Skler's Link guide: How to Play Link and Not Lose Too Much. Jab lock included!

[Dante X]

i actually think everyone is gravely underestimating link.

i think he is not as mid tier as everyone thinks.

marth was almost unplayable against as link between me and my friend.

now my link can continuously punish marth for whatever he does.


edit:

i would just like to say that the upsmash is now one of link's best moves

I agree, Link is definitely a lot more competitive.

 

[lime_backwards]

I liked this Sker. This has given me some good ideas on how to (and not to) approach and other things in general. Link has changed, but it is only a matter of time before we (probably longer for me...) can adjust.

 

[Aurashade]

Aura, if you want to cry on the inside, you should go look at Renth's thread he requested to be closed on the Ganon boards.

I saw it, I wish the Link boards got quality threads such as that, instead we get really crappy threads about which game of zelda I would play on a Tuesday or some garbage like that.

 

[Iwan]

Sticky this fo sho

Nice thread Skler.

 

[Deleted member]

I saw it, I wish the Link boards got quality threads such as that, instead we get really crappy threads about which game of zelda I would play on a Tuesday or some garbage like that.

i lol'd 10char

 

[The_Woebegone_Jackal]

I thought it was a good guide, it really should help people understand his weaknesses and learn to compensate for them.

I do have a question about edguarding though. When they are really far out and I have time I like to throw a boomerang out and up away from the edge then hop over it on its way back, creating a gale that goes out over the edge and pushes recovering opponents away. It gimps their recovery pretty well and keeps their airjump/recovery move from making it to the edge thus often killing them. I've gotten this to work against comps and my girlfriend (I get a new bruise every time it works) but I wanted to know if anyone thinks it would (or does) work in high level play.

 

[Skler]

It hardly pushes them away though, Brawl recoveries are so good the gale doesn't stop them. It does mess with bad recoveries (like other Links and maybe Marth) because it takes away momentum and gives them a slight push backwards.

 

[-notic]

i once hit both swipes of a downsmash due to a gale and screwed up lucas's pk thunder recovery with the gale. but it's extremely difficult to do these on purpose

 

[NJzFinest]

Amazing guide, Skler is the truth.

Link is so limited in approaching now and is lacking in offense; I'm forced to run away and spam.

I think Toon Link vs Link in Brawl is now like Marth vs Roy from Melee.


edit:
Cool thing I did to my friends Link with DK:
He threw the Gale boomerang and I took a ride on it back to Link with a Giant Punch, it was pretty funny cause he also forgot about the super armor.

 

[Twin_A]

I've always respected your Link Skler and this guide does help even tho it isn't very detailed. Any chance you can put up what you do against certain characters? Might help people get an idea of how to use Link a little more effectively.

Also what cracks me up is gimpyfish has a video on youtube explaining why you have to accept your characters weaknesses (he even bashes on Bowser). but it is true that to play your character at his best you need to know their flaws perfectly.

 

[Iwan]

Amazing guide, Skler is the truth.

Link is so limited in approaching now and is lacking in offense; I'm forced to run away and spam.

I think Toon Link vs Link in Brawl is now like Marth vs Roy from Melee.


edit:
Cool thing I did to my friends Link with DK:
He threw the Gale boomerang and I took a ride on it back to Link with a Giant Punch, it was pretty funny cause he also forgot about the super armor.

Agreed...Link in melee was versatile in that you could be defensive or offensive.

Now he's more of a defensive character, which isn't bad depending on your play style i guess. But this is the best guide I've seen, and btw....Skler, you couldn't be more right on Link's approach game.

 

[Skler]

I'll put up character specific stuff later, I put this guide up to give people an idea of how Link should be played in general.

 

[BrimeZ]

I don't think Link's offense game is that bad. His standard A on the ground is great for spacing, weaking your opponents sheid so you can tear it apart with projectiles, combo breaking, and since it's not a killing move, it worth it using it over and over. He also has alot of characters when it comes to range, and most of his moves are faster. Link's not as useful as Marth in the air, but he can cut through Marth's attacks with all his arials except the nuetral air as far as I've seen. He can also approach chacters pretty well by shorthoppin the back air, nuetral air and forward air which don't have much or anylag at all. Playing defense with Link is always safe way of using him, but he can tangle up close well with half the cast.

 

[Aurashade]

Wow, the people I would think listen to my posts and hang on my every word turn out to be the biggest idiots. Stop, for the love of god, comparing Toon link to link. It's in no way like, "hur hur its marth versus roy hur hur lookie here im a smarti guyz" so stop making it look like it. Toon Link and Link are very similar (you can play them both the same **** way and win matches) but the thing is, since they're so alike, it comes down to skill. I'll bet more than half of you have never played Toon link or Link for that matter, because it seems like most of you know little to nothing of what attributes both characters possess.

 

[HiIH]

THe problem with cutting through marth's aerials are the startup lag though. Marth's is nonexistant, while Link's is noticeable, especially his fair. I doubt his bair would cut through sword priority, and uair and dair are hard enough to hit with, not to mention the horrible landing lag.

Does Marth outreach you anymore though? I know his reach is horrible, and while Link's grab range sucks, how about his actual sword spacing range? I never think about it unless I'm jabbing, and then I just end up doing the three hit combo instead of pausing to grab, because the time it takes to get a grab outm, you're already getting hit from the decreased stun time.

= ( Sometimes Brawl makes me sad.

 

[BrimeZ]

THe problem with cutting through marth's aerials are the startup lag though. Marth's is nonexistant, while Link's is noticeable, especially his fair. I doubt his bair would cut through sword priority, and uair and dair are hard enough to hit with, not to mention the horrible landing lag.

Does Marth outreach you anymore though? I know his reach is horrible, and while Link's grab range sucks, how about his actual sword spacing range? I never think about it unless I'm jabbing, and then I just end up doing the three hit combo instead of pausing to grab, because the time it takes to get a grab outm, you're already getting hit from the decreased stun time.

= ( Sometimes Brawl makes me sad.

I could have analyzed it wrong, but I'm pretty sure Link's fair can beat Marth's fair 95%. The move starts up faster this time around and actually finishes alot faster too. Making it possible to hit with the second strike consistantly. I'm pretty sure the hitbox is around Link as soon as the moves starts. If a Marth is coming toward you in the air, it's mostlikely that the Marth is going to fair, if not, then a dwon B. You should already know to activate the fair. And I've been able to get past Marth's fair with Link's bair as long as I sweetspot it. If the edge of Link's foot is not the first part of him connecting, than it won't work, atlest from what I've seen. And Link's down air beats Marth's up air, and his up air beats Marth's down air, like in Melee. But the lag is horrible. If you short hop, than second hop the up air, you will usually have on lag upon landing.

The standard A attack has more range than Marth's, but Marth easily get past the first two strikes of Link's standard A with the forward tilt or forward smash.But the standard A move is a great move for spacing against all characters, including marth. It helps make up for some things that Link lacks in Brawl. It's harder to shield grab Marth in opinion this time around, because of the grabs range. Never try it if Marth does a forward smash, though you can easily catch them out of arials. But short hopping the hookshot is a good technique to use against a Marth, aslong as he doesn't down B it.

 

[Skler]

I don't fair battle with marth because his fair is so much faster. Aerial clawshot is the best anti-marth aerial defense. I'm headed to a big Brawl tourny in April, once I see what everyone is doing I'll be able to write about Link's matchups with a good idea of what's going on.

 

[BrimeZ]

I don't think anybody in the right mind playing Link would want to resort to trying to best Marth in the air. Marth is probably the best edgeguarder in Brawl(He was in Melee for the most part). The most common way for Marth to edgegaurd in Brawl(Atleast from what I've seen) is using the fair. Link can cut through Marth's fair with his fair when Marth is edgeguarding, as long as you start you attack first. And the fair is fast enough in this game not to be all that obvious. The worst thing a Marth can do is go out of his way to use the Down B. But if you don't attack at all, Marth will die and you'll survive.

The best way to handle a Marth is by Projectile work, which we all learned from Aniki way back in Melee. I was planning on going to a Big Brawl tourney in April also, some TGP event in Pennsylvainia. It'll help me alot with my character match ups.

 

[Skler]

I might update this pretty soon with some character matchups. Right now I've got **** to do though, so be prepared!

Also, sticky?

 

[Crooked Crow]

This guide is awesome.
Since bombs can't really outspam DDD's spam, how's his arrows?
And what do I do against a spammy Pit?

 

[HiIH]

Marth's fair is quick enough is all he has to do is clink with yours, IF IT CLINKS, and then a second one comes out faster than your second one.

 

[Garde]

Good guide for the basics of how to play Link, Skler. You've done a great job summarizing the most important concepts required to win against character types, which is something all people who aspire to play competitively should know.

Fortunately, the basics of how to play Link have stayed pretty much the same throughout all the iterations of the SSB series. Anyone that's played him from one game to the next has carried over a minimal amount of basic tactics, and I'm afraid he's far more reliant on his projectiles now than in either of the previous two games.

Even if people say your guide is negative, I feel it's a lot more down to earth than most of the other topics here. As Link, people have ALWAYS had to seriously consider the thought of losing. He always has to work really hard to get kills, though he's definitely had some undeserved nerfing from Melee to Brawl. He's still playable, and all competitive Link players have always understood that they need to work for their kills, it only applies more so now than ever before.

I don't main Link anymore, I made that decision long before Brawl was released, but whenever I saw updates about Link, or little bits of footage, I felt a part of me die as I saw some changes being made to the game in general and to him specifically that really toned him down a few notches. I still play him, as he's pretty much a secondary/tertiary character for me (I've played him so long that he still feels natural with all the changes).

I have to say, there is at least one good thing that he got in Brawl, imho. In general, his ground moves seem to be better (whether in speed, priority, damage or knockback).

It doesn't justify all the horrible things they've done to him, but I think he's still playable as I still use him, just not as my main.

EDIT: Just to add one more thing. I think playing a character like Link is a very valuable experience to many players. A character so dependent upon stage control and spacing really helps give you a different look at the game than just playing a character that has good range and priority on their melee attacks. It'll help you regardless of what character you play.

Anyone that sticks with him as a main for tournaments has my utmost respect, and my best wishes.

 

[Skler]

Updated this with some dancing Link action. Hope that keeps you guys happy until I get some detailed character matchups.

 

[Lightshade]

Skler, this is a good guide. You know where this compliment comes from so you know its great.

 

[Skler]

Yay, this got stickied! Now I'll have to update it...

...tomorrow

 

[Aura_ace]

Wow, that helped me a lot. i like your realistic look at things. thanks again

 

[Sonic The Hedgedawg]

Despite the fact that link is generally bad, and toon link is generally good, I tend to find that link does well against toon link.
Since link's projectiles have better speed, range and power than toon link's, projectile trading will normally end poorly for the cell shaded clone.
Also, link's sword is quite a bit stronger than toon link's and has more range, making it really hard for ton link to do what he normally does, and keep you from getting too close.
Link is the only character, to my knowledge, that outranges toon link and has projectiles which can combat toon link's.
Don't get me wrong, toon link is widely considered much better for a reason, his agility is SO much bette that it's not even funny.... meaning that toon link can get a cheap KO on you because you couldn't manage to recover, and you are gonna have to KO toon link the good old fashion way.


edit: reflecting upon this, I think pit and dedede also outrange toon link and have respecatable projectiles.

and against DDD, regular link will just have to rely a bit more heavily on sword than on projectiles.

against pit..... well... good luck.... though your projectiles pack more of a punch, I don't think you'll be able to use any of them before being hit by a glowing blue arrow... at least, not if you are going to try and camp.

You pack more of a punch than pit and have more speed than DDD, but both of them destroy you off the edge or in the air, so do your best to never be there

 

[Deva]

Believe it or not, Link does have some combos. Take melee for example, Almost all of Link's combos weren't actually combos. It was just from an opponent missing the DI or using wrong DI. In Brawl, if you full hop fast fall a nair you can usually u-tilt or u-smash them out of it. If an opponent gets hit by the rang close range, they usually miss the tech so you can dash attack them. Samd goes for the claw shot. If an opponent is approaching you with a short hop, if you sh bair and only land the first hit you can f-smash out of it or any smash to KO. They can get out of it, but it's fast enough that they usually don't see it coming. Also, don't forget the Deva combo, lol. If you space the clawshot perfectly it's pretty hard to follow up since it knocks them pretty far. However, if you kara cancel an u-smash afterwards it ends up being a really cool combo. Again, they can get out of it, but it's really quick and unexpected and at some percents it's guaranteed. This makes players even more wary of the claw shot so it becomes quite a useful aerial to ward opponents. Also, unlike Samus's grapple, it can hit opponents low to the ground if spaced properly.

 

[-Zangetsu-]

Good guide ty ^^

I Played Link ever since N64 for all these years, and through melee. I swore i'd never main ne one else. Now i see Link as this and i cant believe how they utterly destroyed him.

At least he can arrow cancel hahahhaaa............aaaaa~ :Cry: ; . ;

 

[YoungMoney702]

good guide i do many of the things when i use Link

 

[itachi24]

Because being Link mainer.
I`m new in this forum but i hope that you read my post,Link maybe is not the best character to play but sure that he is the best character to learn how to play,maybe not basic game or advanced game but mind game,I have always main link since melee(i have never played n64) and yeah I used to be awfully punish by Fox,Luigi,Mario and other uptiers even with a lot of advanced techniches but thanks to that I gained a lot of mind game experience actually it is true you learn a lot from your losses and now I rarely Loss ,thanks to be link mainer now I can predict oponnents DI, dodge,rolls etc that now gives me great advantage to any character ,because being Link mainer.

 

[MdrnDayMercutio]

Being a Sonic main that plays a Link main all the time. A note or two to add to your guide against sonic.

Always aiming low with the boomerang is absouletely true. Learn to time your arrows just right and it becomes really hard to approach. If you charge too long/fire to late he'll spin under them. Same with the bombs.

Tethering is dangerous, if you do and Sonic runs of the stage expect a stage spike.

If for some reason a sonic's spin dash clashes with you, shield. He will come outta that ball swinging.

I'm throwing these out there as they, if you play a sonic much, are obvious, but if not they aren't, and because I love a good challenge. If I run into any of you in the future I want a tough match and I love fighting Link's. That is all.

Oh. And a minor suggestion for the Edge guard section, you mention the gale boomerang. But one really good use for it in terms of edgeguarding isn't in there. If you knock them off the edge, at the edge, toss the rang out towards the center of the stage and try and use your projectiles to goad their timing, short hop over the rang and they'll be swept far and away.

This technique very nearly killed me the first time I saw it by accident. It was a different set up, where I, as sonic of course, knocked a link off the edge after I hoped over a rang. As I leapt out for some gravity defying edge guarding it returned as the link fell under it. It swept me, probably, I'm only guessing as I'd never be able to recreate it, right next to the blast line. It amazed me that it never stopped pulling and actually seemed to speed up after the missed return. I think I died out of pure shock when it happened. But from the distances I'm guessing I would have died unless I managed a very quick recovery and an edgehog would have probably spelt my doom.

It's tricky and I'm not sure if it'd work out but it's an idea to toy with and something to try at least. There's still hope out there for Link.

LOW TIER POWERS ACTIVATE!

 

[Kempatsu]

Well - Let me tell you. I personally think Link is fantastic and have found numerous and creative ways to get kills. His items are all meant to work in conjunction. Also, his throwing power is pretty darn good. Especially for bombs.

I have been playing Melee from the time it came out till brawl was released. I have been to numerous tournaments and such. I mained Link and Falco.

It took awhile but I realized that the Link in brawl is in no way shape or form like the Link in Melee. Considering they are different people, they will have massively different strats.

I have learned how to get cheap kills with the new link. When I knock someone off the stage - I face the opposite direction and throwing the gale boomerang. When it comes back, I jump out of the way and it will USUALLY push the person coming back much to far. Sometimes I'll hold onto the ledge with bomb in hand in order to spice things up.

Link is good and so is everyone else. I noticed the depth of this game is a bit frightening. I have logged a little over 400 hours already...and its all been accumulated threw ffa's. Haven't really played first player mode. I'm pretty lucky to have 13 friends now that play as much as I do.

Got a little off topic. The point is: Link is good. You guys aren't giving him enough credit.

Thanks! =)

 

[DarkWarCloud]

I'm sad you didnt mention what makes most link players approaches good..
boost ^smash.
it can be done instantly.. but it takes a lot of steps...
dash forward>press down on the c-stick>press up right when you press the cstick down> press z at the same time that you press up.
practice the timing with this. it makes link go half across FD, it is an amazing approach, it cant be shield grabbed (if you space it right), and it is hard to avoid because because it has multiple hits that last a long time.
link has ana amazing approach with just one move 0-o

 

[NJzFinest]

Since this has be growing more popular after Mew2King's post, Skler, you should include some Link's jab lock tricksies.
All I know is that it's pretty easy after a boomerang but kinda difficult to do it the lock itself consistently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-wWcQHZyyY
^ 00:53 (he messes up and just Dairs)

 

[sonic boy]

cool guide nice job

 

[DivineBlade]

Dude, Link may not be the best of the best and may have bad recovery but he can be good if you read their movements.

 

[Link Lord]

Nice tricks, very useful. Thanks!

 

[Deva]

Dude, Link may not be the best of the best and may have bad recovery but he can be good if you read their movements.

Like every other character in the game......>_>.

 

[Dingding123]

Link has a WHOLE buncha tricks up his sleeves.
Otherwise, he's worse than just about any other char. :/