Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets bad when Duck Hunt keeps showing raw Can, Clay, or Gunman shots, lets Isabelle bank them with Pocket, and gives her enough time to set Lloid Trap and Fishing Rod behind that space. Duck Hunt does better when the plan is not pure projectile volume, but leaving a low Can in front and walking behind it until Isabelle herself has to move first.
Isabelle is excellent at locking the horizontal lane with fair, bair, Lloid Trap, and Fishing Rod, but her close-range scrambling and shield punishment are weak. The frame table shows that Jab, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, and every smash attack all lose to OOS Nair (9f), OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Fair (10f), OOS Bair (10f), or Up Smash (12f). Use Can and Wild Gunman to pin the ground, force either Pocket or jump, and then hit the body with fair, bair, or uair.
By contrast, nair, fair, bair, uair, and dair are mostly safe on shield, and forcing an instant punish there usually just gives Isabelle time to drift back into another Trap or Rod setup. After blocking those aerials, keep Can return, Gunman, and walk-back spacing in place so the landing and retreat path are covered before the second action starts.
The stable kills come from extending ledge time with Can and Wild Gunman, then closing jump getup, neutral getup, and high landings with bair or up smash instead of chasing Balloon Trip deep offstage. If Duck Hunt gets forced offstage, Isabelle can stack Lloid Trap and Fishing Rod onto an Up B with no hitbox, so preserving stage is more important than overcommitting to edgeguards.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Duck Hunt OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab | 3 | -13 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -19 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -15 |
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| Down Tilt | 9 | -10/-14 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -21 |
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| Forward Smash | 14 | -20 |
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| Up Smash | 9/14 | -12 |
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| Down Smash | 8/12 | -28/-25 |
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| Neutral Air | 5/8 | -2/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 10 | -6 — +4 |
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| Back Air | 13 | -4 — +5 |
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| Up Air | 6 | -5/-6 |
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| Down Air | 11 | -5/-6 |
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| Neutral B | 8 (Start of projectile pocket) | — | ||
| Side B | 21 | ** | ||
| Up B | ** | ** | ||
| Down B | 9/17/25/34/43/51 | ** | ||
| Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 15 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 17 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not send Can, Clay, and Gunman at one height and one rhythm. Keep a low Can in front, walk behind it, and make Isabelle choose Pocket early or move her body first.
- After blocking Jab, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, or any smash attack, punish immediately with OOS Nair (9f), OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Fair (10f), OOS Bair (10f), or Up Smash (12f).
- After blocked nair, fair, bair, uair, or dair, do not force a shield punish that is usually not there. Leave Can return and Wild Gunman active, then cover Isabelle’s drift-back landing and retreat route first.
- At kill percent, stay onstage and stretch the ledge phase with Can plus Wild Gunman so bair and up smash can separately cover jump getup, neutral getup, and high landings.
- When cornered, do not panic with high Up B or point-blank specials. Bring Can back, step out of the Lloid Trap and Fishing Rod lane, and reset to midrange before trying to swing again.
Actions to Avoid
- Do not keep firing Can or Clay straight into visible Pocket timing and hand Isabelle your own midrange pressure.
- Do not try to punish every blocked nair, fair, bair, uair, and dair, then lose the whiff to a drift-back reset into Lloid Trap or Fishing Rod.
- Do not chase Balloon Trip too deep offstage and turn your no-hitbox Up B into the easiest thing for Isabelle to trap.
- Do not panic at the corner with a high Up B or point-blank Clay and Gunman placements that walk directly into Isabelle’s aerial wall and Fishing Rod.