Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup gets worse when Kirby answers arrows, boomerang, and bombs with predictable high jumps, because that is exactly where Young Link’s nair, fair, and Up B coverage become easiest to land. Kirby needs to win the approach by staying low, walking, and using small aerial movement changes that make Young Link choose escape or anti-air before the real entry happens.
Young Link’s rotation is fast, but his ability to keep winning once Kirby is already in his face is more limited. Kirby should treat every opening as a chance to route into nair, grab, down tilt, then ledge or landing pressure, where Young Link’s light weight and defensive burden become much more visible.
The frame table shows Jab 3, Rapid Jab Finisher, ftilt, utilt, dash attack, every smash attack, neutral B, and Up B (1) are punishable with OOS Bair (9f) or Grab (10f). By contrast, nair, fair, bair, down tilt, and side B rarely give an immediate punish, so shielding more and more does not actually stop Young Link’s projectile cycle.
The win condition is to make the few successful entries count heavily. Kirby does better by slipping under once and extending advantage than by trying to jump through the zoning pattern every time.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Kirby OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 4 | -10 |
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| Jab 2 | 6 | -7 |
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| Jab 3 | 6 | -25 |
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| Rapid Jab | 3/5/7 | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 4 | -37 |
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| Forward Tilt | 10 | -12/-13 |
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| Up Tilt | 9 | -14 |
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| Down Tilt | 8 | -7/-8/-10 |
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| Dash Attack | 8 | -16 |
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| Forward Smash (1) | 15 | -27 |
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| Forward Smash (2) | 11 | -30 |
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| Up Smash | 10/25/41 | -22 |
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| Down Smash | 9/21 | -31/-33/-20/-21 |
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| Neutral Air | 4 | -2/-3 |
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| Forward Air | 14/24 | -3/-2 |
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| Back Air | 6/18 | -3/-3 |
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| Up Air | 5 | -9 |
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| Down Air | 13 | Bounce: ** | Fast Fall: -11/-12 |
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| Z Air | 9 | -3 |
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| Neutral B | 14—47 | -16 to -10 |
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| Side B | 27 | -8 to -4 |
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| Up B (1) | 9… | -17 |
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| Up B (2) | 8/12/16/19/22/26/31/39/47 | — | ||
| Down B | 17 | — | ||
| Grab | 12 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 15 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not rely on full-hop approaches over arrows and boomerang. Use low profile movement, walk, and slight aerial drift to change the projectile height first.
- After blocking Jab 3, Rapid Jab Finisher, ftilt, utilt, dash attack, any smash attack, neutral B, or Up B (1), punish with OOS Bair (9f) or Grab (10f) so each successful entry matters.
- Do not force immediate shield punishes on nair, fair, bair, down tilt, or side B. Cover the landing and retreat with nair, uair, or down tilt and win the second touch.
- Once Young Link is cornered, cover ledge jump, ledge drop, and landing with bair and Up Smash instead of drifting too far offstage.
- Build the stock through repeated ledge and landing pressure rather than fishing for a raw center-stage kill read.
Actions to Avoid
- Turning the whole approach into a series of big jumps directly into Young Link’s anti-air lanes.
- Cashing out too early after the first hit and letting Young Link escape before the corner is secured.
- Whiffing after every blocked nair or fair and giving Young Link another full projectile reset.
- Overcommitting offstage and surrendering the stage position that Kirby worked to earn.