Could be my first Novel/Views on Desynching
Since there are multiple taunts now, I think it would be rad if the ICs' left and right taunts only affected Popo and Nana, respectively (i.e. pressing left taunt would make Popo taunt, leaving Nana in the player's control). It would make desynching a lot easier for newcomers, but at the same time, a character is obviously vulnerable while they're taunting; so advanced players who use alternative desynch methods would be rewarded by having both characters continue to attack as they desychned.
I loved ICs in Melee - though I hated the game itself - and it was really annoying to not be able to desynch simply because I wasn't good enough at the basic game mechanics. Having a handy "desynch button" would get me through the rough times until I was good enough to do it the manly way.
ALSO THEY SHOULD HAVE A ONE-HIT KILL BUTTON
Think of desynching as a form of movement rather than a type of move. Essentially, how desynching works (in Melee) is that Nana follows Popo about 6 frames late, entailing that whenever Popo inputs anything, Nana will always be delayed. This being said, if one so desired to try to input a command to the IC’s while one of the IC’s are doing a move already (which isn’t that hard since they are never in synch to begin with), you will be able to set a on going cycle of creating a window where the first IC can’t carry out the command while the 2nd IC does, and thereby creates another window for the first IC to do a different move, creating another window for the 2nd, and so on and so forth, thus Desynching.
Now I’m sure you had some general idea of what desynching was. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if my description above was old news to you. However, knowing what Desynching is on paper is hardly the problem for inexperienced IC players so much as how desynching should be properly treated in an actual game play situation. Much like dash dancing, where and how you use a dash dance is far more important than what you do to use it.
Like stated earlier, creating windows of where one IC can’t carry out an input is the key to Desynching, and there are so many ways to create these windows that I probably couldn’t list them here if I tried. Now every window is different from another, some are trickier and less straight forward as well. For example, spot dodging in place is a pretty text book example of starting desynched movement, but turning around into a forward tilt from a wave dash toward your opponent can get also open up a window, it just requires more control over your character.
Hopefully by now you realize when I say windows, I am talking about any sort of action that can lead into desynched movement. The key here is to place this desynched movement in a way to control an opponent’s movement. After all, by having one character commit to a move, you cause your opponent to deal with this threat, and thereby force him to commit an action in response to yours in which you can anticipate with your free IC.
EX: You fire a desynched iceblock at a space animal. They have to respond to this threat. If you anticipate a jump, you can wave dash an up air and pick him out of the air when he jumps an ice block. Or if he is going to short hop, you can wave into a jab/d-smash/grab/any ground move if you are close enough. Or if you aren’t you can wavedash after your ice block if he’s going to short hop, dash dance next to him to panic him, and perhaps dash dance into a grab, or shield and wait for nana to catch up so she can do a desynched move (not likely going to work) or blizzard instead of dash dance to tack on damage. OR if he is going to shine, send another ice block to cancel the first, and then send another to reinitiate the whole scenario. OR if he gets hit by the iceblock you can wavedash into a punishing grab/smash OR…well you get the idea.
What I’m trying to get across here is that desycnhed moves can lead to ANYTHING and therefore other desynched moves. What you can do is up to your descrestion, and with practice and time you will start to learn what situations are best for what desynched approaches. Thinking of desynched moves as moves themselves (I.e. desynched Ice blocks/forward smashes/blizzards to grabs) are limited and restrictive to an IC player’s mindset. Think of them as movement, nothing is set, and therefore your options are limitless. There is no such thing as a “desynch” button. As for your technical skill, if you give the game serious practice and time, regardless of your current skill you will get better, there is no other way around it. Look at M2K, all he has is practice and he is one of the best players out there. If you give it time, you will learn. Anyways I know you didn’t exactly ask for this explanation, and it is a bit long, but hopefully this will give you some perspective on how you should approach desynching with the IC’s. There is no need for a “button”
I want to be able to just tell one IC to taunt.