Being star struck

Mr. game and watch · Mar 18, 2012

Do you ever think you could be star struck by having to play a REALLY good/well known player and do terrible in the match because of it?

Ever happen to you?

The only person I could see that happening to me with would be Ally, because I've always respected him as a player, plus he's not a big poster so I don't communicate with him EVER. Others like ESAM I've talked to a good bit through the IC boards.

However, I've heard many people say they were just star-struck and couldn't perform at all. Do you think this could actually effect the outcome of a match?

Sunnysunny · Mar 18, 2012

Oh yea totally!!
Like, I for example and struck dumb and deaf in the presents of a really famous player. Atleast when playing against em. Its like, just knowing how big of a threat they are can be discouraging!

But thats just me~ I know some other dudes that couldn't give two ****s who they're up against~ =w=

Krystedez · Mar 18, 2012

It happens but it shouldnt for this reason:

good players are just like you and I, and sometimes they don't care for the attention. In fact, you think of it as an advantage for you, because sometimes they're either being cheered against (you as the underdog) or they are under pressure from "fans" to win.

Just do your best and don't worry, face them as any other player but with the mindset to learn what makes them so good so you can get better.

Sunnysunny · Mar 18, 2012

No foxman! They are computers! Computers coldly calculating my demiiiiiise!

Really though ya have a point~ Having the crowd against ya can be hella discouraging. That and you kinda do have the upper hand in a way since theres soooo much stuff floating around the internet about there playstyle or habits. Kinda gives ya a heads up on what to look out for in particular. =w=

Mr. game and watch · Mar 18, 2012

But they also are advantageous, cause they could milk their fame and you'd be left playing bad cause you're nervous.

The Ben · Mar 18, 2012

lol @ calling Smash players famous

Mr. game and watch · Mar 18, 2012

Famous in our scene.

I.E. EVERYONE you talk to on smash boards will know who Ally or M2K is.

Most people know who Zigsta is, and he's bad.

#HBC | Joker · Mar 18, 2012

At my first real melee tournament (which was like 5 or 6 years ago), I played a shiek ditto against one of the more well known local players (I didn't really know who he was, but I knew he was better than me), who also was a shiek main. When he picked shiek, I thought I was going to get crushed, but I ended up going pretty even with him right up to the end, even though I accidently airdodged offstage and SD'd my 3rd stock. My point is, I think the pressure works both ways. He certainly didn't wanna get beat by the newbie, and that pressure made him play much worse than what I'd seen from him. His game didn't pick up til after my SD, which I'm pretty sure took the pressure off for him.

I actually feel more pressure playing against other newbs/unknowns. When I play against people I know are good, it's easier to relax cuz I know what to expect, which is that I'll lose. But when I dunno what to expect, I end up playing overly aggressive and sloppy. I end up making mistakes that are immediately obvious to me, which usually ends up costing me matches that I could/should have won.

Zigsta · Mar 18, 2012

Mr. game and watch said:
Famous in our scene.

I.E. EVERYONE you talk to on smash boards will know who Ally or M2K is.

Most people know who Zigsta is, and he's bad.

Teehee.

I honestly don't get starstruck by anyone, Smash included. Just treat everyone like a person.

DeLux · Mar 19, 2012

I get star struck by players at literally every tournament I go to.

I remember the first time I went to Wichita and was starstruck by anyone with a non-standard color name (BBR member, mods, etc), riding with THE MJG and THE Fino, and seeing another IC player for the first time (Teh Future). In Supercon Colorado, I met Cheese (who despite his rep I to this day feel indebted and grateful towards because of how helpful he's ALWAYS been to me), remember sitting down and playing with a lot of the Socal 6 (Tear Bear actually remembered who I was from that tournament when I randomly showed up in Socal for WGF the next year, which surprised me, but he and I played a bunch of friendlies with weird characters). The first time I went to NE, overwhelmingly starstruck by Joker (IA's current #1 player. I remember going to WGF and meeting all kinds of people and being star struck by nearly every player. Asking Domo for tips on how to use MK was moving because he actually sat down and talked me through a bunch of stuff. Meeting Hylian on the way to Pound 5, I was literally nervous to make a good impression and not sound/look like an idiot in front of him, that's how bad it was. When lain asked me for advice on how to play a MU or how to do some technical stuff I discovered, I was glowing inside. Going to IA for a tournament and meeting Yink also had me slightly tongue tied because of that fame aura. Meeting Legan, Nicole, FAE, Mr. Doom, Holms, and pretty much any other elite MWW player also did that because we seem to have a lot of legends for their specific character they main. Pretty much my entire experience at Apex was awe inspiring. Swordgard telling me that he felt like Vinnie and I were the future generation of elite IC mains was rewarding since he and Hylian (circa 2010) still are like my IC idols. Making bracket, I felt like I didn't belong in the company of people that made it, which gave me an self imposed under dog feel.

I get starstruck talking to people before playing them on Wifi, that's how bad it is >_>

Mr. game and watch · Mar 19, 2012

B----- you're THE DeLux, smartest ICs in town.
Stars should be striking on you, bro.

Stop afraiding and talk about IASA the whole match for a mind game. They'll get confused and, well, you'll get free grabs.

Really though, if I met hylian, I'd probably be a little star struck.
I just like him as a person, so I'd be too nervous about making him see my real personality over my smash one.

SFA Smiley · Mar 19, 2012

Nope. I always feel like I can beat anyone no matter how good they are. I actually do better against good players than ones lesser skilled than me. My skill sorta scales depending in who im facing...

Hylian · Mar 19, 2012

DeLux said:
Meeting Hylian on the way to Pound 5, I was literally nervous to make a good impression and not sound/look like an idiot in front of him, that's how bad it was.

Haha it's probably just because you're newer to the smash scene. I would get star-struck in melee in 2005 but it wears off when you've been playing 5+ years I think heh.

Also, I'm not one to judge quickly lol I remember you being fun.

Mr. game and watch said:
Really though, if I met hylian, I'd probably be a little star struck.
I just like him as a person, so I'd be too nervous about making him see my real personality over my smash one.

Lol don't worry I don't bite <3. You would have to try pretty hard for me not to like you.

Krystedez · Mar 19, 2012

When I met Larry (DEHF) I didn't even know who he was so much... When I realized it AFTER I played him I was like oh... welll um... holy ****! thats...wow.

And after that I've never really been star struck. I played Ally all the time on wifi, and M2K was pretty much the only person I could be star struck by, but after playing him I'm not anymore.

Problem2 · Mar 21, 2012

Playing against top level players is a lot of fun. You have nothing to lose against them, and so much to gain from it.

tekkie · Mar 22, 2012

i star strike people all the time

Mr. game and watch · Mar 23, 2012

Course you do.

infiniteV115 · Mar 23, 2012

Ally came to my 5th tournament ever. When I saw him at the venue I was thinking 'holy ****, that's THE Ally. That dude that everyone knows, that dude I've seen in dozens of important matches at major tournaments, that dude I've seen that has beaten pretty much everyone, that dude that could very well be the best player in the world, etc etc' but after I saw how other people in my region were able to talk to him as if he was just another player, I kinda snapped out of it. But I have to admit, I was kinda like FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU when I found out that I had to play him. I was a bit nervous when playing him (because it's ****ing Ally) and I feel that my nervousness caused a few slip-ups here and there (like this, this, this one was kinda funny, and this)

For clarity's sake, the slip-up in the last one was that I brainfarted and tried to footstool a C4 (ZSS can footstool items, but C4 =/= item). All in all I guess I did pretty well, despite the 2-0, but even in future sets I was still a bit nervous.

Holy was also in my pool at my first tourney ever and I FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU'd quite a bit there, and I was probably pretty nervous. I don't really remember how nervous though.

Mr. game and watch · Mar 24, 2012

I got UTDZac in my first tourney ever, round 1 of losers. I was actually a bit star struck, because when I first found out about Smashboards I mained GW(hence the freakin gay name), and Zac was like a god. He was still super active then. I mained puff though so...

He was nice and went PT, but I was nervous still, and couldn't perform as well(though I sucked anyway.)

Sky Pirate · Mar 25, 2012

Mr. game and watch said:
Most people know who Zigsta is, and he's bad.

Oh god, I died.

Not sure if it fits in with all this, but I'm never going to be able to go all-out against Austin's old top players, like PhantomX or Hylian.
For some reason, it just puts me right back into the mentality that I had when I first joined the scene, even though PhantomX has been retired for so long.
"These people are much better. I can't beat them."

DeLux · Mar 25, 2012

^ That's how I feel about nearly everyone I play >_>

infiniteV115 · Mar 25, 2012

And then you make bracket at Apex ._.

Seagull Joe · Mar 25, 2012

Met a bunch of players star struck by me. Having fanboys is funny/nice.

Krystedez · Mar 25, 2012

I've had a few people star struck I guess by me, but after they play me they are not too intimidated lol, I'm pretty nice.

#HBC | Joker · Mar 25, 2012

I don't get starstruck. If I play against a big name player, I'm gonna lose to them cuz they are clearly a better player than me, not cuz I was all starry eyed

Psychoace · Mar 26, 2012

I got star struck by darkrain back in the day, and I wasn't even playing him lol.

Mr. game and watch · Mar 27, 2012

I got stars struck by you and that's why your pika got more smash balls.

:troll:

Roller · Mar 29, 2012

I see it happen to people all the time vs Lain and such. Honestly, I would muuuuuuch rather play someone like rich brown than average player X. I get a lot more nervous when I feel expected to win. If I know I'm not supposed to win, then I don't have any nerves because I don't fear losing and it's consequences. vs the avg player every time I see an opportunity to punish, get a grab, etc. I just keep thinking,
Don't **** up. Don't **** up. Don't **** up. If you do, you'll never hear the end of it.

Michigan never forgets a bad loss. Or a good win.

Above all, I fear being "that guy."

I'll take a bracket full of M2Ks and ALLYs over THuGz and TonyTs any day of the week.

Psychoace · Mar 29, 2012

It'll only get worse next time we play. No more "equalizers" for you.

~Firefly~ · Mar 29, 2012

Roller said:
I see it happen to people all the time vs Lain and such. Honestly, I would muuuuuuch rather play someone like rich brown than average player X. I get a lot more nervous when I feel expected to win. If I know I'm not supposed to win, then I don't have any nerves because I don't fear losing and it's consequences. vs the avg player every time I see an opportunity to punish, get a grab, etc. I just keep thinking,
Don't **** up. Don't **** up. Don't **** up. If you do, you'll never hear the end of it.

Michigan never forgets a bad loss. Or a good win.

Above all, I fear being "that guy."

I'll take a bracket full of M2Ks and ALLYs over THuGz and TonyTs any day of the week.

Yet those "M2Ks and Allys" are probably thinking the same way about you as you do about the "THuGz and TonyTs" when you play them.

Or maybe they don't, and perhaps that's part of what makes them top players.

I feel the same way though. I've had this problem for almost as long as I've been playing competatively...

Roller · Mar 29, 2012

I have no doubt that they do. It's another factor in why I would rather play them. lol

Espy Rose · Mar 30, 2012

I still get starstruck. :applejack:

sheikamaru · Mar 30, 2012

you're a star though espy...

Espy Rose · Mar 30, 2012

No I'm not. :applejack:

Shiny Mewtwo aka Jigglysir · Apr 1, 2012

I typically play better when I'm playing good/well known players

Holy was in my pool at my first tournament EVER, and I'd already lost to everyone else in my pool. They were probably thinking "hey, let's see the newbie get 3 stocked". But I played really well (relatively) and managed to take a stock off his ROB in both games (once with Marth, once with C. Falcon).

I also play Stroumbert on wifi fairly often, and I do pretty good against him as well despite being terrible on Wifi

AyatoK26 · Apr 4, 2012

I think a combination of being starstruck and the tension of playing in a tourney makes me do worse than I would have otherwise.

@Pound V last year, I had Nickriddle, Nicole, and D1AOS (only found out that he was a top 5 sonic after the tourney was over) in my R1 pool. I was sooo nervous that I froze with my movements and ended up losing badly. Afterwards, I played friendly Ganon dittos with Vermanubis and I felt more at ease with my playing. I also lost most of those but there was less tension involved.

Kinda wish I can play them again tbh.

TreK · Apr 5, 2012

Am I the only one here that feels the opposite ?

I can lose badly to random marths and pull of a 1-2 last stock last hit set against my region's tops.

Knowing that if I beat the famous guys, I'll be allowed to ***** about it for years motivates me sooooooo much.

On the other hand, if the guy's face and name is unknown to me, I usually consider him trash and end up losing.

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