Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup turns on how little time Squirtle spends getting pinned down by Young Link’s bow, boomerang, and bombs. Squirtle’s size and mobility let him slip under or between those projectiles, but reckless entries still run into nair, fair, and up B, and once center stage is gone the matchup gets much harder.
Instead of forcing the shortest path in every time, Squirtle should use crouch-walk and short dashes to change his height, then hit the moments where Young Link has to stop and place the next projectile or close-range button with nair, fair, or grab. Young Link is light and much shakier up close, so even short Squirtle conversions should be treated as chances to push him toward the ledge and immediately chase the landing again.
The frame table also shows that jab 1, jab 3, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, up air, neutral B, and up B (1) are all punishable by OOS nair (7f) or Squirtle’s 8f shield aerials. By contrast, nair, fair, bair, Zair, and side B are mostly safe, so the better answer there is to read the landing or retreat instead of insisting on an in-place punish.
KOs are more repeatable at the ledge than in long center-stage guesses. Young Link has several recovery routes even while being light, so Squirtle should stay onstage, keep the ledge locked down, and catch jump with up air or back air and roll with up smash before Young Link can rebuild boomerang and bomb control.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Squirtle 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 answer every projectile with a high jump-in. Use crouch-walk and short dashes to change your height first, then enter when Young Link has to stop for the next setup.
- After blocking jab 1, jab 3, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, up air, neutral B, or up B (1), punish immediately with OOS nair (7f) or the 8f shield aerials listed in the table.
- After blocking nair, fair, bair, Zair, or side B, do not mash in place. Cover the landing, the pullback jump, and the next projectile setup instead.
- Once you get the first hit, do not let Young Link drift back to center for free. Even short strings should keep pushing him toward ledge and the next landing trap.
- At kill percent, prioritize ledge control over deep edgeguards and finish with up air or back air on jump and up smash on roll.
Actions to Avoid
- Do not force a high direct jump through the projectile wall and let nair, fair, or up B cover the whole approach.
- Do not throw out the fastest punish after every blocked nair, fair, bair, or Zair and hand Young Link a free reset back to bow and boomerang range.
- Do not overchase offstage for the KO and let up B recovery or bomb placement flip the situation.
- Do not keep waiting in center while Young Link freely holds bomb, because that strengthens both the next approach and the next landing trap.