Iwan
Smash Ace
First off, for those of you who don't know what "The Zone" is, refer to HugS recently typed blog on AiB:
http://allisbrawl.com/blogpost.aspx?id=16108
For those of you who want to jump straight into the Weekly Zone Discussion, skip this next (rather long) read. All things weekly discussion will be typed in this color. chyeah.
What's A Zone?
HugS, for those of you who don't know, is arguably one of the best smashers in the country...definitely one of, if not the best, Melee samus' in the U.S. He also dabbles in brawl, but essentially he knows his stuff very well.
Here's the blog, for those of you who'd rather read it here than follow a link:
"Here I am, trying to explore the deeper aspects of smashing that go beyond hitting your opponent and letting them die off the stage. Here, I will attempt to help you all acknowledge and understand the meaning of "Zones" in smash, and how you can exploit them, in either game. However, for the purpose of this Blog, I will be using mainly Brawl examples.
In melee, I would refer to a thing called the "shiek zone". It was this triangle formation that Shiek created when she jumped in the air and needled. You could either be outside her zone, or directly under. Anything in between would lead to her doing some real damage. So I got to thinking...
I was recently speaking to DEHF about my theory on zones. I said to him "I need to find falco's 'zone'". He asked what I meant, and I explained.
So that begs the question. What is a Zone?
A zone can be good, bad, or neutral, and depends on many variables. A zone in this blog isn't so much a metaphorical sense of doing well: like feeling you are "In the zone". I don't mean it that way. I actually mean it in a spacial way; literally the space you occupy with your character. These zones vary greatly between characters, so I couldn't possibly go into each one without going into extreme detail. But I will use some examples.
So firstly, what is a Zone?
For the purposes of this explanation, I will always be using ROB, and my opponents' characters will vary depending on the example I want to use.
There are three types of zones.
Your Neutral zone
Your Bad Zone
Your Good zone
The neutral zone is just the space you occupy when nothing bad, nor good, can happen to you or your opponent.
Example: Vs Falco my neutral zone would be the ledge. Falco can hardly do a thing to me while I'm on the ledge, and I can hardly do a thing to him if he's on the opposite side of Battlefield, on a platform. We are said to be in our neutral zones.
The purpose for occupying a neutral zone is to recharge your shield, charge a DK punch, charge Samus's blast, etc. To place yourself into your neutral zone is to move into a place where you cannot be harmed at the expense of not being able to harm your opponent.
The Bad Zone. This is relative to the person playing. Since I am writing this, I am referring to my own bad zones as ROB. So vs Falco again, there are several bad zones. Directly in front of Falco is a bad zone as I could get ***** by lasers. About 45 degrees directly above falco is another bad zone. My aerials would not stop his nairs or uair attempts.
Note: being in a bad zone does not mean you are screwed, it just means you will have a hard time capitalizing on anything while in this zone. You have a high likelihood of not being successful in most attempts made in this zone.
The purpose for occupying your bad zones is to get *****. So what I'm saying is, learn your bad zones, and stay away from them. Be in your good zones.
The Good Zone - Like the Bad Zone, being in a good zone doesn't necessarily mean you are untouchable. It just means you are at an advantage, relative to the match at hand. A good zone is obviously being in a spot where you have an advantage over your opponent, in spacial terms.
I recently discovered a good zone in one of my hardest match ups, and it has improved my game in that match up like you wouldn't believe. I realized that my bad zone vs DDD was the center of the stage, the middle 33%. If I was anywhere in that 33%, I left myself open to a chain grab. If I was in the right or left 33%, i had to make sure that DDD was in the middle 33%, and that I was closest to the ledge. This assures that if I did get chaingrabbed, I would only receive 1-2 grabs max. By understanding my good zones, and bad zones, I managed to employ insane amounts of stage control in the match up. I REFUSED to land anywhere in that middle 33% when the DDD was even remotely on ground defense.
I would see him in his good zone and I would say to myself "Don't fight it, he already won, retreat". You see how this knowledge works?
So how do you find your zones?
Well, that comes with experience and practice. Some zones are not so apparent.
For example, vs Falco again, I said that being anywhere in front of him is a bad zone. However, being just slightly outside of his dash attack range can be turned into a good zone. You still get rocked by lasers (bad zone initially), but, it's the only zone where you can capitalize on an illusion. If he does illusion, he just put himself into his bad zone, and you can roll back and effectively put the falco into your good zone (Dsmash, grab, you name it). If you did not space properly, and he is not vulnerable, then you are both in your neutral zones after his illusion, and approaching after the opening wasn't created will then put you in your Bad zone. Do you see how this works?
Finding your zone is a process of movements, calibration, and internalization. You must move around the stage, calibrate how it works, then internalize it. You must internalize your zones. Many people neglect to understand this. They are too busy worrying about techs, landing hits, and fighting their opponents. That is, they lack an understanding of how vital it is to know precisely where you and your opponent are standing. And not just WHERE they are standing, but what it actually MEANS.
People have made claims as to how good my spacing is. And I'm not going to lie, it's fantastic. However, spacing is just a tool that aids me in what I'm really doing.
I'm constantly trying to put myself in my good zone, and making sure you remain in your bad zone. That's what proper zoning is all about. Zoning is the big picture, spacing is just your little pal that helps you take advantage of it.
I hope you guys can implement this form of thought into your game. Perhaps you can all understand that this game can be played without camping. You don't need to be as far away from your opponent at all times.
You can be hard to hit while being only inches away. Think about it, understand it, apply it.
And to those who think this is obvious, maybe you'll reread this the next time you play someone and think "****, this guy is so hard to hit"."
The Weekly Falcon Zone Discussion Thread Week 1 - Metaknight
Good Zones vs Metaknight: anywhere within "boxing" range using jabs, jabgrabs, and well spaced tilts. Also being underneath metaknight while he's on a platform, so you can land up airs or Usmash/Utilt/UpB..
Bad Zonesvs Metaknight: around the ledge of a stage and on platforms; being near the ledge will get you gimped, and being on a platform is asking to be juggled in the air. Speaking of "the air", that's also a bad zone for falcon here; although falcon's air game is his forte, try and stay grounded against metaknight.
Stage Zonesvs Metaknight: Trying to stay anywhere near the middle of the stage is probably the best bet against metaknight. Being near the ledge isn't safe. Holding the middle can keep you alive a lot longer as opposed to rushing down a metaknight near the edge of the stage.
The Weekly Falcon Zone Discussion Thread Week 2 - Snake
Good Zones vs Snake: In the air; take flight against Snake, and use falcon's quick aerial game against Snake's slower, more predictable one. Punish his aerials during their ending animation to make him think twice about throwing them out next time. Knee his recovery EVERY time; it's a free knee. Falcon has a VERY good aerial zone against snake. Take advantage of that through out the match.
Being Underneath Snake is also a good zone; use up air and back air to take advantage of any slow ending aerials he throws out, and also use those two to punish air dodges.
Bad Zones vs Snake: Pretty much anywhere on the ground. Because of Snake's C4 and planted explosives/grenades/nikita, he can make almost any stage a hazard to traverse on. As for up close in his face, try and stay away unless you can DEFINITELY get the jabgrab on him; his Ftilt is full of priority, range, and power...and his tilts are all extremely quick and very strong.
Again, try and stay "in the air up there" against snake. Doing otherwise makes this already tough match up even more difficult.
Stage Zones vs Snake: Choosing particular stage zones vs Snake is fairly difficult, because he can take a good zone for falcon (such as being under a platform to set up Utilt, knee, Up b, or Uair), plant C4 or an explosive, and suddenly make it a bad zone for CF. Basically, he completely flips some zones on their head because of his crazy stage control through use of grenades and explosives, and because of that, it's important to note that while the usual "good falcon zones" (underneath someone, below a platform, in the air, jabgrab range, etc) still apply here, be wary and keep an eye out for Snake's many projectiles.
They quickly turn good stage zones into bad ones.
The Weekly Falcon Zone Discussion Thread: Week 3 - Marth
Good Zones vs Marth: In front of marth, or as some would say, within 'boxing range", is a good zone for falcon. While dancing blade is quick, falcon's jab has it beat by one frame...so jabjabgrab still works extremely well. Being underneath marth is also a great zone for falcon; Being underneath him while he's on a platform, or especially when Marth is in the air means an easy up air, up tilt, or (if it IS a platform) knee.
Bad Zones vs Marth: Pretty much anywhere around marth's tipper range. That sword of his was made to keep you out of his face and to second guess how much range it actually has. Being "mid distance" in front of marth is usually a bad idea, because his options open up: Shield breaker, dancing blade, Dtilt, fair, etc....he has a lot of things to mess you up with in that "medium" distance away from him and his sword. So either stay in close, or bait and punish.
Stage Zones vs Marth: Any neutral stage is usually a good stage against marth, because at the very least, he's a character that doesn't have a projectile. That at least opens up your possible options on a neutral stage. On a neutral stage, your typcial good and bad zones apply. As for stages with platforms, it's a wierd ratio. Marth (and any character with a sword for that matter), usually have an advantage on stages with platforms; get stuck on one and their sword can do some damage. Falcon however, also loves platform stages. It lets us utilize up tilt and up air, while also giving us an easier knee opportunity. Lastly, falcon dive is more effective on stages with platforms.
Since being below marth is a good zone for falcon, stages with platforms are a good idea.
Currently Discussing - Wario
Wario is an intersting match up. Being up close and in his face is a good zone for falcon, considering jabjabgrab actually leads into lots of damage because of the grab release options at out disposal. However, wario has ridiculous air control and can be "hard to catch", if you will. For this reason, I'll let the people who actually know what they're talking about (masterdrenin comes to mind) share their opinions, as opposed to me spouting off on something I have no clue about LOL.
Wario.
Go.
http://allisbrawl.com/blogpost.aspx?id=16108
For those of you who want to jump straight into the Weekly Zone Discussion, skip this next (rather long) read. All things weekly discussion will be typed in this color. chyeah.
What's A Zone?
HugS, for those of you who don't know, is arguably one of the best smashers in the country...definitely one of, if not the best, Melee samus' in the U.S. He also dabbles in brawl, but essentially he knows his stuff very well.
Here's the blog, for those of you who'd rather read it here than follow a link:
"Here I am, trying to explore the deeper aspects of smashing that go beyond hitting your opponent and letting them die off the stage. Here, I will attempt to help you all acknowledge and understand the meaning of "Zones" in smash, and how you can exploit them, in either game. However, for the purpose of this Blog, I will be using mainly Brawl examples.
In melee, I would refer to a thing called the "shiek zone". It was this triangle formation that Shiek created when she jumped in the air and needled. You could either be outside her zone, or directly under. Anything in between would lead to her doing some real damage. So I got to thinking...
I was recently speaking to DEHF about my theory on zones. I said to him "I need to find falco's 'zone'". He asked what I meant, and I explained.
So that begs the question. What is a Zone?
A zone can be good, bad, or neutral, and depends on many variables. A zone in this blog isn't so much a metaphorical sense of doing well: like feeling you are "In the zone". I don't mean it that way. I actually mean it in a spacial way; literally the space you occupy with your character. These zones vary greatly between characters, so I couldn't possibly go into each one without going into extreme detail. But I will use some examples.
So firstly, what is a Zone?
For the purposes of this explanation, I will always be using ROB, and my opponents' characters will vary depending on the example I want to use.
There are three types of zones.
Your Neutral zone
Your Bad Zone
Your Good zone
The neutral zone is just the space you occupy when nothing bad, nor good, can happen to you or your opponent.
Example: Vs Falco my neutral zone would be the ledge. Falco can hardly do a thing to me while I'm on the ledge, and I can hardly do a thing to him if he's on the opposite side of Battlefield, on a platform. We are said to be in our neutral zones.
The purpose for occupying a neutral zone is to recharge your shield, charge a DK punch, charge Samus's blast, etc. To place yourself into your neutral zone is to move into a place where you cannot be harmed at the expense of not being able to harm your opponent.
The Bad Zone. This is relative to the person playing. Since I am writing this, I am referring to my own bad zones as ROB. So vs Falco again, there are several bad zones. Directly in front of Falco is a bad zone as I could get ***** by lasers. About 45 degrees directly above falco is another bad zone. My aerials would not stop his nairs or uair attempts.
Note: being in a bad zone does not mean you are screwed, it just means you will have a hard time capitalizing on anything while in this zone. You have a high likelihood of not being successful in most attempts made in this zone.
The purpose for occupying your bad zones is to get *****. So what I'm saying is, learn your bad zones, and stay away from them. Be in your good zones.
The Good Zone - Like the Bad Zone, being in a good zone doesn't necessarily mean you are untouchable. It just means you are at an advantage, relative to the match at hand. A good zone is obviously being in a spot where you have an advantage over your opponent, in spacial terms.
I recently discovered a good zone in one of my hardest match ups, and it has improved my game in that match up like you wouldn't believe. I realized that my bad zone vs DDD was the center of the stage, the middle 33%. If I was anywhere in that 33%, I left myself open to a chain grab. If I was in the right or left 33%, i had to make sure that DDD was in the middle 33%, and that I was closest to the ledge. This assures that if I did get chaingrabbed, I would only receive 1-2 grabs max. By understanding my good zones, and bad zones, I managed to employ insane amounts of stage control in the match up. I REFUSED to land anywhere in that middle 33% when the DDD was even remotely on ground defense.
I would see him in his good zone and I would say to myself "Don't fight it, he already won, retreat". You see how this knowledge works?
So how do you find your zones?
Well, that comes with experience and practice. Some zones are not so apparent.
For example, vs Falco again, I said that being anywhere in front of him is a bad zone. However, being just slightly outside of his dash attack range can be turned into a good zone. You still get rocked by lasers (bad zone initially), but, it's the only zone where you can capitalize on an illusion. If he does illusion, he just put himself into his bad zone, and you can roll back and effectively put the falco into your good zone (Dsmash, grab, you name it). If you did not space properly, and he is not vulnerable, then you are both in your neutral zones after his illusion, and approaching after the opening wasn't created will then put you in your Bad zone. Do you see how this works?
Finding your zone is a process of movements, calibration, and internalization. You must move around the stage, calibrate how it works, then internalize it. You must internalize your zones. Many people neglect to understand this. They are too busy worrying about techs, landing hits, and fighting their opponents. That is, they lack an understanding of how vital it is to know precisely where you and your opponent are standing. And not just WHERE they are standing, but what it actually MEANS.
People have made claims as to how good my spacing is. And I'm not going to lie, it's fantastic. However, spacing is just a tool that aids me in what I'm really doing.
I'm constantly trying to put myself in my good zone, and making sure you remain in your bad zone. That's what proper zoning is all about. Zoning is the big picture, spacing is just your little pal that helps you take advantage of it.
I hope you guys can implement this form of thought into your game. Perhaps you can all understand that this game can be played without camping. You don't need to be as far away from your opponent at all times.
You can be hard to hit while being only inches away. Think about it, understand it, apply it.
And to those who think this is obvious, maybe you'll reread this the next time you play someone and think "****, this guy is so hard to hit"."
The Weekly Falcon Zone Discussion Thread Week 1 - Metaknight
Good Zones vs Metaknight: anywhere within "boxing" range using jabs, jabgrabs, and well spaced tilts. Also being underneath metaknight while he's on a platform, so you can land up airs or Usmash/Utilt/UpB..
Bad Zonesvs Metaknight: around the ledge of a stage and on platforms; being near the ledge will get you gimped, and being on a platform is asking to be juggled in the air. Speaking of "the air", that's also a bad zone for falcon here; although falcon's air game is his forte, try and stay grounded against metaknight.
Stage Zonesvs Metaknight: Trying to stay anywhere near the middle of the stage is probably the best bet against metaknight. Being near the ledge isn't safe. Holding the middle can keep you alive a lot longer as opposed to rushing down a metaknight near the edge of the stage.
The Weekly Falcon Zone Discussion Thread Week 2 - Snake
Good Zones vs Snake: In the air; take flight against Snake, and use falcon's quick aerial game against Snake's slower, more predictable one. Punish his aerials during their ending animation to make him think twice about throwing them out next time. Knee his recovery EVERY time; it's a free knee. Falcon has a VERY good aerial zone against snake. Take advantage of that through out the match.
Being Underneath Snake is also a good zone; use up air and back air to take advantage of any slow ending aerials he throws out, and also use those two to punish air dodges.
Bad Zones vs Snake: Pretty much anywhere on the ground. Because of Snake's C4 and planted explosives/grenades/nikita, he can make almost any stage a hazard to traverse on. As for up close in his face, try and stay away unless you can DEFINITELY get the jabgrab on him; his Ftilt is full of priority, range, and power...and his tilts are all extremely quick and very strong.
Again, try and stay "in the air up there" against snake. Doing otherwise makes this already tough match up even more difficult.
Stage Zones vs Snake: Choosing particular stage zones vs Snake is fairly difficult, because he can take a good zone for falcon (such as being under a platform to set up Utilt, knee, Up b, or Uair), plant C4 or an explosive, and suddenly make it a bad zone for CF. Basically, he completely flips some zones on their head because of his crazy stage control through use of grenades and explosives, and because of that, it's important to note that while the usual "good falcon zones" (underneath someone, below a platform, in the air, jabgrab range, etc) still apply here, be wary and keep an eye out for Snake's many projectiles.
They quickly turn good stage zones into bad ones.
The Weekly Falcon Zone Discussion Thread: Week 3 - Marth
Good Zones vs Marth: In front of marth, or as some would say, within 'boxing range", is a good zone for falcon. While dancing blade is quick, falcon's jab has it beat by one frame...so jabjabgrab still works extremely well. Being underneath marth is also a great zone for falcon; Being underneath him while he's on a platform, or especially when Marth is in the air means an easy up air, up tilt, or (if it IS a platform) knee.
Bad Zones vs Marth: Pretty much anywhere around marth's tipper range. That sword of his was made to keep you out of his face and to second guess how much range it actually has. Being "mid distance" in front of marth is usually a bad idea, because his options open up: Shield breaker, dancing blade, Dtilt, fair, etc....he has a lot of things to mess you up with in that "medium" distance away from him and his sword. So either stay in close, or bait and punish.
Stage Zones vs Marth: Any neutral stage is usually a good stage against marth, because at the very least, he's a character that doesn't have a projectile. That at least opens up your possible options on a neutral stage. On a neutral stage, your typcial good and bad zones apply. As for stages with platforms, it's a wierd ratio. Marth (and any character with a sword for that matter), usually have an advantage on stages with platforms; get stuck on one and their sword can do some damage. Falcon however, also loves platform stages. It lets us utilize up tilt and up air, while also giving us an easier knee opportunity. Lastly, falcon dive is more effective on stages with platforms.
Since being below marth is a good zone for falcon, stages with platforms are a good idea.
Currently Discussing - Wario
Wario is an intersting match up. Being up close and in his face is a good zone for falcon, considering jabjabgrab actually leads into lots of damage because of the grab release options at out disposal. However, wario has ridiculous air control and can be "hard to catch", if you will. For this reason, I'll let the people who actually know what they're talking about (masterdrenin comes to mind) share their opinions, as opposed to me spouting off on something I have no clue about LOL.
Wario.
Go.
:bumper:
