Links bad match ups?

[InfinityCollision]

Having played the matchup on both sides, Link does better in neutral but Peach does a bit better up close. 55:45 seems pretty reasonable to me.

 

[NickRiddle]

Easily 65:35.
Why is Peach close enough that she can hit you with more than a turnip?

 

[Heero Yuy]

She does have the Nair and Dair to clank out the rang. She's also faster in the air than Link is period. You can't just throw things at her because once she gets besides you, Link is in for it.

For me it just seems harder to kill her for all your good kill moves are aerials, yet she moves so fast in the air.

I've played the matchup on both sides and I just think Link only has a minor advantage.

 

[NickRiddle]

If you say so.

 

[Fenrir VII]

Just saying.. Link vs peach was fairly even in Melee, and Link has been buffed far more than she has..

Projectiles completely aside, I don't think peach gets within a sword range in the match with any consistency. She can't safely approach, and she can't outcamp him. Play this match with all your low cooldown sword moves and I really don't see how she gets through it

 

[GoldHazard]

If you're losing to peach, you're doing it wrong. Her projectiles in no way outprioritize link, and even though she has ways to get around your projectile wall, getting inside of link is going to be a problem. Dodged a bomb? Ok, no problem. You're in slash range now and still aren't close enough to hurt link. Coming in from above? UpB's obnoxious hitbox takes care of that. Threw a turnip at Link? Boomerang smokes it.

I don't see how peach can even be a problem. Unless you're playing against Armada, this is a pretty straightforward and quick fight.

 

[Heero Yuy]

I have to agree with the low cooldown sword attacks part above all else. The Peach matchup is really a test of how well you can handle pressure - since that's what she does to Link in Melee. If she comes in from above and you're in your shield, she WILL Dsmash (though I haven't tried UpB or Nair OoS yet due to the shield lag, someone would have to tell me if this is possible). Just something to be weary of.

Also always DI behind her whenever she Dthrows you, otherwise you'll get Usmashed to your death.

 

[GoldHazard]

I have to agree with the low cooldown sword attacks part above all else. The Peach matchup is really a test of how well you can handle pressure - since that's what she does to Link in Melee. If she comes in from above and you're in your shield, she WILL Dsmash (though I haven't tried UpB or Nair OoS yet due to the shield lag, someone would have to tell me if this is possible). Just something to be weary of.

Also always DI behind her whenever she Dthrows you, otherwise you'll get Usmashed to your death.

There's 10 frames for Nair to come out OoS, so it's a bit slow but doable with correct timing. A Jump Canceled UpB is definitely possible OoS and has saved my ass countless times in games against peach.

 

[NickRiddle]

Angling your shield is so easy in this game that it doesn't matter if Peach d-smashes it.

 

[Goobgoyle]

I think Squirtle is one of the hardest MUs for Link. He is just too small to be reliably camped out, and his attacks come out faster than your own. This is one of those matches that you have to play to the tip of your sword to avoid getting destroyed.

 

[Deleted member]

What do you guys think of rob? I just fought a really good Rob and he mostly wrecked me. He has the weight of a floaty so he's awkward to combo with Link and he's really good at pressuring. Spacing becomes really difficult when he's always on you. I will admit it was also my first time fighting a good Rob so I don't know the matchup at all.

 

[Heero Yuy]

I recently lost to a ROB 2-1. He's a big target and punching bag for your projectiles, however he's really tricky all-in-all.

Wish I had some detailed input, but I don't know it well enough.

 

[vgspud]

I think Squirtle is one of the hardest MUs for Link. He is just too small to be reliably camped out, and his attacks come out faster than your own. This is one of those matches that you have to play to the tip of your sword to avoid getting destroyed.

I agree with this. I don't play against Link often but when I do Squirtle is fast, small, and if you play it right you can get in and unleash hell on him. Would love to practice the matchup more though.

 

[Goobgoyle]

Honestly, I hate the MUs against Squirtle, Pikachu, Kirby and MK. They duck under EVERYTHING. I'm seriously gonna pick up a character just for them lol How do you guys deal with them? Maybe I am just going about it all wrong.

 

[Deleted member]

Crouch-cancel -> dsmash is your best option against Squritle imo, that's what I usually use when he withdraws since he becomes invincible from boomerangs, honestly I don't know why dsmash works but it does. Boomerangs still work on Squirtle out of withdraw but you need to be pretty damn accurate since he's so small. Haven't fought too many really good Squirtles yet so that's all the tips I know to help in the matchup.

Kirby isn't too bad, if he's consistently crouching your boomerangs then you can predict it and punish with a dtilt which leads into combos.

Can't comment on Pikachu and MK as I've yet to fight them as Link.

 

[Heero Yuy]

Pikachu is pretty easy. You have a CG on him to around 40% (correct me if I'm wrong) and the rang works against him pretty well, too. He punishes Link hard but Link can punish him as hard due to his weird weight class. Plus Pikachu's range is awful compared to Link's. A solid 60-40 in Link's favor.

MK isn't that hard for Link either. Just outspace him and don't let him get the Dair approaches, for MK just combos him really well. Also be careful when you throw your projectiles, because that's where he'll try to go in and deal pain. Probably a soft 55-45 in MK's favor.

Kirby is really weird. I and Nick learned the hard way you can't just throw things in his face due to the crouching. Probably favors Link but I haven't figured it out yet.

Never faced a good Squirtle.

 

[Drexel]

Spend the entire match spacing.
Everything else will be easy.

Gotcha!

 

[Deleted member]

Gotcha!

Just don't get hit and you'll be like invincible.

 

[NickRiddle]

Just don't get hit and you'll be like invincible.

There's a reason people praise Isai for his quote.

 

[JesteRace]

I consistently get wrecked by Fox, but I don't think it's that bad for Link, there's just something I'm not catching on too. I, in general, just don't handle fast shield pressure very well. I have a much better time with Bowser, so I'm considering having him as a backup for all spacies, but I would like to be able to get it done with Link.

 

[Gunslinger]

For Squirtle I find it helpful to place a bomb on the floor when you get a chance. It stumps his side B approaches. Jab is also pretty effective. CC dsmash is also your friend. With small, fast characters that like to duck, don't be so projectile happy. It just leaves you open. Don't aim your projectiles at them, they'll just duck. Instead, make a wall around them, to force a certain kind of approach. It's kind of a weird concept to get used to, but it works wonders.

For Fox don't spam your projectiles, the boomerang is very tricky to use in this matchup so I use it only if Fox wants to laser camp, or when I know it'll hit. Be patient with Fox, let him come to you. When he runs in with his inevitable nair-shine approach just jab him. Their next approach options will either be running shine, grab, shield, or another aerial. Generally I find jab shuts these all down, the trickiest one to beat out is the running shine though. If they run up and shield, grab them. Your clawshot and spin attack are probably your most powerful weapons against Fox. Only grab when it's 100% safe or you'll get waveshined across the stage. Not everyone's Mango and can use perfect shield pressure, so shield grab when they make a mistake (although I highly suggest never shielding against spacies, it's what they want). Up-tilt, bair, uair, and up-smash combo McCloud across the Lylat system. If they start dash dancing, your clawshot can beat it. When you grab Fox you have a few options. At low percents, down-throw tech-chase him when you're in the middle of the stage, up-throw up-B him when you're near the edge. At high percents, down-throw up-b. For edgeguards, grab the ledge if they try to sweetspot illusion. Stick out a nair if they try to illusion on stage. If they Firefox, go ahead and nair them if they're in a good position to sweetspot. If it's a hard sweetspot, spin attack. If you're getting edgegaurded while you're above Fox, AGT your way to safety. If you're getting edgegaurded from below Fox, you can either pull a Hylian or a Nick Riddle to dodge those shine spikes. Either cancel your tether to an up-b (like Hylian). Or take advantage of Link's long matrix-esque air-dodge, tether, than wait at the bottom for a second (like Nick Riddle). I suggest mixing it up so your opponent thinks twice about going for those shine spikes. I struggle against good spacies as Link, so I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Fenrir VII]

Don't ever shield in the Fox matchup. There I said it.

 

[Heero Yuy]

Does anybody else think Falcon's not bad for Link? Seriously though, Link has so many tools to keep him away - the sword being his most underrated tool. Falcon might have really hard punishes on him but it's still really hard to get that solid hit. Feels like 55:45 Falcon's favor at worst.

 

[Problem2]

ZSS is stupid bad for Link. More detailed salt later

 

[Deleted member]

Does anybody else think Falcon's not bad for Link? Seriously though, Link has so many tools to keep him away - the sword being his most underrated tool. Falcon might have really hard punishes on him but it's still really hard to get that solid hit. Feels like 55:45 Falcon's favor at worst.

how do you get past his wall of lasers?

 

[Heero Yuy]

how do you get past his wall of lasers?

Falcon

 

[Vidiot825]

Does anybody else think Falcon's not bad for Link? Seriously though, Link has so many tools to keep him away - the sword being his most underrated tool. Falcon might have really hard punishes on him but it's still really hard to get that solid hit. Feels like 55:45 Falcon's favor at worst.

Isn't that just the story of link? Gets punished hard usually but hard to get into? I suppose the lack of sword or projectile doesn't help much though, haha.

 

[Heero Yuy]

Isn't that just the story of link? Gets punished hard usually but hard to get into? I suppose the lack of sword or projectile doesn't help much though, haha.

What Links hate about Falcon is his Nair and his awesome mobility. He's almost as fast as Fox but possibly hurts Link harder upon getting a grab and the Nair just clanks out the rang and whatnot.

 

[Vidiot825]

What Links hate about Falcon is his Nair and his awesome mobility. He's almost as fast as Fox but possibly hurts Link harder upon getting a grab and the Nair just clanks out the rang and whatnot.

From experience I can say link is weak to a strong grab game... From characters such as Falcon, sheik, Fox, etc. Every Nair in the game eliminates boomerang btw, it's commonly the most effective option to get into link, just like the rang is also crouch cancelled until very high percents but nobody does that I guess.
You said at worst, so I'll give you that, but just keep in mind that link combos/juggles Falcon very hard as well, and can keep him out effectively (while spacing mind you) due to falcon's lack of projectile. And if you expect the Nair approach I think links Nair should beat it out (not sure though).
Also... Much easier for link to recover.
I'm not saying that Falcon does bad at all, he does well on link actually. Just for for thought is all.
Edit: asked my bro who is a Falcon and Link main. He says Falcon wins the MU but barely to the point that it may be even, so I suppose you're right about that one, haha.

 

[SSS]

Going to a tournament tomorrow and I have to say Link is the only character I'm not sure if I can fight. Is Snake a hard matchup for Link or should I just stick to Kirby?

 

[Vidiot825]

Going to a tournament tomorrow and I have to say Link is the only character I'm not sure if I can fight. Is Snake a hard matchup for Link or should I just stick to Kirby?

Link is literally snake's worst match up
Best of luck btw

 

[SSS]

Link is literally snake's worst match up
Best of luck btw

idk if i'd say link is snake's worst matchup

a lot of snake players say kirby is snake's worst matchup lol

and thanks

 

[Vidiot825]

idk if i'd say link is snake's worst matchup

a lot of snake players say kirby is snake's worst matchup lol

and thanks

I've never heard about kirby being bad for snake, i'll look into it i guess
Link is good against snake because he keeps him airborne. Plus he plays the set up game more effectively than snake due to boomerang interruptions on snake's setups. If you come against a decent link player, i'd still recommend not going snake unless you're totally sure you can outplay them.

And np!

 

[SSS]

I've never heard about kirby being bad for snake, i'll look into it i guess
Link is good against snake because he keeps him airborne. Plus he plays the set up game more effectively than snake due to boomerang interruptions on snake's setups. If you come against a decent link player, i'd still recommend not going snake unless you're totally sure you can outplay them.

And np!

link ugh pls

 

[Heero Yuy]

Kirby IS Snake's worst matchup hands-down. I'd go into detail had this not been a Link board...

And Snake's not that bad vs Link, probably a little bit in Link's favor. Snake's projectile game is really good to beat out Link. Plus I feel like Snake edgeguards him well.

 

[Gunslinger]

I play both characters, and both pretty much destroy each other if given a good hit, however I think Link has a clear advantage against Snake. Due to the fact both are the perfect wait for combo food it comes down to whose moves have a bigger range and which ones come out faster. Link definitely wins. Snake can spam grenades faster than Link can with his equipment, but Link can have multiple projectiles operating at once. Due to Link's zoning game, a good Link won't be fooled by mines and nade tricks. So use FoD to hide your claymores. Link's up-tilt, up-smash, and up-air juggle Snake for days. Sure Snake can escape with cipher, but that puts him in a vulnerable position. Link's arrows and spin attack are absurdly good for edgegaurding Snake. The best way to approach this matchup as Snake is to rely on his CQC. Link's biggest weakness is the same as Snake's, up-close pressure. Take out Link's rang with nair and start pressuring with up-B dair. Another approach option to get through Link's defenses is crawling. It makes it harder for Link to hit you with projectiles, and if they do hit, you'll hardly move (especially with his rang). CC knife attacks and grabs work wonders. If Link shields it may seem smart to C4 him, but make sure you space it well so you end up behind Link as to avoid the clawshot. Although this puts you in a bad position for Up-B OoS. If Link starts rolling out of Cipher pressure, a tranq will set him right. The tranq gun definitely helps a lot in this matchup, it shoots faster than Link can pull out his rang (although any smart person will jump after they see you draw the gun). If the Link is zairing your nades, condition him to make it seem safe. Then let him do it and come in with a quick DACUS. DACUS is also a good tool for punishing Link's projectile spam if timed right. If you can sneak through the wall of projectiles, definitely grab Link. It'll put you in a CG position at early percents, or you can stick him after up-throw/down-throw. Practice item tech to catch his bombs. Link is heavy like Snake so make sure you rack on a lot of damage before detonating the C4. For edgegaurds don't go too ham offstage, Link's AGT is very good at countering edgegaurd attempts (unless you get him while he's pulling out the bomb). Link will most likely come back unless you have a good invincible bair from the ledge. It might be safer to spam nades/c4 while on stage. If Link gets hit and is at high percent, it'll probably put you in a good position to fair him.

I'd recommend playing as Kirby against Link rather than Snake, but if you wanna challenge, see how well the son of Big Boss can handle the Hero of Time.