Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup swings hard based on whether Link can keep Incineroar walking through layered projectiles instead of letting the fight start at point-blank range. Once Incineroar gets in, neutral air, side special, grabs, and Revenge can flip a stock immediately, but the character still has obvious weaknesses in approach speed and recovery flexibility before reaching that range. Link should not rush into trading hits when he can stop the approach earlier.
Link’s advantage comes from combining sword range with three different projectiles. The goal is not just to land one hit at a time, but to use Boomerang’s return path and a waiting Remote Bomb to cover where Incineroar wants to move next. Because Incineroar is extremely slow laterally and has no projectile, forcing shield or jump makes it much easier for Link to touch first with Fair, Nair, Up Tilt, or grab. When Revenge is shown, it is usually stronger to delay, grab, and let the buff expire than to feed it with automatic projectile pressure.
The frame table shows that jab 1-3, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, all smash attacks, forward air, down air, neutral special, and up special are all broadly punishable by Link’s Up B (7f), OOS Bair, grab, or Up Smash. By contrast, neutral air, back air, and up air do not give stable shield punishes, and side special is not solved from shield at all. If Link tries to solve everything with shield retaliation, he gives Incineroar too many chances to mix in side special and landing scrambles. It is better to pre-cover the landing and forward path instead.
For kills, it is more repeatable to push Incineroar to ledge and convert from Remote Bomb ledgetraps into Fair, Up B punishes, or edgeguards than to brawl in center and risk side special or back air trades. Incineroar’s recovery path is linear enough that Link can create real pressure just by holding the ledge space and refusing to overchase.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Link OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 5 | -14 |
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| Jab 2 | 4 | -23 |
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| Jab 3 | 4 | -28 |
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| Forward Tilt | 12 | -12 |
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| Up Tilt | 6 | -19 |
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| Down Tilt | 9 | -11 |
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| Dash Attack | 8 | -21 |
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| Forward Smash | 16 | -22/-24 |
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| Up Smash | 13 | -23 |
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| Down Smash | 18 | -28 |
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| Neutral Air | 5 | -6/-8 |
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| Forward Air | 8 | -9/-9 |
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| Back Air | 7 | -7/-6 |
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| Up Air | 7 | -4 |
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| Down Air | 16 | -11/-11/-12 |
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| Neutral B | 5/15/23/37/50/56 | -65 |
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| Side B | 16 | — | ||
| Up B | 11/38 | -51 |
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| Down B | 3 (Start of Counter) | — | ||
| Grab | 7 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 11 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 12 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not stop at one projectile. Use Arrow, Boomerang, and Remote Bomb together so Incineroar’s next walk path and jump landing are both covered.
- When you block jab 1-3, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, any smash attack, forward air, down air, neutral special, or up special, punish with Up B (7f) first and confirm whether OOS Bair, grab, or Up Smash gives more.
- Do not wait for side special behind shield. Intercept it before startup with sword range, Boomerang, or preemptive aerial placement, or punish the whiff and landing afterward.
- When Revenge appears, stop feeding it with reflexive projectiles or aerials and use grabs plus stage control so the buff never cashes out.
- At kill percent, reduce center-stage brawling and force Incineroar to ledge, where Remote Bomb, Fair, and edgeguards can directly attack the weak recovery.
Actions to Avoid
- Drifting into obvious close-range scrambles and giving Incineroar direct access to neutral air, side special, and grab mixups.
- Continuing to throw Arrow or Boomerang into Revenge and turning the next grounded hit into a stock-ending punish.
- Trying to shield-punish neutral air, back air, or up air every time, then getting dragged into landing mixups where the frame trap is not actually there.
- Chasing too deep offstage and walking into Cross Chop’s hitbox or a swingy side special situation instead of preserving the stronger ledgetrap position.