Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Meta Knight can slip in before Duck Hunt’s setup is established with his run speed, multiple jumps, and fast aerials, and once he gets point-blank he can keep the advantage going with neutral air, forward air, up tilt, and ledge traps for a long time. Duck Hunt wants to rule the pace with projectiles, but his close-range defense and offstage stability are both shaky enough that extended offstage scrambles usually help Meta Knight more.
Even so, Meta Knight has no projectile and his raw reach is not large, so can, Wild Gunman, and clay pigeon become much stronger once they pre-cover both the horizontal lane and the landing route. The frame table also shows that Duck Hunt can punish Rapid Jab Finisher, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral B, and Side B on shield with OOS Nair (9f), OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Fair (10f), and OOS Bair (10f), which gives Duck Hunt a way to reset space after stopping the first burst in.
The win condition is to control can for the place Meta Knight wants to jump over it, not just the spot directly in front of Duck Hunt, and then meet that route with forward air, back air, or up air. Meta Knight’s neutral air and most aerial pressure are hard to punish directly on shield, so forcing in-place shield punishes is less reliable than using can plus gunman to take away the escape and then hitting the landing.
For kills, Duck Hunt should prefer ledge can, back air, Up Smash, and clay pigeon fragments on stage rather than trying to out-edgeguard Meta Knight. He is light enough to die early, but he still has too many jumps and recovery branches for reckless offstage chases to stay in Duck Hunt’s favor.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Duck Hunt OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Jab | 4/7/10… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 3 | -24 |
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| Forward Tilt (1) | 6 | -16 |
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| Forward Tilt (2) | 2 | -22 |
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| Forward Tilt (3) | 2 | -23 |
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| Up Tilt | 8 | -20/-19 |
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| Down Tilt | 3 | -9 |
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| Dash Attack | 7 | -18 |
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| Forward Smash | 24 | -6 |
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| Up Smash | 8/12/17 | -28 |
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| Down Smash | 4/9 | -26/-19 |
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| Neutral Air | 6 | -3/-4 |
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| Forward Air | 9/12/15 | -8/-8 |
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| Back Air | 7/13/20 | -9/-8 |
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| Up Air | 6 | -6 |
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| Down Air | 4 | -6 |
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| Neutral B | 12 | -81 |
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| Side B | 26/30/34/38/42/46/ 50/54/58/62/66/70 | -24 |
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| Up B (1) | 8/22 | ** | ||
| Up B (2) | 7/20 | ** | ||
| Down B | — | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 11 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 12 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not keep can, Wild Gunman, and clay pigeon at one fixed height; cover the space Meta Knight wants to jump through and the place he has to land.
- When Rapid Jab Finisher, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Up Smash, Down Smash, Neutral B, or Side B hits shield, answer with OOS Nair (9f), OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Fair (10f), or OOS Bair (10f) to break his close-range rhythm.
- After shielding neutral air or his other safe aerials, do not force a fake punish; reset can control, dash back, and cover the landing instead.
- At kill percent, stay focused on ledge can, back air, Up Smash, and clay pigeon fragment coverage on stage rather than turning the game into an offstage chase.
Actions to Avoid
- Leaving can only in front of your body and giving Meta Knight a free jump lane over it.
- Repeating clay pigeon or Wild Gunman at a fixed rhythm and letting Meta Knight dash or jump into close range on reaction.
- Swinging an in-place punish every time you shield an aerial and getting whiff-punished by his drift or down tilt reset.
- Chasing too far offstage for the kill and letting Meta Knight’s multiple jumps and recovery specials reverse the edge situation.