Ganondorf: The Definitive Guide Remastered

Ganondorf is an absolute powerhouse. With massive damage on his aerials, crazy knockback on his smash attacks, and a combo game that takes advantage of them perfectly, he can turn any hit into a solid 40%. But, Ganondorf struggles from quite a few weaknesses. First of all, his recovery sucks, making him very vulnerable to edgeguarding. Second of all, he's extremely slow. With his fastest option being frame 7, it's difficult to deal with offensive pressure, like from a falcon. Campy characters can also give Ganondorf a problem because he can't catch them. Overall, Ganondorf plays best in a bait and punish style, where he can use his up smash to bait you in trying to get a punish. Once you do this, use Ganondorf's incredible punish game to rack up damage quick. And after they're at kill percent, you can score the kill at 120% with every single one of Ganondorf's moves, other than his throws. I think that ganondorf is slightly better than people make him out to be, but regardless, he is bottom tier on the Backroom Tier List. But : A Ganondorf who has the read can beat any sheik, no matter how good.

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Part 1: Moveset

Part 2: Neutral/Game Plan

Part 2: Combo/Grab Game

Part 3: Killing

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Moveset:

(If you're confused or want to check out Ganondorf's framedata, go here) http://kuroganehammer.com/Smash4/Ganondorf

Normals:

Jab

    So this is Ganondorf's fastest grounded option, but that's not saying much, as it's frame 7. It's as much of a get off me option as you can get as Ganondorf. It's also great to use after a whiffed up Smash to cover in front of you and stuff an approach. One thing I have noticed is that is sets up tech-chases well from 30-50%. You can follow tech away, in place, and missed tech with down b, and use down air for a tech in to start a combo.

F Tilt

    This "spartan kick" is one of Ganondorf's better KO options because of its low angle. But make sure you space it if you want to use it in neutral, as it has a little bit of end lag.

Down Tilt

    Down tilt is a lot like forward tilt, except it should be used more on floaties, as it kill very well upwards. It can also mix into an up air for a quick combo. Keep in mind that if you space this so that your boot hits a shield, you are left unpunishable UNLESS your opponent has a very quick burst option such as Zelda's or Sheik's dash attacks.

Up Tilt

    Worse than neutral B all the time. Stop using this move unless you have the dumbest roll read and you want to disrespect. (It can also break shields but a good player will just roll away or grab you before it comes out)

Dash Attack

    This move is Ganondorf's best option for a quick punish. It also leads to an up air if you get the strong hit, and a grab or neutral air if you get the weak hit. It also (obviously, you're Ganondorf) can kill and is another great option to secure the stock.

Smashes:

F Smash

    This should be used only for hard reads. It's better to save this move for a really early kill on an airdodge read rather than stale it at low percents where up smash will lead to more damage.

Down Smash

    Much like Cloud's down smash, your opponent is sent rocketing behind you. Just like f smash, this is only for hard reads and should be used instead of f smash when you are closer to the blast zone behind you. But, if you land the first hit very close to you, the second hit will whiff and you'll be left open for a punish.

Up Smash

    By far Ganondorf's best smash attack, up smash is a powerful upwards kick with an amazing hitbox and an extremely low amount of cooldown of just 12 frames,. It's so safe on shield that it's disturbing and even leads to damaging combos (I'll talk about those later). On top of all that, it has a "tipper" hit box at his toe that kills the earliest out of any up smash in the game. It's really useful against someone who doesn't know the Ganondorf matchup for baiting. A lot of people will run into a free grab, dash attack, down tilt, or even another up smash when they try to get the punish. However, unless you are sure one of the previous moves listed will hit, you should be going for a jab right after up Smash to create the smallest window for a punish possible.Use this frequently, but don't spam it, as the other player can avoid it and maybe even punish it if their timing is tight.

Aerials

Nair

    Nair has only one purpose: damage racking, as it does 19%. Only use this if you're out of range for a down air and want a quick punish. Otherwise useless...

Fair

    A slow, pulverizing thrust, fair seems like it's perfect. And it pretty much is, having kill power and being safe on shield. But there's just one problem here. Back air.

Bair

    Yep, back air is pretty much better in every way. It does barely less damage, is safer on shield, comes out faster, and has more knockback, killing at like 55% on the edge. This is your go-to aerial spacing tool that can add free damage if your opponent doesn't respect it.

Dair

    Down Air is one of Ganondorf's better moves, as it can't be teched into the ground because Sakurai said so (weird, right?) Because it can't be teched, it can start big combos or even his ridiculous lock combo (later). This is usually your best tool to read rolls

Up Air

    By far, by FAR Ganondorf's best and most reliable move. It combos out of a lot of moves, can frametrap because it autocancels from a short hop, and it can lead into itself on DI inward. The late hit is great too. It gimps really well and can jab lock at any percent. In other words, this move is godlike and use it mainly as an anti-air, but also for all the other uses I just listed.

Specials

Neutral B

     Shield break punish. Nothing else. (Also random matchup specific thing it can be used against charizard to super armor through his flare blitz and kill him at like 20.)

Side B

     Another great move to punish mid-range attacks. Excellent for shield reads, this move creates tech-chases and kind of help makes Ganondorf use the playstyle he does. (And don't forget about ganoncide) In addition is can be used to quickly grab ledge. To do this, just get close to the ledge (not too close or it won't work), side b towards the ledge, and as soon as the move starts, hold the analog stick towards the stage. If done correctly and from the right distance, Ganondorf will slide off the stage and quickly grab the ledge.

Down B

     Covers a lot of options during a techchase. You can also edge cancel this move from a specific distance, which can lead into an up air or a down air (not a true combo). The other use it has is to go low to recover quickly if you're hit up and offstage.

Up B

     It can rack damage, but neutral air will usually do more. Also, to beat a shield on the ledge you can let go and up B to command grab them.

Grab (the move itself)

    Ganondorf's grab leads to a lot of reward, but it's difficult to get a grab in neutral because of how bad his dash grab is. To fix this, try shielding right before you grab out of your run so you get a standing grab. Once you have the grab, Always go for down throw at 0-70%, as it leads into a combo. After that, you might as well just throw them offstage for control (although at these percents, side b is just a better option). It's also note worthy that back throw can score a quick kill at the ledge around 155%.

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Neutral/Game Plan

Game Plan:

Ganondorf's main goal in neutral is to bait his opponent into attacking him so that he can capitalize on any mistake to get a combo going to rack up tons of damage, or a simple strong hit to establish stage control and put your opponent at a disadvantageous position. Usually, you should be using your low-cooldown moves to trick the opponent into approaching. These moves include jab, down tilt, short hop auto cancelled back air, and most importantly, up smash. Ganondorf's other main objective during neutral is to condition the opponent to respect you by using lots of safe attacks, and make them stay in shield often, so you can open up more opportunities for to use his side-b, which can lead to massive damage if you predict their tech. And Ganondorf's third, and final objective in neutral, is not some crazy tech skill or movement maneuver, but simply to watch.

    Always watch for your opponent's habits. Pay attention to their rolls, spotdodges, airdodge patterns, teaching habits. and the way they prefer to get out of combos (airdodge, jump, or attack) Always make sure that you know what you're opponents next step is. As I said before: a Ganondorf who has the read can beat any sheik, no matter how good.

Platforms:

    Ganondorf is fine on most platforms, mostly because his up smash can be sweetspotted through them, which can kill at 55% or even less when charged. His up air can also cover every tech option on a platform if spaced correctly. But, duck hunt's platforms are what can turn a 60-40 matchup in your favor into a 70-30 in their favor. This is because Duck Hunt's platforms are so high and Ganondorf's jumps are so bad that he can't reach the Duck Hunt tree without an up b. Because of this, tree camping is extremely viable against Ganondorf.

Stage Choice:

    Like I said before, duck hunt is horrible for Ganondorf. You should usually be banning this for most matchups. Other than that, his stages are pretty good. He's alright on Smashville, and dreamland, while being a little sub-par on Lylat and FD due to Ganondorf not having a lot of mix-up options there. He's pretty good on battlefield, mostly because he lives forever and the platforms do well to extend his combos. But Town and City is Ganondorf's best stage for sure. He gets early kills of the top of the stage and can still live to high percents because of his weight.

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Combo Game:

Ganondorf has an exceptional combo game, contrary to popular belief. With great combo starters like his down throw, up smash, and down air, Ganondorf has a really easy job throwing his opponent around with powerful blows. Here are some of his bread and butter options:

Down Throw

Down Throw > Dash Attack (0-10%)

Down Throw > Down B (0-20%)

Down Throw > Up Air (15-60%)

Down Throw > Neutral Air (15-70%)

Down Throw > Forward Air (40-70%)

    Getting a grab will rarely happen in neutral, but when you do, it's important to know how to capitalize on it. Usually, though, side b will be the better option.

Up Smash (uncharged)

Up Smash > Forward Tilt (0-10%)

Up Smash > Neutral Air (0-25%)

Up Smash > Up B (10-30%, also not always true)

Up Smash >Up Air (20-40%)

    Up smash is Ganondorf's best low percent combo starter, mostly because of how safe on shield it is. Always have one of these ready in neutral, as it will lead to a quick 40% most of the time.

Down Air

Down Air > Jab/Forward Tilt (0-15%)

Down Air > Grab (0-25%)

Down Air > Back Air (25-50%)

Down Air > Up Air (25-60%)

    Down Air has tons of hitstun, similar to melee, making for easy followups. Usually the Dair you land will be off of a roll read, and will lead to huge damage.

Dash Attack

Strong Dash Attack > Up Air (0-40%)

Late Dash Attack > Grab (0-10%)

Late Dash Attack > Neutral Air (10-50%)

    Dash Attack is quick and easy to land, so you should find yourself using it quite frequently for little punishes. Try to get used to spacing it so the late hit, so you can get a stronger follow up.

Side B Tech-Chases

Side B > Side B (Any percent)

    As long as you can properly read your opponent's tech, this can continue forever. Often, I've noticed that some people like to stay on the ground and not get up to avoid more flame chokes. If you read that, you can most likely get a free up smash, which can kill pretty early.

    For non side b tech-chases, use down air to cover a roll behind you, getup attack, or neutral getup. For roll away, use a c-stick buffered dash attack (analog stick forward and c-stick down instantly) so you get the late hit, which can obviously lead to more damage.

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Killing

Scoring the kill with Ganondorf can be a little harder than it sounds at first. With so many ways to take the stock, getting used to Ganondorf's kill moves shouldn't be too difficult.

Late Dash Attack >Fair (70-90%, will usually require a double jump. This is also Ganondorf's safest universal kill confirm, look for it often.)

Side B > Down Tilt (120-999%, only on floaties. Make sure to buffer the down tilt. It also works to cover tech in place. If you read a techroll, you can punish that with a late dash attack, or a turn around up Smash for roll behind.)

Dair > Footstool > Late Up Air jab lock > Foxtrot     cancel down angled f smash (20-50%) After the down air, double jump/fullhop up to them based on percent, then footstool them. Follow their DI and lock them with the end of up air. They'll be sent a decent distance away, but they will be jab locked regardless. Foxtrot towards your opponent, then when that ends, enter another foxtrot, but immediately cancel it with a forward smash. You can angle the attack down for a better hitbox, but that's not required. If you're close enough to the ledge, the f smash should take the stock. If you flub the foxtrot forward smash and get a dash attack, go for a side b on their getup to cover up the flub and still get a followup.

Edguarding for the Kill

    It seems like wherever Ganondorf goes in the air, he's frighteningly good. Luckily, offstage he's no exception to that. Use Down Air to cover a recovery that's predictable that you can get above easily. For any other case, aim for the back of his up-air so your opponent gets semi spiked. Ledge Trumping is also a great option, because you can follow up with a back Air if you're quick enough.

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Welp, I hope you've learned something new about everyone's favorite low tier (except for mine COUGH ZELDA'S BETTER COUGH), and until next time, you filthy memers you...