JesiahTEG
05-12-2008, 03:32 AM
I've been playing a lot of Toon Link lately, and have considered doing in depth research on him, since I like his playstyle and want to bring out his true potential. He may even end up becoming my main depending on how I feel about him compared to my current main, Marth. I decided to write up a general analysis of how he plays. Hopefully this will help a lot of people. If you've got something to say, don't be shy, say it. Feedback/questions are great for threads like this. Have at it.
Pros- Good DI, range due to sword, projectiles, good vertical recovery, great mix up game
Cons- Somewhat light, dies easily, has a bit of trouble killing opponents, no instant win move
Toon Link, believe it or not, is a pressure character. In nearly every position, under any circumstance, Toon Link can pressure his opponent. From far away, from mid range, and up close. You should always be pushing buttons while playing Toon Link. From far away, it's your job to make your opponent come to you. Spam mostly arrows, boomerangs once in a while to make them approach. Mid range, you're going to want to try and keep them there as much as possible. You'll be able to deal a lot of damage at mid range throughout the match with your projectiles. Keep in mind that Toon Link's boomerang also hits the opponent on the way back, so at mid range it's useful since it will hit them either on the way there or back pretty often. Bombs also come into play mid range, however most people are very wary of bombs, so it's sometimes hard to hit with them. For the most part, long and mid range, you're going to be pressuring with mostly arrows, and some boomerang.
No matter how good you are at long range pressuring, eventually your opponent will get to you...But don't worry, Toon Link has a ton of ways to battle up close. To begin with, like very other character, he has out of shield options. Basically, you let your opponent attack your shield, and then drop it and immediately use a move to punish your opponent while they are in the lag from their attack. Generally, you want to use the most damaging moves with the most knockback to punish your opponents out of shield. Toon Link happens to have 2 semi strong attacks to punish with, his Forward Air, doing 13%, and his Usmash, doing around 15%. Both deal around the same damage, so you can use either really. However, if your opponent is in killing range, choose your attack based on the stage/position on the stage. If you are on Green Greens and you are in the middle, it doesn't make sense to Fair since the stage is pretty wide, and there are blocks blocking the middle section off from the other two sections. You're going to want to Usmash, since the ceiling is very low. Toon Link's grab can do around 10% damage if you feel like shield grabbing or you want to grab your opponent when their shield is up. Make sure to always press A to smack them once while you hold them before throwing them to achieve maximum damage. Utilt is amazing for beginning combos, however after the first few your opponent is likely to airdodge the next...Use this to your advantage by pressuring them when they land. If they airdodge into shield, you have 3 frames in between to hit them. Use this to your advantage, and attack during those 3 frames. Uair isn't really the greatest of killing moves, but definitely should be taken into consideration for juggling. The duration of this attack is what makes it so great. It stays out for awhile, making it a prime candidate to punish airdodges with. Follow their DI with your own, and you can probably hit them when as their airdodge ends, if you timed it right. Dsmash works very well for punishing rolls and spotdodges, since it hits behind and in front of you, so keep that in mind.
Toon Link is a combo machine. Mainly his Utilts and Bairs. Utilts, as stated before, can really get the damage going. You can do 2 Bairs in one shorthop, and then you have more jumps to do a few more. Again, airdodging ruins this, so play a good mixup game by predicting the airdodges, using your Uair to punishes airdodges, if you're close to the ground, land and pivot grab if they land into shield. Just remember to mix it up and keep it fresh, haha.
If you want to regain your space, there are many ways to do this. Rolling and running works if their shield is up, most of the time. If their shield is not up, you can use the jab series to quickly knock your opponent away, as it's Toon Link's fastest move and faster than a lot of moves your opponent will be using against you. Jab series also counts as 3 hits toward attack deterioration, so it will regenerate your moves quickly, and furthermore regenerates itself. You can attack their shield with an aerial, and then DI away to retreat and gain your space back...Even better, you can attack with an aerial, DI back, and before you hit the ground, shoot an arrow to prevent them from chasing you. Hot ****. Also, you can attack their shield with an aerial, DI back, and then airdodge into shield...They have literally 3 frames to punish you between your airdodge and shield. It's a very safe option.
To kill them, normally you're going to want either Usmash, Fair, or Fsmash, however the 2nd hit of Fsmash can be DI'd out of, if they DI away and jump. This makes the move much less useful, as the higher percent your opponent gets, the easier it will be for them to avoid the second hit, since the first hit will knock you farther away the higher your damage is. Basic gameplay strategies apply to getting off your killing moves. Wait for a spotdodge, Usmash when your close. If you space your Fairs in the air, you should be able to outrange a bunch of characters, so opponents may end up dying to random aerial battles. Toon Link's ground game isn't really all that stellar. He can use jab series for a quick attack with enough knockback to regain his spacing. His Hookshot outranges a lot of your opponent's attack, but shouldn't be spammed due to it's riskiness. As stated before, his Fsmash is good, but at higher percents, it's killing ability becomes more and more useless, however it's still a good attack for it's range and unpredictability. Sometimes if you hit an opponent's shield with the first attack, they let go of their shield and get hit by the second. If they shield the first attack and you know they will shield the second attack, you can simply not attack, which is a safe option. His Dsmash, while not the greatest killing move, has range. It hits in front and behind of Toon Link, making it a good option for punishing rolls.
As far as recovery goes, Toon Link's vertical recovery is absolutely amazing. He can go all the way down to the bottom of FD, and come back up using his second jump and Up B. Due to his great DI, he can throw projectiles from off stage to avoid getting harrassed from off the stage. His Up B makes it tough for opponents to edgeguard, because they can't hug you since you can just go onto the stage, or even attack them with your Up B. His hookshot recovery is good, and can prove to be useful once in a while for unpredictability.
Overall, Toon Link is a great character that excels at mid-long range combat. He has many options to keep his spacing and distance. He's even pretty good at up close combat, so really he's almost never at a disadvantage. Play him to his potential by pressuring from long-mid range, and you're sure to succeed with him.
SOMETHING EVERYONE SHOULD PRACTICE
After an aerial, you can shoot an arrow before you land. This is very, very significant to his gameplay, and makes pressuring/covering your attacks easy and great. Attack your opponent's shield with a RAR, DI away, then do a reverse laser when they try to keep close. This is AMAZING for keeping your spacing, and should be something everyone should practice. When explaining this to people, I normally call this RARows lol, idk seems catchy and it's easy to say. Feel free to call it w/e you want though.
Pros- Good DI, range due to sword, projectiles, good vertical recovery, great mix up game
Cons- Somewhat light, dies easily, has a bit of trouble killing opponents, no instant win move
Toon Link, believe it or not, is a pressure character. In nearly every position, under any circumstance, Toon Link can pressure his opponent. From far away, from mid range, and up close. You should always be pushing buttons while playing Toon Link. From far away, it's your job to make your opponent come to you. Spam mostly arrows, boomerangs once in a while to make them approach. Mid range, you're going to want to try and keep them there as much as possible. You'll be able to deal a lot of damage at mid range throughout the match with your projectiles. Keep in mind that Toon Link's boomerang also hits the opponent on the way back, so at mid range it's useful since it will hit them either on the way there or back pretty often. Bombs also come into play mid range, however most people are very wary of bombs, so it's sometimes hard to hit with them. For the most part, long and mid range, you're going to be pressuring with mostly arrows, and some boomerang.
No matter how good you are at long range pressuring, eventually your opponent will get to you...But don't worry, Toon Link has a ton of ways to battle up close. To begin with, like very other character, he has out of shield options. Basically, you let your opponent attack your shield, and then drop it and immediately use a move to punish your opponent while they are in the lag from their attack. Generally, you want to use the most damaging moves with the most knockback to punish your opponents out of shield. Toon Link happens to have 2 semi strong attacks to punish with, his Forward Air, doing 13%, and his Usmash, doing around 15%. Both deal around the same damage, so you can use either really. However, if your opponent is in killing range, choose your attack based on the stage/position on the stage. If you are on Green Greens and you are in the middle, it doesn't make sense to Fair since the stage is pretty wide, and there are blocks blocking the middle section off from the other two sections. You're going to want to Usmash, since the ceiling is very low. Toon Link's grab can do around 10% damage if you feel like shield grabbing or you want to grab your opponent when their shield is up. Make sure to always press A to smack them once while you hold them before throwing them to achieve maximum damage. Utilt is amazing for beginning combos, however after the first few your opponent is likely to airdodge the next...Use this to your advantage by pressuring them when they land. If they airdodge into shield, you have 3 frames in between to hit them. Use this to your advantage, and attack during those 3 frames. Uair isn't really the greatest of killing moves, but definitely should be taken into consideration for juggling. The duration of this attack is what makes it so great. It stays out for awhile, making it a prime candidate to punish airdodges with. Follow their DI with your own, and you can probably hit them when as their airdodge ends, if you timed it right. Dsmash works very well for punishing rolls and spotdodges, since it hits behind and in front of you, so keep that in mind.
Toon Link is a combo machine. Mainly his Utilts and Bairs. Utilts, as stated before, can really get the damage going. You can do 2 Bairs in one shorthop, and then you have more jumps to do a few more. Again, airdodging ruins this, so play a good mixup game by predicting the airdodges, using your Uair to punishes airdodges, if you're close to the ground, land and pivot grab if they land into shield. Just remember to mix it up and keep it fresh, haha.
If you want to regain your space, there are many ways to do this. Rolling and running works if their shield is up, most of the time. If their shield is not up, you can use the jab series to quickly knock your opponent away, as it's Toon Link's fastest move and faster than a lot of moves your opponent will be using against you. Jab series also counts as 3 hits toward attack deterioration, so it will regenerate your moves quickly, and furthermore regenerates itself. You can attack their shield with an aerial, and then DI away to retreat and gain your space back...Even better, you can attack with an aerial, DI back, and before you hit the ground, shoot an arrow to prevent them from chasing you. Hot ****. Also, you can attack their shield with an aerial, DI back, and then airdodge into shield...They have literally 3 frames to punish you between your airdodge and shield. It's a very safe option.
To kill them, normally you're going to want either Usmash, Fair, or Fsmash, however the 2nd hit of Fsmash can be DI'd out of, if they DI away and jump. This makes the move much less useful, as the higher percent your opponent gets, the easier it will be for them to avoid the second hit, since the first hit will knock you farther away the higher your damage is. Basic gameplay strategies apply to getting off your killing moves. Wait for a spotdodge, Usmash when your close. If you space your Fairs in the air, you should be able to outrange a bunch of characters, so opponents may end up dying to random aerial battles. Toon Link's ground game isn't really all that stellar. He can use jab series for a quick attack with enough knockback to regain his spacing. His Hookshot outranges a lot of your opponent's attack, but shouldn't be spammed due to it's riskiness. As stated before, his Fsmash is good, but at higher percents, it's killing ability becomes more and more useless, however it's still a good attack for it's range and unpredictability. Sometimes if you hit an opponent's shield with the first attack, they let go of their shield and get hit by the second. If they shield the first attack and you know they will shield the second attack, you can simply not attack, which is a safe option. His Dsmash, while not the greatest killing move, has range. It hits in front and behind of Toon Link, making it a good option for punishing rolls.
As far as recovery goes, Toon Link's vertical recovery is absolutely amazing. He can go all the way down to the bottom of FD, and come back up using his second jump and Up B. Due to his great DI, he can throw projectiles from off stage to avoid getting harrassed from off the stage. His Up B makes it tough for opponents to edgeguard, because they can't hug you since you can just go onto the stage, or even attack them with your Up B. His hookshot recovery is good, and can prove to be useful once in a while for unpredictability.
Overall, Toon Link is a great character that excels at mid-long range combat. He has many options to keep his spacing and distance. He's even pretty good at up close combat, so really he's almost never at a disadvantage. Play him to his potential by pressuring from long-mid range, and you're sure to succeed with him.
SOMETHING EVERYONE SHOULD PRACTICE
After an aerial, you can shoot an arrow before you land. This is very, very significant to his gameplay, and makes pressuring/covering your attacks easy and great. Attack your opponent's shield with a RAR, DI away, then do a reverse laser when they try to keep close. This is AMAZING for keeping your spacing, and should be something everyone should practice. When explaining this to people, I normally call this RARows lol, idk seems catchy and it's easy to say. Feel free to call it w/e you want though.