~ Zelda Q & A / FAQs / Directory ~

[KayLo!]

Press B and a split second later, push the direction opposite that your character is facing.

I always do it the opposite way (opposite direction, then press B), but I guess it works either way. XD

 

[choknater]

i usually press the direction after pressing B when i wanna b-reverse, especially my charged needles

i almost never shoot charged needles the regular way these days

it's just more likely to hit if i run away first then b reverse it

 

[KayLo!]

I've mentioned this to a few people, but now I guess it's public knowledge: for a little while now, I've been working on a solid list of true combos & (less true) strings for Zelda. Before you laugh (lolzeldacombos), all of these are being tested in debug mode..... for each one, she has either a frame advantage or little enough disadvantage that it's highly unlikely that the opponent will escape. DI & SDI are being tested as well.

I'm close to being finished, but since a lot of you have been playing Zelda for a lot longer than I have, here's my question:
What are your favorite Zelda combos?

Feel free to suggest either real combos or possible strings that might work. Any ideas are appreciated. I'm especially interested in strings that may lead to a spike.

I think I've gotten all the major ones (jab > dash attack/grab, dthrow > usmash, etc. etc.), but to be on the safe side, mention anything that comes to mind.

Thanks, guys!

 

[gm jack]

Could you also try to give a rough percentage range for these as well?

Personally, I am a fan of Nair (cancelling half way) to running Usmash, but I know it isn't true. Not even close unless I am seriously underestimating the hitstun on the Nair. It just seems to catch people of guard when you fastfall a Nair into them.

 

[KayLo!]

Could you also try to give a rough percentage range for these as well?

Of course. A rough draft of what will be included (taken straight from my Notepad file):

COMBO (moves & damage done):
PERCENTAGES:
DESCRIPTION (incl. any buffering needed, etc.):
FRAME ADVANTAGE(S):
FRESH/STALE DIFFERENCES:
ESCAPABILITY:
CHARACTER RESTRICTIONS:
ALTERNATE FOLLOWUPS:

When I do ****, I do it thoroughly. =X

 

[Kataefi]

Kaylo you're going to make me spasm out of control! Is this information something we can look forward to??? <3333

Aside from dtilt combos (I'm getting more and more damage out of this move everyday!)... I know jab has a huge amount of hitstun regardless of decay, so there'll be combos there I'd imagine like jab>dash attack at the very least and jab>dash grab. And yeah nair combos into a **** load of things providing you don't hit with the last hit, and you're quick at chasing spontaneous directions.

Ftilt > Usmash / Ftilt > Utilt? / Ftilt > Uair chasing =D

I wonder if a fully staled Fsmash leads into anything?

I know there's a bunch of din's combos when you hit them right on immediate burst. Reverse stutter stepped din's > Dash attack / Usmash / Uair chase etc etc... hmmmm... staled din's on immediate burst would be interesting.

Oh and... Uair > Usmash at 0%

That's all I can think of so far... I've been testing to find some more =p

 

[XFadingNirvanaX]

Of course. A rough draft of what will be included (taken straight from my Notepad file):

COMBO (moves & damage done):
PERCENTAGES:
DESCRIPTION (incl. any buffering needed, etc.):
FRAME ADVANTAGE(S):
FRESH/STALE DIFFERENCES:
ESCAPABILITY:
CHARACTER RESTRICTIONS:
ALTERNATE FOLLOWUPS:

When I do ****, I do it thoroughly. =X

Whoa Kaylo. That's a lot...dayum

 

[sniperworm]

I currently don't do any real combos with Zelda unless it involves Dtilt. I just kinda chase my opponent around and predict what they're gonna do, lol. Of course it doesn't help that I don't really know any combos with Zelda to begin with.

Also, I keep hearing that Ftilt > Usmash is a combo. When does this work exactly? Every time I try it they just hit me in the head before my Usmash comes out. My Ftilt usually isn't fresh, perhaps that's the problem? Or maybe I'm doing it too slow...

 

[Lythium]

My favourite combo at the moment is f-tilt > u-smash > u-air. It works really well for me, but as far as frames and all that jazz, I have no sweet clue.

 

[KayLo!]

Kaylo you're going to make me spasm out of control! Is this information something we can look forward to??? <3333

Well, don't get too excited, Kata.

Most of it is stuff we've already discovered, but there might be a few extra tricks here and there. =X

The big thing is that I'm separating the real combos from the general followups and giving clear percentages for when these combos work.

Thanks for the ideas!

Also, I keep hearing that Ftilt > Usmash is a combo. When does this work exactly? Every time I try it they just hit me in the head before my Usmash comes out. My Ftilt usually isn't fresh, perhaps that's the problem? Or maybe I'm doing it too slow...

It really only works at zero.... dunno the ending percentage yet. The benefit of using it over dthrow > usmash is that getting a grab can be much harder than landing an ftilt, and opponents generally don't DI ftilt very well.

~0%, ftilt > usmash > nair is pretty much guaranteed and does around 40%+ damage.... you have to follow your opponent's DI out of usmash, but it's not too hard. I do it fairly consistently at the beginning of my opponents' stocks.

My favourite combo at the moment is f-tilt > u-smash > u-air. It works really well for me, but as far as frames and all that jazz, I have no sweet clue.

Yeah, that one's also good, although I usually go for nair over uair. Easier for me to hit with, but uair can keep them in the air longer and give you more of a chance to bait airdodges.

 

[Kataefi]

Zelda has no true combos per se like every other character. The only true combos she can get rely on dtilt, jab and nair, and the latter two require a reeeeeally good sense of direction and timing.

The rest of her combos are more like 'strings' of hits but I still find that these can be reliable - she has some interesting setups and conditioning imo that rely on the opponent thinking fast for the right option otherwise they'll fall for some more damage.

Ftilt > Usmash really only works truly from 0% and I think this is more of a setup than a true combo. I don't know if someone like Luigi can nair out of it though on reaction. We'll wait and see until we get frame data.

edit: at 0% I reeeally like Fsmashing, and if they don't DI out and at the same time if they land from the hit on the ground, it's a setup into a free grab. They can roll away, but most people like to shield when they see zelda, so grabs galore

 

[GodAtHand]

Low percent.. like 0. Jab > Ftilt angled down > jab > Ftilt angled down > upsmash.

I would assume only heavy characters I have done this on Snake before. and it might work on meta.

 

[KayLo!]

Low percent.. like 0. Jab > Ftilt angled down > jab > Ftilt angled down > upsmash.

I would assume only heavy characters I have done this on Snake before. and it might work on meta.

I remember you mentioning this before..... sounds sexy, haven't tried it yet. Thanks!

 

[choknater]

i like usmash to usmash at 0%

 

[mountain_tiger]

i like usmash to usmash at 0%

I like it too, but apparently it can be DI'd out of...

BTW, I remember a while ago some people here said that Zelda dittos are boring and crap. I've never played a Zelda ditto myself; could someone give me a brief summary of why it's so boring?

 

[KayLo!]

BTW, I remember a while ago some people here said that Zelda dittos are boring and crap. I've never played a Zelda ditto myself; could someone give me a brief summary of why it's so boring?

Whoever approaches loses.

A good chunk of her moves have transcendent priority, so everything trades, and you end up just knocking each other away over and over.

It's not fun.

 

[Kaffei]

-Jab>Sliding USmash thingy
-SHFFnair>FSmash

Idk..

 

[Kaffei]

Oh, I have another question.

Is there any possible way to determine the knock back direction of nair? It seems to me it's a 50/50 of left/right, but I can't tell for sure.

 

[Kataefi]

It's complicated... the knockback is split into 2 types:

The first type is whether they move left/right. The second is to do with the actual trajectory (whether they move near you, pop up diagonally from you etc etc...) and is something hotgarbage managed to explain in the OP here

tl;dr?

It depends on the positioning of the spark (hitbox of nair) plus the number of hits you do. If the spark is positioned on the left portion of their hurtbox, they will physically move to the left of you. This type of movement depends on the number of hits, so they might pop up to the left, or simply land on the ground to the left of you.

It applies for the right side of the hurtbox as well, i.e. they will physically move to the right if you hit them on the right side.

It's inconsistent, but you if you hit their centre, they tend to pop up right above you. Can other people test this just to make sure (only the left/right aspect of the move and not the overall trajectories )? Because her nair has a mind of its own

 

[Kaffei]

It's complicated... the knockback is split into 2 types:

The first type is whether they move left/right. The second is something hotgarbage managed to explain in the OP here

tl;dr?

It depends on the positioning of the spark (hitbox of nair) plus the number of hits you do. If the spark is positioned on the left portion of their hurtbox, they will physically move to the left of you. This type of movement depends on the number of hits, so they might pop up to the left, or simply land on the ground to the left of you.

It applies for the right side of the hurtbox as well, i.e. they will physically move to the right if you hit them on the right side.

It's inconsistent, but you if you hit their centre, they tend to pop up right above you. Can other people test this just to make sure? Because her nair has a mind of its own

Oh.. That makes sense.. Well, the tl;dar part anyway.
So if you're facing ~> & you want X to be KBed ~> then you gotta space it so the spark hits the right portion of the hurtbox.

So basicall it's just how spacing is managed?

 

[mountain_tiger]

Whoever approaches loses.

A good chunk of her moves have transcendent priority, so everything trades, and you end up just knocking each other away over and over.

It's not fun.

So if neither player can approach then what the **** are they supposed to do?! Spam Din's Fire for eight whole minutes? If that's true, then that's seriously taking the ****.

 

[Kataefi]

So if neither player can approach then what the **** are they supposed to do?! Spam Din's Fire for eight whole minutes? If that's true, then that's seriously taking the ****.

Yep and I think that pretty much sums it up lol... usually someone will break the ice and approach

 

[Kaffei]

So if neither player can approach then what the **** are they supposed to do?! Spam Din's Fire for eight whole minutes? If that's true, then that's seriously taking the ****.

I don't think it's really the case that they CAN'T approach, but it's just not a very good idea to do so. There are other ways to get the ditto without using Din's. Be creative.

 

[sniperworm]

Whoever approaches loses.

A good chunk of her moves have transcendent priority, so everything trades, and you end up just knocking each other away over and over.

It's not fun.

I'm gonna have to disagree, that sounds like a lot of fun to me.

 

[KayLo!]

I'm gonna have to disagree, that sounds like a lot of fun to me.

You must have godly patience..... x.x

I suck at Zelda dittos.... I think I've won 1 total my entire Zelda career, lol. I always get impatient and bored and try to approach, and it just never works. @.@

 

[sniperworm]

You must have godly patience..... x.x

I suck at Zelda dittos.... I think I've won 1 total my entire Zelda career, lol. I always get impatient and bored and try to approach, and it just never works. @.@

I'm a very patient person. To be honest, if my opponent doesn't stop me, I'd definitely camp with Din's the entire match (people who've played me can attest to this). Seeing how they react and adapt to my camping for that long should provide me with lots of interesting data.

It probably helps that I'm an analytical player as well. Since I'm almost always busy making modifications to my opponent's response probabilities or conducting some sort of experiment while I'm playing, it's almost impossible for me to become bored while playing smash (plus I love the game).

Anyway, in Zelda dittos, the opportunities to approach are there. You just need to learn what to look for.

 

[PhantomX]

Lol, ProfessorWorm.... I can't wait to put you out of your comfort zone~

 

[Lythium]

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I've looked for ages with no luck. Where is the sweetspot on the d-air? I'm having difficulty spiking, except by chance. If anyone could share this, I'd be extremely grateful. Thanks!

 

[sniperworm]

Lol, ProfessorWorm.... I can't wait to put you out of your comfort zone~

I can't wait either. I've never played a good Wario before, so I can't wait to learn all about Wario (and get whooped at least a hundred times in the process lol).

 

[JigglyZelda003]

Zelda dittos are similar to fox dittos, but to a higher degree of fail

i usually approach in them too cause i get bored camping, unless i get stock adv, then you have to catch me lol

 

[GodAtHand]

There should be a no Din's rule in Zelda dittos. Would make them more interesting. I have never lost one... but it wouldn't take as long if I didn't have to chase them... I hate camping with Din's.

 

[mountain_tiger]

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I've looked for ages with no luck. Where is the sweetspot on the d-air? I'm having difficulty spiking, except by chance. If anyone could share this, I'd be extremely grateful. Thanks!

It's very hard to hit with, so don't worry about it being difficult. Outside of training mode, I've done it maybe three times or so...

As for where the sweetspot is, IIRC it has to be within the first few frames of the attack, and either her heel or the tip of her foot. Oh, and you can't sweetspot standing opponents for some reason.

 

[Lythium]

Thanks for the info!

 

[SinkingHigher]

Lythium, here's a tip for connecting the sweetspot.

Like lightning kicks, movement causes the hitbox to stretch for some reason. You need to "meet them half way" to connect the sweetspot, so to speak, as in, while you're falling down towards them, they should be jumping up towards you. When there is about 3/4's of a Zelda's height between the two of you, start to d-air (it takes a while for the kick to come out.)

Likewise, you can also be jumping up WITH them. This does make it easier to sweetspot, however, it's not very often that the two of you are jumping in range of eachother.

As for where it is, I'm not sure if you mean location, but you can just barely see the tip of Zelda's foot popping out of her dress (directly in the middle of her body, underneath her head.). That's it.

 

[Lythium]

Thank you, Sinking! Your information definitely helps a great deal. I appreciate it. I just wasn't having a lot of luck with it. I don't really have a problem with lightning kicks, so I think I just need some practice with the d-air. Thanks again.

 

[JigglyZelda003]

Zeldas dress must have gotten longer, or heavier, cause i could swore you could actually see her foot and ankle in melee when she did Dair.

 

[mountain_tiger]

This is a question for people who main Zelda: do you ever incorporate Sheik into your game? I remember that I used to go by the rule, 'Use Sheik to rack up damage, then switch to Zelda to kill', but do any Zelda mains use Sheik at all (e.g. counterpicking)?

 

[sniperworm]

This is a question for people who main Zelda: do you ever incorporate Sheik into your game? I remember that I used to go by the rule, 'Use Sheik to rack up damage, then switch to Zelda to kill', but do any Zelda mains use Sheik at all (e.g. counterpicking)?

Yes I did. I main Zelda/Sheik now, but it wasn't always that way.

I originally was only Zelda (in Brawl). Then I started using Sheik because that was the reason I used Zelda/Sheik in Melee (two characters in one) and she was fun. At one point I was Zelda with Sheik back up. At that point, I often used Sheik when I got a kill but I was at high percents. Sheik was faster and generally harder to hit, so it seemed like a good way to protect stocks (and I would switch back when I died).

I now use Sheik a lot more than Zelda, but that's generally due to MUs (I always go Sheik against MK, Snake, and G&W) and the fact that I'm still trying to master controlling Sheik (so Sheik needs more practice).

To be honest, there's little reason for a pure Zelda main to CP Sheik (it's different if you main Zelda/Sheik). You may as well pick up "random S tier character" if you're going to use someone to cover your bad matchups.

 

[JigglyZelda003]

i think Snipe has said it all and then some.

although a pure zelda main can cp sheik for spacies lol :3

i still don't use sheik alot , a bit more than i used too but still less than Zelda, mostly cause the lack of DACUS really hurts my kills if i can't get that gimp, or get back to Zelda and get it.

 

[Kaffei]

Thank you, Sinking! Your information definitely helps a great deal. I appreciate it. I just wasn't having a lot of luck with it. I don't really have a problem with lightning kicks, so I think I just need some practice with the d-air. Thanks again.

If someone didn't say this already, fast falling helps hit dairs, too. Idk why.