is the
eponymous name commonly given to the females born into the
Royal Family of Hyrule in
The Legend of Zelda series. With the exception of
Link's Awakening,
Majora's Mask, and
Tri Force Heroes, an incarnation of Zelda or one of her alter egos has always been one of the central characters in the series.
Gerudo Followups (unteched): For a full chart of Gerudo follow ups for all characters,
click here. Zelda is victim to a down tilt follow up if she fails to tech, (kills at 110). Zelda's tech roll away is impossible to follow up, unless she doesn't have enough space for the full tech roll, as she rolls too far and too quickly for even a buffered Wizard's Foot to punish. If she does a Get Up Attack or just remains still on the ground, a pivot angled down forward smash will connect.
How to Deal with Projectiles: Zelda's specials, like Links, are all projectiles, outside of Farore's Wind. Din's Fire is great for hindering distance, as is the Phantom (down B), but both are relatively slow. The Phantom is even easier to punish since if you connect a strong enough move, Zelda will be unable to use it for a few moments after it has been destroyed. Nayru's Love (default B) punishes you if you get too close and has a fair range, and is able to knock you away. Power-shield (or block the phantom) those the projectiles, and refrain from being too close to Zelda unless you're sure she will be unable to either grab or use Nayru's Love.
Understanding the Matchup:
Zelda's neutral game is a zoning-type game. She wants to keep you out with her projectiles and Nayru's Love and pressure you into approaching only to grab you and do down throw follow ups. Your goal as Ganon is to get in without being punished and be able to get out safely, or potentially kill Link.You have the tools to do this.The key to this is to be very accurate with your spacing, being just enough to avoid her tilts and Nayru's Love, but close enough so Din's Fire and Phantom will be risky. Aptly put, approaching will be a pain.
The key to beating her normal range while still being in range to punish her Din's Fire/Phantom is to use spacing moves, such as Down Tilt. Dash attack on the other hand is a risky move, as the end lag can be easy to punish, despite the range it offers.
Another positive thing is that Zelda is light. So trading is almost always a good option to rack up damage against her, so a stray Dash Attack or down tilt can kill under 140%.
The problem Zelda suffers is the same most characters suffer; it's that she's not that good when she's above a character. Zelda's weight and fall speed make it simple for Ganon to use simpler combos at lower percents (down throw-> wizard's foot) without fearing retaliation, and still end up close enough to attack again. She also has terrible landing options, so trapping her in the air to rack up damage is a positive opportunity.
Simply put, Ganondorf needs to be very careful against an experienced Zelda, especially when he wants to Choke. She can just tech-roll away. You can try to trap her by limiting her space so her tech-roll doesn't go as much and you can Wiz-Kick though.
Grabs: Zelda's throws do not kill at a reasonable percent, but she has the potential to rack up your damage with down throw followups (This is because you're heavy and floaty). What you want to do is be careful about his grab range. Being grabbed and being unable to mash out spells a down throw at low percents which will rack up your damage counter quickly. She also has a good dash grab range, so be careful.
Edgeguarding: Zelda's Up-B is very fast and also powerful in the second hit. You may want to consider trumping her or punishing an unsafe landing on the ground, as it's difficult to punish Farore's Wind on it's own. However, if it's clear she's too close and you can punish, a stray Back air or Forward air will do the trick.
Recovering: Try to mix up your recovery a bit and definitely save your jump. Sometimes going a bit deep and hugging the stage is useful to avoid Zelda's down air Gimp.
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. However, it can be an option if you find yourself a bit too far away from Zelda.
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.
Wizard's DropKick: First things first, it really helps Ganondorf's below average recovery, which mainly reaches vertically. Also, it's weaker than Wizkick but could avoid some projectiles and hits at Zelda into an unfavorable position, especially if hitting her off-stage.
Stages to consider:
Try to avoid flat stages and counter pick to Dream Land. Please ban FD first, as that's Zelda's most advantageous stage.
Battlefield: Zelda has less room to use her projectiles and the taller boundary may help you survive from her Up-B. Fair and Bair can kill super quickly near the edge of the stage.
DL64: Like Battlefield - less room to use projectiles.
Lylat: Up smash becomes infinitely easier here and trapping Zelda on a platform can be disastrous for her.
T&C is possible as the platforms can offer some refuge from direct attacks.
Short Summary of Matchup:
The key to this matchup is staying close but not close enough to eat Nayru's Love. Poking moves like down tilt, forward tilt, jab are extremely useful in this. In addition, neutral air is also a good poking move, having two hits, but has some end lag.
Zelda has fast tilts and a great off-stage game with her down air. She can afford to go down deep, since she has a good recovery. Engaging Zelda off-stage may be a bit risky, as she can retaliate quickly with a move of her own without much worry for up-B.
CM Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Ratio of the Matchup: 50-50
Thanks to:
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FOR NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE DITTO: GANONDORF!
