Link (Super Smash Flash 2)

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This article is about Link's appearance in Super Smash Flash 2. For general information about the character, see Link.

Linkin Super Smash Flash 2
Link's official pixel art.
Universe	The Legend of Zelda
Stock icon	File:SSF2 Link head.png
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Triforce Slash
Tier	B+ (11)

Link is a veteran starter character in Super Smash Flash 2. His moveset is taken directly from Super Smash Bros. Brawl with some minor changes, such as the addition of Bomb Arrows. His sprites are custom-made and based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, but with his bright colors from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. His voice clips are taken directly from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

Link is ranked 11th on the current tier list, four spots lower from the previous tier list, and is now in the B+ tier. Link possesses disjointed range, a highly flexible and effective zoning game, a decent combo game, and a large variety of powerful finishers. He has high survivability due to his above-average weight, high accelerated falling speed, and guard-breaking recovery. Link also possesses a very good edgeguarding game, due to his projectiles and his down tilt, which can meteor smash.

However, due to being a high faller and possessing above average weight, Link is highly vulnerable to combos and chain grabs, nullifying his survivability somewhat. Adding to this problem, his recovery is limited if he loses his midair jump, making it very difficult to return to the stage against an experienced player. Furthermore, his average ground movement and attacking speed is sluggish, making it difficult for him to play up close offensively, allowing faster characters to quickly overwhelm him if they get too close. His projectile game is weakened overall due to the more lenient power shielding mechanics, allowing any character to instantly reflect his arrows and boomerangs back at him before he has time to react.

Link has a small but dedicated player base and some representation in online tournaments, achieving an overall mild success.

Attributes

See also: Link (Super Smash Flash 2)/Hard data

As a swordsman, Link holds the advantage of long-reaching, disjointed hitboxes filling out the majority of his moveset, albeit at the cost of longer than average startup and ending animations. Link has many powerful finishing moves, both on the ground and in the air. These include the first hit of his down smash, the second hit of his forward smash, his down aerial, his up aerial, the second hit of hit of forward air and back throw.

Link has a versatile arsenal of projectiles in his special moves, providing him with one of the strongest zoning games among the cast. His Hylian Shield also plays an important role in his control of space, granting him the unique ability to block certain projectiles while standing or crouching without having to use the standard shield.

Link’s mid-heavy weight and being a high faller allows him to survive many powerful hits, both horizontally and vertically. Complimenting his survivability is his aerial Spin Attack, which shields him with wide hitboxes that can discourage edgeguarding attempts and causes only minimal landing lag should he chose to land on stage. He also has the option of snapping to the ledge with his hook shot Z-Air, providing additional recovery mixup options.

Link has a polar grab and throw game. He has the third longest grab, which is a tether grab which leaves him open if missed. His down throw is a good combo starter which can lead into up tilt, up smash and any aerial. Back throw is a great kill option when user near the ledge. Forward throw can allow for certain follow-ups if acted quickly enough.

Link is also a strong edge guarder which is hard to break.

Despite the myriad of advantages they provide, Link’s physics are not purely beneficial. His combination of above average weight and being a high faller makes him the ideal target for long, damaging combos and chain grabs, somewhat negating the advantages brought on by his survivability.

His long range comes at the aforementioned expense of leaving large openings after mistimed attacks, and should he be caught off-stage without his midair jump, he is left with few resources. Link also suffers against characters who possess better mobility or out prioritize or reflect his projectiles, as his ground mobility is average.

Link can be left vulnerable if forced to approach, as many of his best options are significant commitments.

Moveset

Ground attacks

Attack	Description	Damage
Standard attack	Link swings his sword twice, then thrusts it forwards.	4%
		3%
		5%
Forward tilt	An overhead swipe while moving forward. Good KO move.	10%
Up tilt	Swings sword over his head in an arc.	8%
Down tilt	Swipes sword across the ground. It meteor smashes with average power. It covers a great range from behind Link to the tip of the sword. The tip of the sword is a spike.	7%
		10%
Dash attack	Swings sword from head to toe while moving forward. Good combo starter.	10%
		10%
Forward smash	Swings sword forward, if attack button is pressed again, he swings again but with more force. Both hits can be used to rack up damage quickly at very low percents.	10%
		14%
Up smash	Swings sword in an arc over his head three times. The first two slashes suck the opponent downwards to set up for the last hit.	4%
		3%
		3%
		4%
		4%
Down smash	Two kneeling outward slashes; it is like his down tilt but with more force, and aims behind him.	14%
		17%
		16%
		16%
		17%
		16%

Aerial attacks

Attack	Description	Damage
Neutral aerial	Does a flying jump-kick.	11%
		6%
Forward aerial	Swings his sword twice while spinning 360 degrees. Like his back aerial, the first hit traps the opponent and sets up for the second hit. Good for combos.	11%
		12%
Back aerial	Kicks backward twice. Like his forward aerial, the first hit traps the opponent and sets up for the second hit. Also good for combos.	4%
		8%
Up aerial	Thrusts his sword upward. Not very powerful but it is a great damage racker to due to fast start-up.	15%
		13%
Down aerial	Points and holds sword downwards with a long duration. After connecting this with an opponent, Link bounces or "pogos" off the opponent. Powerful KO move.	17%
		15%
		8%

Grab and throws

Attack	Description	Damage
Grab	Link fires his Clawshot, possessing one of the longest grabs in the game so far.	N/A
Pummel	Link hits with the hilt of his sword.	1%
Forward throw	Link kicks his opponent forward.	9%
Back throw	Link kicks his opponent behind him.	9%
Up throw	Link throws his opponent into the air and slashes them.	5%
		2%
		5%
Down throw	Throws the opponent down and then elbows them. Can chain grab big characters and fast-fallers.	6%

Other attacks

Attack	Description	Damage
Floor attack	Same as down smash, but deals less damage and faster attack.	5%
Ledge attack	Link gets back onto the stage and slashes.	8%
Tether	Link fires his Clawshot straight forwards. He can use it to grab ledges from a short distance away.	4%
		3%

Special moves

Attack	Name	Description	Damage
Standard special move	Bow	Link takes out his bow and arrow and fires it. This attack can be charged to increase the arrow's range, speed, and damage. If Link fires an arrow while holding a bomb, he will combine the two projectiles and fire the resulting Bomb Arrow which does more damage and knockback than the regular arrow or the bomb alone. However, the bomb can still explode while Link is charging the move. Link can also make a bomb arrow by shooting a thrown bomb.	0%
			10%
			13%
Side special move	Gale Boomerang	Link throws out his Gale boomerang. When throwing, the direction of the boomerang can be slightly altered by pressing up or down. When returning, the move deals damage rapidly to whoever gets caught in it. On its way back, it travels in a straight line until it reaches the blast zone or until Link catches it.	0%
			4%
			1%
Up special move	Spin Attack	Link holds his sword out in front of him and spins around, slashing at anyone who gets too close. When used in the air, Link gains momentum and rises upwards a significant distance while striking multiple times. Link can move freely to the sides during this attack when used in the air.	11%
			9%
			7%
			2%
			2%
			6%
			6%
Down special move	Bomb	Link takes out a bomb, and can throw it just like any other item. Link's bomb is not particularly strong and is typically used to deal small amounts of damage from a distance. If Link does not throw the bomb within a given period of time, the bomb will explode, damaging Link. This allows him to boost his recovery by blowing himself up, allowing him to use his recovery move a second time.	0%
			9.5%
Final Smash	Triforce Slash	Link uses the power of the Triforce to trap opponents in front of him and then slashes the trapped characters. A ray of light will stun anyone horizontally in front of him. Then, Link dashes very quickly towards any opponent stunned by the beam and strikes them repeatedly for an immense amount of damage.	79%

Misc.

Misc.	Description
On-screen appearance	Appears in a whirlwind and unsheathes his sword.
Taunts	Standard	Performs his battle stance from Super Smash Bros..
	Side	Swings the master sword twice and twirls it behind him before sheathing it.
	Down/Up	The fairy flies around Link.
Idle poses	N/A
Victory theme	A remix of the theme that plays when Link obtains a Triforce Piece in The Legend of Zelda.
Victory pose	Holds the Master Sword up to his face, then thrusts it upward.
Lose	Claps to the winner.

Changes from v0.9a

Main article: Link (Super Smash Flash 2)/Changelog

Link has received a mix of buffs and nerfs. His attacks are weaker overall, but he has better mobility, faster projectiles, less startup/endlag on his attacks, and a significantly better recovery. Link also benefits from the lower hitstun of this demo, which makes him less vulnerable to chain grabs and Zero-to-death combos while maintaining his own combo game due to his increased attack speed. The buffs outweigh the nerfs he received and makes him a more effective character.

Aesthetics

• Link has received custom made sprites that resembles his appearance in Brawl and 3DS and Wii U.
  • This gives him better hitbox placement.
• Updated special effects for his attacks and special moves.

Attributes

• Link's air speed has been increased.
• His walking speed has been increased.

Ground attacks

• Forward tilt is stronger.
• Down tilt is now a spike.
• Dash attack is stronger.
• Up tilt is a little slower.
• Forward smash is weaker.
• Down smash is a little weaker.

Aerial attacks

• Forward air is stronger and connects better.
• Up air appears to be a little weaker.
• Link's grab aerial comes out faster, deals more damage, has less ending lag and has a bigger ledge sweet spot.

Throws / other attacks

• Grab appears to have a little more start up.
• New up throw animation has Link throwing his opponent into the air and then slashing them.
  • Due to the decreased hitstun of the demo, Link has little follow up options and he can no longer chain grab with the move.
• Link's new down throw has him throwing his opponent to the ground and than slamming on them.
  • He can no longer chain grab with down throw.
• Link's new back throw has him putting his opponent behind him and kicking them.
  • It is stronger than his old back throw and can KO opponents by the ledge.

Special moves

• Spin Attack covers more distance in the air and has become one of the best recoveries in the game.
  • Grounded uncharged Spin Attack appears to be weaker.
  • However, aerial Spin Attack is stronger.
  • Floating Spin Attack is no longer possible.
• Gale Boomerange has a stronger vortex which is better for trapping opponents.
• Bombs now have a timer which allow for Link to escape combos or bait his opponents.
• Link can use the bombs to move when thrown when he implements a weak move into it.
  • However, this limits the amount of time Link can do with the Bomb.
  • Bombs are able to penetrate shields and even perfect shields which makes the bombs more useful.
  • Bomb arrows now have a lingering hitbox when they make contact with an opponent or the ground.
  • Bombs can now change reverse Link's momentum when he turns around.
• Arrows charges faster and goes through the air faster.

In competitive play

Tier placement history

The tier lists for demo v0.6; Link was seen as a top-tier character with being 1st of A tier on the first list and being 2nd of B tier on the second list. On the lists for v0.7; Link stayed 5th of B for both lists which made him a solid high tier character for that demo. However, on demo v0.8b; Link dropped down to 18th of D tier where he was seen as a low tier character. In demo v0.9a; Link dropped to 25th of K tier where he is now seen as a bottom tier character. With each new demo; Link's tier position kept dropping and made him look like a horrible character (which is similar to his tier positions in any fighting game that he has appeared in). However, this was changed in demo v0.9b where Link rises to the 12th place of A tier where he is seen as a high tier character again. Although due to the metagame changing for demo v0.9b, Link was not seen as effective as he was earlier and dropped to 16th of B tier where he is now seen as a mid tier character.

Gallery

Costumes

File:SSF2 Link Costumes (temporal).png

Artworks

Linkbig.gif|Link's second art in the Smash Flash DOJO!!!. Link11.gif|Link's third art in the DOJO!!!. LinkBrawl.png|Link's first art, used from v0.4a to v0.4b. Taken from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. LinkCSS.png|Link's second art, used in the character selection screen from v0.5a to v0.8b, and in-game from v0.5a to v0.5b. Link_Pre0.9.png|Link's third art, used from v0.6 to v0.8b. Taken from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, like the previous picture. Link Main.png|Link's fourth pixel art, used in v0.9a. Link PA 2.png|Link's fifth pixel art, used in v0.9b. SSF2_Link.png|Link's sixth pixel art, used in Beta 1.0 to Beta 1.1.0.1.

Screenshots

Link and Marth.png|Link and Marth taunting, on Clock Town. Link 1.png|Link taunting next to Zelda, on Smashville. Link 2.png|Link uses his down aerial at Ichigo while laying on the platform, on Dracula's Castle.

Early designs

Link plays Ocarina.png|Link plays Ocarina from his side taunt, on Clock Town.

Designs

Old_Design - Link.png|Link's first early design, used from demo v0.4a to v0.9a. Old Design - Link (v0.9b).png|Link's second design in demo v0.9b. New Design - Link.png|Link's new design in Beta. 9b preview link1.png|Link's design being introduced in v0.9b.

Misc.

SSF2 - Classic mode - Link.png|Link's congratulations screen on Classic mode.

Trivia

• Link, along with Yoshi and Luigi, are the only characters so far to wear their default costumes in team battle when they are on the green team.
• SSF2 spriter, Steven, said he is proud of the work made on Link and Zelda.
• Link's early pixel arts were based on one of his victory poses in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

External link

• Link's page at Smash Flash DOJO!!!