Better Edge Guarding with Duck Hunt - Can Guarding

[Queen An]

Hey all, formally @The_Jiggernaut here. I'm a Duck Hunt player from Ottawa, Canada, I've been using some Duck Hunt specific edge guarding techniques that aren't present in the current metagame so I figured I'd explain them here in case they are new.

The Current Meta:

Normally, when an opponent is offstage you send a can after them. It's quick, free to do, and sets up for another edge guard if you land it. However, there is a point where opponents will learn to simply airdodge and recover low to completely negate the effort. At this point it becomes a waste to keep doing it.

Next, some players send the can offstage with a bAir (or another reversed hitbox) to move the can back towards the stage with B after it's launched. While this is effective and has the ability to cause a stage spike, it doesn't hit more than half the time, is technically intensive, and its kill option can be teched. But it's used all the time because there's no other option. Is there?

Another option:

Simply called Can Guarding, place the can 2-3 B presses away from falling off the stage and stand at your opponent's roll distance from the edge. With this set up, the idea is to use mindgames and conditioning to limit your opponent's get-up options and punish with big damage or kills. Below I'll list get-up options and how you can punish when you read your opponent choosing that option for both damage and killing. For example, if your opponent starts jumping from ledge a lot because of the set up, go to the "Jumping" heading and see what you can do.




Get up Options:

Standard Get Up

Damage:

• Press B and hit them with the can (8%-12%)

The hitbox is active while the can is in the air, and won't explode during their invincibility frames, making it really easy to hit the 2-frame window. This tends to miss if your can is 1 B press away from falling off the stage


Kill:

• Hitting with the can at 180%, I guess

Rolling

Damage:

• Grabbing and throw at can/offstage (8%-20%)

This sets you up for another edge guard and can even combo into a fair if you hit the can.

• Forward Smash into can on 3rd hit (26%-30%)

Ideal for dealing damage, start your forward smash when you see your opponent start to move, and the timing will work out surprisingly well. Space this so the can is around the 3rd hit of forward smash.


Kill:

• Forward Smash

At the edge, this has great killing power. just make sure you miss the can, or it will cut the knockback significantly. Pressing B after releasing the forward smash is a good way to make sure you're good to go.


Jumping

Damage:

• Sweet spot fAir or bAir (10%-13%)

In my experience, this is what opponents will do by default. Note that they will move in a more predictable way with the can below them, so use that to your advantage when landing areals

• Any areal really

Also effective


Kill:

• nAir, uAir, bAir

Solid KO options.


Get up Attack

Damage:

• Run up and shield (8%-12%)

If your opponent starts getting cheeky and using their get up attack on the can, shielding the attack will cause the explosion to hit them.


Kill:

• Forward Smash

Put down the can with a single kick to make sure it flies over you and aim a forward smash so the 3rd hit lands on your opponent. A big punish for those who over use this laggy attack


Drop Down Areal

Damage:

• Run up and shield (8%-12%)

Shielding the attack will cause the explosion to hit your opponent


Kill:

• None

Although there is no real kill opportunity for this option, it's not something opponents tend to do, especially not twice in a row. Frankly, I wouldn't consider this a real option to have the guard against.




After a Can Guard:

If you succeed in dealing damage, get ready for another edge guard. If your opponent passes by, you have two options

1) Keep the can where it is and aim to hit them towards it
2) Cut your losses and hit the can offstage, allowing you to regain the ability to produce a can


Closing Thoughts:

Firstly, I don't think Can Guarding should completely replace hitting the can offstage, but be used together with it. There's a lot of potential in Can Guarding and there are some situations where it's better to use, so I hope to see it in Duck Hunt's metagame in the near future. Let me know any questions or comments you have for me, and I'll answer them.

There are other setups with the can on the edge of a platform and standing at the roll distance, as well as standing at the edge shielding with the can on roll distance, but I haven't developed those as much. I'll look into them if people want me to.

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day :D

 

[[SKS] Yung Lamppost]

I'm not really sure if this isn't present in the metagame because myself and countless other dh's use this method as well. However, this is still very helpful and gave me some new ideas. It should also be pretty helpful to new players looking to improve their duck hunt, good job!

 

[Queen An]

Thank you! I'm glad to hear you're using this technique, and I'm happy to hear that the post gave you new ideas. If you do anything differently, I'd love to hear about it.

I guess I just didn't know it was in use. I looked at top players, and even the replay channel and didn't see it being used. Do you happen to have any videos handy of a Duck Hunt player using this technique?

 

[KingNemba]

Appreciate the help. I dont use this exact combination of guarding but this will improve my game, add better options.

Here's another. Only recently did I do this and covers the first thing you mentioned. Using the can to hit them in the air. Of course they will airdodge, which works to your benefit.

If you time the can properly, make them airdodge you can place a solid fsmash on or off the stage and finish them. Fsmash is a tough move to use competitively cause its slow, but remember it can extend offstage AND in checkmate situations it can kill quicker then waiting for 160+%. Ive fully charge a fsmash at the edge of the stage and hit someone with the tip of its reach. I think if we can come up with tactics to force people into this fsmash off stage line of sight we can checkmate more often and take DHD to a new level

 

[devinkanc]

You know I see a lot of people speaking on can trick (or trick shots) and nobody ever mentions the usefulness of bair/nair

I never use Fair to hit the can towards my opponent because using bair allows the can to shoot back towards me if I want to fakeout my opponent or If I miss, and I place a gun men immediately and try to interept my opponent mid-air or I go grab them.

biggest advantage is bair'ing a can off stage and catching them on return. this is great for opponend that are trying to return to the ledge or had low KB. again always set up a gun men because they are silent and the shots are not visible, and the opponent will resort to shielding if they have not been aware of when the gunman was brought out. anytime you trap your opponent between a gunman and a can you opponent will most liekely either shield or try to jump get them with the tip of your fair or, beat them to the jump and hit them with a dair which gives you no lag recovery and follow up with an fsmash or dsmash or a tilt. If the opponent shields, and your can is close enough you can break their shied with a smash a hit from the gunman and can simultaneously for an easy ko

I like nair for the start of fights because it doesn't move the can far from me but if i hit the can in the opposite direction i was facing with nair it will have the same effect as bair, it's also far less distinct then bair so an experienced player may not be able to tell which direction the can will go towards