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Toon Link

Jab1 (-10) & Jab2 (-11):
NAir (Frame 7)

Jab3 (-25):
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)
DSmash (Frame 20)

FTilt (-11):
NAir (Frame 7)

UTilt (-11):
NAir (Frame 7)

DTilt (-6):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

Dash Attack (-13):
NAir (Frame 7)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

FSmash (-22):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

USmash (-22):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

DSmash (-29/-20):
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

NAir (-3):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

FAir (-6):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

BAir (-4):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

UAir (-8):
NAir (Frame 7)

DAir (-16):
Grab (Frame 16)
(Other options might be pushed out of range by the windbox)

ZAir (-3):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

Hero's Bow (-12 to -6):
Unpunishable
(Full charge is safe on shield, projectile usage)

Boomerang (-9 Soft, -6 Hard):
Unpunishable
(Hard throw is safe on shield, projectile usage)

Spin Attack (-25):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)
DSmash (Frame 20)

Bomb Pull (--):
Unpunishable
(Projectile usage)

• Neutral Moves: Projectiles, Tilts, Aerials, Jab, Grab.

• Kill Moves: FAir, Smash Attacks, UAir, DAir, Spin Attack, FTilt.

• Kill Confirms: BAir Strings > ASA, Bomb/Boomerang > FAir.

• Toon Link’s Bomb is at the core of his neutral. He relies on it much more than we do. He’ll mainly be fishing for kills with these.

• Be aware of how they throw Bombs and when. What are they looking for based on how they throw Bombs?

• Simply put, we can out-projectile Toon Link. We have faster options in Fire Arrow, and a higher velocity Boomerang. This forces Toon Link to adapt first, and become more aggressive. Young Link has the freedom to stay out of burst range.

• One of Toon Link’s key flaws is his lack of negative incentive to shield. Although he has good shield pressure tools, he doesn’t gain much off of Grabs/shield pokes. This means shield is a lot safer in this MU, combined with the out-zoning potential.

• Boomerang is still good, but be careful of its vulnerability. It’s better in advantage state for constricting air space and hit advantage scenarios.

• Mix and match rushdown and safe strategies in neutral. In close quarters combat, prioritize shield pressure and quick hits that lead to hit advantage scenarios vs Toon Link.

• DI out to avoid excessive damage and combos. DI-ing accordingly, especially on Bomb, can prevent the follow-up FAir. His Bomb's knockback growth is much higher than Young Link's.

Boxing

(How do I escape this situation?):

• Fundamentally speaking, Toon Link’s usage of projectiles in advantage state is similar to how we use them; to limit options and/or punish options.

• Toon Link's Boomerang serves a similar purpose to ours, trapping airspace and for reads.

• His Bombs are added pressure, alongside normals and positioning that can lead into kill confirms, but are investments of time.

• This means that Toon Link has the deadzone issue as well. Standing in that deadzone is more crippling to his advantage state than our disadvantage state.

• Toon Link’s Dash Attack is a quick burst option that sets up for a hit advantage situation. It’s punishable on block, and mainly relies on mix-ups and speed. His USmash plays the same, but as a kill option.

• Losing some stage control isn’t as significant as in other MUs, though you should still aim to get back to neutral.

• Weave around his hits using movement and shield.

• Make use of clanking vs Boomerang. NAir and BAir work best.

• ZAir is good as a safe poke for Toon Link approaching from the ground/short hop height.

Platform Pressure

(What tools do they have? How can we escape this pressure?):

• Toon Link’s UAir is a strong move to pressure platforms with. It’s a killmove that lasts long, but is slow to startup.

• Toon Link’s Bombs and Boomerang are strong platform tech chase options that lead to kill moves. Mix up options and timings here.

• Toon Link might not always try to directly platform pressure, but if such a case happens, try jumping away or baiting.

Landing

(How do they cover it? What are my best options?):

• Watch for UAir. Young Link's DAir will never win, and it can eat airdodges.

• Be careful of Bombs thrown upward which can combo into UAir, airdodge or catch and Z-Drop/throw down.

• It can be hard to land properly vs Toon Link, as his UTilt and USmash are great for catching landings.

Offstage

(How Do I Escape This Position And What Do I Look Out For?):

• Avoid having your double jump stuffed by projectiles offstage.

• Toon Link’s edgeguarding tools consist of Boomerang, Hero's Bow, Bomb, FAir, NAir, and ASA. Recovering high/snapping ledge from above is safer than recovering from below.

• Space ASA/time tether reel in to avoid Toon Link’s NAir/FAir edgeguards.

• DI up on moves that don’t kill for more airtime.

• Drift/use double jump to avoid projectiles, and use tether to avoid aerial edgeguards.

Ledge:

• Mix up ledge grab timings. Toon Link can DAir 2-frame/hit ledge and instantly kill with it.

• Young Link gets hit by FTilt, DTilt, DSmash, and the final hit of GSA at ledge.

• Toon Link’s GSA covers multiple options at once, but is dependent on timing.

• Mix up timings and options.

Juggling/Boxing:

• Toon Link’s DAir can be chosen as a quick landing option, but it does leave him vulnerable.

• Watch out for how they use Bomb to land (Z-Drops, throwing it down, iBomb, etc.). Toon Link uses Bomb frequently when trying to land, since his low fall speed gives him more time to pull one.

• Toon Link’s fall speed is low. This means he has more time when landing. This is both good and bad.

• This is bad because Toon Link has more opportunities for mix-ups when landing, and he has more time to pull Bomb. In conjunction with his airspeed, he has the time and speed to drift around when landing.

• The upside to this is that Toon Link gives more time for the opponent to capitalize on advantage. Do this by creating strong positional pressure, and constricting his airspace.

• Boomerang constricts airspace well in this MU for juggling, and is best in boxing after Toon Link takes knockback (hit advantage).

• Fire Arrow is crucial to disrupt Toon Link in the corner. Mix in short hop Fire Arrows as well to anti-air/catch landings.

• Hold stage control while out-zoning Toon Link. His attributes allow him to escape to neutral if overextending, slipping out of the way and what not.

Offstage:

• Toon Link has a very similar offstage disadvantage to Young Link. Tether, Bomb, ASA, wall jumps, needs double jump, but also has more airspeed and less fall speed, meaning Toon Link can recover farther out.

• Toon Link’s ASA is easy to beat out like Young Link’s, with a NAir.

• Since Toon Link also has a tether, he’ll mix up between the two. Ledge Slip NAir and T-Spike DAir (high commitment) can intercept the tether reel-in to the ledge.

• Bomb can also be used to intercept his ASA or tether reel-in. Interrupting the latter can cause a stage spike.

• Toon Link can use Bomb throw, ZAir, or FAir from a double jump off of ledge.

• Toon Link’s airspeed allows him to reliably cross up the opponent standing at ledge with a ledge jump. Dash to ledge as a bait.

• Boomerang is hard to hit against a small character like Toon Link in ledgetrapping, so it is usually safer to use other options.

Ledge Info:

XLR8’s Spreadsheet Young Link Ledge Info:

DTilt: Hits

DSmash: Hits

FTilt: Hits

Most Reliable Move: All

Animation Info: Aim for the head rise.

Note: Very easy, don’t stand directly on the ledge.

• FD DTilt > ASA %s: 109, 98

• FD FThrow @ Ledge %s: 171, 149

• FD Milkshake %s: 98-132, 88-104

• Toon Link Kill Throws: BThrow

• Hero's Shield: like Link, Young Link, and Hero, Toon Link has a passive shield that is active when he is standing or crouching. He can slowly walk with it active, but cannot walk at full speed with it up like Link and Hero can. When used, it can block projectiles much quicker than the normal shield, and any attack can be used out of it, rather than the standard out of shield options. It also has much less pushback, and does not risk shield damage at all.

• Battlefield:
  Indifferent. Toon Link can maneuver well around this stage, and is regarded as one of his better stages. Regardless, this isn’t a terrible pick, because the layout still amplifies defensive play vs Toon Link. There are still better options.

• Final Destination:
  Indifferent. Overall neutral stage for both characters. Lack of platforms and stage width means using normals/close quarters combat more to win stage control in this MU.

• Smashville:
  Terrible. Same reasons as Lylat.

• Town & City:
  Good. Similar viability to Kalos.

• Lylat Cruise:
  Terrible. Landing vs Toon Link is difficult here, and the lack of space gives more openings for Toon Link with his normals. Maneuvering around the platforms and compressed height to avoid Toon Link is made more difficult as well.

• Pokémon Stadium 2:
  Great. Ample stage for out-zoning Toon Link, and escaping pressure. Its length gives some ease, weaving around his attacks.

• Kalos Pokémon League:
  Good. Same reasons as PS2, along with wall jumps and side platforms, with larger zones and side zone to ledge width as a downside.

• Yoshi’s Story:
  Indifferent. Same reasons as BF.

• Toon Link Ledge Hang Punishes

• Toon link Spin Attack Kill %, No Charge or Rage, Battlefield right blastzone optimal DI (where it will cover roll as well)

• Toon Link ZAir Tumble %s

• Anti-Bomb Guide, by Yayo#9091