Link to original post: GHNeko's Guide on: How To Raise A Scrub
Hello All is Brawl, it's your local neighborhood smasher and resident Brawl+ player. I like to play Smash Bros. That, my friend, is a fact of life. We all like to play Smash Bros. I'm pretty sure plenty of people do. I mean, look at the sales.
We're all part of a large community that belongs to a single series. We're all part of the Smash Community. Whether we're here to play competitively (i.e. go to tourneys, play with tourney based rules, practice said rules constantly with friends and/or rivals, bet money in money matches, and/or dive into the hidden depth of Smash Bros - learn match-ups, create tier lists, analyze frame data) or we're here for casual play (i.e. Free-For-Alls with/without items, play on banned stages, banning of cheap tactics from play), we're all part of this community for a reason everyone else can relate to, and for that we stick together and keep in contact with each other, forming bonds, meeting up, showing hospitality by housing OOS players, help people learn new things/from their mistakes/from their ignorance. We're generally nice to each other even though we argue a lot, though that could be debatable. But when it all comes down to it, we love Smash.
Now that I got this out of the way, there are plenty of people out of the community of Smash that love the series and its games. Every now and then, the love for the series in people out of the community tends to grow to the point where they love it more than their friends. Because of this, they move closer to the area of where the community of smash inhabits. They become potential community members, and can become like us. A smasher. Not just a player of the game. Their interest is strong, but their dedication and passion is not there, if it is, its barely there and no where near solidified. At this point, they are a fragile egg, and based on the environment around they can either grow into a smasher or simply be turned of by the elitists or just general *******s of the Smash community shooing them away.
Now, this is where this guide comes in.
“The derogatory term “scrub” means several different things. One definition is someone (especially a game player) who is not good at something (especially a game). By this definition, we all start out as scrubs, and there is certainly no shame in that. [...]”
~Sirlin, http://www.sirlin.net/ptw-book/intermediates-guide.html
We've all been at that point. We all made that choice to dive into the world of Smash on a higher level than the norm. And when we made that first choice, we all were scrubs. I was a scrub. You were a scrub. We ALL were scrubs. No exceptions. Even M2K was a scrub. Even Chudat. Even Ken. Even PC Chris. HugS. Bob Money. Ally. DSF. Lain. The list extends to every Professional, Semi-Pro, Pro-Amateur. There are no exceptions. But this guide is not about that. This guide is about people who are scrubs. And how to raise them so they stop being one. If you have a friend who is a scrub, use this guide on them, and I bet they wont be one for much longer.
To help your scrub become a full-fledged competitive player. Find out if that person “Plays to Win.” By this, I don't mean tier-***** the best characters (Melee Fox and Marth and Brawl MK), but resort to any working tactic that can be abused in order to secure victory WHEN YOU NEED TO. That doesn't mean play as such all the time, but when you find a tactic that works you abuse the hell out of it, regardless of how cheap/unfair/dishonorable it makes you look in the process. If your a D3 playing a DK, you can choose not to use the infinite, but you the moment your victory is at stake (if its allowed) you use the infinite to secure your victory. If the infinite is banned, you abuse a chaingrab to win. Simple. If you're Marth fighting a Fox in Melee, and that Fox is at 0%. You up-throw chaingrab until the right percent when you finish the combo with an utilt to dair or something and you continue to do that until you win. When you have a tactic that works, is extremely solid, and is winning you the match, why do you need to stop using it? You don't. Honor takes a back seat in most cases. That is a “Play to Win” mentality, and if your scrub has this mentality, move on to the next step.
When you read this, you may wonder what do I mean by, “Basics of Smash.” By this, I mean all the terms you need to know in the competitive community. Teach him the rules of Competitive Smash for which ever version of Smash that scrub is playing. Teach him what stages are legal and illegal and for WHAT reason. Teach him what is banned, what isn't banned, and why. These things are general basics for the Smash game they are learning to be competitive in, so not only do they need this information so they know what to expect in a tourney, but to use as a standard in conversations with other smashers. In generally every serious conversation, terms are constantly thrown around - if your scrub cannot comprehend the nature of Giyga...err..of the conversation taking place, your scrub will be extremely lost and unable to participate or develop knowledge. Teach them the basics. It sets a reliable base for them to build upon.
Yes. Teach them to STOP JOHNING. When we are start out in Smash, we make constant excuses when we lose.
“Aw man. That was so cheap. I would of one if you hadn't don't that.”
“Wtf. That was stupid. You didn't really win cuz I messed up like that.”
“OMG. That character is soooo cheap wtf. Pick someone else so I can win.”
Stupid? Yes. Annoying? Extremely. Are you going to experience this in raising your scrub? Of course. The thing is, you can control HOW LONG both of you have to deal with this. The reason your scrub needs to stop johning as soon as possible is not only that is it annoying as hell, but that when they make excuses when something doesn't go their way, they put up mental barriers. They make an excuse, blame something else, and think it wasn't their fault (even though it was probably avoidable) when they should instead be learning how to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Also, you look really bad when you john.
Your scrub must realize that he is bad at Smash, and will continue to stay as such until they get better. He must keep his ego in check and realize how much more people will 3 or 4 stock him/her until the morning as he plays people who actually are good at Smash. He should also learn that he is a scrub and that he knows nothing about Smash. The sooner the scrub realizes this the better, as that is when they can start seriously improving.
Tiers exist and denying such is ignorance. BUT, they are NOT set in stone. A lower tier can beat a higher tier if the lower tier plays better, but it is often significantly harder than the other way around. Scrubs need to realize that if they use a bottom/low/mid tier character, their chances of winning tourneys with a standard level of skill are basically null. And they also need to realize that if they use a high/top tier character they aren't guaranteed any wins. Its not that easy. Just because you use Marth/Fox (Melee) or Snake/MK (Brawl) doesn't mean you'll be winning tourneys left and right.
Whether your scrub wins or loses a tourney match or money match or even a friendly, attitude is important. Teach them sportsmanship. Make sure they know to shake their opponents hand, say their compliments and their GGs - even if the other guy is a total prick about winning or losing. He'll be the better smasher in that scenario, respect will be gained, and new friends can be obtained. This also means no ******** gloating (teach them to be careful with the trash talk too).
We know you don't know everything, so you can't teach your Scrub every single thing. That's why you should encourage them to learn from sources around him. Watch videos on youtube. Check out character specific forums on Smash-based sites. Ask other smashers for matchup help. The works. When your scrub gets used to learning from other sources, that's when he is really becoming a true smasher as he's acting on his own rather than just following you around.
Once you have taught your Scrub all of these things, I bet you that Scrub will become a true Smasher in no time. By that point, the Scrub will generally know the scene, know how to be a Smasher that people want to play, and be fully part of the Smash community.
GHNeko's Guide on:
How to Raise a Scrub into Smasher
How to Raise a Scrub into Smasher
Hello All is Brawl, it's your local neighborhood smasher and resident Brawl+ player. I like to play Smash Bros. That, my friend, is a fact of life. We all like to play Smash Bros. I'm pretty sure plenty of people do. I mean, look at the sales.
*whistle*
We're all part of a large community that belongs to a single series. We're all part of the Smash Community. Whether we're here to play competitively (i.e. go to tourneys, play with tourney based rules, practice said rules constantly with friends and/or rivals, bet money in money matches, and/or dive into the hidden depth of Smash Bros - learn match-ups, create tier lists, analyze frame data) or we're here for casual play (i.e. Free-For-Alls with/without items, play on banned stages, banning of cheap tactics from play), we're all part of this community for a reason everyone else can relate to, and for that we stick together and keep in contact with each other, forming bonds, meeting up, showing hospitality by housing OOS players, help people learn new things/from their mistakes/from their ignorance. We're generally nice to each other even though we argue a lot, though that could be debatable. But when it all comes down to it, we love Smash.
Now that I got this out of the way, there are plenty of people out of the community of Smash that love the series and its games. Every now and then, the love for the series in people out of the community tends to grow to the point where they love it more than their friends. Because of this, they move closer to the area of where the community of smash inhabits. They become potential community members, and can become like us. A smasher. Not just a player of the game. Their interest is strong, but their dedication and passion is not there, if it is, its barely there and no where near solidified. At this point, they are a fragile egg, and based on the environment around they can either grow into a smasher or simply be turned of by the elitists or just general *******s of the Smash community shooing them away.
Now, this is where this guide comes in.
“The derogatory term “scrub” means several different things. One definition is someone (especially a game player) who is not good at something (especially a game). By this definition, we all start out as scrubs, and there is certainly no shame in that. [...]”
~Sirlin, http://www.sirlin.net/ptw-book/intermediates-guide.html
We've all been at that point. We all made that choice to dive into the world of Smash on a higher level than the norm. And when we made that first choice, we all were scrubs. I was a scrub. You were a scrub. We ALL were scrubs. No exceptions. Even M2K was a scrub. Even Chudat. Even Ken. Even PC Chris. HugS. Bob Money. Ally. DSF. Lain. The list extends to every Professional, Semi-Pro, Pro-Amateur. There are no exceptions. But this guide is not about that. This guide is about people who are scrubs. And how to raise them so they stop being one. If you have a friend who is a scrub, use this guide on them, and I bet they wont be one for much longer.
1. First, find out if your Scrub plays to win.
To help your scrub become a full-fledged competitive player. Find out if that person “Plays to Win.” By this, I don't mean tier-***** the best characters (Melee Fox and Marth and Brawl MK), but resort to any working tactic that can be abused in order to secure victory WHEN YOU NEED TO. That doesn't mean play as such all the time, but when you find a tactic that works you abuse the hell out of it, regardless of how cheap/unfair/dishonorable it makes you look in the process. If your a D3 playing a DK, you can choose not to use the infinite, but you the moment your victory is at stake (if its allowed) you use the infinite to secure your victory. If the infinite is banned, you abuse a chaingrab to win. Simple. If you're Marth fighting a Fox in Melee, and that Fox is at 0%. You up-throw chaingrab until the right percent when you finish the combo with an utilt to dair or something and you continue to do that until you win. When you have a tactic that works, is extremely solid, and is winning you the match, why do you need to stop using it? You don't. Honor takes a back seat in most cases. That is a “Play to Win” mentality, and if your scrub has this mentality, move on to the next step.
2. Teach your Scrub ALL the basics of Smash.
When you read this, you may wonder what do I mean by, “Basics of Smash.” By this, I mean all the terms you need to know in the competitive community. Teach him the rules of Competitive Smash for which ever version of Smash that scrub is playing. Teach him what stages are legal and illegal and for WHAT reason. Teach him what is banned, what isn't banned, and why. These things are general basics for the Smash game they are learning to be competitive in, so not only do they need this information so they know what to expect in a tourney, but to use as a standard in conversations with other smashers. In generally every serious conversation, terms are constantly thrown around - if your scrub cannot comprehend the nature of Giyga...err..of the conversation taking place, your scrub will be extremely lost and unable to participate or develop knowledge. Teach them the basics. It sets a reliable base for them to build upon.
3. Teach your Scrub to STOP JOHNING.
Yes. Teach them to STOP JOHNING. When we are start out in Smash, we make constant excuses when we lose.
“Aw man. That was so cheap. I would of one if you hadn't don't that.”
“Wtf. That was stupid. You didn't really win cuz I messed up like that.”
“OMG. That character is soooo cheap wtf. Pick someone else so I can win.”
Stupid? Yes. Annoying? Extremely. Are you going to experience this in raising your scrub? Of course. The thing is, you can control HOW LONG both of you have to deal with this. The reason your scrub needs to stop johning as soon as possible is not only that is it annoying as hell, but that when they make excuses when something doesn't go their way, they put up mental barriers. They make an excuse, blame something else, and think it wasn't their fault (even though it was probably avoidable) when they should instead be learning how to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Also, you look really bad when you john.
4. Teach your Scrub he is not the best, and that he is bad at Smash, and that he is a Scrub.
Your scrub must realize that he is bad at Smash, and will continue to stay as such until they get better. He must keep his ego in check and realize how much more people will 3 or 4 stock him/her until the morning as he plays people who actually are good at Smash. He should also learn that he is a scrub and that he knows nothing about Smash. The sooner the scrub realizes this the better, as that is when they can start seriously improving.
5.Teach your Scrub that Tiers are NOT set in stone nor are they End-All, but they do matter and they are real.
Tiers exist and denying such is ignorance. BUT, they are NOT set in stone. A lower tier can beat a higher tier if the lower tier plays better, but it is often significantly harder than the other way around. Scrubs need to realize that if they use a bottom/low/mid tier character, their chances of winning tourneys with a standard level of skill are basically null. And they also need to realize that if they use a high/top tier character they aren't guaranteed any wins. Its not that easy. Just because you use Marth/Fox (Melee) or Snake/MK (Brawl) doesn't mean you'll be winning tourneys left and right.
6. Teach your Scrub some sportsmanship.
Whether your scrub wins or loses a tourney match or money match or even a friendly, attitude is important. Teach them sportsmanship. Make sure they know to shake their opponents hand, say their compliments and their GGs - even if the other guy is a total prick about winning or losing. He'll be the better smasher in that scenario, respect will be gained, and new friends can be obtained. This also means no ******** gloating (teach them to be careful with the trash talk too).
7. Teach your Scrub to learn not only from you, but from everyone else.
We know you don't know everything, so you can't teach your Scrub every single thing. That's why you should encourage them to learn from sources around him. Watch videos on youtube. Check out character specific forums on Smash-based sites. Ask other smashers for matchup help. The works. When your scrub gets used to learning from other sources, that's when he is really becoming a true smasher as he's acting on his own rather than just following you around.
Once you have taught your Scrub all of these things, I bet you that Scrub will become a true Smasher in no time. By that point, the Scrub will generally know the scene, know how to be a Smasher that people want to play, and be fully part of the Smash community.
Congratulations. You've just raised a Scrub into a Smasher.
Thanks to Andarel for peer-editting and suggestions, Thanks to Sir J for a late suggesiton, And Thank you 2link for helping as well. <3
