- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS
Introduction:
Ganondorf is the iconic villainin the Legend of Zelda series. He is the king of the Gerudo, a female tribe that is infamously known for thievery and lives in the desert. He is a major source of controversy amongst the "clone" arguments, as he does not use either his sword or magic, but fights similarly to Captain Falcon in Melee. In Brawl, he was decloned from Falcon, maintaining his melee fighting style, but gaining several crucial differences that outline his playstyle.
So, now that we have that settled...
"Does this look like the face of mercy to you?"
Table of Contents:
[000] Pros and Cons
[001] Moveset Analysis
[002] Utilizing Ganon / Combos and Follow ups
[003] Advanced Techs
[004] Stage Strategies
[005] Matchups
[000]
Pros and Cons:
[001]
Moveset analysis:
[002]
Follow Ups and Combos:
Unlike his fiery counterpart, Ganondorf does not focus as much on combos as he does in playing passive aggressively. He focuses on baiting and punishing his opponent's mistakes rather than going all out. Such connivery is in the nature of the King of Evil. With moves that are hard hitters and have large reach, Ganondorf is well equipped to punish any mistake his opponent makes.
[003]
Advanced Techniques:
[004]
Stage choices: It appears Battlefield, Yoshi's Island, and Lylat are the universally accepted stages in this point of time. I will update more stages when any more legal stages come to light.
[005]
Matchup Chart:
IN PROGRESS:
http://smashboards.com/threads/the-...up-discussion-current-zero-suit-samus.373934/
[/spoiler][/Spoiler]
Ganondorf is the iconic villainin the Legend of Zelda series. He is the king of the Gerudo, a female tribe that is infamously known for thievery and lives in the desert. He is a major source of controversy amongst the "clone" arguments, as he does not use either his sword or magic, but fights similarly to Captain Falcon in Melee. In Brawl, he was decloned from Falcon, maintaining his melee fighting style, but gaining several crucial differences that outline his playstyle.
So, now that we have that settled...
"Does this look like the face of mercy to you?"
Table of Contents:
[000] Pros and Cons
[001] Moveset Analysis
[002] Utilizing Ganon / Combos and Follow ups
[003] Advanced Techs
[004] Stage Strategies
[005] Matchups
[000]
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
Heavy hitter. Can kill early, especially with rage.
Heavy character: hard to kill
Excellent ledge jump
Deceptively fast moves: Though most of his moves are slow, the excellent ones happen to be rather quick.
Cons:
Slow movement, slow attacks: This makes it difficult for Ganondorf to approach safely.
Lackluster neutral
Lackluster recovery
Has problems against characters with projectiles.
Large target: means he is easier to hit.
Heavy hitter. Can kill early, especially with rage.
Heavy character: hard to kill
Excellent ledge jump
Deceptively fast moves: Though most of his moves are slow, the excellent ones happen to be rather quick.
Cons:
Slow movement, slow attacks: This makes it difficult for Ganondorf to approach safely.
Lackluster neutral
Lackluster recovery
Has problems against characters with projectiles.
Large target: means he is easier to hit.
[001]
Moveset analysis:
Ganondorf is a slow but hard hitting character. All of his moves are extremely powerful and have good kill potential, but it is more difficult to land them.
NOTE: All information was found on http://www.ssbwiki.com/Ganondorf_(SSB4) and double checked by me with my 3ds. All percentages are done in training and both characters are at 0 to nullify rage effect. I will be going very in-depth on Ganondorf's moves and will provide some usages of his moves.
Basic Attacks:
Jab - "Thunder palm" The fastest of Ganondorf's attacks, this attack was sped up from Brawl (though is still slower than the Melee counterpart). This attack has decent range and knockback, making it a safe move to push the opponent away from Ganon. Compared to the previous patches, the most recent Ganon patch has a jab of 7 frames with increased damage, which makes the move safer. This move now can be used reliably against rushdown characters like Falcon.
Dash Attack - "Shoulder Thrust" Ganondorf rams into the opponent, accelerating slightly during the startup of the move. It has relatively good knockback, but has poor ending lag. It has 2 hitboxes: a strong hitbox if used during the earlier hitbox period and weaker hit if used in the second hitbox period. The later hitbox deals less knockback and can be chained to an up air for a "Casle Flip.".
Tilts: Oddly enough Ganondorf's tilts, with the exception of his Up tilt, all have remarkable speed and killing power, making them better alternatives to land a kill than his Smashes. They are also good spacing tools, coming out quickly and covering a large distance, the boot having the strongest knockback.
Smashes: Ganon's Smashes are similar in nature to those of Falcon's. They are still slower than his fiery counterpart or suffer more endlag, but far stronger. It should be noted that Ganon's Smashes all have incredible killing potential, possibly killing under 100.
Grabs:
Despite Ganondorf's size, Ganondorf's grab range has much need for improvement. It reaches for a very short distance in front of him. To improve his grab range, his pivot grab is a better version of his grab. His dash grab reaches the same distance, but suffers from a bit more lag and skidding forward.
Misc:
Aerials overview: All of Ganondorf's aerial attacks have strong knockback and deliver high damage, but suffer from abysmal landing lag. For most of the aerials, however, there is an autocancel window that negates his lag.
Neutral Special:
Side Special:
Up Special:
Down Special -
Final Smash:
Beast Ganon - A powerful move Ganondorf transforms into the Pig Beast Ganon. He rears his head before charging offstage. During the stomp Pig Ganon does before he charges, opponents can become stuck in the ground or paralyzed. Opponents from behind are not affected. Deals 10% during transformation to nearby opponents, 10% in the stomping animation, and 40% in the charging animation.
Taunts:
NOTE: All information was found on http://www.ssbwiki.com/Ganondorf_(SSB4) and double checked by me with my 3ds. All percentages are done in training and both characters are at 0 to nullify rage effect. I will be going very in-depth on Ganondorf's moves and will provide some usages of his moves.
Basic Attacks:
Jab - "Thunder palm" The fastest of Ganondorf's attacks, this attack was sped up from Brawl (though is still slower than the Melee counterpart). This attack has decent range and knockback, making it a safe move to push the opponent away from Ganon. Compared to the previous patches, the most recent Ganon patch has a jab of 7 frames with increased damage, which makes the move safer. This move now can be used reliably against rushdown characters like Falcon.
Dash Attack - "Shoulder Thrust" Ganondorf rams into the opponent, accelerating slightly during the startup of the move. It has relatively good knockback, but has poor ending lag. It has 2 hitboxes: a strong hitbox if used during the earlier hitbox period and weaker hit if used in the second hitbox period. The later hitbox deals less knockback and can be chained to an up air for a "Casle Flip.".
Tilts: Oddly enough Ganondorf's tilts, with the exception of his Up tilt, all have remarkable speed and killing power, making them better alternatives to land a kill than his Smashes. They are also good spacing tools, coming out quickly and covering a large distance, the boot having the strongest knockback.
Forward Tilt - Nicknamed the Sparta Kick, this move is one of the quickest moves in Ganondorf's arsenal with good killing potential. The sweetspot of the attack is on his leg, while the body itself deals slightly less damage and knockback. The speedy nature of this move allows this move to be one of Ganondorf's primary spacing moves, not allowing opponents to get too close to him.
Up Tilt - "Volcano Kick" - the slowest move in the game, Ganondorf holds an axe kick stance while vacuum properties suck the opponent into the attack. The attack causes an explosion and and can KO at low percentages and even break shields. The sweetspot of the attack is the heel while the explosion causes lesser damage and knockback. The explosion can also be used as an edgeguarding tool. Deals 28% (sweetspot) 18-20% explosion. This is amongst the strongest of Ganondorf's moves.
Down Tilt - "Leg Sweep" A quick sweep under that sends the opponent in a vertical trajectory. It has good range and excellent killing potential. In low percents, it can be a combo string to Up air depending on the opponent's weight. Deals roughly 13%
Up Tilt - "Volcano Kick" - the slowest move in the game, Ganondorf holds an axe kick stance while vacuum properties suck the opponent into the attack. The attack causes an explosion and and can KO at low percentages and even break shields. The sweetspot of the attack is the heel while the explosion causes lesser damage and knockback. The explosion can also be used as an edgeguarding tool. Deals 28% (sweetspot) 18-20% explosion. This is amongst the strongest of Ganondorf's moves.
Down Tilt - "Leg Sweep" A quick sweep under that sends the opponent in a vertical trajectory. It has good range and excellent killing potential. In low percents, it can be a combo string to Up air depending on the opponent's weight. Deals roughly 13%
Smashes: Ganon's Smashes are similar in nature to those of Falcon's. They are still slower than his fiery counterpart or suffer more endlag, but far stronger. It should be noted that Ganon's Smashes all have incredible killing potential, possibly killing under 100.
Forward Smash - "Dark Elbow Thrust" This move is visually identical to Falcon's Forward Smash, but is slower and stronger. Ganondorf's attack has more damage and delivers more knockback, but same damage. The angled up Forward Smash deals the same damage but sends the opponent at a more diagonal trajectory. This attack has a high knockback scaling, allowing Ganondorf to kill under 100%.
Up Smash - "Skyward Kick" Ganondorf swings his leg up with a little startup lag. Near the end of the move, there is a window of interruptibility, allowing him to input any move. Due to a sweetspot on Ganon's boot, this move is extremely powerful against aerial opponents. Heel of the boot deals 29% and can kill off the top on Battlefield under 70, Leg deals 21%.
Down Smash - "Dark Punisher" Ganondorf's slowest smash attack is a kick in front and behind him. The first kick naturally leads into the second due to its low knockback. The slower nature of the second kick allows Ganondorf to punish rolls behind him. Even though it's the laggiest smash attack, it also has the potential to KO at lower percents. The first hit is safe on block, but the second slides the opponent away.
Up Smash - "Skyward Kick" Ganondorf swings his leg up with a little startup lag. Near the end of the move, there is a window of interruptibility, allowing him to input any move. Due to a sweetspot on Ganon's boot, this move is extremely powerful against aerial opponents. Heel of the boot deals 29% and can kill off the top on Battlefield under 70, Leg deals 21%.
Down Smash - "Dark Punisher" Ganondorf's slowest smash attack is a kick in front and behind him. The first kick naturally leads into the second due to its low knockback. The slower nature of the second kick allows Ganondorf to punish rolls behind him. Even though it's the laggiest smash attack, it also has the potential to KO at lower percents. The first hit is safe on block, but the second slides the opponent away.
Grabs:
Despite Ganondorf's size, Ganondorf's grab range has much need for improvement. It reaches for a very short distance in front of him. To improve his grab range, his pivot grab is a better version of his grab. His dash grab reaches the same distance, but suffers from a bit more lag and skidding forward.
Pummel - A moderately slow knee to the gut, dealing 3%.
Forward Throw - Lifts opponent and punches them, sending them horizontally. A decent move to push your opponent offstage. 13% total.
Back Throw - Kicks opponent behind him. Interestingly, this turns Ganondorf around as well. Can set up for edgeguards, namely Up Air, but onstage, due to Ganon's sluggish dash, the only viable follow up is Down B.
Up Throw - Holds and punches opponent upward with high knockback, but low killing potential. Can lead to up throw in low percents. 7%
Down Throw - Ganondorf throws his opponent violently on the ground, causing them to bounce up with low knockback, enabling combos into other moves, namely dash attack and Up Air. Deals 7%
Forward Throw - Lifts opponent and punches them, sending them horizontally. A decent move to push your opponent offstage. 13% total.
Back Throw - Kicks opponent behind him. Interestingly, this turns Ganondorf around as well. Can set up for edgeguards, namely Up Air, but onstage, due to Ganon's sluggish dash, the only viable follow up is Down B.
Up Throw - Holds and punches opponent upward with high knockback, but low killing potential. Can lead to up throw in low percents. 7%
Down Throw - Ganondorf throws his opponent violently on the ground, causing them to bounce up with low knockback, enabling combos into other moves, namely dash attack and Up Air. Deals 7%
Misc:
Floor Attack / Getup attack - Spins left foot quickly around him. This is a good defensive move to get back on your feet. Deals 7%
Floor attack (trip) - Spins around quickly. A good move that allows Ganondorf to quickly get back up. Delivers good knockback.
Edge attack - Delivers a weak back hand to the opponent. Decent speed and knockback. Deals 8%
Floor attack (trip) - Spins around quickly. A good move that allows Ganondorf to quickly get back up. Delivers good knockback.
Edge attack - Delivers a weak back hand to the opponent. Decent speed and knockback. Deals 8%
Aerials overview: All of Ganondorf's aerial attacks have strong knockback and deliver high damage, but suffer from abysmal landing lag. For most of the aerials, however, there is an autocancel window that negates his lag.
Neutral Aerial - "Dark Double" - Two kicks right after another. The first one deals more knockback than the second. After the patch, the first hit has weak knockback and combos into the second, with higher knockback. There is less lag, and Ganon can short hop Nair. Nair is a useful move as it can jab lock, as well as single hit nair being able to net a followup.
Forward Aerial - "Skull crusher" - In Melee, this attack was the main moveset differentiator between Falcon and Ganon. Ganondorf delivers a punch in a downwards arc that looks like Mario's Forward Aerial. It has two hitboxes that deal similar knockback and percentage. Despite this attack dealing good knockback, it suffers from horrible landing that can't be cancelled in a single jump. But Ganondorf can still use the fair and double jump or Up B after the move's animation has ended to avoid any landing lag if he does not touch the ground. Deals 17% for the fist and 16% for the arm.
Up Aerial - "Flip Kick" Ganondorf does a flip kick that covers a good distance above him. The move comes out quickly and is relatively strong, especially at the beginning of the move. The knockback decreases when the attack is closer to Ganondorf. For example, the feet are the strongest part of the up air, but the thighs give less knockback. The last bit of the attack is still the "Tipman," a semi-spike that sends the opponent at the low horizontal knockback. It deals 12-13 in the initial hit in front of Ganondorf, 10-12 near the middle of the move and 6-8 at the last few frames of the hit. The last hitbox has the potential to trip grounded opponents. An excellent move with usages in edgeguarding and combo string.
Back Aerial - "Back Fist" One of Ganondorf's fastest killing moves, he delivers a swift back-hand punch that deals extremely high knockback. It deals also 17% fist, 16% arm. This move is also excellent for gimping recovering opponents from the wall, bouncing them against the wall.
Down Aerial - "Shock Boot" The classic stomp move returns. It's slightly weaker this time around, not being able to kill until later percentages. The stomp has two hitboxes: A meteor smash if hit with the lower half of the body, and the sour spot on the upper half of his body. Both hitboxes of these moves are extremely powerful, dealing 19% for the meteor and 17% on the sour spot. The move has low starting lag, but terrible landing lag if not done in a full hop. That being said, the Thunderstorm technique from Brawl is no longer applicable.
Special overview: Like his aerials, Ganondorf's specials are extremely powerful, but are sluggish. All of his specials have viability, but some definitely have more usages than others.
Forward Aerial - "Skull crusher" - In Melee, this attack was the main moveset differentiator between Falcon and Ganon. Ganondorf delivers a punch in a downwards arc that looks like Mario's Forward Aerial. It has two hitboxes that deal similar knockback and percentage. Despite this attack dealing good knockback, it suffers from horrible landing that can't be cancelled in a single jump. But Ganondorf can still use the fair and double jump or Up B after the move's animation has ended to avoid any landing lag if he does not touch the ground. Deals 17% for the fist and 16% for the arm.
Up Aerial - "Flip Kick" Ganondorf does a flip kick that covers a good distance above him. The move comes out quickly and is relatively strong, especially at the beginning of the move. The knockback decreases when the attack is closer to Ganondorf. For example, the feet are the strongest part of the up air, but the thighs give less knockback. The last bit of the attack is still the "Tipman," a semi-spike that sends the opponent at the low horizontal knockback. It deals 12-13 in the initial hit in front of Ganondorf, 10-12 near the middle of the move and 6-8 at the last few frames of the hit. The last hitbox has the potential to trip grounded opponents. An excellent move with usages in edgeguarding and combo string.
Back Aerial - "Back Fist" One of Ganondorf's fastest killing moves, he delivers a swift back-hand punch that deals extremely high knockback. It deals also 17% fist, 16% arm. This move is also excellent for gimping recovering opponents from the wall, bouncing them against the wall.
Down Aerial - "Shock Boot" The classic stomp move returns. It's slightly weaker this time around, not being able to kill until later percentages. The stomp has two hitboxes: A meteor smash if hit with the lower half of the body, and the sour spot on the upper half of his body. Both hitboxes of these moves are extremely powerful, dealing 19% for the meteor and 17% on the sour spot. The move has low starting lag, but terrible landing lag if not done in a full hop. That being said, the Thunderstorm technique from Brawl is no longer applicable.
Special overview: Like his aerials, Ganondorf's specials are extremely powerful, but are sluggish. All of his specials have viability, but some definitely have more usages than others.
Neutral Special:
Warlock Punch - Default - A move with terrifying knockback and damage that requires about 1.5 seconds worth of charging time. Like in Brawl, the player can extend the chargeup time in order to do the Reverse Warlock Punch, a stronger variant of the Warlock Punch. The move is stronger when used in the air, but due to the long charging period of the move, it is extremely unlikely and unsafe to attempt a warlock punch. In the air, the reverse Warlock Punch also slows down horizontal momentum, giving Ganondorf a push to where the punch would hit.
A buff Warlock Punch has seen from Brawl is its super armor, allowing Ganondorf to plow through weaker hits to deliver the fated blow. The move deals: 30% grounded, 37 Grounded reverse Warlock Punch. 38% Aerial Warlock Punch and 40% for Aerial Reverse Warlock Punch.
Warlock Blade - Custom 1 - Retains Super Armor properties from Warlock Punch. Ganondorf uses his sword (finally). It appears Ganondorf has been taking lessons from Marth. The tip of his sword is the strongest. The size of the attack is similar to Marth's shield breaker and can break shields. Deals: 18% sourspot, 22 sweetspot. 20% reverse sourspot, 24 sweetspot.
Warlock Thrust - Custom 2 - A faster version of the warlock punch without super armor and less killing potential. Deals 15%, 18% reverse.
A buff Warlock Punch has seen from Brawl is its super armor, allowing Ganondorf to plow through weaker hits to deliver the fated blow. The move deals: 30% grounded, 37 Grounded reverse Warlock Punch. 38% Aerial Warlock Punch and 40% for Aerial Reverse Warlock Punch.
Warlock Blade - Custom 1 - Retains Super Armor properties from Warlock Punch. Ganondorf uses his sword (finally). It appears Ganondorf has been taking lessons from Marth. The tip of his sword is the strongest. The size of the attack is similar to Marth's shield breaker and can break shields. Deals: 18% sourspot, 22 sweetspot. 20% reverse sourspot, 24 sweetspot.
Warlock Thrust - Custom 2 - A faster version of the warlock punch without super armor and less killing potential. Deals 15%, 18% reverse.
Side Special:
Flame Choke - Default - Ganondorf charges forward with a hand extended. If he comes into contact with an opponent, he will choke them and cause them to fall into the ground. In the air, Ganondorf forcibly chokes the opponent down into the ground, causing himself to plummet down as well. As this is a grab move, this bypasses counter moves and shields.
Compared to the Brawl counterpart, Smash 4's offers more range, but loses a guaranteed followup in down tilt, since the opponent can tech the hit. This results in the Ganondorf player having to guess what the opponent would do, lessening the chances of followups. In addition, the grab no longer has super armor until Ganondorf actually chokes his opponent. This is a direct nerf, making the Flame Choke a less safe approach. A buff made in this move is that Ganondorf can safely grab the ledge if he uses this move near the edge by tilting the circle pad towards the stage so Ganondorf's forward momentum is halted and he touches the ledge. He also gets ledge invincibility in that scenario.
Deals: 12% grounded, 15% aerial.
Flame Wave / Gerudo Dragon - Custom 1 - Gerudo Dragon is the move that Ganondorf in Melee has, but in this game, it is visually identical to Ganondorf's Flame Choke, not to Falcon's Raptor Boost. When Ganondorf grabs the opponent, he sends them upwards. Has high killing potential, as it sends upwards, but does not travel as far.
Flame Chain - Custom 2 - Identical to the Flame Choke, but upon contact, Ganondorf strikes the opponent with a series of weak attacks. Deals 10 hits, 15-16% total. The Aerial version is harder to hit all the hits, but can hit 7 times for 12% maximum, the last hit dealing 4%. Interestingly enough, if used near the edge, Ganondorf will not fall off on the grounded variant. Ganon does not grab.
Compared to the Brawl counterpart, Smash 4's offers more range, but loses a guaranteed followup in down tilt, since the opponent can tech the hit. This results in the Ganondorf player having to guess what the opponent would do, lessening the chances of followups. In addition, the grab no longer has super armor until Ganondorf actually chokes his opponent. This is a direct nerf, making the Flame Choke a less safe approach. A buff made in this move is that Ganondorf can safely grab the ledge if he uses this move near the edge by tilting the circle pad towards the stage so Ganondorf's forward momentum is halted and he touches the ledge. He also gets ledge invincibility in that scenario.
Deals: 12% grounded, 15% aerial.
Flame Wave / Gerudo Dragon - Custom 1 - Gerudo Dragon is the move that Ganondorf in Melee has, but in this game, it is visually identical to Ganondorf's Flame Choke, not to Falcon's Raptor Boost. When Ganondorf grabs the opponent, he sends them upwards. Has high killing potential, as it sends upwards, but does not travel as far.
Flame Chain - Custom 2 - Identical to the Flame Choke, but upon contact, Ganondorf strikes the opponent with a series of weak attacks. Deals 10 hits, 15-16% total. The Aerial version is harder to hit all the hits, but can hit 7 times for 12% maximum, the last hit dealing 4%. Interestingly enough, if used near the edge, Ganondorf will not fall off on the grounded variant. Ganon does not grab.
Up Special:
Dark Dive - Default - Ganondorf jumps upward in a grabbing animation before he uppercuts. If this part of the move connects, Ganondorf grabs the opponents and damages them with electricity before launching them in a horizontal trajectory. If successful, he does not go into helpless state and can Up-B again. However, there is lag if he lands on the ground. If the grab portion fails, Ganondorf extends an arm forward, which will hit nearby opponents with a weak uppercut, sending them away.
Compared to the Brawl counterpart, it carries more distance. Ganondorf covers more vertically, but still has less horizontal movement, making his Up B a weaker recovery.
Dark Fists - Custom 1 - Delivers a small punch at the beginning of the move that leads to the second uppercut at the end of the move. The second has good knockback and has the potential to KO at an insanely low percent. First hit deals 6, Second deals 11.
Dark Vault - Custom 2 - Provides the least distance in all his custom up Bs, Ganondorf attempts two grabs, one after another in the air. First grab deals 3%, second grab also deals 3.
Compared to the Brawl counterpart, it carries more distance. Ganondorf covers more vertically, but still has less horizontal movement, making his Up B a weaker recovery.
Dark Fists - Custom 1 - Delivers a small punch at the beginning of the move that leads to the second uppercut at the end of the move. The second has good knockback and has the potential to KO at an insanely low percent. First hit deals 6, Second deals 11.
Dark Vault - Custom 2 - Provides the least distance in all his custom up Bs, Ganondorf attempts two grabs, one after another in the air. First grab deals 3%, second grab also deals 3.
Down Special -
Wizard's Foot - Default - On the ground, Ganondorf rushes forward with his foot extended, surrounded in dark aura. It delivers decent damage and knockback, but suffers from cool down lag. The lag can be ledge cancelled, enabling Ganondorf to input any move, including double jump, in the air. The distance that Ganondorf needs to travel is just barely a little less than the middle of Battlefield. One important thing to note is that the kick does not cover one character space directly in front of Ganondorf. All three parts of the Wizkick have been buffed and can kill around 100 near the ledge with rage.
If used in the air, Ganondorf kicks downwards in a stall-fall into the ground, where he sends a shockwave around nearby opponents, knocking them back. Ganondorf suffers from a large amount of cool down lag after this move. The initial hitbox of the aerial Wizard's foot delivers a powerful meteor smash/spike while the later hitbox sends opponents upwards. Aerial Wizard's Foot can kill remarkably early and is good for netting surprise KOs. Meteor deals 15%, non meteor deals 14%, and shockwave deals 8%. The meteor can spike and kill as early as 10%, some at 0% with recoveries that are not vertically reaching, such as Mario, Dr. Mario, and Roy.
Wizard's Dropkick - Custom 1 - Ganondorf leaps up into the air before kicking at a low horizontal angle. The distance traveled is the same as Wizard's Foot. In the air, the Wizard's Dropkick is at a more horizontal angle, compared to Wizard's Foot, making it a useful recovery move as well. Interestingly enough, the aura around this move is blue rather than purple. Compared to Wizard's Foot, it deals less knockback, but is better overall for recovery.
Wizard's Assault - Custom 2 - Ganondorf lags a little in the beginning to prepare for the kick before delivering a faster version of the Wizard's foot. In the air, the Wizard's Assault is at a more vertical angle. Overall, it is harder to kill with this move compared to Wizard's Foot. Grounded: Deals 10% close, 9% farther, 8% middle and end. Aerial: 14% beginning, 12% in the middle. Shockwave deals 5%
If used in the air, Ganondorf kicks downwards in a stall-fall into the ground, where he sends a shockwave around nearby opponents, knocking them back. Ganondorf suffers from a large amount of cool down lag after this move. The initial hitbox of the aerial Wizard's foot delivers a powerful meteor smash/spike while the later hitbox sends opponents upwards. Aerial Wizard's Foot can kill remarkably early and is good for netting surprise KOs. Meteor deals 15%, non meteor deals 14%, and shockwave deals 8%. The meteor can spike and kill as early as 10%, some at 0% with recoveries that are not vertically reaching, such as Mario, Dr. Mario, and Roy.
Wizard's Dropkick - Custom 1 - Ganondorf leaps up into the air before kicking at a low horizontal angle. The distance traveled is the same as Wizard's Foot. In the air, the Wizard's Dropkick is at a more horizontal angle, compared to Wizard's Foot, making it a useful recovery move as well. Interestingly enough, the aura around this move is blue rather than purple. Compared to Wizard's Foot, it deals less knockback, but is better overall for recovery.
Wizard's Assault - Custom 2 - Ganondorf lags a little in the beginning to prepare for the kick before delivering a faster version of the Wizard's foot. In the air, the Wizard's Assault is at a more vertical angle. Overall, it is harder to kill with this move compared to Wizard's Foot. Grounded: Deals 10% close, 9% farther, 8% middle and end. Aerial: 14% beginning, 12% in the middle. Shockwave deals 5%
Final Smash:
Beast Ganon - A powerful move Ganondorf transforms into the Pig Beast Ganon. He rears his head before charging offstage. During the stomp Pig Ganon does before he charges, opponents can become stuck in the ground or paralyzed. Opponents from behind are not affected. Deals 10% during transformation to nearby opponents, 10% in the stomping animation, and 40% in the charging animation.
Taunts:
Up: Curls around in a ball and laughs maniacally. Funnily enough, he doesn't smile.
Side: Punches his fist twice with his other hand and clenches it, dark aura emitting from it. "Heh."
Down: Pulls out his sword and examines it before putting it away
Side: Punches his fist twice with his other hand and clenches it, dark aura emitting from it. "Heh."
Down: Pulls out his sword and examines it before putting it away
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Follow Ups and Combos:
Unlike his fiery counterpart, Ganondorf does not focus as much on combos as he does in playing passive aggressively. He focuses on baiting and punishing his opponent's mistakes rather than going all out. Such connivery is in the nature of the King of Evil. With moves that are hard hitters and have large reach, Ganondorf is well equipped to punish any mistake his opponent makes.
Conceptually, Ganondorf is similar to his Melee and Brawl counterparts. As covered before, Ganondorf is a powerful character. What weakens his viability is his slower moves and his lack of mobility. This differentiates himself from rushdown characters with good speed, such as Captain Falcon. Hence, Ganondorf needs to play a bit more passive, not needlessly throwing out moves. He wants to lull his opponent into a false sense of security and trap them, hitting them for massive damage, and thus gaining momentum of the match. Overall, Ganondorf wants to take advantage of his heavy weight to increase longevity in order to open more opportunities to advance on his opponent before taking opportunity of any mistakes they may make.
This is not to say Ganondorf MUST play this way. He can play aggressively as well, punishing whiffed moves made by his opponents. Due to his power, he does not need many moves to put his opponent at death percent.
This does not mean Ganondorf does not have his own combos. Ganondorf has many combos of down throw. Down Throw sends the enemy in front of Ganondorf and can enable followups in the form of Up Air, Nair, dash attack, and Fair . Down Throw combos are excellent at low percents, but are weight and fall speed dependent, meaning you need to be aware of the character before you rush in there. For example, Ganondorf can use Side B out of down throw on characters with a high falling speed like Megaman, whereas Ganondorf has to use up air out of down throw as a follow up.
Side B, the Flame Choke, has several follow ups. However, they are not guaranteed due to the ability for the opponent to tech. The grounded flame choke is guaranteed a dtilt if the opponent does not tech the flame choke. But if they roll forward, Ganondorf can punish with another Flame Choke or a Wizard's Kick. If they roll backwards, Ganondorf can follow with another Flame Choke as well. If they tech in place, Ganondorf can shield grab, dtilt, or even short hop dair. The aerial Flame Choke, on the other hand, has fewer options. The opponent can freely getup attack, meaning Ganondorf must shield grab in order to prevent getting hit by the get up attack to continue his onslaught. The opponent can also tech, which is results in the same guessing game Ganondorf has to play as the grounded version.
Fast Fall Up air can lead to a flame choke follow up at low percents if it is autocancelled. The tipman hitbox at the end of the hitbox sends the opponent at a weak angle backwards, but not far enough for Ganondorf to not be able to react with a Flame Choke. This only works in low percents and Side B is the only follow up option.
The weak hit of Dash attack is also a good combo move, as it can lead to regrabs at low percent, and can lead to fair at mid-to-high percent, which can potentially kill if fresh.
This is not to say Ganondorf MUST play this way. He can play aggressively as well, punishing whiffed moves made by his opponents. Due to his power, he does not need many moves to put his opponent at death percent.
This does not mean Ganondorf does not have his own combos. Ganondorf has many combos of down throw. Down Throw sends the enemy in front of Ganondorf and can enable followups in the form of Up Air, Nair, dash attack, and Fair . Down Throw combos are excellent at low percents, but are weight and fall speed dependent, meaning you need to be aware of the character before you rush in there. For example, Ganondorf can use Side B out of down throw on characters with a high falling speed like Megaman, whereas Ganondorf has to use up air out of down throw as a follow up.
Side B, the Flame Choke, has several follow ups. However, they are not guaranteed due to the ability for the opponent to tech. The grounded flame choke is guaranteed a dtilt if the opponent does not tech the flame choke. But if they roll forward, Ganondorf can punish with another Flame Choke or a Wizard's Kick. If they roll backwards, Ganondorf can follow with another Flame Choke as well. If they tech in place, Ganondorf can shield grab, dtilt, or even short hop dair. The aerial Flame Choke, on the other hand, has fewer options. The opponent can freely getup attack, meaning Ganondorf must shield grab in order to prevent getting hit by the get up attack to continue his onslaught. The opponent can also tech, which is results in the same guessing game Ganondorf has to play as the grounded version.
Fast Fall Up air can lead to a flame choke follow up at low percents if it is autocancelled. The tipman hitbox at the end of the hitbox sends the opponent at a weak angle backwards, but not far enough for Ganondorf to not be able to react with a Flame Choke. This only works in low percents and Side B is the only follow up option.
The weak hit of Dash attack is also a good combo move, as it can lead to regrabs at low percent, and can lead to fair at mid-to-high percent, which can potentially kill if fresh.
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Advanced Techniques:
Ledge Cancelled WizKick: Those familiar to Brawl might remember this technique. Ganondorf's Down B allows him to immediately cancel the momentum from it if he ends it right after he goes past the ledge. From this point onward, Ganondorf can perform any aerial, double jump, or Up-B.
How to do: If we use the insignia on the main platform of Battlefield as a guide, Ganondorf needs to stand a little bit outside the circle. When he WizKicks off the stage, he can cancel the momentum of the move into any aerial, jump, or up B. This works for all variants of his Wizard's Kick, though his Wizard's Dropkick (the blue one) sends him at a more downwards angle, allowing him to chase an opponent with a forward air. Another guide is in Omega Gerudo Valley. Ganondorf needs to stand just inside the edge of the center square that is close to the ledge he wants to cancel.
Battlefield example:
Please stand here.
Omega Gerudo Valley:
Please stand here. For the opposite side, please stand on near the other side of the middle square.
Autocancel Short Hop (fast fall) Up Air: If the up air is done before or during the peak of the short hop, Ganondorf can immediately act once he touches the ground. This leads to more options such as pivot forward tilt, a powerful spacing option. I recommend sliding the X over to the A button immediately and tilting the circle pad up. Tap jump off is far easier to do than Tap Jump on, but both are doable.
Tipman spike: Landing the lower half of the up air sends the opponent at a lower angle, which allows for a good and easy way to kill. Excellent for gimping recovering characters. Success depends on the strength of the recovering character's recovery.
Platform Drop Fast Fall Up Air: This technique is relegated to stages with platforms like Battlefield and Yoshi'sand is easier to do with tap jump off. Ganondorf can drop down from the droppable platform and immediately up air. Because the up air comes out quickly, Ganon will be able to hit the opponent if they are on the platform and will even be able to hit them with the later half of the move if they are behind him on the main platform. However, the timing for hitting opponents underneath the paltform is extremely strict.
Similarly, Up air can be used after a shield drop down from a platform, giving Ganondorf a more safe option of retreating his opponent. The purpose of this is conceptually identical to the Platform Drop Fast Fall Up Air, but offers more safety. The only difference is that the timing and skill usage is more difficult.
Ganoncide: Perhaps the most famous technique Ganondorf has to date. Ganondorf grabs the opponent viciously and slams them down after doing a small jump in the air. The opponent dies first, so this will always be a victory for Ganondorf. Because Ganondorf plunges the opponent down where he is located, Ganondorf can even afford to have his hand inside the stage while he is still offstage. Ganondorf will then send his opponent plummeting down from his position.
Pivots: In Smash 4, it is possible to pivot grab, tilt, and Smash while turning around during a dash. This leads to good spacing and punishing tools for our beloved King. Ganondorf's Pivot options are in the spoilers:
These are basic ATs an aspiring Ganon should know, BUT there are far more. For example, tipman can lead to a jab reset from a footstool, giving numerous opportunities. The Gungnir combo relies a lot on the tipman to send the opponent offstage in order to footstool + aerial Wizkick to end a stock.
How to do: If we use the insignia on the main platform of Battlefield as a guide, Ganondorf needs to stand a little bit outside the circle. When he WizKicks off the stage, he can cancel the momentum of the move into any aerial, jump, or up B. This works for all variants of his Wizard's Kick, though his Wizard's Dropkick (the blue one) sends him at a more downwards angle, allowing him to chase an opponent with a forward air. Another guide is in Omega Gerudo Valley. Ganondorf needs to stand just inside the edge of the center square that is close to the ledge he wants to cancel.
Battlefield example:
Please stand here.
Please stand here. For the opposite side, please stand on near the other side of the middle square.
Autocancel Short Hop (fast fall) Up Air: If the up air is done before or during the peak of the short hop, Ganondorf can immediately act once he touches the ground. This leads to more options such as pivot forward tilt, a powerful spacing option. I recommend sliding the X over to the A button immediately and tilting the circle pad up. Tap jump off is far easier to do than Tap Jump on, but both are doable.
Tipman spike: Landing the lower half of the up air sends the opponent at a lower angle, which allows for a good and easy way to kill. Excellent for gimping recovering characters. Success depends on the strength of the recovering character's recovery.
Platform Drop Fast Fall Up Air: This technique is relegated to stages with platforms like Battlefield and Yoshi'sand is easier to do with tap jump off. Ganondorf can drop down from the droppable platform and immediately up air. Because the up air comes out quickly, Ganon will be able to hit the opponent if they are on the platform and will even be able to hit them with the later half of the move if they are behind him on the main platform. However, the timing for hitting opponents underneath the paltform is extremely strict.
Similarly, Up air can be used after a shield drop down from a platform, giving Ganondorf a more safe option of retreating his opponent. The purpose of this is conceptually identical to the Platform Drop Fast Fall Up Air, but offers more safety. The only difference is that the timing and skill usage is more difficult.
Ganoncide: Perhaps the most famous technique Ganondorf has to date. Ganondorf grabs the opponent viciously and slams them down after doing a small jump in the air. The opponent dies first, so this will always be a victory for Ganondorf. Because Ganondorf plunges the opponent down where he is located, Ganondorf can even afford to have his hand inside the stage while he is still offstage. Ganondorf will then send his opponent plummeting down from his position.
Pivots: In Smash 4, it is possible to pivot grab, tilt, and Smash while turning around during a dash. This leads to good spacing and punishing tools for our beloved King. Ganondorf's Pivot options are in the spoilers:
Ganondorf's Pivot Grab is a greater improvement than his regular grab. He has about almost double his regular grabbing range. This allows him to rack up damage with his best combo-building grab, the down throw, or even set up edgeguards with his back throw.
Ganondorf's Pivot Flame Choke is another good way to mix up against your opponent. Though a bit sluggish and slightly unsafe, it is a good punish against your opponent if they approach a bit too close. The Choke is excellent for punishing, as it does have good distance.
Pivot Forward tilt will be your best spacing option against your opponents. It's a good GTFO move in order to send them away from you if you feel pressed by their advances. The way how this move would work is to retreat from your opponent before attacking them when they try to chase you. This is a very good surprise move.
Out of his pivots, Forward Smash is the least used, and for good reason. It has slower startup and weaker range than his side tilt. Despite this, is especially good for punishing someone. Ganondorf rears back during his animation, allowing a little bit of leniency for some attacks to miss him, before he delivers the attack. It offers more power than the forward tilt, but is noticably slower.
Ganondorf's Pivot Flame Choke is another good way to mix up against your opponent. Though a bit sluggish and slightly unsafe, it is a good punish against your opponent if they approach a bit too close. The Choke is excellent for punishing, as it does have good distance.
Pivot Forward tilt will be your best spacing option against your opponents. It's a good GTFO move in order to send them away from you if you feel pressed by their advances. The way how this move would work is to retreat from your opponent before attacking them when they try to chase you. This is a very good surprise move.
Out of his pivots, Forward Smash is the least used, and for good reason. It has slower startup and weaker range than his side tilt. Despite this, is especially good for punishing someone. Ganondorf rears back during his animation, allowing a little bit of leniency for some attacks to miss him, before he delivers the attack. It offers more power than the forward tilt, but is noticably slower.
These are basic ATs an aspiring Ganon should know, BUT there are far more. For example, tipman can lead to a jab reset from a footstool, giving numerous opportunities. The Gungnir combo relies a lot on the tipman to send the opponent offstage in order to footstool + aerial Wizkick to end a stock.
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Stage choices: It appears Battlefield, Yoshi's Island, and Lylat are the universally accepted stages in this point of time. I will update more stages when any more legal stages come to light.
Battlefield: Battlefield is one of Ganondorf's preferred stages due to the increased options Ganondorf has with the three floating platforms. He can platform drop up air or even hit opponents above with lagless up airs without fear of being punished. Ganondorf's slower running speed is not as much a liability in this stage, as the main platform is smaller, allowing Ganondorf to move with more mobility. You, like your opponents, do not want to be trapped on the platforms either with an opponent under you. Drop down up air to hit them from behind is a good way to get out of this situation.
DreamLand 64: Not very different from Battlefield, but one must make sure not to get stuck at the bottom of the stage. The wind can prove to be a bit of a problem sometimes, hindering your approach, but you can also lead it to your advantage as well. You can play it a lot like Battlefield, except the ceiling is a bit lower.
Lylat: The base platform helps campier characters, while the three platforms above are perfect for SH up airs and Sweetspot up smashes. Just try not to get camped, and get stuck on the lip under the stage. I know it got patched a little, but it's still a hazard. Overall, it's a great stage for you to run traps on platforms.
Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Island from Brawl is another good stage and should be the stage you choose if Battlefield is banned. The middle floating platform also offers you platform shenanigans. In addition, the platform offers free ledge canceled Wizard's Foot (as long as you're not headed downwards if the platform is slanted). This allows you to approach more safely and proceed to use aerials outside your Foot. (3ds only)
Final Destination: Ganondorf doesn't do too badly on this stage, but if these are going to be your three stages, you might as well ban this one. In Final Destination, you lose a lot of your flexibility and some of your "trapping" game. Ganondorf especially struggles to fight against characters who have a good projectile game on a flat stage.
Smashville: Little room to run, this stage helps Ganondorf approach. The singular platform also helps extend his combos, and help his grab throw followups. He can even land an early stock under the platform with a sweetspot Up Smash.
T&C: Unlike Smashville, this stage is not as ideal. It's far bigger, and the platforms help opponents juggle Ganon.. (ahem, Cloud) The ceiling is also low, so you can also die off the top as easily as you sending someone off the top. Not ideal.
Duck Hunt: Plays a lot like FD. It helps campy characters, but you can benefit in some way, shape, or form against characters with not as good projectiles, or those who are bad at approaching. The tree on the right can help you land a sweetspotted up smash, while the trees on the right can help you mix up your recovery, and also kill early.
DreamLand 64: Not very different from Battlefield, but one must make sure not to get stuck at the bottom of the stage. The wind can prove to be a bit of a problem sometimes, hindering your approach, but you can also lead it to your advantage as well. You can play it a lot like Battlefield, except the ceiling is a bit lower.
Lylat: The base platform helps campier characters, while the three platforms above are perfect for SH up airs and Sweetspot up smashes. Just try not to get camped, and get stuck on the lip under the stage. I know it got patched a little, but it's still a hazard. Overall, it's a great stage for you to run traps on platforms.
Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Island from Brawl is another good stage and should be the stage you choose if Battlefield is banned. The middle floating platform also offers you platform shenanigans. In addition, the platform offers free ledge canceled Wizard's Foot (as long as you're not headed downwards if the platform is slanted). This allows you to approach more safely and proceed to use aerials outside your Foot. (3ds only)
Final Destination: Ganondorf doesn't do too badly on this stage, but if these are going to be your three stages, you might as well ban this one. In Final Destination, you lose a lot of your flexibility and some of your "trapping" game. Ganondorf especially struggles to fight against characters who have a good projectile game on a flat stage.
Smashville: Little room to run, this stage helps Ganondorf approach. The singular platform also helps extend his combos, and help his grab throw followups. He can even land an early stock under the platform with a sweetspot Up Smash.
T&C: Unlike Smashville, this stage is not as ideal. It's far bigger, and the platforms help opponents juggle Ganon.. (ahem, Cloud) The ceiling is also low, so you can also die off the top as easily as you sending someone off the top. Not ideal.
Duck Hunt: Plays a lot like FD. It helps campy characters, but you can benefit in some way, shape, or form against characters with not as good projectiles, or those who are bad at approaching. The tree on the right can help you land a sweetspotted up smash, while the trees on the right can help you mix up your recovery, and also kill early.
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Matchup Chart:
IN PROGRESS:
http://smashboards.com/threads/the-...up-discussion-current-zero-suit-samus.373934/
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