Unpredictability

I have been evaluating my play style recently and realized that i become very predictable. try to do different things, but i always end up going back to my "old ways". so my question to you is, ow do you stay unpredictable, and what can I do to work on my predictability?

One thing you could do is do a training match and pick one thing that you usually do that you will NOT do for the whole match. Maybe do this on other people just for friendly matches until you can pick up some new tactics to add to your game to make yourself less predictable.

Isn't Wario...you know...like the king of unpredictability? I can only predict short hopped D-airs for the most part when I fight a good Wario. I would say use Wario's DI to the fullest to mess with players. You can fool them into attacking with short hopped feints, then punish the opening. If your repetitive in approaching people will eventually catch on, which seems to be the case here.

That is of course, going by your main...right?

Rauzaruke said:

Isn't Wario...you know...like the king of unpredictability? I can only predict short hopped D-airs for the most part when I fight a good Wario. I would say use Wario's DI to the fullest to mess with players. You can fool them into attacking with short hopped feints, then punish the opening. If your repetitive in approaching people will eventually catch on, which seems to be the case here.

That is of course, going by your main...right?

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yes, that is right... but what is a "short hopped feints"

This seems like a huge problem for many smashers. I like this topic idea. Hell, I have trouble with it sometimes.

I sometimes make a huge list of possible approaches and combos in all situations (not just the most effective ones). I then look over my old matches via replay (one of the best additions to brawl. :3) and see what I ACTUALLY do in the situations. I usually actually only use very few ideas from my list. ;=; Later, I make a conscious effort to add to my repertoire from the list.

I also try to occasionally pull random **** out of my *** in friendlies to see how a human will respond. Sometimes, even the most useless of all moves can work if done in the right situation (mindgaemz, if you will). Hell, some moves even have a sort of mental effect on your opponent, as stated by a certain Ike guide, as well as via experience. Throw out a random Ike Fsmash or two at 50% after a long barrage of quick attacks, and you might actually hit with it as they were most likely expecting another quick attack and leap at you, thinking that they've finally found an opening. I wouldn't do this regularly against the same person, but it DOES work on occasion. It's why so many people always fall for the Falcon Punch about 8 times the first tine you play them. :D

Anyways, back to unpredictability. In Friendlies, try pulling random crap out of your *** and start to experiment with things that might work but you've never tried. Like doing a down-angled, Short-Hop Boomerang with Link from mid-range instead of a regular Short-hop aerial. Just remember that the key to mix-ups is that they each should have different counters, and if they try to do the wrong counter, they'll get hit. For example, with Link, "mixing up" a short-hop nair with a short hop bair won't do much for you, as either way you won't hit if they shield or spotdodge, and they can most often outprioritize both. However, mixing up a SHNair with a well-spaced SHFair will outprioritize most moves thanks to the disjointed hitbox, and sometimes keep you safe from a shieldgrab or many OoS moves, while it can still be shielded and spotdodged, though, in which case a Nair lasts so long, you can sometimes even hit them as they come out of it if they spotdodge early, or quickly FF and attack before the spotdodge ends if you anticipate it. Meanwhile, you can even Zair from a distance away to eat at their shield if they anticipate it, and you're completely safe from a shieldgrab or most OoS moves.

Link's Nair, Fair, and Zair is a viable mix-up, I believe.

I'd like to say this first, being unpredictable doesn't mean you should do something randomly. There should always be a reason why you do something, if not, then you will just get thrashed when you do something dumb.

so my question to you is, ow do you stay unpredictable, and what can I do to work on my predictability?

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The best way I know of is to just read your opponent well, adapt to him, and do things that would mess up his current strategy. Your goal should be to take control of the match and force him to play your game, not his. In other words, playing smart aka mind games.

MookieRah said:

I'd like to say this first, being unpredictable doesn't mean you should do something randomly. There should always be a reason why you do something, if not, then you will just get thrashed when you do something dumb.

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By randomly, I meant simply trying something new on a whim in friendlies, although at high level play I doubt it would be practical.

Rauzaruke said:

Isn't Wario...you know...like the king of unpredictability? I can only predict short hopped D-airs for the most part when I fight a good Wario. I would say use Wario's DI to the fullest to mess with players. You can fool them into attacking with short hopped feints, then punish the opening. If your repetitive in approaching people will eventually catch on, which seems to be the case here.

That is of course, going by your main...right?

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I truly think Olimar is the most unpredictable character in the game, by a huge margin, followed probably by wario.

So many moves have the same animations if you can spot the animations themselves >___>

I think the problem is that people just do what seems natural or the best option. Like say Marth has an opponent in the air. Naturally chasing them in the air with a Uair makes perfect sense, but you opponent can see that a mile away.

So try mixing it up, do a fair instead of a Uair that will get them. Pretty much you aren't trying anything new so really the fair idea leads to the same result as Uair, an airdodge.

I think the best way to be unpredictable is to well predict your opponent. If you know they are going to air dodge then you just get in close enough that you could hit them but they can't hit you. They airdodge thinking you are going to use an aerial only to eat one after they come out of the airdodge animation.

I like what Kita said, you pretty much have to discover other alternatives that are still effective but not quite as expected. The more options at your disposal the less likely you will be predictable.

I have the same problem but I always have to face a wario and I main diddy so I can't really jump at him in the air. Plus he's the most defensive player of my friends, and apparently I'm the most predictable to him. I'm at a loss either way.

Wario... DI is your friend here. The good thing about Wario, is that 4 out of his 5 aerials can be short hopped as an approach. To a person who is shielding, you can short hop -> DI towards them -> Fair -> DI back and be out of shield grab range (though this is not an approach I'd recommend doing, maybe once in a while to spice things up)

Two of my favorite approaches with Wario is #1: Short hop DI toward them, double jump, DI back and then back towards them, and then Fair. Usually strikes a hit, but if you use it too much, it gets predictable. Another one is to Short hop a fair (not the move) distance in front of them and then Nair, DIing towards them, they put their shield down... and then the second hit of the Nair nails them.

So eh, best advice is to think of ways to approach and then just keep mixing them up, making stuff up on the fly is great, but I tend not to do it too often... xD

Oh, and don't be afraid to use your bike as an approach, very helpful tool =)

In your spare time, just go into training mode, set the person's level to level 3, set it to attack, and practice/make-up approaches.

Also, watch videos of your main playing, and sometimes you can see approaches that they use to further your possibilities of approaching.

See if doing that helps your game.

danielreece2 said:

yes, that is right... but what is a "short hopped feints"

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It's just shorthopping towards someone and using Wario's DI right in the middle of the jump to move backwards out of a character's range. It makes your opponent think your going to attack so they either try to out range you or shield. By not attacking you can swiftly move in and punish the small opening made by the "feint." Worked on me a bajillion times until I caught on. :/

I truly think Olimar is the most unpredictable character in the game, by a huge margin, followed probably by wario.

So many moves have the same animations if you can spot the animations themselves >___>

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You have not played a good Wario then, huh? With Olimar, you have a general area where you can predict whether you are safe or you could be attacked. With Wario's DI he can be all over the place without you knowing where the hell he is going to be next. >_>

you can always mix in different things yet make sure they work.although there will always be good players that will always be a second ahead of you.

acv said:

you can always mix in different things yet make sure they work.although there will always be good players that will always be a second ahead of you.

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just try and learn to be a second ahead of THEM
predicting your opponent is the best way to keep them from predicting you.

Intuitively =/= Randomly.

The best intuitive play comes from great players. It's true, all players have to deal with predictability at some point, but first work on the solid game first before anything. Even very predictable strategies coming from a character like Metaknight can still be used effectively just because the strategy is good. Intuitive play comes from experience and knowing what mixups can still be effective without great risk.

e.g. KDJ

If you think about it, MK is rather predictable, but too hard to punish consistently.

What are you doing predictably? Sounds fairly broad... but like someone else said, focus on one subject- like, let's say, approaching- and find, like, 5 reliable ways to approach a character. A lot of people tend to favor one or two (like Wario's short-hop dair and bair), but try throwing some random things in there- approach on your bike before jumping off right before you get to them and THEN to a dair. It won't do any more damage, but I mean if you're looking for unpredictability, the next you use the bike just plow them instead.

Than do recoveries... close-range fighting... directional throws... tech chasing... and I'm sure after that much you'll get a general idea of what you're up against.

Edit: feint approaching is particularly easy with Wario. Shorthop towards them, to a fair or something, but at the height of your shorthop go back to where you initially jumped. If you watch videos of Lucas using B-sticked PK Fires, that's the general idea.

Anyways, to stay unpredictable without looking ********, I'd say use some feint hops towards your opponent, usually that gets them to airdodge if they've fallen to the same tactic or are just flat out used to playing with you. Another example (I will use Marth as one) is instead of using Marth's Fair, you could always mix it up with an Nair to keep your opponents on their toes. Another risky but pretty effective tactic is delaying your timing so that your opponent with do what he's normally used to doing and you can punish him for being repetitive (BTW, THAT is a true definition of a Mind Game).


Basiciallly, try not to do the same move over and over, but don't do things that make you look like a fool, just use moves that could also work out in the said situation.