Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Young Link can overwhelm the front door with the speed of arrow, boomerang, bomb, and fast aerials, so Samus often loses the script first if she stands still and turns the matchup into a straight Charge Shot and missile exchange.
At the same time, Young Link does not get to swing for free up close. The table shows that jab 1-3, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, every smash attack, up air, down air, Neutral B, and Up B (1) are all clearly punishable by Up B (4f), while down tilt and Side B still lose to the fastest Up B even when Samus cannot get more.
The win condition is to use Charge Shot and missiles to stop dash and low jump first, then place fair, uair, or grab onto the spot where Young Link had to pause. Nair, fair, bair, and zair are much less reliable to punish in place, so Samus should usually avoid forcing retaliation there and instead cover the next landing or re-entry.
Kills are more repeatable when Samus keeps the stock onstage and at the ledge with bombs, fair, and Charge Shot, rather than stretching the exchange into a long offstage chase against bomb recovery routes.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Samus 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
- Charge Shot and missiles should be used to interrupt Young Link’s dash, low jump, and setup timing, not to commit to a pure projectile speed contest in front of him.
- After blocking jab 1-3, forward tilt, up tilt, dash attack, any smash attack, up air, down air, Neutral B, or Up B (1), Samus should always take the punish with Up B (4f) first, then use uair (8f), fair (9f), or grab (10f) when spacing allows.
- Down tilt and Side B often only lose to Up B, so Samus should not get greedy for larger punishes there and should instead reset to a stronger center-stage distance immediately after the hit.
- After blocking nair, fair, bair, or zair, Samus should usually track the retreat landing, repeat projectile start, or drift path with bomb, uair, or Charge Shot rather than swing on the spot.
- Stocks should be finished mainly through ledge pressure with bomb, fair, Charge Shot, and up throw, keeping the fight out of long offstage scramble situations.
Actions to Avoid
- Leaning too hard on full Charge Shot holds or repeated missiles directly in front of Young Link and letting arrow, boomerang, and bomb tempo take stage control first.
- Mashing after every blocked nair, fair, bair, or zair and getting punished because the immediate shield punish never truly reaches.
- Chasing Young Link too far offstage and letting bomb recovery, Up B, or fair reverse positions against Samus’s own slower recovery.
- Reaching for heavier punish options when a clean Up B was already guaranteed, then letting Young Link restart the pace that the matchup is built around.