Ganondorf (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Ganondorf has been considerably buffed in the transition from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4'', albeit not enough to raise his standing among the cast. Aside from a few minor animation changes and different [[custom moves]], Ganondorf is still a [[semi-clone]] of {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}, having even been slightly re-cloned with his down aerial and neutral aerial's first hit functioning almost exactly like Falcon's, albeit the latter having no set knockback and an added hitbox on the foot with increased knockback. Outside of this, some of his moves are faster (notably neutral attack, dash attack, and neutral aerial), have even more power (most notably down smash, back aerial, and Wizard's Foot), or deal more damage (notably up smash, forward aerial, and Flame Choke)  His dash attack's sourspot has vastly improved combo potential, while the sourspots on some of his attack are less of a hindrance now due to either having consistent knockback on all their hitboxes and/or deal more damage. Unlike many other characters who got increases in landing lag, Ganondorf's aerials have less landing lag, most prominently forward and down aerials, while the others are still noticeable as well. His slowest but most rewarding moves, such as his up tilt and [[Warlock Punch]], are much easier to land and are even more powerful. His grab game has been slightly improved, though it remains very poor. One of the most notable changes is that the use of [[Flame Choke]] for [[Ganoncide|Ganonciding]] now consistently KOs the opponent before Ganondorf, allowing it to be used as a guaranteed win if both players in a one-on-one match are on their last stock.

Ganondorf also significantly benefits from the general changes of ''SSB4''. The removal of [[chain grab]]bing, which heavily plagued Ganondorf in previous games, improves his survival, while the changes to [[hitstun canceling]], now only being possible after frame 40, allows a reasonable period for Ganondorf's attacks to connect better (notably from down throw) and makes opponents less capable of attacking him right out of [[Dark Dive]] (though it is still very capable of being attacked out). The removal of damage reduction on [[shield]]s and increased [[shieldstun]] allows many of Ganondorf's attacks to break them more easily, the introduction of edge-stealing which allows Ganondorf to edge-hog more effectively while limiting his opponents' ability to do the same (which is only helped by his ledge grab animation being the lowest and safest in the game). Additionally, the new [[rage]] mechanic greatly strengthens his already high overall knockback, which he can benefit from even further due to his heavier weight.

However, Ganondorf also received noteworthy nerfs. His forward smash no longer has extra reach when pivoted, and while [[Warlock Punch]] was improved overall, it is much weaker unless reversed or performed in midair. Despite being infamous for his poor recovery, Ganondorf is even easier to edgeguard due to the removal of [[armor|grab armor]] and his low [[air speed]] being nearly reduced to what it was in ''Melee''. His down aerial is also significantly weaker, lasts shorter, and no longer [[autocancel]]s with a [[short hop]], drastically weakening its utility despite having significantly less landing lag and greater reach. He can no longer perform the Flight of Ganon, noticeably hindering his aerial game. The biggest nerf Ganondorf received was to Flame Choke, his staple move in ''Brawl'': it not only lost its grab armor, but when grounded, it can now be [[tech]]ed before Ganondorf can act. This enforces unreliable hard reads, and if Ganondorf reads incorrectly, his slow attack speed will ensure he can get punished. In addition to his nerfs, some glaring flaws, outside of universal changes, from ''Brawl'' were not addressed, such as his low mobility and poor recovery, while the only issues that were addressed were his unusually low attack power in spite of his character archetype and, to a lesser extent, less landing lag for his aerials and slightly faster start-up in some areas.

Overall, Ganondorf is considered a much better and more rewarding character overall compared to how he was in ''Brawl''. However, this has barely helped his standing on the tier list, due to the vast number of his fellow [[veteran]]s having been buffed as well, while he also remains arguably inferior to how he was in ''Melee'' in certain aspects. The changes to Ganondorf and his fellow veterans are also somewhat evident in his match-ups against them; while he generally fares poorly against them, his match-ups are not as abysmal as they were in ''Brawl''. Lastly, some of Ganondorf's custom moves address a few of his glaring flaws to the point that they noticeably improve him even further, although it is very debatable as to whether their benefits make him as viable as he was in ''Melee''.

*{{buff| The removal of [[chain grabbing]] significantly improves Ganondorf's endurance.}}

*{{buff|[[Neutral attack]] deals 1% more damage (5%/7%/9% → 6%/8%/10%) and has decreased startup (8 frames → 7) and ending lag ([[IASA]] 34 → 29), improving its [[out of shield]] potential. Its sweetspot and sourspot were moved 1 unit forward and backward respectively (x position 18/12 → 19/11), decreasing the blind spots covering his body while slightly increasing its range.}}

*{{nerf|Neutral attack has reduced knockback (40/30/40 (base)/105 (growth) → 38/30/40 (base)/90/90/105 (growth)), making it slightly weaker despite its damage increase.}}

*{{buff|Sourspotted dash attack has an altered angle (100° → 80°) and has decreased ending lag (IASA 41 → 38), improving its combo potential.}}

*{{buff|[[Up tilt]] deals 1% more damage (17%/19%/27%/27% → 18%/20%/28%/28%). Additionally, it deals more shield damage across all hitboxes (0 → 20), on top of shields taking 19% more damage, which allows its sweetspot to instantly shatter even full shields. Lastly, the changes in ledge mechanics also makes it much easier to trap opponents with, improving its edgeguarding potential.}}

*{{buff|Sweetspotted [[forward smash]] has increased base knockback (30 → 35), slightly improving its KO potential.}}

*{{nerf|Ganondorf no longer lunges farther when performing a pivoted forward smash, decreasing its range.}}

*{{buff|[[Up smash]] deals 2% more damage (19%/22%/22% → 21%/24%/24%) and has slightly higher knockback growth (70 → 71), making it the strongest up smash in ''Smash 4''. It also has marginally decreased ending lag (IASA 43 → 42).}}

*{{buff|[[Down smash]] deals 1% more damage (5% → 6% (hit 1), 12%/14%/14% → 13%/15%/15% (hit 2) and the second hit has increased knockback growth (75 → 94) and larger hitboxes (5.5u → 6.5u), improving its KO potential and making the move function similarly to how it did in ''Melee''. The second hit now pushes away shielding opponents rather than dragging them toward him, making the move safer.}}

*{{buff|[[Neutral aerial]]'s first kick has significantly decreased knockback growth (100 → 30), has altered angles (55°/60°/65° → 55°/70°/100°) and transitions into its second hit faster (frame 20 → 17), making the hits link much more reliably similar to {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}'s neutral aerial. It also gained a hitbox on his foot with significantly increased knockback (20 (base)/100 (growth) → 50/110), improving its spacing potential when hitting with his foot. The second kick also deals more damage (7% (clean)/5% (late) → 12%/9%), has increased knockback growth (100 → 106) and a larger hitbox (4.3u/5.7u/6.2u → 4.5u/5.7u/7.4u), restoring its KO potential from ''Melee''. It also has decreased ending lag (IASA 45 → 42).}}

*{{buff|[[Forward aerial]] and [[back aerial]]s deal more damage, with higher and consistent knockback (forward: 15% (sourspot)/17% (sweetspot) → 17%/18%, 30/48 (base)/80/83 (growth) → 20/93); (back: 16% → 16%/17%, 10/28 (base)/85 (growth) → 40/89), making the sourspots much less of a hindrance.}}

*{{buff|Sourspotted down aerial now launches at the [[Sakurai angle]], improving its onstage edgeguarding and KO potentials and granting the move spacing potential. The reduced [[tech]] window and the move's high hitlag also makes down aerial remain untechable by grounded opponents unlike all other meteor smashes.}}

*{{nerf|Down aerial has a shorter duration (16-20 → 16-18), has decreased base knockback (30 → 20), and deals 3% less damage on the sweetspot (22% → 19%). This makes it meteor smash grounded opponents later (0% → 10%) and KO grounded opponents later (100% → 120%), though it is still the most powerful meteor smash in the game. It can also no longer [[autocancel]] with a short hop, hindering its combo potential and making Ganondorf more susceptible to being punished at very low percentages. The sourspot also further worsens the move's offstage edgeguarding ability at low percentages.}}

*{{nerf|Grounded [[Warlock Punch]] deals 2% less damage (32% → 30%) and has altered knockback (30 (base)/100 (growth) → 120/42), considerably hindering its KO potential.}}

*{{nerf|Flame Choke can now be [[tech]]ed, though the grounded version's low ending lag allows [[tech-chasing]]. The removal of grab armor makes it easier to intercept, as traded blows will interrupt the grab. This makes Ganonciding slightly more difficult to perform and thus less of a deterrent for opponents edgeguarding Ganondorf.}}

*{{buff|[[Dark Dive]] deals 2.8% more damage (11% → 13.8%) and knockback growth (82 → 90), improving its out of shield potential and allowing it to KO reliably, unlike in ''Brawl''. The changes to hitstun canceling now results in opponents no longer being able to attack Ganondorf after he releases them from Dark Dive, improving its defensive potential.}}