Matchup Summary (Win Condition and Game Plan)
Villager can disrupt Young Link’s bow, boomerang, and bomb game with slingshot, Lloid Rocket, and Pocket, and once Young Link is forced low at the ledge, Bowling Ball and tree coverage make obvious recoveries from below extremely dangerous.
Even so, Villager’s out-of-shield game is weak, and the table shows that after Young Link blocks Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Down Smash, landing Up Air, or landing Down Air, he can reliably answer with OOS Nair (7f), OOS Uair (8f), Up B (8f), OOS Bair (9f), Grab (10f), and Up Smash (10f).
That makes the stable plan to walk and empty-hop with bomb in hand, use boomerang as a feint rather than an autopilot commitment, force Villager to show slingshot, Lloid Rocket, or Pocket first, and then punish the recovery frames with Nair, Up Tilt, or Dash Attack to start ledge pressure.
For kills, it is more stable to convert through bomb-ledgetrap sequences, returning boomerang paths, and arrow, Fair, or Bair snipes on the balloons than to brawl in center stage. If Young Link locks himself into a single low recovery route, Villager can reverse the stock very quickly with Bowling Ball or tree.
Full Move Frame Quick Reference
| Opponent Move | Startup | On Shield | Young Link OOS Candidate Moves | Barely Missed Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jab 1 | 3 | -16 |
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| Jab 2 | 3 | -18 |
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| Rapid Jab | 3/8/12… | — | ||
| Rapid Jab Finisher | 4/5 | -28 |
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| Forward Tilt | 8 | -16 |
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| Up Tilt | 7/22 | -34/-19 |
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| Down Tilt | 9 | -17/-18 |
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| Dash Attack | 9… | -22 |
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| Forward Smash | 25 | -4 |
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| Up Smash | 12… | -8 |
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| Down Smash | 9/29 | -35/-15 |
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| Neutral Air | 3 | -4/-5 |
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| Forward Air | 10 | -4 |
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| Back Air | 13 | -3 |
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| Up Air | 6 | -7/-8/-8 |
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| Down Air | 11 | -7/-8/-8 |
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| Neutral B | 8 (Start of projectile pocket) | ** | ||
| Side B | 52 | +27 |
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| Up B | ** | — | ||
| Down B | —, 5 | — | ||
| Grab | 14 | — | ||
| Dash Grab | 16 | — | ||
| Pivot Grab | 17 | — |
Win Condition Checklist
- Hold bomb while walking and empty-hopping to adjust spacing, and make Villager commit to Pocket, slingshot, or Lloid Rocket before you spend a projectile.
- After blocking Jab 1, Jab 2, Forward Tilt, Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Dash Attack, Down Smash, landing Up Air, or landing Down Air, punish immediately with OOS Nair (7f), OOS Uair (8f), Up B (8f), OOS Bair (9f), Grab (10f), or Up Smash (10f).
- Once Villager is airborne, stand slightly off-center instead of directly underneath so you can cover both drift and panic landing options with Up Tilt, Uair, or Bair and keep carrying toward the ledge.
- Offstage, mix arrow, returning boomerang, Fair, and Bair into the balloons, and stay patient enough to make Bowling Ball miss instead of diving under the ledge yourself.
Actions to Avoid
- Firing arrow, boomerang, and bomb at the same height and rhythm over and over, then giving Villager a free Pocket cycle and losing stage to the stored return shot.
- Trying to jump over every slingshot or Lloid Rocket on reaction and drifting into Villager’s anti-air Up Air or Down Air.
- Chasing too low under the ledge after cornering Villager and getting reversed by Bowling Ball or tree coverage before Young Link can recover.
- Committing to one obvious low Up B route on your own recovery and letting Villager line up Bowling Ball or tree at the ledge.