Ganondorf (PM): Difference between revisions

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|image        = [[IMage:Ganondorf SSBB.jpg|250px]]

|altcostume  = Ocarina of Time Ganondorf  

'''Ganondorf''' is a playable character in the ''[[Brawl]]'' mod ''[[Project M]]''. He was buffed significantly in ''Project M'' after being mostly reverted to his ''Melee'' version. However, some ''Brawl'' attributes were maintained, and part of his moveset was changed to make him more well-rounded. <!--tier position paragraph-->

Ganondorf is a powerful character like he was in ''Melee''. Being one of the strongest characters, his attacks inflict dangerously high knockback, with some being able to KO at relatively low percentages when charged. Ganondorf also has the most powerful [[meteor smash]] in his [[down aerial]] and one of the strongest [[spike]]s in his aerial [[Wizard's Foot]]. These attacks are notoriously excellent edgeguarders, as his down aerial is rather difficult to recover from, even when meteor canceled, due to its immense strength, while his Wizard's Foot, being a spike, sends opponents downwards like his dair, but deprives them of the ability to [[meteor cancel]].

Ganondorf is unique in that he is one of the only two characters who is capable of lengthening his recovery (the other being Captain Falcon with his [[Falcon Kick]]), by executing his aerial Wizard's Foot. For every attempt of the move, Ganondorf will restore his midair jump, thus bringing him closer to the stage and greatly increasing his horizontal recovery. However, Ganondorf normally has trouble with recovery, because of his low jump height, high gravity, and low air speed. Additionally, his up special, [[Dark Dive]], does not offer much vertical or horizontal distance while being very predictable and easy to [[edgeguard]] and [[edgehog]],

Back in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'', Ganondorf struggled against projectile users due to his tall size and no projectile of his own, as well as off-stage survivability due to a poor recovery, but these issues are somewhat addressed in ''Project M'' due to the advent of Dead Man's Volley & Drift. This new move gives Ganondorf a [[reflector]] that sends projectiles back at double their original speed, arming him with an effective anti-projectile option. In addition to buffs such as slightly higher mid-air jumps and aerial Wizard's Foot restoring mid-air jumps, the new move also provides brief [[floating]] when used in the air, allowing Ganondorf to recover better to the stage while giving him more options for recovery mix-ups. Dead Man's Volley & Drift serves as a useful tool for Ganondorf, remedying several of his major issues and allowing him to compete better.

Ganondorf flaws include his large and tall stature, which combined with his heavier weight, makes him a bigger and more easily comboed target. He also possesses one of the slowest dashing speeds despite it being significantly faster than it was in ''Brawl'', hindering his ability to catch up to his opponents on foot. His high gravity make him prone to combos and chainthrow. Lastly, despite all of his specials being usable for recovering, his recovery is still somewhat predictable due to it being mostly linear.

Ganondorf's buffs he received from ''Brawl'' to ''Project M'', such as his combo starter Flame Choke (although it was slightly nerfed), DACUS, improved tilts, improvements to Dark Dive, and being equipped with an extra recovery tool that doubles as a reflector grant him better tournament success than in ''Melee'' or ''Brawl''. However, he still struggles to keep up with the faster and more combo-heavy characters such as {{PM|Diddy Kong}} and {{PM|Fox}}.

Given the nerfs Ganondorf received in ''Brawl'' that made him plummet to the very bottom of the tier list, he is significantly buffed in ''Project M''. Most of his favorable traits from ''Melee'' return, along with ''Brawl''{{'}}s tilt attacks and [[Flame Choke]], restoring his recovery, speed, and combo and K.O.ing ability. Some of his more powerful moves have been given less ending lag or greater reach and many late weak hitboxes and sourspots were removed. His situational moves have been replaced with weaker but much more practical moves: his new up tilt comes out much faster, and his new neutral special Dead Man's Volley & Drift is a reflector that doubles as a floating maneuver. To compensate for the loss of [[Warlock Punch]], Ganondorf's down taunt now serves as an attack that functions similarly to it. Finally, several of Ganondorf's animations have been overhauled, which combined with the addition of Dead Man's Volley makes him a slightly more accurate representation of his appearance in ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time''.

[[File:Ganon Neutral B PM 3.5.jpg|thumb|right|Ganondorf's new neutral special.]]

[[File:PM 3.5 Ganon Sword (GIF).gif|thumb|right|Ganondorf using his sword.]]

*{{change|''Brawl'' up taunt animation retained, with Ganondorf now laughing as soon as the taunt starts rather than after he spins like in ''Melee''.}}

**{{change|Forward tilt retains ''Brawl'''s animation and is sped up, with Ganondorf now quickly retreating his leg after kicking instead of dropping it.}}

**{{nerf|New up tilt has significantly weaker knockback (110 base/80 growth → hit 1: 40 base/60 growth, hit 2: 50 base/78 growth), KOing around 100% as opposed to 25% from center or [[OHKO]]ing near the ledge in ''Melee'', although it is still one of the strongest tilts in the game. The initial hit also does not combo well into the second above low percentages, and the second hit deals 5% less damage (27% → 22%) and now has a sourspot on the body dealing 2% less damage (20%) and knockback (75 base/60 growth), resulting it dealing less damage than the original up tilt if it only hits once. Despite ending much earlier than the former up tilt, the move has 4 more frames of ending lag (30 frames → 34 frames).}}

*{{buff|[[Dash attack]] can be canceled in to a long [[DACUS]], improving Ganondorf's grounded approach options, and it retains its knockback values from ''Brawl'', being more powerful overall.}}

**{{nerf|Dash attack's knockback values were not adjusted for the much faster falling speeds, making it a bit less effective and reliable at KOing (with it now KOing around the 115-145% range, about 25% later than in ''Brawl'').}}

*{{buff|[[Up smash]] has slightly wider hitboxes and the second kick deals 2% more damage (17% → 19%).}}

**{{nerf|Up smash ends later than in both ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'' (IASA 40 → 45).}}

*{{buff|Both hits of neutral aerial come out 2 frames faster (hit 1: 7 → 5, hit 2: 20 → 18) and are easier to link into each other. It also [[autocancel]]s slightly earlier (22 frames → 20), allowing it to be autocanceled in a short hop fast fall.}}

**{{nerf|The first hit of neutral aerial deals 2% less damage (12% → 10%).}}

*{{buff|Forward throw from ''Brawl'' is retained, inflicting 4% more damage (9% → 13%). It also has stronger knockback (60 base/65 growth → 45 base/105 growth).}}

*{{buff|Down throw has slightly less knockback scaling (50 → 45), allowing it to chain throw and setup more effectively.}}

*{{buff|Down taunt can be held to make Ganondorf attack with a downward swing of his sword. While it comes out much later than his [[Warlock Punch]] or Volcano Kick (frames 95-97), interrupts later (IASA 125), and cannot be reversed or used in the air unlike Warlock Punch, it has higher damage (32% → 31%/33%/35%/37%) and base knockback (30 → 40) than ''Brawl''{{'}}s Warlock Punch while covering a large distance identical to ''Brawl''{{'}}s Volcano Kick, and additionally has light armor before and during the attack (frames 85-97). The move has two hitboxes: a one frame large, weak but still quite powerful sourspot during the swing of the sword (damage: 24%, knockback growth: 100 → 75), though its low priority prevents it from hitting opponents standing in front of Ganondorf; and a sword slam that deals flame damage and has a sweetspot at the tip where it deals the most damage and makes a small explosion on the ground.}}

*{{buff|New neutral special: Dead Man's Volley & Drift. Using this move in the air causes him to [[float]] for one second, like {{PM|Peach}} and {{PM|Mewtwo}}. Using it while floating or on the ground will have him flip his cape, reflecting projectiles back at twice their speed and weakly damages nearby opponents with minimal, set knockback. An aerial or jump can be acted out of a float. This improves Ganondorf's recovery and his options against projectile users while also giving him aerial mix-ups.}}

*{{buff|Aerial Flame Choke deals 1% more damage (12% → 13%) and now inflicts caught opponents with a weak set knockback [[meteor smash]], causing them to weakly bounce up instead of being immediately floored; this leads to it having guaranteed followups like its grounded version. In addition, if Ganondorf performs a [[Sacrificial KO]] with it when he and his opponent are on their last stock, he'll always win now, as opposed to a [[Sudden Death]] or loss for Ganondorf in ''Brawl''.}}

*{{buff|[[Wizard's Foot]] is slightly stronger, reliably KOing around 115%, and dealing 2% more damage (15% → 17%) on the ground and 5% more in the air (12% → 17%). It can also now be reversed, and its aerial version can now be [[ledge-cancel]]ed.}}

*{{change|Dash attack can slip off edges like in ''Melee''.}}

*{{change|Warlock Punch is now reversible. Its turn occurs slightly later than in ''Brawl'', but can be performed up to four times.}}

*{{nerf|Up tilt's initial hitbox has slightly more start-up, and lasts one frame shorter (from frames 3-12 to 5-11).}}

*{{nerf|Ganondorf's down taunt attack now receives light armor instead of [[super armor]]. It also hits 1 frame later, now matching the move's animation.}}

*{{change|As an aesthetic when wearing the ''Ocarina of Time'' costume, Ganondorf will wield [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CH5MOn4VEAIty72.jpg a different sword], similar to one seen in [http://www.ssbwiki.com/images/2/27/Ganondorf_SSBM.jpg his render for ''Melee''] upon using his down taunt and down taunt attack.}}

| || 7% (hand), 8% (body) || Ganondorf performs a quick palm strike that [[Electric|electrocutes]] enemies on contact.

===Notable players===

*{{Sm|Arty|USA}}

*{{Sm|BAP|UK}}

*{{Sm|Darkrain|USA}}

*{{Sm|Hungry Headcrab|USA}}

*{{Sm|Junebug|USA}}

*{{Sm|Kage|Canada}}

*{{Sm|Mr. Brandandorf|USA}}

*{{Sm|n0ne|Canada}}

*{{Sm|Spider Sense|USA}}

*{{Sm|Syrox|USA}}

*{{Sm|Vex Kasrani|USA}}

Ganondorf has an alternate costume based on his appearance in ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' and ''Melee''. This costume also changes the Sword of Sages from ''The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess'' that he pulls out during his down taunt into the sword he is depicted with (but never uses) in ''Melee''.

The set comes with recolors for team battles, as well as a purple recolor; his ''Ocarina of Time'' color scheme was replaced to make room.

|colspan=8|[[Image:Ganondorf Palette (PM).png|frame|center|Ganondorf's alternate costumes in PM]]

*Oddly, prior to Version 3.6, whenever the player selected Ganondorf with the red or blue Ocarina of Time costumes, the stock icons would be reversed. (The blue costume would use the red stock icon and vice versa.) A similar issue also happened with [[Meta_Knight_(PM)|Meta Knight]]'s Dark and Concept Art costumes.