I'm back for one day only, because there's one thing that I really want to cover for Duck Hunt. It's all about the duo's Wild Gunman special move.
As we all know, Duck Hunt sends out a random gunman to damage opponents. However, the gunmen are underwhelming with their KO potential, struggling to KO even the lighter fighters; the weakest gunman can't KO Zero Suit Samus until her current damage goes over sudden death levels.
The issue goes even further with Quick Draw Aces and Mega Gunman. In fact, Mega Gunman is a very underwhelming custom special move, since the only good thing about it is the improved gunman stamina, while everything else is just pitiful, which includes the damage that they deal; if the gunmen have a large amount of start-up lag, their shots should at least pack a punch to compensate.
Anyway, the other day, I took the time to give the Wild Gunmen buffs that would make them more usable. Keep note the the KO percentage data may not entirely be exact, as this was tested in Training, and the gunman with the black suit delivers knockback that's more horizontal than vertical.
Wild Gunman
Each gunman has received buffs for their damage dealt and knockback growth. The sombrero gunman has also gained KO potential.
Quick Draw Aces
When compared to the buffed Wild Gunman, damage dealt is increased by 5 for each gunman. However, their shots also deliver less knockback, since the gunmen attack faster, and their range is reduced as well. Despite this drawback though, Quick Draw Aces can now KO fighters sooner than the unmodified version.
Mega Gunman
Now this custom special move has been given a significant buff. When compared to the buffed Wild Gunman, damage dealt is increased by 10 for each gunman, and their shots have also been buffed up with their knockback growth. This makes the gunmen's shots be almost comparable to Little Mac's KO Uppercut. However, the shots are still blockable, and the gunmen still have their large delay before attacking. Also, the shots can't 1-hit KO, so damage would have to be built up before they can start making KOs.
The buff may seem very excessive, but there are still some notable flaws that keep the buffs from being too overpowering. First off, short fighters or any fighter who can crouch very low can avoid almost any shots made by the giant gunmen; only the sombrero gunman can get them. And since the giant gunmen have a large delay with their shots, opponents have time to get out of their attack range, and some of them can take down the giant gunmen before they even have a chance to attack; Donkey Kong is probably the best choice, since a few Hand Slaps are enough to put the giant gunmen out of commission.
Because of these flaws, the Duck Hunt duo would have to distract their opponent long enough for the giant gunman to deliver a big blow. If the big blow is made, the knockback can be powerful enough to KO even the heaviest fighters if enough damage has been accumulated. A much better reward when compared to the unmodified Mega Gunman.
Final Notes
After doing a lot of tests with the buffs, I can pretty much confirm that they make the Wild Gunman special move more usable, and can help Duck Hunt's KO options.
However, at least one person thinks that Wild Gunman should NOT receive buffs in damage and knockback, and should instead increase the gunmen's stamina, and decrease the move's ending lag. Frankly, that wouldn't help Duck Hunt very much, since the duo would still have problems with their KO options.
Still, you could always test out the buffs to determine what would be the better option for improving Wild Gunman.
