Hit a Mental Block? Come here.

[FBC] ESAM · May 3, 2010

It has come to my realization that a lot of people end up having mental blocks as pikachu. They don't know how to do something better and they can't seem to beat the normal people. They also can't get out of bad habits or even get a certain timing. My advice for you is simple yet effective.

Stop playing pikachu.

Not permanently obviously, just for a few weeks/a couple of months. Hell, not playing brawl is an option too. If you constantly play your habits will build up. If you don't play/play another character, the habits will decrease and you will also see the game in a different way. You would get used to playing as X character and then when you play with pika realize that you have 2 options against Z thing that you didn't with X, and you learn from it. This helps you get better at realizing situations.

Also, if you go to a national tournament and you watch a top pika, such as Z, Pikapika, Anther, or myself, don't try to play immediately and copy what we do. Let the strategies and subtle nuances of the style sink in. Then pick up the game in 3 weeks and see how you do with it.

That's it lol.

Ussi · May 3, 2010

... yea this happened to me with Ike except I completely changed my character to Pikachu in the end since Pikachu is just a better character >_>;;

KayLo! · May 3, 2010

I suggested this to Prime, and so many people shot it down, lol. But it really is a great strategy for getting over humps.

This is partially directed at Ussi, but it goes for everybody who also plays a low tier:

I switched to nearly all Zelda for a while, and my Pika suffered for it at first...... but eventually I dropped my old Pika habits and made one significant change: started thinking about what I was doing.

Zelda's a garbage character, but because she's so bad, you really have to focus on your spacing and reading your opponent's habits. When this carries over to a good character like Pika, the benefits are amazing. Too many Pikas fight on autopilot because you can get away with it to some degree at mid-level play..... but if you second a low tier, you quickly learn how bad autopilot can be.

Example from personal experience:
I play a lot of less experienced Pikachu players on wifi and offline with Zelda. For those who don't know, tjolting at long range vs. Zelda is bad because Din's cancels the tjolt and blows you up. But so many Pikas are used to jolting whenever they feel like it because it's moderately safe, they play on autopilot and keep tjolting (either long-range period or as they come back from getting sent off-stage) no matter how many times I punish them for it. That sort of stubborn playstyle is predictable and will get you ***** at higher levels of play.

Anyways, I drifted a bit off-topic, but for people who already play a low tier, I highly suggest maining them for a few weeks if you're frustrated with Pika. It'll feel horrible at first since you're switching to a much worse character, but it has the potential to greatly strengthen your mindgames.

[FBC] ESAM · May 3, 2010

That isn't what I mean. Don't pick up a secondary because you are frustrated with the character. Pick up a character so you can have a break with that character.

Real life example:

You really like some girl/guy. You guys go out all the time and have a blast. Then, one day, it becomes too much. So you talk to that girl/guy and say you need some time apart. Then, after you aren't overwhelmed as much, you go back to the guy/girl and enjoy yourself much more, not realizing how good you had it with them.

Same concept.

KayLo! said:
I suggested this to Prime, and so many people shot it down, lol. But it really is a great strategy for getting over humps.

This is partially directed at Ussi, but it goes for everybody who also plays a low tier:

I switched to nearly all Zelda for a while, and my Pika suffered for it at first...... but eventually I dropped my old Pika habits and made one significant change: started thinking about what I was doing.

Zelda's a garbage character, but because she's so bad, you really have to focus on your spacing and reading your opponent's habits. When this carries over to a good character like Pika, the benefits are amazing. Too many Pikas fight on autopilot because you can get away with it to some degree at mid-level play..... but if you second a low tier, you quickly learn how bad autopilot can be.

Example from personal experience:
I play a lot of less experienced Pikachu players on wifi with Zelda. For those who don't know, tjolting at long range vs. Zelda is bad because Din's cancels the tjolt and blows you up. But so many Pikas are used to jolting whenever they feel like it because it's moderately safe, they play on autopilot and keep tjolting (either long-range period or as they come back from getting sent off-stage) no matter how many times I punish them for it.

Anyways, I drifted a bit off-topic, but for people who already play a low tier, I highly suggest maining them for a few weeks if you're frustrated with Pika. It'll feel horrible at first since you're switching to a much worse character, but it has the potential to greatly strengthen your mindgames.

Don't delve into auto-pilot...that is a whole other issue to deal with that I dont' feel like making an article about right now.

KayLo! · May 3, 2010

Don't double post either. -_- Second warning!

But imo, it's related..... you're still taking a break, and it's good for getting rid of habits. (Also: I didn't mention picking up a character...... if you'll notice, it was directed at people who already second a low tier.)

I mean, your OP was a bit simple to begin with, so there's not much to say to it. =P Just trying to expand the discussion a bit!

Ussi · May 3, 2010

>.>;; oh gosh bad habits don't remind me... i did walk of dairs as pikachu and thought i had a sword

But It did teach me to walk of aerials with pikachu :D seriously i'm in love with walk off uair <3

Well when you hit a wall, you can either climb it, walk around it, or wait till it goes away

Climb it: use moves you never use normally or not often purposely more even though there are better options (do not get punished for it though..) Ex: instead of instinctively hitting dsmash, use ftilt!

Walk around it: Play around with a different character Ex: do some random battles with a good friend

Or you can wait for the wall to disappear/fall down/destroyed somehow by not playing at all.

etecoon · May 3, 2010

this is good general advice really, not just pikachu. a lot of people(myself definitely included...) overplay this game or their character, if you play every day and you don't switch it up habits become nearly impossible to break even when you're aware of which ones are being abused

Leaf. · May 3, 2010

ESAM said:
It has come to my realization that a lot of people end up having mental blocks as pikachu. They don't know how to do something better and they can't seem to beat the normal people. They also can't get out of bad habits or even get a certain timing. My advice for you is simple yet effective.

Stop playing pikachu.

Not permanently obviously, just for a few weeks/a couple of months. Hell, not playing brawl is an option too. If you constantly play your habits will build up. If you don't play/play another character, the habits will decrease and you will also see the game in a different way. You would get used to playing as X character and then when you play with pika realize that you have 2 options against Z thing that you didn't with X, and you learn from it. This helps you get better at realizing situations.

Also, if you go to a national tournament and you watch a top pika, such as Z, Pikapika, Anther, or myself, don't try to play immediately and copy what we do. Let the strategies and subtle nuances of the style sink in. Then pick up the game in 3 weeks and see how you do with it.

That's it lol.

I kinda freaked out when I saw that...figured you were doing the same as ADHD says and going with the mask...

But I do that all the time, and it works a lot. (See my list of secondaries)
It also happened when I played Brawl-. I learned to respect and use my Bair a lot more, along with other things.
But too much of a changed Brawl, and you get used to the style of it and can hurt your regular play.
So just be careful of how you play it, mostly quantity.
A break by playing another game or something for a while does wonders, I decided to replay the FE series one time and completely stopped on Brawl. Took my sweet time doing it. And when I got done, I played Brawl, and all of a sudden was 3 stocking my buddies. They eventually caught up, but I improved significantly during my down time.

This kinda reminds me of a game, The World Ends With You, and it has this feature where you get stronger stuff by not playing. It kinda works like that.

Kantō · May 3, 2010

i have been at a plateau with pikachu for a while now i feel. im not getting worse, but not getting better.
playing other characters seems like a good idea and i prolly should give that a try.

any specific characters i should try out that would help my pika in other ways?

Syko_Lemming · May 3, 2010

The idea is to not think about playing pikachu, so that you forget some of those habits you have. Playing another character is just to keep up tech skill.

I'd suggest playing a character that you have trouble fighting as pika. I have trouble against marth, so I'd play as him.

Kantō · May 3, 2010

hmmm i dont really have too much trouble with marths ( at least in my area) \

my hard matchups id have to say are: MK, snake, ice climbers.
i really dont wanna play those guys though lol

gamesuxcard · May 3, 2010

This is so correct. Play other characters. Playing one over and over is bound to get you destroyed for habits (unless you play robot mk)

Jdietz43 · May 3, 2010

I agree. I had major hurdles with my main Luigi, and to ease the pain I picked up a little Pika on the side (hence why I'm here). It helps in oodles just to play someone else or stop for awhile. After I got some Pika practice I improved. Later I threw in ZSS since the playstyle is so different and it helps to know as much as you can. Though even more recently I've been playing a lot of Blazblue, and it helps my finger dexterity and controlling my actions intead of just whaling on the controls when things get out of hand.

tl:dr Good advice

(I still try and dtaunt spike as other characters though XD)

Stealth Raptor · May 4, 2010

i agree with kaylo..... using samus has helped me a whole lot more in knowing what i am doing...... and being verrrrrry patient lol. and my hiatus helped me as well, what esam says is soooooooo true

PikaPika! · May 4, 2010

Recently I've playing the worst I have in a long time and it's from not playing the game enough and I can't figure a way out of my rut since I can't force myself to practice at home.

altairian · May 4, 2010

PikaPika! said:
Recently I've playing the worst I have in a long time and it's from not playing the game enough and I can't figure a way out of my rut since I can't force myself to practice at home.

oh man so many times this

Wifi is so fail and I don't have any other options for practice really =(

Neil my suggestion for you is to go to syracuse once in a while for practice. Cura has people over every weekend pretty much, and it's different people from the ones you'd normally play so that should help.

Kantō · May 4, 2010

yea i wouldnt mind getting some practice in with u neil.

Dark 3nergy · May 4, 2010

i do this with my main all the time

it works. Get off DDD play someone else, or just stop playing smash for a few days, come back and its a **** house

Kantō · May 4, 2010

so i was just playing with the random button last night, played almost everyone.
characters i think i could get into : diddy, marth, toon link.

i think im gunna play around with those guys and test this theory out.

M15t3R E · May 5, 2010

For a while now I've been feeling like this may be a good option for me. My New Yorker friends have asked me why I'm playing so many secondaries like Peach, Marth, G&W, etc. even though my Pikachu is better. Well this is why.

[FBC] ESAM · May 6, 2010

Just to inform people:

Playing a secondary when you are making progress with your Pikachu is counter-productive. You will halt the progress you were making and it will make you take a step backwards. Just letting you guys know just in case.

Dark 3nergy · May 6, 2010

that kinda defeats the point of having a secondary

tbh your better off using your main for your worst MUs

vvvvvvvvvvvv

welp the alternatives are;

finding the local scene and fighting them
wifi
watching vids/reading up on it on swf

Nicholas1024 · May 6, 2010

My problem is that the only real competition I have nearby is my brother, and he's too busy playing Halo. >.<

KayLo! · May 6, 2010

Also should note that at the end of the day, everything is player-dependent. These are nice tips and will work for most people, but I don't want anybody freaking out if they feel like the opposite is true for them, lol.

KassandraNova · May 10, 2010

Idk. I enjoy playing other characters occasionally. I think it is best to stick to maybe one or two.
If I'm having trouble with a certain match up, sometimes I'll try playing as that character for a bit, just to figure out when they lag and when to attack and such.
@__@

Ussi · May 10, 2010

ESAM said:
Just to inform people:

Playing a secondary when you are making progress with your Pikachu is counter-productive. You will halt the progress you were making and it will make you take a step backwards. Just letting you guys know just in case.

QFT, you shouldn't stop playing when making progress. You stop playing when you hit a wall. If you hit a wall so early, maybe Pikachu isn't for you.

KayLo! · May 10, 2010

Ussi said:
If you hit a wall so early, maybe Pikachu isn't for you.

I disagree with this 100%. Pikachu has one of the highest learning curves in the game, so it's extremely common to hit walls with him early and frequently.

Getting the basics down with him is easy, but learning how to use him effectively at a high level in a variety of matchups is very hard. People don't expect it and usually punk out and drop him as soon as they hit that first wall, which is why (no offense to anyone reading this) there are so many mediocrechus and very few experienced ones.

Hell, even half the people who've been maining him since the beginning still haven't gotten amazing with him (myself being one of those people). He's not easy and requires a lot of dedication and matchup experience -- relative to the rest of the cast, imo.

Although I guess if someone's willing to give up on him that early, then yeah, he's really not for you....... lol.

[FBC] ESAM · May 10, 2010

Ussi isn't saying you have to be amazing, but if you can't grasp the basics of his spacing/timings and the general strategies/when moves end/other **** in 1-3 months then yeah...pikachu isn't for you. Yes we have a high learning curve, but that is to become AMAZING! It isn't like ZSS who is complex even in her normal ****.

KayLo! · May 10, 2010

The point when most people hit a wall is after learning the basics...... I don't think anybody fails at using him at the most fundamental level. -_- That's just assuming people are ********.

But Pikachu at his most basic level is pretty bad. At least in a region with real competition.

Urban Menace · May 10, 2010

good read...I have a problem where I find it harder to think with pikachu, yet i find it much easier to think with other characters such as Snake, Falco, D3, MK, etc, etc. Idk if it's because of the option change but I will try this to work my bad habits out.

global-wolf · May 11, 2010

Is 1-3 months for "learning the fundamentals" based on if you already have experience in competitive brawling, casual brawling, or a total beginner? Because for a total beginner/casual player, I'm pretty sure it takes longer than three months. I got brawl and melee near the end of December, joined Smashboards in January, and a month passed before I could even semi-understand character guides. Then I had to get used to the fact that there's more attacks than just smash attacks, and shields exist for a purpose. Then get used to using them. Get comfortable enough with QA to recover well and QAC, and various other things. Five months into it I still forget about tilts (and when I do remember them, I accidentally do a smash.)

I'm using me as an example though, so maybe I'm just a slow learner. I can't play Brawl for another week though, so maybe I'll learn something in the meantime.

altairian · May 11, 2010

Never ever take "it takes x amount of time to learn something" seriously. Everyone learns at different speeds, and people learn different concepts at different times during the process.

For example, I've been playing pika for 8ish months and I just recently was able to consistently do buffered dthrow cg's. Granted I didn't spend much time working on it, but most people learn the cg very quickly when they pick up pika. So don't worry about comparing yourself against other people, as long as you feel you're progressing that's what matters.

Omegapaste · May 17, 2010

I also hit a few mental blocks, but those began to happen after entering tournies and having troubles, especially with Marths and Falco's. Even though my technique greatly improved, I always start autopiloting and barely get counter-strategies against hard situations (Falco's laser camping), and the bad MU's even though I read guides of them.

I think lack of knowledge in these situations causes autopiloting which gets you habits thus making you predictable. These bad habits can stay for a while which will result in a mental block when you begin losing because of them.
If you hit a mental block, it may also be a good idea to replay your matches and watch them back after a few days and look what could've been done better (it's also good to try out characters you have problems with for a short time to see what their powers and limits are). Compare your actions you did in certain situations to those of top players in similar situations. You can find new things to break habits and give a bigger variety.

Kiiro Caballero · May 21, 2010

I agree with all of the above, i dont know many times i would take a break or get a new 2ndary and greatly improve with my main or smash in general

Nicholas1024 · May 21, 2010

One thing I like to do is try to pick up (at least in a casual sense) the character I'm having troubles against. That helps me learn just what character X does really well and has trouble with, far better then anything else I've tried.

Pikabunz · May 21, 2010

I do that too. I think it really helps a lot.

KayLo! · May 21, 2010

Guess it's time to pick up Diddy.

Kiiro Caballero · May 21, 2010

lol diddys actually kinda fun but very demanding when it comes to practice and technical skill

TheOriginalSmasher · May 23, 2010

Whenever i'm stuck in a mental block, I just play as Pika's worst match ups for awhile. Gives a different feel, relaxing, and it helps you overall.

Nicholas1024 · May 23, 2010

I just can't play that well as Diddy. I really enjoy the totally awesome and unrealistic B-side to footstool gimp kill, and I just spend the match trying to pull it off..

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