Warlock Punch
The Warlock Punch is Ganondorf's Neutral B special move. Ganondorf cocks back, charging a punch, for approximately 72 frames while a purple aura surrounds his fist. He then suddenly throws a devastating straight punch.
This move is very powerful as a single move causes 30%-34% damage and has very high knockback. It is an attack that can kill at mid-low damage. Except on utterly defenseless or paralyzed opponents, this attack is very hard to use in combat. A good strategy for this in Team Battle is as soon as an opponents is grabbed by an ally, initiate a Punch, and before it hits, have your ally throw the opponent into range (either Down or Side throws) to stun them and prevent them from escaping. In addition, with precise timing, this move can be used to strike recovering opponents.
In the air, Warlock Punch does about 37%-40%, with higher knockback. This is extremely hard to pull off however without SDing.
This move is essentially a clone move of Captain Falcon's Falcon Punch, nicknamed as "Ganon Punch", but it's slower, deals more damage, and has higher knockback.
Reverse Warlock Punch
There is a new ability for the Warlock Punch. A player can pull off a 180 punch by turning during the charging period. This deals roughly 3% more damage than a normal punch. This move can be done on the ground and in mid-air, but on the downside, it is about 0.5 seconds longer then a normal Warlock Punch.
Doing a Reverse Warlock Punch will deal an even better Warlock Punch if the enemy is inside you. Don't trust this technique for fighting in a Brawl, but this is, at best, a useful tactic in the Home-Run Contest to gain a better score.
Also, the animation for the punch has been changed. Instead of pulling his arm back like a slower Falcon Punch, Ganondorf waves his arms, pulls back both arms while gathering energy, and punches backhanded with his left hand instead of right. This also inflicts a lot of damage to opponents, forcing them off the stage, but some opponents can withstand the Warlock Punch if the damage percentage is zero.
Warlock Punch usually guarantees a kill at around 20-29% damage, the lowest of any special move without special criteria (like Oil Panic).
Gallery
Warlock Punch in Melee
Trivia
- Since Ganondorf is considered a "clone" or semi-clone, some players call this move Ganon Punch, similar to Falcon Punch
- If a player performs a Reverse Warlock Punch on Pit, and Pit pulls out his Mirror Shield at just the right moment, Ganondorf will be sent flying across the stage, stopping at an edge, or off the stage if there is no edge.
- Since this attack is charged with his left hand, it is possible the attack is him tapping into the Triforce of Power he possesses, similar to how Link and Toon Link tap into Triforce of Courage's power for their Final Smash.
- Even though this attack has an obscene charge time, it isn't the slowest attack in Ganondorf's arsenal. His upwards tilt, Volcano Kick, has a charge time of 88 frames.
