Xinc
Smash Lord
It's based off the JMUs so right now I'm seeing a Cloud in the foreseeable future.
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Data The Dark Arts of Ganon (Match-Up Discussion)
- Thread starter Xinc
- Start date
Xinc
Smash Lord
Vs. Doc. It's similar to Mario but don't be fooled. Speaking of which, we should do a new one sooner or later regarding Mario.
Character Description: Dr. Mario is the persona Mario takes in the Dr. Mario series of games. Under this identity, Mario dons a lab coat, a head mirror, and a stethoscope around his neck. He first appeared in his titular game, Dr. Mario. Dr. Mario and Nurse Toadstool, his assistant nurse, work at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital, where Dr. Mario eliminates Viruses and other diseases by using Megavitamins, which has been the standard for subsequent games starring him.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): Dr. Mario is susceptible to down tilt and forward tilt if he fails to tech the choke. However, if Doc DI's in, forward tilt will miss.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Powershield those pills on stage, or Dash Attack right through. Doc’s fireballs have quite a bit of stun and work very similar to Mario’s fireballs. Doc however does not have the mobility to consistently run away from Ganon to spam pills. Doc’s pills mainly have the power to edgeguard you offstage so you should be careful when recovering low. Stay in a midrange so you can punish an unsafe pill with a Dash Attack, as it has reasonable end lag.
Understanding the Matchup:
You’ll find many similarities between this matchup and Mario’s, as they are very similar in nature. The majority of Ganondorf’s moves outrange Doc’s. Doc wants to approach and land tilts and combos in order to rack up damage. Ganon’s a heavy character so he can be juggled easily by Doc’s string of aerials, notably up air.
One key thing to note as Doc is his short hop is much shorter than Mario's. This means he can auto-cancel back air in a short hop and use that as a spacing tool as well as a GTFO tool. That back air can interrupt many of your moves due to the quick speed it comes out, as well as the low end lag.
Barring Fair and Dair, Doc’s aerials are fairly low lag, and his attacks are harder to punish when he throws them out. Against Doc, Ganon doesn’t have to approach as much as it is important to gain stage control. , it’s hazardous to approach Doc recklessly. Doc has a similar approach game to Mario, but also lacks his range. Don’t have to feel pressured into approaching. Hence, the name of the game is to play more towards the mid-range. Play passive aggressively, looking for openings at a distance where you can punish a pill throw but not close enough for Doc to reach you.
You don’t want to get too close to Doc, as Doc's kit revolves around landing a grab to rack up damage. From juggling you with up airs out of a grab to back airing you offstage, Doc can punish Ganon very harshly. In addition, his fair sweetspot can kill earlier than most aerials, and that can be used as a combo finisher! If you ever do get caught in his combo, be sure to pay attention to your percentage, and mixup your DI. .
Snuffing approach: When approaching, Doc can throw out a pill, falling aerial, or a grab. You really don’t want to get grabbed by Doc, so you should powershield or jab. Try to maintain your distance, or back away and punish any unsafe approach with a tilt or Dash Attack. Popping Doc up into the air is a pretty big deal for Doc.
It's also possible for Doc to throw out a RAR Short hop Back air or a weak neutral air to send you reeling back. These are fairly safe options but do trade with Ftilt if you see it coming. It's also not out of the question for a pivot up smash, as Doc shares a unique property where his head is invulnerable during the initial part. It will clash with ftilt however.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Ganon needs to not get caught above Doc, since his up air combos will make it difficult for Ganon to make it back to the ground. In this case, try not to expend your second jump. Instead, save your jump for a time when you’re sure you can make it to the ledge or ground safely. Similarly, Doc can read your air dodge and hit you with any other aerial, so be careful about that also. A surprise Wizkick might help you, but use it only if you're sure Doc is going to try to string another move against you.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Doc is one of those characters with a frame 3 nair that can break your combos, so you should be aware a rogue nair (granted it’ll be weak) can come out to hit you if you’re not doing a true combo. However, if your aerial outranges the nair (which it should), you’re in good shape. Up B OoS for Doc is also very strong, so please be careful of that option.
Recovering: Pills will be Doc’s safest way to edgeguard you, or at least set up. Depending on the stage you’re on, he’ll have less or more options if he can wall jump. Hugging the stage so your uppercut comes out is a safer means of not getting gimped, and also ensuring your uppercut beats a tornado edgeguard.
Use your second jump wisely. It’s also not a bad idea to recover high, but since Doc has cape also, it’s a risky manuever. Also try not to stay on the ledge for too long – a dash attack can stage spike you!
Against a Doc trying to land: Aerials with long range and long lasting hitboxes, namely up air, really do give Doc a difficult time once he’s in the air. Since your aerials just outrange his, you can afford to bait a reaction and punish. Up air is a prime example since it covers a large amount over Ganon’s head, so it’s fairly safe.
Grabs: The main grab Doc will be utilizing to optimize his punish on grabbing you is down throw at mid percents. This is a combo throw that will juggle you for some hefty percent. Up throw at low percents can also combo into back air to set up into something else. Lastly, forward throw and backthrow are used mainly to throw you off the level. You won’t have to worry about back throw killing you until you’re over 120 near the ledge, however.
Edgeguarding: Doc has two very short recovery methods – Rising tornado and Up B. Used in tandem, he can mix you up. However, Ganon’s aerials just simply outrange Doc so a simple Nair can spell doom for Doc. Long range aerials that last for a long time will do the trick just fine. If you’re feeling gutsy and Doc is recovering with his tornado too close to the stage, a Wizkick will also do the job. You do need to be wary of the stage you're on, as if you're on a stage where Doc can also wall jump to extend his recovery, getting back to the stage becomes easier for him.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does beat out Side B.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can bypass pills, so you will be able to hit him just on pure reaction.
Stages to consider:
You do have some stages with Doc, so bear in mind that Ganon won’t benefit too much in his stage picks. For stage picking, it’s picking from personal preference, playstyle, or just simply not letting your opponent get a big advantage.
Battlefield is your best bet in this scenario. Doc's kills are mainly in the horizontals, and the wider ceiling and stage blast zones will help you survive until unreasonably higher percents. Doc's recovery is limited as he cannot wall jump. The platforms will offer some protection against pills, as well as provide safe haven if you recover up high. As you, Ganon, have enough sheer power to knock Doc offstage, or just kill him up high with a Down Tilt, this is your optimal stage against Doc.
Dream Land 64 plays a lot like the matchup on BF. Unlike Battlefield, it has a lower ceiling and it’s harder to land an up smash on the platform. However, Doc can wall jump on the edge, making recovery somewhat easier for him. The lower ceiling can help you net kill moves earlier than Battlefield, which is a tradeoff.
Rarely is there a time that Town and City is a good stage for Ganon, but this is a stage where Ganon can benefit well. The lower ceiling allows Ganon to net kills earlier from down tilt, as well as abuse Doc's lackluster recovery with side tilt. As Doc's main killing options kill on the side, the longer blast zones will allow you to live a little longer. Occasionally, the platforms will also be positioned to help you get back on stage safely.
Lylat is generally a good Ganon stage, but both characters are privy to getting stuck underneath the stage, which enables Jank to be a leading factor in the matchup. The platforms help shield you against Doc's pill rush, as well as provide Ganon momentary invincibility if he gets stuck in a combo - Ganon can tech on the platform and use that as an opportunity to escape from Doc. An ideal tactic is to get Doc stuck above the platform and rack up damage each time he descends unsafely. The platforms are positioned well so a sweetspot up smash can hit Doc from under the platform, killing very early.
Smashville is basically that safe stage that benefits both parties. The platform offers you safety from pills and can help you recover high. Similarly, Doc sees the same thing in respects to recovering. He also benefits from the flat stage as it can help him continue his combos/strings. Try to maintain your space.
BAN: Final Destination is not the stage you want to go to, as Doc does not have to worry about any platforms interrupting his strings. You will want to ban this stage, otherwise you will find your percent rack up fairly quickly. Try not to get discouraged if you are on this stage, however. Wall him out.
Short Summary of Matchup: Although they are similar, you should not be treating the matchup the same as how you would treat the Mario v Ganon matchup. Doc is not as mobile which offers a little more opportunities for punishing, but he racks up damage very similarly. Doc's boon in the matchup is his potent grab game, which he will be trying to utilize against you. Try not to get caught in his short, stubby arms, or else you'll be reliant on your DI and the stage platforms to save you from additional punishment.
In other words, Doc has an easy time if he's below you as he can juggle you. The opposite is the same, however, as Ganon. Doc has a good OoS option (Up B) and also has a frame 3 Nair to help him escape combos. Hence, you need to space your aerials accordingly so your move will come out without Doc's Nair hitting your hurt box.
Mixing up your recovery is vital for both characters. Ganon does not want to get gimped by a pill, while Doc needs to make sure his recovery isn't obvious - any of Ganon's aerials outrange him. Being hit offstage as Doc will equal a loss of a stock.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 55-45
Ratio of the Matchup: 55-45
Thanks to: the Doc and Ganon JMU contributors
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ??? [I'm going to look into our JMU list]
Gerudo Followups (unteched): Dr. Mario is susceptible to down tilt and forward tilt if he fails to tech the choke. However, if Doc DI's in, forward tilt will miss.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Powershield those pills on stage, or Dash Attack right through. Doc’s fireballs have quite a bit of stun and work very similar to Mario’s fireballs. Doc however does not have the mobility to consistently run away from Ganon to spam pills. Doc’s pills mainly have the power to edgeguard you offstage so you should be careful when recovering low. Stay in a midrange so you can punish an unsafe pill with a Dash Attack, as it has reasonable end lag.
Understanding the Matchup:
You’ll find many similarities between this matchup and Mario’s, as they are very similar in nature. The majority of Ganondorf’s moves outrange Doc’s. Doc wants to approach and land tilts and combos in order to rack up damage. Ganon’s a heavy character so he can be juggled easily by Doc’s string of aerials, notably up air.
One key thing to note as Doc is his short hop is much shorter than Mario's. This means he can auto-cancel back air in a short hop and use that as a spacing tool as well as a GTFO tool. That back air can interrupt many of your moves due to the quick speed it comes out, as well as the low end lag.
Barring Fair and Dair, Doc’s aerials are fairly low lag, and his attacks are harder to punish when he throws them out. Against Doc, Ganon doesn’t have to approach as much as it is important to gain stage control. , it’s hazardous to approach Doc recklessly. Doc has a similar approach game to Mario, but also lacks his range. Don’t have to feel pressured into approaching. Hence, the name of the game is to play more towards the mid-range. Play passive aggressively, looking for openings at a distance where you can punish a pill throw but not close enough for Doc to reach you.
You don’t want to get too close to Doc, as Doc's kit revolves around landing a grab to rack up damage. From juggling you with up airs out of a grab to back airing you offstage, Doc can punish Ganon very harshly. In addition, his fair sweetspot can kill earlier than most aerials, and that can be used as a combo finisher! If you ever do get caught in his combo, be sure to pay attention to your percentage, and mixup your DI. .
Snuffing approach: When approaching, Doc can throw out a pill, falling aerial, or a grab. You really don’t want to get grabbed by Doc, so you should powershield or jab. Try to maintain your distance, or back away and punish any unsafe approach with a tilt or Dash Attack. Popping Doc up into the air is a pretty big deal for Doc.
It's also possible for Doc to throw out a RAR Short hop Back air or a weak neutral air to send you reeling back. These are fairly safe options but do trade with Ftilt if you see it coming. It's also not out of the question for a pivot up smash, as Doc shares a unique property where his head is invulnerable during the initial part. It will clash with ftilt however.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Ganon needs to not get caught above Doc, since his up air combos will make it difficult for Ganon to make it back to the ground. In this case, try not to expend your second jump. Instead, save your jump for a time when you’re sure you can make it to the ledge or ground safely. Similarly, Doc can read your air dodge and hit you with any other aerial, so be careful about that also. A surprise Wizkick might help you, but use it only if you're sure Doc is going to try to string another move against you.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Doc is one of those characters with a frame 3 nair that can break your combos, so you should be aware a rogue nair (granted it’ll be weak) can come out to hit you if you’re not doing a true combo. However, if your aerial outranges the nair (which it should), you’re in good shape. Up B OoS for Doc is also very strong, so please be careful of that option.
Recovering: Pills will be Doc’s safest way to edgeguard you, or at least set up. Depending on the stage you’re on, he’ll have less or more options if he can wall jump. Hugging the stage so your uppercut comes out is a safer means of not getting gimped, and also ensuring your uppercut beats a tornado edgeguard.
Use your second jump wisely. It’s also not a bad idea to recover high, but since Doc has cape also, it’s a risky manuever. Also try not to stay on the ledge for too long – a dash attack can stage spike you!
Against a Doc trying to land: Aerials with long range and long lasting hitboxes, namely up air, really do give Doc a difficult time once he’s in the air. Since your aerials just outrange his, you can afford to bait a reaction and punish. Up air is a prime example since it covers a large amount over Ganon’s head, so it’s fairly safe.
Grabs: The main grab Doc will be utilizing to optimize his punish on grabbing you is down throw at mid percents. This is a combo throw that will juggle you for some hefty percent. Up throw at low percents can also combo into back air to set up into something else. Lastly, forward throw and backthrow are used mainly to throw you off the level. You won’t have to worry about back throw killing you until you’re over 120 near the ledge, however.
Edgeguarding: Doc has two very short recovery methods – Rising tornado and Up B. Used in tandem, he can mix you up. However, Ganon’s aerials just simply outrange Doc so a simple Nair can spell doom for Doc. Long range aerials that last for a long time will do the trick just fine. If you’re feeling gutsy and Doc is recovering with his tornado too close to the stage, a Wizkick will also do the job. You do need to be wary of the stage you're on, as if you're on a stage where Doc can also wall jump to extend his recovery, getting back to the stage becomes easier for him.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does beat out Side B.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can bypass pills, so you will be able to hit him just on pure reaction.
Stages to consider:
You do have some stages with Doc, so bear in mind that Ganon won’t benefit too much in his stage picks. For stage picking, it’s picking from personal preference, playstyle, or just simply not letting your opponent get a big advantage.
Battlefield is your best bet in this scenario. Doc's kills are mainly in the horizontals, and the wider ceiling and stage blast zones will help you survive until unreasonably higher percents. Doc's recovery is limited as he cannot wall jump. The platforms will offer some protection against pills, as well as provide safe haven if you recover up high. As you, Ganon, have enough sheer power to knock Doc offstage, or just kill him up high with a Down Tilt, this is your optimal stage against Doc.
Dream Land 64 plays a lot like the matchup on BF. Unlike Battlefield, it has a lower ceiling and it’s harder to land an up smash on the platform. However, Doc can wall jump on the edge, making recovery somewhat easier for him. The lower ceiling can help you net kill moves earlier than Battlefield, which is a tradeoff.
Rarely is there a time that Town and City is a good stage for Ganon, but this is a stage where Ganon can benefit well. The lower ceiling allows Ganon to net kills earlier from down tilt, as well as abuse Doc's lackluster recovery with side tilt. As Doc's main killing options kill on the side, the longer blast zones will allow you to live a little longer. Occasionally, the platforms will also be positioned to help you get back on stage safely.
Lylat is generally a good Ganon stage, but both characters are privy to getting stuck underneath the stage, which enables Jank to be a leading factor in the matchup. The platforms help shield you against Doc's pill rush, as well as provide Ganon momentary invincibility if he gets stuck in a combo - Ganon can tech on the platform and use that as an opportunity to escape from Doc. An ideal tactic is to get Doc stuck above the platform and rack up damage each time he descends unsafely. The platforms are positioned well so a sweetspot up smash can hit Doc from under the platform, killing very early.
Smashville is basically that safe stage that benefits both parties. The platform offers you safety from pills and can help you recover high. Similarly, Doc sees the same thing in respects to recovering. He also benefits from the flat stage as it can help him continue his combos/strings. Try to maintain your space.
BAN: Final Destination is not the stage you want to go to, as Doc does not have to worry about any platforms interrupting his strings. You will want to ban this stage, otherwise you will find your percent rack up fairly quickly. Try not to get discouraged if you are on this stage, however. Wall him out.
Short Summary of Matchup: Although they are similar, you should not be treating the matchup the same as how you would treat the Mario v Ganon matchup. Doc is not as mobile which offers a little more opportunities for punishing, but he racks up damage very similarly. Doc's boon in the matchup is his potent grab game, which he will be trying to utilize against you. Try not to get caught in his short, stubby arms, or else you'll be reliant on your DI and the stage platforms to save you from additional punishment.
In other words, Doc has an easy time if he's below you as he can juggle you. The opposite is the same, however, as Ganon. Doc has a good OoS option (Up B) and also has a frame 3 Nair to help him escape combos. Hence, you need to space your aerials accordingly so your move will come out without Doc's Nair hitting your hurt box.
Mixing up your recovery is vital for both characters. Ganon does not want to get gimped by a pill, while Doc needs to make sure his recovery isn't obvious - any of Ganon's aerials outrange him. Being hit offstage as Doc will equal a loss of a stock.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 55-45
Ratio of the Matchup: 55-45
Thanks to: the Doc and Ganon JMU contributors
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ??? [I'm going to look into our JMU list]
Being a Sword User, Cloud makes us lose some of our otherwise strong treats, such as positive trading and the ability to out-prioritize stuff. Could wins neutral more than us, can combo/juggle pretty effectively and posesses strong Kill Moves.
Luckily for us, Cloud's biggest weakness, and possibly only weakness (his recovery), happens to go hand in hand with Ganon's amazing ability to prey on said weakness. Once he's sent off stage, there's a good chance he'll lose a stock.
42 : 58
Luckily for us, Cloud's biggest weakness, and possibly only weakness (his recovery), happens to go hand in hand with Ganon's amazing ability to prey on said weakness. Once he's sent off stage, there's a good chance he'll lose a stock.
42 : 58
Last edited:
Xinc
Smash Lord
Here's Cloud. Sorry for the delay - studying takes a lot out of me.
Character Description: Cloud Strife is the main protagonist in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and also appears in the spin-off games of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, including Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- and Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, as a supporting character. He is to be the main character again for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
An arrogant and proud swordsman at first, Cloud introduces himself as a former member of an elite warrior unit called SOLDIER who has turned mercenary, and uninterested in anything beyond his hired task at hand. He later discovers the truth about his past and, with the help of his friends, learns there is more to being a hero than possessing physical strength and fame, developing compassion for the world and people he fights to protect.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): Cloud, like many DLCs, is not vulnerable to any followup out of choke. Thus, you’re going to have to read his get up option in order to punish him.
How to Deal with Projectiles: He’s only got one. The power beam is slow and can be powershielded. Overall it doesn’t prove too big a threat. However, the limit version deals massive shield damage and has killing potential. Avoid that one by jumping or just shielding if your shield is healthy.
Understanding the Matchup: One important thing to bear in mind before we begin discussing how Ganondorf can beat Cloud is that with most top tiers, this battle will be an uphill one. You, as the Ganondorf player, will have to play safely and not recklessly throw out too many hitboxes, as Cloud has superior frame data as well as range. Ganondorf needs to rely on openings and exploit Cloud’s bad recovery options.
Another important thing to take note is the difference of physics between Cloud and Limit Cloud – his run speed and air speed are increased. This allows Cloud to more easily navigate the stage, but it also makes him more vulnerable to our attacks. With a higher air speed, Ganondorf’s weak dash attack, as well as throws, allow him to combo Cloud more effectively.
Snuffing approach: Cloud himself will be more inclined to stay back and charge limit. However, if Cloud does decide to approach, understand that as long as you are below 180, none of his throws will kill you, so feel free to shield (though several of his moves eat up shield, such as both variants of Cross Slash).
Cloud has a wide reaching nair with low ending lag, so try not to get hit by it. Usually, they’ll fade back from an aerial so grabbing won’t work. Down tilt out of shield, however, will be able to hit recklessly spaced aerials.
Dealing with limit: In Cloud’s Limit state, he’s able to pull off KOs more efficiently. Aside from his better movement, he gets to have any special as a powerful KO option (or in the case of Up-B, also a recovery option). With a better recovery, he can go farther offstage to intercept Ganondorf’s already-bad recovery and still recover without fear of losing a stock.
Ganondorf’s best option to deal with limit is to throw Cloud offstage and intercept his second jump, forcing Cloud to use his limit to recover. Limit Blade beam and Limit Cross Slash deals a lot of shield damage, as well as KO potential, so it’s vital to avoid it. In addition, limit cross slash has very low lag, which means he can followup almost right after he throws it out. If you shield this move, most of your shield will already be eaten up, so it’s in your best option to avoid a shield break and release shield.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Ganon needs to really not get caught above Cloud since his up air combos are devastating – it’s impossible to just Wizkick down since up air beats Wizkick. Save your double jump and retreat to the ledge or read an up air and air dodge right through.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: There are several moves in Cloud’s arsenal that has a fair amount of endlag for you to punish with a grab, Wizard’s Foot, or Dash Attack. Optimally, the weak hit of Dash Attack is your best option, as it can lead to devastating footstool combos that can tack on over 40%, or if Cloud is around 80%, forward air can kill. However, Flame Choke punishes a shield and resets momentum, which is also an optimal punish against a shield-happy opponent.
Recovering: Against Cloud, recovering isn’t as difficult as it is for other matchups. This is because Cloud himself has a very linear recovery without limit and suffers a large risk of getting swatted away with Ganon’s aerials. Do, however, bear in mind not to hang on the ledge for too long as Limit Cross Slash and Dair spike are ways for Cloud to punish.
Against a Cloud trying to land: Cloud’s landing isn’t easy to punish since his Down air covers a large distance under him. You may want to opt for just simply follow him downwards and shark him with an up air once the down air animation ends, or punish his landing with Wizkick or a grab.
Grabs: Cloud’s grabs do not net any free followups for him. Even if he did, they wouldn’t be especially powerful. Cloud would only grab to throw you offstage or, if you’re at a very high percent like 180, up throw to kill off the top. Cloud’s grabs cannot kill otherwise.
Edgeguarding: Without limit, Cloud’s recovery is a short two-hit recovery similar to Ike’s. However, it’s far more punishable. As there is a timeframe Cloud is unable to tech the wall, RAR nair as well as most other aerials are enough to intercept Cloud’s recovery. However, with limit, Cloud travels much farther and becomes very difficult to intercept offstage. It’s better to let him burn his limit and then try again. Edgeguarding Cloud is one of the most crucial things to learn in the metagame. Luckily, Ganon’s ability to edgeguard effectively should make it so Cloud will not be coming back. Any and all aerials are fit to edgeguard Cloud, as he cannot tech during his Climhazard, but beware of his limit Climhazard, as it is especially quick and has high knockback.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can bypass pills, so you will be able to hit him just on pure reaction.
Stages to consider:
In this stage selection, it’s not a matter of which stage benefits Ganon, but which stage you feel more confident on – the matchup will be hard either way.
Battlefield: This stage is optimally fair for both characters. Ganondorf can afford to hold some safety on the main platform, hiding from Cloud’s swords. Off the top platform, Ganon can kill extremely early. However, Battlefield’s larger blastzones do make it harder to net a kill, so do your best to gimp Cloud.
Final Destination: The flat platform gives Ganondorf a harder time to navigate against Cloud, who also gains more up air shenanigans to pull against Ganondorf, as Ganon cannot simply retreat to a platform like he does in BF. However, this neutral stage also allows Ganon to shark Cloud when he’s above and rack up easier damage with a weak dash attack. Lack of floating platforms on Smashville means Cloud will not be coming back if gimped hard enough.
Smashville: As stated earlier, you’re going to need to be aware of floating platforms on this stage. Although Cloud will almost always be able to punish for landing on the platform, it will give you your second jump back, which will allow you another chance at the ledge. The floating platform can also add or detract from your combos, so pay close attention. Aside from that, it plays a lot like FD. You can also use a balloon to unstale a move.
Lylat: Beware the tilting ledge! The three platforms do not offer too much protection against a Cloud below you, as up airs are Cloud’s way to get you up and above. However, you should be able to recover back onstage if you save your second jump (at least to the ledge). Focus on the best way to beat Cloud – finding ways of hitting him offstage. If you’re lucky enough and your gimp attempt didn’t work, he might get gimped by the stage instead.
Dreamland 64: It plays a lot like Battlefield, but the lower ceiling and the Whispy being able to slow down your already-slow movement option makes it less optimal against Cloud. Although you have moves that can kill Cloud earlier, you are left at a more dangerous scenario if you are subject to being juggled.
BAN: Town & City will be the most difficult of all these stages (barring DH, but it’s banned as of this point in time). The low ceiling may benefit you, but it also benefits Cloud tremendously from up air strings, as well as the larger stage giving him more mobility to weave back and forth. The horizontal blastzones are larger which gives him a chance to recover with limit, while we die if we’re sent too far.
Short Summary of Matchup: Beating Cloud offstage is easy. However, how do you fight him onstage? He has as much range as you, and has better frame data. He’s more mobile, to boot. Play patiently and look for any openings. Getting a grab on a Cloud and being able to follow up on a down throw is a good start, as down throw can lead to many possible followups. Including if you’re in the position to ledge-cancel Wizkick, you can followup with up air to gimp Cloud.
Playing patiently and not recklessly rushing in is key to the matchup. Punishing unsafe attack options Cloud throws out, baiting him to attack, and conditioning your opponent will be valuable tools to beat your opponent.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Thanks to: the Cloud and Ganon JMU contributors,
Z1GMA
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ???
An arrogant and proud swordsman at first, Cloud introduces himself as a former member of an elite warrior unit called SOLDIER who has turned mercenary, and uninterested in anything beyond his hired task at hand. He later discovers the truth about his past and, with the help of his friends, learns there is more to being a hero than possessing physical strength and fame, developing compassion for the world and people he fights to protect.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): Cloud, like many DLCs, is not vulnerable to any followup out of choke. Thus, you’re going to have to read his get up option in order to punish him.
How to Deal with Projectiles: He’s only got one. The power beam is slow and can be powershielded. Overall it doesn’t prove too big a threat. However, the limit version deals massive shield damage and has killing potential. Avoid that one by jumping or just shielding if your shield is healthy.
Understanding the Matchup: One important thing to bear in mind before we begin discussing how Ganondorf can beat Cloud is that with most top tiers, this battle will be an uphill one. You, as the Ganondorf player, will have to play safely and not recklessly throw out too many hitboxes, as Cloud has superior frame data as well as range. Ganondorf needs to rely on openings and exploit Cloud’s bad recovery options.
Another important thing to take note is the difference of physics between Cloud and Limit Cloud – his run speed and air speed are increased. This allows Cloud to more easily navigate the stage, but it also makes him more vulnerable to our attacks. With a higher air speed, Ganondorf’s weak dash attack, as well as throws, allow him to combo Cloud more effectively.
Snuffing approach: Cloud himself will be more inclined to stay back and charge limit. However, if Cloud does decide to approach, understand that as long as you are below 180, none of his throws will kill you, so feel free to shield (though several of his moves eat up shield, such as both variants of Cross Slash).
Cloud has a wide reaching nair with low ending lag, so try not to get hit by it. Usually, they’ll fade back from an aerial so grabbing won’t work. Down tilt out of shield, however, will be able to hit recklessly spaced aerials.
Dealing with limit: In Cloud’s Limit state, he’s able to pull off KOs more efficiently. Aside from his better movement, he gets to have any special as a powerful KO option (or in the case of Up-B, also a recovery option). With a better recovery, he can go farther offstage to intercept Ganondorf’s already-bad recovery and still recover without fear of losing a stock.
Ganondorf’s best option to deal with limit is to throw Cloud offstage and intercept his second jump, forcing Cloud to use his limit to recover. Limit Blade beam and Limit Cross Slash deals a lot of shield damage, as well as KO potential, so it’s vital to avoid it. In addition, limit cross slash has very low lag, which means he can followup almost right after he throws it out. If you shield this move, most of your shield will already be eaten up, so it’s in your best option to avoid a shield break and release shield.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Ganon needs to really not get caught above Cloud since his up air combos are devastating – it’s impossible to just Wizkick down since up air beats Wizkick. Save your double jump and retreat to the ledge or read an up air and air dodge right through.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: There are several moves in Cloud’s arsenal that has a fair amount of endlag for you to punish with a grab, Wizard’s Foot, or Dash Attack. Optimally, the weak hit of Dash Attack is your best option, as it can lead to devastating footstool combos that can tack on over 40%, or if Cloud is around 80%, forward air can kill. However, Flame Choke punishes a shield and resets momentum, which is also an optimal punish against a shield-happy opponent.
Recovering: Against Cloud, recovering isn’t as difficult as it is for other matchups. This is because Cloud himself has a very linear recovery without limit and suffers a large risk of getting swatted away with Ganon’s aerials. Do, however, bear in mind not to hang on the ledge for too long as Limit Cross Slash and Dair spike are ways for Cloud to punish.
Against a Cloud trying to land: Cloud’s landing isn’t easy to punish since his Down air covers a large distance under him. You may want to opt for just simply follow him downwards and shark him with an up air once the down air animation ends, or punish his landing with Wizkick or a grab.
Grabs: Cloud’s grabs do not net any free followups for him. Even if he did, they wouldn’t be especially powerful. Cloud would only grab to throw you offstage or, if you’re at a very high percent like 180, up throw to kill off the top. Cloud’s grabs cannot kill otherwise.
Edgeguarding: Without limit, Cloud’s recovery is a short two-hit recovery similar to Ike’s. However, it’s far more punishable. As there is a timeframe Cloud is unable to tech the wall, RAR nair as well as most other aerials are enough to intercept Cloud’s recovery. However, with limit, Cloud travels much farther and becomes very difficult to intercept offstage. It’s better to let him burn his limit and then try again. Edgeguarding Cloud is one of the most crucial things to learn in the metagame. Luckily, Ganon’s ability to edgeguard effectively should make it so Cloud will not be coming back. Any and all aerials are fit to edgeguard Cloud, as he cannot tech during his Climhazard, but beware of his limit Climhazard, as it is especially quick and has high knockback.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can bypass pills, so you will be able to hit him just on pure reaction.
Stages to consider:
In this stage selection, it’s not a matter of which stage benefits Ganon, but which stage you feel more confident on – the matchup will be hard either way.
Battlefield: This stage is optimally fair for both characters. Ganondorf can afford to hold some safety on the main platform, hiding from Cloud’s swords. Off the top platform, Ganon can kill extremely early. However, Battlefield’s larger blastzones do make it harder to net a kill, so do your best to gimp Cloud.
Final Destination: The flat platform gives Ganondorf a harder time to navigate against Cloud, who also gains more up air shenanigans to pull against Ganondorf, as Ganon cannot simply retreat to a platform like he does in BF. However, this neutral stage also allows Ganon to shark Cloud when he’s above and rack up easier damage with a weak dash attack. Lack of floating platforms on Smashville means Cloud will not be coming back if gimped hard enough.
Smashville: As stated earlier, you’re going to need to be aware of floating platforms on this stage. Although Cloud will almost always be able to punish for landing on the platform, it will give you your second jump back, which will allow you another chance at the ledge. The floating platform can also add or detract from your combos, so pay close attention. Aside from that, it plays a lot like FD. You can also use a balloon to unstale a move.
Lylat: Beware the tilting ledge! The three platforms do not offer too much protection against a Cloud below you, as up airs are Cloud’s way to get you up and above. However, you should be able to recover back onstage if you save your second jump (at least to the ledge). Focus on the best way to beat Cloud – finding ways of hitting him offstage. If you’re lucky enough and your gimp attempt didn’t work, he might get gimped by the stage instead.
Dreamland 64: It plays a lot like Battlefield, but the lower ceiling and the Whispy being able to slow down your already-slow movement option makes it less optimal against Cloud. Although you have moves that can kill Cloud earlier, you are left at a more dangerous scenario if you are subject to being juggled.
BAN: Town & City will be the most difficult of all these stages (barring DH, but it’s banned as of this point in time). The low ceiling may benefit you, but it also benefits Cloud tremendously from up air strings, as well as the larger stage giving him more mobility to weave back and forth. The horizontal blastzones are larger which gives him a chance to recover with limit, while we die if we’re sent too far.
Short Summary of Matchup: Beating Cloud offstage is easy. However, how do you fight him onstage? He has as much range as you, and has better frame data. He’s more mobile, to boot. Play patiently and look for any openings. Getting a grab on a Cloud and being able to follow up on a down throw is a good start, as down throw can lead to many possible followups. Including if you’re in the position to ledge-cancel Wizkick, you can followup with up air to gimp Cloud.
Playing patiently and not recklessly rushing in is key to the matchup. Punishing unsafe attack options Cloud throws out, baiting him to attack, and conditioning your opponent will be valuable tools to beat your opponent.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Thanks to: the Cloud and Ganon JMU contributors,
Z1GMA
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ???
Last edited:
Xinc
Smash Lord
D3 boys.
Character Description: King Dedede (Japanese: デデデ大王Hepburn: Dedede Daiō?) is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in Nintendo's Kirby video game series created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory. Dedede first appeared in the 1992 video game Kirby's Dream Land as the main villain. He returned for all other games of the series except Kirby & the Amazing Mirror (2004) and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (2015), also appearing in several Kirby comic books, in the 2001 anime series and in the Super Smash Bros. series, more specifically Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
King Dedede is the self-proclaimed king of Dream Land and the "arch-frenemy" of Kirby. Although Dedede is typically a major antagonist of the Kirby series, his moral character has been debated by video game critics; this is courtesy of his goals being driven by greed and selfishness rather than outright maliciousness, as well as demonstrating traits of camaraderie alongside Kirby in regards to either serious threats (such as in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards), or easy-going moments (such as in the minigames where Dedede is featured as a playable character), as well as many of his roles as the antagonist actually being the result of another enemy controlling him (such as in Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Dream Land 3).
Gerudo Followups (unteched): Contrary to popular belief, Dedede is NOT perfect. Dedede with his large penguin mass is subject to many followups if he fails to tech the choke. Jab, Forward Tilt, and Down Tilt are all viable options out of an unteched choke, as well as other reads such as down air on a get up attack.
How to Deal with Projectiles: He’s only got one and it’s kind of slow (f29). Gordo itself isn’t the best projectile, but you should pay attention to what trajectory DeDeDe will be throwing it at. Higher trajectory allows you more ease to use Dash Attack for good followups. The timing for hitting the Gordo back also changes somewhat.
Understanding the Matchup: As Dedede himself has a hammer to control range, we ought to be staying further away from him or midrange. Further from him is far less optimal however, as he will have the opportunity to turtle up and throw Gordos and f-tilt you when you’re too close.
However, don’t rush in too haphazardly. Just like how Dedede is good combo bait for Ganon, Ganon is even better combo bait for Dedede. Space out your attacks but don’t let Dedede go too far back or he can toss Gordos at you.
Optimally, Ganondorf functions well mid-range. Jab, frame 7, comes out much faster than Dedede’s jab and matches Dedede’s grab. You’ll find your jab, Dash Attack, and Wizard’s Foot to be more of the commonly used moves in this matchup. Jab tosses away Dedede when he’s too close while Dash attack and Wizkick close distance quickly, put Dedede in a disadvantageous position, and snuff Gordos.
However, in the air, Dedede’s moves are able to outrange many of your own. However, the flaw here is that they take long to startup aside from Nair. Jab or a well spaced aerial can beat them out. Only his up air, however, is a potent kill move vertically. The rest send you more on a diagonal angle on the side.
Approaching: Try to approach Dedede with tilts, dash attack, well spaced aerials, or even RAR back airs. Most of these moves don’t have as much commitment, which makes it far less punishable by Dedede. However, he does have a chance to counterattack if your moves are not spaced well enough.
Snuffing approach: Dedede most likely won’t be the one approaching you, but if he is, he’ll be doing a similar tactic to you – RAR Back airs. If spaced well enough, he won’t be susceptible to grabs. Instead, try to perfect shield it and punish it with a Wizkick. If not, let it go. Don’t let him pressure you into making any mistakes like dropping your shield since he can expend another jump and bair again.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE: Dedede doesn’t really have too many tools when we’re above him, but up air is a dangerous juggling tool that can lead to obnoxiously early (for heavyweights) kills. As the range is quite huge, be careful and try not to be directly above Dedede – try not to get baited into an air dodge. Dedede with multiple jumps can take advantage to bait an air dodge and punish with up air.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Many of Dedede’s moves either have high startup or high endlag. If you’re in the former half, try a quick punish. Moves like bair, if blocked, will eat Wizkick or Dash Attack. However, even slower moves like Dash Attack, which are very committal, can eat our FSmash or a choke – whatever move you want to do, barring Warlock Punch and Up tilt. If Dedede is in the position that we can’t really get too close without him being able to shield, Flame Choke can beat the shield that will most likely come out. Remember Wizkick is unsafe on block.
Recovering: Mix up your recovery. Dedede having multiple jumps gives him opportunity to hit your further offstage, so it wouldn’t be out of the question to use Dark Dive earlier or speed up your descent with a Wizkick. Try not to stay on the ledge too long either, since Dedede’s Dash Attack can easily KO you at the ledge.
Against a Dedede trying to land: Shark Dedede – in other words, try to stay near his descent vertically. Multiple jumps gives him more chance to throw off your timing so it’s a good idea to punish him when he’s almost back down to the ground. Powershield his Fair or Bair he will most likely throw on the way back down and swat away the Gordos. A tilt or grab can punish Dedede, putting him back up or offstage, which is where you want him.
Grabs: Ganondorf’s main throw would be the down throw, as it nets good followups from Dash Attack to Up air and Nair, or even footstool combos. These moves all rack up damage fairly quickly and can lead to Dedede being in an awkward position. Up throw would be to get Dedede above you while Forward and Back throw are used to knock Dedede offstage and rack up damage.
Optimally Dedede also has good down throw combos against Ganondorf, racking up damage fairly quickly. His down throw to footstool is something to be wary of. Try to stay out of his grab range, or jab, as it beats grab.
Edgeguarding: Having multiple jumps and an up-b with armor and intangibility makes it difficult to punish when he’s offstage. However, the armor does not go on his head, so a well-timed down air can smack Dedede down to the pits of hell. Dededes occasionally drop down and up air through the stage if you’re too close. You can shield it, jump over it, or avoid it. Be sure to capitalize on the lack of invincibility when he grabs the ledge. Wizkick spike or down air works enough to kill.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. Great if you get sent too far back.
Stages to consider:
Battlefield: A great option against Dedede. This stage allows you to properly trap Dedede on platforms (as he has less safe landing options aside from his double jump). Battlefield is often considered Ganon’s best stage and this matchup shows why. The only problem is that Dedede is also a heavyweight. Combined with the large blastzones, killing Dedede may be a struggle and he may survive past 140 without a sweetspotted Dash Attack.
Final Destination: Another great option. As Dedede doesn’t have many great vertical combo options, you don’t have to worry about being juggled too much here. The platforms aren’t as needed. Granted, both characters can still combo each other, but Ganon gets a lot out of the open space against Dedede. The smaller blastzones also help seal a stock quicker.
Lylat: Another Ganon best stage. It’s a bit awkward for Dedede to recover low at times, as he can get gimped by the stage. As well, he can have trouble landing from the platforms, where Ganon can shark under.
Dreamland 64: There’s not too much difference in this matchup – BF and DL64 should be played almost the same way. The only difference is that kills will be earlier due to the smaller blastzones and Whispy will be able to hinder and annoy our movement.
Town & City: It’s a lot like Smashville, but the platforms are actually in a better position for you. The smaller vertical blastzone allows you to kill earlier with vertical kill moves while the faster moving platforms can potentially save you. Unlike on Smashville, it’s a little harder for Dedede to take advantage of Town & City platforms. The only con is the larger main platform gives Dedede more room to move away and retreat. Usually against Dedede you’ll ban this or Smashville.
BAN: Smashville: What you’ll opt to ban is up to your personal preference. In the case of Smashville… Fair’s fair... but the platform can actually help save us from an imminent demise, as Dedede’s moves often knock us too far to recover. However, recovering to the platform when it’s obvious can lead to us still dying if Dedede makes it in time. The platform is far better for Dedede.
Short Summary of Matchup: From the information gathered, it’s safer to play midrange against Dedede. Play at the range your tilts can hit Dedede while he won’t be able to hit you, but stay farther away so his grab doesn’t get you. Try not to commit too much against Dedede – he’s slow, but he has a decent grab game and keepaway game. More often than not, he’ll be killing you off the side than off the top. If you do end up above him, try not to let him get directly below you or else you’ll be in a 50-50 situation where you can get baited into air dodging – a Dedede up air can kill you.
However, his attacks are pretty committal barring a few moves. Either there’s a high startup or high cooldown. Punish the move accordingly with your own powerful moves.
Try not to get too frustrated if Dedede is at a high percent and isn’t dead yet. He’s also a heavyweight like you and will most likely be thinking the same thing. Keep spacing well.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Thanks to: the D3 and Ganon JMU contributors
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ???
King Dedede is the self-proclaimed king of Dream Land and the "arch-frenemy" of Kirby. Although Dedede is typically a major antagonist of the Kirby series, his moral character has been debated by video game critics; this is courtesy of his goals being driven by greed and selfishness rather than outright maliciousness, as well as demonstrating traits of camaraderie alongside Kirby in regards to either serious threats (such as in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards), or easy-going moments (such as in the minigames where Dedede is featured as a playable character), as well as many of his roles as the antagonist actually being the result of another enemy controlling him (such as in Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Dream Land 3).
Gerudo Followups (unteched): Contrary to popular belief, Dedede is NOT perfect. Dedede with his large penguin mass is subject to many followups if he fails to tech the choke. Jab, Forward Tilt, and Down Tilt are all viable options out of an unteched choke, as well as other reads such as down air on a get up attack.
How to Deal with Projectiles: He’s only got one and it’s kind of slow (f29). Gordo itself isn’t the best projectile, but you should pay attention to what trajectory DeDeDe will be throwing it at. Higher trajectory allows you more ease to use Dash Attack for good followups. The timing for hitting the Gordo back also changes somewhat.
Understanding the Matchup: As Dedede himself has a hammer to control range, we ought to be staying further away from him or midrange. Further from him is far less optimal however, as he will have the opportunity to turtle up and throw Gordos and f-tilt you when you’re too close.
However, don’t rush in too haphazardly. Just like how Dedede is good combo bait for Ganon, Ganon is even better combo bait for Dedede. Space out your attacks but don’t let Dedede go too far back or he can toss Gordos at you.
Optimally, Ganondorf functions well mid-range. Jab, frame 7, comes out much faster than Dedede’s jab and matches Dedede’s grab. You’ll find your jab, Dash Attack, and Wizard’s Foot to be more of the commonly used moves in this matchup. Jab tosses away Dedede when he’s too close while Dash attack and Wizkick close distance quickly, put Dedede in a disadvantageous position, and snuff Gordos.
However, in the air, Dedede’s moves are able to outrange many of your own. However, the flaw here is that they take long to startup aside from Nair. Jab or a well spaced aerial can beat them out. Only his up air, however, is a potent kill move vertically. The rest send you more on a diagonal angle on the side.
Approaching: Try to approach Dedede with tilts, dash attack, well spaced aerials, or even RAR back airs. Most of these moves don’t have as much commitment, which makes it far less punishable by Dedede. However, he does have a chance to counterattack if your moves are not spaced well enough.
Snuffing approach: Dedede most likely won’t be the one approaching you, but if he is, he’ll be doing a similar tactic to you – RAR Back airs. If spaced well enough, he won’t be susceptible to grabs. Instead, try to perfect shield it and punish it with a Wizkick. If not, let it go. Don’t let him pressure you into making any mistakes like dropping your shield since he can expend another jump and bair again.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE: Dedede doesn’t really have too many tools when we’re above him, but up air is a dangerous juggling tool that can lead to obnoxiously early (for heavyweights) kills. As the range is quite huge, be careful and try not to be directly above Dedede – try not to get baited into an air dodge. Dedede with multiple jumps can take advantage to bait an air dodge and punish with up air.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Many of Dedede’s moves either have high startup or high endlag. If you’re in the former half, try a quick punish. Moves like bair, if blocked, will eat Wizkick or Dash Attack. However, even slower moves like Dash Attack, which are very committal, can eat our FSmash or a choke – whatever move you want to do, barring Warlock Punch and Up tilt. If Dedede is in the position that we can’t really get too close without him being able to shield, Flame Choke can beat the shield that will most likely come out. Remember Wizkick is unsafe on block.
Recovering: Mix up your recovery. Dedede having multiple jumps gives him opportunity to hit your further offstage, so it wouldn’t be out of the question to use Dark Dive earlier or speed up your descent with a Wizkick. Try not to stay on the ledge too long either, since Dedede’s Dash Attack can easily KO you at the ledge.
Against a Dedede trying to land: Shark Dedede – in other words, try to stay near his descent vertically. Multiple jumps gives him more chance to throw off your timing so it’s a good idea to punish him when he’s almost back down to the ground. Powershield his Fair or Bair he will most likely throw on the way back down and swat away the Gordos. A tilt or grab can punish Dedede, putting him back up or offstage, which is where you want him.
Grabs: Ganondorf’s main throw would be the down throw, as it nets good followups from Dash Attack to Up air and Nair, or even footstool combos. These moves all rack up damage fairly quickly and can lead to Dedede being in an awkward position. Up throw would be to get Dedede above you while Forward and Back throw are used to knock Dedede offstage and rack up damage.
Optimally Dedede also has good down throw combos against Ganondorf, racking up damage fairly quickly. His down throw to footstool is something to be wary of. Try to stay out of his grab range, or jab, as it beats grab.
Edgeguarding: Having multiple jumps and an up-b with armor and intangibility makes it difficult to punish when he’s offstage. However, the armor does not go on his head, so a well-timed down air can smack Dedede down to the pits of hell. Dededes occasionally drop down and up air through the stage if you’re too close. You can shield it, jump over it, or avoid it. Be sure to capitalize on the lack of invincibility when he grabs the ledge. Wizkick spike or down air works enough to kill.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. Great if you get sent too far back.
Stages to consider:
Battlefield: A great option against Dedede. This stage allows you to properly trap Dedede on platforms (as he has less safe landing options aside from his double jump). Battlefield is often considered Ganon’s best stage and this matchup shows why. The only problem is that Dedede is also a heavyweight. Combined with the large blastzones, killing Dedede may be a struggle and he may survive past 140 without a sweetspotted Dash Attack.
Final Destination: Another great option. As Dedede doesn’t have many great vertical combo options, you don’t have to worry about being juggled too much here. The platforms aren’t as needed. Granted, both characters can still combo each other, but Ganon gets a lot out of the open space against Dedede. The smaller blastzones also help seal a stock quicker.
Lylat: Another Ganon best stage. It’s a bit awkward for Dedede to recover low at times, as he can get gimped by the stage. As well, he can have trouble landing from the platforms, where Ganon can shark under.
Dreamland 64: There’s not too much difference in this matchup – BF and DL64 should be played almost the same way. The only difference is that kills will be earlier due to the smaller blastzones and Whispy will be able to hinder and annoy our movement.
Town & City: It’s a lot like Smashville, but the platforms are actually in a better position for you. The smaller vertical blastzone allows you to kill earlier with vertical kill moves while the faster moving platforms can potentially save you. Unlike on Smashville, it’s a little harder for Dedede to take advantage of Town & City platforms. The only con is the larger main platform gives Dedede more room to move away and retreat. Usually against Dedede you’ll ban this or Smashville.
BAN: Smashville: What you’ll opt to ban is up to your personal preference. In the case of Smashville… Fair’s fair... but the platform can actually help save us from an imminent demise, as Dedede’s moves often knock us too far to recover. However, recovering to the platform when it’s obvious can lead to us still dying if Dedede makes it in time. The platform is far better for Dedede.
Short Summary of Matchup: From the information gathered, it’s safer to play midrange against Dedede. Play at the range your tilts can hit Dedede while he won’t be able to hit you, but stay farther away so his grab doesn’t get you. Try not to commit too much against Dedede – he’s slow, but he has a decent grab game and keepaway game. More often than not, he’ll be killing you off the side than off the top. If you do end up above him, try not to let him get directly below you or else you’ll be in a 50-50 situation where you can get baited into air dodging – a Dedede up air can kill you.
However, his attacks are pretty committal barring a few moves. Either there’s a high startup or high cooldown. Punish the move accordingly with your own powerful moves.
Try not to get too frustrated if Dedede is at a high percent and isn’t dead yet. He’s also a heavyweight like you and will most likely be thinking the same thing. Keep spacing well.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Thanks to: the D3 and Ganon JMU contributors
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ???
Last edited:
Xinc
Smash Lord
._.The difficulty was trying not to make the matchup sound bad lol
Lucas is next, please give anti-Lucas advice!
Character Description: Villager (むらびと, Villager) is a newcomer in Super Smash Bros. 4. Villager was revealed during E3 2013 on June 11th, 2013 during the first reveal trailer for Smash 4, and alongside other newcomers announced during E3 2013, Wii Fit Trainer and Mega Man. Similar to the Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, and Corrin, players are able to play as male and female versions of the Villager. There are four male and four female variations available. He was also among the first wave of amiibo figures that are compatible with SSB4.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): Villager is subject to down tilt and forward tilt. Given his lighter weight (25th lightest in the game) and lack of hitboxes on recovery, a single unteched choke can lead to a high amount of damage or a loss of stock.
How to Deal with Projectiles: He’s all loaded with those. Fair, Bair, Lloyd Rocket, and Timber are all notable moves. At a range, fair and bair won’t kill, but are very annoying. At higher percents and up close, these moves, however, become kill moves even though they aren’t exactly safe on block (You can grab them if they end up too close to you or jab if you powershield)
Lloyd Rocket doesn’t deal too much damage but interrupts your Wizkick and most other moves. It serves also as an annoyance onstage – Villager’s way of controlling distance from you. However, you can powershield it and jab Villager if he’s using it to approach you.
The tree itself deals a lot of damage, so you don’t want to be around if it comes down. But at the same time, be wary of the axe Villager has. Remember this move is a three part move and Villager can only safely do this move if you’re on the other side of the stage or offstage. Villager might plant the tree near the ledge to bait you into rolling on the stage. Otherwise, the axe can kill you at oddly high percents.
The last move you should note is forward smash, which works as an edgeguarding move. Do your best to mix up your recovery and you should be able to avoid it. In tandem with Dash Attack, it can be deadly recovering from below.
Understanding the Matchup: This will be a difficult matchup if you struggle against projectiles since Villager’s loaded with them. Practicing powershielding to optimize punishing whiffed hits will be crucial before facing a Villager. The main problem in this matchup is getting in and staying in, as Villager’s kit revolves around keeping you out and hitting you hard once you make a mistake in committing. Do your best not to recklessly throw moves out as our moves have higher startup and endlag, so it’s easier to punish as Villager.
However, you should also try to keep yourself midrange! Villager’s frame 3 jab can interrupt many of our moves but our tilts will outspace that, as well as the small-ranged nair. That way we won’t eat up useless damage and lose our positioning.
Approaching: Face it – with a character loaded with projectiles, you’re going to have to approach or else Villager will control your space and trap you in the corner. Manage your powershielding and options out of shield or you won’t be able to retaliate on a punished move. Your best options OoS are jab, grab, tilts, dash attack, or Wizard’s Foot.
Snuffing approach: It is essential for you to manage space against Villager and predict what he’s going to do to you. Sometimes, Villager will use Lloyd Rocket to force a reaction out of you. As Lloyd Rocket clanks with WizKick, this leaves you with limited options such as jumping or shielding. Powershielding and jabbing if Villager is nearby will push him/her away and that’ll be the end of that. Occasionally, Villager can opt to mixup by trying to get behind you with Nair or Bair. Tilting can help make that more tolerable, swatting them away. It’s also possible for Villager to mixup a fair/bair, forcing a shield, before grabbing. There is time to react to that and roll away, however.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE: You don’t have to worry too much if Villager is directly below you. The only moves he can use are nair and Up air, both of which don’t kill. Although up smash is still an option if you’re too close to the ground. There’s less pressure, but don’t land too close to Villager since he can just swat you away with ftilt. If you’re high enough, however, you can use Wizkick and cancel the last few frames with any other move.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Villager’s best ability is to play keepaway and coming in when he can throw a combo at you and kill. Maximizing your punish outside a jab or Dash Attack will be more difficult. You will need to condition his reactions to you and take advantage accordingly. For example, if he’s shielding, feel free to grab or Flame Choke, while if he spotdodges an incoming attack, Wizard’s Foot is an option since it beats spotdodge. Trying to land Dash Attack is also an option, as you can mixup or even land a kill confirm off weak dash attack.
Recovering: Mix up your recovery. If you’re expecting Villager to forward smash and drop a bowling ball, you may opt to recover early with your Up-B. Villager has dash attack, which tosses a pot at you. It can go offstage and force you to recover low, so keep your options open!
Several other options are to recover with flame choke, mixing up the timing (Better with a stage with platforms), as well as descending faster before Villager gets near the ledge with Wizkick – you can ledge snap if the distance is right. If you’re feeling gutsy, try to time it so your uppercut (up B) clashes with the bowling ball. That can save you from an imminent demise.
Against a Villager trying to land: Stay close on his tail – Villager does not have great landing options or the ability to cover himself. He can stall in the air with Lloyd, air dodge, or cover a little bit with down air. However, our aerials outrange his. If you’re directly below Villager, feel free to up air. If you’re on the side, he can use fair/bair to send you away, but Ganon’s Nair/Bair can hit him first, if timed correctly. Hence, getting Villager into the air and trapping him on a platform is a good way to rack up damage.
Grabs: Ganondorf’s main throw would be the down throw, as it nets good followups from Dash Attack to Up air and Nair, or even footstool combos. These moves all rack up damage fairly quickly and punish the Villager even to the point of death from one grab and punish. Up throw would be to get Villager above you while Forward and Back throw are used to knock Villager offstage and rack up damage.
Optimally Villager will be using back throw near the ledge at higher percents to kill/gimp you. Try not to let Villager bait you too close to the ledge at high percents. Most of Villager’s other throws are just for stage control and distance management.
Edgeguarding: Villager’s recovery goes a great distance and functions a lot like ROB’s. Although he can stall in the air, the downside to this great recovery is the lack of hitboxes. That means he is edgeguard bait. Sure, Villager likes to cover the ledge with Lloyd Rocket, which is easily beaten by shield, but outside of that, he’s a target offstage. Occasionally, Villager will do his best to stall the recovery if you’re going to edgeguard him, so do your best to hit him with a long lasting hitbox. However, Villager can also dip down under the stage to recover on the other side. Ganon’s unable to retaliate against that, as he is too slow. So the main goal in edgeguarding is to keep Villager off the stage on one side only.
In addition, practice the Ganon’s Bair lagless ledgejump in case Villager decides to forgo recovering to the ledge and just recovers over the stage. This will maximize punishes as you have less landing lag frames to worry about.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. Great if you get sent too far back.
Stages to consider:
Battlefield: Battlefield and DL64 are your best stages against Villager. On the bad side for BF, blastzones are higher, which means it’ll be harder to kill Villager. However, the platforms mean you will have an easier time trapping Villager on top of a platform and punishing his attempts to try to land.
Dreamland 64: The lower vertical ceiling means your tilts and kill moves will kill slightly earlier. However, be wary of the wind, which will slow down your attempts to approach. In addition, try not to get stuck at the lower pineapple on the stage when recovering from down low.
Lylat: You’re vulnerable to getting camped by Villager and stuck under the Lylat stage itself, but this is still a good stage. Trapping Villager on any of the three platforms can be disastrous for him, as Ganon can easily punish his get up options, as well as recovering options back to the main platform.
Town & City: The larger of the two Animal Crossing stages has an incredibly low ceiling, which means you can more easily kill Villager off the top with down tilt, dash attack, and aerials, namely up air. However, the larger side blastzones mean Villager can survive an attack that kills off the side and come back. Also pay close attention to the platforms on T&C, as they travel faster than that of Smashville’s. They can aid your recovery, as well as Villager’s – you can use them to mixup your recovery when you’re offstage. If you’re onstage, try to shark under the platform and punish either option (drop down or landing on the platform). The larger main platform means, however, you will have a slightly harder time approaching as Villager has more room to maneuver.
BAN: There are two options you can choose to ban here. (Bear in mind T&C is also an option if you don’t like the stage)
Final Destination: Camping galore for Villager. It’ll be a struggle to get in without a platform. However, once you get in, do your best to stay in (but don’t overextend). Villager can technically juggle you with up air strings, but they won’t amount to too much. Try to get in and get Villager above you or offstage. The smaller blastzone in this stage allows Ganon to kill a tad earlier, though not as early as Town and City.
Smashville: The same concept as FD. However, the platform only really helps Villager. Ganon has too much landing lag on his recovery to make use of the SV platform – Villager can just come in and hit him back off with Fair/Bair. Also the larger blastzone will ensure Villager can survive a tad bit longer.
Short Summary of Matchup: Closing the distance against Villager will be hard as Villager is loaded with projectiles just ready to be thrown at you. Do not overcommit or you will eat a lot of damage. Keep yourself at midrange until you can pop Villager above you or knock him offstage. When that happens you have an opportunity to rack up a lot of damage on him.
Killing him, on the other hand, will be easier vertically. This is because Villager can recover well offstage (though he’s subject to Ganon’s aerial edgeguarding onslaught), but also because he’s not heavy. Down tilt and Dash attack will kill him well. Overall, this matchup is doable, but Ganondorf must be patient and ready to shield incoming projectiles. An opportunity will soon reveal itself, do not worry.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Thanks to: the Villagers and Ganon JMU contributors during year 2016.
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ???
Gerudo Followups (unteched): Villager is subject to down tilt and forward tilt. Given his lighter weight (25th lightest in the game) and lack of hitboxes on recovery, a single unteched choke can lead to a high amount of damage or a loss of stock.
How to Deal with Projectiles: He’s all loaded with those. Fair, Bair, Lloyd Rocket, and Timber are all notable moves. At a range, fair and bair won’t kill, but are very annoying. At higher percents and up close, these moves, however, become kill moves even though they aren’t exactly safe on block (You can grab them if they end up too close to you or jab if you powershield)
Lloyd Rocket doesn’t deal too much damage but interrupts your Wizkick and most other moves. It serves also as an annoyance onstage – Villager’s way of controlling distance from you. However, you can powershield it and jab Villager if he’s using it to approach you.
The tree itself deals a lot of damage, so you don’t want to be around if it comes down. But at the same time, be wary of the axe Villager has. Remember this move is a three part move and Villager can only safely do this move if you’re on the other side of the stage or offstage. Villager might plant the tree near the ledge to bait you into rolling on the stage. Otherwise, the axe can kill you at oddly high percents.
The last move you should note is forward smash, which works as an edgeguarding move. Do your best to mix up your recovery and you should be able to avoid it. In tandem with Dash Attack, it can be deadly recovering from below.
Understanding the Matchup: This will be a difficult matchup if you struggle against projectiles since Villager’s loaded with them. Practicing powershielding to optimize punishing whiffed hits will be crucial before facing a Villager. The main problem in this matchup is getting in and staying in, as Villager’s kit revolves around keeping you out and hitting you hard once you make a mistake in committing. Do your best not to recklessly throw moves out as our moves have higher startup and endlag, so it’s easier to punish as Villager.
However, you should also try to keep yourself midrange! Villager’s frame 3 jab can interrupt many of our moves but our tilts will outspace that, as well as the small-ranged nair. That way we won’t eat up useless damage and lose our positioning.
Approaching: Face it – with a character loaded with projectiles, you’re going to have to approach or else Villager will control your space and trap you in the corner. Manage your powershielding and options out of shield or you won’t be able to retaliate on a punished move. Your best options OoS are jab, grab, tilts, dash attack, or Wizard’s Foot.
Snuffing approach: It is essential for you to manage space against Villager and predict what he’s going to do to you. Sometimes, Villager will use Lloyd Rocket to force a reaction out of you. As Lloyd Rocket clanks with WizKick, this leaves you with limited options such as jumping or shielding. Powershielding and jabbing if Villager is nearby will push him/her away and that’ll be the end of that. Occasionally, Villager can opt to mixup by trying to get behind you with Nair or Bair. Tilting can help make that more tolerable, swatting them away. It’s also possible for Villager to mixup a fair/bair, forcing a shield, before grabbing. There is time to react to that and roll away, however.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE: You don’t have to worry too much if Villager is directly below you. The only moves he can use are nair and Up air, both of which don’t kill. Although up smash is still an option if you’re too close to the ground. There’s less pressure, but don’t land too close to Villager since he can just swat you away with ftilt. If you’re high enough, however, you can use Wizkick and cancel the last few frames with any other move.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Villager’s best ability is to play keepaway and coming in when he can throw a combo at you and kill. Maximizing your punish outside a jab or Dash Attack will be more difficult. You will need to condition his reactions to you and take advantage accordingly. For example, if he’s shielding, feel free to grab or Flame Choke, while if he spotdodges an incoming attack, Wizard’s Foot is an option since it beats spotdodge. Trying to land Dash Attack is also an option, as you can mixup or even land a kill confirm off weak dash attack.
Recovering: Mix up your recovery. If you’re expecting Villager to forward smash and drop a bowling ball, you may opt to recover early with your Up-B. Villager has dash attack, which tosses a pot at you. It can go offstage and force you to recover low, so keep your options open!
Several other options are to recover with flame choke, mixing up the timing (Better with a stage with platforms), as well as descending faster before Villager gets near the ledge with Wizkick – you can ledge snap if the distance is right. If you’re feeling gutsy, try to time it so your uppercut (up B) clashes with the bowling ball. That can save you from an imminent demise.
Against a Villager trying to land: Stay close on his tail – Villager does not have great landing options or the ability to cover himself. He can stall in the air with Lloyd, air dodge, or cover a little bit with down air. However, our aerials outrange his. If you’re directly below Villager, feel free to up air. If you’re on the side, he can use fair/bair to send you away, but Ganon’s Nair/Bair can hit him first, if timed correctly. Hence, getting Villager into the air and trapping him on a platform is a good way to rack up damage.
Grabs: Ganondorf’s main throw would be the down throw, as it nets good followups from Dash Attack to Up air and Nair, or even footstool combos. These moves all rack up damage fairly quickly and punish the Villager even to the point of death from one grab and punish. Up throw would be to get Villager above you while Forward and Back throw are used to knock Villager offstage and rack up damage.
Optimally Villager will be using back throw near the ledge at higher percents to kill/gimp you. Try not to let Villager bait you too close to the ledge at high percents. Most of Villager’s other throws are just for stage control and distance management.
Edgeguarding: Villager’s recovery goes a great distance and functions a lot like ROB’s. Although he can stall in the air, the downside to this great recovery is the lack of hitboxes. That means he is edgeguard bait. Sure, Villager likes to cover the ledge with Lloyd Rocket, which is easily beaten by shield, but outside of that, he’s a target offstage. Occasionally, Villager will do his best to stall the recovery if you’re going to edgeguard him, so do your best to hit him with a long lasting hitbox. However, Villager can also dip down under the stage to recover on the other side. Ganon’s unable to retaliate against that, as he is too slow. So the main goal in edgeguarding is to keep Villager off the stage on one side only.
In addition, practice the Ganon’s Bair lagless ledgejump in case Villager decides to forgo recovering to the ledge and just recovers over the stage. This will maximize punishes as you have less landing lag frames to worry about.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. Great if you get sent too far back.
Stages to consider:
Battlefield: Battlefield and DL64 are your best stages against Villager. On the bad side for BF, blastzones are higher, which means it’ll be harder to kill Villager. However, the platforms mean you will have an easier time trapping Villager on top of a platform and punishing his attempts to try to land.
Dreamland 64: The lower vertical ceiling means your tilts and kill moves will kill slightly earlier. However, be wary of the wind, which will slow down your attempts to approach. In addition, try not to get stuck at the lower pineapple on the stage when recovering from down low.
Lylat: You’re vulnerable to getting camped by Villager and stuck under the Lylat stage itself, but this is still a good stage. Trapping Villager on any of the three platforms can be disastrous for him, as Ganon can easily punish his get up options, as well as recovering options back to the main platform.
Town & City: The larger of the two Animal Crossing stages has an incredibly low ceiling, which means you can more easily kill Villager off the top with down tilt, dash attack, and aerials, namely up air. However, the larger side blastzones mean Villager can survive an attack that kills off the side and come back. Also pay close attention to the platforms on T&C, as they travel faster than that of Smashville’s. They can aid your recovery, as well as Villager’s – you can use them to mixup your recovery when you’re offstage. If you’re onstage, try to shark under the platform and punish either option (drop down or landing on the platform). The larger main platform means, however, you will have a slightly harder time approaching as Villager has more room to maneuver.
BAN: There are two options you can choose to ban here. (Bear in mind T&C is also an option if you don’t like the stage)
Final Destination: Camping galore for Villager. It’ll be a struggle to get in without a platform. However, once you get in, do your best to stay in (but don’t overextend). Villager can technically juggle you with up air strings, but they won’t amount to too much. Try to get in and get Villager above you or offstage. The smaller blastzone in this stage allows Ganon to kill a tad earlier, though not as early as Town and City.
Smashville: The same concept as FD. However, the platform only really helps Villager. Ganon has too much landing lag on his recovery to make use of the SV platform – Villager can just come in and hit him back off with Fair/Bair. Also the larger blastzone will ensure Villager can survive a tad bit longer.
Short Summary of Matchup: Closing the distance against Villager will be hard as Villager is loaded with projectiles just ready to be thrown at you. Do not overcommit or you will eat a lot of damage. Keep yourself at midrange until you can pop Villager above you or knock him offstage. When that happens you have an opportunity to rack up a lot of damage on him.
Killing him, on the other hand, will be easier vertically. This is because Villager can recover well offstage (though he’s subject to Ganon’s aerial edgeguarding onslaught), but also because he’s not heavy. Down tilt and Dash attack will kill him well. Overall, this matchup is doable, but Ganondorf must be patient and ready to shield incoming projectiles. An opportunity will soon reveal itself, do not worry.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Thanks to: the Villagers and Ganon JMU contributors during year 2016.
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ???
Lucas is next, please give anti-Lucas advice!
Last edited:
Litany
Smash Apprentice
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2016
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- Ontario, Canada
- NNID
- Brushfire11
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To start off, I believe the Lucas MU is likely slightly advantageous for Lucas (55-45 in his favour). While Lucas' zoning game is strong vs. us, the majority of threat comes from his Z-air; PK Fire is a nuisance, but is feasibly PS-able on reaction and unless at max range, is punishable OoS by DA. By closing space, Ganon can force Lucas to either play the midrange game (which Ganon generally has better tools to win), or retreat to maintain that maximum spacing and lose stage control. In essence, like a lot of zoner MUs I'd recommend getting into midrange where you have the opportunity to pressure the opponent into an option.
Once you're in that midrange, remember that Ganon heavily outranges most of Lucas' kit. D-tilt outranges all of Lucas' grounded normals sans D-smash (but lol D-smash in neutral), as well as his grab. Unfortunately, while Ganon has decent tools to avoid the grab, getting caught by it generally means a big punish. Lucas has guaranteed grab combos at every percent, up until and including kill percents. At lower percents, Lucas will likely go for N-air strings -- these can be escaped by SDI-ing down. When you reach around 100%, Ganon will be in range for Lucas' grab confirm. Optimal survival DI for that is the direction Lucas is facing, though if you're in confirm range this will only let you live a few percent more at maximum (so mixup your DI!).
Offstage, we can contest his recovery with N-air, though this is more difficult than it's generally purported to be. Lucas, similarly to Diddy, has enough recovery mixups to make it somewhat difficult to edgeguard him (though not impossible by any means). On the flip side, Lucas edgeguards us easily with D-air, though his floatiness makes it so that those edgeguards are somewhat telegraphed. If you find yourself offstage with a DJ, U-air will beat out D-air directly, which can be a good way to reverse the situation.
Tl;dr -- Ganon plays the MU best by maintaning midrange and playing patient while punishing commitments in said range.
Once you're in that midrange, remember that Ganon heavily outranges most of Lucas' kit. D-tilt outranges all of Lucas' grounded normals sans D-smash (but lol D-smash in neutral), as well as his grab. Unfortunately, while Ganon has decent tools to avoid the grab, getting caught by it generally means a big punish. Lucas has guaranteed grab combos at every percent, up until and including kill percents. At lower percents, Lucas will likely go for N-air strings -- these can be escaped by SDI-ing down. When you reach around 100%, Ganon will be in range for Lucas' grab confirm. Optimal survival DI for that is the direction Lucas is facing, though if you're in confirm range this will only let you live a few percent more at maximum (so mixup your DI!).
Offstage, we can contest his recovery with N-air, though this is more difficult than it's generally purported to be. Lucas, similarly to Diddy, has enough recovery mixups to make it somewhat difficult to edgeguard him (though not impossible by any means). On the flip side, Lucas edgeguards us easily with D-air, though his floatiness makes it so that those edgeguards are somewhat telegraphed. If you find yourself offstage with a DJ, U-air will beat out D-air directly, which can be a good way to reverse the situation.
Tl;dr -- Ganon plays the MU best by maintaning midrange and playing patient while punishing commitments in said range.
Xinc
Smash Lord
While we're waiting for the Lucas MU, I wrote the Dark Pit MU, which is significantly similar to Pit's.
Character Info: is a character from the Kid Icarus series. He is a rival and clone of Pit, created after Pit destroyed the Mirror of Truth. He is almost physically identical to Pit, but wears a black outfit, has black hair and red eyes. He also has a more serious and aggressive personality.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here:http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets jab as a punish off an unteched choke. As a mixup, you can Wizkick after at lower percents.
How to Deal with Projectiles: DarkPit’s arrows aren’t too terrifying, even worse than Pit's since they’re pretty good harassment only when you're on stage. They cannot really gimp you offstage, but can only use to stifle an approach or hit you if you're directly horizontal to the stage. It's stronger and faster when uncharged, but it's easy to block and punish if you power shield. He can use them to try to gimp you offstage or just to stifle an approach.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DARK AND REGULAR PIT: We've went over Pit before so why don't we go through the differences between the two. This will accentuate the changes we need to take into consideration.
* Jab is weaker (1 percent at the finisher)
* Forward tilt has reduced knock back. This means he can't use it as a safe GTFO move, but he can use it as a way to set up locks.
* Silver Arrows deal more damage and are faster uncharged. However, they don't bend much so he has to actually physically intercept you off the stage if you're within recoverable distance.
* Electroshock Arm (Side B) is a stronger move and sends at a diagonal trajectory. This means he's quite dangerous near the ledge. It's also safer on shield due to the electric effect since you get knocked a bit farther back.
Understanding the Matchup:
A lot of how the matchup works between Ganondorf and Pit is similar to this matchup. Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. This makes things easy for Dark Pit to hit you, no thanks to your giant hitbox. Ganon needs to be careful to space properly or will eat up a lot of damage from Dark Pit. Namely, grabs and aerials will be the name of the game for DP to start hitting you.
On the other hand, DP isn't all that heavy, which means he won't be able to take that much of a beating from our beloved Dark Lord. He also can't close out stocks too easily, relying on Smash attacks and the Electroshock Arm. This means you'll be able to survive longer as long as you don't leave yourself wide open. Pit's attacks also aren't that great range-wise which means you can out-space him. Of course, he can avoid that by using retreating aerials with his multiple jumps.
This match is very reliant on DI, since an incorrect DI will make you eat a lot of percent. Also, keeping your movement options unpredictable is another thing that will be useful in throwing Dark Pit off his game.
You will have a bad time with the neutral since, like Pit, Dark Pit's aerials auto cancel on a short hop. You'll have to play footsies, which isn't all that bad considering your giant hitboxes and the large damage output you provide. You can afford it, but Dark Pit will always have an easier time (though harder than Pit) weaving in and out, as well as just snuffing approaches. If he does get a little too close for comfort, a jab can push him away and you can try again.
Please do try to tech when you're expecting to get footstool'ed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmxZuZlEQ80
Snuffing approach: Dark Pit generally doesn't want to approach you since your damage output is far higher than his. Because of this, you'll want to trade with as many moves as you can. Because he has a projectile, he'll be more likely to keep spamming it to force you to approach. Try not to get baited too hard into overcommitting and power shield arrows. If you manage to get ahead by sealing one of his stocks, bear in mind all of Dark Pit's aerials auto cancel out of a short hop so be wary when throwing out an attack. If you want him away from you, jab. It's a good GTFO move with a good range. Dark Pit is also not so good on block, however slightly better than Pit due to his electroshock arm, which means you have the time to hit him if you manage to block a move he hits your shield with.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
You really don’t want to get above Dark Pit since has pretty good juggling tools at mid percents and can punish your landing with his side b, which can kill more reliably near the ledge. Try to get down on to the floor without being too predictable. Options here include: double jump, getting down to the ledge, air dodging, using an aerial, and Wizkick to speed up your descent.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: When Dark Pit hits you with a hit, you really want to hit him hard and stay near him as long as you possibly can. One way how you can do that by using the choke. It steals all momentum from Dark Pit and puts you in a good position. Being able to jab him out of choke is great too. If you see that Dark Pit’s spacing isn’t the best, you should take into consideration that Dash Attack can collide with him and clash with projectiles, ruining his spacing and get you closer to him. Once you're there, he's in for a rude awakening.
Recovering: You generally want to recover low since Dark Pit can't do much against Ganon offstage outside his aerials with limited range, but since Dark Pit has many jumps, it’s crucial for you not to expend your second jump. But at the same time, you want to keep your recovery unpredictable. So it’s not strange to recover high except the shield can bounce you away. Mix it up. If you’re up high, you can even Wizkick so you can grab the ledge or hit Pit. The move has tremendous knockback, so it’s a threat.
Against a Dark Pit trying to land: Dark Pit has multiple jumps, remember, so don't try doing anything too committal. Jump to force a midair jump, throw out an up air. These moves don't have a lot of end lag so you can afford to throw them out without discarding the advantage you are in. Up air is especially good since Dark Pit's down air is severely outranged by up air. Other moves you can do are forward air and neutral air since they last long enough to beat any air dodge (and have enough strength to demolish a building).
Grabs: Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
Edgeguarding: Like Pit, Dark Pit does NOT have any hitbox on his Up-B, which means it’s easy to gimp him with a rogue up air or even down air. Of course, you need to watch out how many jumps Pit has, since he can throw off your timing but opting to stall his recovery back to the ledge.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff his recovery pretty well. However, bear in mind that Dark Pit doesn't go into helpless after his side B, which is also another recovery option, albeit a laggier option. If you manage to pressure Dark Pit to the point where he will recover high, use Up air or predict his landing in order to punish. Generally you shouldn't let him get back to the ledge, but he'll still be in an awkward position there anyway. Wizkick him if he tries to get there, or intercept him with an aerial if he tries to air dodge and use a jump to get back to the stage. Trump-> back air is also another option.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does beat out her Side B.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. Since arrows don't really bend so much, WDK is a good option to return to the stage, especially on stages with large horizontal blast zones. Lastly, WDK is a great combo tool after down throw, since it lasts a longer percentage range - Like Wizard's Foot, it can be edgecancelled, which can lead to an aerial followup.
Stages to consider: (Basically the same)
Final Destination: There are no platforms for Dark Pit to trap you on, which means he has less ability to juggle you - he can juggle you, but it's more limited. FD does give Dark Pit a bit of breathing room, but the stage isn't big to the point where he can just recklessly camp. Manage space carefully. Pit's punish game on this stage is more limited, yet your lack of mobility sorely stands out.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you want to be careful of Dark Pit's juggling moves as well as being able to trap you on platforms. Luckily, you can do the same. Use your Dash Attack to pop Pit up and trap him with up airs, aerials, and kill him with a sweetspotted up smash or outrange him with down tilt or forward smash kills.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF. It's a good stage if FD is banned. There is less room for Dark Pit to run around it. Sure, you can get trapped on the platforms, he won't be able to capitalize too much on it, whereas you can capitalize a LOT from just a sourspotted Dash Attack (sweetspotted at low percents) popping him up on a platform. And all three platforms are in the perfect position for your Up smash.
Smashville: Be very careful and mindful of where that moving platform is. Dark Pit can use it to camp as well as extend combos, while you are a bit too slow to take advantage of that platform to its fullest extent. In addition, he can use it as another crutch with returning back on stage. The good thing is that Ganon can do it too and Dark Pit won't be able to capitalize on that too much unless you're at a high percent where forward throw can kill or he's standing right on it.
DL64: Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Still, on this stage, it's doable.
BAN: Town and City. Unlike the Pit matchup, Dark Pit's only real move that can kill you off the top is up smash - he doesn't have Pit's side B. This stage just isn't as great as the others, but it can be as good as DL64. Dark Pit can run around a bit more and can return safely from farther distances, but that's all he really gets in the matchup outside of some jank.
Short Summary of Matchup:
Dark Pit has a better neutral than you, with moves that have far less end lag. Play the footsie game and look for any weaknesses. Capitalize off of it, be it a grab, a tilt, or an aerial. Grabs are devastating to Dark Pit thanks to the numerous followups you can give to him. Once you get him offstage, use your aerials to force him to expend his jump and make bad recovery decisions. The pressure can condition Dark Pit players to recover a bit higher, which gives you ample time to punish, as there's no hitbox on the up-b.
Try not to get grabbed since that's a way how combos get started. Instead, trade. Jab can trade with anything while flame choke just resets momentum. If you're at a high percent, try not to stay too close at the ledge since Dark Pit will be waiting for an opportunity to use Side B, which is harder to punish. It's this big difference that makes the matchup matter and slightly harder than Pit's.
Just play midrange and DP will have a hard time hitting you.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Thanks to: @Theosmeo@Abbey Street
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING LUCAS.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here:http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets jab as a punish off an unteched choke. As a mixup, you can Wizkick after at lower percents.
How to Deal with Projectiles: DarkPit’s arrows aren’t too terrifying, even worse than Pit's since they’re pretty good harassment only when you're on stage. They cannot really gimp you offstage, but can only use to stifle an approach or hit you if you're directly horizontal to the stage. It's stronger and faster when uncharged, but it's easy to block and punish if you power shield. He can use them to try to gimp you offstage or just to stifle an approach.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DARK AND REGULAR PIT: We've went over Pit before so why don't we go through the differences between the two. This will accentuate the changes we need to take into consideration.
* Jab is weaker (1 percent at the finisher)
* Forward tilt has reduced knock back. This means he can't use it as a safe GTFO move, but he can use it as a way to set up locks.
* Silver Arrows deal more damage and are faster uncharged. However, they don't bend much so he has to actually physically intercept you off the stage if you're within recoverable distance.
* Electroshock Arm (Side B) is a stronger move and sends at a diagonal trajectory. This means he's quite dangerous near the ledge. It's also safer on shield due to the electric effect since you get knocked a bit farther back.
Understanding the Matchup:
A lot of how the matchup works between Ganondorf and Pit is similar to this matchup. Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. This makes things easy for Dark Pit to hit you, no thanks to your giant hitbox. Ganon needs to be careful to space properly or will eat up a lot of damage from Dark Pit. Namely, grabs and aerials will be the name of the game for DP to start hitting you.
On the other hand, DP isn't all that heavy, which means he won't be able to take that much of a beating from our beloved Dark Lord. He also can't close out stocks too easily, relying on Smash attacks and the Electroshock Arm. This means you'll be able to survive longer as long as you don't leave yourself wide open. Pit's attacks also aren't that great range-wise which means you can out-space him. Of course, he can avoid that by using retreating aerials with his multiple jumps.
This match is very reliant on DI, since an incorrect DI will make you eat a lot of percent. Also, keeping your movement options unpredictable is another thing that will be useful in throwing Dark Pit off his game.
You will have a bad time with the neutral since, like Pit, Dark Pit's aerials auto cancel on a short hop. You'll have to play footsies, which isn't all that bad considering your giant hitboxes and the large damage output you provide. You can afford it, but Dark Pit will always have an easier time (though harder than Pit) weaving in and out, as well as just snuffing approaches. If he does get a little too close for comfort, a jab can push him away and you can try again.
Please do try to tech when you're expecting to get footstool'ed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmxZuZlEQ80
Snuffing approach: Dark Pit generally doesn't want to approach you since your damage output is far higher than his. Because of this, you'll want to trade with as many moves as you can. Because he has a projectile, he'll be more likely to keep spamming it to force you to approach. Try not to get baited too hard into overcommitting and power shield arrows. If you manage to get ahead by sealing one of his stocks, bear in mind all of Dark Pit's aerials auto cancel out of a short hop so be wary when throwing out an attack. If you want him away from you, jab. It's a good GTFO move with a good range. Dark Pit is also not so good on block, however slightly better than Pit due to his electroshock arm, which means you have the time to hit him if you manage to block a move he hits your shield with.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
You really don’t want to get above Dark Pit since has pretty good juggling tools at mid percents and can punish your landing with his side b, which can kill more reliably near the ledge. Try to get down on to the floor without being too predictable. Options here include: double jump, getting down to the ledge, air dodging, using an aerial, and Wizkick to speed up your descent.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: When Dark Pit hits you with a hit, you really want to hit him hard and stay near him as long as you possibly can. One way how you can do that by using the choke. It steals all momentum from Dark Pit and puts you in a good position. Being able to jab him out of choke is great too. If you see that Dark Pit’s spacing isn’t the best, you should take into consideration that Dash Attack can collide with him and clash with projectiles, ruining his spacing and get you closer to him. Once you're there, he's in for a rude awakening.
Recovering: You generally want to recover low since Dark Pit can't do much against Ganon offstage outside his aerials with limited range, but since Dark Pit has many jumps, it’s crucial for you not to expend your second jump. But at the same time, you want to keep your recovery unpredictable. So it’s not strange to recover high except the shield can bounce you away. Mix it up. If you’re up high, you can even Wizkick so you can grab the ledge or hit Pit. The move has tremendous knockback, so it’s a threat.
Against a Dark Pit trying to land: Dark Pit has multiple jumps, remember, so don't try doing anything too committal. Jump to force a midair jump, throw out an up air. These moves don't have a lot of end lag so you can afford to throw them out without discarding the advantage you are in. Up air is especially good since Dark Pit's down air is severely outranged by up air. Other moves you can do are forward air and neutral air since they last long enough to beat any air dodge (and have enough strength to demolish a building).
Grabs: Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
Edgeguarding: Like Pit, Dark Pit does NOT have any hitbox on his Up-B, which means it’s easy to gimp him with a rogue up air or even down air. Of course, you need to watch out how many jumps Pit has, since he can throw off your timing but opting to stall his recovery back to the ledge.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff his recovery pretty well. However, bear in mind that Dark Pit doesn't go into helpless after his side B, which is also another recovery option, albeit a laggier option. If you manage to pressure Dark Pit to the point where he will recover high, use Up air or predict his landing in order to punish. Generally you shouldn't let him get back to the ledge, but he'll still be in an awkward position there anyway. Wizkick him if he tries to get there, or intercept him with an aerial if he tries to air dodge and use a jump to get back to the stage. Trump-> back air is also another option.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does beat out her Side B.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. Since arrows don't really bend so much, WDK is a good option to return to the stage, especially on stages with large horizontal blast zones. Lastly, WDK is a great combo tool after down throw, since it lasts a longer percentage range - Like Wizard's Foot, it can be edgecancelled, which can lead to an aerial followup.
Stages to consider: (Basically the same)
Final Destination: There are no platforms for Dark Pit to trap you on, which means he has less ability to juggle you - he can juggle you, but it's more limited. FD does give Dark Pit a bit of breathing room, but the stage isn't big to the point where he can just recklessly camp. Manage space carefully. Pit's punish game on this stage is more limited, yet your lack of mobility sorely stands out.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you want to be careful of Dark Pit's juggling moves as well as being able to trap you on platforms. Luckily, you can do the same. Use your Dash Attack to pop Pit up and trap him with up airs, aerials, and kill him with a sweetspotted up smash or outrange him with down tilt or forward smash kills.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF. It's a good stage if FD is banned. There is less room for Dark Pit to run around it. Sure, you can get trapped on the platforms, he won't be able to capitalize too much on it, whereas you can capitalize a LOT from just a sourspotted Dash Attack (sweetspotted at low percents) popping him up on a platform. And all three platforms are in the perfect position for your Up smash.
Smashville: Be very careful and mindful of where that moving platform is. Dark Pit can use it to camp as well as extend combos, while you are a bit too slow to take advantage of that platform to its fullest extent. In addition, he can use it as another crutch with returning back on stage. The good thing is that Ganon can do it too and Dark Pit won't be able to capitalize on that too much unless you're at a high percent where forward throw can kill or he's standing right on it.
DL64: Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Still, on this stage, it's doable.
BAN: Town and City. Unlike the Pit matchup, Dark Pit's only real move that can kill you off the top is up smash - he doesn't have Pit's side B. This stage just isn't as great as the others, but it can be as good as DL64. Dark Pit can run around a bit more and can return safely from farther distances, but that's all he really gets in the matchup outside of some jank.
Short Summary of Matchup:
Dark Pit has a better neutral than you, with moves that have far less end lag. Play the footsie game and look for any weaknesses. Capitalize off of it, be it a grab, a tilt, or an aerial. Grabs are devastating to Dark Pit thanks to the numerous followups you can give to him. Once you get him offstage, use your aerials to force him to expend his jump and make bad recovery decisions. The pressure can condition Dark Pit players to recover a bit higher, which gives you ample time to punish, as there's no hitbox on the up-b.
Try not to get grabbed since that's a way how combos get started. Instead, trade. Jab can trade with anything while flame choke just resets momentum. If you're at a high percent, try not to stay too close at the ledge since Dark Pit will be waiting for an opportunity to use Side B, which is harder to punish. It's this big difference that makes the matchup matter and slightly harder than Pit's.
Just play midrange and DP will have a hard time hitting you.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Thanks to: @Theosmeo@Abbey Street
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING LUCAS.
Xinc
Smash Lord
Character Description
: Lucas is the main protagonist of Mother 3. The son of Flint and Hinawa, he is characterized as more timid than his twin brother, Claus. While playable briefly during the prologue of Mother 3, he is an NPC for the first three chapters of the game, with Flint, Duster, and Salsa being the main characters of those chapters. After reappearing in the climax of Chapter 3 against the Pork Tank, he becomes the main playable character after the three-year time skip to Chapter 4, and retains this role for the remainder of the game.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be devastating for Lucas at high percents.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Lucas' special moves all consist of projectiles. The one you'll encounter the most on stage is PK Fire. It's a single hit move that hits you around the torso. But because it's a single hit move, it can be easily power shielded and punished at midrange with a Wizard's Kick or a dash attack. It mainly serves as a GTFO move to swat you away.
The next projectile will be more common as a weapon to harass you when you're offstage and trying to recover, or when you're very high up. PK Thunder is a multi-hitting projectile that can be swatted away with up air. Do your best to avoid it because it can interrupt your recovery.
PK Freeze and PSI Magnet aren't common at all in this matchup - PK Freeze can be used for hard reads against you when you're offstage, but recovering low to auto-snap on the ledge is a way to avoid that. PSI Magnet has a lingering hitbox at the end, but you can interrupt the laggy move with most moves like Wizkick.
Understanding the Matchup:
Lucas is a character who boasts a great punishing game out of grab, but doesn't really have many tools that are far reaching with low startup or end lag. He has powerful smashes that are easily punishable in neutral, but has a good reach with his PK Fire to bat characters away. He has a weak recovery, like Ness, but also has a tether, which aids in his return to the stage combined with his wonderful second jump.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. This means Lucas can SH PK Fire to keep Ganon out, as well as use the tether Rope Snake. Of course, the drawbacks to this can be mitigated by power shielding, but bear in mind tomahawks and actual grabs from Lucas. Powershielding is important in most match ups, especially in this one where projectiles are common.
On the other hand, Lucas is fairly light, which means he won't be willing to trade with Ganondorf. Instead, he'll most likely be playing a hit-and-run game, using his projectiles to wall you out and manage space before coming in with a strong combo before ending the stock with a kill throw. This means you'll be able to survive longer if you power shield his attacks and play at midrange. Up close, however, Lucas's attacks outside of his tether grab/snake are outranged by your tilts, namely down tilt.
This match is very reliant on DI, since an incorrect DI will make you eat a lot of percent, especially to prevent a footstool combo. Also, keep your movement options unpredictable, but be adamant on invading Lucas' space.
It's not too bad to play Lucas in neutral as long as you space yourself. Lucas doesn't really do so well when he's at range from your down tilt, as he has few attacks that can hit with it. In addition, throwing out PK Fire or Rope Snake can be extremely punishable in midrange. Hence, do your best to stay in down tilt/forward tilt range. Getting there isn't too difficult as you have the tools to keep Lucas from threatening you with Zair, even when you're further away. Dash Attack and Wizkick both pop Lucas up into a disadvantageous state, and can even lead to a giant chunk of damage depending on whether you get the weak or strong hitbox. However, if you're playing the footsies game against Lucas and he gets too close, just jab him away. Jab also has a ridiculous range which is fast enough to beat Lucas' far reaching moves.
Snuffing Lucas’s approach: Lucas will be utilizing Rope Snake and PK Fire to utilize space, but may also opt to throw out a grab in order to start up low percent Nair strings or just footstools in general. Jab will be a good way to send Lucas away. However, you can also opt for Nair to snuff aerial approaches, as well as take advantage of the long lasting Nair2 hitbox to disrupt Lucas' approach options.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Being above Lucas means you're at risk of getting up aired, which isn't as bad since it's weaker than Ness'. But you're going to still want to steer clear as Lucas can attempt to footstool you and start some combo that will rack up a lot of damage.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: When Lucas fails to hit you, you're going to want to capitalize off it. If the move is a low end lag move like a jab, grabbing him is a good option, otherwise a jab to smack him away is also preferable if he's a little bit farther off. If the move is fairly committal, a tilt, dash attack, flame choke, or aerial will suffice. These moves put Lucas in a difficult position that you can use to capitalize even further. In addition, bear in mind the lean back from Forward Smash can help you evade a move from Lucas and then immediately retaliate.
Recovering: PK Thunder will be a main tool when you're recovering, and that's just plain annoying. However, the low knock back of the move will allow you to act fairly quickly. Try to mix up your recovery. As Lucas has a fairly high end lag with PK Thunder, recovering high isn't a terrible idea when he's using said move.
Against a Lucas trying to land: What does Lucas have when he's in the air above you? Like most characters, he is reduced to aerials, air dodge, and double jump. However, Lucas has a great double jump that he can use to regain space and retreat to a safer area. Trying to get Lucas to expend his second jump to capitalize off it is crucial, as most players know air dodging is highly punishable. Aerials are generally not a Lucas player's go to also, as Ganon's up air outranges any of Lucas' aerials. Once Lucas descends back down from his double jump, note his positioning to you and punish accordingly. If he's more horizontal, use Nair, as the move's long lasting hitboxes will beat out air dodge. If he's aiming for the ledge, you can opt to let him on, trump him, or punish with a Wizard's Foot.
Grabs: Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp against Lucas.
Edgeguarding: Lucas is highly vulnerable when setting up for PK Thunder, but you should note where he is when he's using it. Usually Nair will beat out PK Thunder, but Dair can hit Lucas if intercepted properly.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff his recovery pretty well. However, bear in mind that Lucas can opt to use the rope snake to snap on the ledge , which is also another recovery option. Getting there and throwing out an up air can stop it. But many Lucas users will throw out PK Fire to cover the ledge, so be prepared.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does beat out her Side B.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can throw off arrows, so you will be able to hit him out of it without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, this is your best bet. Lucas's ability to trap you on a platform isn't that bad, so you can make it back to the main platform, as his aerials are not too much to write home about, range wise. It'll be harder for him to kill off the top, so just make sure you don't run into any rogue smash attacks and you should be clear. Also, be sure to knock Lucas off stage as much as you can.
Final Destination: There are no platforms for Lucas to trap you on, which means he has an easier time juggling you off a single grab. FD does give Lucas a bit of breathing room. Manage space carefully, since your opportunities aren't terrible on this stage.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF. Tri-platforms are great because they can screw up Lucas's timing with his grab strings. Lylat, outside of BF, is probably Ganon's best stage. The tilting stage can block PK Fire and you can just DA/Wizkick without too much risk, though you shouldn't overdo it.
Smashville: Be very careful and mindful of where that moving platform is. Use it to extend your recovery, and position yourself so Lucas won't get any good grab followups off you.
DL64: Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Still, on this stage, it's doable.
BAN: Town and City. Ganon normally can live a little longer than most, but Town and City’s low ceiling just means he’ll die earlier especially thanks to Pit's juggling moves and his side b, which hits straight up and is a potent killing move with super armor.
Short Summary of Matchup:
Like many other characters, Lucas has a better neutral than you, with moves that have far less end lag and projectiles that give you a bad time. But most of your moves outrange his own. Play the footsie game and look for any weaknesses. Capitalize off of it, be it a grab, a tilt, or an aerial and do your best to take it as far as you can without overextending. Capitalize Lucas when he's offstage - hit him hard since he's a sitting duck, so you should aim to get him offstage as much as you can.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Thanks to:
Litany
The entire Ganon and Kirby JMU participants
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING MegaMan.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be devastating for Lucas at high percents.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Lucas' special moves all consist of projectiles. The one you'll encounter the most on stage is PK Fire. It's a single hit move that hits you around the torso. But because it's a single hit move, it can be easily power shielded and punished at midrange with a Wizard's Kick or a dash attack. It mainly serves as a GTFO move to swat you away.
The next projectile will be more common as a weapon to harass you when you're offstage and trying to recover, or when you're very high up. PK Thunder is a multi-hitting projectile that can be swatted away with up air. Do your best to avoid it because it can interrupt your recovery.
PK Freeze and PSI Magnet aren't common at all in this matchup - PK Freeze can be used for hard reads against you when you're offstage, but recovering low to auto-snap on the ledge is a way to avoid that. PSI Magnet has a lingering hitbox at the end, but you can interrupt the laggy move with most moves like Wizkick.
Understanding the Matchup:
Lucas is a character who boasts a great punishing game out of grab, but doesn't really have many tools that are far reaching with low startup or end lag. He has powerful smashes that are easily punishable in neutral, but has a good reach with his PK Fire to bat characters away. He has a weak recovery, like Ness, but also has a tether, which aids in his return to the stage combined with his wonderful second jump.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. This means Lucas can SH PK Fire to keep Ganon out, as well as use the tether Rope Snake. Of course, the drawbacks to this can be mitigated by power shielding, but bear in mind tomahawks and actual grabs from Lucas. Powershielding is important in most match ups, especially in this one where projectiles are common.
On the other hand, Lucas is fairly light, which means he won't be willing to trade with Ganondorf. Instead, he'll most likely be playing a hit-and-run game, using his projectiles to wall you out and manage space before coming in with a strong combo before ending the stock with a kill throw. This means you'll be able to survive longer if you power shield his attacks and play at midrange. Up close, however, Lucas's attacks outside of his tether grab/snake are outranged by your tilts, namely down tilt.
This match is very reliant on DI, since an incorrect DI will make you eat a lot of percent, especially to prevent a footstool combo. Also, keep your movement options unpredictable, but be adamant on invading Lucas' space.
It's not too bad to play Lucas in neutral as long as you space yourself. Lucas doesn't really do so well when he's at range from your down tilt, as he has few attacks that can hit with it. In addition, throwing out PK Fire or Rope Snake can be extremely punishable in midrange. Hence, do your best to stay in down tilt/forward tilt range. Getting there isn't too difficult as you have the tools to keep Lucas from threatening you with Zair, even when you're further away. Dash Attack and Wizkick both pop Lucas up into a disadvantageous state, and can even lead to a giant chunk of damage depending on whether you get the weak or strong hitbox. However, if you're playing the footsies game against Lucas and he gets too close, just jab him away. Jab also has a ridiculous range which is fast enough to beat Lucas' far reaching moves.
Snuffing Lucas’s approach: Lucas will be utilizing Rope Snake and PK Fire to utilize space, but may also opt to throw out a grab in order to start up low percent Nair strings or just footstools in general. Jab will be a good way to send Lucas away. However, you can also opt for Nair to snuff aerial approaches, as well as take advantage of the long lasting Nair2 hitbox to disrupt Lucas' approach options.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Being above Lucas means you're at risk of getting up aired, which isn't as bad since it's weaker than Ness'. But you're going to still want to steer clear as Lucas can attempt to footstool you and start some combo that will rack up a lot of damage.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: When Lucas fails to hit you, you're going to want to capitalize off it. If the move is a low end lag move like a jab, grabbing him is a good option, otherwise a jab to smack him away is also preferable if he's a little bit farther off. If the move is fairly committal, a tilt, dash attack, flame choke, or aerial will suffice. These moves put Lucas in a difficult position that you can use to capitalize even further. In addition, bear in mind the lean back from Forward Smash can help you evade a move from Lucas and then immediately retaliate.
Recovering: PK Thunder will be a main tool when you're recovering, and that's just plain annoying. However, the low knock back of the move will allow you to act fairly quickly. Try to mix up your recovery. As Lucas has a fairly high end lag with PK Thunder, recovering high isn't a terrible idea when he's using said move.
Against a Lucas trying to land: What does Lucas have when he's in the air above you? Like most characters, he is reduced to aerials, air dodge, and double jump. However, Lucas has a great double jump that he can use to regain space and retreat to a safer area. Trying to get Lucas to expend his second jump to capitalize off it is crucial, as most players know air dodging is highly punishable. Aerials are generally not a Lucas player's go to also, as Ganon's up air outranges any of Lucas' aerials. Once Lucas descends back down from his double jump, note his positioning to you and punish accordingly. If he's more horizontal, use Nair, as the move's long lasting hitboxes will beat out air dodge. If he's aiming for the ledge, you can opt to let him on, trump him, or punish with a Wizard's Foot.
Grabs: Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp against Lucas.
Edgeguarding: Lucas is highly vulnerable when setting up for PK Thunder, but you should note where he is when he's using it. Usually Nair will beat out PK Thunder, but Dair can hit Lucas if intercepted properly.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff his recovery pretty well. However, bear in mind that Lucas can opt to use the rope snake to snap on the ledge , which is also another recovery option. Getting there and throwing out an up air can stop it. But many Lucas users will throw out PK Fire to cover the ledge, so be prepared.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does beat out her Side B.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can throw off arrows, so you will be able to hit him out of it without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, this is your best bet. Lucas's ability to trap you on a platform isn't that bad, so you can make it back to the main platform, as his aerials are not too much to write home about, range wise. It'll be harder for him to kill off the top, so just make sure you don't run into any rogue smash attacks and you should be clear. Also, be sure to knock Lucas off stage as much as you can.
Final Destination: There are no platforms for Lucas to trap you on, which means he has an easier time juggling you off a single grab. FD does give Lucas a bit of breathing room. Manage space carefully, since your opportunities aren't terrible on this stage.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF. Tri-platforms are great because they can screw up Lucas's timing with his grab strings. Lylat, outside of BF, is probably Ganon's best stage. The tilting stage can block PK Fire and you can just DA/Wizkick without too much risk, though you shouldn't overdo it.
Smashville: Be very careful and mindful of where that moving platform is. Use it to extend your recovery, and position yourself so Lucas won't get any good grab followups off you.
DL64: Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Still, on this stage, it's doable.
BAN: Town and City. Ganon normally can live a little longer than most, but Town and City’s low ceiling just means he’ll die earlier especially thanks to Pit's juggling moves and his side b, which hits straight up and is a potent killing move with super armor.
Short Summary of Matchup:
Like many other characters, Lucas has a better neutral than you, with moves that have far less end lag and projectiles that give you a bad time. But most of your moves outrange his own. Play the footsie game and look for any weaknesses. Capitalize off of it, be it a grab, a tilt, or an aerial and do your best to take it as far as you can without overextending. Capitalize Lucas when he's offstage - hit him hard since he's a sitting duck, so you should aim to get him offstage as much as you can.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Thanks to:
Litany
The entire Ganon and Kirby JMU participantsFOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING MegaMan.
Last edited:
Xinc
Smash Lord
Megaman:
Character Description:
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be devastating for Megaman at high percents. Mainly FTilt will be the move to kill as Megaman is worse offstage and Ganon can use his recovery against him.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Megaman's arsenal is filled with projectiles, including lemons (3 jabs, dash attack, and neutral air), Metal Blade, Crash Bomber (side B), and Leaf Shield.
Pellets/Lemons are used to wall you out and have a surprisingly high knockback base for a jab. You can beat it by using dash attack or Wizard's Foot, as both attacks go through the pellets. However, Wizard's Foot is not intangible during startup, so you can be interrupted by pellets before the move comes out.
Metal Blade on its own does not pose a serious threat. It's a weak projectile that can be thrown by any character in any direction, but with the right setup, Megaman can rack up a lot of percent and even kill you with his Up Tilt Shoryuken from a footstool combo. Try not to be under him when he has a metal blade, or he'll Z-drop it and do some Kameme-stuff.
Crash Bomber can be used to edgeguard on the stage or just interrupt your attacks. It passes to your opponent upon contact and can be shielded, but deals fair shield damage. It's not too troublesome if you have a lot of space.
Leaf Shield isn't very useful in neutral either, but if you're offstage, it is a devastating edge guarding move that can also eat your inputs from returning to the stage, making you burn a jump or air dodge after being hit by the shield. Be careful and try to work around that by either baiting Megaman to jump early or recovering early.
Understanding the Matchup:
Megaman's strengths are in his keep away game, gimping game, and footstool setups. Hence, Megaman excels in a range away from Ganon's down or forward tilt and can throw out a projectile without getting punished by a far-ranging move.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. This means Megaman can harass Ganon with lemons (jab), as well as other projectiles. What Ganon has that can beat that, however, is with his burst options, which are his flame choke (to punish shield), dash attack and Wizard's Foot, both of which easily beat Megaman's projectiles, but have to be timed correctly.
Another thing going for Megaman is that he is fairly heavy, being tied for 15th heaviest in the game. What this means is he won't be dying easily. However, Megaman is susceptible in the air and it's your job as Ganon to take advantage of that crippling weakness. Megaman players know this and will cover themselves as to not get hit upwards or offstage. On the other hand, Lucas is fairly light, which means he won't be willing to trade with Ganondorf.
This match is very reliant on spacing, as if you space incorrectly, Ganon will not only be unable to enter Megaman's range, but will be punished heavily for trying so. Keep your movement options unpredictable, but be adamant on invading space through passive-aggression.
Snuffing Megaman’s approach: Megaman does not fair well when he is cornered. He does not do well when he is within Down tilt range also. Keep him there, as well as well as keep him out of your up air range, because this means he'll be able to do odd metal combo setups on you.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Being above Megaman isn't as bad as it sounds, but you really should try not to be directly above him, as up air can kill very early. Avoid that tornado and descend back on stage with numerous options, including going to the ledge
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Megaman's not going to want to be close to you, but if he does get close through some spacing error, you want to capitalize off it. Jab is for quick punishes that send him away, while Wizkick and Dash Attack can be used to pop Megaman upwards. Both of those moves are rather quick and bypass lemon pellets Megaman's prone to throw out. If you can land the weak hit of Dash Attack, you can get many other followups and even a kill, so try your best to capitalize off it. In addition, Flame Choke is a good option as it resets neutral, putting Megaman in a bad state.
Recovering: You must mix up that recovery. Megaman has the Metal Blade to cover attempts from below, the crash bomb to punish ledge-hang, as well as leaf shield, which can (weakly) gimp you. Recovering up on a platform isn't a bad thing, nor is speeding up your descent with Wizkick and then rolling back on stage when Megaman predicts your ledge hang.
Against a Megaman trying to land: What does Megaman have when he's in the air above you? Like most characters, he is reduced to aerials, air dodge, and double jump. However, Metal Blade can be a slight hindrance if you're directly below him, though you can take the item yourself with an air dodge or aerial. He can use his second jump to maintain distance away from you horizontally, using Jab and Fair to stop your approach. Wizkick is a good answer to this. If you do let him get back to the ledge, however, you can trump him or bait him to roll or jump. Those options are exploitable.
Mainly the idea is if he's descending within your range, use an aerial, namely up air. However, if you're expecting a badly spaced aerial, use the lean back with Forward Smash to punish him.
Grabs: Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage. At low percents, you can string together a Down throw to Nair to Wizkick, which already brings Megaman to mid percent.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp opportunity.
Edgeguarding: Megaman will oftentimes use Crash Bomber to cover his ledge hang option. However, Megaman doesn't have a hitbox on his recovery move, which gives you the chance to intercept him with no chance of retaliation. Namely, moves like up air, back air, and fair all clip Megaman's recovery.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff his recovery pretty well. However, bear in mind that Megaman can opt to recover high and still use his double jump as another option. So be sure to bear that in mind when he has ample room to recover and intercept accordingly.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does beat out her Side B.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can throw off arrows, so you will be able to hit him out of it without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: Arguably one of the best stages for Ganon in this matchup, but also a benefit to Megaman with footstool combos and overall camping. Megaman has no chance of hiding under platforms on this stage. As long as you don't overextend, you shouldn't be dying easily here. The only issue here is getting camped out, and rage works in your benefit.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Megaman also doesn't have as much room to hide on this stage, so try not to stay on that platform for too long.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you might be able to survive longer, but the annoying issue is Megaman will be trying his best to shark you under the platforms. Although you're normally good at this stage, the large blast zones will make it easier for Megaman to stay alive longer. Not as recommended, but you can also trap HIM over the platforms also.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF. Try to stick in the main platform. On the plus side, Megaman can die easily from Lylat Jank.
DL64: Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Still, on this stage, it's doable. Try not to get pineapple'd
BAN: Town and City. Ganon normally can live a little longer than most, but Town and City’s low ceiling just means he’ll die earlier especially thanks to Pit's juggling moves and his side b, which hits straight up and is a potent killing move with super armor.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This game is basically cat and mouse. Megaman wants to keep you out until a chance to punish you for overextending arises. At the same time, you want to play the midrange game and trap Megaman through limiting his runaway space. If you get him offstage, do your best to make sure he stays there.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING Pika.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be devastating for Megaman at high percents. Mainly FTilt will be the move to kill as Megaman is worse offstage and Ganon can use his recovery against him.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Megaman's arsenal is filled with projectiles, including lemons (3 jabs, dash attack, and neutral air), Metal Blade, Crash Bomber (side B), and Leaf Shield.
Pellets/Lemons are used to wall you out and have a surprisingly high knockback base for a jab. You can beat it by using dash attack or Wizard's Foot, as both attacks go through the pellets. However, Wizard's Foot is not intangible during startup, so you can be interrupted by pellets before the move comes out.
Metal Blade on its own does not pose a serious threat. It's a weak projectile that can be thrown by any character in any direction, but with the right setup, Megaman can rack up a lot of percent and even kill you with his Up Tilt Shoryuken from a footstool combo. Try not to be under him when he has a metal blade, or he'll Z-drop it and do some Kameme-stuff.
Crash Bomber can be used to edgeguard on the stage or just interrupt your attacks. It passes to your opponent upon contact and can be shielded, but deals fair shield damage. It's not too troublesome if you have a lot of space.
Leaf Shield isn't very useful in neutral either, but if you're offstage, it is a devastating edge guarding move that can also eat your inputs from returning to the stage, making you burn a jump or air dodge after being hit by the shield. Be careful and try to work around that by either baiting Megaman to jump early or recovering early.
Understanding the Matchup:
Megaman's strengths are in his keep away game, gimping game, and footstool setups. Hence, Megaman excels in a range away from Ganon's down or forward tilt and can throw out a projectile without getting punished by a far-ranging move.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. This means Megaman can harass Ganon with lemons (jab), as well as other projectiles. What Ganon has that can beat that, however, is with his burst options, which are his flame choke (to punish shield), dash attack and Wizard's Foot, both of which easily beat Megaman's projectiles, but have to be timed correctly.
Another thing going for Megaman is that he is fairly heavy, being tied for 15th heaviest in the game. What this means is he won't be dying easily. However, Megaman is susceptible in the air and it's your job as Ganon to take advantage of that crippling weakness. Megaman players know this and will cover themselves as to not get hit upwards or offstage. On the other hand, Lucas is fairly light, which means he won't be willing to trade with Ganondorf.
This match is very reliant on spacing, as if you space incorrectly, Ganon will not only be unable to enter Megaman's range, but will be punished heavily for trying so. Keep your movement options unpredictable, but be adamant on invading space through passive-aggression.
Snuffing Megaman’s approach: Megaman does not fair well when he is cornered. He does not do well when he is within Down tilt range also. Keep him there, as well as well as keep him out of your up air range, because this means he'll be able to do odd metal combo setups on you.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Being above Megaman isn't as bad as it sounds, but you really should try not to be directly above him, as up air can kill very early. Avoid that tornado and descend back on stage with numerous options, including going to the ledge
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Megaman's not going to want to be close to you, but if he does get close through some spacing error, you want to capitalize off it. Jab is for quick punishes that send him away, while Wizkick and Dash Attack can be used to pop Megaman upwards. Both of those moves are rather quick and bypass lemon pellets Megaman's prone to throw out. If you can land the weak hit of Dash Attack, you can get many other followups and even a kill, so try your best to capitalize off it. In addition, Flame Choke is a good option as it resets neutral, putting Megaman in a bad state.
Recovering: You must mix up that recovery. Megaman has the Metal Blade to cover attempts from below, the crash bomb to punish ledge-hang, as well as leaf shield, which can (weakly) gimp you. Recovering up on a platform isn't a bad thing, nor is speeding up your descent with Wizkick and then rolling back on stage when Megaman predicts your ledge hang.
Against a Megaman trying to land: What does Megaman have when he's in the air above you? Like most characters, he is reduced to aerials, air dodge, and double jump. However, Metal Blade can be a slight hindrance if you're directly below him, though you can take the item yourself with an air dodge or aerial. He can use his second jump to maintain distance away from you horizontally, using Jab and Fair to stop your approach. Wizkick is a good answer to this. If you do let him get back to the ledge, however, you can trump him or bait him to roll or jump. Those options are exploitable.
Mainly the idea is if he's descending within your range, use an aerial, namely up air. However, if you're expecting a badly spaced aerial, use the lean back with Forward Smash to punish him.
Grabs: Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage. At low percents, you can string together a Down throw to Nair to Wizkick, which already brings Megaman to mid percent.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp opportunity.
Edgeguarding: Megaman will oftentimes use Crash Bomber to cover his ledge hang option. However, Megaman doesn't have a hitbox on his recovery move, which gives you the chance to intercept him with no chance of retaliation. Namely, moves like up air, back air, and fair all clip Megaman's recovery.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff his recovery pretty well. However, bear in mind that Megaman can opt to recover high and still use his double jump as another option. So be sure to bear that in mind when he has ample room to recover and intercept accordingly.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does beat out her Side B.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can throw off arrows, so you will be able to hit him out of it without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: Arguably one of the best stages for Ganon in this matchup, but also a benefit to Megaman with footstool combos and overall camping. Megaman has no chance of hiding under platforms on this stage. As long as you don't overextend, you shouldn't be dying easily here. The only issue here is getting camped out, and rage works in your benefit.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Megaman also doesn't have as much room to hide on this stage, so try not to stay on that platform for too long.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you might be able to survive longer, but the annoying issue is Megaman will be trying his best to shark you under the platforms. Although you're normally good at this stage, the large blast zones will make it easier for Megaman to stay alive longer. Not as recommended, but you can also trap HIM over the platforms also.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF. Try to stick in the main platform. On the plus side, Megaman can die easily from Lylat Jank.
DL64: Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Still, on this stage, it's doable. Try not to get pineapple'd
BAN: Town and City. Ganon normally can live a little longer than most, but Town and City’s low ceiling just means he’ll die earlier especially thanks to Pit's juggling moves and his side b, which hits straight up and is a potent killing move with super armor.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This game is basically cat and mouse. Megaman wants to keep you out until a chance to punish you for overextending arises. At the same time, you want to play the midrange game and trap Megaman through limiting his runaway space. If you get him offstage, do your best to make sure he stays there.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Ratio of the Matchup: 40-60
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING Pika.
Xinc
Smash Lord
Pikachu:
Character Description: Pikachu is the mascot in Pokemon and #25 in the Pokedex. He's the electric rodent Pokemon and best known partner of Ash Ketchum and Red.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be devastating for Pikachu, thanks to his light weight. Good luck getting that choke, though.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Pikachu's projectile, thunder shock, isn't really a big deal unless you're offstage. Powershield it and plow on through. If you're offstage, try not to get your recovery clipped by it - your uppercut will clash.
Understanding the Matchup:
Not even on paper can we write Pikachu as a decent matchup - this is plain terrible. Despite Pikachu's weaknesses in getting hit by followups from Flame Choke, the rat is just too agile and quick to be punished easily. Coupled with Quick Attacks and a good keep away game allowing Pikachu to use hit-and-run tactics, Pikachu is amongst one of Ganon's hardest match ups. This matchup will require you be able to not only read your opponent well enough to intercept his options, but also be familiar with spacing in order to take advantage of his glass-cannon factor.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. Pikachu can afford to come in, deal his damage, and get out. However, Pikachu has some trouble killing barring gimping and a grab setup. This means it's crucial for Ganon to stay alive as long as possible to utilize rage. This being said, trading is the best thing Ganon can do, as Pikachu can't take nearly as many hits as Ganon. What Ganon has, are his burst options, which are his flame choke (to punish shield), dash attack and Wizard's Foot/ These moves grant a quick boost and can pop Pikachu out of an approach.
The best thing to do is to remain midrange, so Pikachu will struggle to use quick attack or melee attacks without getting punished. Pikachu's range is not good, so make sure he stays at down-tilt length.
Snuffing Pikachu’s approachThunder jolts and quick attacks are generally the name of the game for approaching. Thunder jolt itself can be blocked fairly easily, but you need to be careful the way you do it as Pikachu can close distance very easily. Powershield, roll, dash attack are all viable.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
You really don't want to be caught directly above Pikachu, as thunder spikes can cause early KOs. Aside from that, Pikachu can't do too much to you other than shark you and wait for you to get back on the ground.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: It's not easy to punish a whiff hit from Pikachu, but it's doable. Do your best to limit his space and them punish where you think he'll end up. Jab and tilts can trade with anything Pikachu throws out and can even kill at higher percents. Feel free to throw out an up smash just as a warning, so Pikachu will be weary about approaching you too closely. Up smash is known for its deceptively low cool down. If Pikachu whiffs a grab, you have a good amount of time to followup with a grab or flame choke. Normally Pikachu will try to cover a missed move with jab, which loses to dash attack and Wizkick.
Recovering: Pikachu's going to want to land those gimps against you, and with Thunder Jolt being able to cling on the ledge, it becomes difficult to maintain a good way back onstage. So mix it up - sometimes recover high, sometimes low, just to throw Pikachu off. If he's too close to the ledge, forgo the auto-ledge snap and use the uppercut to send him up.
Against a Pikachu trying to land: Other than slowing down his descent, Pikachu doesn't have much going on when he's landing. His aerials get outranged by Ganon's, so his only options when Ganon is below Pikachu are air dodge, double jump, throw out an aerial, or maybe use thunder to stall or discourage sharking. Just wait for Pikachu to act and an up air can beat out or trade with everything Pikachu has.
Grabs: Pivot grab tends to be good in this matchup since it offers a little bit more range. Be sure to use those throw followups from down throw to rack on some damage on Pikachu. Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp opportunity. Thanks to Pikachu's light weight, he can die pretty quickly to a strong aerial move at mid-percent.
Edgeguarding: Pikachu will use thunder jolt as a safe measure, but also can use Bair or Nair to send you away from the ledge. It's important that you don't get hit by those moves. So don't be shy about recovering high, but also mix it up so it's harder for Pikachu to find out where you're going.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff Pikachu's recovery well but the thing is you have to be able to predict where Pikachu will be, or else you'll miss. Being offstage against Pikachu isn't ideal - trumping is another safer, but less reliable option. Trump Back air is a good way to seal a stock. You can also fake-trump to bait a reaction and then punish that reaction. Usually a choke to punish roll, or a pivot Up smash to flame choke can work also.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does offer a lot of range
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 30% with rage and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can throw off thunder jolts, so you will be able to hit him out of it without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: One of the rare times when FD is better than Battlefield. Pikachu benefits enormously from Battlefield thanks to the platforms. Quick Attack basically becomes a safe teleport that becomes even harder to intercept. Here, you run the risk of being camped by thunder jolt, but it's not too bad. It's a little less safe for Pikachu to use Quick Attack shenanigans and his kill options outside of a grab to thunder are less, which leads to this stage being pretty decent.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Less room to hide, and you can shark under that one platform if Pikachu ever ends up there. Make sure to use that platform as an aid to your recovery. Remember that this stage is not big, so use the smaller size to corner that rat for extermination.
Town & City: This stage isn't terrible, compared to most other match ups. You'll be able to net a vertical kill earlier, but you run the risk of having a more mobile Pikachu on your hands. Smaller blast zones will help you out though.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you might be able to survive longer, but so will Pikachu. With Tri-Platforms, Pikachu becomes far more dangerous as he comes much harder to hit. Your best bet on this stage is to try to keep him grounded. Maybe try to capitalize off a Flame Choke and keep it going.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF, but with tilts and tri-platforms. Try to stick in the main platform. Pikachu loves this stage almost as much as Battlefield, as it's perfect for Quick Attack cancel stuff. However, we don't die nearly as quick due to jank. Just try to get him offstage [OpieOP] or take advantage of the smaller blast zones, especially when the ship is tilting.
BAN: DL64 Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Of course this means you can kill earlier also, but the slightly higher platforms also means it's harder to shark as your up smash won't go through it.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This game is amongst one of Ganon's worst match ups as Pikachu is an agile fighter who is difficult to hit. If you can get him in the air, however, he will be significantly worse as he will have a harder time just intercepting any aerial you throw to rack up damage. Offstage is also good, as with every other character - try to intercept the quick attack. Do your best. You can do this.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 30-70
Ratio of the Matchup: 30-70
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING Pika.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be devastating for Pikachu, thanks to his light weight. Good luck getting that choke, though.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Pikachu's projectile, thunder shock, isn't really a big deal unless you're offstage. Powershield it and plow on through. If you're offstage, try not to get your recovery clipped by it - your uppercut will clash.
Understanding the Matchup:
Not even on paper can we write Pikachu as a decent matchup - this is plain terrible. Despite Pikachu's weaknesses in getting hit by followups from Flame Choke, the rat is just too agile and quick to be punished easily. Coupled with Quick Attacks and a good keep away game allowing Pikachu to use hit-and-run tactics, Pikachu is amongst one of Ganon's hardest match ups. This matchup will require you be able to not only read your opponent well enough to intercept his options, but also be familiar with spacing in order to take advantage of his glass-cannon factor.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. Pikachu can afford to come in, deal his damage, and get out. However, Pikachu has some trouble killing barring gimping and a grab setup. This means it's crucial for Ganon to stay alive as long as possible to utilize rage. This being said, trading is the best thing Ganon can do, as Pikachu can't take nearly as many hits as Ganon. What Ganon has, are his burst options, which are his flame choke (to punish shield), dash attack and Wizard's Foot/ These moves grant a quick boost and can pop Pikachu out of an approach.
The best thing to do is to remain midrange, so Pikachu will struggle to use quick attack or melee attacks without getting punished. Pikachu's range is not good, so make sure he stays at down-tilt length.
Snuffing Pikachu’s approachThunder jolts and quick attacks are generally the name of the game for approaching. Thunder jolt itself can be blocked fairly easily, but you need to be careful the way you do it as Pikachu can close distance very easily. Powershield, roll, dash attack are all viable.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
You really don't want to be caught directly above Pikachu, as thunder spikes can cause early KOs. Aside from that, Pikachu can't do too much to you other than shark you and wait for you to get back on the ground.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: It's not easy to punish a whiff hit from Pikachu, but it's doable. Do your best to limit his space and them punish where you think he'll end up. Jab and tilts can trade with anything Pikachu throws out and can even kill at higher percents. Feel free to throw out an up smash just as a warning, so Pikachu will be weary about approaching you too closely. Up smash is known for its deceptively low cool down. If Pikachu whiffs a grab, you have a good amount of time to followup with a grab or flame choke. Normally Pikachu will try to cover a missed move with jab, which loses to dash attack and Wizkick.
Recovering: Pikachu's going to want to land those gimps against you, and with Thunder Jolt being able to cling on the ledge, it becomes difficult to maintain a good way back onstage. So mix it up - sometimes recover high, sometimes low, just to throw Pikachu off. If he's too close to the ledge, forgo the auto-ledge snap and use the uppercut to send him up.
Against a Pikachu trying to land: Other than slowing down his descent, Pikachu doesn't have much going on when he's landing. His aerials get outranged by Ganon's, so his only options when Ganon is below Pikachu are air dodge, double jump, throw out an aerial, or maybe use thunder to stall or discourage sharking. Just wait for Pikachu to act and an up air can beat out or trade with everything Pikachu has.
Grabs: Pivot grab tends to be good in this matchup since it offers a little bit more range. Be sure to use those throw followups from down throw to rack on some damage on Pikachu. Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp opportunity. Thanks to Pikachu's light weight, he can die pretty quickly to a strong aerial move at mid-percent.
Edgeguarding: Pikachu will use thunder jolt as a safe measure, but also can use Bair or Nair to send you away from the ledge. It's important that you don't get hit by those moves. So don't be shy about recovering high, but also mix it up so it's harder for Pikachu to find out where you're going.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff Pikachu's recovery well but the thing is you have to be able to predict where Pikachu will be, or else you'll miss. Being offstage against Pikachu isn't ideal - trumping is another safer, but less reliable option. Trump Back air is a good way to seal a stock. You can also fake-trump to bait a reaction and then punish that reaction. Usually a choke to punish roll, or a pivot Up smash to flame choke can work also.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does offer a lot of range
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 30% with rage and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can throw off thunder jolts, so you will be able to hit him out of it without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: One of the rare times when FD is better than Battlefield. Pikachu benefits enormously from Battlefield thanks to the platforms. Quick Attack basically becomes a safe teleport that becomes even harder to intercept. Here, you run the risk of being camped by thunder jolt, but it's not too bad. It's a little less safe for Pikachu to use Quick Attack shenanigans and his kill options outside of a grab to thunder are less, which leads to this stage being pretty decent.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Less room to hide, and you can shark under that one platform if Pikachu ever ends up there. Make sure to use that platform as an aid to your recovery. Remember that this stage is not big, so use the smaller size to corner that rat for extermination.
Town & City: This stage isn't terrible, compared to most other match ups. You'll be able to net a vertical kill earlier, but you run the risk of having a more mobile Pikachu on your hands. Smaller blast zones will help you out though.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you might be able to survive longer, but so will Pikachu. With Tri-Platforms, Pikachu becomes far more dangerous as he comes much harder to hit. Your best bet on this stage is to try to keep him grounded. Maybe try to capitalize off a Flame Choke and keep it going.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF, but with tilts and tri-platforms. Try to stick in the main platform. Pikachu loves this stage almost as much as Battlefield, as it's perfect for Quick Attack cancel stuff. However, we don't die nearly as quick due to jank. Just try to get him offstage [OpieOP] or take advantage of the smaller blast zones, especially when the ship is tilting.
BAN: DL64 Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Of course this means you can kill earlier also, but the slightly higher platforms also means it's harder to shark as your up smash won't go through it.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This game is amongst one of Ganon's worst match ups as Pikachu is an agile fighter who is difficult to hit. If you can get him in the air, however, he will be significantly worse as he will have a harder time just intercepting any aerial you throw to rack up damage. Offstage is also good, as with every other character - try to intercept the quick attack. Do your best. You can do this.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 30-70
Ratio of the Matchup: 30-70
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING Pika.
Xinc
Smash Lord
Kirby:
Character Description: Kirby, the lovable pink puffball not named Jigglypuff.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be devastating for Kirby, since he's not exactly heavy. He'll die at a decent percent from a down tilt.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Aside from Kirby's final cutter up b, you don't have to worry about anything. Even that projectile is pretty bad as an option since you can punish it from a power shield, and then wizkick.
Understanding the Matchup:
This matchup is a fairly volatile matchup - neither character wants to approach the other as death awaits the one who makes a single error.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. On the other end, Kirby himself has a very linear approach option, almost like Ganon's. Because he's lighter, approaching Ganondorf poses a higher risk to Kirby and hence, trading with Kirby is not out of the question for Ganon. Kirby wants to get in safely, land a grab and nail a combo, before getting out without suffering Ganon's power. As Kirby has some good kill potential, Ganon wants to not approach as much, and stay at a down tilt range to punish anything Kirby can throw out, but also not get punished.
Snuffing Kirby’s approach- Kirby doesn't have any projectiles outside of Final Cutter to give you a hard time. However, he has a good run speed and a good grab. Combined with aerials with minimal lag, and you have yourself a character you don't want to be at a disadvantageous state against. Try to anticipate Kirby's approach options; he is a bit more predictable when he's in the air, so anti-air him. If he's fishing for a grab, spot dodge or roll away. .
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
As long as you're not that close to Kirby, the only big risk is a rogue up air. Try to retreat horizontally at a distance where Kirby will have to work at to punish your landing. Aside from that, don't be that close up to Kirby - he has a predictable jump so you can make use of that. If you're far up, you can even use aerial Wizkick to speed up your descent.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Since Kirby's moves consist of quick frame data but low range, you're going to want to be out of his range so you can punish appropriately. If you're close and you manage to dodge or block a hit, use a grab and followup with your preferred aerial. Otherwise, dash attack and either side or down tilt will work well to punish. Pushing Kirby to have less space in order to force an action, whether rolling or jumping, is also great in optimizing your position since you can also make sure Kirby pays for it. Feel free to throw out an up smash just as a warning, so Kirby won't haphazardly descend on top of you for risk of dying off the top. Up smash is known for its deceptively low cool down.
However, Kirby has a 6 frame grab, so you can use that to wind up a punish accordingly.
Recovering: Kirby has 5 midair jumps so you need to be wary on how you're recovering. This means you have to mix it up and save your second jump. Recovering early isn't a bad option, nor is fast falling and then using your third jump.
Against a Kirby trying to land: Kirby doesn't have much going on when he's landing other than to dodge or expend his jumps. His aerials get outranged by Ganon's, so his only options when Ganon is below Pikachu are air dodge, double jump, throw out an aerial which will get outspaced, or the YOLO Down B Stone. Just wait for Kirby to act with a bait (just getting directly below Kirby works wonders) and up air can beat out or trade with everything Kirby has outside Stone.
Grabs: Pivot grab tends to be good in this matchup since it offers a little bit more range. Be sure to use those throw followups from down throw to rack on some damage on Kirby. Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage. Back throw isn't as good against Kirby since he has multiple jumps, but it's still decent for positioning.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp opportunity. Thanks to Pikachu's light weight, he can die pretty quickly to a strong aerial move at mid-percent.
Edgeguarding: Kirby has many opportunities to edge guard Ganon with quick aerials and many jumps. Thankfully, outside of Bair, Nair, and Dair, they won't interrupt you too much if you save your double jump. Still, don't get caught offstage at higher percents, otherwise you won't make it back.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff Kirby's recovery well thanks to Kirby's recovery still being linear. However, be careful when you commit or you can get spiked by Kirby's Final Cutter. If you don't feel like being offstage against Kirby, you can opt to trump Bair or just fake trump and punish the getup option accordingly.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does offer a lot of range
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 30% with rage and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can throw off thunder jolts, so you will be able to hit him out of it without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: A flat stage is good for Ganondorf since it limits Kirby's approaching ability to something far more linear. You'll be able to anticipate what Kirby's up to on FD since there are no tri-platforms for Kirby to circumvent directly approaching you.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Less room to hide, and you can shark under that one platform if Kirby ever ends up there. Make sure to use that platform as an aid to your recovery. Remember that this stage is not big, so use the smaller size to corner that rat for extermination.
Town & City: This stage isn't terrible, compared to most other match ups. You'll be able to net a vertical kill earlier, but Kirby can survive a little earlier as well as kill you earlier with up throw.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you might be able to survive longer, but so will Kirby. With Tri-Platforms, keep the approach and defense simple while trying to ground your opponent. Your best bet on this stage is to try to keep him grounded. Maybe try to capitalize off a Flame Choke and keep it going. Up smash and up air goes through platforms if you want to hit him safely.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF, but with tilts and tri-platforms. Try to stick in the main platform. It's good for this matchup since trapping Kirby on a platform can lead to him dying early from your tipper Up Smahs.
BAN: DL64 Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Of course this means you can kill earlier also, but the slightly higher platforms also means it's harder to shark as your up smash won't go through it.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This matchup isn't bad at all. Both characters are explosive and can net dangerous things off a single grab or hit. Do your best to stay alive while keeping Kirby at a midrange and you won't go wrong. Punish accordingly.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50-
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING Zard.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be devastating for Kirby, since he's not exactly heavy. He'll die at a decent percent from a down tilt.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Aside from Kirby's final cutter up b, you don't have to worry about anything. Even that projectile is pretty bad as an option since you can punish it from a power shield, and then wizkick.
Understanding the Matchup:
This matchup is a fairly volatile matchup - neither character wants to approach the other as death awaits the one who makes a single error.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. On the other end, Kirby himself has a very linear approach option, almost like Ganon's. Because he's lighter, approaching Ganondorf poses a higher risk to Kirby and hence, trading with Kirby is not out of the question for Ganon. Kirby wants to get in safely, land a grab and nail a combo, before getting out without suffering Ganon's power. As Kirby has some good kill potential, Ganon wants to not approach as much, and stay at a down tilt range to punish anything Kirby can throw out, but also not get punished.
Snuffing Kirby’s approach- Kirby doesn't have any projectiles outside of Final Cutter to give you a hard time. However, he has a good run speed and a good grab. Combined with aerials with minimal lag, and you have yourself a character you don't want to be at a disadvantageous state against. Try to anticipate Kirby's approach options; he is a bit more predictable when he's in the air, so anti-air him. If he's fishing for a grab, spot dodge or roll away. .
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
As long as you're not that close to Kirby, the only big risk is a rogue up air. Try to retreat horizontally at a distance where Kirby will have to work at to punish your landing. Aside from that, don't be that close up to Kirby - he has a predictable jump so you can make use of that. If you're far up, you can even use aerial Wizkick to speed up your descent.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Since Kirby's moves consist of quick frame data but low range, you're going to want to be out of his range so you can punish appropriately. If you're close and you manage to dodge or block a hit, use a grab and followup with your preferred aerial. Otherwise, dash attack and either side or down tilt will work well to punish. Pushing Kirby to have less space in order to force an action, whether rolling or jumping, is also great in optimizing your position since you can also make sure Kirby pays for it. Feel free to throw out an up smash just as a warning, so Kirby won't haphazardly descend on top of you for risk of dying off the top. Up smash is known for its deceptively low cool down.
However, Kirby has a 6 frame grab, so you can use that to wind up a punish accordingly.
Recovering: Kirby has 5 midair jumps so you need to be wary on how you're recovering. This means you have to mix it up and save your second jump. Recovering early isn't a bad option, nor is fast falling and then using your third jump.
Against a Kirby trying to land: Kirby doesn't have much going on when he's landing other than to dodge or expend his jumps. His aerials get outranged by Ganon's, so his only options when Ganon is below Pikachu are air dodge, double jump, throw out an aerial which will get outspaced, or the YOLO Down B Stone. Just wait for Kirby to act with a bait (just getting directly below Kirby works wonders) and up air can beat out or trade with everything Kirby has outside Stone.
Grabs: Pivot grab tends to be good in this matchup since it offers a little bit more range. Be sure to use those throw followups from down throw to rack on some damage on Kirby. Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack, as said previously, provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage, while back throw to knock someone off stage. Back throw isn't as good against Kirby since he has multiple jumps, but it's still decent for positioning.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp opportunity. Thanks to Pikachu's light weight, he can die pretty quickly to a strong aerial move at mid-percent.
Edgeguarding: Kirby has many opportunities to edge guard Ganon with quick aerials and many jumps. Thankfully, outside of Bair, Nair, and Dair, they won't interrupt you too much if you save your double jump. Still, don't get caught offstage at higher percents, otherwise you won't make it back.
All Ganon's aerials can snuff Kirby's recovery well thanks to Kirby's recovery still being linear. However, be careful when you commit or you can get spiked by Kirby's Final Cutter. If you don't feel like being offstage against Kirby, you can opt to trump Bair or just fake trump and punish the getup option accordingly.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does offer a lot of range
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 30% with rage and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can throw off thunder jolts, so you will be able to hit him out of it without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: A flat stage is good for Ganondorf since it limits Kirby's approaching ability to something far more linear. You'll be able to anticipate what Kirby's up to on FD since there are no tri-platforms for Kirby to circumvent directly approaching you.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Less room to hide, and you can shark under that one platform if Kirby ever ends up there. Make sure to use that platform as an aid to your recovery. Remember that this stage is not big, so use the smaller size to corner that rat for extermination.
Town & City: This stage isn't terrible, compared to most other match ups. You'll be able to net a vertical kill earlier, but Kirby can survive a little earlier as well as kill you earlier with up throw.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you might be able to survive longer, but so will Kirby. With Tri-Platforms, keep the approach and defense simple while trying to ground your opponent. Your best bet on this stage is to try to keep him grounded. Maybe try to capitalize off a Flame Choke and keep it going. Up smash and up air goes through platforms if you want to hit him safely.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF, but with tilts and tri-platforms. Try to stick in the main platform. It's good for this matchup since trapping Kirby on a platform can lead to him dying early from your tipper Up Smahs.
BAN: DL64 Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Of course this means you can kill earlier also, but the slightly higher platforms also means it's harder to shark as your up smash won't go through it.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This matchup isn't bad at all. Both characters are explosive and can net dangerous things off a single grab or hit. Do your best to stay alive while keeping Kirby at a midrange and you won't go wrong. Punish accordingly.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50-
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING Zard.
Last edited:
Xinc
Smash Lord
Charizard:
Character Description: Charizard, the fire pokemon
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be great for getting Zard offstage or just above you. Jab is also an option for quick swats away.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Bait out Zard's down B (rock smash) as it has super armor. If you're feeling gutsy, you can charge up a Warlock Punch as he rock smashes. Zard's Flamethrower can be beaten with Wizard's Foot.
Understanding the Matchup:
This matchup is a match that's not too difficult for either side. Both Ganondorf and Charizard have options to kill each other fairly easily, and are big targets, which means hitting each other isn't difficult either.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. Overall, Ganondorf's damage output is stronger than Charizard's, outside his tipper Back Air, so trading isn't a bad idea. Each and every one of Ganondorf's aerials are great in this matchup, as they're all big and can trade with Charizard's. Sure, gimping Charizard isn't as easy as it sounds, but with moves that hit like a truck, he'll die quickly anyway.
Snuffing approach- Charizard has several options to approach you, but they're fairly unsafe. B-reverse aerial flamethrower can be used to send you away, while his quicker tilts can do the same purpose but with farther range and more potent power. His dash attack loses to shield, and you can spot dodge his grab. If he's approaching from the air, be wary as his Nair auto cancels and he may come down with it.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Try not to get hit by an up air, as Charizard's up air is pretty strong and can kill early. Retreating to the ledge is a good option, since Charizard doesn't have as many good options outside of Nair and Dair. Speeding up your descent is also a great option, as Wizkick can auto cancel at a specific height and you'll be able to act almost immediately out of it.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Outside of tilts, Charizard's moves have a pretty high cool down and can guarantee a followup if improperly spaced. Grab out of shield and jab are the easiest ones to pull off, but Dash Attack can be used as a burst option to send Charizard out on a vertical angle, which can put him in an even worse position.
Recovering: Remember Charizard has two midair jumps - as bad as they are, it's crucial to remember Charizard has an additional option in returning to stage. The other options are his Up-B, Fly, which has armor, and side B, flare blitz. If he tries using Flare blitz on you, use Warlock Punch to ruin his day, as it's true.
Against a Charizard trying to land: Charizard has several options outside of air dodge when he's directly above you. Usually if they're expecting a hit, Rock Smash will be the move of choice as it offers armor. Try to attack on the opposite side, or set up for a stronger move. Another safer option would be to expend one of his two midair jumps to get up to safety. He may come down with a Nair as it's a large hitbox and may beat out a few of Ganon's moves. The last option is if he's facing against you is to throw out his Bair, which is an obscenely strong far reaching aerial.
Grabs: Pivot grab tends to be good in this matchup since it offers a little bit more range. Be sure to use those throw followups from down throw to rack on some damage on Zard. Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage, as well as bait out a Rock Smash. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage later on, while back throw to knock someone off stage. Back throw isn't as good against Zard since he has multiple jumps, but it's still decent for positioning.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp opportunity. Charizard has a bad recovery in general, and he has a big hurt box which makes him extremely susceptible to offstage shenanigans.
Edgeguarding: Charizard has many opportunities to edge guard Ganon offstage, so recover wisely. Fair and Nair swat you away, so be sure to save your jump to avoid getting gimped. If you do air dodge past Charizard, you can use Up B and latch onto Charizard and put him in a bad position instead. Thankfully, Charizard's range in edge guarding is not as far reaching, so just play carefully.
In Charizard's case, Nair can pretty much beat out anything outside Flare Blitz and Fly, which has super armor. And even then, if you're expecting a Fly directly from down under, a down air can do the job just as well. Overall, Charizard is more vulnerable off-stage than he would have you believe.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does offer a lot of range, more than flamethrower.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 50% with rage and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can also leap over projectiles, so you will be able to hit him out of flamethrower without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: A flat stage is good for Ganondorf since it limits Kirby's approaching ability to something far more linear. You'll be able to anticipate what Kirby's up to on FD since there are no tri-platforms for Kirby to circumvent directly approaching you.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Less room to hide, and you can shark under that one platform if Charizard ever ends up there, as non-mobile as he is. Make sure to use that platform as an aid to your recovery, even though you'll probably still get swatted with a fair for your troubles. Remember that this stage is not big, so use the smaller size to corner that rat for extermination.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you might be able to survive longer, but so will Charizard. With Tri-Platforms, keep the approach and defense simple while trying to ground your opponent. Your best bet on this stage is to try to keep him grounded. Maybe try to capitalize off a Flame Choke and keep it going. Up smash and up air goes through platforms if you want to hit him safely.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF, but with tilts and tri-platforms. Try to stick in the main platform. It's good for this matchup since trapping him on a platform can lead to Charizard dying early from your tipper Up Smash.
BAN: DL64 Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach as well as your defensive game, and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Of course this means you can kill earlier also, but the slightly higher platforms also means it's harder to shark as your up smash won't go through it.
Town & City: This stage isn't terrible, compared to most other match ups. You'll be able to net a vertical kill earlier, but Charizard has a good kill throw that can kill you off the top. Plus, eating an up air isn't great either.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This matchup is volatile at best. Both characters are explosive and can net dangerous things off a single grab or hit. Do your best to stay alive while keeping Charizard at a midrange and you won't go wrong. Punish accordingly and bait Zard into making reckless decisions. Take into consideration his additional jump as an option, and you'll go far and be able to limit his options.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50-
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING Pika.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be great for getting Zard offstage or just above you. Jab is also an option for quick swats away.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Bait out Zard's down B (rock smash) as it has super armor. If you're feeling gutsy, you can charge up a Warlock Punch as he rock smashes. Zard's Flamethrower can be beaten with Wizard's Foot.
Understanding the Matchup:
This matchup is a match that's not too difficult for either side. Both Ganondorf and Charizard have options to kill each other fairly easily, and are big targets, which means hitting each other isn't difficult either.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. Overall, Ganondorf's damage output is stronger than Charizard's, outside his tipper Back Air, so trading isn't a bad idea. Each and every one of Ganondorf's aerials are great in this matchup, as they're all big and can trade with Charizard's. Sure, gimping Charizard isn't as easy as it sounds, but with moves that hit like a truck, he'll die quickly anyway.
Snuffing approach- Charizard has several options to approach you, but they're fairly unsafe. B-reverse aerial flamethrower can be used to send you away, while his quicker tilts can do the same purpose but with farther range and more potent power. His dash attack loses to shield, and you can spot dodge his grab. If he's approaching from the air, be wary as his Nair auto cancels and he may come down with it.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Try not to get hit by an up air, as Charizard's up air is pretty strong and can kill early. Retreating to the ledge is a good option, since Charizard doesn't have as many good options outside of Nair and Dair. Speeding up your descent is also a great option, as Wizkick can auto cancel at a specific height and you'll be able to act almost immediately out of it.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Outside of tilts, Charizard's moves have a pretty high cool down and can guarantee a followup if improperly spaced. Grab out of shield and jab are the easiest ones to pull off, but Dash Attack can be used as a burst option to send Charizard out on a vertical angle, which can put him in an even worse position.
Recovering: Remember Charizard has two midair jumps - as bad as they are, it's crucial to remember Charizard has an additional option in returning to stage. The other options are his Up-B, Fly, which has armor, and side B, flare blitz. If he tries using Flare blitz on you, use Warlock Punch to ruin his day, as it's true.
Against a Charizard trying to land: Charizard has several options outside of air dodge when he's directly above you. Usually if they're expecting a hit, Rock Smash will be the move of choice as it offers armor. Try to attack on the opposite side, or set up for a stronger move. Another safer option would be to expend one of his two midair jumps to get up to safety. He may come down with a Nair as it's a large hitbox and may beat out a few of Ganon's moves. The last option is if he's facing against you is to throw out his Bair, which is an obscenely strong far reaching aerial.
Grabs: Pivot grab tends to be good in this matchup since it offers a little bit more range. Be sure to use those throw followups from down throw to rack on some damage on Zard. Down Throw can lead to Nair, up air, and Dash attack at lower percents. Dash Attack provides a lot of utility in that it can set up for juggles and a lot of damage, as well as bait out a Rock Smash. Forward throw is a great way to rack up damage later on, while back throw to knock someone off stage. Back throw isn't as good against Zard since he has multiple jumps, but it's still decent for positioning.
It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for a gimp opportunity. Charizard has a bad recovery in general, and he has a big hurt box which makes him extremely susceptible to offstage shenanigans.
Edgeguarding: Charizard has many opportunities to edge guard Ganon offstage, so recover wisely. Fair and Nair swat you away, so be sure to save your jump to avoid getting gimped. If you do air dodge past Charizard, you can use Up B and latch onto Charizard and put him in a bad position instead. Thankfully, Charizard's range in edge guarding is not as far reaching, so just play carefully.
In Charizard's case, Nair can pretty much beat out anything outside Flare Blitz and Fly, which has super armor. And even then, if you're expecting a Fly directly from down under, a down air can do the job just as well. Overall, Charizard is more vulnerable off-stage than he would have you believe.
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does offer a lot of range, more than flamethrower.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 50% with rage and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can also leap over projectiles, so you will be able to hit him out of flamethrower without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: A flat stage is good for Ganondorf since it limits Kirby's approaching ability to something far more linear. You'll be able to anticipate what Kirby's up to on FD since there are no tri-platforms for Kirby to circumvent directly approaching you.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Less room to hide, and you can shark under that one platform if Charizard ever ends up there, as non-mobile as he is. Make sure to use that platform as an aid to your recovery, even though you'll probably still get swatted with a fair for your troubles. Remember that this stage is not big, so use the smaller size to corner that rat for extermination.
Battlefield: If you're on this stage, you might be able to survive longer, but so will Charizard. With Tri-Platforms, keep the approach and defense simple while trying to ground your opponent. Your best bet on this stage is to try to keep him grounded. Maybe try to capitalize off a Flame Choke and keep it going. Up smash and up air goes through platforms if you want to hit him safely.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF, but with tilts and tri-platforms. Try to stick in the main platform. It's good for this matchup since trapping him on a platform can lead to Charizard dying early from your tipper Up Smash.
BAN: DL64 Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach as well as your defensive game, and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Of course this means you can kill earlier also, but the slightly higher platforms also means it's harder to shark as your up smash won't go through it.
Town & City: This stage isn't terrible, compared to most other match ups. You'll be able to net a vertical kill earlier, but Charizard has a good kill throw that can kill you off the top. Plus, eating an up air isn't great either.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This matchup is volatile at best. Both characters are explosive and can net dangerous things off a single grab or hit. Do your best to stay alive while keeping Charizard at a midrange and you won't go wrong. Punish accordingly and bait Zard into making reckless decisions. Take into consideration his additional jump as an option, and you'll go far and be able to limit his options.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50-
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING Pika.
Xinc
Smash Lord
Meta knight:
Character Description: Meta Knight, the rival and occasional ally of Kirby, was once an oppressor of the Smash Brawl roster.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be great for getting Meta Knight above you or offstage. Considering Meta Knight's weight, he may die fairly earlier from down tilt.
How to Deal with Projectiles: What projectiles?
Understanding the Matchup:
This matchup is a match that's very straightforward but difficult for Ganondorf, and not half bad for Meta Knight. Meta Knight has his famous ladder combo which can be started with dash attack or down throw, as well as great speed, while Ganon has his raw power and ability to provide Meta Knight as much damage as he gets back.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. Overall, Ganondorf's damage output is stronger than Meta Knight, so trading isn't a bad idea. Each and every one of Ganondorf's aerials are great in this matchup, as they're all big. However, be wary of Meta knight off stage, as his multiple jumps can gimp you. You can do the same thing to him. Staying in down tilt range is good.
Snuffing approach- Meta Knight is well known for a straightforward approach with dash attack or grab to start up a ladder combo. Ganondorf being big does not make it any more difficult. Spot dodging Meta Knight is a good idea, if you're expecting a dash attack or grab coming, but that'll leave you open to a pivot grab, so another option is to jab him away or roll away. If you're already attacking, the worst that can happen is a clank. Dash Attack is great to cross Meta Knight up, and to stop his approach.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Don't let Meta Knight bait out an air dodge otherwise you will end up in a stairway to heaven. Instead, plan your descent carefully. If you need to speed it up, Wizkick is your option. Air dodging and jumping to retreat to a ledge is another option.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Meta Knight doesn't have too high end lag so you can't get away with too much. Flame Choke, grab, jab, and tilts are all good options to hit Meta Knight on a whiff hit. Otherwise, stay in that medium range (down tilt range).
Recovering: Meta Knight having multiple jumps is going to make it difficult to recover. Plan your recovery wisely, otherwise you'll end up gimped. Use all your resources to get back to ledge, but don't waste them. In other words, don't recklessly expend your double jump before getting back to ledge.
Against a Meta knight trying to land: I'm afraid Meta Knight has many options to bypass sharking attempts. Stay aware of how many jumps he has left and try to bait out an air dodge to punish accordingly - in the air, Nair and Up Air are good options. If he's retreating to ledge, dash attack or Wizkick can deter that.
Grabs: Don't get grabbed. At lower percents you'll suffer less, but mid percent is when it's crucial. However, if you're grabbing, down throw is the best throw for damage racking and putting MK in a precarious situation. It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for an offstage opportunity. Despite Meta Knight's great jumps, his recovery outside that can be intercepted.
Edgeguarding: Recover wisely. Use all your resources, and know when you're not going to make it. If Meta Knight recklessly comes down to intercept you, take him down with you.
Dair and Wizkick (aerial) can intercept Meta Knight's recovery, so feel free to give him a bad time
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does offer a lot of range, more than flamethrower.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% with rage and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can also leap over projectiles, so you will be able to hit him out of flamethrower without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: A flat stage is good for Ganondorf since it limits Meta Knight's approaching ability to something far more linear. Meta Knight's options are far more limited and he'll have more trouble killing you without triplats.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Less room to hide, and you can shark under that one platform if MK ever ends up there, as non-mobile as he is. Make sure to use that platform as an aid to your recovery, even though you'll probably still get swatted with an aerial for your troubles. Remember that this stage is not big, so use the smaller size to corner that rat for extermination.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF, but with tilts and tri-platforms. Try to stick in the main platform. It's good for this matchup since trapping him on a platform can lead to Charizard dying early from your tipper Up Smash.
Battlefield is a dangerous place for both of you - trapping Ganondorf with a ladder combo can spell death, but not as early as other stages thanks to Battlefield's large blast zones. The same goes for Ganon, but trapping Meta Knight on a platform and then using tipper up smash can spell death earlier than expected.
BAN: DL64 Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach as well as your defensive game, and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Of course this means you can kill earlier also, but the slightly higher platforms also means it's harder to shark as your up smash won't go through it.
Town & City: This stage isn't terrible, compared to most other match ups. You'll be able to net a vertical kill earlier, but Meta Knight has that nasty ladder combo. All it takes is one up air.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This matchup is volatile at best. Both characters are explosive and can net dangerous things off a single grab or hit. Do your best to stay alive by keeping Meta Knight at a midrange and you won't go wrong. Punish accordingly and bait him into making reckless decisions. Take into consideration his additional jumps as an option, and remember your overall damage output is much higher than his, despite his higher speed and gimping power.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55-
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ???
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters sans DLC, click here: http://imgur.com/9LhItgJ . Ganondorf gets forward and down tilt out of an unteched choke, which can be great for getting Meta Knight above you or offstage. Considering Meta Knight's weight, he may die fairly earlier from down tilt.
How to Deal with Projectiles: What projectiles?
Understanding the Matchup:
This matchup is a match that's very straightforward but difficult for Ganondorf, and not half bad for Meta Knight. Meta Knight has his famous ladder combo which can be started with dash attack or down throw, as well as great speed, while Ganon has his raw power and ability to provide Meta Knight as much damage as he gets back.
Ganondorf himself is a slow character with a giant hurt box, as he is extremely tall. Overall, Ganondorf's damage output is stronger than Meta Knight, so trading isn't a bad idea. Each and every one of Ganondorf's aerials are great in this matchup, as they're all big. However, be wary of Meta knight off stage, as his multiple jumps can gimp you. You can do the same thing to him. Staying in down tilt range is good.
Snuffing approach- Meta Knight is well known for a straightforward approach with dash attack or grab to start up a ladder combo. Ganondorf being big does not make it any more difficult. Spot dodging Meta Knight is a good idea, if you're expecting a dash attack or grab coming, but that'll leave you open to a pivot grab, so another option is to jab him away or roll away. If you're already attacking, the worst that can happen is a clank. Dash Attack is great to cross Meta Knight up, and to stop his approach.
IF CAUGHT ABOVE:
Don't let Meta Knight bait out an air dodge otherwise you will end up in a stairway to heaven. Instead, plan your descent carefully. If you need to speed it up, Wizkick is your option. Air dodging and jumping to retreat to a ledge is another option.
Punishing a Whiff Hit: Meta Knight doesn't have too high end lag so you can't get away with too much. Flame Choke, grab, jab, and tilts are all good options to hit Meta Knight on a whiff hit. Otherwise, stay in that medium range (down tilt range).
Recovering: Meta Knight having multiple jumps is going to make it difficult to recover. Plan your recovery wisely, otherwise you'll end up gimped. Use all your resources to get back to ledge, but don't waste them. In other words, don't recklessly expend your double jump before getting back to ledge.
Against a Meta knight trying to land: I'm afraid Meta Knight has many options to bypass sharking attempts. Stay aware of how many jumps he has left and try to bait out an air dodge to punish accordingly - in the air, Nair and Up Air are good options. If he's retreating to ledge, dash attack or Wizkick can deter that.
Grabs: Don't get grabbed. At lower percents you'll suffer less, but mid percent is when it's crucial. However, if you're grabbing, down throw is the best throw for damage racking and putting MK in a precarious situation. It is possible to land a lot of devastating damage from just a single grab. If you're skilled at Footstools, landing a weak dash attack can follow up into a footstool>down air.
At the proper distance, ledge canceled Wizkick to up air can set up for an offstage opportunity. Despite Meta Knight's great jumps, his recovery outside that can be intercepted.
Edgeguarding: Recover wisely. Use all your resources, and know when you're not going to make it. If Meta Knight recklessly comes down to intercept you, take him down with you.
Dair and Wizkick (aerial) can intercept Meta Knight's recovery, so feel free to give him a bad time
Customs to consider:
Warlock Blade: This move is slightly weaker than default Warlock Punch but has a large hitbox that rewards Ganondorf if he hits at the tip of the blade. It also has shield break properties and super armor. This move is great for stage control and, though punishable, good for interrupting approaches and momentum. Due to the slowness of all variants of Warlock Punch, neutral special isn't often used in this matchup. But it does offer a lot of range, more than flamethrower.
Dark Fists: This move has super armor at the start and the first hit will link to the second, which is a killing blow. This can punish attempted edge guards, and has giant knock back. Also a potent OoS option. It can kill as low as 40% with rage and delivers another potent move to Ganondorf's killing options. It can kill at a ridiculously high percent, especially if launched high up into the air. Dark Fists can also be used to ledge-stall, as the second hitbox can pop up the stage and net a surprise KO.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. It can also leap over projectiles, so you will be able to hit him out of flamethrower without having to jump.
Stages to consider:
Final Destination: A flat stage is good for Ganondorf since it limits Meta Knight's approaching ability to something far more linear. Meta Knight's options are far more limited and he'll have more trouble killing you without triplats.
Smashville: Similar rules to FD. The one singular platform can help you tremendously in your recovery. Less room to hide, and you can shark under that one platform if MK ever ends up there, as non-mobile as he is. Make sure to use that platform as an aid to your recovery, even though you'll probably still get swatted with an aerial for your troubles. Remember that this stage is not big, so use the smaller size to corner that rat for extermination.
Lylat Cruise: This is a mix between FD and BF, but with tilts and tri-platforms. Try to stick in the main platform. It's good for this matchup since trapping him on a platform can lead to Charizard dying early from your tipper Up Smash.
Battlefield is a dangerous place for both of you - trapping Ganondorf with a ladder combo can spell death, but not as early as other stages thanks to Battlefield's large blast zones. The same goes for Ganon, but trapping Meta Knight on a platform and then using tipper up smash can spell death earlier than expected.
BAN: DL64 Like Battlefield, but worse. Whispy's gusts of wind worsen your approach as well as your defensive game, and the ceiling is lower, which means you'll have a harder time living at higher percents. Of course this means you can kill earlier also, but the slightly higher platforms also means it's harder to shark as your up smash won't go through it.
Town & City: This stage isn't terrible, compared to most other match ups. You'll be able to net a vertical kill earlier, but Meta Knight has that nasty ladder combo. All it takes is one up air.
Short Summary of Matchup:
This matchup is volatile at best. Both characters are explosive and can net dangerous things off a single grab or hit. Do your best to stay alive by keeping Meta Knight at a midrange and you won't go wrong. Punish accordingly and bait him into making reckless decisions. Take into consideration his additional jumps as an option, and remember your overall damage output is much higher than his, despite his higher speed and gimping power.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55
Ratio of the Matchup: 45-55-
Thanks to: all you jmu ppl
FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ???