Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup is not won by lazily matching Samus projectile for projectile. The longer Duck Hunt stays in a passive firing rhythm, the more Samus gets to stabilize Charge Shot, missiles, bombs, and zair spacing, and once Samus has time and stage, her weight plus ledgetrap and up-throw threat become much harder for Duck Hunt to absorb.
Duck Hunt does have real punish windows once Samus is forced to swing nearby. Jab 2, tilts, Dash Attack, smash attacks, Fair, Uair, Neutral B, and Side B (1)(2) can all be punished by OOS Nair (9f), OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Fair (10f), OOS Bair (10f), and Up Smash (12f), so blocked close-range pressure should not be allowed to reset for free.
The better game plan is to use can and Wild Gunman to displace the Charge Shot charging spot, force Samus to jump or step forward, and then clip the landing with Fair, Bair, or Uair. Duck Hunt should avoid impatient grounded commitments and instead use low projectile angles plus walking retreats to make Samus’s higher hitboxes miss.
For kills, ledgetraps are much more reliable than center-stage guesses. Samus recovers far enough that deep chases are often unnecessary, so keep stage, cover bomb and tether return points, and finish with Bair or Up Smash near the ledge.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Duck Hunt OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 3 | -10 |
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| Jab 2 | 6 | -15 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -17/-16/-15 |
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| Up Tilt | 15 | -12 |
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| Down Tilt | 6 | -26 |
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| Dash Attack | 8 | -23 |
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| Forward Smash | 10 | -29/-28 |
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| Up Smash | 11/15/19/23/27 | -24 |
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| Down Smash | 9/17 | -27/-18 |
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| Neutral Air | 8/14 | -5/-5/-6 |
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| Forward Air | 6/12/18/24/30 | -12/-12/-11 |
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| Back Air | 9 | -9/-9/-10 |
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| Up Air | 5… | -16/-16/-15 |
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| Down Air | 17 | -8/-7 |
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| Z Air | 8/16 | -4/-3 |
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| Neutral B | 3(+13) | -17 to +4 |
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| Side B (1) | 18 | -26 |
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| Side B (2) | 21 | -24 |
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| Up B (1) | 4… | — | ||
| Up B (2) | 5… | — | ||
| Down B | 33 | — | ||
| Grab | 15 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 17 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 18 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not let Samus charge freely in place. Use can and gunman to shift the charging spot and force movement first.
- After blocking Samus’s Jab 2, tilts, Dash Attack, smash attacks, Fair, Uair, Neutral B, or Side B (1)(2), punish with OOS Nair (9f), OOS Uair (9f), Grab (10f), OOS Fair (10f), OOS Bair (10f), or Up Smash (12f).
- Against low Charge Shot and zair, avoid panicked high jumps. Back up, restart can, and punish the next landing or forward step instead.
- Once Samus is airborne, prioritize corner carry over raw center damage and cover bomb drops plus tether return paths from stage.
- Build stocks through ledge can, gunman coverage, Bair, and Up Smash rather than giving Samus up-throw range in scrambles.
Actions to Avoid
- Sitting in place and trading projectiles until Samus gets a comfortable Charge Shot cycle.
- Escaping low Charge Shot or zair with high jumps straight into Fair or Uair control.
- Giving up guaranteed shield punishes and allowing Samus to reset her preferred distance.
- Chasing too deep offstage and letting tether recovery plus bombs reverse the positional advantage.