Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
This matchup is decided by whether Mega Man gets to keep the lane partitioned with Pellet, Metal Blade, and Crash Bomber while waiting for your jump with Back Air and Up Tilt, or whether Young Link slips into midrange first.
Young Link also has projectiles, but repeating arrows and boomerangs at the same height lets Pellet cancel them while Mega Man comfortably holds anti-air space. You want to mix bomb hold, empty drift, and late Nair landings so Mega Man swings Up Tilt, Up Smash, or Back Air early and gives up the lane you actually want.
The frame table shows that Jab, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, every smash attack, Back Air, and Neutral B are cleanly punishable by OOS Nair (7f), OOS Uair (8f), or Up B (8f). By contrast, Forward Air only loses to OOS Nair, and Down Air, Side B, Up B, and Down B are hard to punish directly, so forcing an immediate punish every time is worse than covering the landing with Up Tilt, Uair, or Dash Attack and taking the second touch.
Your kills are more consistent when you push with bomb and boomerang into ledge pressure, then call out jump with Uair, neutral getup roll distance with Up Smash, or ledge drift with Back Air. Rush Coil recoveries become risky to chase deeply because Mega Man can reverse the edgeguard with Back Air or Metal Blade, so ledge control is the priority.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Young Link OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab | 7/19/31 | -25/-23/-20 |
| |
| Forward Tilt | 7/19/31 | -25/-23/-20 |
| |
| Up Tilt | 6 | -49/-31/-33 |
| |
| Down Tilt | 5 | -33 |
| |
| Dash Attack | 7/10/13/16/19/22/25/35 | -16 |
|
|
| Forward Smash | 19 | -18 |
| |
| Up Smash | 8/11/15/19/23/27/31 | -32 |
| |
| Down Smash | 17 | -50 |
| |
| Neutral Air | 7/19/31 | -25/-23/-20 |
| |
| Forward Air | 9 | -7/-7/-8 |
|
|
| Back Air | 4/7/10 | -18/-17/-17 |
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| Up Air | 11… | — | ||
| Down Air | 23 | +1/+0 |
| |
| Neutral B | 16 | -17 |
| |
| Side B | 19 | ** | ||
| Up B | — | — | ||
| Down B | 9—** | ** | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not repeat arrows and boomerangs at one height; mix bomb hold, low jumps, and drift so Mega Man is forced to preemptively swing Up Tilt, Up Smash, or Back Air before you commit.
- When you block Jab, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, any smash attack, Back Air, or Neutral B, cash out immediately with OOS Nair (7f), OOS Uair (8f), or Up B (8f).
- Do not insist on a direct punish against Forward Air, Down Air, Side B, Up B, or Down B; cover the landing zone and the Metal Blade pickup path with Up Tilt, Uair, or Dash Attack instead.
- Once Mega Man is airborne, prioritize bomb tosses and boomerang routes that push him to ledge, then finish the sequence with Uair, Back Air, or Up Smash rather than forcing a central scramble.
- Keep ledge position instead of overchasing Rush Coil recovery, and stack the next arrow or boomerang on the re-entry path to extend the ledge trap.
Actions to Avoid
- Standing in front of Pellet for too long and turning your arrow charge or boomerang return timing into free setup time for Mega Man’s anti-air.
- Jumping from too far away on a predictable rhythm and feeding directly into Back Air, Up Tilt, or Up Smash.
- Trying to shield punish Forward Air or Down Air every time and giving Mega Man the scramble he wants after your punish attempt whiffs.
- Drifting too deep offstage after Rush Coil and letting Back Air or Metal Blade flip the ledge situation.