This is the main reason why I want to get into SBR at some point. I don't post much, I haven't gone to any tournies yet(though I want to soooo badly), but I can analyze like nobody else. Mostly, I need to go out there and experience the meta-game. I need palpable experience before I can churn out anything decent.
My goal is to make a name for myself in the Brawl community, ultimately. I don't care in what, I just want to be known. I think it's a good goal to aspire to, no?
In fact, I think I will take this time to throw out my own opinions on some of the characters' placements in the tier list, because I've said I can analyze well, and I want to back that up. I want you to look at this, knowing that I have never been to a tourney, and haven't even had much of a chance to play offline. My experience is more or less online only. Notice how spot-on(or way off) I am in my insights.
First up, we have Lucas.
I'll not go into detail about how I came across Lucas, but as soon as I did, I fell in love with the little guy. Being a former Pikachu main in Melee, I was used to a quick playstyle. Lucas isn't as quick as Pika, obviously, but he's fast enough for my tastes. Long story short, his playstyle just felt right.
I am disapointed with Lucas' placement in the tier list, but I can see why he's there. He's got the whole grab release thing(**** you Marth, **** you), and his matchups against the higher tiered characters isn't exactly steller. In fact, if weren't for his ATs and upsides, he'd be much lower than he is now, if that sounds possible. GW is a ***** for him to take on, what with his Bair and Bucket, and Marth's Fair and Uber-Godly-Broken-Dancing-Blade are no picnic either. Oh yah, and he has a hard time against MK, but who doesn't? (Admittedly better than most, given he has the greatest number of reliable moves to break the whorenado)
On the flipside, Lucas has good measures for spacing. There's PK Fire, Ftilt, Fair, PK Fire, and his Jab Combo. His lag is pretty low in general, barring a few moves-PK Love and Dsmash come to mind. His combo ability is good enough for me, what with Nairs and Dairs leading into so many options. Love nothing more than to go Nair-Jab Combo-PK Freeze. Freeze hits like, never, but it's a good pressure move and can give the opponent the impression that you're right in their face even if you're on the other side of FD. His jumps are just sex, and PKT2, while gimpable, is a very versitile recovery if you can aim it right. His tether increases his sweetspot range(and doesn't leave you "falling" if you miss, IIRC), and Zap Jump is just insane beyond words.
But while he has a lot of good moves(I mean a lot of good moves), the higher tiered guys also seem to have something better. Ftilt good for spacing? DK and SNAKE say hi. Think your Fair has some really good priority? Marth disagrees. You have a nice Jab combo, really? Ike's can kill.
Really, the only thing unique to Lucas that he has over the rest of the cast are his diverse specials. You have spacing, popsicle maker, controlled projectile/human missile, and absorb projectile that also *****slaps you into oblivion(at 120%+, but still. Nothing's more satisfying than absorbing a fully charged Aura Sphere from a Lucario at 150%, then KOing him into the next country.)
I personally think Lucas can go higher, but if I may be realistic here, my guess is he'll reach Mid tier, tops. Maybe bottom of high tier, if people learn how to abuse his projectiles really well.
Now, next up on our list is Pokemon Trainer.
I noticed a lot of people talking about how PT has the most untapped potentional as of now, but he's just not too popular and not really being used well enough. I agree with this sentiment completly. Individually, and as a whole, PT generally sucks. Zard is combo fodder, Squirtle has mediocore recovery and a lack of kill moves(though what kill moves he DOES have are above average), and Ivy is gimp city.
They have their strong points, such as Zard being able to ****ing horizontal spike with Fair, use some awesome spacing in the form of Flamethrower, use Rock Smash as a psuedo "Counter", and some strong AND fast kill moves in the form of Bair and Dtilt. Despite the low height of his jumps, Fly is actually a pretty good recovery, and Zard has a very large sweepspotting range for the ledge.
Ivy is great at anti-air spacing, with Vine Whip, Bullet Seed, Razor(both shorthopped and otherwise), Dair, Uair, Bair, Fa...basically every aerial except Nair. Ground spacing is pretty good too, what with Razor Leaf(again), Ftilt, Jab, Dsmash, and Dtilt. She's very defensive, and just standing still, she can cover the following areas:
1. Behind her on the ground(Dsmash).
2. In front of her on the ground(Razor Lead, Dsmash, Jab, Dtilt, Ftilt).
3. Directly above her.(Bullet Seed. This is on the ground, remember?)
4. Diagonally in the air in front of her(Vine Whip).
5. In front of her in the air(Razor Leaf to an extent)
All things considered, she's got some pretty good things at her disposal. And now...
To Squirtle.
Squirtle can combo, and combo, and combo, and combo. Oh, and he can Hyrdoplane and Shellshift every which way too. His airspeed and ability to change is among the best in the game. He's got good, lagless aerials all around-Dair and Bair have sex priority too. Jab combo is 2nd fastest startupt in the game at 2 frames(Only beaten by ZSS and tied with...somebody I think.) Two of his tilts are good for launching people into the air, while Ftilt is nice to spacing, and his Dthrow is a nice quick kill move. Water Gun can gimp if you know how to use it-nothing more fun than to kill somebody with an attack that does absolutely no damage. Again, like the other pokemon, he's got a lot going for him. Oh yeah, Shellshifting and Hyrdoplaning too.
All of this praise can be safely responded with the following:
IN THEORY.
PT sounds good on paper. Switch between Pokes to give you a favorable matchup. But that's the thing. PTs Pokes have bad matchups in general. PT's pokes are good, but everyone else is just better.
Actually, let's face it. PT as a whole sucks. Majorly. So why are people saying he has potentional if he sucks so much? It might be for the above (non)reason, but I think they're still right. The reason PT has so much potentional is because he's all over the map. He has all 3 weight classes, he ****ing defies the stereotype of speed by making Squirtle the slowest runner and Zard tied with Pikachu for 7th fastest in the game. IN THE GAME. Zard is a powerhouse, Ivy is defensive as hell and Squirtle kills via death by a thousand cuts. And the pace at which they fight is very different too.
PT's untapped potentional does not come from his raw stasticis, from quanitfiable measurements. It's potentional relies on the player and his skill as using Pokemon Change. Sure, if it's a favorable matchup, keep your poke out. But if you're having trouble on all 3 pokes, try this.
1. Damage opponent enough.
2. Knock them far enough away.
3. Use Pokemon change.
4. Repeat.
It's the change of pace that will mess up an opponent. You have no idea how many I've lost Zard in a stock, only to have Squirtle come out, run up, Grab, and Dthrow the instant afterwards. Usually landing me a kill. That huge change of pace from Zard to Squirtle-and possibly even skill change if you're better at Squirtle than Zard-takes time for an opponent to adjust to. I have a replay against a Marth. The choicest part of the match is as follows:
I'm Zard, and Marth is just U-tilting me into oblivion. Just keeps sending me back up. We're on battlefield, and Zard has bad horizontal airspeed. This goes on for 15 seconds, and Marth KOs Zard without a scratch on him, at a very leasurily pace I might add.
I am now at 1 stock, opponent is at 2 stocks.
Squirtle comes out, I run after them to the left, the retreat. We clash a few times, but my Jab wins out in the end. They are sent off stage. I just run off after them, don't even bother to jump. They didn't either-they were presumably still used to gimping Zard off stage. I Fair as I come close, beating out his aerial because he wasn't used to me closing in so fast in the air. Low air speed to very high air speed is a biig diferences.
He falls further off the stage. I use my double jump, then waterfall back up to the stage, edgehogging the Marth.
I killed Marth as such:
-0-22% was his percent range.
-It happened in less than 1 second.
-2 attacks spanning 4 hits were delivered.
It is that ability to switch your entire playstyle on the fly that gives PT so much potential. And if you can master that ability to switch your playstyle that quickly, you can easily turn the tide of a match by making hit and run attacks with each pokemon, switching out at first oppurtunity. Each pokemon has some tactics and moves that, if the opponent is not use to them, they can create a very effective brick wall.
Squirtle has his Jab. Seems unstoppable, but learn how to shield grab juuuust right.
Ivy has Bullet Seed. Seems unstoppable, but learn how to DI out of it juuust right.
Zard has Fair. Seems unstoppable, but learn how to space it juuust right.
Obviously, that's not all of what the characters have going for them, but those are some examples. And before the opponent can figure out that specific counter, just knock them away, and switch to the next tactic. PT has a lot of tactics with very specific counters, but they're spread out between 3 characters. Just keep substituting one brick wall for another, without giving the opponent a chance to learn how to counter any of them to an indepth extent. It's like a super triatholon that makes you swim 50yds, run 50yds, bike 50yds, then makes you repeat this over and over and over again. You don't have enough time to get into a rythym.
And the best part is, since you're playing the same character the entire time-unless it's another PT or a Zelda/Sheik-you'll get the chance to learn how to fight the opponent, but they won't be able to learn how to fight you.
Okay, that was long winded as hell, but you probably get the point. Infact, Imma gonna post this elsewhere because this is pretty good if I do say myself.
Oh, BTW, good job on the tier list. Happy my other 2 mains-Kirby and Pika-are high tiered.
