10-
Ness

Jab1 (-13) & Jab2 (-13):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

Jab3 (-18):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

FTilt (-17):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

UTilt (-16):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

DTilt (-3):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

Dash Attack (-12):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
(This move can be spaced out)

FSmash (-19):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)

USmash (-33):
FSmash (Frame 26)
(The held version of this will eventually shield poke)

DSmash (-21/-7):
NAir (Frame 7)
(The held version of this will eventually shield poke)

NAir (-4):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

FAir (-9):
GSA (Frame 9)
(Air drift can make this difficult to punish)

BAir (-5):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

UAir (-5):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield)

DAir (-7):
NAir (Frame 7)

PK Flash (-4 to +4):
Unpunishable
(Safe on shield, does a lot of shield damage)

PK Fire (-28):
Unpunishable
(Projectile usage)

PK Thunder (-22):
Unpunishable
(Projectile usage)

PK Thunder 2 (-33):
FSmash (Frame 26)
(This move can cross up)

PSI Magnet (-12):
Unpunishable
(Impossible to react to)

• Neutral Moves: Aerials, Tilts, Jab, Grab, PK Fire, PSI Magnet.

• Kill Moves: UAir, BAir, DAir, Smash Attacks, FTilt, PK Thunder 2.

• Kill Confirms: UAir dragdown > BThrow, PSI Magnet > DAir/BAir, PK Fire > BThrow/other followup, PK Thunder > UAir, DTilts > BThrow.

• Ness has more range than Young Link on his aerials. This means that air-to-air fights are either outpacing him with a faster move (NAir) or outranging him (ZAir). Young Link FAir does not outrange Ness FAir.

• Visualize the range of PK Fire (grounded and aerial variants) at all times. Ness often uses double jump PK Fire from the ledge and off of a platform to safely use this angle.

• Staying at this midrange will limit what Ness can hit you with (PK Fire and Dash Attack). Ness’ airspeed, high double jump, and floatiness allow him to burst forward in the air.

• Force Ness to be the one to approach in this MU. Close quarters combat is riskier for Young Link in this MU due to Ness’ ability to burst forward in the air with disjointed hitboxes.

• When up a stock, force Ness to approach, and stay out of his range. Shield walking is a safe way to cover anticipated PK Fires on reaction.

• Ness will often position himself on platforms or in the air directly above Young Link. This does mean he’s at an angle to be susceptible to Boomerang, so DO NOT commit. Ness’ floatiness allows him to get over Boomerang reliably, and Ness can clank Boomerang with any of his aerials and PSI Magnet. There is no need to commit when Ness has to land or get off of the platform. Gather information and learn their habits. If they give enough space and time, passively punish them by pulling Bomb.

• Ness wants Grabs at close range after conditioning the opponent to shield at close range. Ness can kill with BThrow, send opponents offstage with FThrow, Combo with DThrow, and juggle with UThrow. Incorporate spotdodge, short hops, rolls and Jab to beat Grab.

• Use Fire Arrow to catch Ness’ landings from a safer distance. Catching landings head-on can be risky due to Ness’ superior range. Ness can challenge these Arrows with PK Fire, which will go through the it. Mix up timings on grounded Fire Arrows, especially in a ground to ground situation. Use walking to threaten the Fire Arrow and then shield the oncoming PK Fire, or jump over and punish.

• Ness can use PSI Magnet to punish Bomb by healing damage and absorbing it, but also to mix up fall timings and clank projectiles. Threatening Bomb with instant recatch aerials can be used to bait it out.

• The hitbox of PSI Magnet doesn’t cover the entire absorption area. This means that if Ness uses PSI Magnet at short hop height above Young Link, he can catch it with an USmash or UTilt.

Boxing

(How do I Escape this Situation?)

• Ness can use PSI Magnet to combo or incite timing mix-ups on his landing aerials.

• Ness can box with his disjointed aerials extremely well. Tools such as NAir, BAir, and FAir all have killpower and send Young Link offstage, leaving him vulnerable to edgeguards. They’re safe on shield as well, meaning that shielding them isn’t always a viable option.

• Respect Ness’ control in the air. Ness’ aerial burst range, combined with his disjointed aerials, allows him to control space in the air that Young Link can’t challenge.

• Ness’ Dash Attack can be used as an overshoot option with killpower to call out dashbacks and dashback projectiles. Since Ness also looks for Grabs in corner pressure, be wary of positioning when using projectiles.

• If the first hit of Ness’ Dash Attack is blocked and Ness is next to your shield, the remaining hits will go behind you. Dropping shield early allows for a more rewarding punish.

• Ness can use PK Fire while in the air or on the ground to catch jumps and dashes in the corner from center stage. When Ness is threatening this option from farther away, anticipate and respond with shield walking, jumping over it, etc.

• Ness’ DTilt is a quick poking tool with low cooldown that can chain into itself. Ness often uses this DTilt to pressure shields for a Grab. Each time the move hits, it stales on shield, reducing its safety. Staled once (after the first DTilt), YL can spotdodge and Jab to quickly get Ness off him. Additionally, parry into Jab works at getting Ness off of Young Link, since it’s Frame 1 out of parry.

Platform Pressure

(What tools do they have? How can we escape this pressure?)

• Ness can threaten his aerials on platforms from below or while on the platform. NAir, FAir, BAir, and UAir all can kill and outrange Young Link’s platform drop options.

• React according to Ness’ movement. Disengaging with empty movement to return to center stage is favorable, since Young Link can’t contest Ness head on from below.

• If Ness jumps onto the platform, move slightly back and out of his range if possible and counterattack, or simultaneously drop off of the platform as he moves up.

Landing

(How do they cover it? What are my best options?):

• Watch out for PK Thunder. Ness can not only use this to rejuggle while adding damage but potentially kill or gimp. It can set up into a 50/50 for UAir to kill.

• Ness can use his UAir to catch landings. It’s disjointed, beats out Young Link's DAir, and has high killpower. Ness’ high double jump allows him to burst upwards quickly with UAir.

• Mix up fall speeds while landing away from Ness. Ideally, it’s best to fast fall while Ness is rising with an aerial. Since Ness can burst forward and upward in the air quickly, be wary not to commit too early.

• Landing on Ness’ shield can be unsafe if not landed correctly, due to his fast out of shield options.

Offstage

(How Do I Escape This Position And What Do I Look Out For?):

• Aerial/Grounded PK Fire could be used to kill Young Link’s aerial momentum, and trap a jump escape. Airdodge at the right time, or recover with a Bomb in hand. Be wary of PK Fire’s angling (grounded goes in a straight line, and the aerial goes down and out).

• Ness’ floatiness gives him more time to utilize positional pressure when edgeguarding. Ness wants to force the opponent to choose an option at a bad time to punish it.

• Ness can intercept tether to ledge with NAir.

• Ness can catch ASA to the ledge with FAir/BAir, and can cover the drop zone with BAir.

• This “swoop” arc Ness can perform with double jump rising FAir is a staple edgeguard for Ness. FAir itself is active for almost 20 frames, allowing Ness to cover the ledge with a lingering hitbox.

• The issue with this is that because Ness goes so far with the FAir, he can catch both low and above ledge recoveries. Mix up the timing at which you enter the rising FAir range. Drifting out of range of the FAir for example, and then drifting back in to get to the ledge.

• Ness can send PK Thunder offstage to edgeguard with. This launches the opponent up and in, which can be followed up into an UAir from onstage. When hit by the bolt, DI out/down and out to potentially negate the followup.

Ledge:

• There are a few ways to get around Yoyo (DSmash/USmash) at ledge. Spacing ASA so that the final hit outranges Yoyo works while also holding down during ASA so that you won’t snap ledge. Holding down is necessary for ASA to beat out Yoyo. Additionally, Ledge Attack will always beat out Yoyo at ledge.

• Hit Ness with a projectile on your way to the ledge so that he doesn’t have the time to set up Yoyo.

• Finally, he can’t hold the hitbox for an infinite amount of time, so holding on to the tether can outlast it.

• Ness can hit ledge/2-frame with FTilt, Yoyo, PK Flash, PK Fire, PK Thunder, and PSI Magnet.

• Ness’ low lag options such as DTilt, NAir, BAir, and FTilt allow him to bait options off the ledge once he’s committed to an attack. Mix up ledge timings and options to escape. While using these options, Ness simultaneously outranges Young Link, stuffing out options such as ledge jump NAir.

Juggling/Boxing:

• Ness can use PSI Magnet to mix up his drift and fall speed, stalling in the air.

• Ness’ airspeed allows him to mix up his landing position, but his floatiness means that he takes more time to land.

• Ness outranges Young Link horizontally with his aerials. When positioning for a juggle, threaten UAir, which outranges Ness’ DAir. Ness’ best option to escape juggles is fastfall airdodge. Take note of when it’s used as a landing option.

• Because of Ness’ floatiness, Young Link can have the time to set up Boomerang traps on landing. If Ness uses PSI Magnet, using Boomerang under him will force a NAir to clank it, allowing for a punish on the endlag.

• If unable to set up the trap, use ZAir or Fire Arrow to catch the landings instead. When catching Ness’ landings, stay out of the range of his unreactable aerial threat bubble.

• Ness can burst forward faster in the air, meaning Ness may jump out of the corner more often.

• Be wary of PK Fire, both as a landing and aggressive corner option.

• Hold center stage control. Keeping distance will allow for an easier time countering Ness’ aerial bursts out of the corner. The goal is to send him offstage, where he is most vulnerable.

• A common situation on stages with platforms is that Ness will be jumping around on the platform, while Young Link holds center stage. From this position, Ness can threaten PK Fire onto Young Link from the platform with different timings and ranges, and Young Link can hit Ness with Boomerang. Young Link can also go under the platform and threaten aerials, while Ness can do platform drop aerials. This is especially prevalent on PS2 and SBF with the space between the platforms.

• At this position, use walking while anticipating PK Fire anywhere within that area to avoid it. Boomerang is a vulnerable option if Ness does a run off aerial. React accordingly if Ness gets aggressive with runoff aerials.

Offstage:

• Ness will directional airdodge to the ledge if he can make it back to the ledge with it, to avoid using PK Thunder and risk getting edgeguarded. Cover airdodge to ledge with a timed DTilt or Bomb roll. Ness can angle PK Thunder 2 above the ledge to avoid the 2-frame window.

• When edgeguarding Ness, be wary of his range on his aerials. Don’t drift too far into him offstage.

• Ness can use PK Fire to cover his recovery back to the ledge.

• Ness can bounce off of the stage wall after a PK Thunder 2 to initiate a second PK Thunder, which can be much harder to challenge. If Ness is going low, respond accordingly with FAir/BAir.

• When Ness commits to PK Thunder 2 to recover, Ness temporarily halts movement to adjust the bolt. While Ness is doing this, there are three consistent ways to edgeguard him:

• FAir offstage. The spacing can remove the risk of colliding with the bolt, and it will kill Ness if he is hit.

• Snipe Ness angling the Bolt with Bomb. This can be difficult at times due to how small Bomb is, but throwing downward from above, or forwards offstage can safely hit Ness. Hitting him with a Bomb during the recovery will also shorten the recovery distance (this also happens when hit by it).

• Intentionally get hit by the bolt. This will send Ness into freefall.

• Ness can use PK Fire, FAir, NAir, and PSI Magnet from double jump off of the ledge.

• Ness can use PK Thunder after letting go of the ledge to hit the opponent, and once the bolt disappears, Ness will regrab ledge. This is a common option for Ness to safely grab the ledge or hit the opponent away.

• Once the bolt has been shielded, Ness may try to act immediately to take advantage of the shield stun. It’s very unlikely the opponent will have time to hit Ness at the ledge with this setup, although Young Link can catch this with a Bomb roll.

• Ness’ ledge jump FAir and NAir will outrange most of Young Link’s options.

• This forces Young Link to ledgetrap from a distance, out of range from these attacks. Aim to catch their endlag midair with UAir or ZAir. If Ness is on the ground, respect his aerial burst range out of the corner.

• Ness jumping out of the corner and off of the ledge is his most consistent ledge option. Condition other options that open up Ness more by covering ledge jump.

Ledge Info:

XLR8’s Spreadsheet Young Link Ledge Info:

DTilt: Hits

DSmash: Hits

FTilt: Hits

Most Reliable Move: All

Animation Info: N/A

Note: Easy, FTilt reaches farthest

• FD DTilt > ASA %s: 109, 99

• FD FThrow @ Ledge%s: 171, 154

• FD Milkshake %s: 103-151, 92-127

• Ness Kill Throws: BThrow

• Ness’ BThrow with optimal DI on FD will start killing Young Link at around 105% near the ledge, and 135% center stage.

• Ness can crouch under rising BAir and, in general, the move is more inconsistent in connecting on him.

• DI (hold the input) PK Fire up and away or away to mix up Ness’ correct followup. When hit by PK Fire in the air, SDI out or out and away.

• Young Link can avoid Ness’ DThrow > FAir at 0% with DI out + buffered airdodge.

• When Ness slams into the ground with PK Thunder 2, he can instantly buffer another PK Thunder. Grab is a safe punish for this gimmick.

• Listed Below are Tumble %s for several of Ness’ moves against Young Link (no rage, no crouch cancel):

• • FTilt: 21%

• • BAir: 22%

• • FAir: 26%

• • NAir: 33%

• • Weak NAir: 71%

• • Weak BAir: 76%

• Battlefield:
  Bad. The platform layout can make it difficult to land on the ground, which is already amplified by how dangerous it is to be on a platform with Ness below it. Being in the corner doesn’t offer as much breathing room either.

• Small Battlefield:
  Indifferent. Similar reasoning as PS2. Although this stage is a shorter stage than PS2, the width is still enough for the same gameplan in the MU, although Young Link can end up in a lot more panic situations in the corner than on PS2.

• Final Destination:
  Great. The lack of platforms effectively reduces the range of PK Fire. Take note of how Ness moves around projectiles (likely with a floaty full hop).

• Smashville:
  Terrible. The short stage width doesn’t provide ample space to camp Ness. Standing on the large platform is extremely risky due to Ness’ disjointed aerials from below, which can force Young Link to the ledge or corner more often.

• Town & City:
  Good. This stage’s large stage width enables Young Link to wall out Ness reliably. The center platform in the first layout can extend his PK Fire range, and the side zone to stage length is rather long, giving Ness more opportunities to edgeguard.

• Lylat Cruise:
  Indifferent. The slants and layout can mess with the angling of PK Fire from the corner and on platforms. Staying under the platforms is strong when Ness is on one, but the vice versa situation and the lack of breathing room in the corner can be costly.

• Pokémon Stadium 2:
  Great. This stage gives ample space to wall out Ness, and space in-between platforms to move around PK Fire and land comfortably. The zones are not too large, so Young Link can get back to the ledge more quickly.

• Kalos Pokémon League:
  Great. This stage not only has the benefits of FD with a flat stage meaning that the range of aerial PK Fire is lessened and that full hops from Ness are easier to control, but also that there is more room onstage, and wall jumps/side platforms to help recover and get off the ledge.

• Yoshi’s Story:
  Indifferent. The airspace in the center and on the sides gives more breathing room against Ness, unlike on BF. This difference gives noticeable counterplay to Ness’ advantage state.

• Young Link vs Ness VODs Playlist: YL vs Ness Matches

• (NessCord Resources) Ultimate Ness Magnet heal Percentages

• (NessCord Resources) Public Release Ness B Throws W/ Optimal DI

• (NessCord Resources) Ness Jab-Lock Percents Smash Ultimate

• (Ultimate Frame Data) Ness’ Frame Data and Hitboxes: UFD - Ness