Pokemon Trainer v. Adult Link

[NJel]

I apologize beforehand if this is a thread elsewhere; if so, I'd like to know where that is, so that I can read up on it.

Anyways, I was practicing against my brother tonight who always plays with Link. I'm still at a loss as to what kind of strategy to fight with. I'm a very offensive person, but it's like I can't get close enough to touch him, and if I get far away I get pelted with arrows and bombs. I always get suckered into his sword swipes and such.

Like I said on another thread, I'm a newb, but this match-up is frustrating me. My Charizard is just way too slow versus him, and with Squirtle I'm all over the place. Ivysaur, so far, is my best matchup and that's only because my brother abuses the Down+B so I can usually predict when to use Bullet Seed, and the Razor Leaf is good for racking up dmg long-distance.

Am I on the right track with Ivysaur?

Thanks for any advice guys!

 

[TheReflexWonder]

What's giving you trouble up-close? If you keep pressure on him, he can't do much, since his fastest attack is Jab, which is Frame 7 (slooooow). Squirtle can use Jab and F-Tilt with little trouble, even after landing with a F-Air or B-Air on his shield. If he keeps stuffing your moves with attacks, just shieldgrab it. If he likes doing both hits of F-Smash, shield the first one and spotdodge the second, then grab him.

Use U-Throw and try to follow up with U-Air juggles. At higher percents, you throw him too high up to safely follow, so just jump somewhat below him, try to bait a D-Air, land and shield/spotdodge, then grab him again. If he doesn't D-Air much, U-Air beats all his other options. It's important to grab him when he lands so that you can do it again and again. Link has a stupidly good spotdodge, but since he has no fast move to do when he's finished, lots of Jab, grab, and F-Tilt work quite well. As Squirtle, Water Gun beats all of his projectiles, so just jump away to charge it and Water Gun if he tries to throw projectiles. Water Gun also works well on his recovery, and sticking out a B-Air or N-Air when he's offstage makes it difficult for him to do much.

Ivysaur does alright against Link. Razor Leaf does decently to disrupt his projectile game. If you space well with B-Air, he shouldn't be able to get in without putting himself at risk of getting hit by something else. If he rolls toward you, punish it with an F-Tilt, F-Smash, or Bullet Seed. If he likes walking up and shielding, retreat with B-Air and try a running grab every now and again. Like with Squirtle, throw him upward with U-Throw or D-Throw and try to keep him there. If he is predictable with D-Air, you can use Up-B and land a low-percent KO. Airdodge and spotdodge lose to a well-timed Dash Attack or Bullet Seed. F-Smash has great range and can be used safely if spaced well.

As Charizard, use your fantastic run speed to move up to him quickly. Shieldgrab every ground attack that isn't an F-Smash, or use U-Smash out-of-shield in the same way. Link has no reliable way to get around Flamethrower because he falls like a rock, so use it often (but don't hold it if it's not hitting him). Again, use U-Throw and try to keep him above you. If he is on a platform, try to poke with U-Tilt or U-Smash. I believe U-Tilt outranges Link's D-Air, but if you know it's coming, you're better off shielding it and them punishing with a grab or a Smash. When he's offstage, landing a F-Air means he's as good as dead. If he likes recovering low, try to land a D-Air. If he's recovering high, use standard juggling procedure--Bait a D-Air and punish his landing; if he doesn't do that, just U-Air repeatedly.

Is there anything specific you have trouble dealing with? This is a pretty easy matchup; it sounds like you're not abusing Link's weak points enough.

 

[Dre89]

I think what he's saying is that he can't deal with his camping and can't get inside.

 

[TheReflexWonder]

I figured, but, I gave general instructions for dealing with it. It may not fix all of his problems, though.