23 Ganondorf

First appearance :
The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time (1998-N64)

Ganondorf is a character possessing great power, and whose range has been upgraded for he now knows how to swing his sword ! A character that is often in the bottom of most tiers list, but whose power can be simply horrifying as he can spread terror on his opponents as soon as they get a bit too close.

Characteristics

 

Strengths

  • Attack power
  • Launch power
  • Heavy weight
  • Scary
  • Great range
 

Weaknesses

  • Bad recovery
  • Poor mobility
  • Combo food
  • Slow moves

Matchups

Favourable

  • icône de dr-mario
  • icône de felinferno
Same defaults
  • icône de mario
  • icône de palutena
  • icône de wolf
Negative but can be managed

Unfavourable

  • icône de link
  • icône de samus
  • icône de simon
Projectiles zoner
  • icône de lucina
  • icône de meta-knight
  • icône de pikachu
Easily gimp
  • icône de samus-sans-armure
  • icône de amphinobi
  • icône de inkling
Big pressure  

Stages

Favourable

  • Small field to get closer
  • Can hide under the platforms

Unfavourable

  • Complicated against zoners
 

Skills

Pro Tips

Features

coup spécial de Ganondorf coup spécial de Ganondorf

We could talk about his Neutral B, the Warlock Punch. The move possesses armor, except when used in the air, and it is possible to turn it while using it in order to eject even further away. The other move is the Side B, that can be used for his recovery, except if there is an opponent in the way. In this case, you’ll dive into the bottom blast zone with your opponent. But, if it happens, Ganondorf will lose his stock first. However, his most iconic move must be his Forward Smash, the Doriyah, that, despite its slowness, has a great range and ridiculously strong launch power.

Best moves

  • NEUTRAL AIR

    It’s a move you can easily mash during neutral in order to create a wall of hitboxes. It possesses great range, deals a lot of damage, counters most projectiles and is great for edgeguard, since it stays a while. Moreover, the move comes out quickly, can start combos, can kill and mostly covers aerial approaches

  • UP AIR

    It comes out quick and is very useful for countering any aerial approaches, since its hitbox covers a great area around Ganondorf. You easily can follow an Up Air by another Up Air in order to perform combos, starting from the dash attack, since the move is quite fast. Finally, it can kill really quickly, especially after a down throw near the ledge.

  • FORWARD AIR

    This move has a monstrous kill power and deals great damage on the opponent’s shield. It can especially break shields if followed by an Up Smash. The move is relatively safe and has great range which makes it a potent tool especially on a ledgetrap situation for covering a jump.

  • UP B

    Although it isn’t the best option for getting back on stage, this move has received a great buff and has become one of the strongest killmove of Ganondorf, since it can kill really early now. In addition, if you manage to make your opponent shield, you can punish any opponent's jump out of their shield.

  • SIDE B

    By its condition of command grab that overcomes shields, it is useful to approach the opponent and to force him to release his shield at some point. The move throws the opponent to the ground, which creates an interesting advantage situation. If you perform it in the air, the opponent won't be able to tech, which limits even more their options. Finally, a useful move to get back on stage, but which can be heavily punished since it is quite slow.

  • UP SMASH

    His Up Smash allows to fully cover platforms, many options in ledgetrap or after a Side B. The move delivers great damage to his opponent and his shield, enabling an easy shield-break. Besides, Up Smash ejects well, and is almost safe on shield if you hit behind.

    • Contextual Options

    Quick Moves

    Safe on Shield

    OOS Options

    Jab

    Neutral Air

    Up Air

    Back Air

    Neutral Air

    Up Air

    Neutral Air

    Up Air

    Back Air

     

    Before leaving

    Last tips

    The Jump into the sacred realm

    You will have to jealously keep your second jump. Losing it means death for Ganondorf, so you must keep it as long as possible in order to mix your recovery as best as possible. Besides, while we're talking about what happens on the air, it is also really important to know how to land. An interesting tactic is to condition your opponent by landing several times while doing Neutral Air and Down B. Once your opponent is used to that, vary and perform a Tomahawk grab for exemple.

    Dragmire to the ground...

    Don't always edgeguard with Ganondorf, since any mistake means death for Ganon off stage. Although Down Air is Indeed tempting and pleasant to hit with, it is sometimes more interesting to defend with Neutral Air, Forward Air or even at the beginning of an Up Air. Even better, stay on the ground and get ready to ledgetrap, which will avoid you to stupidly lose stage control.

    Dori-wait !

    Even if Ganondorf has a great kill power, do not abuse your Smash, especially his Doriyah which is very slow. You will have to vary your moves and not put yourself in danger by seeking a way to put your opponent at disadvantage at all costs. So beware of not over-using Dash Attack, Down B or even Side B that can be heavily punished and must be performed at great distance. Don't hesitate to use them relatively close in order to cross up for example. It can create an interesting situation !

    In a nutshell

    While playing Ganondorf, pleasure will essentially come from his great power and the fear some of his moves can create in the opponent’s mind. If you manage to find a breach, your opponent must beat them. However, he may have lots of faults, but this feeling of knowing you can reverse the match’s course is thrilling. Ganondorf indeed possesses quite a simple and not that technical gameplay but which is hard to master on a high level due to the necessity to know how to read your opponent’s action. So, Ganondorf requires being a great tactician, not a giant oaf, capable of predicting his opponent’s choices, and hardly punishing them. Last but not least, winning with a character considered as a low/trash tier provides indeed the feeling of accomplishing something big !

    Going furhter

    For more informations and to progress faster

    Thanking ...

    Dr Dorf / Ganathos / Lethaljoke / Nergalix / Pulgaa