Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup is decided by whether Ganondorf can avoid brawling straight into the Ice Climbers’ two-body close-range damage and instead use long hitboxes such as nair, bair, down tilt, and pullback forward tilt to hit both climbers at once or force a split. If Ganondorf tries to tank through grab, Blizzard, Side B, and landing aerial pressure with shield alone, the duo can snowball the corner and the edgeguard very quickly.
But the Ice Climbers have short range and weak air drift, and the moment one partner gets separated, both their pressure and their recovery drop sharply. Ganondorf’s single hits are strong enough to clip Nana and Popo together, so one well-placed nair, fair, bair, or up tilt can turn immediately into a solo-Popo endgame.
As the table shows, Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, all smashes, Neutral B, Side B, and Down B can all be punished by Grab (10f), OOS Nair (10f), or Up B (14f), while Neutral Air, Forward Air, Back Air, and Up Air are mostly safe on shield. The win condition is not forcing a punish on every safe aerial, but punishing the dangerous grounded options, causing the split, and then trapping the landing and ledge before the partners reunite.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ganondorf OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -20(-15) |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -21(-12) |
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| Forward Tilt | 9 | -14(-10) |
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| Up Tilt | 8/11/14/17/20/23/27 | -16(-7) |
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| Down Tilt | 8 | -16(-10) |
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| Dash Attack | 9 | -24(-18) |
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| Forward Smash | 11 | -27(-22) |
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| Up Smash | 12 | -29(-24) |
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| Down Smash | 9/16 | -22/-17 |
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| Neutral Air | 6 | -4(+2) |
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| Forward Air | 19 | -5(+3) |
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| Back Air | 8 | -3(+0) |
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| Up Air | 7 | -10(-3) |
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| Down Air | 12 | -16(-12) |
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| Neutral B | 18/19 | -29(-24) |
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| Side B (1) | 10/14/18/23/28/34/40/51 | -21 |
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| Side B (2) | 10/13/15/18/21/24/28/32/37/42/49 | -24 |
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| Up B | 13 | — | ||
| Down B | 16/21/26/31/36/41/46/51/56 | -22(-15) |
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| Grab | 8 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 10 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not walk straight into the fully synced duo. Use nair, bair, down tilt, and pullback forward tilt first so each approach either gets stuffed outright or splits Nana away from Popo.
- After blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Neutral B, Side B, or Down B, cash out immediately with Grab (10f), OOS Nair (10f), or Up B (14f) so the two-body pressure does not repeat.
- After blocking Neutral Air, Forward Air, Back Air, or Up Air, do not force an in-place punish. Cover the landing instead with bair or up tilt so the second touch catches both climbers or launches Nana away.
- Once the pair is split, do not tunnel only on the visible Popo. Block the regroup path first, then prioritize Nana’s landing or recovery so the solo state lasts as long as possible.
- At ledge, favor stage control over deep chases, and cover the return point of Belay and Squall Hammer with fair, bair, down tilt, and Up B.
Actions to Avoid
- Holding shield point-blank against the synced duo and letting grab, Blizzard, Side B, and throw traps stack on top of each other.
- Swinging out of shield after every blocked Neutral Air, Forward Air, Back Air, or Up Air and giving the Ice Climbers another close-range reset.
- Splitting the pair, then chasing only Popo while Nana is allowed to regroup or recover for free.
- Leading center-stage exchanges with Warlock Punch, Wizard’s Foot, or raw smash attacks and feeding two separate whiff punishes.
- Diving offstage every time and exposing Ganondorf’s own weak recovery before the Ice Climbers are actually forced to commit.