on or before frame 83 and becomes active again on and after frame 84, this will mean that it can bounce off their shield again, because naturally, bombs bounce off shields when active. Because the second bounce necessarily has to hit their shield on or after frame 84, the bomb will necessarily become inactive as per rule 1, and so it is impossible to get a third bounce.

Because the bomb itself does not have a hitbox at all, it will do absolutely nothing to shields; in other words, there will be no shield hitlag or hitstun without an explosion. The opponent will be able to do anything out of shield or drop their shield etc whenever they want, including the frame following the bomb coming into contact with their shield.

Opponents can stale their moves if they hit the bomb. Both the bomb and the opponent undergo hitlag if the opponent hits the bomb, assuming they don’t use a projectile, in which case only the bomb will experience hitlag. The bomb itself can absorb damage but will blow up when the amount of damage it absorbs reaches 6% or more, otherwise it will continue on its original path following hitlag.

The bomb can generate a hitbox in 4 possible ways.
- If a hitbox comes into contact with the bomb that brings it to the 6% threshold of damage it can absorb, it will generate a hitbox.
- If the bomb comes into contact with a solid surface while travelling fast enough, it will explode, otherwise if it’s travelling through the air slow enough it will bounce off the surface and remain active.
- The bomb has a fuse that counts down from the moment the bomb is spawned, so if nothing happens to the bomb to cause it to explode within 220 frames, or in other words three and two thirds of a second, it will explode of its own volition.
- Finally, if the bomb is thrown or z-dropped and comes into contact with an enemy hurtbox while still active, it will generate a hitbox on the following frame.

This gap of a single frame between hurtbox detection and hitbox generation can be very important. For example, it means that it is impossible to hit someone with a bomb by hitting them directly if they stand up from the ledge into a shield because there is only one frame of vulnerability, so in that frame the bomb is free to detect their hurtbox if it is within range, but then on the following frame the bomb blast will be powershielded. It’s also the main reason why sometimes the opponent will be launched seemingly the wrong way. The opponent will always be launched either diagonally up left or right at an angle of 70 degrees away from the centre of the bomb blast. If the bomb is travelling through the air (skipping forwards through space a little bit each frame) while at the same time the opponent is coming towards it, then if the opponent is moving fast enough and/or their hurtbox is thin enough, it is possible for them to have moved far enough through to the other side of the bomb in the time it took for the bomb to detect their hurtbox and then blow up on the following frame (give an example of Bayo walking towards you and throw a bomb at her). This will then launch them in the direction that the bomb was thrown from.

Note that because of the gap of a single frame between hurtbox detection and hitbox generation, all the frame data for item throws needs to have one frame added on if you are talking about what is the earliest possible frame that a hitbox can come out by hitting the opponent directly. If instead you throw the bomb and it blows up immediately because it hit a surface, then you don’t need to add a frame.

Forward throw: active on frame 7 (and will blow up if it hits an opponent directly on frame 8 at the earliest, etc), first able to act again on frame 21

Back throw: active on frame 9, first able to act again on frame 21

Down throw: active on frame 6, first able to act again on frame 19

U-throw: active on frame 11, first able to act again on frame 21

Dash throw: active on frame 4, first able to act again on frame 19

Note however that with the dash throw you need to have dashed forwards for at least 6 frames before inputting the dash throw, so including the time spent dashing, it is active on frame 10 at the earliest.

The damage that a Bomb Blast can do depends on whether or not the Bomb was still active at the time of the explosion. If the bomb was inactive or had already been activated, e.g. you are still holding it, it came to a complete rest on the ground, or it connected with a hurtbox, it will always do 5%. If instead it was still active at the time of the explosion, e.g. it exploded because it hit a surface too fast, the timed explosion made it blow up while it was currently still active, or it was caused to blow up by being hit while still active, then the amount of damage the bomb can do will depend on the speed the bomb was traveling at the time it exploded, allowing it to do anywhere between 4% and 9%.
The damage and knockback caused by the bomb blast is not affected by staleness, rage, or the 1.05 x freshness bonus. However, hitting the opponent with bombs will unstale other moves in the stale move cue.
The bomb blast itself is slightly under the size of our full shield and can potentially hit opponents through the stage so that they get hit back up into the stage and get stage spiked.

Note that as with all projectiles, shield hitlag is as good as shield hitstun. The frame advantage gained by hitting a shield with the explosion is always going to be decent. Normally when an attack hits a shield, both the attacker and the shielder freeze during shield hitlag, then they both move again during shield hitstun, during which the attacker continues their attack animation and the shielder slides back in their shield and will still be unable to do anything for as long as shield hitstun lasts, meaning that any frame advantage gained will depend almost entirely upon how much shield hitstun was inflicted. With projectiles however, the attacker and attack are separate, and so the attacker does not experience any hitlag freeze frames when their projectile hits. In this sense then, for projectiles, shield hitlag is essentially equivalent to shield hitstun. Note also when dealing with projectiles on shields, you can obviously get more of a frame advantage by having the projectile hit the shield later on in the move’s animation.

Bombs can be caught by you or the opponent using aerials, airdodge and hitting grab in the air (Z-catch). You should note that an aerial or an airdodge will catch an item that has entered your catch area on frames 1 to 5 of their animation. If you want to Z-catch an item however, the item has to be in your catch area on frame 1 only. If it enters your catch area on frame 2 or later you will get a Zair and not catch the item. Characters without a Zair don’t have this problem as they will get an airdodge instead, and airdodge catches on frames 1 to 5.


Ok let’s go over the basic uses first and then progressively get more advanced.

The first thing you need to know about using bombs is how to spawn them safely without getting punished. Typically, you want to at least be moving while pulling the bomb, e.g. by jumping away from the opponent to make it harder to be hit or jumping towards them if you know that you have plenty of time and want to close the gap. A SH bomb pull will force you to land but will allow you to shield and dodge as soon as possible. A FH instant bomb pull will give you the option of DJing before you land or Z-dropping the Bomb before you land which will put out an active bomb in front of you which can potentially stop an approach or block a projectile, and it will free up your options as soon as you land, allowing you to be able to use all of your options including picking up or catching the bomb again with a Z-catch, a rising aerial, or airdodge to instant throw, or else you can just leave it behind as one more thing the opponent has to think about. It’s important however that you realise that jumping and bomb pulling, particularly DJ bomb pulling, is predictable and punishable. Don’t go jumping into attacks while taking away all your evasive options by pulling a bomb; if for example you are versing an opponent who has projectiles and they are targeting your SH/FH area, then just don’t jump. In general, you will want to make sure you pick moments to bomb pull where the opponent is already occupied, e.g. after throwing a boomerang where they are still on the ground, or else you should consider not pulling a bomb at all. Just because bombs are amazing, that doesn’t mean you’re always going to want to be holding one as they limit your options considerably.


The most basic function that bombs serve is being your primary combo tool. The significant frame advantage gained by landing a bomb hit allows you to combo into pretty much anything you want depending on the percent of your opponent and the damage that the bomb did, provided also that you are close enough. Then it’s just a matter of choosing what option is most beneficial to combo into at the given percent.
Even if the bomb doesn’t hit the opponent it can force them to take a defensive option to avoid it, which will limit their options, leading to frame traps and conditioned punishes.

Bombs are also an essential component to your spam game due to their quick frame data and versatility. The two main objectives when spamming are to stifle the opponent’s approaches and to open up approaches of your own. Bombs are fantastic at doing both of these things. For stifling approaches, unlike other projectiles, they cannot be so easily swatted out of the air as they will not clank with attacks or other projectiles. Instead, they will either absorb the attack then continue unhindered or blow up anyway because they were hit, which if the opponent’s hurtbox is in range of the blast, will of course hit them. This makes them excellent for using on opponents who are trying to zone out your approaches with attacks or if you have caused them to whiff an attack while they were attempting to approached themselves. Being able to throw bombs quickly in all four directions makes them great for reactively countering approaches. Their main weakness when stopping approaches is shield because they will not do any shield hitlag or hitstun, but note this, unless the opponent uses an OoS option immediately upon having the bomb touch their shield, they will have to wait in shield for a minimum of 18 frames regardless (which happens every time you put up your shield and immediately let go of shield), and even if they put up their shield in advance, they would still have to wait through the 7 frames of shield drop. This may not seem like much in practice, but then if you look at the frame data for bomb throws, it’s often more than enough time to allow Link to maintain a slight frame advantage so long as the bomb is shielded at a distance where you cannot be hit with any OoS options. Note also that unlike other projectiles, bomb won’t disappear when they touch shields, and so long as the bomb is used quickly enough such that it hits their shield on or before frame 83 counting from the first frame of the bomb pull animation, the bomb can remain a threat outside of the timed explosion by being active from frame 84 until it comes to a complete rest on the ground, which can potentially stifle a grounded or aerial approach.

As for using bombs to open up approaches of your own, dash throws and bombslides (bombslides will be covered later), are great because they are low lag approaches that cause you to approach by giving you a slight boost in momentum while throwing the bomb. When bombs themselves actually hit, a combination of their low lag, good hitstun and favourable launch trajectory allow you to reach the opponent in time to combo them or at least approach and apply safe pressure, unlike arrows, and in a much better way than what the boomerang does, so the bombs themselves are undoubtedly your best tools for opening up approaches. Even if the bomb did not hit, by avoiding it the opponent may have left themselves open for an approach.

When trying to out-spam an opponent, often the best thing to do is to simply shield their projectiles while holding a bomb then pick your moment to throw the bomb OoS at them, which if the opponent is at a decent distance or you want to make sure they cannot shield in time, you’d want to use a smash throw. When picking your moment you’ll want to account for the fact that the bomb could absorb a projectile on the way toward the opponent.

As an OoS option the bomb is pretty good but arguably slower than some people seem to think unless the opponent is right up close. For example the explosion can happen on frame 8 at the earliest in front of Link if the opponent is up close, which is equal with the other fastest option being Up-B OoS performed correctly, but otherwise if it wants to hit an opponent at around the same distance that Up-B is able to, it becomes a frame 13 option if thrown lightly or a frame 11 option if smash thrown. Throwing the bomb to hit an opponent behind Link is 2 frames slower still, which makes a b-reversed Up-B OoS the quicker option regardless. Where bomb throw OoS shines however is the range it can potentially cover, especially behind Link where Grab isn’t an option, as well as the relative safety and potential to be a hard punish.

As well as throwing the bomb OoS, you can use the timed explosion to attack with the bomb while shielding which will reach slightly further in front of you. For that matter you can time it so it explodes during invulnerability frames as well.

Because the bomb’s timed explosion occurs so relatively quickly, pulling a bomb as soon as you can once you get hit off-stage can ensure that you have the option of using two Up-special recoveries. This can greatly aid you in your recovery, allowing you to perform otherwise suicidal actions to prevent yourself from being gimped or to reverse the gimping situation on your opponent. It should be noted however that this does come with some very real downsides as well. The first is that pulling a bomb immediately out of hitstun when hit horizontally will actually increase the distance that you end up getting hit; this is because from the moment you’re able to act out of hitstun you can hold the joystick back towards stage and decrease the total distance you would otherwise travel if you didn’t hold back towards stage, but if you pull a bomb you cannot influence your drift at all during the bomb pull animation, which is the equivalent of not holding towards the stage at all, which can get you killed earlier than if you had just held towards stage. Your alternatives then are either holding towards stage out of hitstun for a moment as you drift back towards stage and decrease your overall knockback and then pull a bomb, or doing a DJ bomb pull towards stage out of hitstun.
Some data to consider: Case scenario, Mario is rolled into the edge of omega BF, grabs Link, does a Back Throw, Link doesn’t DI the throw, ignoring all instances where it induces the untechable reel. If Link holds towards stage after being launched, he will survive up to 113%. If Link holds towards stage after being launched and does a DJ (or a DJ bomb pull) out of hitstun he will survive up to 116%. And just for the record, if Link pulls a bomb out of hitstun then holds towards stage, he will survive only up to 103%.
From this it would seem like the way to go is clearly to DJ bomb pull out of hitstun right? I mean you survive longer, you end up being able to recover further horizontally, and you get the bomb earlier than you would have if you held towards stage and waited, making the double Up-B even more reliable. This is all true, but you need consider something first. Maybe the threat to your recovery isn’t dying a few percents earlier. Perhaps the threat to your recovery in this instance will come just after when your opponent predicts that you will DJ towards the stage and bomb pull, leaving you completely open to being hit while already close to the blast zone. Or perhaps the threat to your recovery is from an opponent who will be happy to pressure you off-stage so long as you aren’t too far off-stage or too low down, and by using your DJ early you are giving them what they want. Perhaps the threat will come when you are put into a situation where you feel like you have run out of options because you don’t have your DJ anymore. It’s just something to think about. The main thing to keep in mind is simply that different opponents and characters will more naturally threaten different areas of your recovery in different ways, and you need to be able to adapt to that and not just use the same recovery plan in all situations. The opponent and/or their character may actually have no interest whatsoever in going off-stage, in which case you may in fact be better off not pulling a bomb at all. Disadvantages that apply to having a bomb while recovering at all are that you then lose the ability to throw out e.g. a Fair to challenge the range of your opponent’s moves. Importantly however, it also means that when you get back to the ledge while still holding the bomb, your options for getting back onto stage become much more predictable because you have a set time to do something otherwise the bomb will blow up, and you don’t have the option of ledge hop Fair. If you’re holding a bomb on the ledge, the opponent can typically just sit back and react as if they were pressuring you with a possible ledge trump without needing to be anywhere near the ledge because you will feel forced to do something. If you’ve pulled a bomb while recovering and it’s looking like you definitely won’t need it at all, consider discarding it just before you grab the ledge, e.g. by using a tether without airdodging first or just throwing it.


A fairly common technique that has yet to be spoken of in much detail is the z-drop. The basic z-drop consists of simply hitting the grab button in the air while holding a bomb without inputting any directions on the joystick when you have full control over your actions. The bomb will simply be let go of on frame 1 as you perform a Zair, and regardless of your speed in any direction it will always start out with no speed in any direction and then slowly begin to gain speed as it falls directly down. If it has not gained enough speed by the time it comes into contact with a solid surface it will not explode and will bounce off the ground, being active from the first frame it is dropped right up until it comes to a complete rest on the ground. For this reason, it is possible to z-drop a bomb as you land, then grab the opponent and have the bomb explode on the opponent as you reel them in. In general Z-drops can be useful when landing, especially if you’re drifting away from the opponent, as the opponent may run into the bomb and cause it to blow up if they intended to dash attack or dash grab your landing, and it can even be used to absorb projectiles if you’re good enough in situations where you might be unable to land and shield in time. Z-dropped bombs that have come to a rest on a platform or the ground are great for setting up a space that you can control because your opponent will be less familiar with knowing when timed explosion will occur, especially if you mix up how long you hold onto it first, and because the bomb is able to land safely from a decent height you can deliberately use Zair and z-drop the bomb at the same time to achieve multiple things.

It is also possible to Z-drop without Zair coming out however, and there are many ways to do this which can be split into three distinct kinds being, ‘any time’, ‘buffered in the last ten frames’, and ‘in a transitional phase requiring a frame perfect input within a one frame window’. If you are forced into the tumble state following hitstun because you got hit hard enough, you can z-drop the bomb at any time during tumble and you will not Zair. If you buffer a z-drop out of the last ten frames of an aerial, a footstool, a ledge jump, hitstun from low knockback, being trumped, or your landing lag just before edge cancelling, you will not Zair. (Just note that if you’re z-dropping out of a trump and you want to be able to avoid using Zair, you will need to let go of the grab button before the buffer window is over, so hit the grab button as Link starts to fall back down and immediately release it. Note also that when doing the edge cancelled version you will have to return the joystick to neutral and input grab during the landing lag then immediately hit and hold the joystick towards the edge so that you edge cancel.) If you time your z-drop within a one frame window such as the first airborne frame out of a jumpsquat (frame 8), the first airborne frame following dropping through a platform (frame 4), or the first landing frame following your last airborne frame, you will not get a Zair.

Z-dropping bombs during a ledge jump is a very helpful and potentially deadly technique. It’s helpful if you’re on the ledge holding a bomb that you want to get rid of while also immediately freeing your other options up. If the opponent is standing too close to the edge they can be hit by the bomb, which can then allow you to footstool them at any percent leading to an advantageous position where you have the opponent lying on the ground up against the ledge, leaving them only three options which you are able to cover by SH footstooling towards centre stage, fast falling back down, then e.g. turning around and grabbing if they do any action immediately. Then at higher percents you can combo the z-dropped bomb into e.g. Fair for the kill. If the opponent is recovering or will soon be directly under the ledge, the Z-dropped bomb can interrupt their recovery and/or stage spike them, which can be lethal in many MU’s.

If you manage to z-drop the bomb without using Zair this frees you up to immediately catch it or DJ catch it with an aerial, meaning that you will be able to immediately use aerials while holding a bomb so long as you release the grab button first, because holding down the grab button will count as holding shield, and then trying to use an aerial while holding shield will give you a Zair. The most well-known example of this would be the IZAC which allows you to use rising aerials while holding a bomb. But even though the potential utility of the IZAC is tempting, due to the difficulty of getting the frame perfect input for the zairless z-drop following the jumpsquat, it is suggested that you simply consider the other alternatives, i.e. anything but the ledge jump scenario (because you cannot catch the bomb in time), the platform drop scenario (as it is also frame perfect), and arguably the footstool scenario (as I don’t see the point).

Just before I move on entirely, I should mention how airdodging can be combined with bomb usage and the possible benefits that might be gleaned from it. The first 5 frames of airdodge can be cancelled with a bomb throw in any direction or a Z-drop which includes a Zair. If you do not cancel it within the first five frames you will get a Zair while continuing to hold the bomb, which of course is great if you want to tether to the stage while holding the bomb for example. Note that if you cancel the airdodge with the Z-drop+Zair you will have to endure the full airdodge landing lag if you land during the Zair animation, which is likely because it lasts for 59 frames. Note also that if you z-drop the bomb on frames 4 or 5, the bomb will be dropped behind Link as opposed to in front where it is normally dropped. Now cancelling the first five frame of the airdodge like this is good for two reasons. The first is that you can catch bombs with airdodge and so you can then immediately throw the bomb at the opponent, which is called an instant bomb throw. The second is that due to the way smash 4 works, when you experience medium to high knockback, you can airdodge before all other options. Using this then, you can therefore bomb throw and z-drop slightly sooner than normal out of hitstun after receiving medium to high knockback, which in some situations could be useful for breaking out of a string or pressure situation.


Another one of the more basic techniques is the jump cancel throw or JC throw for short. The whole point of this technique is that it allows you to throw the bomb in any direction during your jumpsquat frames as if you were doing a standing throw, which will cancel your jump and throw the bomb from the ground. This means that you can do a standing throw in any direction in situations where you would otherwise be unable to, i.e. during a dash, a run, a skid, or a dash turn. This staple technique, among others, is much easier to perform if you have a trigger button set to jump.

One way that JC throws are often used is in conjunction with the Soft Throw. A soft throw is a technique that takes advantage of the property that says that bombs will not explode upon hitting surfaces if they have not gained enough speed. By doing a tilted throw backwards, the lower arch of the throw is just enough to not let the bomb gain enough speed while falling to explode upon impact with the ground, and instead the bomb will bounce and remain active until it comes to a complete rest. This is another one of Link’s staple techniques and is one of the main reasons why Link mains will use the A-stick (tilt stick) over using the C-stick (smash stick). It can be performed without using the A-stick by e.g. buffering the tilt throw out of another action by holding the joystick backwards well before hitting A within the last ten frames of the action, or by shielding and tilting the shield backwards and then hitting A; but the speed, ease, and precision gained by using the A-stick and simply hitting it backwards to tilt throw the bomb directly backwards is unavoidable. You will want to be able to adjust your spacing when using the soft throw, and that’s where the JC throw comes in. To retreat, you’ll want to dash/run away from the opponent then do a JC throw using the A-stick back in the direction of the opponent. To advance you’ll want to dash/run towards the opponent then hit the joystick back to dash back or dash turn in the other direction, then cancel that dash back or that dash turn with a jump, and then cancel that jump with a soft throw back in the direction you were originally running using the A-stick (easier done than said). Soft throws are a fantastic tool for controlling your opponent and where they feel comfortable on the stage, much like z-drops. If you mix up how long you take to throw the bomb, the opponent will be unsure of when the bomb’s fuse will run out or whether the shielded bomb will still be active. You can then keep up pressure on an opponent attempting to pick up and use the bomb; all you have to do is stall them in their shield long enough or hit them even once with a chip damage attack, and they will then have second thoughts and want to avoid the bomb blast if they are near it or if they managed to pick it up but haven’t had the chance to use it yet. A simple soft throw can end up being a lot for your opponent to worry about and great distraction if they choose not to approach. Other than being a good general tool that places bombs on the ground at a throw’s distance which can then obviously pressure the opponent, there are plenty of niche uses for soft throwing, like getting it to bounce off the ground near the edge of the stage and then tumble off the side of the stage which can potentially stage spike or gimp recovering opponents, or catching opponent’s landings where the bomb lands because there are more active frames for the bomb than a normal throw because of the active frames available while bouncing on the ground. If a player is pressured or not used to dealing with soft throws, they may even find themselves doing things like dropping shield too early as the bomb lands in front of them, only to have it bounce into them and explode.

Make no mistake, the soft throw is amazing, but try not to overlook the importance of standard smash throws in the right circumstances either. Soft throws will require you to use the back throw animation which comes out two frames slower than the forward throw, and you will usually have to turn around to get your back to the opponent first which will make it all take longer still, and even then, the bomb will not travel as fast or as far as a normal smash throw would, so often a soft throw will be shielded where a smash throw would not have been.

Another technique that takes advantage of the property that makes it so the bomb will not blow up if it hits a surface while not travelling too fast, is wall bombing. It’s a simple matter of throwing the bomb horizontally at the side of the stage, at which point the bomb will bounce off allowing you to catch it with an aerial if you want, potentially making it possible to go deeper when edgeguarding and allowing you to use two Up-specials to recover. There are other ways to set this up of course, like z-dropping a bomb near the edge of the stage so that the bomb lands on the ground close to the edge, then jump off-stage and pick up the bomb with a rising aerial, then buffer a zairless z-drop out of the last ten frames of the aerial’s animation, allowing you to then catch the bomb with another aerial at any point etc. Alternatively you can z-drop the bomb as you land so that it falls off stage, at which point you can immediately run off stage and catch the bomb with an aerial.

If you want to try something completely different that is a bit dangerous, then you might want to consider the following. Go to Final Destination, pull out a bomb, grab onto the ledge; hit away from the stage to let go of the ledge then immediately hit and hold towards the stage to drift under it, then immediately throw the bomb up at the stage with the A-stick. Because the bomb was travelling fast enough, it will blow up, and because you were close enough, you will get hit by the blast. What you want, believe it or not, is to stage spike yourself to launch yourself at the opponent and then hit them with a Nair; this covers recovery angles that are otherwise impossible for you to reach in time. If you are between roughly 51 and 109% you will need to hold the joystick towards the stage to DI the blast into the stage in order to get stage spiked, but this version isn’t that great because the angle of the stage spike will hit you further down than horizontally. From 110% to 160% however, you will not need to hold the joystick into the stage to get the stage spike, and in fact you definitely won’t want to because you’ll die. Make sure then to use this when you are between 110 and 160%, then make sure you release the joystick back to neutral before the hitlag of the bomb blast has ended. Note that 160% is roughly the highest percent you can be stage spiked in this way, use Nair, then DJ Up-B and still survive (make sure you don’t b-reverse the Up-B as it will make you lose horizontal recovery distance), but unless you’re familiar with what will be required of you, it is recommended that you don’t try it beyond 150%. Obviously the shape of the stage underneath will be the main factor affecting whether this technique can be done or not, so here are some other examples. It can be done of omega Palutena’s Temple between 110 and 160% the same as above, but there is a risk of stage spiking yourself straight down if you end up being too far over towards the centre of the stage e.g. if you throw the bomb up too late. Then there’s Town and City between 110 and 130%, and Smashville between 110 and 120% because of the lower launch angle. But by far the best stage to do this on is Dream Land which will work between 110 and 205% if you want to Nair out of hitstun and survive, or between 110 and 190% if you want to Fair out of hitstun and survive, just to give you an idea. Even DIing the bomb blast into the stage can give a favourable angle, allowing you to Nair out of hitstun up to 170% and still survive.


The final thing there is to talk about is bombslides. This is a potentially huge topic because Link has 11 distinct kinds of bombslides, each with their pros and cons, and there are multiple possible ways of performing them. In practice however it’s not necessary to know everything so we’ll just focus on some bombslides and the mechanically optimal ways to perform them. If you want to learn more or you have any questions about any of the following information, see the AT thread https://smashboards.com/threads/the-comprehensive-guide-to-links-ats.400585/
The basic elements of the bombslide involves inputting a dash throw, then within the initial six frames of that dash throw you input the command to throw the bomb a second time in any direction, and then either on the same frame as the second throw input or on a frame soon after (still within the first six frames of the dash throw) you need to move the joystick fully upwards, and it is this upwards input that activates the bombslide by cancelling the original dash throw animation and replacing it with the second throw's animation while giving you a speed boost.
The distance that you slide depends entirely upon which frame of the dash throw you activated the bombslide, in other words it doesn’t matter if you inputted different throws for the second throw animation, so long as you cancelled the dash throw on the same frame you will slide the same distance. The earlier you cancel the dash throw, the longer and faster the slide.
There are two distinct kinds of bombslides which are determined by which frame of the dash throw you activate the bombslide. If you activate the bombslide on frames 2 or 3 of the dash throw animation, you will get a true bombslide, i.e. where the second throw animation actually ends up throwing the bomb. If instead you cancel the dash throw on frames 4, 5 or 6, you will get a fake-out, i.e. the dash throw itself will throw the bomb, and the second throw’s animation will be a mere animation.

If you want to bombslide and throw the bomb forwards, there are two types of bombslide that are better than the rest. The Forward throw Bombslide and the D-throw Fake-out Bombslide. To perform the Forward throw Bombslide, have tap jump off and A+B=smash turned on, do a dash throw by hitting and holding A, on the following frame continue to hold forwards and hit B as well, then on the following frame (which is frame 3 of the dash throw), move the joystick diagonally up and forwards (just far enough up to activate the bombslide). To perform the D-throw Fake-out Bombslide, turn tap jump off for more consistent results, do a dash throw using the Grab button to input it (have grab assigned to a trigger), then move and hold the joystick up and hit the A-stick down on the third frame of the dash throw so that the upwards input will be automatically inputted on the fourth frame. These are the best approach options Link has; the other bombslides that throw the bomb forwards have 2 frames more endlag. Of the two, the forward throw bombslide will slide you the furthest because it is a true slide, and assuming the bomb connects it has the greatest window for comboing because of how late into the animation the bomb is thrown. The D-throw fake out uses the dash throw to throw the bomb which means the bomb will cover your approach during the slide and can absorb projectiles along the way. For most people the Forward throw bombslide is too difficult to do consistently, so if you find that this is the case, stick with the d-throw fake out. Out of these bombslides you can combo into Grab or D-tilt at low percents which can then combo into D-throw combos or double hit Fair respectively, then at medium percents you can combo into U-smash or Fair depending on the distance, and then at higher percents you can combo into FH or DJ Fair for the kill.
The only other bombslide you’ll use in practice is the Up-throw Bombslide. To perform it, have tap jump off and A+B=smash turned on, do a dash throw by hitting and holding A, then between frames 2 and 3 of the dash throw, move the joystick up and hit B. This will let you slide a long way forwards while throwing the bomb up. It is relatively easy to perform and it lets you throw the bomb up at an opponent while closing the gap to cover landings, or it could be used to beat an opponent intending to reflect the bomb back at you.

Dealing with Reflecting and Absorbing Moves
New mechanics involving bombs and reflectors: reflectors will now bounce bombs thrown strait up or down back at Link, unlike Brawl. Magnet type moves like Ness' PSI magnet will now absorb bomb's explosions and convert the damage into HP. Bombs will also fill G&W's bucket. tl;dr they're an energy attack. Link has no other energy attacks since boomerang and arrows (including customs) don't count.
There's more to it than that. One tactic I used to use in, well every smash game before smash 4, was I'd run at the person with a bomb expecting them to try to reflect it, then I'd jump up and throw the bomb down at them. As you said, what will happen now is the bomb will be reflected and then come straight back up at you, but what you didn't say was that even if you throw the bomb so that it lands beside them with the intention of hitting them with the indirect explosion as the bomb hits the ground, the smash 4 reflectors will 'reflect' the bomb blast, i.e. the character holding up their reflector is completely and utterly safe from being hit by our bombs no matter what we do or how we use them. Even timed explosions will not touch them.


Data Dump

Up-Throw Kill Percents
Link's Up-Throw Kill Percents
Percents in Spoilers are Link's. Kill percents were found by raising the opponents damage by 5% increments by using bombs, percent shown is earliest 5%. Bowser Jr. is done in the same manner, but due to the Cart, percents will not always be in a 5% increment.
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 190%
Smashville 180%
Final Destination 180%
Town and City 175%
Battlefield 185%
Smashville 175%
Final Destination 175%
Town and City 170%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 184%
Smashville 178%
Final Destination 178%
Town and City 167%
Battlefield 178%
Smashville 173%
Final Destination 173%
Town and City 167%
Battlefield 161%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 148%
Battlefield 148%
Smashville 136%
Final Destination 136%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 185%
Smashville 175%
Final Destination 175%
Town and City 170%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 185%
Smashville 175%
Final Destination 175%
Town and City 170%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 195%
Smashville 185%
Final Destination 185%
Town and City 180%
Battlefield 190%
Smashville 180%
Final Destination 180%
Town and City 175%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 125%
Smashville 120%
Final Destination 120%
Town and City 115%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 125%
Smashville 115%
Final Destination 115%
Town and City 115%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 120%
Final Destination 120%
Town and City 115%
Battlefield 115%
Smashville 110%
Final Destination 110%
Town and City 105%
Battlefield 185%
Smashville 180%
Final Destination 180%
Town and City 175%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 120%
Final Destination 120%
Town and City 115%
Battlefield 185%
Smashville 175%
Final Destination 175%
Town and City 170%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 120%
Smashville 115%
Final Destination 115%
Town and City 110%
Battlefield 110%
Smashville 105%
Final Destination 105%
Town and City 100%
Battlefield 205%
Smashville 195%
Final Destination 195%
Town and City 190%
Battlefield 200%
Smashville 190%
Final Destination 190%
Town and City 185%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 175%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 120%
Smashville 115%
Final Destination 115%
Town and City 110%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 120%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 175%
Final Destination 175%
Town and City 170%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 125%
Smashville 115%
Final Destination 115%
Town and City 110%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 120%
Smashville 115%
Final Destination 115%
Town and City 110%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 120%
Smashville 115%
Final Destination 115%
Town and City 110%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 125%
Smashville 120%
Final Destination 120%
Town and City 115%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 125%
Smashville 120%
Final Destination 120%
Town and City 115%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 120%
Smashville 115%
Final Destination 115%
Town and City 110%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 120%
Smashville 110%
Final Destination 110%
Town and City 110%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 120%
Smashville 115%
Final Destination 115%
Town and City 110%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 175%
Final Destination 175%
Town and City 170%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 260%
Smashville 250%
Final Destination 250%
Town and City 240%
Battlefield 250%
Smashville 240%
Final Destination 240%
Town and City 230%
Battlefield 230%
Smashville 220%
Final Destination 220%
Town and City 215%
Battlefield 210%
Smashville 205%
Final Destination 205%
Town and City 195%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 125%
Smashville 115%
Final Destination 115%
Town and City 115%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 120%
Final Destination 120%
Town and City 115%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 140%
Final Destination 140%
Town and City 135%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 180%
Smashville 170%
Final Destination 170%
Town and City 165%
Battlefield 175%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 155%
Final Destination 155%
Town and City 150%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 145%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 130%
Smashville 125%
Final Destination 125%
Town and City 120%
Battlefield 170%
Smashville 165%
Final Destination 165%
Town and City 160%
Battlefield 165%
Smashville 160%
Final Destination 160%
Town and City 155%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 135%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 155%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 130%
Final Destination 130%
Town and City 125%
Battlefield 125%
Smashville 120%
Final Destination 120%
Town and City 115%
Battlefield 160%
Smashville 150%
Final Destination 150%
Town and City 145%
Battlefield 150%
Smashville 145%
Final Destination 145%
Town and City 140%
Battlefield 140%
Smashville 135%
Final Destination 135%
Town and City 130%
Battlefield 125%
Smashville 120%
Final Destination 120%
Town and City 115%

Arrow Lock Max Percent
The listed percents are the last possible percents link's neutral b will lock.
I looked around before researching on this list, and didn't find anything, if this happens to be a duplicate I apologize in advance.
All results are from 1.1.5.
/no dlc don't kill me- Very sorry about this limit.

Character Percent

Bowser
154

Bowser Jr
137

Charizard
144

Dark Pit
130

Dedede
146

Diddy Kong
128

Donkey Kong
128

Dr. Mario
132

Duck Hunt
127

Falco
121

Falcon
136

Fox
119

Game and Watch
116

Ganon
142

Greninja
129

Ike
138

Jiggs
111

Kirby
119

Link
136

Little Mac
121

Lucario
132

Lucina
126

Luigi
131

Mario
132

Marth
126

Mega Man
134

Meta Knight
119

Mii’s
133

Ness
129

Olimar
119

Pac-Man
130

Palutena
127

Peach
125

Pikachu
119

Pit
130

R.O.B.
137

Robin
130

Rosaluma
120

Samus
139

Sheik
120

Shulk:
-Vanilla
134

-Buster
121

-Jump
120

-Shield
190

-Smash
109

-Speed
123

Sonic
129

Toon Link
128

Villager
131

Wario
138

WFT
130

Yoshi
128

Zelda
123

ZSS
119

Hurtbox heights of each character when laying down
[In relation to doing Nair Locks] Some characters' hurtboxes are simply too low to the ground to get hit by Nair. I did a bunch of tests a while ago in a PM to see how high up each character's hurtbox is when lying down on their front and back, though I don't think I ever posted it. I'll see if I can find it.
Yeah here we go.


---

I think the most important thing to test will be the 'corpse' hurtbox height. It's going to require a bit of ingenuity to figure out, but I have an idea. I'll need to create a custom stage with a series of thinly layered platforms set next to each other, then have Fox stand on each of the platforms and see how far down he can get and still be able to shoot someone lying on the ground beside him, on a raised flat platform, then I could get actual numbers as results.

Ok, so the numbers will represent each perfectly (and consistently) spaced integer/platform. 1 will represent the first platform which is well below the platform the opponent will be lying on such that the laser pretty much travels along the surface of the stage, and then each subsequent number will be one integer/platform up from that.

Also keep in mind that this is only one of the factors that will affect how difficult it is. Fall speed and aerial mobility etc matters too.



Mario:
On his back he gets hit up to 7 then 8 misses, so we'll give him an 8.
On his front he gets hit up to 5 then 6 misses, so he gets a 6.
Most vulnerable on his head so in other words 'High' on his standing character model.
You get the point.

Luigi:
Back 6.
Front 5.
High.

Peach:
Back 3.
Front 4.
Low.

Bowser:
Back 24^ (I only had 24 platforms then I ran out of available pieces... but my guess is he would have been a 25 or 26).
Front 22.
Mid.

Yoshi:
Back 9.
Front 10.
High.

Rosalina:
Back 4.
Front 5.
Lower Mid.

Bowser Jr.:
Back 19.
Front 18.
Mid.

Wario:
Back 11.
Front 15.
Mid.

DK:
Back 24^ (This makes absolutely no sense visually speaking. There's a spot around the middle where his chest is and the hurtbox extends super far for no reason. I was just starting to miss shots at 24 when DK breathed out, so I'm guess around 25 to 26.)
Front 17.
Middle.

Diddy:
Back 8.
Front 7.
Mid.

G&W:
Back 11.
Front 10.
Low/Mid.

Lil Mac:
Back 5.
Front 5.
Upper Mid.

Link:
Back 9. (sticks his knee up)
Front 5.
Low/Mid.

Zelda:
Back 3.
Front 3.
Mid.

Sheik:
Back 4.
Front 3.
Mid.

Ganon:
Back 8.
Front 10.
Mid.

Toon:
Back 6.
Front 8.
High.

Samus:
Back 10.
Front 10.
High/Mid.

ZSS:
Back 4.
Front 4.
Mid.

Pit:
Back 8.
Front 6.
Mid.

Palutena:
Back 5.
Front 4.
Mid.

Marth:
Back 3.
Front 6.
Mid.

Ike:
Back 10.
Front 6.
Upper Mid.

Robin:
Back 5.
Front 5.
Mid.

DHD:
Back 16.
Front 15.
Mid.

Kirby:
Back 11.
Front 11.
Mid.

King D3:
Back 22.
Front 21.
Low.

MK:
Back 14.
Front 15.
Mid.

Fox:
Back 7.
Front 8.
Mid.

Falco:
Back 8.
Front 7.
Mid.

Pikachu:
Back 8.
Front 8.
Mid.

Charizard:
Back 18.
Front 17.
Low.

Lucario:
Back 7.
Front 7.
Lower Mid.

Jiggs:
Back 14.
Front 14.
Mid.

Greninja:
Back 6.
Front 8.
Mid.

R.O.B.:
Back 23.
Front 24^ (maybe 26).
Low.

Ness:
Back 8.
Front 8.
High.

Falcon:
Back 6.
Front 8.
Mid.

Villager:
Back 9.
Front 9.
High.

Olimar:
Back 10.
Front 11.
High.

Wii-fit:
Back 3.
Front 3.
Mid.

Shulk:
Back 7.
Front 3.
Mid.

Dr. Mario:
Back 8.
Front 6.
High.

Dark Pit:
Back 8.
Front 6.
Mid.

Lucina:
Back 3.
Front 6.
Mid.

Pac:
Back 13.
Front 14.
Mid.

Mega:
Back 6.
Front 6.
High.

Sonic:
Back 7.
Front 8.
High.

Ryu:
Back 6.
Front 5.
Upper Mid.

Mii Fight:
Back 5.
Front 4.
High.

Mii Gun:
Back 5.
Front 5.
High.

Mii Sword:
Back 5.
Front 4.
High.

---


And lol I just realised that this was back when I didn't have all the characters. I still have the same custom stage I used so I'll quickly get the ones I missed.

Mewtwo:
Back 12.
Front 9.
Low.

Lucas:
Back 8.
Front 8.
High.

Roy:
Back 4.
Front 6.
Upper Mid.

Cloud:
Back 10. (knee sticks up)
Front 5.
Low/mid.

Corrin:
Back 10. (knee)
Front 4.
Low/mid.

Bayonetta:
Back 4.
Front 4.
Mid.

Link's Hitbubbles
This guy made a video of Link's hitbubbles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zheUdc5bIPI
http://imgur.com/a/deqBw

Two little infographics I made about Jab1 and Jab2. I showed which hitbubble of Jab 1 and Jab 2 (there are 4 on each jab) has which knockback angle.

Disclaimer: Jab 1 is below Jab 2 for some reason my b Idk how Imgur works.




Oh, and I guess the old OP is down below in case you're wondering. Please just ignore it. It's full of misinformation.
 
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Ryu_Ken

Ace Adventurer and Truth Seeker
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Talk about any suggestions, tidbits, or ideas relevant to Link's meta. Noteworthy posts, threads, or tutorials will be listed here in the OP.

Specials:
Down Thrown Bombs: Using them Effectively
The Almighty Gale Boomerang
I did some testing on what Link's Hylian Shield (HS) blocks. As a rule of thumb, it blocks all range attacks (projectiles, lasers, thrown items, etc) but not melee attacks and only if they first hit the HS and not Link. A new buff is indirect explosions (like from Bob-bombs) will be blocked. There are some exceptions:

These items will not be blocked:

Boomerang when returning
Spiky Blue Shell
Beetle
Pow Block
Coocoos are blocked on the first hit but the swarm will target Link afterwards
Soccer Ball
Unira
Spring
Bumper
Pitfall
Freezie
Deku Nut
Hocotate Bomb
Smart Bomb
Gooey Bomb
X Bomb fire (the thrown object will be blocked)
Gust Bellows (thrown object and wind)
Fire Flower (fire and thrown flower)
Lightning
Timer
Superspicy Curry fire
Super and Poison Mushrooms (even when crouching)
Daybreak shots

I don't know what makes some of these special but don't get caught "off guard" in casual play with these items. Keep in mind thrown items will be blocked but not if they're use as melee items (thrown homerun bats blocked but bat hits not, etc). Barrels, rolling crates etc will be blocked.

Character attacks that aren't blockable with HS:

All close range melee attacks (I E NOT range attacks).
All grab type attacks (including sucking moves like Kirby's)
All Zairs
All wind effects, water effects, etc that push but don't damage
All boomerangs when returning cannot be blocked (only when going out)
Luma's sideB Starbits (Luma neutral B shot will be blocked, interestingly)
Bowser Jr's upB explosion (mecha koopas can be blocked by crouching)
DK's down B shockwaves
Zelda's downB phantom will be blocked but it can sword slash after the rush behind Link's HS and hit if fully charged.
ZSS' side B and all whip-like moves (only paralyzer shots can be blocked)
Robin's DownB (grab type)
Fox's Laser
Falco's laser
Pika's DownB Thunder after it touches Pikachu
Charizard's rock smash main rock
Jigglypuff's sing
Villager's Bair (But his Fair and Fsmash can be blocked)
Pikmin throw sideB
Pac Man's fire hydrant
Mega Man's B Blade can keep going through Link's HS and cut his back.


Non special attacks that can be blocked with HS
Villager's Fair, Usmash and Fsmash. All of Olimar's smashes but Dsmash must be crouch HS blocked. Mega Man's buster shots, Fsmash, Uair, Dair.

Interesting notes:
Falco's shine can be blocked now but his laser can't. Fox/Falco's lasers will not be blocked anymore. Vertical moves like Robin's upB energy waves, sonic's spring up and Pika's thunder can be block if they touch the HS. Explosions will now be blocked (unlike in Brawl). Stars from Yoshi and DDD's ground pond moves can be blocked but to block DDD's Link must crouch. Gordos can be blocked but it's a bad idea because how the bounce, etc. The chips from Charizard's Rock Smash will be blocked but the main rock won't. Flame thrower attacks like Charizard/Bowser's can be blocked but they can angle them so don't bother. Lucario's force palm and aura sphere specials can be blocked but not his smashes. Greninja's water shurikins can be blocked by crouching but a full charge will keep attacking through and hit with the last hit behind Link, as will multi hit attacks like Mega Man's metal blades and Zelda's fully charged Phantom. Crouch to block PK Fire. ZSS' Dsmash will not be blocked.

HS will only block while Link is walking, standing still and crouching without an item (bomb) in hand. If Link is in 'off balance' animation at a ledge HS won't block.

PS I've only unlocked Falco so other secret characters were not tested.
We all know that Link's bombs are amazing and that they're even better than before in smash 4. One of the improvements is that they are much more durable and seem to have more priority vs other projectiles. Naturally, this got me curious (curse you curiosity) about the exact data on bomb's priority vs other projectiles. So without further to do, here is the data I collected.

Note: Going off the data I have here, it seems that once a bomb receives 6% damage it will explode.

Fireball: Bomb Wins
F.L.U.D.D: The water remains unaffected and the bomb is sent upwards
Fireball: Cancel
Luigi's fireballs fly at a low trajectory so bombs typically go right over them​
Priority vs peach is dependent upon which turnip she pulls and whether Link and peach do soft or smash throws.
Turnip | Both Soft | Both Smash | Link Smash - Peach Soft | Link Soft - Peach Smash
Smile | Bomb Wins | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
Circle Eyes | Bomb Wins | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
Line Eyes | Bomb Wins | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
T Shaped Eyes | Cancel | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
Curved Eyes | Cancel | Cancel | Bomb Wins | Cancel
Wink | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel
Dot Eyes | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel
Stitches | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel | Cancel
Firebreath: Bowser's firebreath remain unaffected by the bomb. The firebreath seems to have a windbox of sorts that affects the bomb depending on how hard you throw it. A smash throw will result in the bomb being tossed up in the air. A soft throw will result is the bomb slowly "riding" the fire until it hits Bowser.
Egg: Cancel
Yoshi Bomb (star): Bomb Wins
Uncharged Luma Shot: Both Win
Fully Charged Luma Shot: Luma Shot Wins
Star Bits: Both Win
Cannonball: Cannonball wins regardless of charge
Mechakoopa: A direct hit will not affect the mechakoopa, but an indirect hit will cause it to explode
Uncharged Peanut: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Peanut: Cancel
Banana: Bomb Wins
Chef: Bomb Wins
Oil Spill (filled with 3 bombs): Oil Spill Wins
Uncharged Bow: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Bow: Cancel
Bombs: Cancel
Boomerang: The bomb will always cause the boomerang to return when it hits it. Whether or not the bomb pushed through depends on when you hit the boomerang. Hit the boomerang anywhere from the middle to the end and the bomb will continue flying, but if you hit the boomerang right after link throws it then your bomb will explode.
Din's Fire: This is a tricky one. For starters, once Zelda initiates a Din's Fire the explosion cannot be prevented. I believe this is common knowledge, but the fireball cannot be affected by our bombs (or anything for that matter) until it explodes. Hitting Zelda during a Din's Fire will cause her to lose control of when it explodes and therefore forcing it to go the max distance. However, she will still be able to control the trajectory. Din's Fire will cancel our bombs if it hits with the center sweet spot, but a sour hit will not affect the bomb.
Needles: Bomb Wins
The bomb can withstand up to 5 needles. If it hits all six then it will explode.​
Burst Grenade: Another tricky one. What happens depends on how far along on the attack Sheik is when the bomb hits it. If you hit the grenade at the very beginning your bomb will push through and the grenade will fall harmlessly to the ground and then slide towards you. Hitting the grenade anywhere from shortly after she throws it until she pulls the pin will stop the grenade in it's tracks. Your bomb should push through, but the grenade will still detonate. After Sheik's pulled the pin there seems to be no stopping it. Throwing your bomb at the grenade during the part where is pulls people towards it will send your bomb flying in a random direction.
Uncharged Bow: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Arrow: Cancel
Bombs: Most of the time Gay's bomb would explode and Link's bomb would continue flying. Occasionally they would both explode on contact. I think it may be dependent on whether they collide directly or off-centered, but I'm not sure.
Boomerang: Bomb Wins
Uncharged Charge Shot: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Charge Shot: Cancel
Homing Missile: Bomb Wins
Super Missile: Cancel
Bomb: Samus' bombs seem to be intangible until they explode. Throwing a bomb into one of hers as it exploding will cause our to explode as well.
Uncharged Paralyzer: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Paralyzer: Cancel
Uncharged Bow: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Bow: Cancel
Auto Reticle: Bomb Wins
Can withstand up to two shots. If Palutena hits the bomb with all three shots it will explode.​
Thunder: Bomb Wins
Elthunder: Cancel
Arcthunder: Bomb Wins
Thoron: Thoron Wins
Arcfire: Both Win
Elwind: Both Win (first hit), Elwind Wins (second hit)
Clay Shooting: Cancel
Wild Gunman:
Red Bandanna: Both Win
White Shirt: Both Win
Black Coat: Both Win
Brown Coat: Gunman Wins
Sombrero: Gunman Wins​
Trick Shot: After the dog kicks the barrel it can survive 8 attacks until it starts smoking. Hitting the barrel with a bomb counts as one of those attacks. If you throw a bomb at the barrel as it's smoking they will both explode.
Final Cutter: Final Cutter Wins
Gordo: The bomb will explode and the gordo will be sent flying back toward D3, damaging him if it connects.
Super Dedede Jump (star): Bomb Wins
Blaster: Bomb Wins
Blaster: Bomb Wins
Thunder Jolt: Bomb Wins
Thunder: Thunder Wins
Flamethrower: Both Win
Rock Smash: Bomb Wins
Can only withstand one rock fragment. If the bomb hits a second one it will explode.​
Uncharged Aura Sphere: (0%-43%) Bomb Wins, (44%-999%) Cancel
Fully Charged Aura Sphere: Cancel
Force Palm:
Sweet spot: Force Palm Wins (the timing window for Lucario to destroy the bomb and stay outside the blast radius is very small)
Tip: (0%-27%) Both Win, (28%-999%) Force Palm Wins​
Uncharged Water Shuriken: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Water Shuriken: Both Win
Robo Beam: Both Win
Super Robo Beam: Robo Beam Wins
Gyro: Cancel
PK Fire: If the bomb hits the bolt the bomb will explode and PK Fire will activate
PK Thunder: Cancel
PK Flash: Much like Din's Fire, PK Flash is intangible until it explodes. Hitting Ness while he's charging PK Flash will prevent it from exploding. Our bomb will explode if it is caught in PK Flash's explosion.
Gyroid: Cancel
Fair/Bair: Bomb Wins
Pocket: The Priority on Villager's pocketed projectiles are the same as ours with the exception of an uncharged arrow which cancels our bombs, and the latter half of boomerang which stops the bomb without exploding it.
Pikmin: Bombs stop all of Olimar's ranged attacks including Pikmin Toss and Fsmash, unless it's a red pikmin. Bomb's are considered a fire type attack in Smash 4 so naturally red pikmin, which are immune to fire attacks, are unaffected by bombs. For all other pikmin, bombs will either stop them in their tracks or kill them if they're received enough damage.
Uncharged Sun Salutation: Bomb Wins
Fully Charged Sun Salutation: Cancel
Header: Cancel
Pill: Bomb Wins
Uncharged Bow: Bomb wins
Fully Charged Bow: Cancel
Bonus Fruit:
Cherry: Bomb Wins
Strawberry: Cancel
Orange: Cancel
Apple: Cancel
Melon: Cancel
Galaxian: Galaxian Wins
Bell: Bell Wins
Key: Key Wins​
Metal Blade: Both Win
Crash Bomber: Bomb Wins
Leaf Shield: Both Win
The bomb will destroy any leaf it touches, but I don't think it's possible for it to hit all four​
Lemons: Bomb Wins
Charge Shot: Cancels regardless of charge
Hard Knuckle: Both Win
I finally got around to recording Link's knock back values. For anybody that doesn't know how this is done; I set up a match between Link and Mario with Mario's handicap at the % I wanted to test, used the attack I wanted to know the knockback of, ended the match, and looked at the 'max launcher speed'. Take this data with a grain of salt, though. It became apparent to me that this method isn't 100% accurate. For example, both the sweet and sourspot Uair at 100% had a launch speed of 53mph despite the fact that the sweetspot clearly has more knockback. My theory is that the game only records speeds in increments of ∽13 and anything in-between gets rounded to the nearest increment. With that in mind, here's the data I collected:

note: you can click on the headers to sort the table by that column

Legend
C=charged
PB=point blank
T=tipped
S=strong hit
W=weak hit
M=meteor smash

Attack Used | 50% | 100% |150%
Jab 1 |13 | 13 | 13
Jab 2 | 13 | 13 | 13
Jab 3 | 26 | 39 | 39
Ftilt | 39 | 67 | 80
Dtilt | 39 | 53 | 67
Dtilt M |39 | 53 |67
Utilt | 39 | 53 | 80
Fsmash 1 | 13 | 13 | 13
Fsmash 1 C | 13 | 13 | 26
Fsmash 1 T | 39 | 67 | 93
Fsmash 1 T C | 53 | 93 | 120
Fsmash 2 | 53 | 80 | 93
Fsmash 2 C | 67 | 93 | 120
Dsmash 1 PB | 39 | 67 | 93
Dsmash 1 PB C | 67 | 93 | 134
Dsmash 1 T | 39 | 53 | 80
Dsmash 1 T C | 53 | 80 | 106
Dsmash 2 PB | 39 | 53 | 67
Dsmash 2 PB C | 39 | 53 | 67
Dsmash 2 T | 39 | 53 | 67
Dsmash 2 T C | 53 | 67 | 80
Usmash | 53 | 67 | 80
Usmash C | 67 | 80 | 106
Dash Attack PB | 53 | 67 | 93
Dash Attack T | 53 | 67 | 80
Ledge Attack | 39 | 39 | 39
Nair S | 26 | 53 | 67
Nair W | 13 | 26 | 39
Fair 1 | 26 | 53 | 67
Fair 2 | 39 | 53 | 67
Bair 1 |13 | 13 | 13
Bair 2 | 39 | 39 | 53
Uair S | 39 | 53 | 80
Uair W | 26 | 53 | 67
Dair | 39 | 53 | 80
Dair M | 39 | 53 | 80
Zair | 13 | 26 | 26
Bow | 13 | 13 | 13
Bow C | 13 | 26 | 39
Boomerang S | 39 | 39 | 39
Boomerang W | 26 | 26 | 26
Bomb | 26 | 39 | 39
Spin Beginning | 39 | 67 | 80
Spin Beginning C | 53 | 80 | 106
Spin Middle | 26 | 39 | 53
Spin Middle C | 39 | 67 | 80
Spin End | 13 | 26 | 53
Spin End C | 26 | 39 | 53
Spin Aerial (final hit) | 39 | 53 | 67

In closing, here's a couple of things I found interesting:
Dsmash 1 has more knockback at the base whereas Dsmash 2 has more knockback at the tip.

It seems that despite the loading screen tip, dash attack has about the same amount of knockback no matter where you hit it. One thing that is affected, however, is the trajectory. A point blank hit sends the opponent more diagonally up, and a tipper send them more horizontally.

Fair 2 might have more knockback at lower percents, but it definitely seems to scale less than Fair 1.

The ledge attack appears to have a fixed knockback
Tested this and it actually just has extremely weak scaling
Defensive Tactics:
@ Zane the pure Zane the pure - On defense as a whole, Guarding in this game is at an alltime profit by virtue of very low shield stun, increased PS window, and quicker regeneration, so knowing well how to defend will elevate your performance even further in this game. Outside of knowing how to guard well, Link's very own Shield has the ability to block most projectiles wholesale. When Standing, Crouching, and walking Link's shield will protect different regions of his hurtbox, effectively nullifying projectiles that make contact with it. (Original Post)
@ Zane the pure Zane the pure - As a final note on defense (which is especially helpful against attacks that travel across the screen in a straight path) a bomb that is dropped without exploding can eat the hit of certain attacks like Samus' charge shot, and various others, so use planted bombs to control a lead defense in situations and it'll give way to your opponent having to regroup so you can take the offensive. (Original Post)
@ DarkDeity15 DarkDeity15 & @ Ryu_Ken Ryu_Ken - Planting bombs really make the opponent uncomfortable and helps with stage control, especially if they're planted on stages with platforms such as Battlefield. You can keep the opponent at bay or force an approach. (Original and Subsequent Post)
Offense Tactics:
@ DJ Arcatek DJ Arcatek & @ Ryu_Ken Ryu_Ken This is his fastest ground move. It has pretty good range and power overall. Jabs1 and 2 can lead into many moves such as UpB, Dsmash, Usmash, and grab. Jab3 is strong enough to get opponents off of you, but is unsafe on shield. (Original and Subsequent Post)
@ BryE BryE
Was messing around with this double bomb on shield setup. I found that I could easily just cause my opponent to freeze for a bit in their shield while I'm pelting away at their shield with arrows. I could potentially zair at their shield as well or maybe space a grab to where the reel in causes them to hit the bomb.

Here are some examples:



(Original Post)
With Zair Bombs, you can recatch them with aerials for strings/combos, edgeguard, cover approaches, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s621tT4lBSQ
(Original Post)
@ san. san. & @Sabaca In Smash 4, you can only DACIT and throw and item upwards when sliding, unlike Brawl where you can throw ahead and behind yourself. However, Link and TL can perform a regular DACIT and he throws the bomb forward despite the up throw animation being used. Unlike TL, Link has a pretty nice slide with very low lag, slightly more than dash throw with almost twice the distance, making it effectively safer.

How to Perform:
-Hold diagonal up+forward on the control stick and simultaneously tap down on the C-stick and press the "grab" button at the same time.
-Link is special due to the fact that you can perform a normal DACUS, holding up on the control stick, and you still throw forward despite seeing the upthrow animation (and even got a back throw animation at times, too). This method isn't very consistent since sometimes he throws up. I think the faster you perform it, the more it is likely to throw forward.

The afaik easiest method of doing it consistently depends on your cstick settings
SMASH: dash-> GRAB(not attack) -> c-stick up
ATTACK: dash->c-stick-> controllstick up + grab/attack
(Original Post1 Original Post2)
@Demacrez It seems stutter step (Foxtrot) doesn't really work for Link in comparison to his actual dash. They both seem to travel nearly the same so it doesn't feel different. What that does mean though is that you can use this stutter step into FSmash, DSmash, or USmash. You can cancel your dash into a stutter step then cancel it with a Smash attack.

Using stutter step allowed me to cancel early. This now makes it where you can actually space Link's FSmash even if you run away! You can dash or stutter step away and FSmash the other direction to get a backwards (or slightly backwards) moving FSmash. So this'll help with getting a tipped FSmash. (Original Post)
@Demacrez Utilizing reverse FTilt can be useful if you want the advantage frames on psyching out the opponent. Simply do a stutter step (Foxtrot) then press back and z button. Since it's a bad input your character will automatically perform an FTilt. Now then, Link's Tilt and Smash are nearly identical in damage, KB, and recovery so that makes it good and bad. (Original Post)
@ Fox Is Openly Deceptive Fox Is Openly Deceptive If you use it so it comes out just before you land (not even perfectly or anything such that it's a frame cancel), if the opponent shields it and buffers a grab while you buffer a spotdodge, they will miss if they have a grab that comes out on frame 9 or later. And that's if you miss-space it, because it also has amazing shield knockback, making it so that characters often get pushed out of range of their grab.

Characters whose grab is too slow, 9 frames or more (meaning you can literally land right on top of them and avoid a buffered Grab by buffering e.g. a spotdodge):
Greninja, Bowser, Bowser Jr, Link, Mac, Villager, Pac Man, Olimar, Samus, Zero, Gay, Yoshi, and Zelda.

Adding to this list those characters who have an 8 frame grab or better but who get pushed too far away so that they whiff their Grab when you Nair their shield and land right in front of them (as in I started by standing as close to them as possible and let the character models push each other apart to represent horrible spacing):
C Falcon, Diddy, Falco, Ganon, Kirby, Charizard, Luigi, and ROB.

Out of all the characters left who have an 8 frame or better Grab and are able to Grab Link when he does a very poorly spaced Nair, the following are the characters who whiff their Grab if Link spaces Nair properly (i.e the tip of Nair would have hit their hurtbox, but they shielded it and then buffered a Grab):
Dedede, DK, DH, Fox, GnW, Ike, Lucario, Lucina, Mario, Dr Mario, Marth, MK, Mii Fighter, Gunner, Sword, Ness, Palutena, Peach, Pikachu, Pit, Dark Pit, Jiggs, Robin, Mega Man, Rosalina, Sheik, Shulk, Sonic, Wario, and WiiFit. (Original Post)
Playstyles:
Normal Link
-
@ Ryu_Ken Ryu_Ken I think just having more than 3 projectiles out at the same time makes the opponent uncomfortable (Ex. 2 Planted bomb, Boomerang). Initially, opponents will probably expect you to immediately throw out a bomb or boomerang right at them. I like to start battles off sometimes by taking out a bomb and *move in place* (helps get me psyched up and see what the opponent is going to do), and if they run up to me, I'll jump up and down throw into a Fastfalled aerial (usually Nair or Bair). If they start anticipating this and go for a shield grab, I'll just jump over them and do a JC backwards throw or plant a bomb. If it's the latter, I'll probably throw out a boomerang for the Gale effect and go for the down throw AGAIN. Ofc, I have to do this fast or else the first bomb will explode and I lose some stage control. Just goes to show how deceptively fast Link can be in this game.

One thing the opponent won't really expect much is arrows. They should be used sparingly, but effectively, since we can no longer arrow-Bomb. Uncharged-semicharged arrows can trip opponents on the stage and interrupt their approaches, so I like to use them sort of like a retreat weapon. I constantly B-Reversal/wave bounce with them just to catch the opponent off-guard. (Original Post)

*jumping/DJ into Fastfall, dash dancing, all that pizzazz

Custom Link
-???

Doubles Link (for 2v2 matches)
-???

Squads Link (for 4v4 matches)
-???

Tutorials:
Comprehensive Tutorial on Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R57YgO_7VY
Bombslide Tutorial from Brawl (still applicable, assumes you have GameCube controls)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjdQY5SOqEE
Dash Smashing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LE1emLDAZ8
Perfect Pivot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vaR4RM-qr0
-Izaw's Guide (Link at 8:01) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ_ZzAvSFis
 
Last edited:

Zane the pure

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Messages
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So some important things to go over first would be to discuss Link's approach, his retreat, and his defense.

Link for the most part is served well by leading with projectiles (mainly Bombs) when approaching, as the added pressure of an extra hitbox means the opponent must contend with two attacks and make decisions based on where and when both will strike. In the heat of battle snap decisions are essential, and the more you can weigh down an opponent's options the better. It will be somewhat MU dependent as certain characters have either reflectors or better projectiles that will stymie Link's own options, but by in large this would be a good jumping off point when planning your advances.

On retreating, this game's buffed roll invincibility lends well to such. Link has never been a blindingly nimble Character so it's important to know how to get yourself out when a situation is poor or highly restrictive. Link's forward rolls are mostly above average: covering a nice distance, and activating quickly, but they suffer from being a little bit slow on endlag. His backrolls on the other hand are fantastic: very quick, great distance, low lag, and good invincibility making them the better of the two. Movement-wise Link can reliably pull bombs fire arrows and throw boomerang while retreating so they help cover his somewhat lacking maneuverability. On top of that, B-air autocancels from SH height while F-air autocancels from Full hop, and both are effective tools for making retreats safer.

On defense as a whole, Guarding in this game is at an alltime profit by virtue of very low shield stun, increased PS window, and quicker regeneration, so knowing well how to defend will elevate your performance even further in this game. Outside of knowing how to guard well, Link's very own Shield has the ability to block most projectiles wholesale. When Standing, Crouching, and walking Link's shield will protect different regions of his hurtbox, effectively nullifying projectiles that make contact with it. As a final note on defense (which is especially helpful against attacks that travel across the screen in a straight path) a bomb that is dropped without exploding can eat the hit of certain attacks like Samus' charge shot, and various others, so use planted bombs to control a lead defense in situations and it'll give way to your opponent having to regroup so you can take the offensive.
 

Ryu_Ken

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Link's OoS options are a lot better in this game due to reduced shield stun. Link's Bow is the fastest special for retreating, and although they don't do a lot of damage or KB uncharged, they can interrupt opponent's attacks or approaches pretty well. You can also trip opponents with arrows as well.

Despite arrow-bombing being removed, Link still maintains a pretty good pressure game. The shorter fuse on the bomb pretty much adds to the fact since you can pressure opponents into shield/reflect/absorb the attack. Zair>Bombs just makes them straight-out uncomfortable.

Link's BackFlip (backwards roll) is probably one of the best rolls in the game. It's pretty fast, has a pretty good amount of invincibility, and it covers a pretty good distance. If you ask me, Link's roll is pretty awesome. :starman:
 

DarkDeity15

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I found that planting a bomb and hanging around near them (preferably behind them) can make people super nervous and unsure of how to approach you. It works like a charm and is great for baiting approaches and keeping people at bay. It's unsafe for them to throw out attacks anywhere near the bomb without it blowing up in their face and can lead to free conversions as long as you're near. Just a neat trick I thought I'd share with you guys.
 

Ryu_Ken

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I found that planting a bomb and hanging around near them (preferably behind them) can make people super nervous and unsure of how to approach you. It works like a charm and is great for baiting approaches and keeping people at bay. It's unsafe for them to throw out attacks anywhere near the bomb without it blowing up in their face and can lead to free conversions as long as you're near. Just a neat trick I thought I'd share with you guys.
I've seen this used on Battlefield the most. This trick is pretty effective on Omega stages, but I feel it's most effective on Battlefield. The low platforms really make the opponent uncomfortable and unsure how to approach.
 

AtlusKnight

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I have been noticing that the bombs has a lot of HP going through a lot of projectiles and even surviving direct impact from even Toon Link's bomb. Like the bomb in this game is very good offensively and defensively and on top of that if you smack it when you are near your opponent you don't get hit by the explosion which is amazing.
 

Elessar

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Something that we should be testing (or finding a thread ont he baords where they do confirm or deny it is back in) is to what extend is crouch canceling back in the game and how can we use it/benefit from it. I haven't been able to test it deeply, but I believe to have crouch canceled a couple of attacks unintentionally on wifi. Should this still be in the game, this would open a host of options with the new bomb mechanics.
 

Ryu_Ken

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Something that we should be testing (or finding a thread ont he baords where they do confirm or deny it is back in) is to what extend is crouch canceling back in the game and how can we use it/benefit from it. I haven't been able to test it deeply, but I believe to have crouch canceled a couple of attacks unintentionally on wifi. Should this still be in the game, this would open a host of options with the new bomb mechanics.
I believe it's still in the game, but I haven't used it to the greatest effect. Check the Competitive Discussion boards, they'll probably have some info on it.
 

Vonn Hennings

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Something I found useful is the Gale Boomarang. I have pulled someone off the ledge by throwing it. And when it hits a dash attack is an excellent follow up to it, or even an arrow. I personally don't use bombs because all the people I have fought catch my bombs all the time so I have made other variations on my projectile game. The bombs are useful for spacing of course. The Boomarang is my perferred special Link has because it allows me for some follow ups. It can blow opponents off the ledge, does little bits of damage if it hits, and allows for some follow ups like a dash attack
 

DJ Arcatek

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This may seem like a bit of a stretch, but I honestly think Link has one of the best jabs in the game. It may not be the fastest jab, but it's his fastest grounded move, has great range and the fact that it can combo into Utilt/Dsmash/Usmash/grab around 90% of the time makes it a fantastic move and it will make a lot of people afraid to press buttons against you.
 

Ryu_Ken

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This may seem like a bit of a stretch, but I honestly think Link has one of the best jabs in the game. It may not be the fastest jab, but it's his fastest grounded move, has great range and the fact that it can combo into Utilt/Dsmash/Usmash/grab around 90% of the time makes it a fantastic move and it will make a lot of people afraid to press buttons against you.
The range and strength of Link's jabs is what makes it so good. Jab 3 can punish dashes and dash attacks while Jab1>2 set up for hit confirms and combos. Pretty effective against fast characters like Sonic and Sheik.
Something I found useful is the Gale Boomarang. I have pulled someone off the ledge by throwing it. And when it hits a dash attack is an excellent follow up to it, or even an arrow. I personally don't use bombs because all the people I have fought catch my bombs all the time so I have made other variations on my projectile game. The bombs are useful for spacing of course. The Boomarang is my perferred special Link has because it allows me for some follow ups. It can blow opponents off the ledge, does little bits of damage if it hits, and allows for some follow ups like a dash attack
Here's something else useful for the Gale Boomerang: it can punish those that fail to tech on the ground. Rang>Fair easily gets opponents offstage to setup for gimps.
Now if your bombs are getting caught all the time, you're being a bit predictable with them. Like you said, change up your projectile game, but try to change the times you throw them. Against characters that can reflect/absorb your bombs, you can pressure them and bait them to doing certain actions. Example: http://youtu.be/fdaJa-UGJZQ (between 0:31 and 0:37)
 

Vonn Hennings

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Here's something else useful for the Gale Boomerang: it can punish those that fail to tech on the ground. Rang>Fair easily gets opponents offstage to setup for gimps.
Now if your bombs are getting caught all the time, you're being a bit predictable with them. Like you said, change up your projectile game, but try to change the times you throw them. Against characters that can reflect/absorb your bombs, you can pressure them and bait them to doing certain actions.
I barely used the bombs in the first place. Mainly for ledge guarding only. xD I have attempted to use them more, but I just prefer using the boomerang a lot more with it's diverse abilities for on the ledge and midstage as well. Also, I found his u-tilt is very useful for edgeguarding if they try to go above you. Spin attack is also quite useful for ledge guarding if they go below.
 

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I barely used the bombs in the first place. Mainly for ledge guarding only. xD I have attempted to use them more, but I just prefer using the boomerang a lot more with it's diverse abilities for on the ledge and midstage as well. Also, I found his u-tilt is very useful for edgeguarding if they try to go above you. Spin attack is also quite useful for ledge guarding if they go below.
I haven't seen a spin attack used for ledge-guarding. Ftilt and Dtilt are probably the better options here because Ftilt can easily kill floaty characters at ~96% while Dtilt can spike. Spin Attack is just really laggy and can easily be punished if whiffed.
 

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Elessar

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I'd expect it from Luigi given that he is slippery, but Link is surprising because we do have a lot of traction. I want to see it in action since I'm having a hard time picturing it in my head.

Also, fooling around while in the waiting stage with Fox I noticed that you can slide considerably when you land from a short hop. I didn't pay any attention and for all I know it could just be craqwalk, but it comes to mind again after reading about that AT. I need to fool around more with it and report wheat I find.
 

Ryu_Ken

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I'd expect it from Luigi given that he is slippery, but Link is surprising because we do have a lot of traction. I want to see it in action since I'm having a hard time picturing it in my head.

Also, fooling around while in the waiting stage with Fox I noticed that you can slide considerably when you land from a short hop. I didn't pay any attention and for all I know it could just be craqwalk, but it comes to mind again after reading about that AT. I need to fool around more with it and report wheat I find.
Don't think it affects gameplay too much, but it does look cool. I've messed with this a lot myself, particularly with MegaMan. His turning animation is stiff and a little long compared to Link's, so it's more noticeable.
Just gonna patiently wait for the Sticky Dash vids to pop up...
 

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Was messing around with this double bomb on shield setup. I found that I could easily just cause my opponent to freeze for a bit in their shield while I'm pelting away at their shield with arrows. I could potentially zair at their shield as well or maybe space a grab to where the reel in causes them to hit the bomb.


Here are some examples: (In the future, might just start using Gfycat for easier viewing)





What do you guys think? I think it might be useful whether it be close range or midrange, as shown in these examples.

Also for lulz. https://gfycat.com/FittingJadedBuckeyebutterfly#
 
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Elessar

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Was messing around with this double bomb on shield setup. I found that I could easily just cause my opponent to freeze for a bit in their shield while I'm pelting away at their shield with arrows. I could potentially zair at their shield as well or maybe space a grab to where the reel in causes them to hit the bomb.
That's a really nice setup BryE, and it's not that situational either. I usually throw bombs up as well, but could never capitalize on them because I suck at spamming. I really like it and I can see it leading into nice combos or even kills. Definitively worth learning.

Let's call it...the Bombo-Combo!
 
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Ryu_Ken

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That's a really nice setup BryE, and it's not that situational either. I usually throw bombs up as well, but could never capitalize on them because I suck at spamming. I really like it and I can see it leading into nice combos or even kills. Definitively worth learning.

Let's call it...the Bombo-Combo!
.... Nah. How about the Bomb Trap (BT)? Easy to say and remember.
 

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That's a really nice setup BryE, and it's not that situational either. I usually throw bombs up as well, but could never capitalize on them because I suck at spamming. I really like it and I can see it leading into nice combos or even kills. Definitively worth learning.
Whenever I throw a bomb in the air, I basically use it as a "shield" or a "mine". Because when the bomb is in the air, people become slightly more weary of approaching. When some people actually manages to run towards me, I just chuck another bomb at them so that the falling bomb will also hold them in their place. It's an old tactic that I used to do all the time. But with Smash 4 bombs, only 1 of them actually explode in this setup (which is the one I threw upwards).


Let's call it...the Bombo-Combo!
.... Nah. How about the Bomb Trap (BT)? Easy to say and remember.
lol People could get it confused with a regular bomb trap, which is just placing a bomb on the stage to see what the opponent will do. I was just gonna leave it unnamed though.
 
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At low percents I noticed I can pull off a Double hit of Dair (bounce twice) into Uair. It's really situational but I've done it mostly returning high to the stage.
 

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At low percents I noticed I can pull off a Double hit of Dair (bounce twice) into Uair. It's really situational but I've done it mostly returning high to the stage.
I was able to do that often. Double Dair to Uair to Utilt to Uair to Bair. Then version 1.04 happened, making this combo almost useless.
 

Ryu_Ken

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I was able to do that often. Double Dair to Uair to Utilt to Uair to Bair. Then version 1.04 happened, making this combo almost useless.
You can still auto-cancel a double Dair into a Utilt. That combo has done wonders for me.
 

san.

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Old AT for Link is very useful: DACIT, dash attack cancel item toss (same input as DACUS).

In Smash 4, you can only DACIT and throw and item upwards when sliding, unlike Brawl where you can throw ahead and behind yourself. However, Link and TL can perform a regular DACIT and he throws the bomb forward despite the up throw animation being used. Unlike TL, Link has a pretty nice slide with very low lag, slightly more than dash throw with almost twice the distance, making it effectively safer.

How to Perform:
-Hold diagonal up+forward on the control stick and simultaneously tap down on the C-stick and press the "grab" button at the same time.
-Link is special due to the fact that you can perform a normal DACUS, holding up on the control stick, and you still throw forward despite seeing the upthrow animation (and even got a back throw animation at times, too). This method isn't very consistent since sometimes he throws up. I think the faster you perform it, the more it is likely to throw forward.
 
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FEaR.7

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Thank you San. We call that bombsliding but DACIT seems like the proper name. I'm able to do upward and forward on command, for upward toss just move the control stick to the up position after the dash cancel and leave it there till you toss the bomb. For forward do exactly the same inputs but release control stick from the up position before Link tosses the bomb.

I'm not too certain if I'm describing this well enough, I have muscle memory of this since brawl. Just the backward toss I'm not able to get with the brawl inputs.
 
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san.

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Ah, I just assumed that the whole animation bug was specific to Smash 4. Yes, that old tech is back :)
 

Ryu_Ken

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Old AT for Link is very useful: DACIT, dash attack cancel item toss (same input as DACUS).

In Smash 4, you can only DACIT and throw and item upwards when sliding, unlike Brawl where you can throw ahead and behind yourself. However, Link and TL can perform a regular DACIT and he throws the bomb forward despite the up throw animation being used. Unlike TL, Link has a pretty nice slide with very low lag, slightly more than dash throw with almost twice the distance, making it effectively safer.

How to Perform:
-Hold diagonal up+forward on the control stick and simultaneously tap down on the C-stick and press the "grab" button at the same time.
-Link is special due to the fact that you can perform a normal DACUS, holding up on the control stick, and you still throw forward despite seeing the upthrow animation (and even got a back throw animation at times, too). This method isn't very consistent since sometimes he throws up. I think the faster you perform it, the more it is likely to throw forward.
This is pretty useful for when you setup bomb traps (plant bombs with Zair). Thought they patched it out in the update. Does it still slidd further than a JCT?
 

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Did some friendlies the other day and something strange happened.
When I did a pivot grab against Little Mac, my grab range extended noticeably far.
https://gfycat.com/ExhaustedVagueGangesdolphin

Watch for the second pivot grab and you'll see what I mean.
Go to training mode set the Little Mac CPU to jump and do a pivot grab just as they land. If this doesn't recreate the glitch then your opponent must have buffered an input or something, maybe a dash or side-b.

I went through the vid frame by frame and it doesn't look like Mac was about to do something while he landed. Very strange stuff.
 
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Ryu_Ken

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Could it be that the grab goes farther when catching opponents in the air? Or it probably has something to do with little mac's hurtbox, but i'm not entirely sure. This is indeed strange stuff.
 
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BryE

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It honestly might be caused by Little Mac landing. Because as he was landing, I did a pivot grab. I recreated it in training mode and noticed that the grab did extend slightly, but not as much as the one shown in the video.

I do know that pivot grabs are slightly extended in Project M/Brawl. Not sure if that's the case in Smash 4 though.
 

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It is the case as there is an in game tip that says that. THe extension was never that big for Link though back in brawl so I never bothered with it much, but this is interesting. We need to test it more.
However, in frame 243 is seems as if Mac is dashing. I mean, that's his dash stance. Not sure if he has the same stance when he gets grabbed though.

He could've buffered a dash.
 

BryE

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It is the case as there is an in game tip that says that. THe extension was never that big for Link though back in brawl so I never bothered with it much, but this is interesting. We need to test it more.
However, in frame 243 is seems as if Mac is dashing. I mean, that's his dash stance. Not sure if he has the same stance when he gets grabbed though.

He could've buffered a dash.
Yeah that's kinda what I was thinking myself.
This is why I wish the Wii U version was hacked already so we could see hitboxes. Not sure if people got around hacking the 3DS version to view individual hitboxes for each move.
 
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