_GrapE_
Smash Lord
Disclaimer: I don't know everything about Zelda or her matchups and I don't claim to
Hi, I'm some Zelda player in BC and you probably have no idea who I am. I do decent in tournaments here in BC and throughout the Pacific Northwest--Each tournament I usually have one or two people that come up to me and ask me things about Zelda. I feel like I have a lot to say about Zelda and her matchups so I've decided to compile it into a sort of guide for those learning or starting with Zelda and may not know much about her.
In this guide I'll be going over what I personally think is important to Zelda's game, her moveset, and her matchups.
Zelda and Her Moves
Zelda is pretty much a floaty, low-execution character with great neutral game andrequires minimal tech skill.
As far as I know, on top of being floaty Zelda is also light, and she can die off of the top fairly easily--Like aforementioned, Zelda has good neutral game and it's where she finds success. Control the centre of the stage and you're pretty much good to go.
Now since that's pretty much all that's important to actually generalize about the character, I'm gonna go over her moves (not all of them)
Nayru's (Neutral B)
Nayru's is essentially Zelda's personal version of shine, but completely different.
It has lots of invincibility frames on start-up, fantastic priority, and more often than not can lead to a tech chase or some sort of follow up. It also reflects projectiles I guess
One thing about Nayru's though, is that it is very punishable when whiffed.
Nayru's can be used in many way, and many will use it to simply get out of dodge. Nayru's is great for weakening pressure or simply bypassing a hit by using the invincibility on start-up which would then lead to a good position. A good example is if some Falco is comin' at you doing Falco things, then inevitably he's going to come at you at what I would call "Zelda's weak diagonal" where she has really no fast moves and would require a read, rather than a reaction. Nayru's helps Zelda to fix this diagonal weakness in defense she has--So when that Falco comes in on that diagonal and goes for that down-air then you just hit that neutral B and the invincibility will make it so you're not hit, and Nayru's will hit him and make him look like an idiot.
Nayru's can also be good when your opponent messes up a combo, or tries to chase you down. Throwing it out like that will usually have only small, if any, repercussions as it is often safe on shield if they aren't too close. Be careful getting predictable with it though since, as I said before, it is very punishable when whiffed.
You can also use it to reflect projectiles.
Forward-Tilt
In my opinion this by a long shot Zelda's best poke and what most of her neutral game revolves around. It's good for being a party starter, punishing, trading, sparkling, you name it.
Despite all those things, there isn't a whole lot to explain. The move will almost always arc the opponent over your head and can basically always lead to a follow up or full combo--The 'almost' comes in when the opponent is literally right next to your model in which case F-tilt will send him forward.
The higher the % your opponent is then basically the more upward they're gonna fly, so unless you're against a heavy or fast-faller then its combo-ability is gonna expire eventually, so be aware of that.
Smashes
Zelda's smashes are pretty good, I think. I'll try to keep it brief and just go over what I think is necessary to know.
F-smash: This move has very good outward trajectory when you hit with it, and it's fairly strong. It can't often to combo'd into but you can do it from an F-tilt at like mid% and at higher % you can D-tilt and then F-smash and get a kill or set-up for an easy edge-guard
U-smash: This move is very good to use in combos at low and mid %'s and can be a decent anti-air. It won't usually kill until quite high %'s but that doesn't mean you can't use it to get kills sometimes
D-smash: This move is amazing. Although this move isn't very good for combos or comboing into other than from D-tilt, I think it's Zelda's best smash. You should use this move to edge-guard all the time, even if they DI it well then it still pretty much screws them. On stage if you hit them with this and high or even mid %'s and they do a bad DI then they're pretty much dead due to an easy edge-guard
KICKS
You should always kick. Do it to end combos, do it to chase techs or punish a no-tech on the ground or on a platform, do it to their shield, do it to punish, go in deep off the ledge and do it (sometimes) even if it's light kick. Just kick
Up-Air
U-air is a strong move with the potential to steal stocks early. It can be used it combos at earlier %'s and can sometimes steal their jump in the process. Primarily I would say it should be used to come up and do it from underneath while they stand on a platform or to go get them in the air while they come down or take advantage of them not having a jump.
Down-TiltI think most Zelda players will tell you to use this move more than I personally think one should. This move is fast and I think is more of a matchup dependent move. In my opinion I feel like this move only finds reliant use at higher % when it'll pop them up and you can kick them or smash them. Some matchup dependent stuff I think can be useful is that you can use it quickly to get them off you if they're more ground based and you can do a 1-2 with D-tilt to D-smash
Up-B
As most probably know, you can wavedash out of an Up-B. I think it might be just out of ones used in the air, I'm not sure because I don't do it all that much.
Up-B makes recovering easy. It goes a long way and you can pretty freely decide where it goes in many directions and the hitbox from both ends is pretty nice. You can even have it slightly clip the ledge so you land on stage right beside it (much like what spacies can do with illusion) which I personally do all the time.
I don't think integrating the usage of Up-B into wavedash and those shenanigans are absolutely necessary to Zelda's game, but it's a nice little thing to be able to do when you want to do it, and like other moves I think it shines a little brighter in certain matchups and with different play-styles making it also player dependent.Also, some may not know. But when Zelda is up against a vertical wall while recovering, like say the side of Wario Ware. then Up-B cannot go up or down. I'm unsure as to why, and I know it was the same in Brawl, so be wary of that. I find that it's usually fine if even slightly away from the wall, but right next to it then that will always happen. It isn't too much of an issue since Zelda rarely is in the situation that she's required to recover like that.
Din's Fire (Side B)This move is the most vital part of Zelda. The move is a gift from god. I would marry whosever idea it was to make this move what it is.Din's is used primarily in two different ways depending on ones play-style. Those ways being what I call 'Setup Din's' and 'Target Din's'
Both fairly self explanatory I would think, one being where you setup the Din's as traps and walls and one being where you Target the other player and try to hit them by setting the Din's on top of them.
I personally use the setup tactic more often than not. I feel like it has more diversity in uses to it and can really shut down some characters. Something to be said for 'Target Din's' is that you will see many players cover their entry back to the stage by throwing a couple Din's at their opponent, which I think can be useful.
Edge-guarding with Din's is incredible and highly effective. It is useful against all recoveries even, and especially, tether recoveries. Setting up Din's in the trajectory of where the tether will pull them to the ledge will almost always cause them to get hit and have to tether again, in that time you can usually set up more Din's. You can also often go and hit them after a Din's interrupts their recovery. I find that few recovering actually beat or go through Din's, and if they make it to the ledge it's very easy to set up a few Din's around the ledge to cover their get-up options and make it very difficult for them.
Also when the Din's timer is up, then they explode. The explosion is very strong and I'm sure you know, the further you throw Din's then the bigger and stronger it is. These explosions may seem like they won't work in an actual match but trust me, they do. I've gotten plenty of kills of combo'd into a kick or U-air from an in explosion in tournament matches.
Dash AttackDash attack is good. You should use it. It can be good for punishing, tech chasing, edge guarding, most things you'd think you might need it for. Just don't approach with it.
GrabsUnlike Most characters, every one of Zelda's throws has some kind of use to it, albeit a small use.I wanna start out by saying Zelda's shield grab is very good and you should use it. A lot. Shield grabbing is good in general in PM
Up-Throw: This can be used to get a good kick on fast fallers and some heavies at higher % and get a solid kill
Forward-Throw: This can be used against some characters (I'm not sure on all of which specific ones) around like 50-80% and get a kick on them and kill them. This is usually most effective done at the edge
Back-Throw: This is good for killing most characters at fairly early %'s, especially on stages with close horizontal blast zones.
Down-Throw: This is by far the best throw. Early %'s can get you a good guaranteed combo on pretty much all characters and can lead into follow-ups on heavies for a long time. With some characters at certain %'s it will often make them bounce on the ground which will lead to a tech chase and if they don't tech then just kick them on their bounce.
Neutral-Air
Nair I think is a fairly good move and definitely has its uses. It's a fairly good juggle move when you can pop and opponent in the air, it can be used safely do poke at an opponent from under a platform they stand on, and a falling Nair is good to cover your landing into perhaps an L-cancelled grab or jab
Combos and Small 1-2's
Zelda isn't exactly the queen of comboing or anything but she has effective small strings and stuff like that. I won't go into detail but I'll give a few that I like to use
D-throw > F-tilt > U-smash > Nair/U-air/Kick depending on DI and character etc.
D-tilt > D-smash/Kick/F-smash
F-tilt > Back Kick
Low %Grounded D-air > U-smash/Nair (depending on character) > Chase Nair
Kick > Kick > D-smash if on platform or at ledge
I find that most combos and strings with Zelda are just reacting to your situation and improv. Planning out your combos with her usually won't work out aside from the ones I mentioned (that I know of)
Stages for and Against Zelda
I wanna keep this one fairly brief and not go into too many specifics and I'll leave out opponent influence to just keep this general.
Good Stages for Zelda
Zelda thrives on stages with close horizontal blast zones so that she can get early kills from kicks and B-throw. However these stages usually factor into what I brought up earlier about Zelda's Up-B not moving while against a wall.
Yoshi's Story
Wario Ware.
Skyloft
Fountain of Dreams
Green Hill Zone
FD
"Bad" Stages for Zelda
Zelda dies off the top easily and therefore doesn't like stages where characters have an easy time doing that, along which stages that make her recovery more difficult
Pokemon Stadium 1
Lylat Cruise
Yoshi's Island
Zelda's Matchups
Bad Matches for Zelda
Mewtwo
I think this is by far Zelda's worst match and I recommend having a secondary
- Din's doesn't matter because he can just zoop zoop around them and get in your face quickly
- He can fly and that makes it very difficult for Zelda's spacing as he can easily fall and punish whiffs. Nair can sometimes be a good answer
- His D-tilt really does a number on Zelda and she has a hard time dealing with that move, and his range in general
- If he grabs you at like 80 or higher than U-throw will kill you
Fox
Fox is the master of aggressive play and Zelda just overall has issues with that
- U-smash is gonna kill you early so watch out
- He is easy to combo for Zelda since he's a fast faller which also means it's easier to get kicks
- Fox's recover isn't great in this game and he can be easy to edge-guard, though his Up-B is one that will go through Din's
Pikachu
Zelda has issues with highly mobile characters and Pikachu is right up there for that along with him being good at getting vertical kills
- Nayru's is key in winning this match by using the invincibility to counter his approach. Be careful reflecting too many jolts because it will get punished eventually
- Nayru's can also be used to counter thunder if you get lucky and can get it out before it hits you
- Pika is hard to edge-guard so I recommend using Din's to cover his get-up rather than trying to interrupt him getting to the ledge
- Smashes are good against Pika since his shield runs down quickly and you can interrupt many of his aerial approaches with U-smash
Kirby
- Kirby can crouch and avoid almost everything from Zelda. It's even hard to grab him
- Kirby can space really well and can punish your recovery with a dash attack, grab, or F-smash if you get predictable
- F-smash is good against Kirby because his shield smalls quickly and if he tries a direct approach with dash attack, sideways Up-B, or F-air, then your F-smash will always win
- Kicking Kirby is hard
- He can fly over Din's and is small
Sonic
I don't know all that much about Sonic but I know he can rush down very well and his speed ball beats Din's. Since I'm not super knowledgeable in this match I can only recommend being good with your Nayru's
Marth
- His F-air beats Din's
- If he doesn't space his recovery well then he'll get hit by Din's since only the end of the sword will kill the Din's
- He can usually space better than you due to his ground mobility
- F-tilt is good to trade with his F-air because you'll be able to get an U-smash on him before he recovers because of the arc that F-tilt causes
- He can punish like anything on shield
Matches Zelda Has a Bit of Trouble With
Mario
- His fireballs beat yours
- I recommend that anything over like 40% you just backthrow him or something off the stage if you get a grab. Zelda's saving grace in this match is that she has an easy time edge-guarding Mario with Din's, D-smash, and D-tilt
- If you're gonna take him to a stage with close horizontal blast zones then be wary of F-smash and if you're gonna take him to a bigger stage then be wary of his ability to camp with fireballs. Especially on platforms.
- This is a match where I like to use wavedash out of Up-B
Cpt. Falcon
This match is all about getting ahead and staying ahead for both sides
- He's gonna rush you down because Falcon can't deal with Din's easily although his Nair will clash with them
- Zelda can easily combo Falcon if she gets a grab or F-tilt or really anything
- Stay below him. If you go above him you're gonna get rocked
Toon Link
Toon Link can out camp you in every way so you're gonna have to know how to safely approach and apply some aggression.
- This is also a match where I think covering his get-up from the ledge is better than trying to interrupt the recovery
- Nayru's is gonna get punished easily by more projectiles so using it to reflect isn't often useful
- Once you get it and start doing stuff to him then it's hard for him to get away and reset to neutral
Falco
- Like Fox, Falco is good at applying pressure and staying in your face and coming in on the weak diagonal
- Falco is easy to combo into a kick on, and easy to get early kills since his recovery sucks
- He's usually moving around too much and too quick to utilize Din's
Sheik
- Sheik is good at applying pressure and chipping at Zelda without taking much in return
- Her recovery skips over Din's and her ledge game is really good
- She can do F-tilt into U-air and get sneaky kills on you if you're not careful
Good Matches for Zelda
I don't think I'm gonna give really much of an explanation on these ones unless I find it necessary, since most I think are pretty straight forward
Ivysaur
- Din's destroys this character
- Just avoid getting grabbed and you'll pretty much win
Lucario
Lucario is all about doing weird things with extreme speed and getting in to try and force palm. Though he struggles against characters with strong neutral game
- If you see him extreme speed toward you, just Nayru's
- Zelda is floaty so he can have a hard time killing
Wolf
Wolf doesn't quite apply the kind of pressure that Fox and Falco do while Zelda still has just as easy of a time comboing him and edge-guarding him
Bowser, Ganon, DK, Charizard, Ike
I feel like this one explains itself
Zero Suit Samus
ZSS dies pretty quickly since she's light, and her hurtbox is big so she's easy to kick and B-throw will kill early. Din's also makes edge-guarding her very easy
Squirtle
Squirtle has trouble comboing floaties and doesn't really have a sure way to approach Zelda. I like there isn't much more to say than that.
Peach
- Peach has a lot of trouble killing Zelda
- She can't camp better than Zelda
- Din's makes it difficult for her to approach by floating
- Easy to kick
Samus
- Nayru's is good in this match, as Samus relies on missiles and her plasma blast thing- Samus is easily combo'd by Zelda
- U-air can kill Samus early off the top
All other matchups I would consider even, or don't have much to say about because I either don't know or there simply isn't much to say.
Thanks to anyone who read everything, and I hope that anybody that wants to learn things about Zelda picked up a couple things from this guide, whether it be learning to play her or wanting to beat her.
I will very likely add to this guide with matchups and anything I learn along the way of playing Zelda.
Hi, I'm some Zelda player in BC and you probably have no idea who I am. I do decent in tournaments here in BC and throughout the Pacific Northwest--Each tournament I usually have one or two people that come up to me and ask me things about Zelda. I feel like I have a lot to say about Zelda and her matchups so I've decided to compile it into a sort of guide for those learning or starting with Zelda and may not know much about her.
In this guide I'll be going over what I personally think is important to Zelda's game, her moveset, and her matchups.
Zelda and Her Moves
Zelda is pretty much a floaty, low-execution character with great neutral game andrequires minimal tech skill.
As far as I know, on top of being floaty Zelda is also light, and she can die off of the top fairly easily--Like aforementioned, Zelda has good neutral game and it's where she finds success. Control the centre of the stage and you're pretty much good to go.
Now since that's pretty much all that's important to actually generalize about the character, I'm gonna go over her moves (not all of them)
Nayru's (Neutral B)
Nayru's is essentially Zelda's personal version of shine, but completely different.
It has lots of invincibility frames on start-up, fantastic priority, and more often than not can lead to a tech chase or some sort of follow up. It also reflects projectiles I guess
One thing about Nayru's though, is that it is very punishable when whiffed.
Nayru's can be used in many way, and many will use it to simply get out of dodge. Nayru's is great for weakening pressure or simply bypassing a hit by using the invincibility on start-up which would then lead to a good position. A good example is if some Falco is comin' at you doing Falco things, then inevitably he's going to come at you at what I would call "Zelda's weak diagonal" where she has really no fast moves and would require a read, rather than a reaction. Nayru's helps Zelda to fix this diagonal weakness in defense she has--So when that Falco comes in on that diagonal and goes for that down-air then you just hit that neutral B and the invincibility will make it so you're not hit, and Nayru's will hit him and make him look like an idiot.
Nayru's can also be good when your opponent messes up a combo, or tries to chase you down. Throwing it out like that will usually have only small, if any, repercussions as it is often safe on shield if they aren't too close. Be careful getting predictable with it though since, as I said before, it is very punishable when whiffed.
You can also use it to reflect projectiles.
Forward-Tilt
In my opinion this by a long shot Zelda's best poke and what most of her neutral game revolves around. It's good for being a party starter, punishing, trading, sparkling, you name it.
Despite all those things, there isn't a whole lot to explain. The move will almost always arc the opponent over your head and can basically always lead to a follow up or full combo--The 'almost' comes in when the opponent is literally right next to your model in which case F-tilt will send him forward.
The higher the % your opponent is then basically the more upward they're gonna fly, so unless you're against a heavy or fast-faller then its combo-ability is gonna expire eventually, so be aware of that.
Smashes
Zelda's smashes are pretty good, I think. I'll try to keep it brief and just go over what I think is necessary to know.
F-smash: This move has very good outward trajectory when you hit with it, and it's fairly strong. It can't often to combo'd into but you can do it from an F-tilt at like mid% and at higher % you can D-tilt and then F-smash and get a kill or set-up for an easy edge-guard
U-smash: This move is very good to use in combos at low and mid %'s and can be a decent anti-air. It won't usually kill until quite high %'s but that doesn't mean you can't use it to get kills sometimes
D-smash: This move is amazing. Although this move isn't very good for combos or comboing into other than from D-tilt, I think it's Zelda's best smash. You should use this move to edge-guard all the time, even if they DI it well then it still pretty much screws them. On stage if you hit them with this and high or even mid %'s and they do a bad DI then they're pretty much dead due to an easy edge-guard
KICKS
You should always kick. Do it to end combos, do it to chase techs or punish a no-tech on the ground or on a platform, do it to their shield, do it to punish, go in deep off the ledge and do it (sometimes) even if it's light kick. Just kick
Up-Air
U-air is a strong move with the potential to steal stocks early. It can be used it combos at earlier %'s and can sometimes steal their jump in the process. Primarily I would say it should be used to come up and do it from underneath while they stand on a platform or to go get them in the air while they come down or take advantage of them not having a jump.
Down-TiltI think most Zelda players will tell you to use this move more than I personally think one should. This move is fast and I think is more of a matchup dependent move. In my opinion I feel like this move only finds reliant use at higher % when it'll pop them up and you can kick them or smash them. Some matchup dependent stuff I think can be useful is that you can use it quickly to get them off you if they're more ground based and you can do a 1-2 with D-tilt to D-smash
Up-B
As most probably know, you can wavedash out of an Up-B. I think it might be just out of ones used in the air, I'm not sure because I don't do it all that much.
Up-B makes recovering easy. It goes a long way and you can pretty freely decide where it goes in many directions and the hitbox from both ends is pretty nice. You can even have it slightly clip the ledge so you land on stage right beside it (much like what spacies can do with illusion) which I personally do all the time.
I don't think integrating the usage of Up-B into wavedash and those shenanigans are absolutely necessary to Zelda's game, but it's a nice little thing to be able to do when you want to do it, and like other moves I think it shines a little brighter in certain matchups and with different play-styles making it also player dependent.Also, some may not know. But when Zelda is up against a vertical wall while recovering, like say the side of Wario Ware. then Up-B cannot go up or down. I'm unsure as to why, and I know it was the same in Brawl, so be wary of that. I find that it's usually fine if even slightly away from the wall, but right next to it then that will always happen. It isn't too much of an issue since Zelda rarely is in the situation that she's required to recover like that.
Din's Fire (Side B)This move is the most vital part of Zelda. The move is a gift from god. I would marry whosever idea it was to make this move what it is.Din's is used primarily in two different ways depending on ones play-style. Those ways being what I call 'Setup Din's' and 'Target Din's'
Both fairly self explanatory I would think, one being where you setup the Din's as traps and walls and one being where you Target the other player and try to hit them by setting the Din's on top of them.
I personally use the setup tactic more often than not. I feel like it has more diversity in uses to it and can really shut down some characters. Something to be said for 'Target Din's' is that you will see many players cover their entry back to the stage by throwing a couple Din's at their opponent, which I think can be useful.
Edge-guarding with Din's is incredible and highly effective. It is useful against all recoveries even, and especially, tether recoveries. Setting up Din's in the trajectory of where the tether will pull them to the ledge will almost always cause them to get hit and have to tether again, in that time you can usually set up more Din's. You can also often go and hit them after a Din's interrupts their recovery. I find that few recovering actually beat or go through Din's, and if they make it to the ledge it's very easy to set up a few Din's around the ledge to cover their get-up options and make it very difficult for them.
Also when the Din's timer is up, then they explode. The explosion is very strong and I'm sure you know, the further you throw Din's then the bigger and stronger it is. These explosions may seem like they won't work in an actual match but trust me, they do. I've gotten plenty of kills of combo'd into a kick or U-air from an in explosion in tournament matches.
Dash AttackDash attack is good. You should use it. It can be good for punishing, tech chasing, edge guarding, most things you'd think you might need it for. Just don't approach with it.
GrabsUnlike Most characters, every one of Zelda's throws has some kind of use to it, albeit a small use.I wanna start out by saying Zelda's shield grab is very good and you should use it. A lot. Shield grabbing is good in general in PM
Up-Throw: This can be used to get a good kick on fast fallers and some heavies at higher % and get a solid kill
Forward-Throw: This can be used against some characters (I'm not sure on all of which specific ones) around like 50-80% and get a kick on them and kill them. This is usually most effective done at the edge
Back-Throw: This is good for killing most characters at fairly early %'s, especially on stages with close horizontal blast zones.
Down-Throw: This is by far the best throw. Early %'s can get you a good guaranteed combo on pretty much all characters and can lead into follow-ups on heavies for a long time. With some characters at certain %'s it will often make them bounce on the ground which will lead to a tech chase and if they don't tech then just kick them on their bounce.
Neutral-Air
Nair I think is a fairly good move and definitely has its uses. It's a fairly good juggle move when you can pop and opponent in the air, it can be used safely do poke at an opponent from under a platform they stand on, and a falling Nair is good to cover your landing into perhaps an L-cancelled grab or jab
Combos and Small 1-2's
Zelda isn't exactly the queen of comboing or anything but she has effective small strings and stuff like that. I won't go into detail but I'll give a few that I like to use
D-throw > F-tilt > U-smash > Nair/U-air/Kick depending on DI and character etc.
D-tilt > D-smash/Kick/F-smash
F-tilt > Back Kick
Low %Grounded D-air > U-smash/Nair (depending on character) > Chase Nair
Kick > Kick > D-smash if on platform or at ledge
I find that most combos and strings with Zelda are just reacting to your situation and improv. Planning out your combos with her usually won't work out aside from the ones I mentioned (that I know of)
Stages for and Against Zelda
I wanna keep this one fairly brief and not go into too many specifics and I'll leave out opponent influence to just keep this general.
Good Stages for Zelda
Zelda thrives on stages with close horizontal blast zones so that she can get early kills from kicks and B-throw. However these stages usually factor into what I brought up earlier about Zelda's Up-B not moving while against a wall.
Yoshi's Story
Wario Ware.
Skyloft
Fountain of Dreams
Green Hill Zone
FD
"Bad" Stages for Zelda
Zelda dies off the top easily and therefore doesn't like stages where characters have an easy time doing that, along which stages that make her recovery more difficult
Pokemon Stadium 1
Lylat Cruise
Yoshi's Island
Zelda's Matchups
Bad Matches for Zelda
Mewtwo
I think this is by far Zelda's worst match and I recommend having a secondary
- Din's doesn't matter because he can just zoop zoop around them and get in your face quickly
- He can fly and that makes it very difficult for Zelda's spacing as he can easily fall and punish whiffs. Nair can sometimes be a good answer
- His D-tilt really does a number on Zelda and she has a hard time dealing with that move, and his range in general
- If he grabs you at like 80 or higher than U-throw will kill you
Fox
Fox is the master of aggressive play and Zelda just overall has issues with that
- U-smash is gonna kill you early so watch out
- He is easy to combo for Zelda since he's a fast faller which also means it's easier to get kicks
- Fox's recover isn't great in this game and he can be easy to edge-guard, though his Up-B is one that will go through Din's
Pikachu
Zelda has issues with highly mobile characters and Pikachu is right up there for that along with him being good at getting vertical kills
- Nayru's is key in winning this match by using the invincibility to counter his approach. Be careful reflecting too many jolts because it will get punished eventually
- Nayru's can also be used to counter thunder if you get lucky and can get it out before it hits you
- Pika is hard to edge-guard so I recommend using Din's to cover his get-up rather than trying to interrupt him getting to the ledge
- Smashes are good against Pika since his shield runs down quickly and you can interrupt many of his aerial approaches with U-smash
Kirby
- Kirby can crouch and avoid almost everything from Zelda. It's even hard to grab him
- Kirby can space really well and can punish your recovery with a dash attack, grab, or F-smash if you get predictable
- F-smash is good against Kirby because his shield smalls quickly and if he tries a direct approach with dash attack, sideways Up-B, or F-air, then your F-smash will always win
- Kicking Kirby is hard
- He can fly over Din's and is small
Sonic
I don't know all that much about Sonic but I know he can rush down very well and his speed ball beats Din's. Since I'm not super knowledgeable in this match I can only recommend being good with your Nayru's
Marth
- His F-air beats Din's
- If he doesn't space his recovery well then he'll get hit by Din's since only the end of the sword will kill the Din's
- He can usually space better than you due to his ground mobility
- F-tilt is good to trade with his F-air because you'll be able to get an U-smash on him before he recovers because of the arc that F-tilt causes
- He can punish like anything on shield
Matches Zelda Has a Bit of Trouble With
Mario
- His fireballs beat yours
- I recommend that anything over like 40% you just backthrow him or something off the stage if you get a grab. Zelda's saving grace in this match is that she has an easy time edge-guarding Mario with Din's, D-smash, and D-tilt
- If you're gonna take him to a stage with close horizontal blast zones then be wary of F-smash and if you're gonna take him to a bigger stage then be wary of his ability to camp with fireballs. Especially on platforms.
- This is a match where I like to use wavedash out of Up-B
Cpt. Falcon
This match is all about getting ahead and staying ahead for both sides
- He's gonna rush you down because Falcon can't deal with Din's easily although his Nair will clash with them
- Zelda can easily combo Falcon if she gets a grab or F-tilt or really anything
- Stay below him. If you go above him you're gonna get rocked
Toon Link
Toon Link can out camp you in every way so you're gonna have to know how to safely approach and apply some aggression.
- This is also a match where I think covering his get-up from the ledge is better than trying to interrupt the recovery
- Nayru's is gonna get punished easily by more projectiles so using it to reflect isn't often useful
- Once you get it and start doing stuff to him then it's hard for him to get away and reset to neutral
Falco
- Like Fox, Falco is good at applying pressure and staying in your face and coming in on the weak diagonal
- Falco is easy to combo into a kick on, and easy to get early kills since his recovery sucks
- He's usually moving around too much and too quick to utilize Din's
Sheik
- Sheik is good at applying pressure and chipping at Zelda without taking much in return
- Her recovery skips over Din's and her ledge game is really good
- She can do F-tilt into U-air and get sneaky kills on you if you're not careful
Good Matches for Zelda
I don't think I'm gonna give really much of an explanation on these ones unless I find it necessary, since most I think are pretty straight forward
Ivysaur
- Din's destroys this character
- Just avoid getting grabbed and you'll pretty much win
Lucario
Lucario is all about doing weird things with extreme speed and getting in to try and force palm. Though he struggles against characters with strong neutral game
- If you see him extreme speed toward you, just Nayru's
- Zelda is floaty so he can have a hard time killing
Wolf
Wolf doesn't quite apply the kind of pressure that Fox and Falco do while Zelda still has just as easy of a time comboing him and edge-guarding him
Bowser, Ganon, DK, Charizard, Ike
I feel like this one explains itself
Zero Suit Samus
ZSS dies pretty quickly since she's light, and her hurtbox is big so she's easy to kick and B-throw will kill early. Din's also makes edge-guarding her very easy
Squirtle
Squirtle has trouble comboing floaties and doesn't really have a sure way to approach Zelda. I like there isn't much more to say than that.
Peach
- Peach has a lot of trouble killing Zelda
- She can't camp better than Zelda
- Din's makes it difficult for her to approach by floating
- Easy to kick
Samus
- Nayru's is good in this match, as Samus relies on missiles and her plasma blast thing- Samus is easily combo'd by Zelda
- U-air can kill Samus early off the top
All other matchups I would consider even, or don't have much to say about because I either don't know or there simply isn't much to say.
Thanks to anyone who read everything, and I hope that anybody that wants to learn things about Zelda picked up a couple things from this guide, whether it be learning to play her or wanting to beat her.
I will very likely add to this guide with matchups and anything I learn along the way of playing Zelda.
Last edited:
