Duck Hunt Matchup (Marth)

Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)

Duck Hunt is strongest when can, Wild Gunman, and Clay Shooting stop horizontal movement and force Marth to jump into anti-airs like fair or bair.
However, Duck Hunt’s close-range defense and out-of-shield game are much thinner once Marth has actually walked through the projectile layer, so one clean sword touch can snowball into sustained landing traps and ledge pressure.
The win condition is to avoid immediate full-hop approaches on reaction to can, keep advancing with walking and shield, and use down tilt, fair, bair, and uair to cut off the dog’s retreat while punishing clear openings from jab, tilts, dash attack, and smashes with Up B or OOS fair.
For kills, it is more reliable to trap ledge jump, ledge drift, and Up B landing with tipper fair, bair, forward tilt, and up smash than to chase too far offstage and give Duck Hunt time to rebuild projectile control.

Full Move Frame Quick Reference

Win Condition Checklist

• Do not jump through the projectile wall by default; walk and shield forward first, then use down tilt, fair, bair, and uair to cut off Duck Hunt’s retreat options.
• When jab, forward tilt, up tilt, down tilt, dash attack, or smashes hit shield, punish with Up B or OOS fair and convert into landing traps or ledge carry instead of overextending for raw damage.
• Once Duck Hunt is cornered, stay onstage and rotate tipper fair, bair, forward tilt, and up smash to deny ledge escape and Up B landing before new projectiles can be placed.

Actions to Avoid

• Full hopping at the first sight of can or gunman and giving Duck Hunt the anti-air it is waiting for.
• Swinging early smashes before reaching the dog’s body and letting the entire projectile game reset for free on whiff.
• Chasing too deep offstage for the stock and handing back center stage plus setup time.