Delphiki
Smash Champion
Saying I wasn't going to do it was an attempt at getting more ideas. I'm still doing it guys, don't worry.
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Preperation for an in-depth look at the SSBM Metagame
- Thread starter Delphiki
- Start date
Wilhelmsan
Smash Lord
I'm going to predict that IC will be high or even top tier by the time Brawl comes out. The same sort of technical metagame growth spurt that happened with Fox and Falco is approaching with the Ice Climbers. I'm also going to have to call them the character with the most potential.
TheOnlyCheerleaderOnSmashBoards
Smash Rookie
Md/Va has the toughest Metagame in the country.
kidprecision
Smash Apprentice
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2006
- Messages
- 161
i can really see some of the aspects in some of these posts. some of these have even gone far enough to get me to think in a different way. i cant explain the application for this, because im not near smash at the moment. nice thread.
po pimpus
Smash Ace
Well, this should be a VERY interesting read once it is completed. I don't have much to add, but I think a look at an individual's growth, similar to AlphaZealot's article would be an excellent addition.
For example, my own growth through the metagame of competitive Smash has been an interesting one. My friends and I all started out on N64 Smash. We knew nothing of advanced techniques, only obvious things like the brokenness of Kirby's aerials, or the ridiculous power of Ness' Bat. From here, we discovered things like move priority and spacing, using little tricks(mindgames) to break each others' defenses and move into a combo. For years we were satisfied with our skill level because there was no one else in the immediate area who could challenge us.
Then came Melee.
As with the original game, we quickly latched onto the basic gameplay concepts and began building a new metagame where rolling and spot-dodging were integrated into our bag of tricks. Then one day we discovered our first Smash tournament. We had been reading for years about tournaments for games like Street Fighter and Madden, but for Smash? Our most beloved game? Impossible! Yet there it was, staring us in the face. A quick 2 and 1/2 hour drive later, we had our world rocked.
We did well in our first round matches(except for my cousin, who had the honor of being 3-stocked by a then up-and-coming Rob$). It was from the second round on that we started being systematically annihilated by new, unforseen techniques. A Link who didn't lag horribly from his aerials? A Luigi completely unlike mine--seemingly sliding in and out of my attack range? A god-like Falco who pelted you with an onslaught of lasers? Who used the reflector as something other than a reflector? Marth? Who plays him seriously? and of course, the Sheik users... oh God the Sheik users...
Needless to say, we were shocked out of our nooby little minds. I was even arrogant enough to beleive that we had been 'gliched'. Once the shock and awe wore off however, we tore through the internets, searching for these advanced techniques that had owned us so. Many of the tourney goers were cool people and even gave us advice. One even gave us the link to SmashBoards... our games were changed forever.
We all spent the following weeks and months learning everything we could about our respective characters; incorporating wavedashing and l-cancelling into our game. However, our basic game took a hit as all do once we started actually playing serious matches. We survived this initial disappointment and pressed on. Unfortunately, some of our group dropped Smash entirely, unwilling to adapt to the new changes in playing style.
We've been entering tourneys and traveling ever since. We've even helped develop our own community of Smashers here at home, who have had the honor of playing and meeting several of the major pro Smash players thanks to our encouraging and their own perseverance and practice. We even had FastLikeTree and Caveman come to our most recent tourney(who owned us, of course, but not as badly as expected). Forward was even going to come, but he unfortunately was trapped in Colorado due to the bad weather that week(which led to the creation of his new combo vid, actually).
Anyway, the point of this wall of text is to say that I have personally experienced all the levels of AlphaZealot's article and have only recently begun to enter into that higher level of Smash due to my own resistance to learning some of things that separate the great from the merely good, but it is all true. If you want to be any good at this game, you HAVE to be willing to learn everything there is to learn about your character of choice, and then pick up other characters that compliment your style and cover the weaknesses of one another.
I really hope to see everyone examine their game and see the things that have been discussed in this thread. It will be a very rewarding and enriching experience for you and your continued growth.
For example, my own growth through the metagame of competitive Smash has been an interesting one. My friends and I all started out on N64 Smash. We knew nothing of advanced techniques, only obvious things like the brokenness of Kirby's aerials, or the ridiculous power of Ness' Bat. From here, we discovered things like move priority and spacing, using little tricks(mindgames) to break each others' defenses and move into a combo. For years we were satisfied with our skill level because there was no one else in the immediate area who could challenge us.
Then came Melee.
As with the original game, we quickly latched onto the basic gameplay concepts and began building a new metagame where rolling and spot-dodging were integrated into our bag of tricks. Then one day we discovered our first Smash tournament. We had been reading for years about tournaments for games like Street Fighter and Madden, but for Smash? Our most beloved game? Impossible! Yet there it was, staring us in the face. A quick 2 and 1/2 hour drive later, we had our world rocked.
We did well in our first round matches(except for my cousin, who had the honor of being 3-stocked by a then up-and-coming Rob$). It was from the second round on that we started being systematically annihilated by new, unforseen techniques. A Link who didn't lag horribly from his aerials? A Luigi completely unlike mine--seemingly sliding in and out of my attack range? A god-like Falco who pelted you with an onslaught of lasers? Who used the reflector as something other than a reflector? Marth? Who plays him seriously? and of course, the Sheik users... oh God the Sheik users...
Needless to say, we were shocked out of our nooby little minds. I was even arrogant enough to beleive that we had been 'gliched'. Once the shock and awe wore off however, we tore through the internets, searching for these advanced techniques that had owned us so. Many of the tourney goers were cool people and even gave us advice. One even gave us the link to SmashBoards... our games were changed forever.
We all spent the following weeks and months learning everything we could about our respective characters; incorporating wavedashing and l-cancelling into our game. However, our basic game took a hit as all do once we started actually playing serious matches. We survived this initial disappointment and pressed on. Unfortunately, some of our group dropped Smash entirely, unwilling to adapt to the new changes in playing style.
We've been entering tourneys and traveling ever since. We've even helped develop our own community of Smashers here at home, who have had the honor of playing and meeting several of the major pro Smash players thanks to our encouraging and their own perseverance and practice. We even had FastLikeTree and Caveman come to our most recent tourney(who owned us, of course, but not as badly as expected). Forward was even going to come, but he unfortunately was trapped in Colorado due to the bad weather that week(which led to the creation of his new combo vid, actually).
Anyway, the point of this wall of text is to say that I have personally experienced all the levels of AlphaZealot's article and have only recently begun to enter into that higher level of Smash due to my own resistance to learning some of things that separate the great from the merely good, but it is all true. If you want to be any good at this game, you HAVE to be willing to learn everything there is to learn about your character of choice, and then pick up other characters that compliment your style and cover the weaknesses of one another.
I really hope to see everyone examine their game and see the things that have been discussed in this thread. It will be a very rewarding and enriching experience for you and your continued growth.
you forgot all of the all important bowser discoveries that rapidly advanced him to being one of the worst characters, but not THE worst...
oh wait, nvm, nobody cares. my bad.
Delphiki
Smash Champion
First a quick aside to Gimpy: Bowser is better than one character only, in my estimation, and that is Kirby. If you're ever in California for a big tournament I'd love to play your Bowser with my Pichu. Do you use Bowser in large tourneys?
Anyways, I did a big amount of this article today, but it still may not be done for another week, I only get Saturdays and Sundays off so I hope to be Smashing the next two days. Hopefully it won't take that long though. Last chance for input if you have any.
EDIT:
Oh and I could also use some ideas for a title. All ideas are welcome.
Anyways, I did a big amount of this article today, but it still may not be done for another week, I only get Saturdays and Sundays off so I hope to be Smashing the next two days. Hopefully it won't take that long though. Last chance for input if you have any.
EDIT:
Oh and I could also use some ideas for a title. All ideas are welcome.
KyUuKyUu
Smash Ace
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=63371
It's not really similar but I thought of it when I saw this thread. Maybe the ideals in that are helpful or something.
>_>
It's not really similar but I thought of it when I saw this thread. Maybe the ideals in that are helpful or something.
>_>
Binx
Smash Master
Still working on this one Delph? its really hard to describe how to improve because reading something cant actually make you better, you just need to understand every single option you have in every area of your character, what works and more importantly what doesnt. Then you add in some prediction, patience and experience and end up pro (good reflexes dont help either)
And to the person who said ICs have the most potential, I fully agree, unfortunately their potention is alot harder to unlock than fox's, even with AR it would be hard to get ICs to do all the things that could do.
And to the person who said ICs have the most potential, I fully agree, unfortunately their potention is alot harder to unlock than fox's, even with AR it would be hard to get ICs to do all the things that could do.