Wavebuster
Smash Journeyman
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2002
- Messages
- 261
Zelda is a bit slow and, because of her light frame, easy to send flying. On the other hand, her magical skills lend her reliable and explosive attack power. Zelda's easier to use if you focus on waiting and countering rather than pressing attacks. - Melee Smash trophy 1
The queen of Hyrule. Her light movements belie devastating magical power. - Brawl manual description
[Zelda's] movement capabilities are not that good, but her magic adds power to her physical attacks. There’s a reason why her hands and feet glow, after all. - Smash Bros. Brawl Dojo
You might remember reading these official tidbits concerning Zelda's Smash Bros. presence in the distant past. Well, now they can interpreted as a fairly accurate representation of her character if she were viable.
Zelda is returning to the fray for Demo 2.5 without much in the way of major changes. This resource is intended to educate players both new and unfamiliar to her in the uses and general properties of her moves. Also, it was fun to snap and edit pictures.
Zelda was a low tier character that very few people bothered with seriously in Super Smash Bros. Melee. To bring her up to speed she's received several individual move tweaks to make her moveset much more well rounded while remaining recognizable. Zelda has robust, powerful attacks and strong recovery capabilities, but she doesn't have the speed to make seamless offensive approaches nor the endurance of a typical power character to resist knockouts. In this manner Zelda fits a "glass cannon" kind of character archetype. Success with her will depend on tapping into the utility of her ground attacks and special moves, selecting the right moves at the right time to counter your opponent's approaches in a defensive style of fighting. - Wavebuster
Ground Attacks
Zelda's ground moves have excellent situational applications and are great once you learn how and when to use them.
This attack is unique as far as jab type maneuvers. It's the slowest hitting jab in the game by a significant margin and also a single input attack without any followup sequence. However, it has good disjointed reach, and very little afterlag to the point of being safe against opponents' shields. It may not do much on its own, but it's definitely useful to stop off your opponent's approaches and open them up for bigger attacks while remaining relatively safe.
This magic swipe is one of Zelda's bread and butters. Hitting cleanly with this attack launches your foe above and behind Zelda in a very good position to combo after. It's not exceptionally fast, but the lunge she makes during the move gives it a surprisingly long reach. The magic energy at the tip of the move has somewhat improved combo potential, so try to just barely hit the opponent. If your target is far too close, they will instead fly outwards in a position with almost no combo potential.
The attack continues to hit as Zelda swings her arm around to her back, which can be particularly useful against opponents who like rolling behind her. On an interesting note, this is also the only sideways normal attack Zelda has that she can angle up and down. Being able to do this is quite helpful when aiming at opponents in the air or crouching very low, or when fighting on stages with uneven terrain. This move also has the distinction of being one of the few magically empowered attacks Zelda has that is capable of clashing with opponent's moves.
This attack may appear to be relatively gentle but is actually one of Zelda's most powerful launchers. Despite its low damage its vertical launching power far outclasses that of her Up Smash. Enemies hit by this attack are launched powerfully upwards and outwards, making it effective when close to a side blast zone to seal the KO either vertically or to the side you're facing.
At around this point, the knockback changes to a slightly weaker but more vertical launch, allowing some combo potential out of it if you connect the move late. Zelda's outstretched forearm is invulnerable to attack as it strikes, so it can be a very effective anti-air maneuver if you're quick enough to use it in response.
This is when the attack finally concludes. The long active time of this attack makes it an effective move to wait out invulnerability and hit the opponent, such as out of rolls and dodges. As a low damage, single hit attack, it's easy to punish out of an opponent's shield, moreso if the attack is blocked near the beginning. When using this move try to pin the opponent in a position where they're not likely to shield it.
When using this foot sweep move, it may be conspicuous that there's nothing inherently magical about it. Indeed, when you connect the attack on your opponent it doesn't seem to do very much to them at all. On the other hand, it comes out quite fast, and the hitboxes are lined very low to the ground. Low enough, in fact, that it's possible to hit under the opponent's shield entirely and damage them. Diminishing the opponent's shield with other attacks then poking under it with this sweep can be effective. As the opponent's damage level increases, the knockback from this attack is enough to combo directly into moves like
+
and
+
.
Since the attack hugs below the floor so well, it can also be used as an edgeguard maneuver to just barely pop the opponent up into range for a followup attack before they can reach the edge. An interesting but important fact to note is that you can't act out of this attack quite as fast if you do it twice or more times in a row in quick succession. After using it once, try to immediately use a different move afterward to avoid frame disadvantage.
While running,
This attack is fairly straightforward. Like many other dash attacks its potency is dependent on when and where it connects. If connected in close near the start of the move, enemies are launched upwards and slightly in front of you in a great combo position. If they're just a bit further away the attack instead sends directly outwards with unimpressive force, but this can still be useful for edgeguarding in a pinch. Not long into the move, the hitboxes shrink and lose a lot of their power while retaining the same launch angles, but last for a fair amount of time and can still throw an opponent off balance. While this attack can help Zelda close short gaps quickly, it is very punishable on block, often leaving you right on top of the opponent for them to Up Smash you or worse from shield. Exercise caution when using it.
The Forward Smash fires a burst of magical energy right in front of you that has multiple hits leading into a powerful blast with good KO power. An exception to Zelda's other smash attacks, this one is slow to attack, but remarkably safe against the opponent's shield. You may find yourself using it often for this reason. Hitting this attack cleanly on a well aware opponent can be challenging since the attack is slow and Zelda herself isn't fast on her feet, but there is a trick to it.
When you initiate this attack, Zelda lunges back from her standing position to prepare the strike. This stance can avoid attacks aimed to space at her upper and middle body then immediately counterattack. Charging the smash attack maintains this leaning stance, but getting hit while charging a smash attack majorly increases the knockback of any attack you take, which can be deadly when facing attacks like Mario's own Forward Smash. Try to time the Forward Smash right when you need it to avoid the enemy's attack and counter instead of sitting in the smash charge in case you might suffer a strong blow when using the move. You can find many opportunities to use this as a counterattack when the opponent is using their range to just barely hit you at every turn.
For a smash attack, Zelda's Up Smash is unusual. Its knockback is quite modest, and is among the fastest smash attacks in the game, at 5 frames. This speed makes it a viable interrupt against aerial approaches and a quick counterattack out of shield if the enemy is close enough to her. On hit, enemies are struck many times then thrown directly upwards in an ideal position to be pursued due to the fairly low knockback of this smash attack. Although rewarding on hit, this move is unsafe on block, leaves you wide open on whiff, and just like Zelda's other multihit moves it is very weak to trades. Using it outside of guaranteed traps and punishment is not advised.
Just like
+
, the Down Smash is distinctly devoid of any magical energies, but this doesn't make it any less effective in her expanded bag of tricks. Zelda's Down Smash is the fastest in the game at 4 frames, making it effective at relieving pressure. While it doesn't hit very hard or do much damage, it launches the opponent at a low angle.
The attack hits in front then in back. This rear hit is actually a bit more powerful than the front hit, but is trickier to land since it's the later portion of the attack. You might find both hits connecting for significant damage if you do this attack very close to your opponent with your back turned to them.
Zelda's outstretched leg is invulnerable to attack as this move hits, and the front half of the attack hits low enough to strike targets coming from below the edge. This combined with the low launch angle makes it a very effective edgeguarding tool if opponents open themselves to it.
Air Attacks
Zelda has exceptionally powerful aerial attacks. All of her directional aerials have very strong KO potential, but their highest power levels are gated by a sweetspot mechanic of some kind. Mastering these sweetspot mechanics will be crucial to get efficient KOs at low damage. These sweetspots also deal quite a bit of damage to the opponent's shield, so aiming these attacks well can be rewarding even on block.
in Air,
This is yet another multihitting attack of Zelda's, this time an aerial. The knockback isn't very high, but it's a reasonably fast and reliable option when enemies are in too awkward a position to be ideal targets for a directional aerial. Its multiple hits also make it an excellent move to harass players on a platform above you when jumping from below. Although it's difficult to discern, landing while performing the move generates a hit that only affects grounded targets like some other multihit aerials as a deterrent to crouch canceling and shield grabbing.
in Air,
+
Zelda's midair Lightning Kick centers immense magical power in the ball of her foot. If she strikes perfectly, the attack is as strong as can be. - Melee Smash trophy 2
Zelda's notoriously powerful Lightning Kicks from Melee returned in force, but you may notice immediately that some things are different about them. Mostly as a means to level out Zelda's movepool and other improvements, these kicks were rebalanced as a hybrid of their Melee and Brawl incarnations to make it more appropriately challenging to get the high yield knockback out of these attacks. The large Melee sized sweetspots don't deal quite the massive damage or knockback they did in that game, and after the first hit frame, they lose reach and additional knockback strength. Connecting with the very beginning of the attack becomes important. In Brawl, you might remember the kicks' sweetspots being very small and short-lived but very strong, even stronger than they were in Melee. These sweetspots were adopted for Project:M, and are directly within the larger Melee sweetspots to account for their weakening. These critical sweetspots are quite tiny and need a precise aim, but the reward for landing them is great- they are Zelda's most powerful KO moves. The very fabric of time seems to stop for a moment when you connect these moves perfectly, just to draw attention to your opponent's impending doom.
That looks like it hurt. Just like Melee, hitting too closely results in a flub attack that does very little damage and knockback, so keeping your foe within the sweetspot range but outside the flub range is key. All of these sweetspot mechanics carry over to the reverse version of the Lightning Kick.
in Air,
+
Zelda’s back midair and forward midair attacks (Lightning Kicks) deliver devastating blows when they score a clean hit. Aim to connect right at the start of the attack. - Smash Bros. Brawl Dojo
Though the forward and reverse versions of the Lightning Kick appear largely identical, there are some subtle differences not unlike those found in Zelda's and Sheik's Light Arrow final smashes. The reverse kick hits a bit sooner and doesn't have as much endlag, so if speed is of utmost importance then you'll want to be facing away to land your kicks, like when counterattacking out of shield. The sweetspots in the forward kick have a lower than average launch angle, which can be very effective against fast fallers who are otherwise resistant to KOs from higher launch angles, or in general when fighting close to a side blast zone. While the sweetspots in the reverse kick don't deal quite as much damage or have the lower launch angle of its equivalent in the forward kick, they have slightly more raw knockback. For this reason you might find the reverse kick preferable for getting the KO on floaty characters if presented with the choice in some situations.
in Air,
+
This visually imposing move is every bit as strong as it appears. It's a bit slow on the uptake and on the wind down, but has great disjointed reach and vertical knockback strength. In the exact center of the explosion is a sweetspot that is significantly stronger than the rest of the attack, rivaling the power of Fox's vertical launchers. Take care to aim for this point whenever you have the opponent at your mercy.
The explosion itself is actually ignited by a small electrical spark that forms at Zelda's fingertips beforehand. This spark can also damage foes and even combo directly into the following explosion if you're spaced just right. It can also knock foes away from the explosion entirely if they're in an awkward position, so beware. If while performing the move you happen to land after the spark comes out but before the explosion, the move will still auto cancel. This can lead to some unorthodox combos if you feel daring, as this attack by itself lacks any real reach.
in Air,
+
This stomp-like attack has similar properties to the Lightning Kick maneuvers. At the center of the sparkle is a small, short-lived sweetspot that contains nearly all of the move's power. While this attack is a good deal slower than the Lightning Kicks, you don't need to worry as much about the spacing to connect the sweetspot as it has priority over the weaker hitboxes. This sweetspot is quite powerful, being able to sky KO grounded targets and meteor airborne foes with frightening force. Against grounded targets it also leads to potent ground bounce combos when damage isn't high enough for the move itself to KO.
Zelda's ability to chase enemies offstage with a strong meteor attack in tow can be a terror if you're able to overcome the difficulties from the sweetspot's small size and slower timing. If you don't connect with the sweetspot, the move is otherwise very weak, but even weak meteor knockback can still be useful.
Grabs and Throws
Zelda's grabs were very slow to connect in Melee despite not having a tether range. While not quite as slow anymore, her grabs are still below what one would consider average speed. Her slower grab speed is offset by a fairly good grab reach and powerful throws.
Like all characters, Zelda has three different grab maneuvers. Each one she has possesses slightly different properties that affect their usability.
The standing grab has the fastest connection speed and the lowest endlag of her grabs.
Grabbing straight from a run lunges quite far, giving the grab great reach, but this has significantly higher endlag when you miss.
While running, turn around grab is slow and awkward to use, but it has very good disjointed reach and can even catch low crouching targets that her other grabs would miss.
Attacking the opponent while they're in your grasp as Zelda deals a little more damage compared to other characters doing the same thing. Try to get as many of these attacks in as you can and throw your opponent before they break out to maximize grab damage.
Throw Forward
This throw doesn't launch very far, but is a pretty fast throw. Its higher than average launch angle combined with the quick execution speed could potentially lead into a direct aerial combo if the opponent tries to escape this throw incorrectly. Since the execution speed of this throw varies depending on the weight of the target, with heavier targets taking longer to throw, the timing necessary for immediate followups after the throw will vary depending on who you're fighting.
Throw Backward
This is a very solid killing throw at high damage. It has substantial launch power even at low damage for getting an opponent off the stage.
Throw
Up Throw launches consistently for a setup into an aerial combo and can even chain grab fast falling characters if platforms aren't in the way. Like the Forward Throw, the execution speed of this throw varies depending on the weight of the target, which is important to remember when trying to combo directly out of this move.
Throw
The Down Throw won't lead to guaranteed followups if the opponent makes any attempt to escape away from you, but it can still get them offstage behind you for an edgeguard attempt or create a tech chase situation. It also does the highest damage of her throws by a significant margin. Keep an eye out if the opponent doesn't escape this throw away from you for some reason when you use it, as this often leads into deadly followups including Lightning Kicks in that case.
Special Moves
Out of all of Zelda's moves, the most extensive additions were to her specials. There's a lot of depth to them now and knowing all the intricacies will be important in battle.
The neutral special, Nayru's Love, is a defensive move that serves as both a counterattack against direct attacks and a reflector against projectiles. Using it gives Zelda some frames of full body invulnerability before attacking with a series of small hits to both sides of her. The aerial and ground versions of the move now have different properties that give them distinct utility.
When used on the ground, it gives quite a bit of invulnerability which lasts into the attack frames, allowing it to counter nearly anything including grabs if used with proper timing. The move does have a lot of endlag, so be careful not to miss or attack a shield with it because you will be left open to all sorts of punishment.
When used in the air, the range and invulnerability of the move aren't quite as good, allowing it to be interrupted. However, if you land after the hitboxes end with the special button released, she cancels the move into a normal ground landing. This allows the aerial Nayru's Love to be used as both a relatively safe approach and a much more controllable reflector. Both the ground and aerial version of the attack will always launch in the direction Zelda is facing, so it can be useful to jump from the ledge and reverse this attack to knock a foe off the stage when recovering from the edge. If you opt not to land cancel this move when possible, you can do so by continuing to hold the special button when landing. This can be helpful when dealing with a projectile onslaught as the move continues to actively reflect well after the hitboxes end.
The *Love Jump recovery technique* from Brawl still exists, and is done by jumping forward and quickly using Nayru's Love immediately after recovering from hitstun when you are victim to any launch, even minor ones. Doing it correctly greatly increases the height of her otherwise weak aerial jump. Be careful not to mess it up though, because doing it incorrectly will actually hinder your recovery rather than help it. The Love Jump is ineffectual when meteor canceling due to the act of hitstun being canceled entirely when a meteor cancel is done, instead of wearing off naturally. Remember that even when doing this recovery technique perfectly, the full duration of the Nayru's Love will be invoked so be mindful of your position along with the opponent's to judge whether doing this is safe or not.
The side special is Din's Fire, Zelda's projectile. It handles similarly to Melee in that it shoots an initially harmless fireball that you aim up and down with the control stick and activate by releasing the special button, but that's as far as the similarities go. Using the move now offers a ranged attack capable of precise placement and a lasting presence.
You have a great deal of control over the arc of the fireball, and when it's activated it sets a floating mine that lingers for a couple of seconds before exploding. Enemy contact with the mine before it explodes will inflict minor damage and knockback, consuming it. When allowed to explode, they do so with quite a lot of range and launch power. The more time you spend channeling the fireball, the larger the mines and their explosions will be. Arcing the fireballs up then down is an easy way to set larger, more threatening mines. Larger mines also increase the damage and knockback power of the resulting explosions, but do not affect the power of the contact damage, only their size.
Multiple Din's Fires can be launched on the field if you have the opportunity. Setting a new fireball will reset the fuses on any you have already set, so in general they will all explode at the same time. You can have up to three Din's Fires out at once. Firing a fourth one will cause the earliest set fireball to vanish without effect, but the act of setting a new one will still refresh the timers on the mines remaining.
This move takes some time to prepare, and isn't safe to use at closer ranges. Its best window of opportunity occurs after you launch your opponent, giving you the time to set large Din's Fires in prime locations to help you maintain your advantage after you get a solid attack on your foe. If your channel happens to be interrupted by enemy attack, you can no longer control the location where the fireball is set. However, you can still control the arc of the projectile, and it will still activate when it runs into a solid surface or reaches its maximum distance. Any fireballs that are set in this manner are on a separate fuse from others, and do not refresh the timers on any fireballs already present.
Once they're ticking the opponent can snuff out the mines with simple jabs or aerials and can also absorb them with certain characters, but they can't be reflected or otherwise sent back at you. Try to support your mines by putting them just out of reach where they can't easily be canceled out but still be a threat, or use them to cover alternate angles you can't effectively approach from, such as your opponent's rear. Knocking your opponents into the mines to send them back into you for more attack opportunities is very effective, as is throwing them into the mines right as they explode. Using Nayru's Love or your throws to launch in the direction of your Din's Fires can help you accomplish this.
While shielding the mines will allow the opponent to pass through the mines without taking contact damage, they will still explode afterward and damage the opponent, similar to a true bomb or grenade.
When the move is used in the air, you don't go into the helpless fall state and can potentially use it while recovering to protect your intended point of entry. The endlag for releasing the projectile is much greater in the air however, so beware of aggressive pursuers when using it this way.
Farore's Wind is a teleportation special, and one that covers quite a lot of distance. Once she disappears, Zelda teleports in the direction the control stick is held and its primary purpose is to help Zelda recover to the stage after getting launched off.
It has brief, weak hitboxes that hit when the move starts and also when she reappears. These hitboxes provide Zelda with some limited protection against would-be edgeguarders. While it's possible to use them offensively, these attacks have very lacking reach and she isn't invulnerable when the move hits on either end of the teleport. Since the attack power of Farore's Wind is merely an annoyance, putting much stock in the attacking capabilities of this move alone is inadvisable.
When using it to recover to the stage, be careful not to get hit out of the slow startup of the move or get edgehogged by the opponent when aiming for the edge. If you know you can't grab the edge and need to land on the stage, try to land in the most unreachable location because the move does have punishable landing lag, albeit less compared to Melee. Teleporting directly into the ground incurs significantly less endlag than reappearing in the air and landing, so teleporting directly into the ground is preferable to stay safe. If you reappear high in the air and fall, the landing in this case will be a normal landing without any additional landing lag. An especially precise possibility is teleporting and landing right in front of a floor's or platform's edge, sliding you off the edge and eliminating all endlag from this move via edge cancel.
When trying up warp straight upwards next to a wall, it's possible to get stuck in the wall and warp absolutely nowhere. This can be avoided by letting the control stick go to neutral before you disappear, allowing the teleport to work and preventing a nasty fall. After reappearing in the air, you can much more quickly direct your fall left or right if you need to.
When used from the ground, the teleport starts up faster, and can cover shorter distances by angling the control stick downward when teleporting left and right. You can also teleport down through soft platforms with the exception of moving ones. As a special addition, ground based teleports now have the ability to cancel into an air dodge. With it, you can cut the teleport short to waveland out of it to warp shorter distances, or scale platforms from above the main floor. Since it's technically an air dodge cancel, you will need to waveland into the ground or a platform to get any advantage out of canceling it. Doing the cancel has no hitbox on reappear and is still not completely lagless, so make sure you know where you're teleporting and why before you use it because you might just wind up warping right into your opponent's attack. Try combining your land canceled Nayru's Love with Farore's Wind mixups to close the gap against projectile camping and maintain pressure on your opponent at all times.
This move also has some respectable edgeguarding capabilities. When used in the air, the startup hitbox sends horizontally and can potentially gimp an opponent out of their recovery. Using the teleport just off the ground and aiming for the edge will allow you to reverse grab the edge right out of the move from the safety of the stage. It's a great way to edgehog against robust recovery attacks since you stay invulnerable through to the edge grab, but since the startup is rather long, it's possible to be edgehogged yourself if you use this tactic too aggressively.
When hanging from the edge, you can do quick ledgehops into Farore's Wind to cancel the ledgehop and regrab the edge to refresh ledgegrab invulnerability, generating a small attack at the same time.
Transform is the last of Zelda's specials, and is not actually an attack. Using Transform will disable Zelda for a time, and after a series of magical flashes she will take the identity of Sheik, a very different character with her own unique strengths and playstyle, but she won't be explored in depth here. Transform is a move also shared by Sheik to change into Zelda. After initiating Transform, you can be attacked and prevented from completing the switch, so if you want to do this successfully you will need to make some space for yourself first. After the initial vulnerable startup the character will disappear in a bath of white light to secure the switch, and during this sequence you're completely invulnerable to attack. This invulnerability even extends to Snake's C4 when attached to you, where the Transform will cause it to fall off where you stand. When the Transformation completes, you can act much faster than you can in Brawl. In the air, you can actually act instantly to the point of buffering aerial jumps, which makes Transforming into Zelda a useful recovery tool for Sheik if you use both characters.
This thread is a copy/paste from http://smashmods.com/forum/thread-5871.html, which was posted on now archived forums.
