Thoughts on maining Random button

[NightroGlycerine]

So in my area, I'm the best Brawler. That's not saying much, though. My area sucks. I'm on a college campus though, so I get to play fairly often. Any time I go to a serious tournament I get my *** handed to me (Marth main, second DK/Falco), although I improve every time, I'm still not very high quality.

But then again, I crush my area so much, that I've taken to simply maining Random. Unless I end up with characters I hate like Peach or Lucas, I own.

But also I've taken to training simply by Random vs. Random, whenever I can get a human opponent. However, not many people are willing to play with Random, so I often practice against level nine computers... one sided battle, but at least I get the basic mechanics of the match-up.

Is there any merit to Random dittos as means of learning the match-ups? If you assume 36 characters, there's 1,296 possible match-ups if you include dittos. I find it useful, as you get match-ups no one knows about or even bothers to think of except the people who main the characters involved: Luigi vs. Bowser, Lucario vs. Peach, R.O.B. vs. Fox and Pikachu vs. Jigglypuff. Stuff like that.

See, I find Brawl's depth lies not in gameplay but characters and their match-ups. It's logical to me, therefore, to play every character as much as possible, and get good with as many characters as possible. So I main Random on campus, although when I want to get serious I go Marth or some character I already know like the back of my hand.

Only drawback to Random button: I've never gotten ZSS as a random. I don't know if it's possible. So therefore you only get practice with one of 1,225 match-ups, but no one knows all of them.

 

[Frown]

Only drawback to Random button: I've never gotten ZSS as a random. I don't know if it's possible. So therefore you only get practice with one of 1,225 match-ups, but no one knows all of them.

If you hold L as the match starts, you will get her IF random picked Samus for you.

 

[Zajice]

I want to become good enough at this game that I can main the random button at a tourney and still win... Now THAT'S a goal...

Although, what you're saying makes sense. Using random dittos can get you practice in matchups that you wouldn't expect to happen, and a weird matchup is ALWAYS bound to happen eventually. I kick it random all the time. It's fun. :D

 

[sMexy-Blu]

1,296 Matchups.... Lol

 

[nocturne55]

If you hold L as the match starts, you will get her IF random picked Samus for you.

Bahahaha. Seriously, ZSS probably deserves her own button thingy.

 

[C.J.]

If you really want to get good enough to do well in tournies, stick with Marth, Falco, and DK. When you're playing the people around you don't play to win. Play and really focus on your spacing. Try to incorporate tactics into your game. Once you feel really comfortable as them, then by all means go and play random. But, if you really want to do well in tournies, then stick to your mains.

 

[NightroGlycerine]

If you really want to get good enough to do well in tournies, stick with Marth, Falco, and DK. When you're playing the people around you don't play to win. Play and really focus on your spacing. Try to incorporate tactics into your game. Once you feel really comfortable as them, then by all means go and play random. But, if you really want to do well in tournies, then stick to your mains.

I'm aware. It'd be stupid to go Random with money on the line. Especially as Random can just be countered with Meta Knight >.<

I just want bizarre match-up practice as it widens your grasp of all the characters in the game, so you know what to expect when someone throws out an unexpected character.

I think the ideal Brawl player would know every match-up, but no one does. Doesn't make sense to try to get to that goal?

 

[SpongeBathBill]

^it DOES make sense.

Overall, although maining random is theoretically taking time away from practising your actual mains - and so, in the long run, maybe weakening you in some respects - it'll hugely improve your general knowledge of the game, and that can only be a good thing ^_^

 

[IxxI]

Havokk mains random.

 

[Levitas]

Only like 3% of matchups really matter to someone with one main, and of those, maybe 40% of them require in-depth knowledge if you're doing it right.

So you can main random and learn every matchup, or you can pick a main and learn every matchup that you need to know and be done MUCH faster and have MUCH more experience.

 

[Full Metal X]

Bahahaha. Seriously, ZSS probably deserves her own button thingy.

Or at least the kind of set up Zelda and Sheik have.

 

[Noa.]

From what you said, you're not much of a good player. And if you're not much of a good player, then your friends must be much worse. Just because you play as a random character doesn't mean you'll learn the matchup.

If my friend and I both pick random, and I get Bowser and he gets Zamus, will I learn more about either character? The answer is no. I haven't the slightest idea of how to play as Bowser and my friend doesn't know Zamus.

I wouldn't be able to learn much at all. A character is much more than a moveset. It's how a character is used that truly defines the character.

Fighting some random guy online that only spams thunder with pikachu isn't really going to help me at all, isn't it?

Unless you and your friends have in depth knowledge on how to play all of the characters, picking random fights between each other won't help much at all.

Besides, learning all the matchups in brawl isn't what you should be focusing on. Your priority should be your main. If you main Marth, then you know all the machups against every character, using Marth.

You need to set your priorities straight if you want to get better faster. Eventually you will know all matchups with Marth. Then, I could understand wanting to learn all of the characters' matchups. It would deepen your understanding of the game drastically. But for now, just focus on your own character.

You say your friends are bad, and that you're forced to fight against computers for real competition. Have you tried to teach your friends on how they should be playing better? Back then, I used to be the best in my group. I would always give them tips while we played, so that they could get better. Once they got better, then I could get better.

Eventually, one joined smashboards, and now he's my equal. He beats me evenly enough, and he's learned a lot about the game.

It's important to be able to play against capable people if you want to get better.

 

[NightroGlycerine]

You say your friends are bad, and that you're forced to fight against computers for real competition. Have you tried to teach your friends on how they should be playing better? Back then, I used to be the best in my group. I would always give them tips while we played, so that they could get better. Once they got better, then I could get better.

Eventually, one joined smashboards, and now he's my equal. He beats me evenly enough, and he's learned a lot about the game.

It's important to be able to play against capable people if you want to get better.

Well, I'm not saying computers are real competition, just the only people willing to play Random. Thing is I have a difficult time choosing characters because I have so much fun with nearly all the cast. Marth just suits my style best.

The Smash community around where I am is pretty much... me. I have to drive about 30 minutes to get to a place where tournaments are held, and the last "biweekly" they had was five weeks ago with no future one scheduled. I'm the only one around here who takes Brawl competitively.

Teaching others... means finding someone with equal commitment to the tournament scene. They're difficult to come by in a small town. I'm pretty much the only one around with any tournament experience and I can't transfer that to my peers.

In that sense, the only way I see to improve my game wouldn't be to learn a few characters in extensive detail, but ALL characters in extensive detail. That, or go back to Melee, which despite playing seriously since 2006 I'm god-awful at (WTB lessons in Falco waveshining).

And I'm not THAT bad. At least I improve. That said, I got three-stocked by Pikapika last tournament...

 

[SmashBrother2008]

Don't do it. There's a chance you might get Captain Falcon and you're 100% likely to lose with him, right gais?

 

[Noa.]

Well, I'm not saying computers are real competition, just the only people willing to play Random. Thing is I have a difficult time choosing characters because I have so much fun with nearly all the cast. Marth just suits my style best.

The Smash community around where I am is pretty much... me. I have to drive about 30 minutes to get to a place where tournaments are held, and the last "biweekly" they had was five weeks ago with no future one scheduled. I'm the only one around here who takes Brawl competitively.

Teaching others... means finding someone with equal commitment to the tournament scene. They're difficult to come by in a small town. I'm pretty much the only one around with any tournament experience and I can't transfer that to my peers.

In that sense, the only way I see to improve my game wouldn't be to learn a few characters in extensive detail, but ALL characters in extensive detail. That, or go back to Melee, which despite playing seriously since 2006 I'm god-awful at (WTB lessons in Falco waveshining).

And I'm not THAT bad. At least I improve. That said, I got three-stocked by Pikapika last tournament...

Sorry if it sounded like a insulted your skill. I myself am not that well of a player.

It does take commitment to become a good player. I understand that. But you can't even get one of your friends to go to tournaments? That sucks. Just bring them to a tournament and they'll see the competitive environment, and maybe that'll convince them to get better. I do understand where your coming from though. People will only be competitive if they're committed.

Also, how are you learning to play as the characters?

 

[Smudge]

Only like 3% of matchups really matter to someone with one main, and of those, maybe 40% of them require in-depth knowledge if you're doing it right.

So you can main random and learn every matchup, or you can pick a main and learn every matchup that you need to know and be done MUCH faster and have MUCH more experience.

QFT

I do enjoy playing random myself, but I can never understand how someone can main Random, it just seems...weird.

 

[Ochobobo]

You should really get Homebrew and set up the code that makes it so ZSS is an option in random. You're currently at a disadvantage in that you have hardly any experience against ZSS. (There's also a code that makes Sheik an option for random as well)

 

[AAP]

I think Levitas hit on what i was thinking. why learn close to 1300 match-ups when u could get by with only knowing 72 or 108 ( depending if you go 2 or 3 chars) and of those there would only be a select few that you'd have to know really well. Random makes sense for fun, but to improve I think sticking to a set of characters you like and knowing them very well is better than being ok with everyone. Putting a computer opponent on random makes sense tho since i do agree with you in saying that match-ups are a big part of the game.

 

[Greenpoe]

If you like Smash so much, play Brawl+. It won't help your regular Brawl game much, but it's tons more fun, and your friends will appreciate new life being breathed into the game.

 

[Corax The Cold]

while its impressive to win with any character, imo its more work than its worth in the end, because no one will give you credit or special treatment when you lose.

 

[NightroGlycerine]

If you like Smash so much, play Brawl+. It won't help your regular Brawl game much, but it's tons more fun, and your friends will appreciate new life being breathed into the game.

I've thought about this. Thing is, I don't like Brawl+, it seems like a lot of effort for a very small gain when I can still have fun with normal Brawl. And besides, I never play on my own Wii. I don't even own a copy of Brawl, I just bum it off my friends.

I like pretty much the whole cast. Perhaps this is just my way of not having to make up my mind... I've been known to spend a LOT of time at the character select screen. So long as I'm not Bowser, Peach, Lucas, CF, or Luigi, I'm comfortable with the rest of the cast. Perhaps not competitively, but I still know most of the quirks of most characters moves.

Although Diddy barrel-cancelling still eludes me.

...

Pardon my noob, but I don't post often (been a member of the Smash community for years though). How do I get a Marth icon next to my name?

 

[n88]

I'm not sure Random is as random as it seems. The other day, I played 10 Random v Random matches. Three matches were dittos, and for three other matches, I played as green and yellow Ice Climbers. Not very Random.

 

[Lawz.]

I'm not sure Random is as random as it seems. The other day, I played 10 Random v Random matches. Three matches were dittos, and for three other matches, I played as green and yellow Ice Climbers. Not very Random.

i have to agree with you sometimes the random button gets so lazy that it picks the same character but a different color multiple times.

 

[ndayday]

I'd main random if it weren't for the fact that you run the risk of getting a dumb character chosen for you. All too often have I had to use characters that I know next to none about in a match.

 

[Da-D-Mon-109]

If you get good enough compeditively that you can Main the Random Button, you will be unstopable. Who is good against Random? What stage do you counter pick for Random? HOW THE HECK DO YOU COUNTER RANDOM!?! But the strategy can also backlash... if you pick Random, and are forced to use Ganondorf on Rainbow-Road against Game&Watch or Falco, you might be in trouble... unless you have enough skill to turn it around.... dude, you'd be the best player in existance! But you'd need a lot of practice to be able to comfortably play with any and every character in any and every situation.

 

[Ochobobo]

If you get good enough compeditively that you can Main the Random Button, you will be unstopable. Who is good against Random? What stage do you counter pick for Random? HOW THE HECK DO YOU COUNTER RANDOM!?! But the strategy can also backlash... if you pick Random, and are forced to use Ganondorf on Rainbow-Road against Game&Watch or Falco, you might be in trouble... unless you have enough skill to turn it around.... dude, you'd be the best player in existance! But you'd need a lot of practice to be able to comfortably play with any and every character in any and every situation.

I've often toyed with the idea of going to a tournament and making it all the way to the final round and then picking random for that fight, just to see my opponent's reaction.

Too bad I'd almost definitely lose unless I got really lucky LOL

 

[p8nted]

If you get good enough compeditively that you can Main the Random Button, you will be unstopable. Who is good against Random? What stage do you counter pick for Random? HOW THE HECK DO YOU COUNTER RANDOM!?! But the strategy can also backlash... if you pick Random, and are forced to use Ganondorf on Rainbow-Road against Game&Watch or Falco, you might be in trouble... unless you have enough skill to turn it around.... dude, you'd be the best player in existance! But you'd need a lot of practice to be able to comfortably play with any and every character in any and every situation.

Who counters random? Meta-Knight. >.>

I've often toyed with the idea of going to a tournament and making it all the way to the final round and then picking random for that fight, just to see my opponent's reaction.

Too bad I'd almost definitely lose unless I got really lucky LOL

Mind if I steal this? lol Especially if it were a legit tourney like Genesis or CoT hahahahaha.
It's too bad I'll never make it to the final round