Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
The matchup is volatile once Incineroar gets into close range, but getting there in the first place is exactly where Duck Hunt’s can, gunman, and clay pigeon pressure line up well against Incineroar’s bottom-tier mobility and projectile weakness.
Duck Hunt’s default structure should be to send can first, walk behind it, and then react to Incineroar’s jump, shield, or Revenge with Fair, Bair, or Up Smash covering the next lane instead of scrambling at point-blank range.
As the table shows, Jab 1-3, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Neutral B, and Up B are all cleanly punishable by OOS Nair (9f), OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), or Up Smash (12f). By contrast, nair, bair, and uair do not give a same-spot punish, and Side B or Down B do not lead to shield punishes on reaction, so forcing a button after every block is worse than resetting space.
The win condition is to avoid feeding Revenge with predictable projectiles, push Incineroar into repeated jumps and ledge situations, and then cash out through can-led gunman traps into Bair or Up Smash once the Side B kill windows have been respected.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Duck Hunt OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -14 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -23 |
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| Jab 3 | 4 | -28 |
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| Forward Tilt | 12 | -12 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -19 |
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| Down Tilt | 9 | -11 |
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| Dash Attack | 8 | -21 |
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| Forward Smash | 16 | -22/-24 |
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| Up Smash | 13 | -23 |
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| Down Smash | 18 | -28 |
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| Neutral Air | 5 | -6/-8 |
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| Forward Air | 8 | -9/-9 |
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| Back Air | 7 | -7/-6 |
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| Up Air | 7 | -4 |
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| Down Air | 16 | -11/-11/-12 |
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| Neutral B | 5/15/23/37/50/56 | -65 |
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| Side B | 16 | — | ||
| Up B | 11/38 | -51 |
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| Down B | 3 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 11 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 12 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Duck Hunt should place can and gunman first, then walk again behind them so Incineroar’s slow grounded approach is always forced to detour through a jump, shield, or risky burst.
- After blocking Jab 1-3, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Neutral B, or Up B, Duck Hunt should always reclaim the turn with OOS Nair (9f), OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), or Up Smash (12f) and go straight back into projectile structure.
- When Revenge appears, Duck Hunt should stop adding projectiles on the same rhythm and instead drain the buff with grab, retreating movement, or delayed can explosions.
- At the ledge, Duck Hunt should prioritize maintaining can and gunman over deep chasing, use Bair for jump from ledge, Up Smash for high landings, and can explosions for Up B landings.
Actions to Avoid
- Repeating projectiles at the same height and tempo and handing Revenge a free damage boost.
- Entering close-range scraps before can is established and letting nair or Side B start the real Incineroar win condition.
- Swinging immediately after blocked nair, bair, or uair and losing the turn to drift mixups or re-entry pressure.
- Chasing too far offstage and turning a winning ledge trap into a recovery scramble where Duck Hunt’s own Up B vulnerability shows first.