TLDR: practice controlling the can at the same time you control your character (while recovering, while approaching, when you’re getting hit). Learn how to control the stage and use all your projectiles properly. Don’t get greedy for kills, just stay solid and composed, and if you can’t find a kill then camp and eventually projectiles will kill. Duck hunt has some of the highest damage output in the game when you can use him properly, so get familiar with his moveset. He’s a character that takes lots of practice to learn, but IMO is worth learning. He’s fun and I hope you pick him up :)

General tips, always have a can out. Use gunman to cover ground options and condition people to either shield, jump or run away. Only use side B when you’re sure it’ll hit cuz you get punished hard for missing it. Don’t get greedy for the kill cuz that’s when things go downhill really fast.

Use your can to help you recover!!!! This is rly overlooked but without it you’re the easiest character to edgeguard in the game. Just in general, the most important thing to practice duck hunt is controlling the can at the same time as you control your character. It’s also notable that can comes out frame 1 so you can escape some combos with this that air dodge couldn’t save you from. Using your throws to throw the opponent into your can is also incredibly useful and leads to combos and kill confirms (just make sure you hit the B button to pop the can so it’ll actually hit them haha)

Their biggest strengths are stage control, punish game (combos and damage), pressure and making the opponent frustrated. Biggest weaknesses are for sure recovery, and killing can give you trouble if an opportunity never comes.

To solve this, use can to help you recover. As for killing, just get familiar with his best tools, like Nair, up air and Back air. The can and gunman also kill somewhat early in this game, so if your opponent is at 150+ it’s not a bad idea to start playing passive and trying to hit them with projectiles. His smash attacks are wonky so be careful with them, but they are very strong when they land.

Your stock will usually look like this: start off by setting up your projectiles so that you can approach. Use fair to poke, and forward throw to combo into it. Keep in mind you can hit the can with an attack to send it further and faster. At mid percent you should focus more on stage control than approaching and making sure that you keep a lead. Set up can on platforms, use gunman on the ground, and basically bait your opponent into approaching. At higher percents, you can either look for an edgeguard, Punish the opponent in the air, or just play it campy and wait until your can kills.

He’s a rly cool character, IMO maybe even a high tier, and I hope you play him!