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Any Advice for a up and coming Zelda Main?

D

Deleted member

Guest
Can anyone give me some pointers on getting better with her? ive been using her as my main since brawl was released but ive just recently (about a couple months ago) started going on for glory and doing some one on one's and beating some pretty decent players. But i guess my question is, how can i get better? Is there any advanced techniques anyone knows? thanks

(This is my first time posting on Smashboards so forgive my poor Smash wording) :/
 
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Luminario

Smash Lord
Joined
Jun 7, 2014
Messages
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Your guess is as good as mine
My advice: Wait for Smash Switch.
Besides that, continuously practice the Lightning Kick hitboxes, along with comboing to them from down tilt. Also practice B reversal (inputting a special them immediately flicking the control stick in the opposite direction, or in Nayrus Love's case flicking it in the direction you're not facing). Down throw to neutral air is useful at lower %. Short hop airdodge to back air is a sneaky tool, but it doesn't work with forward air. There's a few useful videos on Youtube so if you just search "smash bros zelda advanced" there's a bunch of them to watch.
One of the most important things I'm gonna have to say is that you're gonna come across quite a few players that you just have no chance against. They'll be more experienced and they'll be playing a character vastly higher up the tier list than Zelda. You're not bad, the game is just horribly unbalanced. Leave/block them, and find a player that doesn't go Cloud every time they get beat.
 
D

Deleted member

Guest
My advice: Wait for Smash Switch.
Besides that, continuously practice the Lightning Kick hitboxes, along with comboing to them from down tilt. Also practice B reversal (inputting a special them immediately flicking the control stick in the opposite direction, or in Nayrus Love's case flicking it in the direction you're not facing). Down throw to neutral air is useful at lower %. Short hop airdodge to back air is a sneaky tool, but it doesn't work with forward air. There's a few useful videos on Youtube so if you just search "smash bros zelda advanced" there's a bunch of them to watch.
One of the most important things I'm gonna have to say is that you're gonna come across quite a few players that you just have no chance against. They'll be more experienced and they'll be playing a character vastly higher up the tier list than Zelda. You're not bad, the game is just horribly unbalanced. Leave/block them, and find a player that doesn't go Cloud every time they get beat.
Yea, thats true, I noticed whenever i beat people, most of the time they go with Bayo or Cloud. Anyway, thank you for your advice. Il check out some youtube videos. :)
 

Rickster

Smash Master
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
3,834
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Faerghus
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2713-1285-8029
Use all her moveset. Yes, even Din's. Every move has its use. I've been playing Zelda exclusively for years now, and it always hurts to see so many Zeldas simply ignore certain moves. The Phantom is an especially good example of this.

Learn when her aerials will auto cancel, along with her airdodge. Your movement will be much smoother and landing will be easier once you learn to not put yourself in unnecessary landing lag.

Learn the Finger Bang combo (Dthrow Uair) and be able to do it consistently. Also learn Uthrow Uair, as its a decent throw mixup and does a stupid amount of damage. It works best at mid % on medium to fast fallers, or anyone that jumps or attacks out of hitstun instead of airdodging (airdodges can be done faster out of hitstun).

If they DI Dthrow away, Bair them instead. The "proper" DI actually angles most characters perfectly for a quick double jump Bair. Contrary to popular belief, Dthrow Bair is in fact a real combo (building on this, all aerials can be comboed into except Dair since they all have a startup of 9 frames or less, and Uair hits on frame 14). However, the positioning for Fair/Bair can be tricky. Dthrow Bair can kill stupid early, since
1. Its strong af
2. The "correct" DI for Dthrow is also the worst DI possible for Bair. I've KOd a ZSS at 50 from the edge because they vectored/DI'd wrong.

After a while, your opponent will probably start mixing up their DI between Uthrow DI and Bair DI. From there it's a guessing game of which way they'll go. Btw, you can chase Bair DI with Uair, and Uair DI with Bair, but it's much more difficult.

Please don't overuse Dash Attack in neutral. I see many newer Zelda players do this for some reason and it will get you killed quick lol. Also, try not to always land with a Kick. It's another thing I see often.

Dair is godly. That's all that needs to be said really.

Ledgetrump Bair is actually dumb once you learn it.

Learn to do an invincible ledgesnap. It's when you teleport downwards to the ledge instead of the usual upwards teleport. The timing is strict; you have to angle the teleport down, then reset the control stick after she disappears but before she reappears. If you hold downwards too long, she'll go past the ledge (aka the "beefy UpB") and die. If done correctly, she cannot be 2 framed.

Speaking of the "beefy UpB", try and learn that too. It's a universal technique that let's her UpB hitbox come out right before she grabs the ledge. Farore's reappearance hitbox is pretty huge and powerful, so it's very dangerous to try and intercept. Combined with the invincible ledgesnap technique (and Zelda's excellent recovery in general), it's a massive pain to edgeguard her. Most players I fight don't even bother trying to keep her away, lol. Or they do and end up dying for it/getting pushed offstage, which means Dair can do its thing.

2 framing with Dtilt is easier compared to other characters since the hitbox lingers for 7 frames. She can confirm into Dsmash or more Dtilts, Ftilt, Kicks, or an airdodge read into a Dair or charged Fsmash. At higher %s, Uair is also a true confirm.

Speaking of Uair, it has great vertical range, and the hitbox is completely disjointed from Zelda. It can beat out many different moves as long as you time it right (even Cloud's Dair!). Just be aware that it's a pretty slow move on all accounts, so be careful with it outside of combos. It also can clip through stages a decent amount, so it can be a surprise attack/kill option. The shield damage is also pretty high if you want to use it to platform pressure.

Nayru's is a really stupid move if you use it right. Intangibility starts frame 5, hitboxes start frame 13. It can effectively beat out almost any move in the game as long as you have good timing. However, please do not overuse it. Yes it's a good panic button but it will be the bane of your existence if you fall into the Nayru's spam trap.

Falling Nair combos into a ton of stuff, including the Elevator. However, it doesn't work as well on heavier characters unless she has rage, so watch out for that. On lighter characters, you actually don't want rage since the multihits will become techable (or they'll nair you out of it), so be aware of your own % as well as your opponent's for this combo.

One last thing: some Zelda players may tell you to learn her edge cancel. Imo, edge canceling Farore's should not be a priority in the beginning. Learning her fundamentals and neutral will take you much much farther than edge cancels will. That's just my perspective though, feel free to practice how you want :D
 
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D

Deleted member

Guest
Use all her moveset. Yes, even Din's. Every move has its use. I've been playing Zelda exclusively for years now, and it always hurts to see so many Zeldas simply ignore certain moves. The Phantom is an especially good example of this.

Learn when her aerials will auto cancel, along with her airdodge. Your movement will be much smoother and landing will be easier once you learn to not put yourself in unnecessary landing lag.

Learn the Finger Bang combo (Dthrow Uair) and be able to do it consistently. Also learn Uthrow Uair, as its a decent throw mixup and does a stupid amount of damage. It works best at mid % on medium to fast fallers, or anyone that jumps or attacks out of hitstun instead of airdodging (airdodges can be done faster out of hitstun).

If they DI Dthrow away, Bair them instead. The "proper" DI actually angles most characters perfectly for a quick double jump Bair. Contrary to popular belief, Dthrow Bair is in fact a real combo (building on this, all aerials can be comboed into except Dair since they all have a startup of 9 frames or less, and Uair hits on frame 14). However, the positioning for Fair/Bair can be tricky. Dthrow Bair can kill stupid early, since
1. Its strong af
2. The "correct" DI for Dthrow is also the worst DI possible for Bair. I've KOd a ZSS at 50 from the edge because they vectored/DI'd wrong.

After a while, your opponent will probably start mixing up their DI between Uthrow DI and Bair DI. From there it's a guessing game of which way they'll go. Btw, you can chase Bair DI with Uair, and Uair DI with Bair, but it's much more difficult.

Please don't overuse Dash Attack in neutral. I see many newer Zelda players do this for some reason and it will get you killed quick lol. Also, try not to always land with a Kick. It's another thing I see often.

Dair is godly. That's all that needs to be said really.

Ledgetrump Bair is actually dumb once you learn it.

Learn to do an invincible ledgesnap. It's when you teleport downwards to the ledge instead of the usual upwards teleport. The timing is strict; you have to angle the teleport down, then reset the control stick after she disappears but before she reappears. If you hold downwards too long, she'll go past the ledge (aka the "beefy UpB") and die. If done correctly, she cannot be 2 framed.

Speaking of the "beefy UpB", try and learn that too. It's a universal technique that let's her UpB hitbox come out right before she grabs the ledge. Farore's reappearance hitbox is pretty huge and powerful, so it's very dangerous to try and intercept. Combined with the invincible ledgesnap technique (and Zelda's excellent recovery in general), it's a massive pain to edgeguard her. Most players I fight don't even bother trying to keep her away, lol. Or they do and end up dying for it/getting pushed offstage, which means Dair can do its thing.

2 framing with Dtilt is easier compared to other characters since the hitbox lingers for 7 frames. She can confirm into Dsmash or more Dtilts, Ftilt, Kicks, or an airdodge read into a Dair or charged Fsmash. At higher %s, Uair is also a true confirm.

Speaking of Uair, it has great vertical range, and the hitbox is completely disjointed from Zelda. It can beat out many different moves as long as you time it right (even Cloud's Dair!). Just be aware that it's a pretty slow move on all accounts, so be careful with it outside of combos. It also can clip through stages a decent amount, so it can be a surprise attack/kill option. The shield damage is also pretty high if you want to use it to platform pressure.

Nayru's is a really stupid move if you use it right. Intangibility starts frame 5, hitboxes start frame 13. It can effectively beat out almost any move in the game as long as you have good timing. However, please do not overuse it. Yes it's a good panic button but it will be the bane of your existence if you fall into the Nayru's spam trap.

Falling Nair combos into a ton of stuff, including the Elevator. However, it doesn't work as well on heavier characters unless she has rage, so watch out for that. On lighter characters, you actually don't want rage since the multihits will become techable (or they'll nair you out of it), so be aware of your own % as well as your opponent's for this combo.

One last thing: some Zelda players may tell you to learn her edge cancel. Imo, edge canceling Farore's should not be a priority in the beginning. Learning her fundamentals and neutral will take you much much farther than edge cancels will. That's just my perspective though, feel free to practice how you want :D
Thanks for the advice man, really appreciate it :)
 

PierceWantsToSmash

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PierceSutton
Yea, thats true, I noticed whenever i beat people, most of the time they go with Bayo or Cloud.
I go to Cloud all the time because he is my main. Bayonetta and cloud are really popular characters to play as people think that when their playing a higher tier level character the more likely there going to win, but this is not true except if you know how to play Bayo.
 
D

Deleted member

Guest
I go to Cloud all the time because he is my main. Bayonetta and cloud are really popular characters to play as people think that when their playing a higher tier level character the more likely there going to win, but this is not true except if you know how to play Bayo.
Yes, that's true. Ive been able to beat quite a few of Bayo and Cloud players on For Glory, but the ones that actually know what they are doing are the ones that are tough. Mostly tho, i think its just Zelda's lack of keeping up with them is why she isn't a good match up.
 

BALENTS

Smash Rookie
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Sep 16, 2017
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Tucson, AZ
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Dude ive tried to get away form playing Zelda but all my results happen when I play with her. My biggest advice that's helped me out is to just slow down and take your time. She's a slow character as it is, so its easier to think about what needs to be done. here's a few things that come to the top of my head that i know of. By no means am i better than you, i honestly am not that great at all, but i understand alot. Its just applying it is what i find hard.

-In neutral just wait for them to make the first move and potentially whiff. Or throw out a side b to bait them into getting closer if theyre being timid.
-Always try to catch them with a falling nair and make sure the last hit doesn't connect, this can lead to almost anything if they don't see it coming. Especially into down throw nair , etc.
-Seriously, nayru's love is an amazing move for snuffing approaches
-Oh yeah din's fire cant be caped by Mario, nor can it be reflected by and reflectors. People on for glory tend to not realize this, which isn't going to give you a huge advantage, but it can lead to some funny baits.
-Phantom slash is a great edge guard for mid to high recoveries. Also works similar to if you were Villager and just let your tree stand. people just want to attack it for some reason. another great bait.

I'm sure you've seen The Art of Zelda but id go back and re-watch it every month or so, you'll pick up on stuff you didn't notice before possibly
 
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D

Deleted member

Guest
Dude ive tried to get away form playing Zelda but all my results happen when I play with her. My biggest advice that's helped me out is to just slow down and take your time. She's a slow character as it is, so its easier to think about what needs to be done. here's a few things that come to the top of my head that i know of. By no means am i better than you, i honestly am not that great at all, but i understand alot. Its just applying it is what i find hard.

-In neutral just wait for them to make the first move and potentially whiff. Or throw out a side b to bait them into getting closer if theyre being timid.
-Always try to catch them with a falling nair and make sure the last hit doesn't connect, this can lead to almost anything if they don't see it coming. Especially into down throw nair , etc.
-Seriously, nayru's love is an amazing move for snuffing approaches
-Oh yeah din's fire cant be caped by Mario, nor can it be reflected by and reflectors. People on for glory tend to not realize this, which isn't going to give you a huge advantage, but it can lead to some funny baits.
-Phantom slash is a great edge guard for mid to high recoveries. Also works similar to if you were Villager and just let your tree stand. people just want to attack it for some reason. another great bait.

I'm sure you've seen The Art of Zelda but id go back and re-watch it every month or so, you'll pick up on stuff you didn't notice before possibly[/QUOTE
w down and take your time. She's a slow character as it is, so its easier to think about what needs to be done. here's a few things that come to the top of my head that i know of. By no means am i better than you, i honestly am not that great at all, but i understand alot. Its just applying it is what i find hard.

-In neutral just wait for them to make the first move and potentially whiff. Or throw out a side b to bait them into getting closer if theyre being timid.
-Always try to catch them with a falling nair and make sure the last hit doesn't connect, this can lead to almost anything if they don't see it coming. Especially into down throw nair , etc.
-Seriously, nayru's love is an amazing move for snuffing approaches
-Oh yeah din's fire cant be caped by Mario, nor can it be reflected by and reflectors. People on for glory tend to not realize this, which isn't going to give you a huge advantage, but it can lead to some funny baits.
-Phantom slash is a great edge guard for mid to high recoveries. Also works similar to if you were Villager and just let your tree stand. people just want to attack it for some reason. another great bait.

I'm sure you've seen The Art of Zelda but id go back and re-watch it every month or so, you'll pick up on stuff you didn't notice before possibly
Yes I'm literally in the same situation. I love Zelda and whenever I pick up another character, the results are never as good as when I use her. Yes I have seen that video. It is very helpful! But thank you. Probably one of the most helpful comments I've recieved :)
 

Tollhouse

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Jun 28, 2012
Messages
482
Location
Wii-Fit Studio
I used to be a full time Zelda main until I switched to Wii Fit. But I still use Zelda a lot. You already have a ton of good advice in this thread as far as technique.

To add to that, be creative with how you follow up with your series of down tilts to rack up that damage. I've also found using the Phantom midair is a good way of trapping your opponent into a sweet spot fair.

IMO what makes the biggest difference for a Zelda player is your ability to use Farore's Wind offensively. Mastery of that move is going to allow you to do some insane #### and you're going to be a lot harder to read.

That and find some Zelda players to watch online of course.
 
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