proxibomb
Smash Clown
Duck Hunt is an interesting character, he has a nice place in the Smash 4 roster. Casually, he's a pain, competitively, he's a pain. See the difference? There is no difference. This guide is for teaching you how to be that pain to others, competitively, since casually playing isn't what I do.
Update Log: January 18th, 2015 - Version 1.3.2
Major update coming Spring 2016. This guide is heavily out of date.
Disclaimer:
The guide goes through major updates, and as the metagame for Smash 4 grows, you'll see the guide out of date every now and then. Make sure to keep up with the guide! If you see anything wrong with the guide, let me know.
Glossary
Duck Hunt Basics:
Duck Hunt's main moves are his Neutral-B, and his Side-Special, both of these moves are one of the best moves, if not, the best moves in the game. His Neutral-B has him throw a can in the air, it'll get shot by the gunman in the foreground, eventually it'll explode. His Side-Special has a clay pigeon flown through the air, also exploding and causing damage when shot by the gunman.
Duck Hunt's game is either being very patient, using baiting, and depending on mistakes, or playing extremely defensive. It's not that hard to be straight out offensive, the results aren't always positive though, or the moves I explain about on this thread provide the best results. His moves, like his nair, have a lot of ending lag, so I prefer staying on the defensive side, rather than being offensive.
Some words you might want to know when reading this guide:
Percents:
Duck Hunt guides of course need this, can't believe I didn't add this in the first version. Anyways, here is a very basic list of all the moves, and their percent average.
Duck Hunt's most useful attacks for quick percents are his basic jabs, his bair, his nair (remember that it has a lot of ending lag, so be careful using his nair), his Up-Smash, and his Down-Smash. There are obviously combos that might make some of these moves useless, but these attacks used alone are quite useful for getting some quick percents on your opponent. Remember that there are other moves you could use, but I find these to be the most useful.
Moves:
Match-Ups:
Refer to these sets of posts for some MUs, you'll probably see some of my DH MUs information on there one day. Original posts made by Wispy.
http://smashboards.com/threads/sic-em-duck-hunt-mus-and-stage-discussion.379294/#post-18058688
Pros & Cons:
After playing quite a bit with Duck Hunt, I've noticed lots of patterns regarding his strengths, and weaknesses, the characters he does well against, what things in battle he dominates, and so on. I've made a list of things Duck Hunt is both good, and bad at (thanks to CourageHound for suggesting Pros/Cons).
Pros
Cons
Let's talk about Duck Hunt's best stages. These are final destination, basically any omega stages, Corneria, Yoshi's Island, and Boxing Ring. You might have trouble on Tortimer Island since the clay pigeons are stopped by the small hills. Here's a basic list of the stages you should and shouldn't play on.
Stage Information
Here's some general information on what Duck Hunt is good against, or does bad against. Please refrain from discussing characters here, as there is a discussion post specifically for that elsewhere.
Characters best against:
Characters worst against:
Recovery:
Duck Hunt's recovery isn't the greatest. There are no moves he can use to stop his momentum and stay airborne longer. His up-special cannon stopped in any way possible, unless he grabs a ledge, or the move ends. Use your up-special at the last moment, know your distance from the bottom blast zone to the stage. If there isn't a bottom blast zone, there isn't much to worry about. You can easily control the horizontal direction that Duck Hunt goes to. When Duck Hunt's duck has lost the strength to lift the dog in the air, falling down will be slightly harder to control since not too much distance going down can be covered when compared to the duck flying up.
Duck Hunt's second jump is quite high, so use a second jump when off stage for a good recovery back to the stage. Make sure to be careful with gimps when using your up-b since you can't do anything while flying. Know your limits, if anyone approaches you while you are still flying in the air, simply stray away from them, and then come back towards the stage.
Credits:
Hope you enjoyed the guide, it'll be updated as much as possible, lots more will be added if I find any tactics or discuss with any other fellow Duck Hunt mains. Let me know if there is any problem. I'll try to get this post featured so many can see it. Good luck, fellow Duck Hunters.
Update Log: January 18th, 2015 - Version 1.3.2
Major update coming Spring 2016. This guide is heavily out of date.
Disclaimer:
The guide goes through major updates, and as the metagame for Smash 4 grows, you'll see the guide out of date every now and then. Make sure to keep up with the guide! If you see anything wrong with the guide, let me know.
- Update Log
- Duck Hunt Basics
- Percents
- Moves
- Pros/Cons
- Recovery
- Credits
Version 1.0 (October 4th, 2014)
- Guide created
Version 1.1 (October 5th, 2014)
- Added Pros/Cons to guide
- Color-coded some words to make guide easy to find specific information
- Added Update Log
- Added basic stages to play on/avoid
- Cleaned guide up, made it look nice
Version 1.2 (October 5th, 2014)
- Added Percents to guide, percents averages were added
- Added Matchups for Link
- Cleaned some of the information up
Version 1.2.1 (October 6th, 2014)
- Added a base amount of information regarding the can explosion exploit found by asevengodie/JgikeD
- Cleaned some of the information on the page
Version. 1.2.2 (October 7th, 2014)
- Added more information on down-b
Version 1.2.3 (October 8th, 2014)
- Removed Battlefield stage information for more research, massive update soon to come (1.3)
Version 1.2.4 (October 8th, 2014)
- Added DK MU
- Added aerials to moves section
- Customizations coming soon
Version 1.2.5 (October 9th, 2014)
- Added additional information to neutral-b
Version 1.3 (October 12th, 2014)
- Added more recovery information
- Added more information to Duck Hunt Basics
- Added Grabs and Grab KO percents to guide
*Customizations coming soon*
Version 1.3.1 (October 26th, 2014)
- Added information on Smash attacks
- Updated small amounts of information to stages
- Added some information regarding Neutral-B
- Added KO percents for Aerials
- Added KO percents for Smash Attacks
*Next update is guaranteed to feature Customizations* Ha. No.
Version 1.3.2 (January 18th, 2015)
- Added information on pros and cons against characters
- Cleaned some of the page
- Added Battlefield to stages tab
- Added minor information on down-b
- Added minor information on neutral-b
- Added some pictures, thanks to DunnoBro
- Guide created
Version 1.1 (October 5th, 2014)
- Added Pros/Cons to guide
- Color-coded some words to make guide easy to find specific information
- Added Update Log
- Added basic stages to play on/avoid
- Cleaned guide up, made it look nice
Version 1.2 (October 5th, 2014)
- Added Percents to guide, percents averages were added
- Added Matchups for Link
- Cleaned some of the information up
Version 1.2.1 (October 6th, 2014)
- Added a base amount of information regarding the can explosion exploit found by asevengodie/JgikeD
- Cleaned some of the information on the page
Version. 1.2.2 (October 7th, 2014)
- Added more information on down-b
Version 1.2.3 (October 8th, 2014)
- Removed Battlefield stage information for more research, massive update soon to come (1.3)
Version 1.2.4 (October 8th, 2014)
- Added DK MU
- Added aerials to moves section
- Customizations coming soon
Version 1.2.5 (October 9th, 2014)
- Added additional information to neutral-b
Version 1.3 (October 12th, 2014)
- Added more recovery information
- Added more information to Duck Hunt Basics
- Added Grabs and Grab KO percents to guide
*Customizations coming soon*
Version 1.3.1 (October 26th, 2014)
- Added information on Smash attacks
- Updated small amounts of information to stages
- Added some information regarding Neutral-B
- Added KO percents for Aerials
- Added KO percents for Smash Attacks
Version 1.3.2 (January 18th, 2015)
- Added information on pros and cons against characters
- Cleaned some of the page
- Added Battlefield to stages tab
- Added minor information on down-b
- Added minor information on neutral-b
- Added some pictures, thanks to DunnoBro
Duck Hunt Basics:
Duck Hunt's main moves are his Neutral-B, and his Side-Special, both of these moves are one of the best moves, if not, the best moves in the game. His Neutral-B has him throw a can in the air, it'll get shot by the gunman in the foreground, eventually it'll explode. His Side-Special has a clay pigeon flown through the air, also exploding and causing damage when shot by the gunman.
Duck Hunt's game is either being very patient, using baiting, and depending on mistakes, or playing extremely defensive. It's not that hard to be straight out offensive, the results aren't always positive though, or the moves I explain about on this thread provide the best results. His moves, like his nair, have a lot of ending lag, so I prefer staying on the defensive side, rather than being offensive.
Some words you might want to know when reading this guide:
- Can-Shielding - Using your shield when the can explodes. Usually done when an explosion happens right next to you. To can-shield correctly, use the can and rush towards the victim. Have the explosion hit, but shield immediately. If done correctly, you'll survive the explosion with no damage, and you are open to continue with a combo, or something else.
- Can-Stopping (K.YO.CAN.) - Stopping momentum using the can. Used to survive deadly attacks. Must be timed and planned perfectly.
- Trajectory Tossing - Hitting the can with an attack so that it goes flying in the direction you hit it, mostly used with f-tilts and dash attacks. Can also be used with aerials, bair works best.
Percents:
Duck Hunt guides of course need this, can't believe I didn't add this in the first version. Anyways, here is a very basic list of all the moves, and their percent average.
Neutral Attack:
1st Jab: 2%
2nd Jab: 3%
Hind Leg Kick: 4%
(Multi-Peck: 1% per peck)
Bird Peck: 2% (with one peck)
Total Percentage (with 1 peck): 11%
Dash Attack:
7-10%
Tilts:
Forward: 8%
Up: 7%
Down: 8%
Smash Attacks:
Forward: 4-23%
Up: 10-20%
Down: 6-22%
Aerials:
Neutral-Aerial: 5-11%
Forward-Aerial: 6-10%
Back-Aerial: 10-13%
Up-Aerial: 12%
Down-Aerial: 5-10%
Grabs:
Hit: 3%
Forward Throw: 8%
Backwards Throw: 9%
Up Throw: 6%
Down Throw: 5%
Special Moves:
Neutral-Special: 9-12%
Side-Special: 5-10%
Up-Special: ---
Down-Special: 4-7%
Final Smash:
45%
1st Jab: 2%
2nd Jab: 3%
Hind Leg Kick: 4%
(Multi-Peck: 1% per peck)
Bird Peck: 2% (with one peck)
Total Percentage (with 1 peck): 11%
Dash Attack:
7-10%
Tilts:
Forward: 8%
Up: 7%
Down: 8%
Smash Attacks:
Forward: 4-23%
Up: 10-20%
Down: 6-22%
Aerials:
Neutral-Aerial: 5-11%
Forward-Aerial: 6-10%
Back-Aerial: 10-13%
Up-Aerial: 12%
Down-Aerial: 5-10%
Grabs:
Hit: 3%
Forward Throw: 8%
Backwards Throw: 9%
Up Throw: 6%
Down Throw: 5%
Special Moves:
Neutral-Special: 9-12%
Side-Special: 5-10%
Up-Special: ---
Down-Special: 4-7%
Final Smash:
45%
Moves:
Neutral-B:
His Neutral-B has him throw a can in the air, it'll get shot by the gunman in the foreground, eventually it'll explode.
The can explodes, once thrown and on the ground without any further disturbances (ex. someone hitting it, gunman shooting it), it explodes after 10 seconds (I've done multiple tests regarding times it explodes, it's average time is 10 seconds exactly). I'd recommend practicing using moves and shooting the can at the same time. You can only shoot the can 8 times after it's initially left on the ground (Technically, you can shoot the 9 times if it never hit the ground, but us Duck Hunt users never really count the first time you press Neutral-B).
Fun fact: you can change the direction of the can by hitting it. For example, you throw the can facing left. Go to the left of the can, hit the can towards the right - the can will now bounce to the right.
Reminder: The can will only move in one direction unless it hits a wall or is hit by an attack. If you face the left, and use the can, it'll only move to the left.
Speculated Average Percentages:
Airborne explosion: 8%-11%
*It is also possible to hit 12%, you need to time it right*
Be very careful, as you can actually get killed by your own can. The percents range from 185% to 189%.
Any percentage above is almost guaranteed to send you flying, especially when the percentages reach 200%.
Recommended moves to use while utilizing the can:
Discovery of tactic (found in this discussion) by DunnoBro
You can use the can as a "hit-box" for your recovery, by throwing the can while recovering back to the ledge of a stage. How it works is simply lining up your can while you fly up. Since you continue to fly, all you'll have to do is concentrate on getting to the edge, and using the can to protect you while you elevate back to the stage. Refrain from doing this if you have a chance of being KO'd from your explosion if your opponent decides to run into you. If you can line up the can, it should look like this picture:
Can-Stopping (K.YO.CAN.)
The following exploit is in heavy testing, exploit found by JgikeD and asevengodie.
Eventually some kinda exploit was going to occur regarding Duck Hunt and his neutral-b, this exploit saves Duck Hunt from killer moves. Basically, the can acts as a momentum stopper regardless of what position and trajectory the dog is flying away to. Since the can stops the trajectory of the blast and completely stops the dog in midair, with the only negative aspect of this being that it's a bit of a percentage gain for yourself, the question is how to master this. Still in heavy testing, I've come up with an odd way to practice this, it's better to do so with a 2nd player since CPUs don't use very powerful moves very often.
Before performing this trick, you're gonna have to find out what it looks like when performed correctly. The following gif shows the trick in action. First off, this is how the trick played out. At 35%, it is possible for Little Mac to hit Duck Hunt into the blast zone when his KO meter is ready. The can was placed nearby Duck Hunt, and was to be used for whatever reason. Here's the thing though, the can hit Little Mac as he was using his counter attack, which would have killed Duck Hunt, but the can's explosion caused the dog to stop the hit's blast's momentum midair. To further prove that the move would have killed Duck Hunt, the crimson-black streaks appeared as soon as Little Mac punched the dog. If you look closely though, you can see that Little Mac also hit the can, but this has to be proved with further research.
If timed correctly, the can can also stop any combos and it's momentum. Use the can wisely, as you can get killed by the can if you're at a high enough percentage.
A tutorial for this exploit will be out soon...
Changing the can's direction:
One thing that's really important that all DH users need to know, is turning the can's direction to face another direction when been shot at. Let's say you deploy the can facing the left, but want to change the direction so it's facing the right. Go the the left side of the can, facing to the right, his the can with one quick jab (neutral-a). Another thing that's important is trajectory tossing, which is basically hitting the can with an f-tilt or dash attack so that it goes flying in the direction you hit it. When the can is placed, using a dash attack will have fly very far up, use a dash attack if your opponent is on platforms, or in the air. As for the f-tilt, use that to quickly "throw" the can towards the opponent, since an f-tilt makes the can fly in a straight-forward direction.
His Neutral-B has him throw a can in the air, it'll get shot by the gunman in the foreground, eventually it'll explode.
The can explodes, once thrown and on the ground without any further disturbances (ex. someone hitting it, gunman shooting it), it explodes after 10 seconds (I've done multiple tests regarding times it explodes, it's average time is 10 seconds exactly). I'd recommend practicing using moves and shooting the can at the same time. You can only shoot the can 8 times after it's initially left on the ground (Technically, you can shoot the 9 times if it never hit the ground, but us Duck Hunt users never really count the first time you press Neutral-B).
Fun fact: you can change the direction of the can by hitting it. For example, you throw the can facing left. Go to the left of the can, hit the can towards the right - the can will now bounce to the right.
Reminder: The can will only move in one direction unless it hits a wall or is hit by an attack. If you face the left, and use the can, it'll only move to the left.
Speculated Average Percentages:
Airborne explosion: 8%-11%
*It is also possible to hit 12%, you need to time it right*
Be very careful, as you can actually get killed by your own can. The percents range from 185% to 189%.
Any percentage above is almost guaranteed to send you flying, especially when the percentages reach 200%.
Recommended moves to use while utilizing the can:
- When the can is a small distance away from you, use several nairs to approach your enemy while the can is still airborne. Make sure to move away or shield the explosion when it impacts the opponent.
- Place the can in the direction of your opponent's predicted spot, bait the opponent in front of the can. When the can explodes, they'll be pushed back. Use either a nair, bair, or fair. After using the aerial, you can continue the combo with tilts, or a grab (one grab, since chain grabbing is impossible in Smash 4, at least for now).
- Can push: Can pushing (a term coined by yours truly) is basically when you lay a can on the ground, either direction, and use an f-tilit or f-smash when the explode towards. This is all timing, and is quite hard to do, but totally worth it, as it leaves you open for combos. If timed right, they won't be able to tech away from you as soon as the can explodes.
Discovery of tactic (found in this discussion) by DunnoBro
You can use the can as a "hit-box" for your recovery, by throwing the can while recovering back to the ledge of a stage. How it works is simply lining up your can while you fly up. Since you continue to fly, all you'll have to do is concentrate on getting to the edge, and using the can to protect you while you elevate back to the stage. Refrain from doing this if you have a chance of being KO'd from your explosion if your opponent decides to run into you. If you can line up the can, it should look like this picture:
1. Start off by throwing the can like this:
2. Follow back to the stage like this, and know your limits:
3. What the can should look like near the ledge:
2. Follow back to the stage like this, and know your limits:
3. What the can should look like near the ledge:
The following exploit is in heavy testing, exploit found by JgikeD and asevengodie.
Eventually some kinda exploit was going to occur regarding Duck Hunt and his neutral-b, this exploit saves Duck Hunt from killer moves. Basically, the can acts as a momentum stopper regardless of what position and trajectory the dog is flying away to. Since the can stops the trajectory of the blast and completely stops the dog in midair, with the only negative aspect of this being that it's a bit of a percentage gain for yourself, the question is how to master this. Still in heavy testing, I've come up with an odd way to practice this, it's better to do so with a 2nd player since CPUs don't use very powerful moves very often.
Before performing this trick, you're gonna have to find out what it looks like when performed correctly. The following gif shows the trick in action. First off, this is how the trick played out. At 35%, it is possible for Little Mac to hit Duck Hunt into the blast zone when his KO meter is ready. The can was placed nearby Duck Hunt, and was to be used for whatever reason. Here's the thing though, the can hit Little Mac as he was using his counter attack, which would have killed Duck Hunt, but the can's explosion caused the dog to stop the hit's blast's momentum midair. To further prove that the move would have killed Duck Hunt, the crimson-black streaks appeared as soon as Little Mac punched the dog. If you look closely though, you can see that Little Mac also hit the can, but this has to be proved with further research.
If timed correctly, the can can also stop any combos and it's momentum. Use the can wisely, as you can get killed by the can if you're at a high enough percentage.
A tutorial for this exploit will be out soon...
Changing the can's direction:
One thing that's really important that all DH users need to know, is turning the can's direction to face another direction when been shot at. Let's say you deploy the can facing the left, but want to change the direction so it's facing the right. Go the the left side of the can, facing to the right, his the can with one quick jab (neutral-a). Another thing that's important is trajectory tossing, which is basically hitting the can with an f-tilt or dash attack so that it goes flying in the direction you hit it. When the can is placed, using a dash attack will have fly very far up, use a dash attack if your opponent is on platforms, or in the air. As for the f-tilt, use that to quickly "throw" the can towards the opponent, since an f-tilt makes the can fly in a straight-forward direction.
Side-Special:
Duck Hunt's side-special is a basic forward attack. A clay pigeon is sent flying, if B is pressed while it's still airborne, it is shot by the gunman in the foreground. The shots cause the clay pigeon to explode, pieces of the clay pigeon will go everywhere, along with the bullets of the gunman doing damage to the victim. There are several ways you could use the clay pigeon, most of which involve staying camped, but there are few tricks up Duck Hunt's sleeve (or fur in this case, hue hue hue).
krylonshadow has added some clearer insight on the move, here's what he's said:
Pigeon hits opponent, no explosion: 2%
Pigeon hits opponent, explodes: 8%-10% *it is possible to sour spot the move and get 5%*
Duck Hunt's side-special is a basic forward attack. A clay pigeon is sent flying, if B is pressed while it's still airborne, it is shot by the gunman in the foreground. The shots cause the clay pigeon to explode, pieces of the clay pigeon will go everywhere, along with the bullets of the gunman doing damage to the victim. There are several ways you could use the clay pigeon, most of which involve staying camped, but there are few tricks up Duck Hunt's sleeve (or fur in this case, hue hue hue).
- The most common tactic I use, simply throwing the clay pigeon towards the opponent, dashing towards, and using a dash attack, or whatever attacks suite you best. The timing has to be perfect, otherwise your opponent will tech the attack, or worse, techroll away from you. Be warned, that your opponent could use their shield, which basically renders this tactic useless.
- Clay Sniper: Distances away from your opponent, you'd fire a clay pigeon to them, at the same time though, you'll have a can traveling towards them. They'll either be forced to use their shield, or run away, most likely towards you. When they use their shield, it'll obviously be for one of two attacks, the clay pigeon, or the can. When they use their shield, punish them with a grab, since they'll most likely stay in their shield. You may also use any attack really, since most don't keep their shield up long enough. If they run coming towards you, forget whatever the clay pigeon or can is doing, and attack. If they try to grab you, roll away and use another clay pigeon, or stray far away from them to get another clay sniper going.
krylonshadow has added some clearer insight on the move, here's what he's said:
Speculated Average Percentages:Pigeon hits opponent: 2%
Land one shot from Gunman: 6% *it is possible to sour spot this and get 5%*
Land two shots from Gunman: 8%
Land three shots from Gunman: 10%
Total damage potential: 5%-12%
The max damage is most easily achieved by waiting a moment right after the pigeon hits the opponent before firing at it.
Pigeon hits opponent, no explosion: 2%
Pigeon hits opponent, explodes: 8%-10% *it is possible to sour spot the move and get 5%*
Down-Special:
Reminder: Projectles shot by the gunmen can be pocketed by Villager.
Duck Hunt's down-special has a gunman appear right beside him in the direction the dog is facing, and fire in the same direction. Remember that opponents can actually cause the gunman to not shoot, by simply attacking them. This move isn't the greatest because of this, since it can be cancelled. It's main use it's for gimping, and destroying non-piercing projectiles. By non-piercing, I mean those that usually break when they collide with other projectiles. You have the ability to easily gimp those who try to jump back onto the stage, and since down-b actually floats midair, you can use it attack someone off stage, and get back onto the stage while the gunman is still shooting. It's weak in percentages, but it's mostly for gimping, knockback, and mindgames. If you put a gunman in front of you, he'll actually take any projectiles shot towards him. There seems to be an apparent pattern to when and how these gunman appear, I've provided a post made by Spudboy regarding this odd pattern. Click on the highlighted letters to access the post. In case you're too freaking lazy, here's the post on this thread.
Disclaimer, the following post isn't made by me. The research was done by Spudboy, thank him, not me.
Reminder: Projectles shot by the gunmen can be pocketed by Villager.
Duck Hunt's down-special has a gunman appear right beside him in the direction the dog is facing, and fire in the same direction. Remember that opponents can actually cause the gunman to not shoot, by simply attacking them. This move isn't the greatest because of this, since it can be cancelled. It's main use it's for gimping, and destroying non-piercing projectiles. By non-piercing, I mean those that usually break when they collide with other projectiles. You have the ability to easily gimp those who try to jump back onto the stage, and since down-b actually floats midair, you can use it attack someone off stage, and get back onto the stage while the gunman is still shooting. It's weak in percentages, but it's mostly for gimping, knockback, and mindgames. If you put a gunman in front of you, he'll actually take any projectiles shot towards him. There seems to be an apparent pattern to when and how these gunman appear, I've provided a post made by Spudboy regarding this odd pattern. Click on the highlighted letters to access the post. In case you're too freaking lazy, here's the post on this thread.
Disclaimer, the following post isn't made by me. The research was done by Spudboy, thank him, not me.
Basically every set of five times you use the move will contain each of the five gunmen once.
So if you use the move 3 times and get gunmen A,B, and C, your next use of the move has a 50/50 chance of using either gunman D or E. If gunman D is used (now having used gunmen A, B, C, and D), the last gunman will be guaranteed to be gunman E. They won't necessarily (and most likely won't) be in any specific order. You can use the move five times and get gunmen B,C,E,A, and D, in that order, you're just guaranteed to get all five. After all the gunmen gave been used, the cycle restarts; it also seems to restart on death.
What this means in practice is that if you keep track of what gunmen you've used, you can have a better idea of which gunman you'll use next, to the point that you'll be 100% sure which one you'll get every 5th time you use the move.
Aerials:
Duck Hunt's aerials are really simple to use. First off, use fairs and bairs for basic attacks, dairs for a finisher move, uairs for quick percentages, and nairs for kill moves. His nair has quite the amount of ending lag, so use it wisely. I've tested it out quite a bit, and you'd actually be able to perform a Ken combo, it works best at low percentages though since his fair has a good amount of knock back past 50%.
I highly recommend using up-airs and back-airs as finisher moves, if you don't want to use a nair. Make sure to use a short-hop nair as an easy finisher at around 130%+.
KO percentages: (for optimal results, refer to killer percentages near the blast zone)
Up-Air: 145%
Forward-Air: 205%
Back-Air: 138%
Neutral-Air: 139%
Results may also vary depending on weight of character!
His dair has a unique hitbox. The move cannot immediately spike, you must wait until the end of the move in order to spike, since the dair actually hits twice.
Duck Hunt's aerials are really simple to use. First off, use fairs and bairs for basic attacks, dairs for a finisher move, uairs for quick percentages, and nairs for kill moves. His nair has quite the amount of ending lag, so use it wisely. I've tested it out quite a bit, and you'd actually be able to perform a Ken combo, it works best at low percentages though since his fair has a good amount of knock back past 50%.
I highly recommend using up-airs and back-airs as finisher moves, if you don't want to use a nair. Make sure to use a short-hop nair as an easy finisher at around 130%+.
KO percentages: (for optimal results, refer to killer percentages near the blast zone)
Up-Air: 145%
Forward-Air: 205%
Back-Air: 138%
Neutral-Air: 139%
Results may also vary depending on weight of character!
His dair has a unique hitbox. The move cannot immediately spike, you must wait until the end of the move in order to spike, since the dair actually hits twice.
Grabs:
Duck Hunt's grabs aren't the best, but of course you'll have to know your moves. First off, his worst throw is his down-throw, only good for continuing or starting a combo. His up-throw has the most distance, his forward-throw and back-throw cover about the same distance. The average percentages for throws to actually throw someone towards a blast zone is 230% for an up-throw on most stages, 235% for a forward-throw, down-throw has to be at 440-450%. Back-throws kill at the same percentage(s) has a forward-throw, best to stay near the ledge of a stage to actually get someone.
There are actually "sweet spot percentages" for automatic kills. You'll know you've performed a "sweet spot percent" when the crimson red/black streaks come out of the victim of the throw when actually thrown. Here are the sweet spot percentages, when thrown at these percentages, the victim is automatically KO'd towards the blast zone. In order to get optimal results, stay near the edges of the stage:
KO Percents: (for optimal results, refer to killer percentages near the blast zone)
Up-throw: 212%
Forward-throw: 245%
Back-throw: 270%
Down-throw: 443%
Remember, the forward-throw and back-throw KO percents depend on the part of the stage, the percents shown are the average percents for KO percents at the edges of Final Destination!
Duck Hunt's grabs aren't the best, but of course you'll have to know your moves. First off, his worst throw is his down-throw, only good for continuing or starting a combo. His up-throw has the most distance, his forward-throw and back-throw cover about the same distance. The average percentages for throws to actually throw someone towards a blast zone is 230% for an up-throw on most stages, 235% for a forward-throw, down-throw has to be at 440-450%. Back-throws kill at the same percentage(s) has a forward-throw, best to stay near the ledge of a stage to actually get someone.
There are actually "sweet spot percentages" for automatic kills. You'll know you've performed a "sweet spot percent" when the crimson red/black streaks come out of the victim of the throw when actually thrown. Here are the sweet spot percentages, when thrown at these percentages, the victim is automatically KO'd towards the blast zone. In order to get optimal results, stay near the edges of the stage:
KO Percents: (for optimal results, refer to killer percentages near the blast zone)
Up-throw: 212%
Forward-throw: 245%
Back-throw: 270%
Down-throw: 443%
Remember, the forward-throw and back-throw KO percents depend on the part of the stage, the percents shown are the average percents for KO percents at the edges of Final Destination!
Smash Attacks:
Duck Hunt's Smash attacks are all that red gun reticle you see, which indicates where the gunman in the foreground is shooting. If timed right, you can increase the knockback off every Smash attack as long as you're near your opponent. Keep in mind, that the last gun reticle shown will have a very strong knockback if every other shot hits. Duck Hunt's best Smash Attack has to be his Down-Smash, which does up to 22% if you could get close. There are two types of situations for using a Smash attack. The first situation, when you have some distanced from your opponent, is a correctly timed Forward-Smash, which can hit from a distance only with the last gun reticle. Your second situation would be a punish. If your opponent does a dash attack or tries for a grab, immediately punish them with a Down-Smash, as it'll make the opponent go flying. Any other situation regarding Smash attacks are literally just for standard attacks.
KO Percents: (for optimal results, refer to killer percentages near the blast zone)
Up-Smash:
Uncharged: 123%
Charged: 83%
Forward-Smash: (all gun reticle shots are accurate and hit the opponent)
Uncharged: 93%
Charged: 53%
Down-Smash:
Uncharged: 122%
Charged: 88%
For Down-Smash attacks, keep this formula in mind:
• If facing right and attacking with a Down-Smash, your opponent will be sent flying left.
• If facing left and attacking with a Down-Smash, your opponent will be sent flying right.
Duck Hunt's Smash attacks are all that red gun reticle you see, which indicates where the gunman in the foreground is shooting. If timed right, you can increase the knockback off every Smash attack as long as you're near your opponent. Keep in mind, that the last gun reticle shown will have a very strong knockback if every other shot hits. Duck Hunt's best Smash Attack has to be his Down-Smash, which does up to 22% if you could get close. There are two types of situations for using a Smash attack. The first situation, when you have some distanced from your opponent, is a correctly timed Forward-Smash, which can hit from a distance only with the last gun reticle. Your second situation would be a punish. If your opponent does a dash attack or tries for a grab, immediately punish them with a Down-Smash, as it'll make the opponent go flying. Any other situation regarding Smash attacks are literally just for standard attacks.
KO Percents: (for optimal results, refer to killer percentages near the blast zone)
Up-Smash:
Uncharged: 123%
Charged: 83%
Forward-Smash: (all gun reticle shots are accurate and hit the opponent)
Uncharged: 93%
Charged: 53%
Down-Smash:
Uncharged: 122%
Charged: 88%
For Down-Smash attacks, keep this formula in mind:
• If facing right and attacking with a Down-Smash, your opponent will be sent flying left.
• If facing left and attacking with a Down-Smash, your opponent will be sent flying right.
Match-Ups:
Refer to these sets of posts for some MUs, you'll probably see some of my DH MUs information on there one day. Original posts made by Wispy.
http://smashboards.com/threads/sic-em-duck-hunt-mus-and-stage-discussion.379294/#post-18058688
Pros & Cons:
After playing quite a bit with Duck Hunt, I've noticed lots of patterns regarding his strengths, and weaknesses, the characters he does well against, what things in battle he dominates, and so on. I've made a list of things Duck Hunt is both good, and bad at (thanks to CourageHound for suggesting Pros/Cons).
Pros
Duck Hunt has a massive pressuring game, his cans are especially great with characters that have no projectiles. Duck Hunt's options for pressuring your opponent include shielding while using a can. If your opponent gets close, either grab or roll away if they try to grab you. Rinse and repeat. Clay pigeons do well against those who are trying to throw projectiles at you, but make sure to time the shots right, otherwise the projectiles flying at you will actually break the clay pigeon. Duck Hunt's moves are not the greatest, but his bair is straight out amazing. A bair-dair combo is a common thing seen amongst Duck Hunt users. His dair has a sweet spot spike, which sends foes flying down. I recommend practicing the bair-dair combo. Although his nair isn't the greatest move, it has a wonderful knockback at high percentages, easily enough to send your opponent flying to the blast zone. Duck Hunt's best attribute is that he can cancel the momentum of moves that would normally send him flying to the blast zone.
Duck Hunt has a somewhat large list of cons that make him a challenging character to use. First off, a large majority of his moves have a lot of ending lag, which can't entirely be fixed since L-Cancelling is either completely gone, or not as effective as in previous Smash games. His nair is awful, the ending lag leaves him open for grabs. His Up-B recovery cannot be cancelled unless attacks or the recovery has finished, so use the recovery for emergencies. Duck Hunt doesn't have the greatest MU with those who have projectiles, so be careful with characters like Mega Man. His clay pigeon can be destroyed, so you'll have to probably fire it above your opponents head-level to actually get a hit.
Let's talk about Duck Hunt's best stages. These are final destination, basically any omega stages, Corneria, Yoshi's Island, and Boxing Ring. You might have trouble on Tortimer Island since the clay pigeons are stopped by the small hills. Here's a basic list of the stages you should and shouldn't play on.
Stage Information
Stages to choose:
Final Destination (any omega stage works fine)
- Final Destination provides a large platform where spacing your opponent is a large opportunity for you. Playing defensive is your main game on this stage, it's best to stay away from your opponent, but playing offensive is always an option too. Gimping players off stage is extremely easy since you don't have to worry about any platforms your opponent will try to go for.
Your best bet for winning a match with Final Destination Omega stages are the stages that don't have an opening under the stage.
Corneria
- Corneria, if ever chosen in a match, works great for Duck Hunt. The longer side of the Great Fox is where most of the battle happens. You don't have to worry too much about cans, since those don't bounce off slanted areas of the Great Fox. Clay pigeons will be a sort of problem though, if you plan on pressuring your opponent on the slanted part of the stage. Try and avoid the slanted part of the stage. The part of the stage where the dorsal wing is located, the area in which there is a small opening into the stage in the back, is a great place for Duck Hunt. He has the ability to use his shield and still control his can and clay pigeon. When in this area, try and bait your opponent, camp if needed. Once your opponent has come down to the lower area of the Great Fox, shield, and use a constant array of clay pigeons and/or cans. Make sure to keep your shield up, and watch for stage spikes and grabs.
Battlefield
Battlefield is a tricky stage for those against Duck Hunt, and serves quite well as a punishing stage. First off, learn to "trap" your opponent on the platforms, and use uairs to keep them up there. Cans should be placed on the ground to start a sort of pressure in the match, but utilize the can if you see your opponent is staying on the platforms. Your top platform is your best friend. Also, gimping. Gimping is lovely on this stage. You have so much space and so many options. The fact that the stage has a low blast zone means you could get a juicy punish and use up-b and possibly your second jump to get back up. If you go for a gimp, refrain from using your second jump to get off the stage, rather you should just walk off.
Yoshi's Island
- This stage is basically the only stage with a platform that allows Duck Hunt to still do well. Platforms aren't Duck Hunt's favorite, since vertical attacks are a lot harder to perform than horizontal attacks. It can be slightly dangerous to stay on the platform, since your only attacks to hurt your opponent below the platform are your down-smash, so stay on the main part of the stage. The slanted surface on the opposite ends of the stage won't have any effect on the trajectory of your clay pigeon, so you don't have to worry about your clay pigeon hitting the ground. The most interesting part about this stage for Duck Hunt is that slanted ends of the stage. Pressuring is one of Duck Hunt's main games, so leaving a can there facing the blast zone, and waiting for your opponent to try and get back onto the stage leaves for dangerous attacks. Since the can explodes on impact when your press B against a victim, the can will basically push those who try to grab the ledge. After the can has left the opponent airborne far from the stage, you are free to perform any attacks with high knockback.
Boxing Ring
Much like Final Destination, this stage has a large flat open space to perform can attacks. This stage is also perfect for clay pigeons. If your opponent ever gets close, use a bair, since the attack has high knockback. You also have the ability to climb onto the skylights at the near top of the stage, where camping is your best option.
Stages to avoid:
Arena Ferox
This stage is once again a stage to avoid because of platforms. The thing is, it's not the platforms that are truly the problem, it's the distance of the platforms that are your problem. Your opponent can easily distance you with platforms, forcing you to either use your cans, clay pigeons, or attack. Any stage with platforms, especially Arena Ferox should have Duck Hunt stay patient, wait for the opponent, and attack with pressure. You'll have a tough time if you try to play offensive, but it could still work.
Green Hill Zone
Obvious slanted ground is obvious. Never pick this stage, since distant clay pigeon attacks are useless. Cans are slightly harder to use since it's easy to get hurt from the explosion. Make sure to practice shielding explosion at a really close range if you're gonna play on this stage. Use your fair and bair for this stage, avoid using your nair for the ending lag. Your forward-smash won't work to well on this stage, since the gunman in the foreground shoot the insides of the stage when firing on the slanted parts of the stage. Consider a down-smash instead, which works quite well with this stage.
Final Destination (any omega stage works fine)
- Final Destination provides a large platform where spacing your opponent is a large opportunity for you. Playing defensive is your main game on this stage, it's best to stay away from your opponent, but playing offensive is always an option too. Gimping players off stage is extremely easy since you don't have to worry about any platforms your opponent will try to go for.
Your best bet for winning a match with Final Destination Omega stages are the stages that don't have an opening under the stage.
Corneria
- Corneria, if ever chosen in a match, works great for Duck Hunt. The longer side of the Great Fox is where most of the battle happens. You don't have to worry too much about cans, since those don't bounce off slanted areas of the Great Fox. Clay pigeons will be a sort of problem though, if you plan on pressuring your opponent on the slanted part of the stage. Try and avoid the slanted part of the stage. The part of the stage where the dorsal wing is located, the area in which there is a small opening into the stage in the back, is a great place for Duck Hunt. He has the ability to use his shield and still control his can and clay pigeon. When in this area, try and bait your opponent, camp if needed. Once your opponent has come down to the lower area of the Great Fox, shield, and use a constant array of clay pigeons and/or cans. Make sure to keep your shield up, and watch for stage spikes and grabs.
Battlefield
Battlefield is a tricky stage for those against Duck Hunt, and serves quite well as a punishing stage. First off, learn to "trap" your opponent on the platforms, and use uairs to keep them up there. Cans should be placed on the ground to start a sort of pressure in the match, but utilize the can if you see your opponent is staying on the platforms. Your top platform is your best friend. Also, gimping. Gimping is lovely on this stage. You have so much space and so many options. The fact that the stage has a low blast zone means you could get a juicy punish and use up-b and possibly your second jump to get back up. If you go for a gimp, refrain from using your second jump to get off the stage, rather you should just walk off.
Yoshi's Island
- This stage is basically the only stage with a platform that allows Duck Hunt to still do well. Platforms aren't Duck Hunt's favorite, since vertical attacks are a lot harder to perform than horizontal attacks. It can be slightly dangerous to stay on the platform, since your only attacks to hurt your opponent below the platform are your down-smash, so stay on the main part of the stage. The slanted surface on the opposite ends of the stage won't have any effect on the trajectory of your clay pigeon, so you don't have to worry about your clay pigeon hitting the ground. The most interesting part about this stage for Duck Hunt is that slanted ends of the stage. Pressuring is one of Duck Hunt's main games, so leaving a can there facing the blast zone, and waiting for your opponent to try and get back onto the stage leaves for dangerous attacks. Since the can explodes on impact when your press B against a victim, the can will basically push those who try to grab the ledge. After the can has left the opponent airborne far from the stage, you are free to perform any attacks with high knockback.
Boxing Ring
Much like Final Destination, this stage has a large flat open space to perform can attacks. This stage is also perfect for clay pigeons. If your opponent ever gets close, use a bair, since the attack has high knockback. You also have the ability to climb onto the skylights at the near top of the stage, where camping is your best option.
Stages to avoid:
Arena Ferox
This stage is once again a stage to avoid because of platforms. The thing is, it's not the platforms that are truly the problem, it's the distance of the platforms that are your problem. Your opponent can easily distance you with platforms, forcing you to either use your cans, clay pigeons, or attack. Any stage with platforms, especially Arena Ferox should have Duck Hunt stay patient, wait for the opponent, and attack with pressure. You'll have a tough time if you try to play offensive, but it could still work.
Green Hill Zone
Obvious slanted ground is obvious. Never pick this stage, since distant clay pigeon attacks are useless. Cans are slightly harder to use since it's easy to get hurt from the explosion. Make sure to practice shielding explosion at a really close range if you're gonna play on this stage. Use your fair and bair for this stage, avoid using your nair for the ending lag. Your forward-smash won't work to well on this stage, since the gunman in the foreground shoot the insides of the stage when firing on the slanted parts of the stage. Consider a down-smash instead, which works quite well with this stage.
Here's some general information on what Duck Hunt is good against, or does bad against. Please refrain from discussing characters here, as there is a discussion post specifically for that elsewhere.
Characters best against:
You'll do best against large characters. By large, I mean Donkey Kong, King Dedede, Bowser, and Charizard. The reason these guys are easy is that they're generally slow, and large - meaning it's easy to hit them with a can. Practice disc + can hits on large characters in practice mode. Avoid using landing-lag moves like nairs unless you're gonna go for the kill at high percents.
Characters worst against:
You're scrrwed if you're up against extremely fast characters. Now, this doesn't mean it's impossible to defeat fast characters. I'm just saying that they're a pain to deal with, often times I'll lose to fast characters online. Characters like Diddy Kong (obviously), Caption Falcon, Fox, Sonic, and Little Mac are annoying to deal with.
Recovery:
Duck Hunt's recovery isn't the greatest. There are no moves he can use to stop his momentum and stay airborne longer. His up-special cannon stopped in any way possible, unless he grabs a ledge, or the move ends. Use your up-special at the last moment, know your distance from the bottom blast zone to the stage. If there isn't a bottom blast zone, there isn't much to worry about. You can easily control the horizontal direction that Duck Hunt goes to. When Duck Hunt's duck has lost the strength to lift the dog in the air, falling down will be slightly harder to control since not too much distance going down can be covered when compared to the duck flying up.
Duck Hunt's second jump is quite high, so use a second jump when off stage for a good recovery back to the stage. Make sure to be careful with gimps when using your up-b since you can't do anything while flying. Know your limits, if anyone approaches you while you are still flying in the air, simply stray away from them, and then come back towards the stage.
Credits:
Proxi - Creator of thread
CourageHound - Suggestions, and help
krylonshadow - Better insight on side-b/neutral-b information
Spudboy - Gunman information
asevengodie - Can Save Exploit
DunnoBro - Massive help with tactics, also included pictures (damn!)
CourageHound - Suggestions, and help
krylonshadow - Better insight on side-b/neutral-b information
Spudboy - Gunman information
asevengodie - Can Save Exploit
DunnoBro - Massive help with tactics, also included pictures (damn!)
Hope you enjoyed the guide, it'll be updated as much as possible, lots more will be added if I find any tactics or discuss with any other fellow Duck Hunt mains. Let me know if there is any problem. I'll try to get this post featured so many can see it. Good luck, fellow Duck Hunters.
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