Flame Choke
| Flame Choke | |
|---|---|
 Ganondorf uses Flame choke on Marth. | |
| User | Ganondorf |
| Universe | Smash Bros. |
Flame Choke is Ganondorf's side special move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, replacing Gerudo Dragon from Super Smash Bros. Melee. When used, Ganondorf charges at his opponent, similarly to Gerudo Dragon, but he grabs the opponent by the head and attacks them with a dark pulse, before slamming them into the ground. Once he makes the grab, he cannot be knocked out of it (he has super armor while he has an opponent in his grip). It can be quickly followed up by a quick attack, such as Ganondorf's neutral attack and down tilt.
Overview
When the move is used mid-air, both Ganondorf and the grabbed foe are launched directly towards to the ground (which can cause Ganoncide). If Ganondorf performs this move in the air while going through a soft platform (half body above platform and half below) then he will grab the opponent also performing a Ganoncide (however, he has no knockback resistance in the air). This makes it difficult to chase him off the edge, because as a last resort, he takes the opponent down with him, which can be beneficial particularly if Ganondorf is a stock/point up. Also, when Ganondorf does the move in the air, he can slightly alter it's path, slamming the foe more to the left, or more to the right.
If this is used while on the ground with the opponent near the edge of the stage, it can "Meteor Smash" the opponent straight down off of the edge, However, this is not very useful as it has set knockback and is too weak to prevent most characters from recovering with their up special move. They will also grab the ledge if possible. If Ganondorf rolls correctly as his opponent tries to recover after being grabbed, he can re-grab his opponent, allowing the possibility of an infinite chain grab. This makes Flame Choke one of Ganondorf's few ways of racking up damage on his opponent. At low percentages, Ganondorf can follow with a down tilt and knock the opponent in the air, and the jump and catch them in another Flame Choke. He can repeatedly use this to rack up damage.
Being a grab move, this move works through shields and counters, and Ganondorf has knockback resistance in mid-grab. This allows Ganondorf to, for example, snag a passing Wario off his motorcycle.
Unlike Captain Falcon's Raptor Boost, this move does not cause Ganondorf to trip and fall if he misses on the ground. It does, however, still put him into a helpless state if he uses it in the air.
If Ganondorf is too close to an edge when he uses the move on the ground, he will instantly go into a helpless state and fall, the same as Captain Falcon's Raptor Boost. However, unlike Captain Falcon, Ganondorf has a chance to move towards the ledge and grab it (if it can be grabbed) before he falls to his death.
In Brawl's Home Run Contest, if used on the Sandbag, the move will fail. Ganondorf will pass through the sandbag just like any other grab-related special on any other item.
Origin
Ganondorf performs a similar rushing move in Twilight Princess that kills one of the sages who impaled him, though lacking the dark flames. In the GameCube version of Twilight Princess, Ganondorf uses his right hand, which is inscribed with the Triforce of Power, whereas in Brawl, he uses his left hand. Ganondorf's slight ambidextrous capabilities in Brawl are likely due to the mirrored Wii version of Twilight Princess.
Gallery
The initial pose Ganondorf does before he rushes forwards.
Link falls out of the choke at the move's conclusion.
Trivia
- Many Ganondorf players tend to refer to the move in shorthand as the "Gerudo", as if the move were still named "Gerudo Dragon".
- Unlike some other side special grabs such as Force Palm, the player can't escape from Flame Choke even if the victim is giant. The whole screen shakes when Flame Choke is used on the victim.
- Depending which stage it's used on, the aerial variation may have different effects. On Norfair, Ganondorf can bounce in the lava but the trapped opponent doesn't bounce on it on the first hit. On certain portions of Port Town Aero Dive, it's possible to have Ganondorf survive while the other character is dragged off the screen. On other stages, both characters or neither may be KOd.
- If Ganondorf used Flame Choke in an attempt to grab a ledge on the touring platform of Halberd, Ganondorf would simply ignore the ledge, go through the platform, and be left helpless, resulting in a very likely Self destruct.
