This is a video by NinjaLink where he showcases every custom special for Link so you can see the properties of each special even if you haven't unlocked them yet.
So, after personally testing the customs this is my opinion on each of them (I'll only talk about the customs, not vanilla specials, and all moves were tested on Mario in the middle of FD):
Neutral Special
Power Bow(2): I think this is a great custom since it gives Link an extra KO move but it comes with at a price (as most of Link's custom moves do). The arrow will only work as "an arrow" if fully drawn; if it's not fully drawn not only will the arrow be really slow but it also won't travel very far. In fact, if you simply tap the B button the arrow falls right at your feet. This means that Link has essentially lost one of his projectiles for his spam game, so if you're going to use the PB you need to be a lot more aggressive
to compensate for that. However, the arrow still has quite a strong knockback even when not fully drawn, and yes, even when it falls at your feet (slightly more than the Gale I believe). So you can let it go before it's fully drawn and, if timed right or used appropriately you can hit your opponent with the arrow. Also, since the arrow falls tot he ground it could be used to hit opponent hanging from the ledge, but the knockback isn't that big and due to the hitlag of the PB it doesn't seem possible to capitalize on it.. This however is extremely situational and not to be counted on. There are other more effective and safer ways to attack hanging opponent.
The really interesting thing about this bow though is that if used to gimp someone, when fully drawn, that person is dead. The knockback is simply too big and if it doesn't kill them (so far every single gimp I've had with it ends in a KO) it should knock them back far enough as to make returning to the ledge impossible. The kill % is 90, so it is a very strong KO move.
As I said before though, this bow cannot be used against any character with a reflector, specially Fox (since he can just sit on his reflector indefinitely). The shot of the bow is extremely telegraphed and so your opponent will have enough time to reflect it in almost every case. I could still be used for mind games, but crippling our projectile game seems like too high a price to pay.
Quickfire Bow(3): This bow doesn't have a big range, but it goes through anything in it's path. So the shot only stops at a certain distance. In 1v1 this is important since, as NL's video shows, the arrow will cancel other projectiles and keep going. This could be good against some characters, but I don't see this strat working for long since the hitlag of putting the bow, while reduced, is still there which can lead to punishes. The damage is good at 8%, but it has no knockback nor it causes flinching so you are basically defenseless while spamming it. I usually say that it's just just like Fox's vanilla Laser, but worse due to the shorter range. I personally can't see any reason to use this bow since there just aren't enough perks to compensate for the downfalls. I do insist that we should keep testing this nonetheless since it could still be useful.
Side Special
Boomerang(2): This is the Smash 64 boomerang by all accounts. It has the same initial knockback as the Gale, but when it returns it has a single hitbox. This is great for extending combos, breaking combos, and setups since it's an extra hitbox out there that then opponent has to keep in mind even while attacking. It does more damage than the Gale (Gale does 6% - 7% and Boomerang does 8% - 9%). The knockback is ideal for follow up and setups since it seems to be a set knockback distance for damage ranges, and the angle is always horizontal at a nice height that allows for it to be comboed with a dash attack. This means that you can hit your opponent at blank range with the boomerang at 90% and follow with a tippered dash attack for an early kill. By comparison, the gale has a vertical knockback that even at early % becomes difficult to follow up with an aerial. When returning the boomerang has a jab like hitbox that causes 2% damage. It also has the exact same range or distance as the Gale.
This is a must, personally. The benefits of having this special over the Gale are simply too many and too big. I know that you can also setup with the gale and you have Gale guard, but they don't even compare to all the things you can get to do with this boomerang. It's simply that good.
Ripping Boomerang(3): This boomerang has extremely limited range and the throw doesn't seem to be possible to angle. It is an interesting choice nonetheless, but much like the Power Bow it forces you to not play campy defensive but rather aggro. This is because the range is really limited and so for the boomerang to be effective it can only be used at extremely close range. Again it seems that you can follow up the boomerang with a dash attack, which should be a guaranteed hit considering that your opponent is being locked by the ripping effect. This can be very very useful since a tippered dash attack can kill at 100% and so this combo becomes very interesting for a close up aggressive Link. The cost is again your camping game since due tot he limited range you can't keep the opponent away with it.
Personally, the Boomerang is the be all end all of the sideB, but I can see the use in this Ripping effect and as such I think that it just comes down more to personal taste and game style.
Up Special
Shocking Spin(2): This recovery comes with a heavy price. It has insane knockback and damage, but as a recovery it's just as bad or worse than Mac's vanilla upB. It could be considered as the Power Bow of the recoveries, since it gives you a very powerful hitbox on stage, but at a considerable price, our recovery. Even taking into account that this time around Link has an insanely long tether recovery, it's still not enough since the tether isn't that long (it's about 1/3 of FD) and it's again going back to Brawl days, where being thrown off stage meant basically a stock against top characters.
I honestly don't see the appeal nor the potential of this move at all. However, once again I do advocate the thorough testing of it since it could still be useful when combined with other customs, and also because I don't want us limiting the meta this early.
Whirling Leap(3): This recovery is simply amazing, but it works only as that, a recovery. I has no hitbox at all at any moment, so again this comes at a price for Link. The benefits are that we gain amazing air mobility with it and it travels a lot, so our recovery is quite boosted. How every, it doesn't sweetspot the ledge and since it has no hitbox we are basically defenseless while trying to recover with it. An opponent can easily gimp us in anyway he seems fit with this recovery if timed right.
I don't really see a reason to use this recovery considering that our standard recovery is quite decent this time around and it gives us the added benefit of a hitbox. Not only that, but at higher percentages it can even kill at 110% when done in the air. It warrants more testing as every other special, but I don't see much of a future for it.
Down Special
Giant Bomb(2): This bomb is intimidating due to it's size. It
only explodes when its timer runs out or when hit by another explosion. This means that its uses are mostly setups and traps unless timed really well. The fuse is also short, it explodes at 3 seconds, and it doesn't travel much when thrown. It does 8% damage, doesn't have a big knockback, but it has a huge blast radius. This means that the bomb could be useful for stage control, but again not as a part of our spam game.
It would be really interesting to see decent use of this bomb, however to use it effectively would be to play a completely different Link from the one we're used to playing. We'd have to be less spammy, more aggro, and have stage control more than spacing/zoning in mind at all times.
Meteor Bomb(3): These bombs only explode upon contact with the opponent or after its timer has expired. It's fuse is of 2 seconds, so you don't have a lot of time to do anything once the bomb is out.This means that your spam game with this bomb has to be fast and dynamic. The bomb does 5% damage and the spike effect does start until at least 35% and even then it's not that strong. Even still, when it hit an opponent it has hitstun, even if it doesn't have knockback. This means that it can be used to extend combos, or as a defensive tool since it will stop any rushing opponent on its track. Add this to a follow up and you have a nice setup tool. At higher percentages, once the spike effect starts, the hitstun is increased considerably and thus it leaves the opponent open for more options of follow up. The downside is that you can't use the bomb to help you recover since it will spike you. This could be useful since it could spike you onto the stage, but it's not something to rely on by any means. One final notable characteristic is that the bomb loses all knockback properties if another active hitbox is out. So if you put out an Nair while the bomb explodes in your hand you'll receive the damage but not the spike effect.
I love this bomb and would use it over the other two bombs. It is however a risk since this bomb can kill you just as much as it can kill the opponent. Its short fuse however means that should the opponent be skillful enough to catch your bombs, he won't have enough time to throw it back at you and connect the hit.
Conclusion
I maintain my choice of 1213, 2213, and 1211 as the must custom setups. These seem to cover the strongest base options for every MU quite nicely since you always have a decent solid spam/camp game, extra kill moves, gimping options without really sacrificing anything major like recovery, defensive options, or losing hitboxes.
Amazing Ampharos
' reasoning
