- Game Versions
- Smash Wii U
I will preface this by saying I am not an expert at duck hunt, nor will I claim to be. However, I will say I often see people using duck hunt incorrectly. This guide will offer insight into unique techniques and combo approaches, as well as common flaws and approaches.
Often seen mistakes:
Duck hunt is neither a turtle nor a stage control character. His primary strength is projectile harassment and chip damage, and trying to mid-air engage a returning opponent can often be fatal (most air moves will override or neutralise duck hunt's own air moves).
Although the can offers an attack vector for airborne characters, smart players will dodge, and smarter ones still will hit it, often being returned to sender.
Down throw into air 'combo' is a mistake, as due to DHD's long frame rate times, most, if not all, characters will dodge the up-air, making it a vain approach, and smarter ones will override.
DHD players should not make the mistake of relying exclusively on projectiles (which is common), as any character with anti-projectile moves (which most do) will easily beat this.
Now we have contradicted commonly held flaws, let's go onto how duck hunt should be used:
Duck hunt duo's techniques:
Areas:
Duck hunt duo has three areas: long-range, mid, and close.
Each area requires a different set of tactics to address. A breakdown, first:
Close is duck hunt's weakest area, and an opponent should never be allowed into this zone unless you intend them to be there. This is basically the area closest to duck hunt.
Mid is duck hunt's optimal attack zone, and is roughly the area between the tip and the second shot of an uncharged forward smash A attack. This is where you want most opponents to be.
Long is the area furthest from duck hunt (which would roughly cover between half to the full distance of an omega stage). This is where you want short-range attackers and especially power attackers to be, but not other projectile users. I'll explain why later.
Close range tactics:
Firstly, unfamiliarise yourself with using forward smash A like you would other characters. Due to Nintendo's poor balancing, the frame-time of a forward smash A is so slow it allows for easy and often fatal punishes, and worst still, even if the smash A 'connects', there is, at time of writing, a 'slide glitch' (which rather than KO'ing an opponent, just slides them back with minimal damage). This is a replicable bug.
Instead, get used to light A and neutral A attacks. Whilst these lack power (all of DHD's moves do!), your primary goal is chip damage, and the light attacks easily interrupt most other slower attacks, and do not leave you as vulnerable. Done right, the neutral A locks an opponent and sends them back - straight into your mid range, allowing you to follow up with a can (if airborne), frisbee (if grounded and close) or gunman (if distant).
Get used to grabs at this range, and do not use any projectiles (they won't make contact), with the exception of the 'can' - which if you are stuck in a combo-lock, mash the neutral B and the can will either blow both you and the opponent up (breaking the lock) or just you (breaking the lock). It's better to injure yourself with a can, than risk a combo-lock to fatal smash attack, especially at higher percents. In-fact, due to DHD's weak launch power, you can use this to your advantage - the can will interrupt a smash move, and because it has weaker launch, is more survivable than other character's attacks.
At time of writing, the percentages for DHD (directional input was not tested), is 178% from centre of an omega stage as survivable (note, dead centre and not airborne centre), and 155% on an edge. So any lower percentages assure you will survive your own can. This can even be used against lighter characters - Jiggypuff will KO at 144% from centre (Directional Input not tested), and Kirby 156%. This means you can hit them with the can point-blank and have good odds of surviving whilst KO'ing them.
The only smash move acceptable at close range is down-A, which is good for rollers or people who roll towards you for point blank attacks, however it should be used sparingly and only with good reads, as it's still slow and if the backshot misses whilst they are behind, you're vulnerable.
Roll dodge is usually the best option to escape close, but it's predictable and vulnerable (there is often a very long frame time between one roll to the next, which means DHD is vulnerable to 'spammy' attacks or attacks that have a long attack time - ROB's spin, for example).
So, recap, close tactics mean:
Using light A moves instead of smash A.
Using grabs.
Using the can to foil combo-locks.
Roll dodging.
Smash down A sparingly to counter roll-dodgers who close in.
Long range tactics:
A lot of people will make the mistake that this is the optimum position for DHD to be in, and even more so, will mistakenly think it's merely a case of randomly spamming all the projectiles he has as a 'hording' tactic, but this isn't the case, and proper projectile technique can greatly aid, and even start projectile combos.
Firstly, a crash course, how should DHD's projectiles be used?
Gunmen - optimally for ground attacks, but also useful for forcing shields, absorbing projectiles, and strangely, yes, air attacks. They can also foil annoying homing B attacks (like sonic and shiek's). You should familiarise yourself with each type to know if they will reach the opponent or not.
Frisbee - ground attack, great for interrupting/slowing down forward B attacks, runners, other projectiles/projectile users, and also as a fast response punish to failed attacks. Note this key phrase: it should replace your forward smash A as the de facto ground attack. This is because if it hits, the opponent will flinch, and you can time shots to further interrupt them, meaning you leave almost no frame time open to punish. Once they flinch, you can follow into a combo. More on that later.
Can - optimally anti-air, anti-jump spam and intercepting recovering opponents and ledge guarding. Also doubles as a combo-lock breaker, a psychological weapon/bluff tool (most people will focus on the can) and can also interrupt some types of forward B attacks if shots are timed correctly. Because of DHD's vulnerabilities with air attacks and up-A attacks, this becomes your de facto anti-air move instead.
With that in mind, we can now move onto long-range tactics, and why we don't randomly spam becomes obvious.
For long range attacks, identify what type of player you're dealing with:
You must first identify what type of player you're dealing with, for simplicity we will use two types of persona - defensive and aggressive, and four categories of character: melee, sword user, power user and projectile users.
Defensive players shield heavily and try to bait you into attacking them close range.
Aggressive players rush head first and try to harass you point blank.
Melee users are opponents who use fists (they may have a single projectile move, but they won't count as a projectile user). You can engage them at all three stages.
Sword users use swords, and they have a slightly longer reach than DHD, which can be frustrating at close range, so keep them mid. But be sure to treat Robin as a projectile user.
Power users rely on power attacks (for example, Charizard, Ganondorf, Little Mac, but in some ways also Captain Falcon).
Projectile users rely heavily on projectiles, and should be engaged close range.
You may have a character that fits two boundaries depending on range - Link is a projectile user at distance but a sword user close range, which means you must adjust your tactics. Then there are unique characters like Rosalina and Luma that require their own set of tactics to deal with.
Now you've categorised your opponent, the hard and fast rules for dealing with long range are:
Defensive: spam projectile and try to overload shields until they rush before countering, or shield-lock them with gunman/frisbee for a grab combo opening.
Aggressive: frisbee throw on their run towards you, or if heavy jumpers, use can to 'suppress the air' (force them to the ground, then address with frisbee/close range as appropriate as appropriate).
Projectile user: regardless if defensive or aggressive, RUSH THEM. DHD's projectiles, although it can override one or two projectiles, it cannot override them all (especially if you have fast shooters like link or samus), and charged projectile shots are dangerous at low percentages. Get them into your mid-range and juggle. This causes havoc for charged shot users like mewtwo, lucario, samus (as the rapid close range attacks interrupt), and users with defense against projectiles (villager, mewtwo, ness etc) will have trouble reacting at mid-range to frisbee. Avoid a projectile war unless you know the other player is so inexperienced you can beat them.
Melee/sword user: use projectiles to force them back, roll dodge out of the way and use close-range tactics as appropriate. Keeping them at a distance is best as their strong-point is close range. Sword users should NEVER be engaged close-range, except from behind (excluding link as he has 360 attacks) only engage mid or long.
Power users: Do not engage at close range or even mid range except for spike KO or a good read. Avoid close-range unless attacking is a better defense than shield or dodging (EG interrupting an undodgeable attack). Even if you have to projectile spam, do not engage close range (they have their strength, you have yours). DHD is already easy to launch, and power users can launch at even as low as 70% to KO, and the only way to avoid that is to never allow the opportunity to happen and to not allow percent to build. Distance and projectiles is key, but also try bait dodging for opportunities.
Now you know at how to engage at long range, the combos for long-range attacks (which will often stack to each other):
Gunman shield-lock:
Drop gunman once to check reactions. If they shield on shot, you can lock them. If they don't, they take the bullet. Repeat until they shield on shot, then follow:
Gunman, rush, grab, backthrow.
If they use dodging instead of shielding:
Gunman dodge-lock:
Gunman, bluff short rush, throw frisbee, shoot.
Can-frisbee attack:
Deploy can, nudge it so it's close to them so they raise shields (but don't impact the can unless they drop), throw frisbee, shoot frisbee when next to them, shoot can. People sometimes drop shields during this moment, or worry about shield-break. Helps to pressure users.
Frisbee-can-frisbee attack (FCF):
Throw frisbee and shoot to force shield, deploy can and nudge towards them, then frisbee and shoot again (often they will roll dodge the can, which leads to them being hit by the frisbee).
Can-to-forward-air attack:
Any positive explosive impact with the can, follow up with a forward air.
'Suppress the air':
Shoot the can above the opponent so it forces them to dodge/land on the ground.
'Attack the ground':
Throw frisbee and shoot. Use after a successful suppress the air attack.
Frisbee to grab attack:
Throw frisbee, rush, and if they rush, shoot the frisbee, and if they shield, grab.
Gunman-to-frisbee attack:
Timing is crucial. You must throw the frisbee such it does not coincide with the shot, or the gunman will destroy the frisbee. Done right, a player will shield the shot, but drop it as the frisbee hits. If they keep shielding, follow up with a frisbee-to-grab attack.
Grab-to-frisbee combo:
Grab, backthrow, throw frisbee, time shots (if they roll towards you, shoot earlier, if it hits them, shoot, if they roll away, deploy gunman).
Grab-to-can attack:
If a backthrown player uses jump to escape, use can to 'suppress the air'. Depending on how they land, follow up with 'attack the ground'.
Gunman-to-power slide:
Use gunman, and whilst they shield, do a running forward A.
Frisbee-to-power slide:
Frisbee, shoot, running forward A.
Once you get these basic combos for long-distance down, you will find they will lead to each other. Juggle and combo until their damages hit the 100s region (optimal launching seems to be 140-180 but it can rarely be lower than 140, and often higher than 180).
Mid-range tactics
This is DHD's KO zone - the best place to dispense with another player. Mid-range is the only area where a majority of DHD's best moves can hit. Forward smash A, can, frisbee (and frisbee shot) and gunman all hit in this area, which means a player who gets hit by one, easily gets hit by the others. If they fall out of the zone, they hit the long-range area which opens them back up to projectile combos. Fun!
The following will seem obvious, but I need to establish the descriptions first before I can describe more complex manouvers:
One-hit can:
Basically a single can that you deploy (the kick is the first hit) with no additional shots to it. This will land in front of you in the mid-range.
Frisbee attack:
A frisbee you throw and immediately shoot to interrupt a mid range player, as opposed to a...
Frisbee bluff:
A frisbee you throw but don't shoot, which if it impacts successfully, causes them to flinch and shield, which allows you to perform a frisbee-to-grab combo or a roll-dodge behind or away, depending.
Smash A spike:
A smash A where you read where a character will land far in advance in order to hit them. For DHD, his most powerful move is smash up-A, the most powerful area of his smash forward A is the tip, and the smash down-A is great for indecisive reads which juggles them again.
Juggles ('the clown'):
The process of juggling a player with an explosive can, air attacks and dash A attacks. Putting someone 'in the juggles' means to combo-lock them with a can/air-attack. The clown is, of course, when you (finally) kill them.
Kill zone:
The area around the outside of an omega stage where the opponent being hit by the can is (actually) fatal. Roughly, it's outside a circle that measures it's centre from the centre of the stage to about halfway between the ledge and 'off the screen'. This is the area you want to hit someone with a can.
Can drop:
The process of raising a can above an opponent and letting it drop on top at their head (which can bypass things like reflect moves). This is opposed to hitting them directly in the face with the can to ensure they don't come back.
Slide glitch:
The forward smash A on duck hunt has areas on it where it will only lightly nudge an opponent back, regardless of percent of damage (even if it's at full). This occurs more regularly in matches when an opponent runs at you, but is consistent enough it can be replicated in controlled experiments. It will affect nearly between 1/10th to half of all matches, with it's failure often resulting in your own defeat.
One-hit can to shield:
You use a one-hit can then immediately shield to prevent self-injury from it exploding in an opponent's face.
Combo throw/fatal throw:
DHD has only one so-called 'fatal' throw (up-throw), which will kill even Donkey Kong at 240% (all other characters are between (light) Jigglypuff at 167% and (heavy) DK's 240%). The other throws are called combo throws because that is all they are good for - combos. So fatal throw means 'upthrow' and a combo throw is whatever other throw you feel best suits the combo opening (backthrow is the best as it deals extra damage).
Can rollback dodge:
Do a one-hit can then immediately roll back. A one-hit can to shield can follow into this. Once you roll back, you can then either do frisbee or gunman, or even another can rollback dodge.
Canikaze:
The process of blowing yourself up using a can with another player, especially at high percentages and within in the kill zone, although not exclusively.
KO move:
DHD's reliable 'KO' moves (if they can be called that) are the following:
Backkick air.
Can explosion within the kill zone.
Fatal throw.
Up-air attack that completes it's full cycle on a 120%+ character.
You may be able to use one so-called 'KO' move to create an opening for another (EG upthrow that doesn't kill which forces them into the can kill zone).
Unreliable KO move:
These are all moves which have a sporadic chance of KO (or not, as the case is often):
Up smash A (most powerful. Affected by slide glitch)
Forward smash A (slide glitch)
Down smash A (slide glitch)
Neutral air (has a dodgy sweet spot that rarely connects)
Neutral A (which if it completes it's full attack cycle and the person is at a high enough percent, will launch to KO. Arguably it's reliable in the hit doesn't fail, but because many characters can and do escape the attack cycle, it's unreliable at KO'ing).
With the terms now established, I can describe how engagements at mid-range go:
With opponent in running mid, frisbee attack to grab, backthrow to either frisbee (ground) or can (jump/air), dash attack, roll back, reset. Gunman-frisbee attack, gunman-to-grab, forward throw to can which follows into can-to-forward air (or if their air overpowers or they ground, pull back from jump, frisbee to suppress). If they rush, instead of frisbee, can rollback dodge, frisbee bluff to grab, backthrow, frisbee-gunman attack, roll back, can drop.
Eventually your combos will build enough percentage on them they will enter the juggles. There's several ways you can KO at this stage:
1. Juggle until their percent is sufficient you can fatal throw them (risky as they might KO you at low percent, but it's a surefire KO if you grab). If you use training mode, you can work out the precise percents required for a given character. Works well for light characters that are otherwise difficult to launch or juggle to clown.
2. Keep juggling them until a can hits them in the kill zone.
3. Keep juggling until they make a mistake in their jump execution (works well for Little Mac, Ryu, Ganondorf, Wario, Charizard, Captain Falcon).
4. Use can to force them to dodge and force a landing, coupled with a smash A spike that reads their landing position so either they hit the can and take more damage, or they land and hit the smash attack.
5. Perform a risky down-A air move. Given it's slowness and the ability for players to override, it's pretty risky.
6. Get a surprise backair on them near the ledge (with the attack to the edge of the screen). Either as a mid-air intercept, or as an on-stage attack. This is the fastest and most reliable smash, but also the easiest to shield against and punish.
And finally, last but not least, obscure tips, trivia and techniques about DHD usage:
If you launch the can the wrong way, fret not! Roll dodge behind it and light A tap it forwards. In-fact, this is the best way to easily line up DHD to long-distance launch a can. This is also great for off-stage intercepts and bluffs.
You can still shoot at the can whilst shielding, which gives you the unique advantage of being able to move it towards projectile users whilst being protected from their attacks. The frisbee also has the same trait.
Duck hunt's height when walking/running, coupled sometimes with crouching, can actually sometimes 'dodge' certain attacks (for example, Ganondorf's warlock punch occasionally misses for this very reason), which doesn't happen if you stand upright shielding or are firing a can.
Both the frisbee and gunman can block fully charged shots from samus, mewtwo, lucario. However, don't stand next to the gunman as the fully charged shot's area of effect (even though blocked) will still hit and injure you. It won't work on weapons that have bypass effects (like link's fully charged arrows), however the shots at the frisbee will still destroy such arrows.
The gunman interferes with homing attacks, and makes characters home in on him instead.
It takes longer to redeploy a gunman if he gets killed, than if he survives.
The gunman will act like a character in terms of damage, which means opponents might accidentally get locked into a jab-lock or similar with the gunman, leaving them open to DHD to attack.
The frisbee with shot can slow down, and even rarely stop, 'powerful' forward B attacks, like Dark Pit's bucket attack, Sonic's ground spin B, Ness' PK thunder launch (in this case, slow down rather than stop), Jigglypuff's rollout, Yoshi's rolling egg. It won't stop Wario's bike, however, unless the frisbee hits Wario himself.
The can's 'health' depletes over time, or as it gets hit, whichever is the soonest. Each hit to the can counts the same as 'one shot'.
If a can is reflected, it will very often home in to your position with great speed, regardless of how slow it normally moves. So if it gets reflected, shield!
The magnifying glass at the bottom of an omega stage is a rough indicator of where DHD's up-B will fail to reach the stage's ledge.
It's possible, under rare conditions, to hit yourself with your own can when off the stage to restore your up-B (it involves timing when the can health runs out).
It's easier to survive an exploding can, than another character's smash A move.
People rarely use gunman or frisbee in the air, even though both are capable. Even if the gunman is unlikely to hit, it adds another thing for an opponent to worry about.
A gunman-to-grab, if done fast enough, has the added bonus of making a player drop their shield just as the gunman shoots, meaning they both get hit with the shot and get grabbed.
Often seen mistakes:
Duck hunt is neither a turtle nor a stage control character. His primary strength is projectile harassment and chip damage, and trying to mid-air engage a returning opponent can often be fatal (most air moves will override or neutralise duck hunt's own air moves).
Although the can offers an attack vector for airborne characters, smart players will dodge, and smarter ones still will hit it, often being returned to sender.
Down throw into air 'combo' is a mistake, as due to DHD's long frame rate times, most, if not all, characters will dodge the up-air, making it a vain approach, and smarter ones will override.
DHD players should not make the mistake of relying exclusively on projectiles (which is common), as any character with anti-projectile moves (which most do) will easily beat this.
Now we have contradicted commonly held flaws, let's go onto how duck hunt should be used:
Duck hunt duo's techniques:
Areas:
Duck hunt duo has three areas: long-range, mid, and close.
Each area requires a different set of tactics to address. A breakdown, first:
Close is duck hunt's weakest area, and an opponent should never be allowed into this zone unless you intend them to be there. This is basically the area closest to duck hunt.
Mid is duck hunt's optimal attack zone, and is roughly the area between the tip and the second shot of an uncharged forward smash A attack. This is where you want most opponents to be.
Long is the area furthest from duck hunt (which would roughly cover between half to the full distance of an omega stage). This is where you want short-range attackers and especially power attackers to be, but not other projectile users. I'll explain why later.
Close range tactics:
Firstly, unfamiliarise yourself with using forward smash A like you would other characters. Due to Nintendo's poor balancing, the frame-time of a forward smash A is so slow it allows for easy and often fatal punishes, and worst still, even if the smash A 'connects', there is, at time of writing, a 'slide glitch' (which rather than KO'ing an opponent, just slides them back with minimal damage). This is a replicable bug.
Instead, get used to light A and neutral A attacks. Whilst these lack power (all of DHD's moves do!), your primary goal is chip damage, and the light attacks easily interrupt most other slower attacks, and do not leave you as vulnerable. Done right, the neutral A locks an opponent and sends them back - straight into your mid range, allowing you to follow up with a can (if airborne), frisbee (if grounded and close) or gunman (if distant).
Get used to grabs at this range, and do not use any projectiles (they won't make contact), with the exception of the 'can' - which if you are stuck in a combo-lock, mash the neutral B and the can will either blow both you and the opponent up (breaking the lock) or just you (breaking the lock). It's better to injure yourself with a can, than risk a combo-lock to fatal smash attack, especially at higher percents. In-fact, due to DHD's weak launch power, you can use this to your advantage - the can will interrupt a smash move, and because it has weaker launch, is more survivable than other character's attacks.
At time of writing, the percentages for DHD (directional input was not tested), is 178% from centre of an omega stage as survivable (note, dead centre and not airborne centre), and 155% on an edge. So any lower percentages assure you will survive your own can. This can even be used against lighter characters - Jiggypuff will KO at 144% from centre (Directional Input not tested), and Kirby 156%. This means you can hit them with the can point-blank and have good odds of surviving whilst KO'ing them.
The only smash move acceptable at close range is down-A, which is good for rollers or people who roll towards you for point blank attacks, however it should be used sparingly and only with good reads, as it's still slow and if the backshot misses whilst they are behind, you're vulnerable.
Roll dodge is usually the best option to escape close, but it's predictable and vulnerable (there is often a very long frame time between one roll to the next, which means DHD is vulnerable to 'spammy' attacks or attacks that have a long attack time - ROB's spin, for example).
So, recap, close tactics mean:
Using light A moves instead of smash A.
Using grabs.
Using the can to foil combo-locks.
Roll dodging.
Smash down A sparingly to counter roll-dodgers who close in.
Long range tactics:
A lot of people will make the mistake that this is the optimum position for DHD to be in, and even more so, will mistakenly think it's merely a case of randomly spamming all the projectiles he has as a 'hording' tactic, but this isn't the case, and proper projectile technique can greatly aid, and even start projectile combos.
Firstly, a crash course, how should DHD's projectiles be used?
Gunmen - optimally for ground attacks, but also useful for forcing shields, absorbing projectiles, and strangely, yes, air attacks. They can also foil annoying homing B attacks (like sonic and shiek's). You should familiarise yourself with each type to know if they will reach the opponent or not.
Frisbee - ground attack, great for interrupting/slowing down forward B attacks, runners, other projectiles/projectile users, and also as a fast response punish to failed attacks. Note this key phrase: it should replace your forward smash A as the de facto ground attack. This is because if it hits, the opponent will flinch, and you can time shots to further interrupt them, meaning you leave almost no frame time open to punish. Once they flinch, you can follow into a combo. More on that later.
Can - optimally anti-air, anti-jump spam and intercepting recovering opponents and ledge guarding. Also doubles as a combo-lock breaker, a psychological weapon/bluff tool (most people will focus on the can) and can also interrupt some types of forward B attacks if shots are timed correctly. Because of DHD's vulnerabilities with air attacks and up-A attacks, this becomes your de facto anti-air move instead.
With that in mind, we can now move onto long-range tactics, and why we don't randomly spam becomes obvious.
For long range attacks, identify what type of player you're dealing with:
You must first identify what type of player you're dealing with, for simplicity we will use two types of persona - defensive and aggressive, and four categories of character: melee, sword user, power user and projectile users.
Defensive players shield heavily and try to bait you into attacking them close range.
Aggressive players rush head first and try to harass you point blank.
Melee users are opponents who use fists (they may have a single projectile move, but they won't count as a projectile user). You can engage them at all three stages.
Sword users use swords, and they have a slightly longer reach than DHD, which can be frustrating at close range, so keep them mid. But be sure to treat Robin as a projectile user.
Power users rely on power attacks (for example, Charizard, Ganondorf, Little Mac, but in some ways also Captain Falcon).
Projectile users rely heavily on projectiles, and should be engaged close range.
You may have a character that fits two boundaries depending on range - Link is a projectile user at distance but a sword user close range, which means you must adjust your tactics. Then there are unique characters like Rosalina and Luma that require their own set of tactics to deal with.
Now you've categorised your opponent, the hard and fast rules for dealing with long range are:
Defensive: spam projectile and try to overload shields until they rush before countering, or shield-lock them with gunman/frisbee for a grab combo opening.
Aggressive: frisbee throw on their run towards you, or if heavy jumpers, use can to 'suppress the air' (force them to the ground, then address with frisbee/close range as appropriate as appropriate).
Projectile user: regardless if defensive or aggressive, RUSH THEM. DHD's projectiles, although it can override one or two projectiles, it cannot override them all (especially if you have fast shooters like link or samus), and charged projectile shots are dangerous at low percentages. Get them into your mid-range and juggle. This causes havoc for charged shot users like mewtwo, lucario, samus (as the rapid close range attacks interrupt), and users with defense against projectiles (villager, mewtwo, ness etc) will have trouble reacting at mid-range to frisbee. Avoid a projectile war unless you know the other player is so inexperienced you can beat them.
Melee/sword user: use projectiles to force them back, roll dodge out of the way and use close-range tactics as appropriate. Keeping them at a distance is best as their strong-point is close range. Sword users should NEVER be engaged close-range, except from behind (excluding link as he has 360 attacks) only engage mid or long.
Power users: Do not engage at close range or even mid range except for spike KO or a good read. Avoid close-range unless attacking is a better defense than shield or dodging (EG interrupting an undodgeable attack). Even if you have to projectile spam, do not engage close range (they have their strength, you have yours). DHD is already easy to launch, and power users can launch at even as low as 70% to KO, and the only way to avoid that is to never allow the opportunity to happen and to not allow percent to build. Distance and projectiles is key, but also try bait dodging for opportunities.
Now you know at how to engage at long range, the combos for long-range attacks (which will often stack to each other):
Gunman shield-lock:
Drop gunman once to check reactions. If they shield on shot, you can lock them. If they don't, they take the bullet. Repeat until they shield on shot, then follow:
Gunman, rush, grab, backthrow.
If they use dodging instead of shielding:
Gunman dodge-lock:
Gunman, bluff short rush, throw frisbee, shoot.
Can-frisbee attack:
Deploy can, nudge it so it's close to them so they raise shields (but don't impact the can unless they drop), throw frisbee, shoot frisbee when next to them, shoot can. People sometimes drop shields during this moment, or worry about shield-break. Helps to pressure users.
Frisbee-can-frisbee attack (FCF):
Throw frisbee and shoot to force shield, deploy can and nudge towards them, then frisbee and shoot again (often they will roll dodge the can, which leads to them being hit by the frisbee).
Can-to-forward-air attack:
Any positive explosive impact with the can, follow up with a forward air.
'Suppress the air':
Shoot the can above the opponent so it forces them to dodge/land on the ground.
'Attack the ground':
Throw frisbee and shoot. Use after a successful suppress the air attack.
Frisbee to grab attack:
Throw frisbee, rush, and if they rush, shoot the frisbee, and if they shield, grab.
Gunman-to-frisbee attack:
Timing is crucial. You must throw the frisbee such it does not coincide with the shot, or the gunman will destroy the frisbee. Done right, a player will shield the shot, but drop it as the frisbee hits. If they keep shielding, follow up with a frisbee-to-grab attack.
Grab-to-frisbee combo:
Grab, backthrow, throw frisbee, time shots (if they roll towards you, shoot earlier, if it hits them, shoot, if they roll away, deploy gunman).
Grab-to-can attack:
If a backthrown player uses jump to escape, use can to 'suppress the air'. Depending on how they land, follow up with 'attack the ground'.
Gunman-to-power slide:
Use gunman, and whilst they shield, do a running forward A.
Frisbee-to-power slide:
Frisbee, shoot, running forward A.
Once you get these basic combos for long-distance down, you will find they will lead to each other. Juggle and combo until their damages hit the 100s region (optimal launching seems to be 140-180 but it can rarely be lower than 140, and often higher than 180).
Mid-range tactics
This is DHD's KO zone - the best place to dispense with another player. Mid-range is the only area where a majority of DHD's best moves can hit. Forward smash A, can, frisbee (and frisbee shot) and gunman all hit in this area, which means a player who gets hit by one, easily gets hit by the others. If they fall out of the zone, they hit the long-range area which opens them back up to projectile combos. Fun!
The following will seem obvious, but I need to establish the descriptions first before I can describe more complex manouvers:
One-hit can:
Basically a single can that you deploy (the kick is the first hit) with no additional shots to it. This will land in front of you in the mid-range.
Frisbee attack:
A frisbee you throw and immediately shoot to interrupt a mid range player, as opposed to a...
Frisbee bluff:
A frisbee you throw but don't shoot, which if it impacts successfully, causes them to flinch and shield, which allows you to perform a frisbee-to-grab combo or a roll-dodge behind or away, depending.
Smash A spike:
A smash A where you read where a character will land far in advance in order to hit them. For DHD, his most powerful move is smash up-A, the most powerful area of his smash forward A is the tip, and the smash down-A is great for indecisive reads which juggles them again.
Juggles ('the clown'):
The process of juggling a player with an explosive can, air attacks and dash A attacks. Putting someone 'in the juggles' means to combo-lock them with a can/air-attack. The clown is, of course, when you (finally) kill them.
Kill zone:
The area around the outside of an omega stage where the opponent being hit by the can is (actually) fatal. Roughly, it's outside a circle that measures it's centre from the centre of the stage to about halfway between the ledge and 'off the screen'. This is the area you want to hit someone with a can.
Can drop:
The process of raising a can above an opponent and letting it drop on top at their head (which can bypass things like reflect moves). This is opposed to hitting them directly in the face with the can to ensure they don't come back.
Slide glitch:
The forward smash A on duck hunt has areas on it where it will only lightly nudge an opponent back, regardless of percent of damage (even if it's at full). This occurs more regularly in matches when an opponent runs at you, but is consistent enough it can be replicated in controlled experiments. It will affect nearly between 1/10th to half of all matches, with it's failure often resulting in your own defeat.
One-hit can to shield:
You use a one-hit can then immediately shield to prevent self-injury from it exploding in an opponent's face.
Combo throw/fatal throw:
DHD has only one so-called 'fatal' throw (up-throw), which will kill even Donkey Kong at 240% (all other characters are between (light) Jigglypuff at 167% and (heavy) DK's 240%). The other throws are called combo throws because that is all they are good for - combos. So fatal throw means 'upthrow' and a combo throw is whatever other throw you feel best suits the combo opening (backthrow is the best as it deals extra damage).
Can rollback dodge:
Do a one-hit can then immediately roll back. A one-hit can to shield can follow into this. Once you roll back, you can then either do frisbee or gunman, or even another can rollback dodge.
Canikaze:
The process of blowing yourself up using a can with another player, especially at high percentages and within in the kill zone, although not exclusively.
KO move:
DHD's reliable 'KO' moves (if they can be called that) are the following:
Backkick air.
Can explosion within the kill zone.
Fatal throw.
Up-air attack that completes it's full cycle on a 120%+ character.
You may be able to use one so-called 'KO' move to create an opening for another (EG upthrow that doesn't kill which forces them into the can kill zone).
Unreliable KO move:
These are all moves which have a sporadic chance of KO (or not, as the case is often):
Up smash A (most powerful. Affected by slide glitch)
Forward smash A (slide glitch)
Down smash A (slide glitch)
Neutral air (has a dodgy sweet spot that rarely connects)
Neutral A (which if it completes it's full attack cycle and the person is at a high enough percent, will launch to KO. Arguably it's reliable in the hit doesn't fail, but because many characters can and do escape the attack cycle, it's unreliable at KO'ing).
With the terms now established, I can describe how engagements at mid-range go:
With opponent in running mid, frisbee attack to grab, backthrow to either frisbee (ground) or can (jump/air), dash attack, roll back, reset. Gunman-frisbee attack, gunman-to-grab, forward throw to can which follows into can-to-forward air (or if their air overpowers or they ground, pull back from jump, frisbee to suppress). If they rush, instead of frisbee, can rollback dodge, frisbee bluff to grab, backthrow, frisbee-gunman attack, roll back, can drop.
Eventually your combos will build enough percentage on them they will enter the juggles. There's several ways you can KO at this stage:
1. Juggle until their percent is sufficient you can fatal throw them (risky as they might KO you at low percent, but it's a surefire KO if you grab). If you use training mode, you can work out the precise percents required for a given character. Works well for light characters that are otherwise difficult to launch or juggle to clown.
2. Keep juggling them until a can hits them in the kill zone.
3. Keep juggling until they make a mistake in their jump execution (works well for Little Mac, Ryu, Ganondorf, Wario, Charizard, Captain Falcon).
4. Use can to force them to dodge and force a landing, coupled with a smash A spike that reads their landing position so either they hit the can and take more damage, or they land and hit the smash attack.
5. Perform a risky down-A air move. Given it's slowness and the ability for players to override, it's pretty risky.
6. Get a surprise backair on them near the ledge (with the attack to the edge of the screen). Either as a mid-air intercept, or as an on-stage attack. This is the fastest and most reliable smash, but also the easiest to shield against and punish.
And finally, last but not least, obscure tips, trivia and techniques about DHD usage:
If you launch the can the wrong way, fret not! Roll dodge behind it and light A tap it forwards. In-fact, this is the best way to easily line up DHD to long-distance launch a can. This is also great for off-stage intercepts and bluffs.
You can still shoot at the can whilst shielding, which gives you the unique advantage of being able to move it towards projectile users whilst being protected from their attacks. The frisbee also has the same trait.
Duck hunt's height when walking/running, coupled sometimes with crouching, can actually sometimes 'dodge' certain attacks (for example, Ganondorf's warlock punch occasionally misses for this very reason), which doesn't happen if you stand upright shielding or are firing a can.
Both the frisbee and gunman can block fully charged shots from samus, mewtwo, lucario. However, don't stand next to the gunman as the fully charged shot's area of effect (even though blocked) will still hit and injure you. It won't work on weapons that have bypass effects (like link's fully charged arrows), however the shots at the frisbee will still destroy such arrows.
The gunman interferes with homing attacks, and makes characters home in on him instead.
It takes longer to redeploy a gunman if he gets killed, than if he survives.
The gunman will act like a character in terms of damage, which means opponents might accidentally get locked into a jab-lock or similar with the gunman, leaving them open to DHD to attack.
The frisbee with shot can slow down, and even rarely stop, 'powerful' forward B attacks, like Dark Pit's bucket attack, Sonic's ground spin B, Ness' PK thunder launch (in this case, slow down rather than stop), Jigglypuff's rollout, Yoshi's rolling egg. It won't stop Wario's bike, however, unless the frisbee hits Wario himself.
The can's 'health' depletes over time, or as it gets hit, whichever is the soonest. Each hit to the can counts the same as 'one shot'.
If a can is reflected, it will very often home in to your position with great speed, regardless of how slow it normally moves. So if it gets reflected, shield!
The magnifying glass at the bottom of an omega stage is a rough indicator of where DHD's up-B will fail to reach the stage's ledge.
It's possible, under rare conditions, to hit yourself with your own can when off the stage to restore your up-B (it involves timing when the can health runs out).
It's easier to survive an exploding can, than another character's smash A move.
People rarely use gunman or frisbee in the air, even though both are capable. Even if the gunman is unlikely to hit, it adds another thing for an opponent to worry about.
A gunman-to-grab, if done fast enough, has the added bonus of making a player drop their shield just as the gunman shoots, meaning they both get hit with the shot and get grabbed.
