NintenJoe
Smash Ace
So, I've decided to make this thread so that the Link community can discuss Link's Metagame in an orginized fashion. We also need some of this stuff to be tested, so please post on the thread if you are testing something/want to test something. I will not post things that are already confirmed, such as the Gale Guard and DI Zair recovery.
Ok, so without further ado, here it goes:
Ok, so without further ado, here it goes:
Smoke Screening
NintenJoe]I've been playing around with this idea for a while now. Link's bombs obviously leave smoke whenever they explode which lingers for about a second. That small frame period of time could be used to initiate a charged arrow shot said:Potential Uses: Set up mindgames and allow for easy grabs and projectile usage without the predictability[/COLOR]
Problems: You need to watch your bombs, place them perfectly, and get into the bast radius quickly enough after the bomb explodes to utilize the smoke it creates
Testers: (~Unavailable~)
Boomerang Cancel
Potential Uses: Elimiate most lag on Uair and Dair, Set up DairUair and Dair have a lot of lag and shouldn't be used carelessly because of this. But, if you throw a Gale Boomerang and catch it right when Link reaches the ground, the lag will dissapear. So, here's what we need to do to eliminate Dair and Uair lag:
Throw a Gale Boomerang upward before assaulting your opponent with a Dair or Uair. Make sure you hit the ground when the Gale Boomerang is close to you to eliminate the landing lag. Not only will the Gale Boomerang being thrown upward bring the enemy towards you, it will cancel the lag of Dair/Uair and allow you to follow up with a grab, Jab cancel, Fsmash, etc.
Problems: You need to keep track of the Gale boomerang and its trejectory. You may also land Dair or Uair too early or too late.
Testers: NintenJoe, utilizing the technique in actual gameplay by timing to boomerang where you land a Dair on the enemy, fast fall to the ground, and follow up with a jab combo.
Double Nair Combo
Potential Uses: A potential true combo which will get aerial opponents out of the air and safety spaced onto the ground....I SHed and did a nair. I hit with the hitbox that does less knock back (mind you, the comp was at 60+%) and SHed again and Naired and it connected. This surprised me. It may or may not work against real opponents but it works at high percents just as well as low. BUT you can only do it when both of you are in the air (I think, I need to more tests and a vid later). It might be a true combo (I highly doubt it). And isn't this called buffering? I knew there was a term for doing this.... w/e.
I'll have a video up later. And I'll test if it works on the ground.
Formula:
SH->Nair (less knockback)->SH->Nair (doesn't matter which hit box)
And if it works for Nair, it'll probably work for Fair also.
Problems: Not yet sure if this will work in fast-paced competitive combat or that it is a true combo.
Testers: Blu Link, who is currently calculating the techniques usefullness and combo-ability.
Dtilt True Combo
Potential Uses: Allow Link to true combo an opponent by utilizing the hitstun on Dtilt.Think of the spike hitbox as an outlining of Link's sword. If you hit anywhere beyond that outline, It won't work.
The d-tilt has lot's of hitstun, but sends foes too high to combo into anything. If you ever manage to hit someone with the spike hitbox on a grounded enemy, it'll send them only half way up with all the hitstun still there leading into a true combo if you proceed to attack. The only problem? How are you suppose to hit anyone on the floor with that!?
Problems: Finding the grounded Dtilt spike hitbox and making the enemy go half the vertical distance of a normal Dtilt without impeding the amount of hitstun.
Testers: (~Unavailable~)
Reverse Dtilt Spike/Reverse Dtilt Spike Set-Up
Reverse Dtilt Spike
Potential Uses: Allow Link to spike enemies who are recovering and a vertical angle towards the ledge.Ok, don't know if it's known already here (I'm new here), but after a week of training mode trying to get this down:
Obviously, the sword doesn't spike like it used to in melee, it's changed completely.
The first thing I discovered is that if contact is made with the opponent's FEET (by feet I mean they must be just above you, it can be their head if they are upside down while falling lol), at the hilt of the sword, it spikes. Ridiculous conditions.
Some more tinkering, couldn't really find anything.
FINALLY one day I was just too lazy to turn around as cpu was coming down behind me. So I did the dtilt when they were behind me, and it spiked. And it clicked. At first I wondered if it could really be so simple.
So I played around with it, and learned that if the opponent's DI is toward you and you do a dtilt facing away from them, it will ALWAYS spike. I even used it in a match as proof:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YphFc3Hh3AY[/COLOR]
Problems: Turning around and actually spiking your opponent.
Testers: Sasook, testing the exact hitbox of the Dtilt spike and where it needs to hit the enemy to kill them.
Reverse Dtilt Spike Set-Up
Then I found you can to the right position with a reverse bombslide fakeout. I think this
1) provides a use for the bombslide fake
2) could be useful in that the explosion of the bomb hitting the opponent off stage while they are recovering could bring them right into your spike.Another idea: Jump off the ledge->Gale Guard an enemy so that their only option is to recover towards the ledge at a vertical angle->land on the stage, facing the opposite direction of the ledge->when the opponent recovers, backwards Dtilt spike...the reverse bomb DAC also gives Link a bigger push backwards while sliding than the reverse cancel.The backwards roll is a good way to set up for the reverse spike, but the problem is if you hit you opponent all the way across the map, you probably won't have enough time to run to the other side, roll, the Dtilt spike before they recover.
the problem with the reverse bombslide is that if the bomb hits your opponent, they may not get close enough to the ledge. (I think) The bomb hitting your opponent into the spike seems good, but its very situational to your opponent's DI. If they DI towards the ledge, which seems probable, then it might work.
DAC could work, it moves Link very quickly but there is a lot of lag on it....jab cancel > hope they DI into you a lot > d-tilt?...dash attack > d-tilt spike at mid percents is really easy to do, as long as you've set them up really close to the edge...Potential Uses: Set up the reverse Dtilt spike quickly and more effectively than with the dodge roll.
Problems: Do any of these techniques effectively set up the opponent to be hit by the Dtilt spike or do they just help them recover?
Testers:NintenJoe, Gale Guard->Reverse Dtilt and Bomslide-Reverse Cancel->Reverse Dtilt. Sasook, Bomslide-Reverse Cancel->Reverse Dtilt. BluLink, making a video for the reverse Dtilt spike.
Jab Lock Set-Ups
if they're on the edge of a platform and shielding > full hop n-air from the middle going outwards off the edge with them > this pushes them off the edge > n-air again to lock them > proceed with jablockFavorite Dtilt use: That ridiculous Jablock setup in Ryuto's vid; Zair 1st hit --> Dtilt spike --> Jablock. xDPotential Uses: Set up Link's infinite, the Jab Lock, efficiently and in a variety of different ways to avoid predictability
Problems: Jab Locks are hard to set-up so we need to find easy procedures for doing so
Testers: (~Unavailable~)
Gale Return
Nintenjoe]An old find that I believe could help Link if used correctly. If you throw your boomerang and hit your opponent with a ground move (Smash or Tilt) whilst the boomerang is returning said:Potential Uses: True combos, jab lock set-up. boomerang cancel set-up, possibly a spike set-up.[/COLOR]
Problems: It's very hard to set-up the boomerang perfectly so that it will "catch" the opponent and bring them back to you. It's also very hard to determine where, exactly, your opponent will fly after you hit them with a ground attack. Also, if you have an intention to kill someone, but you Gale Return on accident, you may miss a chance to kill your opponent.
Testers: NintenJoe, tested by setting it up against real players
Ledgehop Bombdrop/4Serial's Bombguard
Potential Uses: This technique could possbily stagespike certain characters, especially those with tether recoveries. It also limits the options of an opponent recovering from the ledge.Basically a way to edgeguard.. Not sure how effective it can be, but it's pretty safe. Take out a bomb, go off the edge, z-drop the bomb, and hug the edge. lol I dunno, I randomly did this and it looked pretty cool. It could be used to edgeguard ZSS.. like you're edgeguarding with a bomb, and you steal the edge from her, with a possibility that the bomb will stagespike her. It just looks really cool... it's similar to that Peach edgeguard in Melee, where she floats to the edge with a turnip, drops the turnip and grabs the edge.
Problems: 4Serial's Bombguard will help Link put a bomb on the ledge quickly, but it's uncertain whether or not this technique will stagespike.
Testers: (~Unavailable~)
Please tell me if I've missed anything.
Discuss.