Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Luigi’s close-range reward from grab, neutral air, down tilt, up B, and down B is so explosive that Ganondorf usually loses if the matchup turns into repeated shield scrambles at point-blank range.
At the same time, Luigi is much weaker while approaching and landing from mid-range, so preemptive neutral air, back air, and down tilt can hit him before he ever reaches the range where his close-range mix becomes dangerous.
The win condition is to avoid waiting passively behind shield against Fireball, stop his jump-ins and grounded steps first, and only punish the clearly unsafe options like jab string, tilts, dash attack, Neutral B, and Side B once they touch shield.
For kills, it is more stable to keep center stage, send Luigi offstage, and narrow his recovery with forward air, back air, down tilt, and up smash coverage than to overforce a single hard read in center stage.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Ganondorf OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 2 | -13 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -12 |
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| Jab 3 | 6 | -19 |
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| Forward Tilt | 5 | -18 |
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| Up Tilt | 5 | -15 |
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| Down Tilt | 5 | -2 |
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| Dash Attack | 4/8/12/16/25 | -17 |
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| Forward Smash | 12 | -18 |
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| Up Smash | 9 | -20 |
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| Down Smash | 6/14 | -20/-12 |
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| Neutral Air | 3 | -3/-5 |
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| Forward Air | 7 | -9 |
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| Back Air | 6 | -5/-6 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -2/-4 |
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| Down Air | 10 | -8/-8 |
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| Z Air | 14 | -2 |
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| Neutral B | 17 | -17 |
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| Side B | 22 | -23 to -13/-10 |
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| Up B (1) | 8 | -79/-99 |
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| Up B (2) | 6 | ** | ||
| Down B | 10…/40 | -40 |
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| Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 16 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 17 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not camp in close-range shield; place neutral air, back air, and down tilt first so Luigi has to run into hitboxes before he ever reaches grab range.
- When jab string, tilts, dash attack, Neutral B, or Side B touch shield, answer with grab or OOS neutral air and use that punish to take stage rather than overchasing damage immediately.
- After sending Luigi offstage, keep center stage and cover Luigi Missile and up B return angles with forward air, back air, down tilt, and up smash instead of gambling on a deep chase.
Actions to Avoid
- Staying planted in Luigi’s point-blank range and accepting repeated mixups between grab, up B, and down B.
- Treating neutral air, back air, up air, and tether pressure as guaranteed shield punishes and giving Luigi another close-range turn when your punish does not reach.
- Diving too far offstage for a fast kill and exposing Ganondorf’s own recovery to Cyclone reversals or a positional flip.