Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Mr. Game & Watch’s frame-3 Up B out of shield and long up air juggling make him very dangerous if Young Link lands shallow aerials on shield or keeps throwing projectiles in place. Just showing Oil Panic is enough to make arrows, boomerang, and bombs harder to place on autopilot.
Young Link still controls the horizontal game better here, but the point is not just to throw a projectile and stop. Use arrows, boomerang, and bombs to make Mr. Game & Watch jump or shield, then move forward yourself and keep touching his jumps, landings, and ledge drift with nair, fair, bair, and up smash. Because he is light, repeated advantage states add up quickly.
The frame table also gives you clear punish spots. Jab, forward tilt, down tilt, dash attack, forward smash, down smash, back air, down air, and neutral special are all realistic shield punishes for nair, uair, Up B, or bair, so sloppy grounded pokes and Chef should not go unpunished. If you let those go, you give back the turns you earned with projectile pressure.
On the other hand, neutral air, forward air, up air, Up B, and the lower Side B outcomes are not reliable immediate punishes on shield. Instead of swinging right away, take the next landing spot and ledge position first. For kills, bomb and boomerang ledge traps plus upward chase are more repeatable than forcing deep edgeguards.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Young Link OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Jab | 5/11/17… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 2 | -28 |
| |
| Jab | 4 | -7 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -18 |
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| Up Tilt | 10/20 | -16/-6 |
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| Down Tilt | 6 | -27 |
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| Dash Attack | 6 | -21 |
| |
| Forward Smash | 17 | -15/-13 |
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| Up Smash | 21 | -6 |
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| Down Smash | 12 | -16/-15 |
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| Neutral Air | 7/12/17/22 | -5/-4 |
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| Forward Air | 10/44 | -3 |
| |
| Back Air | 10/14/18/22 | -13 |
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| Up Air | 9/15/21/27/33/37 | ** | ||
| Down Air | 12 | -17 |
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| Neutral B | 18 | -28 |
| |
| Side B | 16 | -30, -28, -27, -25, -20, -22, -20, -21, -6 |
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| Up B | 3/9 | ** | ||
| Down B | 6 (Start of Absorb/Reflect) | — | ||
| Grab | 6 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 9 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 10 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Do not use arrows, boomerang, and bombs only to wait; move forward behind them and challenge Mr. Game & Watch’s jump and landing
- Always punish jab, forward tilt, down tilt, dash attack, forward smash, down smash, back air, down air, and neutral special on shield with nair, uair, Up B, or bair
- Against neutral air, forward air, up air, and Up B, prioritize covering the next landing or ledge position instead of forcing an immediate punish
- Finish stocks with bomb and boomerang ledge traps plus landing traps rather than overcommitting offstage
Actions to Avoid
- Repeating the same arrow or bomb rhythm in place even after Mr. Game & Watch starts showing Oil Panic
- Pressing after your aerial hits shield and giving up the same frame-3 Up B reversal every time
- Swinging immediately after blocking neutral air or forward air and walking into the next juggle
- Chasing too deep offstage against a light target and letting Up B recovery flip the stage position