Link Match-up Thread

[Heero Yuy]

Don't throw projectiles in Falcon's face - he's really good at clanking the rang with the Nair and good Falcons can catch bombs. Learn to love the sword due to how disjointed it is. The way I approach this is using the projectiles more to mindgame and limit a few of his options. Zair is also a great spacing tool. Narrowing down his options, that's when I go in to punish. Link can combo Falcon really hard once he gets him in the air. I like to be very mobile in this matchup because when you projectile camp, it leaves you vulnerable for grabs (and once he gets a grab, you're basically dead due to Falcon's insane grab followups).

One thing I like to do is throw the rang towards him FOR THE PURPOSE OF scaring him. Because Falcon lacks a projectile he's forced to either Nair, powershield, or maneuver somehow around it. You'll get a good punish if you predict correctly which option he'll take.

It's my two cents from a mid-high-level player. Nick or Hylian could give you better input.

 

[Shin_Mazinkaiser]

Someone please tell me how I should approach the Meta Knight match-up.

And I actually wanna know what to do to win that match-up.

In other words: I'm not looking for, "Throw **** at him lol"

I wanna know what angles are good and what are bad.

Anyone experienced in the MK match-up PLEASE help.

 

[Problem2]

ick, Metaknight is really hard. I've been messing around with dropping bombs on the ground a lot and meeting his d-air approaches by jumping above and d-airing him in it. That's about all I got for now.

 

[InfinityCollision]

There's really no such thing as a "good" or "bad" angle in a vacuum. The appropriate way to use any of your projectiles depends on your relative positions, movement, and what you're trying to accomplish at that particular moment.

MK can't clank projectiles for **** and his crouch isn't as strong as Kirby's or Sheik's, so capitalizing on the projectile game as best you can is definitely advisable. Don't expect it to last given his size and mobility, but you can still get good mileage out of projectiles in this matchup both in terms of damage and manipulating his movement. He can combo/techchase you hard if he gets inside your space, so utilize your superior sword range if he gets close and don't overextend on combos. He's fairly susceptible to CCing as well.

@ NickRiddle , MasterRaven posted some thoughts on the Link/Mewtwo matchup recently in the Mewtwo forums. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the matchup, as well as how you think each of you can improve in said matchup.

 

[NickRiddle]

Link:M2?
I'll post on it tomorrow in actual detail. I will read what he said and respond to it as well~

It's really hard to camp MK btw. He gets in WAY too well, and he's too short for hard bomb throws.
And it's hard to recover against him.

Not saying it's terrible, but it's def. not good for us.

I would give more detail, but lolthrowthings

 

[Shin_Mazinkaiser]

lolthrowthings

God dammit .-.

 

[Tohfoo]

I'm probably the only Link in the world who has trouble against Puff, but I'm having trouble with Puff haha. My projectiles just get cancelled by her fair all day. Any tips?

Stage selection probably has something to do with it as well. I've been doing friendlies vs Puff on FD and Smashville a lot.

 

[Heero Yuy]

Don't just throw things in her face - she'll know they're coming. Use the rang moreso as stage control above all things in order to limit her options. Bombs are useful for the same kind of strategy. The matchup as a whole is a huge spacing game, so it's fair to say just play as gay as you want to win the match.

Does anybody know if Charizard's dthrow is techable? Lost to a Zard today - had I tried to avoid getting grabbed better I would've won..

 

[Tohfoo]

Thanks Heero. Zard's dthrow is techable.

 

[Kaeldiar]

Does anybody know if Charizard's dthrow is techable? Lost to a Zard today - had I tried to avoid getting grabbed better I would've won..

It is, it just has weird timing. It's like on the 2nd to last hit or something.

 

[Player -0]

Anything that sends your face instantly to the ground is techable.*



*Lolexceptforsnake.

 

[JesteRace]

So, I take back what I said about King Dedede having a slight advantage, that matchup is getting easier and easier.
For some reason, the two matchups I'm REALLY struggling with right now are Ness and Ganondorf.

Was struggling with Ike, but I've been figuring it out. He can be hard to camp with the QD approaches, but the zair was doing wonders for me in outspacing him and getting combos started. Be careful about recoveries. The hitbox on his fair will keep you off the ledge EVERY time. If you're close enough, tether immediately. If you're high enough, throw a bomb at him. Otherwise, it's a matter of having better timing than him. Back on stage, like I said, when he gets in, it can be difficult to get out, especially if he reads you well. OOS Nair or Bair can get him off your back, and even OOS Dair can punish him if he gets too greedy. And Link combos the motherf*** out of Ike too. He has so many consistent 0-80 options on Ike, so you can very quickly even things up if he takes the lead. Edgeguarding Ike isn't anything special. Keep him out with arrows, run out with nairs if you're feeling frisky, punish his Aether with UpB if he doesn't sweet spot it, stuff like that. Overall I do think it's even. You both just have a lot of nasty stuff you can do to each other

 

[Heero Yuy]

Link is easily one of Ness's worst matchups. Like Lucas, Ness is in a weird weight class that allows him to be comboed rather easily by Link. Not to mention Link's projectiles are vastly superior to PK Fire (but of course you never wanna get touched by PK Fires). You can zone him out rather well and once you get a solid projectile hit, you can go in and deal pain.

I don't like fighting Ganon but it definitely favors Link easily. Like the Falcon matchup but much easier - Ganon may have the better punishes on Link but Link can just zone him really well with just about everything in his arsenal. Play the matchup right, and Ganon should never win the neutral game.

 

[JesteRace]

I see that with Ganondorf, the more patient and campy I get, the more matchups like Ganondorf/Dedede/Kong move towards easy mode.

But Ness? Really? I thought it was at least even. I'm playing this matchup WAY wrong if you're right.

 

[Heero Yuy]

I'm quite sure the matchup favors Link. Perhaps at higher levels of play it slowly becomes even.

Why do people keep counterpicking FoD against me? It's personally one of my favorite stages, especially against fast characters.

 

[JesteRace]

Same thing happens to me with Wario Ware. ****ing love that stage. But people just assume Link wants space to camp.

 

[Player -0]

Playing on FD messes me up, no matter what character. I guess I should just play on it more for friendlies. Stages with no space get me edgy.

 

[Heero Yuy]

I'll note that I said FoD and not FD, but if you spelled that correctly, then I'll throw in I don't like FD much either. Sure Link may control so much space, but most of my neutral and punish game revolves around the use of platforms. Not to mention, if you do play Link on FD it feels like you have to space more carefully in order to actually keep stage control. Otherwise any character can easily close in on him.

Oh yeah, and never bring Falco to FD. It's slaughter. ):

 

[Player -0]

I'll note that I said FoD and not FD, but if you spelled that correctly, then I'll throw in I don't like FD much either. Sure Link may control so much space, but most of my neutral and punish game revolves around the use of platforms. Not to mention, if you do play Link on FD it feels like you have to space more carefully in order to actually keep stage control. Otherwise any character can easily close in on him.

Oh yeah, and never bring Falco to FD. It's slaughter. ):

I actually meant to type FoD, being sleepy/mobile phones ftw.

 

[JesteRace]

I only counterpick FD against the large chars like zard/D3/Kong. 9 times out of 10, I'll go Wario Ware or PS2. Wario Ware is great for Link's stage control and lets me Uair for days. It also benefits my backup chars. PS2 is great because you've got the space to camp like FD, but it also has platforms and small blast zones(I like small blast zones).

 

[Heero Yuy]

What are your guys' inputs on the Sheik matchup?

Had a debate with another guy about it and he thinks it's Link's worst MU. I really don't think so honestly, in fact it might even favor Link. Link's projectiles are so much better than Melee's making his ground and neutral game way better. Since Link's a lot faster too it makes it even harder for Sheik to grab him. Besides, Link combos her as hard as she combos him. Sheik just seems to win the offstage game really.

 

[JesteRace]

It was pretty hopeless in Melee, so that mindset can carry over, but Link has been buffed far more than Sheik. I wouldn't necessarily put it in our favor, since some of the problems with the matchup in Melee still carry over, but I would consider it even. Nowhere near as bad as Falco.

 

[Fortress]

zAir more. It's your safest, least-laggy poke that doesn't consume your boomerang. The act of it hitting or even simply getting a shield poke on the 'return' hitboxes will pull Sheik in and above you, and her weight class lets you basically have your way with her. Link can combo that weight hard.

Also, Sheik's options for coming down on you are pretty poor, so the zAir setups can only go your way. The classic 'Helm Splitter' dThrow > dAir can get her up above you at some dangerous percents if it doesn't outright kill her, letting you pogo-stick her with uAir without much threat.

One tactic you might find success with that's a rather-underrated one is dropping multiple bombs in one location to discourage a Sheik from dash attacking you too much. I'm almost certain that two of her major tilts, dTilt and fTilt, explode bombs on hit and leave her stunned.

At lower percents (out to thirty?) fThrow can lead into itself since it won't knock her down. Use it to get her to the edge or offstage quickly, or follow up with a DACUS if she DI's up and away from your fThrow. If you see your opponent holding shield after the throw (as if they were trying to tech), you know it's working.

Try and avoid jump-ins on her shield, since her game is tailored towards grabs, and shieldgrabs are something she does very well. If possible, stick to the ground just as much as she does. Sheik is a character whose ground-air-ground transitions are very poor due to her high short hop, so an experienced Sheik will avoid going airborne before you too often, and prefer to space you out with good pokes and quick ground movement. Her anti-airs are also strictly faster than your aerials, so you're better off focusing your game on baiting out her grabs. If Sheik does decide to go heavy air on you, your sword can outrange your biggest threats (fAir on SHFF, bAir (though it's slower and easier to react to if going from ground-air-ground), and nAir/dAir on platform drops (watch out if a Sheik decides to get right above you, just throw out uTilts until she backs off)), and anything outside of fAir range is probably a needle poke, so be prepared to think a few steps ahead of the grab setup off of it. Try not to get baited into spot-dodging needles, and just focus on returning to neutral if Sheik tries to put on the jump-in Needle pressure. Just remember that your weapons and normals outrange hers, so getting back to neutral shouldn't be too big of a hassle.

Offstage play is another beast, but in a nutshell, zDrop bombs at the ledge to get unorthodox pokes, fire off quick shots from the bow, and never underestimate what a single hit of bAir or a nAir can do to Sheik's recovery. Try not to fall into habits with the tether, either, especially if Sheik's throwing Needles. If she is, just keep uB'ing until you've hit the ledge. If Sheik isn't going for needles, prepare for her to drop out with the nAir brick to block your tether. Make sure to mix it up now and again by simply doing the spin attack on its own.

Coming from somebody who started with Sheik, as of 3.0, I'd say Link/Sheik is in Link's favor 6/4. Worst I'd say is even. They both tend to combo one another well because of their weight class, but Link's overall amount of disjoint can shut out Sheik's normals just by simply outranging them, and his sheer amount of tools give him a huge edge when Sheik cannot close the gap.

 

[Heero Yuy]

So Squirtle is hands-down the most confusing matchup for Link the way I see it. Why you ask? You can't just throw things at him - because 80% of the time you will miss.

Therefore, I'll post my notes:

1. Bomb planting is somehow really effective vs him. Squirtle's ground game is monstrous and keeping a bomb between you and him will intimidate him from approaching. Yes the withdraw will trade with the bomb, and the bomb wins.
2. Once Squirtle gets in HE WILL punish you really hard. Most of his combos seem to be ground-based, so try to mindgame your techs and techrolls to avoid those combos. Also remember that bubble trips you over.
3. UpB is probably the bane of Squirtle's existence as he can't roll under it. Use it for almost any situation really - particularly edgeguarding.
4. Squirtle's Fair is pretty scary and beats out the Nair.

That's all I remember from yesterday's matches with a Squirtle. I think the matchup favors Link handily but I haven't figured it out yet.

 

[Player -0]

Who did you play vs. that was the Squirtle? Squirtle should be able to hydroplane WD grab the bombs. Especially since hydrocrawling should get Squirtle through a lot of Link's stuff. (I kinda of want to try this MU as Squirtle now).

 

[Heero Yuy]

I totally used Mr. GnW in the matchup, Player -0. That's why I'm posting in a Link thread.

 

[Player -0]

I totally used Mr. GnW in the matchup, Player -0. That's why I'm posting in a Link thread.

I meant the Squirtle player....

._.;

I get how you got confused. Until I got to the "vs." that I typed. Actually making people confused is more fun, going to keep typing like a drunk infant.

 

[Heero Yuy]

Oh whoops that's my fault then haha.

Anyways I don't really think that Link destroys Lucas as hard as Hylian says. It's in our favor by a small margin but just the fact that Lucas has an amazing pressure and combo game just keeps this matchup from being easy for us. Like fighting Fox, just stay out of your shield and remain at the mid-range space at all times. I honestly think playing gay is the way to go until you find the opportunity to land a solid finisher.

 

[Player -0]

Question still not answered T~T

 

[Heero Yuy]

Oh, I forgot his name actually... It was thru netplay and was a EU guy.

 

[Heero Yuy]

@ Player -0 The name of the Squirtle was Fskin FYI.

I played with him a little more last week and I realise now that the UpB, Nair, and bombs are all useful tools in taking down Squirtle. More details coming soon.

Also, Charizard-Link is even. More salt coming soon too... In a nutshell...That offstage game tho.

Lastly, Zelda is probably my most played MU since I've faced Zhime and a few others multiple times. I plan on writing a huge detailed guide on the MU...

When my computer is fixed that is.

 

[-Se7en-]

I haven't read the past 14 pages of comments regarding matchup but I can say Link vs Ness feels like it's in Link's favor AS LONG AS you are far away with projectiles zoning. When Ness gets in it gets pretty scary so don't let him in. Also juggling Ness with up air and sniping his recovery with an arrow or up b is pretty crucial.

 

[Player -0]

I believe the Ness boards say it's in Link's favor because of his vastly better neutral game while Ness has PK Fire.

 

[JesteRace]

Alright, after some more time to consider and play, here's what I think Link's matchup chart kinda looks like.
If a character is not on the list, I have little to no experience with that matchup.
Ratios are Link:Opponent

: 60:40
Link has an easy time keeping fatties from ever touching him. Bowser can hang though, and is rewarded much better in the up-close game than Link. The neutral game is what puts this in Link's favor

: 40:60
Falcon dances around and combos Link all day. Link can combo him back pretty hard too, though. The problem is that you can't really zone Falcon out. His nair will beat out the boomerang and he can easily weave around the rest of your projectiles.

: 50:50
The best of the fatties outranges us and has some nasty edgeguards. Nair will beat out projectiles as well. We still have a slightly better neutral game, though, and we can combo him pretty easily.

: 40:60
Our defense is slightly better, his offense is ridiculously better. Link's lack of mobility really hurts when there's bananas everywhere.

: 70:30
We're probably his worst matchup. DK should never touch you.

: 35:65
I think most of us would agree this is our worst matchup. Once he gets in, you're pretty much dead. There's jack you can do against pillars unless the Falco messes up. You can't really keep Falco out either, because lasers stuff your ability to get the projectile wall going. It's not unwinnable due to the many 0-80/death combos and edgeguards we have available on Falco, but it's just so hard to get to that point.

: 45:55
Still has the insane pressure and speed and shine spikes are brutal. However, since his lasers don't stun, we can actually throw stuff, and we still have the great combo game on him.

: 65:35
He punishes hard, like really hard. It might even be 60:40, but eh, he's a fatty. #throwstuff

: 60:40
Deceptively fast and well-placed fairs will keep you off the ledge every time if you don't recover immediately. There's not much he can do to get past projectile walls though and we probably combo him harder than he combos us.

: 45:55
Honestly, this would be completely even if not for the bair edgeguards. Besides that, their neutral game, combo game, and recovery are about the same.

: 60:40
Blahblah, throw stuff at the fat guy, you jerk.

60:40
If our neutral game wasn't so godlike, this matchup would suck. You can not shake Kirby off once he gets in. You have to play safe and you have to play lame. Once you do, though, Kirby's pretty easy.

: 60:40
Read above

: 60:40
Luigi combos us pretty hard, but Link's never had a problem with floaty characters. 'Rang stuffs out pretty much any approach the guy has

: 45:55
His fireball is probably better than any individual projectile Link has. Regardless, we have three, so we win the neutral game slightly. He has a pretty brutal chaingrab though. It's pretty much a free 40-50% every time. Combos go back and forth

: 55:45
I never found this matchup to be that bad in Melee as it is. Now we have zair which spaces out anything he can throw at us. Plus our great projectile game. It ain't easy, though, he can still get in, he can still combo the crap out of us, and his sword is still longer than ours.

: 40:60
He's too fast. He has too many options. All the time. What makes this doable is the fact that we combo him very hard and are able to kill him with dthrow>dair pretty early.

: 45:55
We can space him out with 'rangs and zair, but he can also punish a lot of stuff we do thanks to teleport. He combos us pretty easily, but we can actually combo him pretty decently too, better than most characters can.

: 60:40
Stay out of PK Fire range and throw things and you win.

: 60:40
He has a chaingrab and very, VERY easy 0-80 combos on us. But we still win, 'cause neutral game. #throwthings

: 70:30
Another character who can't touch us and should hate us forever.

: 50:50
This is weird, cause both of us can do what we're known for(his 0-death carrying you into the blast zone crap and our impenetrable projectile wall) on each other just as easily as we can on most of the rest of the cast. Simple as that, this is as even as even gets.

: 60:40
Has a harder time than Marth somehow, probably due to the fact that he has to play at mid-range and Link just loves that.

: 60:40
Take a wild guess what we do here? Yup, we throw things. She can't outcamp us.

: 50:50
All of our new tricks make this actually really hard for Sheik. We combo her pretty hard now too, but make no mistake, she can get in. She can run under 'rangs and arrows, she can easily rack up damage and still has her sick edgeguard game

: 40:60
Our projectiles stuff a lot of his options, but it's hard to place them all correctly when the Blue Blur is just zippin around at the speed of sound. Link's weakness is still his lack of mobility, and Sonic might just be too fast. It might even be as bad as Falco except Sonic can't snuff out projectiles.

: 55:45
Do not underestimate his projectiles even if they aren't as good. His strength in the matchup is his superior mobility and he can combo us to hell and back. What keeps us in the lead, as always, is our superior neutral game.

: 60:40
He just feels like a bad Falco in this matchup. Like, he's fast and has good pressure, but not on the same level as Fox/Falco. His laser blows in comparison to our projectiles and we still have the huge combo game we have on Fox/Falco.

 

[Fortress]

An excellent and simplified breakdown of the matchups, and it's fairly accurate as well. I would like to pitch in some of my own thoughts, too, just to add some more dynamics to the matchup analysis.

Alright, after some more time to consider and play, here's what I think Link's matchup chart kinda looks like.
If a character is not on the list, I have little to no experience with that matchup.
Ratios are Link:Opponent

: 35:65

I think most of us would agree this is our worst matchup. Once he gets in, you're pretty much dead. There's jack you can do against pillars unless the Falco messes up. You can't really keep Falco out either, because lasers stuff your ability to get the projectile wall going. It's not unwinnable due to the many 0-80/death combos and edgeguards we have available on Falco, but it's just so hard to get to that point.

[My Thoughts] Agreed that it's basically our worst MU at the moment. The main trouble lies in getting enough **** on the board to wall him out, and that he can put out more than we can start up. I have found success in abusing the Hell out of the Hylian Shield where I can, forcing Falco to come in and playing extremely defensively until he opens himself up for an attack. Generally, I stick to jabs, dTilt, nAir, and even uB. Everything else feels too slow to consider starting an offensive shift with. uThrow to uB to feel his tears flow at most percents. I don't disagree with the matchup ratio.

: 45:55

Still has the insane pressure and speed and shine spikes are brutal. However, since his lasers don't stun, we can actually throw stuff, and we still have the great combo game on him.

[My Thoughts] Same as what you said, and mostly the same as what I had to add about Falco. uThrow to uB for death, but feel free to play more aggressively with him. My advice in this MU? Quit shield grabbing unless it's dAir, and try to never throw out a grab in neutral unless you absolutely know it will connect. Matchup ratio sounds right.

: 65:35

He punishes hard, like really hard. It might even be 60:40, but eh, he's a fatty. #throwstuff

[My Thoughts]Ganon's easy for Link, but I think he's got tools to deal with a campy Link. Jab, fTilt, nAir, and in some cases dTilt are enough to completely shut out wimpy 'rangs. I go bomb/zAir-heavy in this MU. 'Dorf simply cannot punch those out. Be careful not to get baited into a Wizard's Foot punish on a 'rang throw, and keep your projectile game loose and flexible. Don't fall into patterns. Dark Lord of Dunks and Stomps has that title for a reason. Matchup spread might be somewhere around 60/40, but, that's a small enough difference to where it might not even matter to many people.

: 60:40

Deceptively fast and well-placed fairs will keep you off the ledge every time if you don't recover immediately. There's not much he can do to get past projectile walls though and we probably combo him harder than he combos us.

[My Thoughts] Agreed, but watch out for Counter spam and adapt accordingly. If you're eating counters each time you try and get in, it's time to stop throwing 'rangs. Just something to keep in the back of your minds. Matchup spread sounds fair enough.

: 55:45

I never found this matchup to be that bad in Melee as it is. Now we have zair which spaces out anything he can throw at us. Plus our great projectile game. It ain't easy, though, he can still get in, he can still combo the crap out of us, and his sword is still longer than ours.

[My Thoughts] I'm a sucker for bombs, and 'Swear by the zAir' has been something of a quoted Link mantra in my own area because of my zAir spam. zDrop bombs and form a defensive 'wall' to hide behind. Marth swinging at the fences any closer than tipper distance is going to eat a lot of explosions, and leave him on the defensive. When raw sword length isn't enough in matchups like this, zAir and bombs will go a long way. Just be careful with 'rang for the same reasons as 'Dorf; a patient Marth can stuff them out. I would go as far to say it's a 60/40 in our favor.

: 40:60

He's too fast. He has too many options. All the time. What makes this doable is the fact that we combo him very hard and are able to kill him with dthrow>dair pretty early.

[My Thoughts] Agreed. The only real things we have going for us are straight-up kill potential (which you covered) through the Helm Splitter combo, and the fact that MK sucks at dealing with projectiles. Assuming that's not changed come 3.5, I think that we'll have at least a fighting chance against him. I would personally play against him the same way I would against Fox. Avoid overextending into him or risk shield grabbing, and avoid neutral grabbing/shield grabbing on this guy. Our sword is longer, so try to find success in holding down one position (under a platform if you can, to limit his speedy approach options) and stuffing his approaches from the air with some well-spaced and simple jabs. Don't challenge him if he's on the ground, since dTilt will out-poke nearly everything you've got, and it's fast enough that he can adjust if you try and punish it most of the time.

: 40:60

Our projectiles stuff a lot of his options, but it's hard to place them all correctly when the Blue Blur is just zippin around at the speed of sound. Link's weakness is still his lack of mobility, and Sonic might just be too fast. It might even be as bad as Falco except Sonic can't snuff out projectiles.

[My Thoughts] One of my closest friends, off-and-on roommate, and crew member (and a fellow Smashboard member) is considered one of the top (if not the top) Sonic in the Northwest, so I feel I've got enough experience in the MU to discuss it. This is the only one I really disagree with more than agree with. Link's movement is just not going to cut it against Sonic, so focus your game more on digging in, standing your ground, and punishing the inevitable b-button assault he's going to perform on you. Don't let yourself get trapped in shield, and remember that Sonic is possessed of next to no disjoint. Swords > body attacks. Just let him run into your jabs forever, and laugh when your simple pokes slow him to a grinding halt. Laying out bombs doesn't hurt, either, even if some of his options simply shove them away. Inexperienced Sonics will avoid 'em like the plague, and even having the threat of instant glide toss is enough of a threat to give you some breathing room.

Treat it like the spacie matchups in that you don't want to be throwing out neutral grabs or shield grabs. Like, ever. Sonic can just roll right through you and go from one end of FD to the other before you've even begun to recover from your whiffed grab. Use 'rang intelligently, 'aim where they're gonna be, not where they are', and treat it like Zelda's Din's Fire traps. Throwing a 'rang up is probably going to result in Sanic coming at you from straight on, so just prepare accordingly.

Sonic's recovery game is strong, but linear and predictable. His options are to homing attack in, which is slow, or spin dash in, jump cancel it, and Spring to the stage. Spring goes straight up, so feel free to go for that dAir fast-fall if he's at last stock and you're up one or more. Nobody expects the ol' Suicide Splitter.

Oh, and if he gets too predictable with Spin Dashes, have an upSpecial waiting for him. Hilariously effective.

Jab, Dash Attack, dTilt, and nAir are great attacks in this matchup. Your normal combos work just fine here, the real challenge is in shutting down his movement. Stage picks mean a lot in this matchup, too.

TL;DR: Sonic's fast, but you've got the pokes to shut out his movement. Your physical range > his physical range. You combo him to death, easy. His recovery is predictable, your anti-recovery options are fairly strong (nAir, bomb dropping, fAir if he comes in high). Play it patiently, and play it smart. Don't try beating him at his own game or trying to outrun him, you'll just get KO'd tired.

I would put it in Link's favor, reversed. 60/40.

 

[Heero Yuy]

Just a few things I disagree with, but is a good list overall:

:

Falcon shouldn't be any worse than 45:55 Falcon's favor. Just avoid throwing projectiles in his face all the time because he can simply just Nair them away. Instead, rely more on stage control and limiting his amazing movements. To cover even more space, it almost never hurts to approach with the sword since his range is vastly inferior to ours. Falcon has hard punishes on us but so do we on him. Not saying it favors us, but it's not as bad as people think.


I'm really starting to get convinced that Kirby is one of our harder matchups due to his size and his crouch. Not to mention he can combo us really well and we can barely combo him till like 30%. Not to mention he can edgeguard us while we can edgeguard him. Like Squirtle you can't simply throw the rang at him since it'll very likely miss. It potentially can be in our favor but for now I think it favors Kirby by a small margin.

: and :
D3 feels a lot like fighting Zard. I'll note his edgeguards are really good and his projectile game is fairly above average as well. Not to mention that hammer + the range. We should get the edge in combos and neutral game, but not by that much. It should be about even.

I still think Peach favor us but sort of for the same reason above turnips can be as annoying as both the bombs and rang combined. She punishes us harder and edgeguards us better too. Since she's a pressure-heavy character and we suck vs pressure, I figured this matchup should be no better than 60-40.

:
I think it favors us but I'll note that it just seems like he's a faster Falco in the sense he can weave in with his deadly Dair a lot better. His pillar combos can also be as deadly as Falco's, not to mention his laser can actually clank out the rang. He's still pretty fast but it should be closer to even than any of the other spacies.

I agree with Fortress completely that Link beats Sonic. Anyhow here are a few of my matchups that Jeste didn't include...

:Zelda:: 55:45
This matchup is hands-down the trickiest because you have to play your neutral game completely different. The Nayrus approach and the teledashing (thank goodness this move is getting removed in 3.5) all account for her ways to get into Link's range. Don't rely on throwing things in her face - mindgame and mixup as much as you can with your projectiles. Use the Zair a lot when approaching - it's a waaaay safer approach. The good thing is that she cannot camp you because when she's throwing a Dins you can just snipe her with an arrow. While she's in the air, your Uair is your safest move. Fair and Nair will risk getting hit by a kick. Have had matches with Zhime before, so more detail coming soon.

:Snake:: 60-40
Unless you're fighting Professor Pro or Rolex, you should be winning the neutral game all day. Your projectile game is much better than his and your punishes should be easier since Snake's weight is the same(?) as Link's. Snake has to mindgame his way in to get a hit on you, which requires plenty of creativity. Also, rang bops the darts. Play a horizontal game with him and you'll be solid.

:Yoshi:: 50-50
The armor, combos, and eggs are all really annoying. I haven't figured this out yet but I'm giving it a rating based on my own theory... Anybody feel free to dispute.

:ROB:: 50-50
ROB CAN in fact camp Link. His horizontal control beats everything Link has. They combo and edgeguard each other pretty well but if you take advantage of his big hurtbox (he's slightly on the fatter side) you should be able to pull it off.

(Edit: The emoticons won't show up... Curse you proxy.)

 

[Player -0]

I think Yoshi is in Yoshi's favor. Also vs. Peach is probably in Link's favor. Boomerang wrecks floats and Peach can't get in.

 

[MLGF]

I've come to the conclusion I jsut need to CP Link because Ike v Link is cancer.
Seriously, what's Link's worst matchup?

 

[Fortress]

I've come to the conclusion I jsut need to CP Link because Ike v Link is cancer.
Seriously, what's Link's worst matchup?

Falco or Pit, probably.

 

[JesteRace]

I've never had trouble with Pit. Falco for sure, perhaps also Metaknight or Diddy.