Radical Larry
Smash Lord
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2014
- Messages
- 1,994
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- The Pocket Dimension
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- Crimson-Vulcan
- 3DS FC
- 1822-3761-9326
Alright, my counter-argument to your respective posts.Because no one else took the mantle and because I believe in education and discussion, a response to Larry about Link vs. Sheik:
Larry, there was a time when Diddy Kong was #1 under the sun and you also believed that Link served a soft counter. Do you remember? My response from back then:
http://smashboards.com/threads/character-competitive-impressions.367669/page-157#post-18074781
Times haven't really changed. I recommend reevaluating the logic you used back then compared to the logic you're using now. (it's similar stuff, generally focused on tunnel-visioning to prediction and anticipating misplays from the opponent).
Sheik obviously has better frame data than Link; she's always had that, but her damage output is poor in comparison. And yeah, she might have better mobility, but that's also ignoring Link's reach. Then you say she has a better recovery, and I explained that her recovery can just easily be beaten horizontally, very easily, and beaten (not as easily) vertically. Link also has kill confirms, ever heard of Bomb set ups, Jab > Jab > Spin Attack (which works well on Sheik) or even any attack to trump Sheik's Bouncing Fish?What more? Better frame data, mobility, recovery, and kill confirms, of course. The four most important things in smash? Or did we forget about that?
Executing the attacks is essential for a player to do good with the character, or any to be exact. Link's frame data is not as good as Sheik's, so what would the Link player do? Activate the attacks earlier than Sheik can and out-space her with his reach. It's not like it can't be done.So you are saying that in order for Link to win, the Link player has to execute his attack before the Sheik player executes hers on a consistent basis? I.e. that you basically have to be better than your opponent on multiple levels--both capable of executing faster and of correctly predicting the opponent's choice of action (while avoiding being baited out by a shield, roll, or short hop airdodge)--in order to stand a chance?
Sheik's Vanish above stage means a free U-Air, F-Air, U-Tilt, U-Smash or D-Air for Link to hit her with, or even F-Tilt and Dash attack. Sheik will get hit either way, above or below. Secondly, Bouncing Fish, despite snapping to the ledge if needed, is still vulnerable to being hit; D-Air, F-Air, N-Air, pick your poison; Link's ground mobility isn't 'meh', so he'd be able to get to her easily. If he's too far, he has Bombs or the Gale Boomerang to get her away from it. It's not that hard.Good Sheiks Vanish from above the stage rather than from below. No ledgesnap vulnerability to exploit. Link doesn't edgeguard Sheik. The Sheik will only Bouncing Fish to the stage if it seems like a free snap to the ledge, which it might be since Link's ground speed is blah and he might not get there in time.
You're ignoring the fact that Link's mobility is aided by his reach. He can go for her with F-Air, Bombs or Boomerang. And isn't his grounded mobility better than Sheik's aerial mobility? So wouldn't it be easier to hit her if he just ran on the ground even if she did both? And if she does put up F-Air or N-Air, Link can just, remember, grab her!This situation requires Sheik to expend both her double jump and Bouncing Fish, by which point she has probably safely returned to the ground as Link's poor mobility won't allow him to catch up to her good airspeed. And if that didn't work, she can just drift away and f-air or n-air (cancels 1 frame after the hitbox) to protect her landing.
Complete impunity? If Sheik goes just even a little bit above a platform and hits Link's shield, there's ultimately a free OoS punish with Spin Attack, Bombs or any of Link's faster attacks or grab; and this goes for her aerial game. And he's not too slow, because instead of going for a retreat, a better Link player would jump and use N-Air to cover him from any attacks, then lead up into another attack if he hits Sheik.Let's. If Link is on a platform and Sheik is below him, Sheik can pressure him with complete impunity against the majority of his options (he can't just spin attack, no, and his OOS game is really poor against tomahawking if she lands on the platform besides him), and he's too slow through the air to simply jump away. Tipper up-smash on a landing or platform is also extremely potent against characters with mediocre horizontal movement options. Sheik does better vs. Link than Link does against Sheik in this situation.
She can jump away, but what can Sheik do if Link can get a U-Air or a Bomb read? They can come out fast. He's not too slow if he keeps on the ground while she's in the air. And fall through the platform and F-Air? Alright, she can do that after she's been hit by around 3 or 4 U-Tilts, the first of which that was activated earlier than Sheik could F-Air. And grab Link? Link's not going to stay in the same place all the time, and if he did, Link would Spin Attack on Sheik's grab.Sheik can just jump away from this hypothetical platform situation, and Link will generally be too slow to catch. She can also fall through the platform and f-air or grab, because Link's frame data is that bad. Link has to make a prediction or react super quickly, so most of the time the Sheik player will come out on top.
Except I did throw all of these out against competent players and they fell for it.There's no way that you are throwing out any of these options against a competent Sheik player while you are on the ledge. You said it yourself, f-air is frame 14. Sheik just has to hold shield, and Link is powerless to do anything. Even just a normal getup is risky. What good is standing up at the ledge against an f27 FAF standing grab that tears through spotdodges (she just grabs twice in a row, simple)? And Link doesn't even have a real grab in that situation. He'll get grabbed first. Actually he doesn't even have a jab in this situation. Come to think of it, Link might be one of the worst characters in the game against Sheik on the ledge. How does he get up?
Link's F-Air may be F14, but if Sheik holds the shield, then she potentially takes 24% damage and when the first hit lands, Link can retreat thanks to the second hit staying out long enough. Link can throw a Bomb at Sheik to get her away, an N-Air to get her away or a Z-Air to lead up into his grab; both hits of Z-Air hitting successfully means a free grab. He can just get up using these options, just press back on the ledge, forward, jump and then use the attack. If Sheik goes for an edge-guard with a stage spike, just let go of the ledge and U-Air. Sheik won't reach so easily.
Link's Dash Speed > Sheik's Aerial Speed is something to consider.Link doesn't beat Sheik or go even. It's at least a +1 in Sheik's favor, probably +2 or worse. Link doesn't have the frame data or mobility to compare.
Plus, Link has reach, something that Sheik just doesn't have. Link also has more projectiles that can work quite well in the hands of a good player.
A dedicated Link player like me can always figure out ways to fight top tiers. I just find Sheik to be one of the easiest top tier MUs in the game for Link, and I haven't met a Sheik player who can show me otherwise. Even the most competent one I've faced lost to me, and they were pulling out all of the stops at the tournament.
Link doesn't need better frame data or mobility, often, because he has significantly more options to go against Sheik with. Maybe one day if I meet that one Sheik player that completely shuts my Link down, then I'll refute what I've said. But for now, my opinion stands that Link can be a +0.5 against Sheik at best, +0 at worst.
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