The 'Shroom:Issue LVI/Brawl Tactics

Brawl Tactics by

Welcome, Brawlers, to a special Legend of Zelda Brawl Tactics! Since Skyward Sword is coming out this month, and I know many of you are LoZ fans, I will be doing Ganondorf for this issue of Brawl Tactics!

Ganondorf is a heavier character that moves slower than most other fighters his size, such as Captain Falcon, Ike, or Marth. What he lacks in speed, he more than makes up for in power. His jump is not impressive, so be careful when you go too far off the stage.

Ganondorf's Standard Special move is the Warlock Punch. This is very similar to Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch, and it packs a lot of power as well. This move has to be charged up, and it takes a bit to charge it up fully, which can be annoying. If you do land the punch, though, it will hit with a lot of launch power and has the possibility to KO an opponent. Ganondorf is not exactly subtle with this move, so your opponents will know what you are trying to do. The best thing to do would be to use this move in an instance where your opponent can't move, such as when they are slowed down by a watch or swallowed by a Gulpin.

Ganondorf's Side Special is Flame Choke. This is actually one of his faster moves, and it's easy to catch someone off guard when they're coming in close for an attack. Ganondorf will surge forward and grab whoever is in his path. Like Warlock Punch, this move is based off of Captain Falcon's Raptor Boost, and, although you will not get as much launch as the Raptor Boost, you will get more power. Use this move in midair, because Ganondorf will slam his opponent's head into the ground, and the higher up you are when you use this move, the more damage you can deal to you opponent.

Ganondorf's Up Special is Dark Dive. This can be a handy move to use when you are facing multiple opponents, since Ganondorf can keep using this move on a single jump, making it like a wall-bounce, only you're bouncing off opponents, not walls. If you are using this move as a recovery move, you will get a bit of height on it, but don't expect too much. Keep close to the edge of the stage if you are trying some daring maneuver and you should be okay.

Ganondorf's Down Special is the Wizard's Foot. This is a powerful kick that can inflict a lot of damage if you can pull it off correctly. I recommend keeping your enemy close, using this kick, then when your opponent is in the air, use Dark Dive or Flame Choke. Combos can really help here, because Ganondorf's slow speed will hinder you if you are trying to quickly finish off an opponent. Wizard's Foot on its own is a force to be reckoned with. Be careful, however, beacuse you will get a lot of movement from this move, and if you miss your opponent and go off the side of the stage, it can be hard to recover, so watch where you're using this move and you should be fine.

Ganondorf's Final Smash is Beast Ganon. This is a powerful move, but it shares a fatal flaw with Mario's and Samus's Final Smashes: Your opponent can avoid the attack entirely by getting behind you. Be sure to go to as far to the edge as you can, and don't worry about falling off the other side, Ganondorf is warped back to where he first used the move. This move can have a few effects. One is the possibility of catching your opponent in the ground and holding them steady while Ganon gets ready to charge. The other is the range at which it can hit other opponents, it can hit almost anywhere in front of Ganon, and, like all the other LoZ Final Smashes, it does a whole lot of damage, not to mention the launch power this best packs is in a whole different class by itself.

That's all for this month, Brawlers! Celebrate the release of Skyward Sword by giving Ganondorf a chance to work for you! Happy Brawling!