Meta SSB4 Falco Matchup Discussion 08 - Link - Skyward Heroes

[Ffamran]

Welcome to the Link matchup discussion.

All credit goes to Quas-quas for the original images.​

Here's a link to the main post: SSB4 Falco Matchup Discussion - Main Post. This will be more for general matchup discussions like making a suggestion and such. Or, you could head over to the social thread and ask there: Where We Prefer The Air And The Points Don't Matter!. Or PM me if you really have to, but don't make a habit out of it.

Oh, and if you guys and girls want to play each other to have fun or learn about the MU, check out the NNID and FC sharing thread on the Falco boards: http://smashboards.com/threads/anyone-want-to-exchange-nnids-or-friend-codes.386513/.

There's also the regular NNID and FC sharing threads in the Online discussion if you just want to ask anyone to play.

Notice: Some rules, guidelines, and tips. Some of these are a given since you joined any forum.

1. Be respectful of each other. No insults, no trolling, no flaming, or any of that nonsense.
2. Be aware that some of the discussions can and will be old, so don't call out someone for "wrong" data if that post was referring to say, patch 1.0.3 stuff.
3. Be impartial; learn to see things from other sides. So, don't boast about all the advantages. Notice weaknesses and strengths from both parties.
4. Stay on topic.
5. Have fun.

And here is a frame speed ranking of their regular attacks and grabs - no Specials yet, sorry - to clear up on things since sometimes a move may feel slow, but it's actually fast and vice versa. Plus more information doesn't always hurt. Data from List of attacks/grabs from fastest initial frame to slowest (Frame Speed) and the Complete Hitbox/Frame Data For Every Character threads.

As of patch 1.1.4.

Move Hit Frames||
Jab|2-4, 10-12, 17-21, 22-26, 27-31, 32-36, (infinite), 41-42|7-8, 16-17, 20-24
Dash Attack|8-11 or 12-19|21-24
Ftilt|6-8|15-19
Utilt|5-9, 12-16|8-12
Dtilt|7-9|11-12
Side Smash|17-19 or 20-20|15-16, 21-22
Up Smash|7-12, 13-20|10-15, 26-29, 41-45
Down Smash|7-9|9-10 or 21-22
Nair|3-5, 6-9, 14-17, 21-24|7-8 or 9-31
Fair|10-13, 14-17, 18-21, 22-25, 26-27, 28-29|14-15, 26-27
Bair|4-5 or 6-12|6-8, 18-22
Uair|7-11|11-13 or 14-40
Dair|16-19 or 20-31|14-17 or 18-20 or 21-64
Zair|N/A|12-21, 22-23
Grab|8-9|12-18
Dash Grab|10-11|14-20
Pivot Grab|11-12|15-21

 

[A2ZOMG]

What I've observed...

This matchup can be challenging for Falco when Link actually fights very well in Falco's preferred range. While Link's moves are slower than Falco's, he gets overall more reward from his Jab and tilts than Falco does, and his sword has to be respected. Furthermore Falco's slow air speed makes him much more easily juggled by Link's U-tilt and U-air than he would like at certain percent ranges. While Falco does have his own juggles and combos against Link as well, he has to space carefully against Link's D-air.

Falco can annoy Link with his better DA and reflector which can threaten Link from outside that preferred zone. By themselves though they don't get that outstanding reward, and can be punished fairly hard by Link if he's expecting them.

Falco however does have a pretty easy time edgeguarding Link with F-air and Reflector and other moves, while Link in contrast has to make more guesses to cover Falco's recovery options including double jump -> SideB and Up-B. So in this matchup Falco doesn't actually have trouble sealing stocks when offstage situations are very favorable for him in this matchup. The main difficulty he has in this matchup is Link's reward from neutral.

Currently I'm calling it even given I'm just basically learning both characters right now. I'm leaning slightly more to arguing Link's favor though because he makes close range pretty dangerous if you're not careful, though the edgeguards on him are very huge in this matchup.

 

[SoundChow]

I think this matchup is very close but for Falco. Link beats Falco up-close with jabs and can pressure with bombs and boomerangs at mid-range, though he has to approach because of Falco's lasers and reflector. I'd say in this matchup to play campy with lasers because Link can apply a lot of pressure and set up traps at mid-range with his z-air (which can also plant bombs, doesn't blow up on impact though) and deals lots of damage up-close with his jabs and tilts (have more priority over Falco's). If you force him to approach, punish his laggy moves with grab-followups, and juggle him in the air with fair/u-air then you should have upper-hand, though my experience with Link is limited (I play a lot of Tink though).

 

[Ffamran]

I believe Link and Toon Link can just stand there to block Falco's lasers. That said, they can't stand there forever, but it's something to stop Falco from using lasers and then punishing Falco for using Blaster.

 

[SoundChow]

I believe Link and Toon Link can just stand there to block Falco's lasers. That said, they can't stand there forever, but it's something to stop Falco from using lasers and then punishing Falco for using Blaster.

If I'm not mistaken Fox and Falco's lasers can go past hylian shield even if they're standing still.

 

[Ffamran]

If I'm not mistaken Fox and Falco's lasers can go past hylian shield even if they're standing still.

I just checked; Fox and Falco's lasers are blocked by Link from pointblank or from far away so long as Link stand still. It's kind of hilarious with Fox since he's just slowly pushing Link back with his lasers.

Same with Toon Link, except there's a part of his idle animation where he looks behind him and you can him him with Blaster and it looks like Toon Link's blocking the lasers with his head. Once again, hilarious with Fox.

You might be thinking of Greninja's fully charged Water Shuriken which I believe has transcendent priority, but I'm not sure if a fully charged Water Shuriken can be blocked or not. I'll ask and get back on this.

Edit: I asked and I was right.

 

[kxiong92]

I think this match up is in Falco's favor. Once Falco gets close, Link can't really do much other than shielding or dodging. Falco's aerials comes out quicker. Link gets combo out of Falco's dthrow at low to mid percentage. His reflector is a good tool against Link's projectiles.

The only real advantage that Link has is edge guarding. Link can gimp Falco with his projectiles. Falco's UpB and sideB can be easily interrupted if timed correctly. Link may be able to play his projectile game due to Falco's somewhat slower movement. Spacing jabs may also be good but it is not that reliable.

 

[NotAnAdmin]

Link's favor in the neutral game. More options to play keep away and projectiles make it hard for Falco because he's slow.

Falco's favor at closer range, while his jumps are slow he has much more range to commit to a follow-up.
Many good options from throws and Links weight makes it easy to rack up damage.
Falco's jabs are faster, but I'm sure Link's jabs have more range.

I would say Link's go-to smash attacks are his up and down smashes, really quick and both connect on both sides. As a former Link secondary I found that while his fsmash is strong, it is too easy to punish and shouldn't be used that often.
Falco has his fsmash and dsmash and possibly his upsmash which are pretty good. Falco's upsmash is also flawed.

 

[Ffamran]

Link's Up Smash lasts a long time and you can and will get caught if you're not careful. Down Smash is Link's fastest Smash and it along with Little Mac's Down Smash reminds me of Wolf's which I believe was his strongest Smash; Wolf's Down Smash was completed the Smash triangle for Fox (Up), Falco (Side), and Wolf (Down). If I remember right, someone mentioned that the game outright tells you to do Link's Jab to Down Smash or his other Smashes and considering the speed and raw power, it's dangerous to get caught by Link's Smashes.

 

[Zionaze]

This matchup heavily relies on momentum and the neutral. whoever gets that meaty first strike will take that first stock.

On a side note, I find Links Up-B to be a free D-air spike no?

 

[kxiong92]

This matchup heavily relies on momentum and the neutral. whoever gets that meaty first strike will take that first stock.

On a side note, I find Links Up-B to be a free D-air spike no?

It's pretty much a free Dair spike unless Link recovers low or uses Zair.

 

[Elessar]

I believe Link and Toon Link can just stand there to block Falco's lasers. That said, they can't stand there forever, but it's something to stop Falco from using lasers and then punishing Falco for using Blaster.

Actually Link can walk and run (not dash) while blocking everything with the Hylian shield. That means that if you try to camp we can still approach while our shield blocks, and since laser has such a terrible end lag we can punish you for it before you can react if you didn't stop spamming on time.

 

[SoundChow]

I just saw it in Izaw's Link tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwpIxtg82I0&t=0m51s. I think Fox and Falco's lasers can actually go through Hylian shield.

 

[NotAnAdmin]

It's so great we all have Izaw to test these things out for us.

Looks like lasers are viable in playing keep away for a while. Still though, Link has the better far range play.

 

[Legato]

I have always hit Link with my lasers even when he stands still, and I have fought quite a few Links online (albeit not good ones). Can't say much more about this MU because I have only really ever fought Links that spam projectiles and roll into me when I get close. It's a shame so many players use Link and expect easy wins with projectiles, he's such a cool character when you know how to use him.

 

[Ffamran]

Beware the falling Nair. Link's Nair can really mess up Falco since he doesn't have much to answer it other than try for a laser which considering Link's fast fall might require you to be a dead eye while whiffing Reflector would be horrible since the end lag is long while Link's Nair landing lag is 10.

Beware the Dair as well. It looks like it's only vertical, but it's stupidly disjointed horizontally. You'd think you can clip him with a Ftilt or Uair, but nope, the disjoint will murder Falco. If Link's using Dair for whatever reason, get above and get to the sides away from the Master Sword and near Link's legs. Catching Link with a Bair or Fair like that is much easier and much safer. Oh, and since it pogos, Link can catch you again with the second hit of Dair.

Beware Link's jab as well... It's disjointed a bit from where the Master Sword's tip is and he can hit you from the back for some reason like how Captain Falcon can reverse jab you. Link's jab might not be able to jab cancel well anymore, but that doesn't stop it from being a deadly tool since it outranges anything Falco's got barring Blaster and Reflector.

 

[SoundChow]

I've recently played some really good Links on anther's ladder. I don't know if this matchup is in favor or even for Falco, tbh I think it's slightly in Link's favor. Some tips on Link's boomerang, it has a laggy startup so either punish it with a laser or just powershield it. Always pay attention to when he's going to through a boomerang because it leads into Link's other projectiles and it's slow enough to punish a spot dodge. Like what Ffamran said, respect Link's falling nair. Pay attention to Link's movement, he can mixup sh-nair with sh-double jump nair and punish your shield drop. It autocancels and it's hard to punish because it leads into Link's jab. I don't know if I'm just too slow on my reaction, but I find it really hard to punish Link's nair with reverse jab oos, even though Link only has a frame 7 nair. Always try to edgeguard link, either use backwards fair to challenge his up-b, or just ledgetrump him (it kills ridiculously early, but make sure u time it correctly so you don't get the sour spot). Last word of advice, if you see Link with a bomb in his hand, going to tether the ledge, watch out for his jump to bomb-throw at the ledge. It's extremely fast if you're not prepared for it.

 

[Legato]

Well, with this latest patch lasers don't go past shield. This MU has become more difficult especially since we can be forced to approach now. I agree with watching out for nair. I usually use an aerial reflector if I see it/read it.

 

[Ffamran]

Don't think the patch changed much between these two; Falco has safer, faster, and more reliable aerials while Link has a quicker Dtilt, the ability to setup with D-throw, and I think his grab end lag was reduced... Or was that Samus's?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7GD1IgAckM&feature=youtu.be

Link vs Falco.

Between 5-5 or 6-4. I'm considering making this an even matchup, simply because if the link player knows the matchup and applies excellent zoning, it can be a little tricky for falco to approach. On the other hand, I still feel that this matchup swings ever so slightly in Falcos wings because, despite the zoning pressure Link gives out, Falco can slowly approach with lasers, reflectors, and perfect shield.

Not much to say about the matchup, since much of it comes down to who can play the tightest of defenses. Both characters excel in that category, so much of the match relies heavily on whether the player understands the weaknesses of the other.

 

[Moist Bread]

***First time posting, so please excuse any ignorant deviations from a normal post.***

Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse here, but I'm part of a group attending a college in the middle of nowhere that likes to play smash. Our college hosts a tournament, which happens to be in a couple of days, and I main Falco (surprise).
So, on that note, I happened to be sizing up the competition. One Link player that I've been friends with for quite a long time usually manages to split matches with me 50/50. I'm a very "reactive" Falco player, and he's a very "stage/space-controlling" Link player.
To better understand the way we play, we decided to record a couple of friendly matches, and here was the result:

Moist Bread (Falco) vs. Neckbeárd (Link)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtM9pDiiZH0

I even went out and specifically bought a Link amiibo so I could practice, because my Link friend chooses not to play all that often.
Needless to say, it's a bit unreasonable to practice with.

I don't know if I have a great amount of experience playing Links on a professional level, but all I can tell as a general rule-of-thumb from this match-up is that Falco can only afford to be aggressive after the Link has been grabbed, or when the Falco is applying pressure to a Link that is offstage or on the ledge.

Also, a few fun bits that I, personally, learned from this match-up:
- If you're ever planning on D-air spiking Link as Falco, face the same direction to avoid Link's Up-B.
- The second kick of Falco's up-smash actually out-ranges Link's sword on his down-air, so it can be a juggling option if you can time it correctly.
- Falco's Reflector is the only thing he has that out-ranges Link's grab, but only by a small amount.
- Don't expect Falco's reflector to reflect every bomb that Link throws at you, as Link's bombs tend to be rather broken when it comes to their physics.
- A trained Link will always walk towards you with his shield out to parry your reflector and blaster, but Link's face and feet are not protected and you can still shoot them.
- Any time Link pulls out a bomb, advance with Falco's aerials. His grab will be too low to grab you, he can't protect himself with his up-smash, and you'll grab the bomb.
- If you're juggling a Link directly above you and he pulls out a bomb, give him space. Anticipate how he's going to hit the ground to keep the juggle going.
- Don't get up-tilt juggled at low percentages, and if he throws you upward, GET OUT OF THERE.
- Respect how broken the gust effects are on his Gale boomerang, because if you're in the middle of a jump and get hit by a returning boomerang, it will first halt your vertical momentum in exchange for carrying you horizontally, and then it will extend the distance of the original vertical momentum you had. This makes the difference between recovering low and safe to the ledge, and recovering straight into Link's up-smash.


I hope this information proves useful/enlightening and helps out with this match-up (Because apparently the majority of the Link boards believe that Falco has an inherent disadvantage when it comes to this match-up).

Last note, because the tournament's coming up pretty soon, I would very much appreciate any feedback on my Falco play against his Link (Thanks in advance).

 

[Truelink64]

I've played Link quite a few times against my friend who mains Falco and since we're pretty much at the same level of skill, I'd say this goes in Link's favor as I beat him 7 times out of 10. Also, I've always blocked his lasers with the Hylian shield.