Critique my Toon Link?

[Thunder865]

First off, hi to everyone. I've been lurking around Smashboards since about January, and I figured now would be a good a time as any to make an account and start contributing. ^^;

When I first got Brawl, I started with Ike. However, when I unlocked Toon Link and tried him out, I loved how he played, so I decided to add him to the list of my main characters.
As of recently, I've been doing considerably better against my friends with Toon Link than I have with Ike, so I'm starting to consider switching primary mains. Toon Link seems to be ready to handle almost anything (in contrast with Ike, where I have to shatter my metacarpals to even keep up with some characters) and, nothing beats highflying aerial shenanigans that make you look awesome. xP
So in order to help me make the decision, I recorded some of my TL matches against my friend and I'll submit them here. I can beat the majority of people I play pretty consistently, but of course we know that's all relative, they might suck, or they might be using characters that I have an advantage over. Or we could all suck and I just suck slightly less. xP
Anyway, I digress. Here come the videos!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AOLfLJfPDuQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OLORxTkO42E
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OU8xkX-rpsY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lB6iSvlfm1Q

There are some things I know I need to work on, like:
Chronic D-Airing. I do it too much, and it's predictable. It's getting me punished.
Bombs. I notice I hardly use bombs at all. I'm trying to use them more effectively (which I've gotten better at since these videos were taken, same with D-air, as a matter of fact).
RARing. Amazingly, I haven't taken the time to master it, playing TL and Ike...

Help me out here- am I on the right track? If not, how do I go about getting there?

[ipitydatfu]

dair's can screw you up the a-hole. either try not using it often cuz it can be punished when it misses

[nukethemall73]

you seem like a better player than me, so i dont know if im the best person to judge... i use the airdodge a lot more than you do, like there was a part in the first vid where he kept juggling you, a simple airdodge couldve got you out of being juggled quite nicely. also, i use SHDA a lot, as it provides a nice wall, especially against someone like metaknight who has no projectiles, short range and no reflecting B moves.

i think ive learnt a few things from you tho :P like you make good use of the tilts, and they are something i dont tend to do much, but they really are SO much faster than the smashes. also, you make quite good use of the bow for cheap shots and just to keep them on their toes, altho id say quickdrawing as you land might help your game a bit. correct me if im wrong anyone cos i dont want to be handing out bad advice here...

[Shanky]

Well, I'm not the greatest Smasher, so take anything I say with a grain of salt ;) (although I don't think I'm too bad)

Good with the aerials and tilts, but I think there are a few things (btw, I only watched 2, the one on Halberd and the one on Smashville)

-I don't think I ever saw you Dsmash....I don't know about other TL users but I use it a lot to pop my opponents into the air, especially at higher percentages, and then follow up with aerials
-Sometimes you would randomly Up-B on the ground
-You never angled the boomerang, just threw it straight. Try using it in the air, angling it downwards, or on the ground, angling it upwards
-You never used TL's tether recovery, which is easier to sweetspot the ledge with (that might be a irrelevant thing, I just know I use the tether quite a bit to mix things up)
-And yeah, you did D-air a little too much. In the Halberd match it didn't seem to affect you too much but on the Smashville match your friend picked up on it

But otherwise good matches, thanks for sharing, really good video clarity btw :)

[-mugen-]

You are correct about a couple things. You do not use bombs enough, and you also use d-air too much. If there is anything I would suggest it would be to play with his aerial movement and get used to TL in the air. I see you double b-air and fast fall and all that good stuff, but I don't see you use utilize his potential in the air, or even grab (specifically down grab) or u-tilt (fantastic move) as much as you should. Master his short hop aerials, n-air is one I see scarcely from you. Also, try to master the short hop double arrow technique; really useful and it's variations are fun.

[zaf]

You are correct about a couple things. You do not use bombs enough, and you also use d-air too much. If there is anything I would suggest it would be to play with his DI and get used to TL in the air. I see you double b-air and fast fall and all that good stuff, but I don't see you use utilize his potential in the air, or even grab (specifically down grab) or u-tilt (fantastic move) as much as you should. Master his short hop aerials, n-air is one I see scarcely from you. Also, try to master the short hop double arrow technique; really useful and it's variations are fun.

like mugen said, way too many dairs and not enough bombs. he is also right when he said you do double bairs and fast fall.

another thing i have to agree with is thelack of nair. That is one of his strongest aerial attacks. you can always short hop and nair and have them run into you. works like a charm.

also down grabbing into an uptilt is an awesome combo, which you then follow up by double bairs. a combo i have in my pocket and one you should practice as well. that combo allows for very easy dairs, even dair spikes over the ledge.

if you are good at short hoping you might be able to add in a hookshot hit into your style, short hop toward your opponent, and hit them with your hookshot. you recovery very fast from this and it leaves open your opponent for a good smack.

also try to always keep moving against a meta knight, you dont want ro stay still and get hit by him, he hits to hard and fast. dont make yourself an easy target for him

[CJ Love]

i have to agree with the SHDA suggestion. that technique is useful, and depending on the competence of your right thumb, not that hard to master. and try using your aerials and your projectiles in a forward momentum. it will speed up your game and because you're more aggressive, potentially intimidate your opponent, but at the same time you have to retain spacing. it's that balance that makes great toon link users.

[Tristan, Fattest of All Kids]

You are a good TL-player.

[A_man13]

Pretty good. I saw the Hailbird match and part of the batlefield match. You have pretty much self diagnosed yourself. I remember facing the harsh reality dair failed against sub pros; it is one of TL's best moves yet it is easy to dodge. Even once in a while it can cause pain. Would I scrap using it; no, it is one of his trademarks. Just use it with a short hop. Other than that, idk. I would call TL my main, but I am in no way an expert with him or with anyone else.

[3transfat]

You've got the same problem as me, it looks like.
You need to streamline your play some. To much dairing for example.
Try not to do an attack unless you're sure it's going to hit. TL doesn't have much lag, but even a little bit can kill.
Other than that, pretty impressive.