Meta Link's Metagame Thread (Informative Quotes Can Be Found in the OP)

[KenMeister]

So with our ability to poke/ force reactions out of people with Jab1 gone now, is the gameplan now to just run away and camp, or are there any other decent substitutes we can use in place of Jab1?

 

[Zerker]

Will fully charged d-smash break fresh shields? Or does it also need to be slightly weakened as well?

http://i.imgur.com/lK6AroM.gifv

(sorry for the frame losses)

 

[KenMeister]

http://i.imgur.com/lK6AroM.gifv

(sorry for the frame losses)

That looks extremely gimmicky....


....and cool.

 

[Dumbfire]

Link can't break shields for ****. Nor poke them. And since our grab is bad, shields really hate us.

 

[KenMeister]

Yup, my thoughts exactly, I just need to have.....some options I guess. Guess heavyweights will always get the short of the stick when it comes to shields and shieldgrabs (unless you're Melee Ganon) , and when you really think about it, it doesn't make sense. At all. Sakuria plz.

 

[Elessar]

So with our ability to poke/ force reactions out of people with Jab1 gone now, is the gameplan now to just run away and camp, or are there any other decent substitutes we can use in place of Jab1?

Basically, yes. We are at at a very sad moment on our meta: back to brawl's meta. I'll be trying to upload a match today (with Zelkam's help) which I believe reflects what our current meta is. At least it's how I've been having some success.

Also, DF is right. W can't break shields. Dsmash is our best tool and even it doesn't damage shield that much as to warrant going for early shield pressure. Only when the shield is half way depleted or so. Good thing is that people right now don't expect it so they'll try to shield it.

 

[DarkDeity15]

Basically, yes. We are at at a very sad moment on our meta: back to brawl's meta. I'll be trying to upload a match today (with Zelkam's help) which I believe reflects what our current meta is. At least it's how I've been having some success.

Also, DF is right. W can't break shields. Dsmash is our best tool and even it doesn't damage shield that much as to warrant going for early shield pressure. Only when the shield is half way depleted or so. Good thing is that people right now don't expect it so they'll try to shield it.

Well, a fully charged dsmash is able to break shields easily when a shield is slightly depleted. I've landed one successfully a few times, not that it matters anyways.

Anyways, I'm not going to be able to lab or be online all the time, so I'll be taking down notes of any finds and post them here when it's possible.

 

[Knife8193]

So ledge-trumping... what can we follow up with that hits in time? Bair (though seems like a weak punish)?

Does spin attack work after a ledgetrump? Would test this, but have no partner to lab with at the moment.

 

[Lawz.]

So ledge-trumping... what can we follow up with that hits in time? Bair (though seems like a weak punish)?

Does spin attack work after a ledgetrump? Would test this, but have no partner to lab with at the moment.

Guaranteed damage is the best kind. It's meant for getting damage while putting your opponent in a bad position in this situation.

 

[kxiong92]

I watched Elessar's pivot ftilt example in the video thread. I noticed that the Mario that he was playing couldn't get any grabs and didn't seem to do any dash grabs after shielding Link's ftilt. Is it possible to not get punished when using a spaced ftilt against a shielding opponent?

 

[Fox Is Openly Deceptive]

Is it possible to not get punished when using a spaced ftilt against a shielding opponent?

Just like with any non-specific question, the answer is, it depends.

Against a Mario:
Even if he is standing right up against Link, F-tilt has too much shield knockback so Mario will not be able to grab Link OoS.
If Mario is standing right up against Link then drops shield and immediately does a dash grab, it is just barely possible for Mario to grab Link before he can spot dodge.
If Mario is standing very close to Link such that Link's shield is rubbing his nose, Link can spot dodge this dash Grab.
If Mario is standing far enough away from Link such that Mario's Jab 1 just barely misses, Link can Jab Mario before he can dash grab.
If Mario powershields the F-tilt and the F-tilt is well spaced, Link will be able to spotdodge a dash grab and if Link Jabs it may cause a grab break.

But then all of the above gets thrown out slightly if the opponent was running in when they shielded as there will be less shield knockback. This is especially true for really well timed powershields out of a run (yeah, apparently there is such a thing as good and bad powershields) as Mario will retain a lot of his momentum such that even a perfectly spaced F-tilt will be punishable with a grab.

 

[Rizen]

This probably will not be useful but I've hit Greninja's counter with the first hit of Fsmash then hit him with the 2nd. This might work vs Lucario too.

 

[Duck SMASH!]

Hey guys
didn't know where to ask this question, but I figured here is better than making a thread that would get locked within hours.
Do we have a comprehensive list of projectiles that the Hylian Shield blocks? I've seen it block a variety of things (including several from Izaw's Art of Link video) and while it's a good start, I think a comprehensive list would be very helpful for furthering Link's approach and allow surprise punishes on opponents who don't know that the shield would block their projectiles.

And yes, I used the search function. Found nothing.

 

[Knife8193]

It is in the second post.

Link's Metagame: Discuss Strategies and Techniques Here

A few things need updating, like Fox and Falco's lasers are also blockable, but for the most part the list is accurate.

 

[Duck SMASH!]

It is in the second post.

Link's Metagame: Discuss Strategies and Techniques Here

A few things need updating, like Fox and Falco's lasers are also blockable, but for the most part the list is accurate.

Whoops. Missed that. My bad.
It blocks Pac Man's fire hydrant descending? I know it's tougher to confirm because it's a list of what it DOESN'T block, but dayem. That's really useful to know.

 

[Elessar]

Hey guys
didn't know where to ask this question, but I figured here is better than making a thread that would get locked within hours.
Do we have a comprehensive list of projectiles that the Hylian Shield blocks? I've seen it block a variety of things (including several from Izaw's Art of Link video) and while it's a good start, I think a comprehensive list would be very helpful for furthering Link's approach and allow surprise punishes on opponents who don't know that the shield would block their projectiles.

And yes, I used the search function. Found nothing.

So your only options to ask a question were creating a new thread or spamming the first thread you found with th question, instead of, oh I don't know, posting the question in the Q&A thread or checking the index thread where you would've found this link to the exact thing you ask?

Maybe your search function is broken. Yeah let's go with that.

 

[DarkDeity15]

Dude, there are so many ways Nintendo can make Link a much better character without much effort at all. I'll list a few here for the hell of it. Most of the ones here require them only to change the properties of literally just one move.

#1: Reduce Nair's landing lag and lessen weak hit Nair's base KB enough so that you can still combo it into Dsmash at kill %.

#2: Decrease start-up on Link's Fair and reduce first hit Fair's KBG so that you can combo it into grabs at higher %s. Don't do anything to the landing lag or damage, it's perfect.

#3: Give down throw more hitstun for guaranteed combos at least until mid % ranges to make landing a grab more worth the damn effort.

#4: Increase aerial mobility. This would allow for us to space Link's aerials more easily, therefore making them safer. It would also allow for a better ground-to-air combo game to rack up more damage for earlier kills, as well as a better aerial game in general. Don't believe me? Try it yourself by using the glider badge equipment. And to boot, it gives us a better incentive for going on the offensive as opposed to camping, which is why scrubs hate us.

#5: Return jab 1 to it's former IASA glory. Remove the suction properties that keep characters in place as necessary to remove the jab cancel lock this time. What they did to remove it originally was dumb and just plain overkill. We all know how badly it affects Link by having the IASA frames removed.


Here's a couple of broader ways Nintendo can make Link better while putting in some effort:

#1: Adjust the KB on some of Link's moves so that he can combo at higher %s in order to set up kills safely (unlike now for the most part) and so that he can have a better combo game in general. This, again, would also give us more incentive to not camp and would therefore not have the FG scrubs complain as much.

#2: Make moves safer across the board and make at least one kill move safe to throw out, such as Ftilt or Dtilt (which is pretty useless now, so why not make it a safe kill move at high %?).

As for the Spin attack specifically, it needs less start up and should have similar if not less endlag to how it was in Melee. Decently strong lingering hitboxes that scale with the amount of charge are highly recommended as well. Give us a reason to use this move, Nintendo. Spin Attack even as it is now is still too unsafe and unrewarding to be worth using as a practical kill move when uncharged. Sitting there to charge it up isn't practical most the time either and simply isn't enough to make it a good move even if you manage to somehow make it to max charge. The endlag is just too much if you wiff the move. What's worse is that you need to hit someone at the very beginning of the move if you want any sort of reward. Hitting with later parts of it will get you nothing for your commitment, which is stupid.

I know this is considered speculation, but it's still a pretty important subject Imo.

Edit: Don't take this as me saying that Link is terrible, because I still think he's good enough to make it into mid tier. The fact that he is miles ahead of his Brawl self is proof enough to me.

 

[Naroghin]

Whoops. Missed that. My bad.
It blocks Pac Man's fire hydrant descending? I know it's tougher to confirm because it's a list of what it DOESN'T block, but dayem. That's really useful to know.

You'll have to forgive our severity, here. If Link doesn't keep his things very organized then we get bombchus snuggling a little too close to our deku nuts and nobody wants to know how that ends.

 

[Elessar]

Dude, there are so many ways Nintendo can make Link a much better character without much effort at all. I'll list a few here for the hell of it. Most of the ones here require them only to change the properties of literally just one move.

#1: Reduce Nair's landing lag and lessen weak hit Nair's base KB enough so that you can still combo it into Dsmash at kill %.

#2: Decrease start-up on Link's Fair and reduce first hit Fair's KBG so that you can combo it into grabs at higher %s. Don't do anything to the landing lag or damage, it's perfect.

#3: Give down throw more hitstun for guaranteed combos at least until mid % ranges to make landing a grab more worth the damn effort.

#4: Increase aerial mobility. This would allow for us to space Link's aerials more easily, therefore making them safer. It would also allow for a better ground-to-air combo game to rack up more damage for earlier kills, as well as a better aerial game in general. Don't believe me? Try it yourself by using the glider badge equipment. And to boot, it gives us a better incentive for going on the offensive as opposed to camping, which is why scrubs hate us.

#5: Return jab 1 to it's former IASA glory. Remove the suction properties that keep characters in place as necessary to remove the jab cancel lock this time. What they did to remove it originally was dumb and just plain overkill. We all know how badly it affects Link by having the IASA frames removed.


Here's a couple of broader ways Nintendo can make Link better while putting in some effort:

#1: Adjust the KB on some of Link's moves so that he can combo at higher %s in order to set up kills safely (unlike now for the most part) and so that he can have a better combo game in general. This, again, would also give us more incentive to not camp and would therefore not have the FG scrubs complain as much.

#2: Make moves safer across the board and make at least one kill move safe to throw out, such as Ftilt or Dtilt (which is pretty useless now, so why not make it a safe kill move at high %?).

As for the Spin attack specifically, it needs less start up and should have similar if not less endlag to how it was in Melee. Decently strong lingering hitboxes that scale with the amount of charge are highly recommended as well. Give us a reason to use this move, Nintendo. Spin Attack even as it is now is still too unsafe and unrewarding to be worth using as a practical kill move when uncharged. Sitting there to charge it up isn't practical most the time either and simply isn't enough to make it a good move even if you manage to somehow make it to max charge. The endlag is just too much if you wiff the move. What's worse is that you need to hit someone at the very beginning of the move if you want any sort of reward. Hitting with later parts of it will get you nothing for your commitment, which is stupid.

I know this is considered speculation, but it's still a pretty important subject Imo.

And this deserves to go in the Metagame thread rather than social because...?

Meta game is for theory crafting, testing the theory craft, and improving our game, not wishful thinking.

 

[DarkDeity15]

And this deserves to go in the Metagame thread rather than social because...?

Meta game is for theory crafting, testing the theory craft, and improving our game, not wishful thinking.

Well alrighty then. However still, patches are going to affect Link's metagame in huge ways. Just sayin.

 

[Elessar]

Well alrighty then. However still, patches are going to affect Link's metagame in huge ways. Just sayin.

I agree, but we discuss them on the fact, not the speculation. Specially not baseless wishful thinking.

 

[DarkDeity15]

I agree, but we discuss them on the fact, not the speculation. Specially not baseless wishful thinking.

Well I wouldn't exactly call it baseless. Everyone in the Link boards wants him to get buffed, right?

 

[Zelkam]

Hey guys
didn't know where to ask this question, but I figured here is better than making a thread that would get locked within hours.
Do we have a comprehensive list of projectiles that the Hylian Shield blocks? I've seen it block a variety of things (including several from Izaw's Art of Link video) and while it's a good start, I think a comprehensive list would be very helpful for furthering Link's approach and allow surprise punishes on opponents who don't know that the shield would block their projectiles.

And yes, I used the search function. Found nothing.

So your only options to ask a question were creating a new thread or spamming the first thread you found with th question, instead of, oh I don't know, posting the question in the Q&A thread or checking the index thread where you would've found this link to the exact thing you ask?

Maybe your search function is broken. Yeah let's go with that.

The only thing is that video isn't 100% complete. What he's really looking for is Rizen's list of all the projectiles Hylian shield blocks which is, ironically, in the OP of this thread. You'll finding it in the 4th post inside the spoiler tag titled "Hylian Shield Blockable Attacks".

 

[Rizen]

The list of projectiles HS blocks is out dated since the last patch. I know it blocks space animal lasers now and probably a few other things too. It needs to be tested again.

 

[Fox Is Openly Deceptive]

The list of projectiles HS blocks is out dated since the last patch. I know it blocks space animal lasers now and probably a few other things too. It needs to be tested again.

I've edited the quote in the OP so that the lasers are no longer listed as unblockable. I can do that kind of thing because I made a specific note at the beginning that I have edited some of the quotes where I've deemed it absolutely necessary or where I've simply trimmed it down to quote just the relevant part.
If you ever get around to re-testing it, including the other unlockable characters you missed etc, feel free to let me know in here and I'll edit the changes in, or you could just copy your own post and edit the changes in yourself, and then I'll replace the quotes.

 

[PKBeam]

fire hydrant and superspicy curry can be blocked btw
try for yourself

 

[Rizen]

@Foxy cool, thanks.
Okay I checked everything and Hylian Shield blocks all range attacks (provided they hit the shield and not Link) except:
Luma's Star Bits
Bowser Jr's upB
Wario's Waft
Ground Shockwaves like From DK's downB
G&W's Oil
Link's gale wind
Returning Boomerangs
Samus' Bombs
Zairs
ZSS' Dsmash
Palutena's Reflector
Ike's Eruption
Any Grab type move (like Robin's downB, Kirby's inhale etc)
Duck Hunt's Smashes
Pikachu's downB after it hits pika
the main rock of Charizard's rock smash
Lucario's Aura Sphere as it charges and force palm's grab (but the farther reaching aura is blocked)
Villager's Bair (but it does block his Fair)
Olimar's Pikmin throw provided the pikmin grab you (so purples are blocked)
Pacman's Ghost smashes, forwardB, fire hydrant after it is launched by an attack, hydrant's water
Mii Gunner's Smash attacks and Uair (but Fair is blocked).

Interesting notes:
The following normal attacks are range attacks and will be blocked:
Mega Man's Fsmash, lemons, Uair, Dair
Villagers Fsmash, Fair
Olimar's smashes
Mii Gunner's Fair

These Multi-hit attacks will be blocked but can push through and hit Link's back:
Zelda's charged phantom
Greninja's charged water star
Mega Man's metal blade
Bowser Jr's mecha koopas can push through then turn around and hit Link

Other interesting things:
Mario's Flood, Falco's reflector, Luma shot will be blocked. HS is great for removing pesky DH clay pigeons/can and DDD's gordos from the battle.
Final Smashes are unblockable.

______________________________________________
I tested Link's Dtilt and as far as I can tell the tip does not spike but the blade spike bubble was given priority:
(Sorry for the old Brawl picture)

See the yellow circle on the blade? Before that would only spike if the blue bubbles didn't touch it but now it meteors even if they do. I think the spike bubble on Link's body was removed.

Even with the power loss and becoming a meteor, I consider this a buff. We have a very situational but reliable meteor to stop sharking and sloppy recoveries. It still is a bad move but no longer worthless.

 

[Elessar]

But if it doesn't hit below the Ledge, which is the case, then we can't use it to stop sharking nor recoveries. It's still useless.

 

[Rizen]

But if it doesn't hit below the Ledge, which is the case, then we can't use it to stop sharking nor recoveries. It's still useless.

I guess sharking was not the right word. We can meteor recoveries going through stages like Halberd and those which overshoot the ledge consistently. If my theory was right :/
It's not good but I can see a few situations where I'd try Dtilt now. Like if Rosalina was recovering through a pass through platform on delfino, some side recoveries like Bowser's upB, Falco's sideB, etc.

 

[Fox Is Openly Deceptive]

@Foxy cool, thanks.
Okay I checked everything and Hylian Shield blocks all range attacks (provided they hit the shield and not Link) except:
Luma's Star Bits
Bowser Jr's upB
Wario's Waft
Ground Shockwaves like From DK's downB
G&W's Oil
Link's gale wind
Returning Boomerangs
Samus' Bombs
Zairs
ZSS' Dsmash
Palutena's Reflector
Ike's Eruption
Any Grab type move (like Robin's downB, Kirby's inhale etc)
Duck Hunt's Smashes
Pikachu's downB after it hits pika
the main rock of Charizard's rock smash
Lucario's Aura Sphere as it charges and force palm's grab (but the farther reaching aura is blocked)
Villager's Bair (but it does block his Fair)
Olimar's Pikmin throw provided the pikmin grab you (so purples are blocked)
Pacman's Ghost smashes, forwardB, fire hydrant after it is launched by an attack, hydrant's water
Mii Gunner's Smash attacks and Uair (but Fair is blocked).

Interesting notes:
The following normal attacks are range attacks and will be blocked:
Mega Man's Fsmash, lemons, Uair, Dair
Villagers Fsmash, Fair
Olimar's smashes
Mii Gunner's Fair

These Multi-hit attacks will be blocked but can push through and hit Link's back:
Zelda's charged phantom
Greninja's charged water star
Mega Man's metal blade
Bowser Jr's mecha koopas can push through then turn around and hit Link

Other interesting things:
Mario's Flood, Falco's reflector, Luma shot will be blocked. HS is great for removing pesky DH clay pigeons/can and DDD's gordos from the battle.
Final Smashes are unblockable.

______________________________________________
I tested Link's Dtilt and as far as I can tell the tip does not spike but the blade spike bubble was given priority:
(Sorry for the old Brawl picture)

See the yellow circle on the blade? Before that would only spike if the blue bubbles didn't touch it but now it meteors even if they do. I think the spike bubble on Link's body was removed.

Even with the power loss and becoming a meteor, I consider this a buff. We have a very situational but reliable meteor to stop sharking and sloppy recoveries. It still is a bad move but no longer worthless.

Damn. Nice work Rizen.
I completely agree with your theory on the spike hitbubble being given priority. There was a definite change in how easy it is to connect, and this would certainly explain it.

I'll replace the HS quote in the OP with this new one.


Edit: I ended up making a kind of amalgamation of the two quotes instead of replacing the old one with the new one. I assume this was ok.
Oh, and I forgot to say earlier, but I think it's BS that Villager's Bair still doesn't get blocked. There is no quality control to speak of.

 

[Elessar]

There is no quality control to speak of.

What? You're talking crazy! It just took them like 3 or 4 patches to fix HS and space animal laser. These people clearly know what they're doing.

 

[DarkDeity15]

Here's a list of theories, ideas, & proven (by me) or otherwise known stuff I've been thinking about lately. And no, I still haven't updated my game.

#1: If you plant a bomb right at the edge of a stage, you can intentionally push it off the edge with your collision box. Bombs can also be placed right at the top of a ledge by tether canceling with a bomb while being just over the stage.

#2: You can safely go deep with a Dair and not worry about SDing by catching a bomb near the ledge with it instead of tether canceling. You can also let the bomb cook depending on how deep you want to go if you're good at timing it (the bomb explodes in exactly 3.66 seconds, so keep that in mind). You can't do this with meteor bombs though of course.

Link might also be able to do an aerial, drop the bomb off stage and then grab the ledge right after if timed correctly. It could be done with a FH Uair.

#3: Ledge trump > meteor bomb? First hit bair > meteor bomb setups should be considered.

#4: You can laglessly and easily pick up a bomb with Uair's autocanceled startup for potential mindgames or even as an alternative to Z-catching a bomb from the ground/near the ground when falling downward. Especially since almost all of Uair's startup can be auto-canceled. You can do the same with Dair, but it's less effective.

#5: Why is Uair so neglected? It's such a good move lol. Not only can it be auto-canceled as long as the hitboxes aren't still active, but it has kill potential and can auto-cancel after a full hop. You can also frame trap airdodges with it due to how long it stays out, aside from you having to be right under an opponent by the time the airdodge ends. Heck, it doesn't even have all that much landing lag and can be comboed out of in certain MUs (the bigger and/or taller characters). Uair meteor bomb catch > Uthrow > Usmash, anyone?

#6: Tether bomb drops while being done very close to the ledge can frame trap ledge grabs and create off stage pressure for those that like to hug the stage, much like Villager's Fsmash, only that the bomb falls more slowly and obviously has less kill potential (if you count out meteor bombs). Cancel the tether and be prepared to follow up if a normal bomb hits your opponent or to gimp a baited airdodge while they attempt to recover. But of course, you can drop a bomb offstage after a SH Bair, Z-drop right up against the ledge, or simply soft throw a bomb at the ledge for similar results. And if you don't feel like going for a ledge grab frame trap, you can always tether cancel and drop a bomb from further out in order to put the pressure on more distant opponents.

#7: TCBS (Tether Canceled Bomb Shine) follow-ups should be experimented with against human players. This could be really effective. No need to follow up or even tether cancel though if you have meteor bombs equipped, in which case it is called a TSM (Tether Shine Meteor).

#8: You can more consistently phoenix bomb a Lucario or Mewtwo (most likely) with a FF Dthrown bomb if the bomb hits their tail (works with other "tailed" characters like Fox & possibly Diddy as well). The timing is still pretty strict, though. Same can be said for hitting short characters like Kirby or MK in general, which was already mentioned earlier by Foxy in the old AT thread.

#9: Meteor bombs are bombslides' best friend.

#10: "Dribbling" meteor bombs (as in throwing the bomb at your feet and then catching it again, or not) might have a use besides being flashy (I like to think of it as Link's version of multi-shines ). Since the bomb is always active while it's moving, this means that there is always an active hitbox inside of Link as long as it's out of Link's hand. So technically if you're being rushed down by an opponent, you can dthrow the bomb and then step back a little while they either run into the bomb (usually while going for a dash grab) or are forced to take action in trying to not get hit, which you can then punish. Even if you don't punish, you've at least managed to stop or slow them from harassing you. It's also possible to mindgame by continuously dribbling the meteor bomb and then throwing when someone least expects it. I can imagine it being pretty confusing for someone to approach you at first. Watch out for the 2.5 second long fuse though. Manage your time wisely.

#11: I've always found JC turn-around throwing bombs out of a run super useful when I find myself being rushed down or just to catch opponents off guard depending on the MU. It stops rush-downs right in their tracks almost every time, whether they're hit by the bomb or are forced to shield, roll forward or spotdodge, which you can punish depending on how far away they are. You can also punish wiffed grabs, dash attacks, ect. almost immediately. If they can jump out of the way in time, that just means that you're too far away. I find that it's more effective the closer they are to you, due to them having less time to react properly and because you can capitalize off of a bomb when they're hit if they get really close. Just don't do it too often against good players though, otherwise it'll become predictable, resulting in them just power shielding through your bombs or even catching them.

Feel free to go ahead and test this stuff out for yourselves.

 

[Rizen]

Some theories I thought of but need to test:
Ledge trump>aerial reverse spin attack, is this a combo?
From a platform on BF/SV etc can Link Dtilt>FF Nair to set up a lock?

 

[DarkDeity15]

Anyone know exactly how long it takes for a meteor bomb to explode? Thanks.

 

[FierceGaiety]

Anyone know exactly how long it takes for a meteor bomb to explode? Thanks.

2.5 seconds

Also always pull out a bomb just before you Power Bow, that is all.

 

[Zelkam]

So I was playing around with Dtilt a little bit and here's my theory on how it's been changed. (Hopefully @ Rizen doesn't mind me stealing and doctoring up his image)

So originally, hitboxes 1 and 3 were the ones that would spike, but the spike wouldn't happen unless you connected with only one of those hiboxes. So, for example, if you connected with both hitboxes 2 and 3 then it wouldn't spike.

My theory is that hitbox 2 is now the only meteor hitbox, and it has priory. So as long as you connect with hitbox 2, regardless of whether or not you connect with any others as well, Dtilt will meteor. This would explain why we can't hit many of the characters hanging from the ledge anymore, because hitbox 2 is higher off the ground. It would also explain why characters like charizard still get meteored, because he sticks his head above the stage, and within range of hitbox 2.

I might be way off here, but this is what i'm currently thinking.

 

[Fox Is Openly Deceptive]

Nope that's correct. That is to say, it's what I think too.

 

[Naroghin]

This is congruent with my findings as well.

Doctor, doctor, doctor.

 

[8MAN]

So as of now, where does d-tilt stand as a move?
As a kill move, I personally feel like it would be best avoiding it all together, seeing as the meteor's scaling is weak, and the knockback won't kill til about 300%.
But what about as a combo starting or damage racking tool? D-tilt still deals 12% and sends characters up, close enough for some aerial follow ups (as previously mentioned). Would d-tilt work against characters that don't have a decent shield grab, if spaced correctly?

 

[Naroghin]

I think spacing would be the key, as you mentioned. Could it be used to continue combos at early percents on lazy opponents? I'm thinking bomb throw down>DropKick>Jab1,2>dtilt>aerial? Then again, wouldn't utilt have the same affect at early percents but is quicker and has better coverage? Hmm, maybe if you could get that combo toward the edge and land the meteor you could go for a meteor>bair stagespike. Maybe nair-trip>dtilt>aerial? It seems to reach farther on the low end.

I look forward to testing this move quite a bit as it's one of the better moves on my other main, so finding ways to implement and use it by instinct would help tremendously.