Something I Feel Like No One But Me Does...

[BlackMamba]

Or at least no one talks about it lol. But one of the options Zelda has to escape juggles is actually a Fox tech: falling up airs. It actually works a pretty good amount of the time due to the starting hitbox that carries people up to the sweetspot. If it connects, it puts in an advantageous position by essentially switching your situation with your opponents. Though no9t guaranteed, it's especially helpful against characters with disjoint like Marth and can work as a juggle starter for fastfallers or a surprise kill against floaties. I always hear people on the Zelda boards complaining about her weakness to juggles/difficulty getting down (which definitely does exist). So I thought i'd share this with you guys so you can add it to your repertoire

 

[Downdraft]

Or at least no one talks about it lol. But one of the options Zelda has to escape juggles is actually a Fox tech: falling up airs. It actually works a pretty good amount of the time due to the starting hitbox that carries people up to the sweetspot. If it connects, it puts in an advantageous position by essentially switching your situation with your opponents. Though no9t guaranteed, it's especially helpful against characters with disjoint like Marth and can work as a juggle starter for fastfallers or a surprise kill against floaties. I always hear people on the Zelda boards complaining about her weakness to juggles/difficulty getting down (which definitely does exist). So I thought i'd share this with you guys so you can add it to your repertoire

How does that work? The opponent would have to be at the level of Zelda's arm.

 

[Vitriform]

It's a neat idea, but I think it's somewhat hindered by the fact that Zelda's a floaty. Unlike Fox, who can quickly fall into position to sweetspot his Uair, Zelda must take extra time to align herself due to her low falling speed, which opens you up for punishes. Also, if the person juggling you is playing on point, they will hit you before you can even get low enough for it to work, especially in the case of a character with a long disjoint like Marth or Link. I think falling Uairs can be useful combo starters against certain characters, but I don't think it can help with being juggled all that much unless the opponent messes up the juggle (in which case it suddenly becomes an amazing option).

 

[Prynne]

This is interesting. I'll definitely try to find places to use this in the future! I'm still nailing Nayru's glide as well, so I need to add that to my repertoire too. Another fun thing with falling up air is to autocancel the sparkle and then combo into your move of choice. This might have been said somewhere before, but why not throw it out again?

 

[BlackMamba]

How does that work? The opponent would have to be at the level of Zelda's arm.

When you fastfall past them while using it, the early hitbox carries them up to the explosion. If the opponent's attack comes out at the same time, sometimes the early hitbox just trades with their attack and you're knocked away from each other (which is still better than them just juggling you uncontested). Also, since the hitboxes stay out for awhile on upair you don't have to be very precise when you time it (it can hit even if they aren't level with your arm when it starts)

 

[BlackMamba]

It's a neat idea, but I think it's somewhat hindered by the fact that Zelda's a floaty. Unlike Fox, who can quickly fall into position to sweetspot his Uair, Zelda must take extra time to align herself due to her low falling speed, which opens you up for punishes. Also, if the person juggling you is playing on point, they will hit you before you can even get low enough for it to work, especially in the case of a character with a long disjoint like Marth or Link. I think falling Uairs can be useful combo starters against certain characters, but I don't think it can help with being juggled all that much unless the opponent messes up the juggle (in which case it suddenly becomes an amazing option).

Well I didn't say it was a get out of jail free card lol. But it's better than teleporting down a lot of the time because the startup on the teleport allows the opponent to hit you even if they whiff their first attack (e.g. You try teleporting down, Marth's first upair misses but his second one connects you're still gonna get hit). It's also a better alternative to naryu's since other disjoints generally beat it and it has no hitbox on the top or bottom. With this method, if your opponent whiffs their juggle move or waits to long to put it out, it gets you out of the air and launches them up.

 

[BlackMamba]

When you fastfall past them while using it, the early hitbox carries them up to the explosion. If the opponent's attack comes out at the same time, sometimes the early hitbox just trades with their attack and you're knocked away from each other (which is still better than them just juggling you uncontested).

 

[Vitriform]

Well I didn't say it was a get out of jail free card lol. But it's better than teleporting down a lot of the time because the startup on the teleport allows the opponent to hit you even if they whiff their first attack (e.g. You try teleporting down, Marth's first upair misses but his second one connects you're still gonna get hit). It's also a better alternative to naryu's since other disjoints generally beat it and it has no hitbox on the top or bottom. With this method, if your opponent whiffs their juggle move or waits to long to put it out, it gets you out of the air and launches them up.

You're right; it is less punishable than teleport or Nayru for low altitude juggles. I'm not saying that falling Uair doesn't have its uses (it definitely does), but it seems to be a rather situational option that might not work against a solidly executed juggle. It's certainly worth trying, in any case, since failing will not get you punished any more harshly than failing to escape with Nayru or a teleport, and you might catch someone off guard with it.

 

[Downdraft]

Since you mentioned it, what is the justification for Nayru's range not matching the diamond?

 

[TimeSmash]

Since you mentioned it, what is the justification for Nayru's range not matching the diamond?

I have to ask this too. I love Nayru's but deceptive hitboxes are blegh. I still forget how far Marth's grab is. It seems janky

 

[WhiteCrow]

I like using up air in this way, but it's not as effective against characters with big disjoint in their fairs like Ganon or Marth or D3. Spending your double jump is really risky when being juggled, but jumping out of hitstun while activating dair can catch people unaware.

Personally, I like escaping juggles by fast falling nair and the starting hit box of Farore's Wind (then auto snapping to the ledge or ledge cancelling the teleport). Nair is pretty fast and is good for playing fun police against people who aren't confident in their combo game vs Zelda. The landing hit box can give you enough hit stun to dash away, teleport, d-tilt, or d-smash. Example: https://gfycat.com/HilariousAromaticGypsymoth#

 

[ECHOnce]

This isn't anything super new aha. DSS brought this up forever ago; it can be pretty useful if you can set it up. Only detractor from using it is that if they start expecting it and can double jump out in time, falling auto-cancelled/L-canceled U-air is pretty easily punishable

 

[BlackMamba]

This isn't anything super new aha. DSS brought this up forever ago; it can be pretty useful if you can set it up. Only detractor from using it is that if they start expecting it and can double jump out in time, falling auto-cancelled/L-canceled U-air is pretty easily punishable

I figured someone may have mentioned it a long time ago. But recently people kept mentioning getting juggled and never brought up this as one of her options for getting down.

 

[ECHOnce]

I figured someone may have mentioned it a long time ago. But recently people kept mentioning getting juggled and never brought up this as one of her options for getting down.

Getting down as in escaping/avoiding a juggle? In that case...idk. I'd personally stick to conditioning them into thinking that Zelda has scary options coming down by catching them a few times with tricky Nayrus, N-airs, LKs, Teleport end-hits, and then mix it up with air dodges, teleporting to ledge, or the "do-nothing" mix up lol. D-airs and U-airs just feel too unsafe ):

 

[BlackMamba]

Getting down as in escaping/avoiding a juggle? In that case...idk. I'd personally stick to conditioning them into thinking that Zelda has scary options coming down by catching them a few times with tricky Nayrus, N-airs, LKs, Teleport end-hits, and then mix it up with air dodges, teleporting to ledge, or the "do-nothing" mix up lol. D-airs and U-airs just feel too unsafe ):

Lol but none of those options can hit below her, which a lot of people realize. Air dodging is usually the best option if you can get one out. Falling upair is just something to mix in with air dodges, teleports and drifting down to the stage/ledge