The Chain: Links Coming Together & Link's Disciplines

[Ryos4]

Intro:
Hello, and yes this thread has been changed up a bit, moving combo portion to Secrets of The Seven Sages and this thread is going to become more of a Link player database... thingy.

The point of this thread is to see what each player does in battle, what they do that's good, what they have problems with, and basically what their plan of attack. As information on each Link player is gathered, this board will be more able to cater to the community as individuals and as a whole. It can also be easier to see what we need to discuss more for like match ups and stages. It can also maybe spark new ideas when others read up your section. And possibly better Link's Meta game as Link players share their ideas for overall Link play instead of in fragmented discussions. Sometimes the bigger picture is just as important.

So to start things off I will ask each of you Link players out there to post the following:
What is need for each player:
1. Name (Brawl Tag and SWF Account)
2. Color Link
3. List of commonly used AT's
4. Summary of overall strategy
5. Secondaries
6. Best/Worst personal match ups
7. Best/Worst stages

Optional:
Location & FC
Images (Identification images, must not stretch the thread horizontally, or be too big. Probably Sig sized.)
Videos (Combo videos or a match's that depict your style the best)

Players:
HUGLZ(Huggles828): Usually Blue occasionally Red

Spoiler

List of commonly used AT's:
I'll post this up later I guess.

Summary of overall strategy
I play pseudo-aggressively I guess, using projectiles to close in, while trying to stay out of reach of the opponent if possible with spacing. I like throwing in completely random and seemingly ******** things though like running past people or just walking away and projectile spamming. I really like to try to control the tempo of the match, and like to keep it as fast as possible, and try to predict when my opponents might panic. I actually do pretty poorly in very slowly paced matches.

I'm still kinda tinkering with my overall strategy though, so I'm not entirely sure how I play, haha.

Secondaries:
Wolf is probably the character I'd be most comfortable playing as a secondary, but I'm also pretty good with Captain Falcon, Ness, and Peach. I've been told my Diddy and Wario are nasty, and I really enjoy playing as DK.

Best/Worst personal match ups:
Olimar is my worst by far, and not just as Link.
Ike is probably my best matchup I guess.

Best/Worst stages:
I do best on most of the simple stages, like BF, FD, Smashville, or levels that have platforms.
I am absolutely wretched at Green Greens and Luigi Circuit, and Luigi's Mansion, and any level that has walk-off edges.

IYM!: Green

Spoiler

List of commonly used AT's:
Jab Lock,
Bomb Footstool,
Bomb Sliding ( in trainig)
ZAC
Arrow Cancels
Zair With Bomb
DACUS

Summary of overall strategy:
spacing with my projectiles and switch to melee style and , i mix the 2 styles

Secondaries:
i play with other characters only for fun, but i realy want improve with samus, i want her as my second main.

Best/Worst personal match ups:
mmmm... i never think about it , but, like scabe , i enjoy fight agains Snake.
i dont have problems to defeat fox, pkachu and King DDD.
I have not played against many characters, but the group pokemon gave me problems in the past, for now is Wolf my dificult MU

Best/Worst stages:
Final Destination is a good stage for me , but i play better in Battle field. i general, i like play in stage with plataforms like norfair an Smash ville. Of course, if i like a stage, i play better.

Kurai(Itazuki): White

Spoiler

List of commonly used AT's
I wouldn't really say I use any AT's commonly. I like to throw them at the opponent when they aren't expecting it

Summary of overall strategy
My strategy changes depending on the stage, honestly. A few common things I tend to do are using advantage of Link's ranged attacks to rack up some damage before they close distance, and using the Hylian Shield to block any incoming projectiles if they choose to stay at a range. I tend to do a lot of dodge rolling as the enemy charges to get behind the enemy for a counter attack. I guess you could say most of my strategy revolves around using Links advantage of being both a close and long ranged fighter to counter whatever it is that the opponent launches at you, as well as catching them off guard by changing my game and maneuvers up occasionally.

Secondaries
Well, I can play Toon Link almost as effectively as Link (With a few adaptations, of course), but I consider my main secondary to be Marth. I've also started to play as Zelda and Sheik recently, but I don't consider myself good enough with them to play competitively. I can also hold my own as Pokemon Trainer to an extent.

Best/Worst personal match ups
I'd have to say, in no particular order, I'm worst against Wolf or Pit and I think I'm best against Samus. However, I guess it really depends on who's playing them.

Stages
Best: Final Destination, Bridge of Elden, Smashville (All about equal)
Worst: New Pork

Negi(Ryos4): Blue

Spoiler

AT's:
Pivot Landing
Pivot Boost
Arrow Cancel
Jab Cancel>Grab
GB Return

Overall Strategy:
Overall I like to stay about mid range and keep pressure on my opponent. I like combining projectiles to either chain together or increase the likelihood they will land. But the same could be said about anything I do with Link. I just love trying to combo with Link, juggling my opponents and keeping them close by avoiding strong knock back moves and then unleash them when the time is right. Most of the time i go overboard and forget to go for kills when an opportunity arises.

Something you will always see me doing is sliding around as much as possible to increase the range of Ftilt, that everyone seems to hate, but I think its great. I hate dashing so any dash related ATs are completely out of the question. Also, more often then not I will be on the ground, seeing as I'm terrible with Link's aerials.

Secondaries:
Link is actually my secondary. Pit is my main.

Match Ups:
Best - Characters i frequently play. Pit, TL, Mario, Ike, Ect.
Worst - Zelda (the bane of my existance) and Olimar

Stages:
Best - Battlefield
Worst - Lylat

Quirky(QuirkyNature): Red

Spoiler

List of commonly used ATs:
Jab cancel, crouch cancel, arrow cancel, invincibomb, ZAC, drop kick combo (very situational), tether ledgestall, grab happy, Z-air with bomb, 'rang spamming.

Overall Strategy:
Start by taking out a bomb. Let the opponent approach. SH arrow followed by rang. When close enough, toss the bomb and retreating Z-air. Infuriate them into coming for a dash attack (hopefully). Airdodge that and B-air (the timing is almost impossible, but I've pulled off the Drop kick combo once or twice like that XD).

Shield like it's your life. Seriously. Whenever you can, shield. Grab, if possible, and throw offstage. Gimp without going offstage. I'm talking 'rang and arrows. Bombs have a vertical knockback aspect, so that's a no-no. Keep in mind that your opponent can do the exact same thing. They have a shield, too. That's why you're playing defensive, yes?

Aerials are a big no-no. Except B-air. D-air is a BIG no-no. Too much lag to play defensively. If your opponent loves SH aerials, Z-air is your friend/angled 'rang. Instant invincibombing is awesome for defensive players.

Most importantly, punish a laggy move. Rolled behind a Snake F-smashing (o_0)? F-smash. Or grounded Spin attack. Personally, I love the grounded spin attack (when it hits). Use it sparingly, or when you're absolutely sure it'll hit, because the hitbox vanishes if the opponent shields.

The only problem with my playstyle (all the crap I just typed up) is that it becomes very predictable very quickly. So you're going to have to be aggressive at some point. Or, for lulz, crouch cancel a jab cancel into a 'walk away' (thanks, Huggles!). Walk away and, when they approach, either SH B-air or SH 'rang or what-have-you. Z-air, if you want. Invincibomb. It's more dangerous against a DK and Ike, IMO, because of their ridiculously large hitboxes. Oh, and watch out for Snake's U-tilt. The 'walk away' might just be a 'fade away' into a Star KO. And King Dedede's grab. And ZSS' Plasma Whip (side-b). And Yoshi's Egg Toss. And...maybe just roll away two times? Or spot-dodge and jab again? Mix it up, is my point.

The one part where I fail beautifully is reading the opponent. Sure, you play a guy (or gal) a thousand times and you will know how to counter him countering you countering him countering your hit (mindgames ftw?). That's why, to play ultimate defensive, pick another character. It's not very viable in high tier play (heck, almost nothing I outlined would be viable in high-tier play--casual is another thing) but it'll do the job. If your opponent doesn't know how you play, say, Olimar, it'll be a very different match.

Secondaries:
Ike, ZSS (learning).

Match Up:
Best- Honestly? Ganondorf or Bowser. Ganon because, well, his moves are slow. Bowser because his hurtbox is so huge I don't have to worry about not hitting him with my SH B-air (OoS).
Worst- Marth. Not MK, not Diddy, not Falco. Marth. Dancing blade is ****. Cool looking, awesomely effective ****. That and he rips my defensive strategies apart. Which is why I picked up Ike.

Stages:
Best- FD? It's the one I've trained on most.
Worst- Rainbow cruise. Too much moving for a defensive, "hunker down and turtle" Link.

Scabe: I use alot of the colours, I hardly stick to one. I just know my least favorite is that lavender Link. Yuck!

Spoiler

AT's:
Jab Lock,
Bomb Footstool,
Bomb Sliding
ZAC
Arrow Cancels
Zair With Bomb
DACUS

Summary of overall strategy:
So I've developed a new strategy for myself, hopefully it's good but usually these strategy's of mine never work out and I end up back to trying to find a way to play Link

I betcha it won't work since I developed this playing CPU's and I only got to try this out on my brother a few times who isn't a very good player.

Using less bombs. Pulling bombs out then throwing it takes alot of time. In this new strategy, the only time I do pull out bombs is when the opponent is at a far away distance that they won't be able to get me in the bomb pull lag.

Usually the older way I would play is, I would always run away and pull out the bomb. I ran away too much and I focused too much on my bomb game which didn't really go anywhere.

For a gimmick I try and use the bomb explosion to Link's advantage, I can do things like Grounded Up B, Dair and let the bomb time out while I'm in the ending lag.

When I throw a Bomb I'll follow it up with Boomerang. When they try to dodge/block/catch the bomb, they'll be a boomerang coming at them. I think I might try and change the timing of the bomb throws, alternate between hard grounded throw to soft throw to Bombsliding throws.

I'll rise my Zairs, instead of airdodging into Zair and try to space it so that it hits the end of the chain, and when I land I use Jab to zone them out and keep them from getting in. I found that Airdodging into Zair takes too much time.

If their not in range of Zair I'll use Boomerang and follow it up with semi charged Arrow.


Secondaries
I recently decided on Pikachu as a secondary since he does nicely against a majority of Link's bad matchups. I don't know if I'll ever use Pikachu in a tourney match though.

Best/Worst personal match ups
Metaknight is my worst matchup.
I like playing against Snake.

Best/Worst stages
Final Destination is probably my best stage. As for worst, maybe something dumb like Jungle Japes.

Updates:
6/20 - Started
7/13 - Changed to Link Database

 

[Ryos4]

Links: Disciplines

What discipline are you?

Intro: As all of you know there are many ways to play Link. So I've decided to have a little fun and possibly be a little informative. Breaking down the basic styles that Link can be played and tied them to elements as well as LoZ based name for each.

Kokiri Link: The Discipline of Earth, the master of solidarity

Intro:
Earth is strong and sturdy so Kokiri Link is the same. To the Kokiri Link, battle is all about being protected. To act with the might of Earth and put up a strong defense. The Discipline of Earth's main goal is to out last his opponent and smash him with a powerful tremor.

Basics of Battle:
As a Discipline of Earth. The basics of the battle is to always be on the defensive. To him the best offense is a good defense. Kokiri Link chases no one, he will do everything in his power to make his opponent come to him. His most favored position in a battle is long range and for the most part will be grounded.

Kokiri Link will never choose to really be on offense unless he is going for the kill. However, he usually does choose to spam pretty much everything in his arsenal to prevent damage to himself. When an opponent closes in on Kokiri Link, he will do whatever he can to knock them away so he can go back to his spam.

On defense, well he is pretty much the same here. He will spam to make it harder to approach him. The Discipline of Earth is one who likes staying in one place if it is possible. Making use of shielding to its fullest, perfect shielding, and only spot dodging or rolling when he needs to. This makes shield grabbing very important to this Link.

Advance Tactics of Battle:
Staying alive is the key to The Discipline of Earth's success. With Link naturally being heavy and hard to kill, Kokiri Link will need to live even longer. He will need to know the in's and out's of good DI and momentum canceling. It is also important for him to be good at teching walls and the ground to increase his lifespan and to help prevent combos on him. A special advance technique he will also be seen doing is the whiplash recovery to even further prolong his life against strong horizontal knock back. He never wants to be caught in the air by an opponent, as he is away from natural state of being grounded. So Kokiri Link avoids using his second jump if he doesn't have to, in case he does get knocked off stage he has a better chance of survival.

However, winning a battle only on defense is never possible. He has to eventually attack and kill his opponent to win. The Discipline of Earth must know all of his projectiles, what they can do, how they can be combined, and what advance techniques he can do with them. He may rely heavily on bomb sliding to move further away and arrow canceling to slow the approach of his opponent. As for melee strikes, he will use the most powerful moves in his arsenal that include, all his smashes. He wants to do the most damage and knock back he can in a single strike to avoid being countered. The earth shall tremble underneath his opponents feet before it opens up beneath them and swallows them whole.

Goron Link: The Discipline of Fire, the master of aggression

Intro:
The style of battle that acts like a blazing fire. Fire will burn everything in its path indiscriminately until nothing is left. Goron Link walks the same path with pure aggression. He lets his anger over flow and fiercely charges into battle. However, he doesn't there is a method to his madness. Each move he does is done quickly yet precisely.

Basics of Battle:
As a Discipline of fire. The basics of battle, he must constantly be on his opponent. To continue to apply pressure no matter what happens. Stay within close range doing quick and relentless attacks. Moving as fast as possible may be important to Goron Link, but he must not restrict his move set by only dashing.

Fire will always move forward as it burns. So Goron Link must do the same. His main goal is to just constantly apply pressure keeping his opponents on the run but not leaving them anywhere to run. As the flames of his rage encroach on their position.

If he is ever knocked off balance. He will do whatever it takes to get back into dominance. When he is ever knocked away, he will automatically have a plan to get back into their comfort zone, possibly with a bomb in hand. The Discipline of Fire does not know the meaning of defense.

Advance Tactics of Battle:
Speed and aggression are key to the Disciple of Fire. So it is very important the he can move from one attack to another as fast and efficiently as possible. Goron Link must know many advance tactics to keep on the pressure. He may rely heavily on Zair, canceling Fair and Bair on the first hit, and use jab canceling. Above all else he likes to kick his opponent when their down, making jab-locking a specialty of Goron Link. He will also need to know how to make use of the dash attack cancel so at a moments notice he can follow up any attack that knocks opponents too far for a normal attack. When he gets knocked away he may commonly pull a bomb because as a Discipline of Fire, he loves explosions. So he will also have to be a master of handling bombs, dropping and catching bombs to prolong combos, bomb smashing, and anything else he can use. Fire will consume everything until nothing is left but a pile of ash.

Zora Link: The Discipline of Water, the master of adaptation

Intro:
The mind set of this style of battle is to act like water. Water has no define shape or form. So thus Zora Link must also not have a definite style of battle. He follows the flow of battle and does whats best to accomplish his goal, being calm and defensive, but when the time is right to attack in a rage like the river rapids. Each move smoothly moving into the next, conserving energy and maximizing effectiveness.

Basics of Battle:
As a Discipline of Water. The basics of battle, he must always pay attention to his opponent and always be ready to change his stance. Best way to do this is to stay at mid range. At mid range he is able to both attack and defend at a moments notice. Staying calm and keeping all of his options open by dashing only when necessary.

Since water always flows down hill, if there is nothing obstructing his offense he moves in, leading with projectiles with his main goal being to knock his opponent off balance. Force them into a bad position, jumping, shielding, or even blindly attacking. Once they is off balance that's when Zora Link unleashes the torrent, and charges into battle.

If he is ever knocked off balance, that is when he recede back into a defensive stance. However, be aware that water never wants to stay in one place. So Zora Link shall never do the same if he can help it. As shielding causes him to completely stop, shielding as little as possible is important. He shields only when needed, against a multi-hit move or against a powerful hit he can afford to get hit by. Spot dodging and rolling are slightly better option as it keeps him moving. Retreating with projectiles or Zair is overall a best option for the Zora Link, if something lands he can instantly go back into an offensive stance.

Advance Tactics of Battle:
The majority of the offensive the Discipline of Water, will rely heavily on being able to flow from one attack to another, and stringing attacks as long as possible. To do this he must avoid using laggy attacks unless to finish off a combo. This includes Fsmash, Dsmash, and Usmash. They may be quick to start, however there is no option to follow up after so it should only be used to end a combo or to go for a kill. He must also be well versed in the art of sliding, using pivot boost, pivot landing, and the basic fast walk induced slide. Sliding allows Zora Link to stay on his opponent to prolong attack strings. Most important of this discipline is to save up your killing moves until they are needed. Just as water whittles away the great mountains.

Rito Link: The Discipline of Air, the master of skies

Intro:
Rito Link has grown up among a Rito tribe and as such has taken a liking to being in the air. While Rito Link lacks wings of his feathered brothers, it won't stop him from trying to fly. His style of battle is much like that of a hawk, swooping in and out of combat with the wind beneath his feet.

Basics of Battle:
The Discipline of Air appears to have a distaste for being grounded. So almost always will you see Rito Link jumping around. While he may not always jump for an obvious reason, and may just jump and fast fall to keep the feeling of flight. Being that he doesn't really stay still for very long, it may be hard to pin him down. Another little note about Rito Link, is that he loves to foot stool, as it allows him even greater height then a standard jump.

On offense, the Discipline of Air will most likely attack with an aerial. Like many Link's he favors using Zair for spacing and approaching, but will also throw in many F,N, and Bairs. Also being that he is the Discipline of Air, he really likes to make use of the Gale Boomerang for both damage and the Gale pull itself to mess up his opponents. Being the master of the skies, he feels no fear in chasing opponents off stage, as long as he knows he can make it back.

As stated earlier. Rito Link is rather hard to pin down. He never really wants to be standing still next to his opponent so just the standard shielding and spot dodging are not very common for him. More often then not he will either air dodge away, or just try to space with Zair or aerials. Also being accustom to the air, he may also drop bombs as a defense.

Advance Tactics of Battle:
Since Rito Link spends much of his time in the air, he will have to know how long each aerial will last, and if he can ground cancel them. Also since hes constantly jumping around he will most likely make heavy use of arrow canceling whenever he has nothing better to do, which could be used in both double and triple arrow. This Link will know the in's and out's of off stage combat, making use of Gale Boomerang, Nair, Bair, Fair, and perhaps Zair. He will also need to know many of the bomb dropping techniques that include stuff that lead to foot stools. Being the Discipline of Air, he will have mastered the use of Gale return, knocking people into it and pulling them down. A storm is coming, and it has blades.

Hyrule Link: The Discipline of Light, the master of flair

Intro:
Bless with a Hyrulian birth, he has always been in the light. So natrually Hyrule Link will seek the light. He loves fame, fortune, and being flashy, and no he doesn't like streaking, not that kind of flashing. Anyway, when the Discipline of Light charges into battle, he not only makes sure his shield and sword are nice and shiny, but he wants to make the fight as entertaining as possible with precision and flair.

Basics of Battle:
As the Discipline of Light, everything is about flair. He prepares for battle by training and learning combos and attack strings, and practices them over and over, so if the opportunity arrives, he can pull it off no problem. So basically the whole point of fighting for him is to make himself look good, and his opponent look bad. Though winning is always great, why not look good doing it.

Hyrule Link will always want to be on offense if he has any say in the matter. No one likes a hero who wins by just camping out. So the Discipline of Light will always charge head first into battle, most likely with a bomb in hand to start his fireworks. He will use quick strikes in his previously constructed combos and always finish off with flair.

While on defense, if somehow the battle turns on him. He will still attempt to be flashy by mostly perfect shielding, but will also spot dodging and air dodging. Hyrule Link doesn't like to roll, it makes his clothes dirty and he will not have that. To keep himself looking awesome, he will frequently pull off pivot grabs as his favorite of defensive tactics.

Advance Tactics of Battle:
The Discipline of Light will need to know all of the advance techniques there is by watching all those he aspires to be like. Using the advance techniques, he will as stated before, construct complex and flashy combos. Practice them, know who they will work on, and at what percents can he expect them to work. Hyrule Link will get a lot of use out of jab canceling and make use of nearly every single attack he can do after it. An example being jab cancel then run past and Bair, highly flashy. To keep things from staling, both physically and visually, he will use projectiles in between his melee strikes, weaving in and out between mid and close range combat. Lights, Camera, Hyrule Link.

Twili Link: The Discipline of Darkness, the master of chaos

Intro:
Raised in the realm of Twilight. Twili Link sees nothing but darkness and chaos. Since misery does love company, the Discipline of Darkness main goal is for everyone he comes up against, experience the same thing he has lived with. When he battles, he not only fights on the field, but also in your mind.

Basics of Battle:
As the Discipline of Darkness, everything to him is about confusion and chaos. To not only be unpredictable but be able to predict as well. Basically the whole point of each match is to just mind fvck his opponent and frustrate them to the point where their style begins to breakdown. After that is achieved, he proceeds to dominate them.

It is not easy to classify the difference in Twili Link's style in defense and offense. As with this particular Link, it's going to be hard to tell what he's doing anyway. He may get hit and knocked off balance, most would think he would retreat and then attempt to regain momentum. The Discipline of Darkness doesnt really believe in momentum, and if he is hit, he might instantly go into a counter attack. He may also from knocking his opponents off balance to retreating and then jump back into their face before they know whats going on. To make matters worse for his opponents, he may even avoid using projectiles at all for a while, just to lull them into a false sense of security at long range. When he feels the time is right, there will be bombs exploding everywhere, arrows flying, and the gale return when you didn't even notice the boomerang go out in the first place.

Advance Tactics of Battle:
The Discipline of Darkness was had a lot of time alone. With all that time he has mastered nearly every advance technique he can perform. He will also know pretty much every strategy that is usable as well. He moves at a seemly random manner, however there is a method to his madness. He will normally act completely unpredictably and move in with different advance techniques and strategies each time. Or to just mess with his opponents he will be completely predictable on purpose to bait them out, so when they think they figured him out he completely changes what hes doing. However, being as "random" as he is, Twili Link does have his favorites. He enjoys bomb juggling, and had lots of time to practice. He will also throw the Gale Boomerang and seemingly random directions, but may cross over his opponents so the gale return can take place. Just to mess up their spacing. A shrouded of darkness has appeared in your near future, don't get lost in it.

 

[Dumbfire]

... 3 Times up tilt and then a Up smash? Even a Fox is not gonnna fall for that..
I qoute directly from the ZSS boards..

You should just never bother with memorizing combo chains in Melee, Brawl or B+, because nothing is ever guaranteed in any of those games. Instead, note which moves best put your opponent in the most limited position.

You'll eventually find out what moves you can chain and follow up with, but memorizing this chains is pretty useless..
And things like the down throw thing is pretty useless. Risk Reward ***** it.

 

[Ryos4]

Idk whats the point of your post, i already said that it is escapable. Also i have no idea why i put floaty/fast fallers. Its more heavy characters. I've done it to bowser, snake, Dk, and Rob.

I also have no idea whats wrong with having chaining possibilities memorized. Its always good to have options so when the opportunity arises you will know what can connect if they react a certain way. Its not like i spend hours in training mode trying to figure these out. Its basically what comes out when i play.

And besides this is more of a community building thread then anything super serious. The point of this was get the community more involved with each other. If you don't like the thread don't participate.

Anyway, lets get back on topic.

 

[Scabe]

This thread sure started off on the wrong foot. I liked Doomfire's quote on ph00tbag.

Anyways these are some things on the top of my head that I usually do:

Short hop Invincibomb and land behind the opponent > Uptilt.
A somewhat true combo, it's good for getting out of close up situations

There's Bomb throw > DAC
Works good at low percents but fairly risky if you miss.

Boomerang (they don't tech the ground) > Jab lock > Free hit
Doesn't work well on light characters. Easily escaped if airdodged when hit.

Back Throw > Up Air
Sometimes when you throw someone with Back throw near the edge of the stage they'll instantly try to jump back towards the stage, and Up air usually intercepts this.

Hopefully some more will come up in my mind.

 

[quirkynature]

Name: Quirkynature (shorten to 'Quirky')
Quick Aerial Damage Racking....thing: Uthrow>D-air
Stages: All
Best on: Heavy characters at really low percents.
Escape by: Air dodge or DI

To set up, mindgame the opponent by using only one throw (F, B or D ONLY) for a time, then suddenly toss 'em up and D-air. Usually works on human opponents. CPU just airdodges the D-air and punishes.

 

[IYM!]

U-tilt, U-tilt, U-tilt, jump, Fair = 48% aprox

a simple combo for start a match, and you can continue that combo BE CREATIVE!!!!!



* ignore the other post please, i has problems with my conection of internet sorry*

 

[Huggles828]

Hmm. Since true combos are so rare in Brawl, and especially for Link, I don't really pay attention to "comboing" that often. I suppose I have things I tend to string after each other, but they're not really combos per se. Lemme think of what I tend to do:

Huggles: Blue Link

1st hit of bair > utilt*

SH bair > quick draw (on miss) or DJ boomerang throw

Zair > grab or DACUS

Retreating zair > Craq Walk > reverse fsmash or dsmash (if the opponent takes the bait)

Reverse FH Dair > bounce and AC the dair > Craq Walk > whatever I feel like (zair, reverse smash, etc.)

Bomb throw up > Grab > up throw into bomb*

Being a Jab cancel ***** on the edge when people try to hit me and I spot dodge it (not very often)

Double zair tether > rising fair from edge

Fast fall off edge > double jump back on stage

Air dodge > bomb drop (just picked that up a few days ago; it works great)

Bomb DAC

More stuff but I'm feeling rather lazy




This is a pretty good thread. It makes me think of what I do so I can identify where techniques I tend to do might break down so I can mix them up.

 

[Dumbfire]

Name: Quirkynature (shorten to 'Quirky')
Quick Aerial Damage Racking....thing: Uthrow>D-air
Stages: All
Best on: Heavy characters at really low percents.
Escape by: Air dodge or DI

To set up, mindgame the opponent by using only one throw (F, B or D ONLY) for a time, then suddenly toss 'em up and D-air. Usually works on human opponents. CPU just airdodges the D-air and punishes.

.. Only works on humans not on CPU's? This is really never gonna work. You will have more luck doing a Dair from a up tilt but you should just never do any of those things because nothing really "chains' into Dair and you should basicly never use the Dair when it doesn't Autocancel, the risk is just way too big, no character would do it, but for Link it counts even higher because of his mobility, he gets juggled really easy, so you don't want to take the risk.
Like I said, risk - riward.

U-tilt, U-tilt, U-tilt, jump, Fair = 48% aprox

a simple combo for start a match, and you can continue that combo BE CREATIVE!!!!!

Yeah, most people aren't gonna fal into even 3 up tilts. Its actually possible on low percents to be hit by only the first Up tilt and (power)shield the next one to grab and start gaining the momentum. Up tilt is imo pretty overrated, spotdogde to up tilt just doesn't really work as well, Jab is just the better thing to do close range.
We can think of like a thousand things to do from a Up tilt but its better to just Jab and recreate your projectile wall and spacing then to take the risk cause.. You know its Brawl.
Brawl is just slow and boring. Its sad but its true.
And Link is also not the character for it. Even Ganon has true combo's. Short HOp Autocancele't Dair to Up smash is guaranteted on some characters, like Link, Mario and Bowser.

There are some good things to know, like Bomb footstool dair and that you can use A DAC/DA from a Zair, the Bombfootstool Dair, and jab cancel follow ups, (Jab 1 jab 2 > grab, Jab 1 Jab 2 > retreating Zair, Jab 1 Jab 2 Jab 1 Jab 2 Jab3, Jab 1 Jab 2 Up tilt etc.) but I'd stick to that and I think the rest is not really neccesary.

 

[quirkynature]

Like I said, risk - riward.

As you said, risk-reward.

Risk: D-air landing lag for epic punishment.
Reward: 30% damage in 2 seconds for epic punishment.

 

[Fox Is Openly Deceptive]

Anyone who's been reading my thread should know that the first hit of Bair cancelled on the ground will true combo into a turn around Jab on every character except Bowser, it will true combo into turn around U-tilt on a few characters such as Mario/Luigi (hasn't been tested on every character yet) and it will true combo into turn around D-smash on MK.
Also, Link mainer? no, but I can perform every Link AT quite consistently.

 

[Huggles828]

nothing really "chains' into Dair

Bombstool truly combos into dair quite beautifully, if I recall correctly, if you can pull it off, and man, is it worth it to learn it, since it can also lead into an inescapable nair > jab lock instead if your opponent is at low enough damage that they could punish you after getting hit by dair. Otherwise, yeah, I agree with you, dair is not a toy, it's a move that must be used carefully and autocancelled when at all possible.

EDIT: Nevermind, saw the bombstool note at the bottom of your post.

 

[Ryos4]

U-tilt, U-tilt, U-tilt, jump, Fair = 48% aprox

a simple combo for start a match, and you can continue that combo BE CREATIVE!!!!!

Do you go by IYM!, color of Link?


Thx to those who have posted. On a note, I am completely fine people adding duplicate "combos" that are found in other players if you use them as well.

Also if you want to post combos you seen other players do, or just combos in general that you know exist and have worked. Note it doesn't have to be named after them.
Eg. Izaw Combo: Dthrow Bomb>FF Fair(1st hit)>Jab>Jab>Double Fsmash

I think it would be interesting to be able to compare play styles, combos, and AT usage. Which in turn could lead to easier critique in the video thread, an overall better understanding in Link in general, and quite possibly help see the possibilities Link has as a character. This overall could possibly help Link players add some variation to their play style, making them harder to predict.

Anyway i will begin to sort through the posts and "combos" and organize them in the correct spots. Possibly in the near future can add a rating system of how useful or how likely it will work. Probably 1-5 using *.

 

[Dumbfire]

Bombstool truly combos into dair quite beautifully, if I recall correctly, if you can pull it off, and man, is it worth it to learn it, since it can also lead into an inescapable nair > jab lock instead if your opponent is at low enough damage that they could punish you after getting hit by dair. Otherwise, yeah, I agree with you, dair is not a toy, it's a move that must be used carefully and autocancelled when at all possible.

EDIT: Nevermind, saw the bombstool note at the bottom of your post.

Its true, I missed that. But outside of that, you really only want to do it when it Autocancels or offstage to avoid the lag.
And I meand the risk for not hitting it. You get rewarded with a non fresh dair at killing percents but quite a lot of damage, but the risk is missing it and getting hit by mostly an arial. It wouldn't suprise me if you could technicly airdogde or DI left/right of the dair and then use Falcon Punch to actually hit with. But Links mobility is just bad, he will be combo'd easily. An MK could for example fastfall a Up air and from their start the juggle "trap". Samus could use the fastfall upair to up b frametrap etc.

Another note in combo-ing is your opponents DI. Many players don't actually watch their DI from a simple move and that makes them very predicible with it. Look to wich way they fly with a simple Jab, Nair or Zair, and use that later.

You should also watch your opponents bad habbits. If they always airdogde after a down throw (cause his Friends TL always bairs after the down throw, for example), you can punish him for that. You could either grab again (I know I said it wasn't useful, but here you see how limited it is in this one example,), but then he will find out that you know that he always airdogdes and will change that. So, you coudl just use a simple Fsmash. This is however a lame example because no good player is gonna airdogde after every down throw.
Actual bad habits are more things like always jumping back when theire send far away, or always double jump after a throw. If they always jump after a throw, you now got them in a bad position because he now is limitid with his options to avoid being "juggled", as far as that is possible with Link. I'll just call it followed up.

The point is that because of this its pretty pointless to learn combo chains.
If any of those is risky you might as well just reset your spacing and bring your opponent in the bad position of you having stage control and they being close(r) to the ledge.

 

[Wafflez]

The heck? A Combo Thread?

If you want legit combos, play a real fighting game like BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, etc. etc.- but Brawl doesn't have a combo oriented system.

I'm not shooting this idea down to be a jerk, but because if you get so centered on the idea of performing combos, you're not going to excel as a player. In Brawl, if you're good, you won't get combo'd because you know how to block/dodge from one hit to the next, so expecting one hit to lead into another isn't going to benefit you, nor is memorizing these strings of such "combos" that most players with an ounce of common sense could break out of.

Brawl is a game of reaction. You get a hit in, then you react to what the opponent might do next. It's whatever suits the situation, but 90% of this thread is going to be irrelevant. A lot of times I've seen Links reach this plateau that they can't break past because they're so automatically focused on making combos. Link in general is not a combo character. You space and run, and poke when necessary- only when you have the right momentum should you be pursuing your opponent.

You guys should spend less time imagining up these "combos", and more time practicing technical and practical application.

 

[quirkynature]

I was recently on the Samus boards, checking out their threads and I ran across this: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=185822. It's an amazing idea. Sure, Samus has true combos on a lot of characters, but note what it says: "Practice makes perfect, so please get to work and learn these combos."

Link might not a lot of true combos, but he has a few and more than a few pseudo-combos. I really want Ryos to continue this thread because it simplifies life for somebody like me who doesn't know how to 'mix it up'. I read the thread and there's these ideas and it says "Here you go. Implement these in your gameplay to mix it up". Ryos, continue, please.

Edit: Thanks, Scabe.

 

[Ryos4]

I guess i could. Though the "secret of the seven sages" thread has a good source of true combos already. Should i pull all the information into this? Though i was thinking of getting rid of the player selection itself and moving all that stuff to a different thread with the addition of a bunch of other stuff. In the end making a thread like this:
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=278794

Any thoughts on that?

 

[quirkynature]

Definitely! You and Fox can collaborate and include data from this thread and...make it like the Pit one.

 

[Scabe]

Someone said Down throw to Dair one time. Well here it is happening lol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb4jWvXInGM#t=1m14s

Also in that match he tries Zair to Dtilt spike, and this is like 2008 O_O

 

[Zatchiel]

Negi's summary scared me o-0 What's wrong with Link?

Also, any Bomb combos? i always try but i only land Nair or Bair :S

 

[Ryos4]

My summary? You mean my rant at the top of this page?

Also i can totally see the DThrow to Dair being a possibility if you constantly follow up the Dthrow by chasing them and using like Nair or Uair. Basically just faking them out into your Dair.

 

[quirkynature]

Someone said Down throw to Dair one time. Well here it is happening lol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb4jWvXInGM#t=1m14s

Also in that match he tries Zair to Dtilt spike, and this is like 2008 O_O

I recommended a U-throw to D-air, but whatever.

About the Z-air to D-tilt, I don't remember where I saw it. It might have been Arkive, since his vids I've been youtube-ing up a bit. But, yeah, O_O was my exact reaction..

 

[Ryos4]

I think U throw can only work at low percents seeing as Links Uthrow can actually kill eventually. Dthrow usually wont be an option and they dont go as high.

Uthrow>Dair is more of a damage racking combo while Dthrow>Dair is like a killing combo.

 

[quirkynature]

I think U throw can only work at low percents seeing as Links Uthrow can actually kill eventually. Dthrow usually wont be an option and they dont go as high.

Uthrow>Dair is more of a damage racking combo while Dthrow>Dair is like a killing combo.

I recently learned to counter a D-throw at low percents by a B-air. Link's "stand back up" animation is just laggy enough to input a B-air so you don't get F-smashed. :'(

 

[Ryos4]

Well it seems to have been agreed with Fox that this will turn into more like the Pit thread. So I'll start editing the OP soon. While i get that going lets start loading up the Link players information.

1. Name (Brawl Tag and SWF Account)
2. Color Link
3. List of commonly used AT's
4. Summary of overall strategy
5. Secondaries
6. Best/Worst personal match ups
7. Best/Worst stages

Might want to also get Locations and Fcodes, but thats sorta what the Wifi thread is for. Though if its going to be a directory for link players, might as well go all out i suppose.

Example from my Pit thread:

Spoiler

Negi(Ryos4): Blue

AT's:
Pivot Boost (AKA Angelic Step)
Pivot Landing
Fast Walk induced Sliding
Wing Stall
Wing Refresh
Glide Shift
Arrow Loop
Mirror Shield Gimps

Overall Strategy:
Mid-Range Offensive Damage Racking-
During most of the combat, I will most likely be at mid range. Close as possible without actually being in range of their direct attacks, or in any real danger, but close enough to be able to go for an assault at any moment, usually something at the tip of the hit box for maximum spacing. I play rather offensively because I hate camping and spamming, so i almost always approach with low smash usage (until near killing percent or for sliding Fsmash mind game) with lots of tilts and multi-hit box moves.

Standard approaches are Pivot Boost Ftilt, SH Nair>Utilt, Dtilt>w/e, and SH Arrow. Favorite combo starters are anything that will pop up opponents, Dtilt, Uthrow, Dthrow, Utilt, Dash Attack, Ect. Once i get momentum I like to keep it going by lengthening combos by using either low knock back moves or arrows and AR to prolong it. I sometimes forget to go for kills as I'm usually too busy comboing to the point where most attacks can kill anyway. Most commonly used kill moves aside from standard, is Ftilt. As for gimping I tend to use a lot of Bair into stage, Arrows, or Wing Refresh

When recovering, I commonly glide back when high, arrow stun (arrow>jump>arrow>jump) when low, and if in danger of being forced to used WoI, I fly below the stage.

Defensively I usually reflect most projectiles with Mirror Shield or AR. Otherwise I tend to spot dodge a lot and roll. Which is probably one of my worst habits. However, if I find my opponent is catching on or is constantly landing aerials in front of me i go into shield grab mode.
Secondaries:
Link (actual secondary), Pokemon Trainer, Mario, Toon Link, Ike, Kirby

Match Ups:
Best: N/A
Worst: Zelda & Olimar

Stages:
Best: Battle Field, Yoshi's Island (Brawl), Halberd, and Pokemon Stadium 2
Worst: Lylat

 

[Scabe]

1. Name (Brawl Tag and SWF Account)
Scabe

2. Color Link
I use alot of the colours, I hardly stick to one. I just know my least favorite is that lavender Link. Yuck!

3. List of commonly used AT's
Jab Lock,
Bomb Footstool,
Bomb Sliding
ZAC
Arrow Cancels
Zair With Bomb
DACUS


4. Summary of overall strategy
I'm still finding a strategy!

5. Secondaries
I recently decided on Pikachu as a secondary since he does nicely against a majority of Link's bad matchups. I don't know if I'll ever use Pikachu in a tourney match though.

6. Best/Worst personal match ups
Metaknight is my worst matchup.
I like playing against Snake.

7. Best/Worst stages
Final Destination is probably my best stage. As for worst, maybe something dumb like Jungle Japes.

 

[Ryos4]

Thx for the participation.

Also i think i might change the name to just

The Chain: Links Coming Together

 

[Huggles828]

1. Name (Brawl Tag and SWF Account)
HUGLZ/Huggles828

2. Color Link
Usually Blue, occasionally Red

3. List of commonly used AT's
I'll post this up later I guess.

4. Summary of overall strategy
I play pseudo-aggressively I guess, using projectiles to close in, while trying to stay out of reach of the opponent if possible with spacing. I like throwing in completely random and seemingly ******** things though like running past people or just walking away and projectile spamming. I really like to try to control the tempo of the match, and like to keep it as fast as possible, and try to predict when my opponents might panic. I actually do pretty poorly in very slowly paced matches.

I'm still kinda tinkering with my overall strategy though, so I'm not entirely sure how I play, haha.

5. Secondaries
Wolf is probably the character I'd be most comfortable playing as a secondary, but I'm also pretty good with Captain Falcon, Ness, and Peach. I've been told my Diddy and Wario are nasty, and I really enjoy playing as DK.

6. Best/Worst personal match ups
Olimar is my worst by far, and not just as Link.
Ike is probably my best matchup I guess.

7. Best/Worst stages
I do best on most of the simple stages, like BF, FD, Smashville, or levels that have platforms.
I am absolutely wretched at Green Greens and Luigi Circuit, and Luigi's Mansion, and any level that has walk-off edges.

 

[Ryos4]

2. Color Link
I use alot of the colours, I hardly stick to one. I just know my least favorite is that lavender Link. Yuck!

No love for the KKK Link. lol.

Already starting to see that us Link's have stuff we can start discussing. Lets keep it up people and add in more of the Links.

 

[IYM!]

1. Name (Brawl Tag and SWF Account)

IYM! ( never forget the "!" Plisss!!)

2. Color Link

GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN and GREEN, sometimes red or withe, Red is my favorite color, but i dont like play with a "fake" costume, for example in F- Zero i play with the fire stingray, although I do not like very much pink, I prefer to use it and not replace it because that is the original color.

i hate the gold costune

3. List of commonly used AT's
Jab Lock,
Bomb Footstool,
Bomb Sliding ( in trainig)
ZAC
Arrow Cancels
Zair With Bomb
DACUS


4. Summary of overall strategy
spacing with my projectiles and switch to melee style and , i mix the 2 styles

5. Secondaries

i play with other characters only for fun, but i realy want improve with samus, i want her as my second main.

6. Best/Worst personal match ups

mmmm... i never think about it , but, like scabe , i enjoy fight agains Snake.
i dont have problems to defeat fox, pkachu and King DDD.
I have not played against many characters, but the group pokemon gave me problems in the past,

for now is Wolf my dificult MU

7. Best/Worst stages
Final Destination is a good stage for me , but i play better in Battle field. i general, i like play in stage with plataforms like norfair an Smash ville. Of course, if i like a stage, i play better.

 

[IYM!]

again, sorry for double post, the internet is starting to bother me

 

[Scabe]

So I've developed a new strategy for myself, hopefully it's good but usually these strategy's of mine never work out and I end up back to trying to find a way to play Link

I betcha it won't work since I developed this playing CPU's and I only got to try this out on my brother a few times who isn't a very good player.

Using less bombs. Pulling bombs out then throwing it takes alot of time. In this new strategy, the only time I do pull out bombs is when the opponent is at a far away distance that they won't be able to get me in the bomb pull lag.

Usually the older way I would play is, I would always run away and pull out the bomb. I ran away too much and I focused too much on my bomb game which didn't really go anywhere.

For a gimmick I try and use the bomb explosion to Link's advantage, I can do things like Grounded Up B, Dair and let the bomb time out while I'm in the ending lag.

When I throw a Bomb I'll follow it up with Boomerang. When they try to dodge/block/catch the bomb, they'll be a boomerang coming at them. I think I might try and change the timing of the bomb throws, alternate between hard grounded throw to soft throw to Bombsliding throws.

I'll rise my Zairs, instead of airdodging into Zair and try to space it so that it hits the end of the chain, and when I land I use Jab to zone them out and keep them from getting in. I found that Airdodging into Zair takes too much time.

If their not in range of Zair I'll use Boomerang and follow it up with semi charged Arrow.

 

[Ryos4]

Seems like some interesting stuff.

I have to say, idk about using less bombs. Ive seen a few of your matches, especially the ice climbers and D3 matches. Bombs pretty much made the match for you. But overall constantly running while unloading bombs does kind of take away from your DPS, i usually only pull bombs when i have free time. If i smack my opponent with something i usually try to follow up if possible.

Also the idea of using bombs to stop your laggy moves could be a useful tactic sometimes. Though you have to be aware that if you use it enough, they might just wait for the bomb to explode and then attempt a kill move out of its knock back. But to be honest i dont see many people trying that, I probably would but im just crazy.

Just curious about the rising Zair. Doesn't that put you in more danger in terms of being able to counter it?
The last hit box comes out sooner. Either way i hardly ever air dodge to zair, just because im lazy. Only time i do is with a bomb in hand.

I have to say that boomerang>arrow is some good stuff, doesn't really have to be charged, but the boomerang itself is pretty good protection while you charge, which is usually why i use it to cover a bomb pull. Also Boomerang>arrow lock is awesome.

Anyway good luck with your new strats. You want me to put this up in your section?

 

[Ryos4]

I thought of doing a more indepth way of going over my play style. Mostly just for something to do. Its a little weird but i found it kind of fun to write.

Zora Link: The Discipline of Water

Intro:
The mind set of this style of battle is to act like water. Water has no define shape or form. So thus Zora Link must also not have a definite style of battle. He follows the flow of battle and does whats best to accomplish his goal, being calm and defensive, but when the time is right to attack in a rage like the river rapids. Each move smoothly moving into the next, conserving energy and maximizing effectiveness.

Basics of Battle:
As a Discipline of Water. The basics of battle is to pay attention to your opponent and always be ready to change your stance. Best way to do this is to stay at mid range. At mid range you are able to both attack and defend at a moments notice. Staying calm and keeping all of your options open by dashing only when necessary.

Since water always flows down hill, if there is nothing obstructing your offense you move in, leading with projectiles with your main goal being to knock your opponent off balance. Force him into a bad position, jumping, shielding, or even blindly attacking. Once he is off balance that's when Zora Link unleashes the torrent, and charges into battle.

If you are ever knocked off balance, that is when you recede back into a defensive stance. However, be aware that water never wants to stay in one place. So Link shall never do the same if he can help it. As shielding causes you to completely stop, shielding as little as possible is important. Shielding only when needed, against a multi-hit move or against a powerful hit you can afford to get hit by. Spot dodging and rolling is a slightly better option as it keeps you moving. Retreating with projectiles or Zair is overall a best option for the Zora Link, if something lands he can instantly go back into an offensive stance.

Advance Tactics of Battle:
The majority of the offensive the Discipline of Water, will rely heavily on being able to flow from one attack to another, and stringing attacks as long as possible. To do this he must avoid using laggy attacks unless to finish off a combo. This includes Fsmash, Dsmash, and Usmash. They may be quick to start, however there is no option to follow up after so it should only be used to end a combo or to go for a kill. He must also be well versed in the art of sliding, using pivot boost, pivot landing, and the basic fast walk induced slide. Sliding allows Zora Link to stay on his opponent to prolong attack strings. Most important of this discipline is to save up your killing moves until they are needed. Just as water whittles away the great mountains.

That's basically all I have for now. Until i think through it a little more. This basically describes my style the best. Maybe later i can do more colors of Link with defined battle styles. Maybe i'll do Goron Link: Discipline of Fire next, if this is received well. lol.

 

[quirkynature]

For gold, could you include crouch canceling the jab? I got the inspiration from Izaw and since he uses a gold Link, it seems only fitting...

 

[Huggles828]

Jab cancelling is a great technique for Link in general, regardless of style, but yeah, you're right, everything Izaw does always looks very flashy, even just jab cancelling or jumping around.

 

[quirkynature]

Jab cancelling is a great technique for Link in genera

I finally did it. I can jab cancel!! It's not consistent as all hell but it's consistent enough to pull it off three out of four times. On a Wiimote, it's actually really easy!

 

[IYM!]

congratulations Quirky, that techinke is usefull, but, my opponents do not fall into this technique anymore, easily escape

 

[quirkynature]

congratulations Quirky, that techinke is usefull, but, my opponents do not fall into this technique anymore, easily escape

Aah, key word: anymore. They now know YOU use it. Nobody knows I use it...except you guys. So, technically, my game moved up a notch. A teensy weensy notch, but a notch nonetheless. *smug b@$+@rd was here*

 

[Huggles828]

Well, it's one of those tricks that Link has that's easily beaten by someone who knows what's happening. Pretty much everything Link has is escapable by some method, so you have to mix it up so the opponent doesn't know what they need to do. Make it so that when you jab, your opponent has to try to guess what you're gonna do next. Mix it up. That's how you have to play Link, since he can't really "outmuscle" anybody. Jab into fsmash. Jab unto utilt. Jab into jab. Jab into grab. Jab into dsmash. Jab into retreating zair. Jab into walk away calmly (lulz). Mix it up.