If you’re like me, you’ve been going through a Super Smash Bros. phase recently. One of Nintendo’s most iconic releases, the fast paced fighting game is one the most popular games right now. It features a whole cast of characters that all require different skills to master. One character I’ve been using a lot recently is Young Link, and though he was challenging at first, he is an excellent character when you learn how to use him. If you want to learn how to use him well too, then here are our five tips to immediately improve your Young Link.
1: Neutral Air Out of Shield
This tip was put first because it is probably the easiest and most important way to instantly make you better at playing Young Link. Link’s neutral air is one of his fastest and most powerful moves. If you are able to hit the sweet spot with it, you can even kill with it. It is so good, that you should pretty much always use it immediately out of shield. It is by far his best out of shield option due to it being so fast, so if you currently use any other attack method out of shield, you should switch to using neutral air instead.
2: Use Down Tilt to Combo Into Forward Air
Young Link has some dangerous combos, but none are more consistent than using his down tilt to combo into forward air. His down tilt is very effective, coming out quickly and having a decent amount of range on it. It can be done very easily after a spot dodge, or even just when running up to an opponent. After it lands, it true combos into a forward air, which is of course one of Young Link’s best moves for both killing and building damage. Forward air can also combo into more forward airs after quick falling, creating one of the most punishing combos that he has. While this combo can take a little bit of practice to land, once you start using it you’ll find yourself winning a lot more games.
3: Combo Two Down Airs Into Up Air
Everyone who has ever played or played against Young Link knows that his down and up airs are annoying to play against. Not only do they do tons of damage, they also come out very quickly, and because he is sticking his sword out, there are not very many moves that directly counter them. On top of this, his down air will bounce, allowing you to hit your opponent twice before his sword retracts. Because of this, when both you and your opponent are in the air and you hit them with a down air, you can often times hit them again with the second down air. Once you do this, you can true combo into an up air which easily kills when your opponent is at a high percentage. While this combo is relatively simple and easy, adding it to your game can make you much better.
4: Down Throw At Low Percents, Otherwise Forward Throw
Young Link has a grab that has more range than most characters have on their attacks. Because of this, it’s really important that you use his grab. Depending on how high of a percent your opponent is at, your throw should change your throw so that you get the most out of it. When your opponent is at a relatively low percent, it is best to down throw them. This will launch them upwards, but not too high up, allowing you to combo them with up air, forward air, or even down air if you can get on top of them. Once they are at higher percentages though, it becomes harder to do this, as they get thrown higher in the air and are thus harder to combo. Instead, use forward throw, as it is the most effective of his throws at killing. It begin killing your opponents around 130%, which isn’t too bad considering how many other of his moves kill.
5: Don’t Forget to Use the Bomb
It’s no secret that Young Link has many different weapons. Most people just focus on his sword, his bow, and his boomerang, since those are the most intuitive. This is of course not all that he has though. His down special summons a bomb that can be throw. While it only does around 9% damage and doesn’t have a ton of knock back, it is still very useful and one of the best ways to take your game to the next level. His bomb is easily used to attack opponents both below you and above you by throwing it up or down, but that is not all it can do. Holding a bomb can very easily punish players who get close to you, as it can explode while you are holding it and your shield is up, damaging your opponent while doing no damage to you. It also is an effective combo tool, allowing for true combos into down air and neutral air. More skilled players can pull of some advanced combos in the air as well too. Young Link’s bomb cannot be neglected if you want to play Young Link better. If you want to learn more about how to use his bomb, check out Dr. Jay’s video above.
We hope you enjoyed this list of tips to get better while playing Young Link. If you want to read more of our articles on Super Smash Bro. Ultimate, click here.
