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View Full Version : Khai's In-Depth Look on TL vs Snake!


ImpactAR
11-17-2008, 10:27 PM
This is a topic I want to discuss is the TL vs Snake match up.

To my surprise, this match up still goes even up to this day. I didn't really post much about this match before because I figured the board as a whole will come to the same conclusion I have. Snake counters TL.

I want to point out some properties of each character to help explain my conclusion.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH SNAKES

I play two good Snake players regular. One has a very projectile game including a very good cooking game and somehow works aerials better than I think Snake can. Works the ground good too. He does main Snake have placed tournaments though recently he's been to busy.

The other is a more well rounded Snake exploiting each of Snakes good aspect to a good degree. He mains Pit, but in certain match ups he will go Snake because it's "easier" or more advantageous. I was to first to suffer this strategy when he surprise me when he counter picked Snake against me in a tournament. What a jerk! :D He also placed tournaments.

I have lost to NC's Ali in tournaments a few times as TL. He plays more of a campy Snake. That's the extent of my campy Snake experiences. Another placer.

GENERAL FLOW OF MATCHES

Snake does much higher damage per hit and hits harder. TL has to work much harder to rack up damage in order to KO Snake and already have natural difficulty KOing in general. On the other hand, Snake can rack up damage with far less hits and have safer and more effective kill moves and can kill TL as 1/3 less that what TL needs to kill Snake.

CLOSE RANGE

Snake's Jabs, Ftilt, and Utilt versus TL's Jabs, Bair, and Nair. What else can I say. TL is at a bad end of the damage ratio here.

Combo-wise, TL can rack up 40-50% damage on Snake to begin with given the bad DI. But after that 40-50%, is there a reliable and effective way to build up damage while avoiding damage yourself? Not so much.

MID RANGE & REACH

At this range you are in Snake's Ftilt, QDA, or DAC's range. Reverse it. Snake is in TL's projectile range, but requires a bit more time to come out or set up. Starting off with a Zair or a surprise Dash Nair is really your move reliable options. Here you're still at a worst damage ratio here and now add quickness of reach.

Nintendo also added that crappy property on dashes where you can catch items so Snake players have to option to QDA or DAC and catch the bombs by chance. If you have a bomb in hand, and you throw them Snake may catch it and connect the dash attack. If they mistimed it than the explosion may occur and it will do damage to both players. If you don't throw it and defend, Snake's dash attack has fairly good recovery making hard for you to punish. This gives Snake players a low risk, yet high return during this situation.

LONG DISTANCE & SPAMMING

Have you guys notice getting hit by Snakes grenade does as much damage as TL's arrows? No, I don't mean having an explosion appear in front of your face Just plain getting hit smack dab in the face with a grenade.

From a far, Snake can pull out a grenade and toss it further and faster than TL send an arrow. TL bombs have more of a mid range reach. You can "see" TL projectiles coming at you easily. Now if it was cooked it would even be more damage.

AERIAL GAME

This is TL's only real advantage. He's faster, more agile, and take it to the air faster. But honestly the only real safe bet is to rain down bombs and that doesn't rack up damage fast.

One quick second from Snake's Utilt or Uair could even out your hard earned damage of 20 seconds of raining down bombs.

MY MATCH CONCLUSION

30/70

FINAL WORDS

Now, by all means I could be wrong. I don't want to discourage people from playing this match up because through trial and error someone may find a way. However, my experiences as gotten me to this theory.

Also, let me add that I do not have trouble as TL against players who do not have "high level" Snake tactics. Nowadays I do have even/favorable matches against high level Snake play. But just not as TL.

Comments? Thoughts? Discussion time!

NEXT!

I'll post an in-depth look at TL vs Pit!

sasukebowser
11-17-2008, 10:51 PM
Shouldn't it go here?:
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=184371

QUIVO
11-17-2008, 10:57 PM
I think it's kinda even

Rawrness
11-17-2008, 11:40 PM
TL has a chance to outcamp Snake.
Stay in the air so he can't Ftilt you well. But then again...uptilt..and AAA.

Bombs blow up grenades. Rang to disarm mines.
Zair. K thanks.

ImpactAR
11-18-2008, 12:03 AM
Bombs blows up grenades?! Or is it the other way around. But serious this accomplish nothing. Snake also can SH and throw a grenade over bombs, while TL has very weak arms...

Boomerang setting off Snake's Dsmash doesn't hurt Snake.

I do not agree with this idea that TL can "out camp" Snake. TL's projectile is more flexible while Snakes projectiles is faster, in a sense, and more powerful. If anything people who thinks this match up is even is suggesting to maneuvering around Snake, taking it to the air most of the time, and keep within TL projectile range.

But do you really think that the Snake player will not adjust to this? Adapt and looks for the chance to punish? I mean, I don't think count two jumps is that difficult and chasing landings are that hard. I think some people are making Snake slower than he really is.

I have to say that its so odd that there some TL players think 3/7 and some think 5/5, but we all say the same thing about TL advantages and disadvantages with this match up. I agree that TL is quick and agile and has the means to out maneuver Snake. But Snake has the means of catching TL if he guess correct and when he does it does enough damage to "equal" to TL's damage. If you run around and work to hit with 3 or 4 bombs or what not, but when Snake hits and Ftilt and does the near similar amount of damage doesn't that say something. AND he kills TL at 100ish% while TL needs to get Snake to 150%.

Santi
11-18-2008, 12:16 AM
Good to see you active again ImpactAR.

Im gonna go bug Xyro. Because I played Ultimate Razer at the last tourney we went to. and I'm not sure if he recorded our set.

ImpactAR
11-18-2008, 05:24 PM
Actually I'm always active. But I only post on topics that has to do with game play or events. There are so few topics that focuses on game play and so many that just are more social type. Four years of being an active smash board members yet some people who just joined last year has 3 or 4 times the posts I have... :(

Santi
11-18-2008, 06:02 PM
Actually I'm always active. But I only post on topics that has to do with game play or events. There are so few topics that focuses on game play and so many that just are more social type. Four years of being an active smash board members yet some people who just joined last year has 3 or 4 times the posts I have... :(

I see I see.
Well I got to get ready for work but I'll make some contributions after I get off.

Santi
11-18-2008, 11:02 PM
Some quick things before I get to homework.

SPACE ZAIR PERFECT PEOPLE!
You can not be hitting with the middle of zair in the air. You will eat a Ftilt everytime. It's possible to space a zair perfect and hit with the very tip. If you do this and it's close to the ground, you poke at snake and also stay safe from his tilts. (Which is the most important part)
Snakes sometimes use their moves without caution. That's when I come in with Nair. When you perfect space zair and snake tries to punish, he will wiff his Ftilt when he tries to punish and that's when he's open. When he's vulnerable like that, make him eat your nair.
I use nair in that situation more than any because when you just hit his shield with nair, snake can punish you.

When you keep at that space where your at a full zair length away, that's when this matchup can become a little easier. Bomb then zair that man =)
You can throw the bomb after zair and it will keep you safe for when he tries to drop shield and throw his gernade.

Snake's will then usually go with their Snake dash as their other option. When you keep that mid range distance, it will be easier to see that mortar slide coming. Then you can be prepared shield, and since your mid range, Snake's mortar slide will end up a little behind your shield. Jump out of shield and bair. That's how I get the Snakes I play into the air.

I shut down their tilt punishing game and do my best against their gernades. They start to mortar slide. I get them in the air and try to rape.
Ofcourse the Snake's wont just stand in shield and get hit with this.
They will approach cautiously perfect shielding and whatnot.

I then take my camp game high and hit them from above with bomb throws and drops.



Also, I sometimes get in close and bait them into Ftilting my shield.... I shield first hit, then spot dodge second hit... and I'm free to grab,nair, upsmash, etc. I love doing that =)

Anything in particular giving people trouble.

QUIVO
11-18-2008, 11:26 PM
I acutally take back what I said. It's kinda more 6/4 Snake

TheJerm
11-19-2008, 11:12 AM
Yea, I agree with quivo. Its more 6/4, or 4.5/5.5 snake xD

I started out playing a snake, and he's pretty good. Mainly you just have to watch the titls and dash attack. We can kinda go even with him on out camping if we use our stuff properly. You can also use his items to your advantage, like the gernades. Catch them with an air dodge to zair, then use it on them however you like. I usually run up to the snake and block cause they think we would just through it at them. If they plant a mime, shoot a normal arrow, low to the ground and it will activate it. Or you can throw a bomb at it.

Also, remember to punish his recovery, but watch out for his arials. There dangerous. There's more, but I havnt played my friends snake in a few months, ima try and go to his house soon and get some matches recorded for you guys.

ImpactAR
11-19-2008, 12:44 PM
I seem to the only one who seem to deal with cooking and grenade drop cancels.

Also, Snake attacks faster than TL. Here is some data to consider.

Snake's Jab hits on frame 3, Ftilt hits on frame 4, Utilt hits on frame 6. TL's fastest moves, Jab, Nair, and Bair, all hits on frame 6 two of which are Nair and Bair where you need to add the initial frame or two of jumping.

In other words, TL at a disadvantage in terms of attack speed and power.

I'm tossing out data so most probably don't even care. Some of you may even think this is a small factor, but this isn't Melee where moves had low, medium, and high priority. In Brawl your priority comes from the speed of your moves. So this does matter.

Counters have the ability to exploit weaknesses. With Snake this is a MUST! Snake counters such as DDD and Falco have chain grabs. ROB has incredible air game. Snake is simply a counter to a lot of characters because he's just so strong and the characters can't keep up or have a reliable kill set up against Snake. TL is one of them.

You can be a slow character and be a power force. TL against Snake doesn't not show this trait. Snake is NOT a slow character and is a powerful force. DK against Snake on the other hand does come a bit closer to the power against speed.

TL has faster maneuverability in the air and is more "flexible." Snake has faster attacks with range and power.

Santi's right, Zair and Bombs are your best options against Snake. But this still hinders the pace of this match up. TL is racking damage slowly while Snake is looking for that chance to punish which has high damage tacked on.

QUIVO
11-19-2008, 12:51 PM
I usually try keeping them too busy to cook their grenades. When I played Forward's snake, he told me he quit using his nades cause he couldn't hit me with them.

His Ftilt and jab are probably the most frustrating moves imo. It's like you try doing a fair or nair so you can go on the other side of the shield, but he can just turn around out of a shield real quick and jab/ftilt you.

I agree with santi too with bombs and zair, but even then I sometimes purposely miss. It's just too risky sometimes and you can bait them into running into a nair or arrow cancel.

I also thought Rob countered snake? Overswarm always told me this, and IIRC he beat dsf in a MM vs his snake.

iRjOn
11-19-2008, 09:58 PM
Only advice I got is stay mid-range you'll control the match from there cause its too far to ftilt, too close to nade without consiquince and too close for Snake to setup...

This info doesnt put you in less danger for the least dangerous places against Snake are in the air and off stage...so yeah.

But its where T.Link works best in this match up.