Rant / Other Help! I suck at this game and play it for 5 years...

[Braunstein]

So, i´ve been playing Smash Bros. for five years now. I got Smash for 3DS and played casually for a whole while. But ca. 1.5 years ago, I discovered competetive smash and all the stuff that has to do with it, so i got a little bit into that, I´ve also been playing Super Smash Flash 2, because i wanted to get used to using a gamepad instead of the flimsy circle pad wich isn´t good for playing Smash at all. So now i (finally) have Ultimate, and I played alot of Quickplay. I am basically at rock bottom GSP with the characters i use (Lucina, Marth, Luigi, Cloud, Pit, Roy) and I´m still getting beat up by every player i pass...Does it really take that long to get good at the technical aspect of the game or am I doing something horribly wrong? I mean, i can´t do any great combos and sometimes i SD offstage, but I know a little bit of spacing and reads...Everyone i verse though just seems to be a master of the combo game of their character, touch me once offstage every stock to kill me and have no problem dodging any of my moves at all. I know, writing this down in a forum doesn´t really give anyone an idea of how i play, but...
iS tHeRe aNyOnE wHo cAn hElP mE desperate undertone

ok i am probably not the only one who is making a post like this ahem

 

[JoeZegers]

No need to fear, I am here!

Ok, let me start off by saying Lucina isn't the best. If you want a decent smash main, I'd use Lucario (my smash main), but if you don't want to put up with how aura works, I'd recommend Wolf or King Dedede.

You should use aerial attacks more often.

Do you know how to shield?

 

[Braunstein]

Okay, maybe i said this the wrong way...
I know all of the basic movements and (in theory) even some advanced stuff, but i just can't do anything with it. I don't really know how to combo with anyone (except for Sheik with shorthop aerials and downthrow stuff), and end up SDing offstage often because i try to edgeguard my opponent, my aerial misses and i die because the endlag of the move doesn't let me recove4 quick enough. I just wanted to know if there are, like, commom mistakes i should avoid or some tips. I see all of the cool stuff on YT, try to replicate it and just end up spamming F-Smash.

 

[JoeZegers]

Okay, maybe i said this the wrong way...
I know all of the basic movements and (in theory) even some advanced stuff, but i just can't do anything with it. I don't really know how to combo with anyone (except for Sheik with shorthop aerials and downthrow stuff), and end up SDing offstage often because i try to edgeguard my opponent, my aerial misses and i die because the endlag of the move doesn't let me recove4 quick enough. I just wanted to know if there are, like, commom mistakes i should avoid or some tips. I see all of the cool stuff on YT, try to replicate it and just end up spamming F-Smash.

Sometimes I have the same recovery problem with Lucario. It's just not very fast.
Here's some tips:

• Try not to fall off the stage
• If you do fall off the stage, try to get yourself back up
• Try to use special attacks more
• Just be yourself.

 

[Nah]

Would probably be easier to help you out if you gave us some footage of your play.

It does take time to get to a relatively good level, and a lot of people still playing the game have been at it longer than you, so it's natural that you'd not do well right now.

I'd also recommend not looking at anything "advanced" on the internet. A rather common but poor piece of advice given out is "watch the play of [insert top-level player of your main here]!", which sounds useful until you realize that beginners don't have the foundation to get anything out of high level play simply by watching it themselves. Especially when it comes to technical stuff. Don't worry about that **** now, it's much better to focus on gaining fundamentals and knowing how your character(s) works/becoming comfortable with them and stuff.

 

[JoeZegers]

Would probably be easier to help you out if you gave us some footage of your play.

It does take time to get to a relatively good level, and a lot of people still playing the game have been at it longer than you, so it's natural that you'd not do well right now.

I'd also recommend not looking at anything "advanced" on the internet. A rather common but poor piece of advice given out is "watch the play of [insert top-level player of your main here]!", which sounds useful until you realize that beginners don't have the foundation to get anything out of high level play simply by watching it themselves. Especially when it comes to technical stuff. Don't worry about that **** now, it's much better to focus on gaining fundamentals and knowing how your character(s) works/becoming comfortable with them and stuff.

Which is how I learned to become the good Lucario I am. See? His advice works.

 

[Doc Monocle]

Okay, maybe i said this the wrong way...
I know all of the basic movements and (in theory) even some advanced stuff, but i just can't do anything with it. I don't really know how to combo with anyone (except for Sheik with shorthop aerials and downthrow stuff), and end up SDing offstage often because i try to edgeguard my opponent, my aerial misses and i die because the endlag of the move doesn't let me recove4 quick enough. I just wanted to know if there are, like, commom mistakes i should avoid or some tips. I see all of the cool stuff on YT, try to replicate it and just end up spamming F-Smash.

I could not have said it any better than Nah. If you try to start a fire before you have the kindling, it will soon choke. I would break down the game by considering what every character has in common. These are your basic techniques that would be featured in an instruction booklet. Then, take yourself into a moderately easy battle, using any combination of characters, with the intent to win. NOTE WHAT BASIC TECHNIQUES YOU MOST OFTEN USE, be it dodging, jumping, smash attacks, or what have you, and your patterns and combinations of implementing these techniques. Be sure to make detailed notes of your habits.


Next, TAKE SOME TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT OR EASY IT WAS TO USE THOSE STRATEGIES. Take another character into battle, leaving all else the same. Then repeat the above steps. Repeat this process several times, with several characters. You will begin to get a 'feel' for your playstyle, and which character types accommodate that style. After some time of doing this over and over, even repeating characters, you will eventually identify that character which fits like a glove.

At this stage, you move into the self improvement period, at which point you MUST ASK WHY THE TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES YOU USE ARE EFFECTIVE. You must bear in mind that experienced players know basics and have faced many opponents, each with their own playstyle. It will not be enough to master your playstyle. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND ITS LIMITATIONS AND HOW OTHER PLAYERS WILL TRY TO EXPLOIT IT. If you cannot find a weakness in your playstyle, you must look harder.

Finally, refine your general style (once you have found it) by subjecting it to situations that are uncomfortable. FIND ANY POSSIBLE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT MAKES YOUR PLAYSTYLE DIFFICULT OR UNFEASIBLE TO USE, AND BE READY TO ADAPT BY DELIBERATELY RESPONDING IN A WAY YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH. Make a habit of this to develop your flexibility and exercise your capacity for thinking on your feet and improvising. This also makes you less predictable as an opponent.

This is far from a comprehensive course, but I hope it works for you.

 

[JoeZegers]

I could not have said it any better than Nah. If you try to start a fire before you have the kindling, it will soon choke. I would break down the game by considering what every character has in common. These are your basic techniques that would be featured in an instruction booklet. Then, take yourself into a moderately easy battle, using any combination of characters, with the intent to win. NOTE WHAT BASIC TECHNIQUES YOU MOST OFTEN USE, be it dodging, jumping, smash attacks, or what have you, and your patterns and combinations of implementing these techniques. Be sure to make detailed notes of your habits.


Next, TAKE SOME TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT OR EASY IT WAS TO USE THOSE STRATEGIES. Take another character into battle, leaving all else the same. Then repeat the above steps. Repeat this process several times, with several characters. You will begin to get a 'feel' for your playstyle, and which character types accommodate that style. After some time of doing this over and over, even repeating characters, you will eventually identify that character which fits like a glove.

At this stage, you move into the self improvement period, at which point you MUST ASK WHY THE TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES YOU USE ARE EFFECTIVE. You must bear in mind that experienced players know basics and have faced many opponents, each with their own playstyle. It will not be enough to master your playstyle. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND ITS LIMITATIONS AND HOW OTHER PLAYERS WILL TRY TO EXPLOIT IT. If you cannot find a weakness in your playstyle, you must look harder.

Finally, refine your general style (once you have found it) by subjecting it to situations that are uncomfortable. FIND ANY POSSIBLE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT MAKES YOUR PLAYSTYLE DIFFICULT OR UNFEASIBLE TO USE, AND BE READY TO ADAPT BY DELIBERATELY RESPONDING IN A WAY YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH. Make a habit of this to develop your flexibility and exercise your capacity for thinking on your feet and improvising. This also makes you less predictable as an opponent.

This is far from a comprehensive course, but I hope it works for you.

Also sounds like me with Lucario. These guys are smart; I agree with what they are saying! I'm more of a special attacks guy myself but go ahead and see which strategy is right for you. You got this.