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You're Doing It Wrong: A Guide to solving simple problems in combat

SCOTU

Smash Hero
Joined
Mar 16, 2007
Messages
6,636
Location
Northville, MI

A Common Sense Guide to Fix Stupid Habits



You may often find yourself succumbing to some stupid stuff over and over again, but failing to find a solution, even though you may think the solution is obvious. It is. You're just having a hard time thinking of it since you're frustrated.

I've written up a common sense guide that offers simple steps to take that may help you think of them faster when you keep falling for that same old ****. Yes, I know all of this is common sense and basic; sometimes you just need to see it in writing for it to click. Yes I know this isn't a comprehensive list of options: it's supposed to be as simple as possible to allow you to think of them easier.

  • Offense
    • Keep getting hit out of approach by standstill attacks: you're just running in with an attack with little variance. Try mixing it up with a dashing shield, or a juke.
    • Keep getting attacks shielded: you're just running in with little variance, vary your approach. Try dash grabs, or dashes without attacks, or try spacing your attacks out of shield grab range.
    • Keep getting attacks dodged/ rolled: your attacks are too straight forward. Delay your attacks if your opponent begins using this strategy. Also try attacks that last a long time (and cover a large range against rolls)
    • Keep getting by retreating attacks: you're always assuming your opponent isn't going to move. Adapt your approaches to not assume the enemy will remain still. Try dashing shields or large distance covering attacks (i.e. dash attacks)
    • Keep getting stopped by projectiles: you're timing your movement wrong or you're approaching from the wrong angle. Try walking and shielding/ attacking to pass projectiles or by using jumps, platforms, or attacks to circumvent the projectile filled area.
    • Keep getting pinned down: You're not recognizing when you have the ability to go on the offense. Wait for a whiffed/blocked attack for your opening to strike with a quick attack in order to gain match momentum.
    • Keep getting hit after landing a successful hit: Stop using that attack at such a low percent.
    • Followups keep getting dodged: your just trying to attack as soon as they're in range. Mix it up with delayed attacks, such as a charged dashing usmash.
    • Followups keep getting counterhit: This followup is invalid, and you should refrain from using it.
    • KO moves not KOing: You keep using them too early. Wait for them to be at a higher percent. Also try using other attacks to un-decay your KO moves (i.e. pummeling w/ a grab)
  • Defense
    • Keep getting counterhit out of your defensive attack: attack faster, or attack with more range, or just shield.
    • Keep getting hit after shielding an attack: you're either using a move too slow out of shield, one with not enough range, the move is safe on block, or you're just not attacking back fast enough after blocking.
    • Keep being hit out of your dodges/ rolls: you're dodging/ rolling too much/ to predictably, mix it up by shielding or retreating with an attack
    • They keep staying just out of your range: You're being zoned. Either use a quick projectile to force them to stop zoning, or try attacking when they land (if they're zoning w/ aerials), or try moving forward and blocking their zone attacks.
    • Keep getting wrecked by projectiles: if they're far away, use a safe reflector, or projetile better than them using a shield to gain the upperhand, or just stop playing defensive 'cause they're better at it.
    • The Opponent won't go on offense: use projectiles to force them. Zone directly out of their range to pressure them into attacking. If you're leading in the match, you don't need to make them approach, cause they'll lose if time runs out. If they're ahead and you can't force an approach, go on offense.
    • Keep getting hit by a followup: either the followup works, you're DIing wrong (DI down and away for low knockback moves), try attacking with a fast aerial, or air dodging.
    • Keep getting hit out of your air dodge "escape" from followup: you're using the air dodge too much. Try waiting for their delayed attack, or just counterattacking with a fast aerial.
  • Edgeguarding
    • They keep getting the edge: you're not guarding it very well, aim attacks to intercept recoveries at the edge, or just edgehog if applicable - force a stage return.
    • They keep making it back to the stage: edge guard them offstage and above the stage, just keep hitting them back out if they try for the stage. Or you could hit them in their recovery landing lag.
    • They keep hitting me off the edge: try to time your edge invincibility for when they'll be near the edge. Try using edge stalls or just waiting until the last minute to get on the edge
    • They keep hitting me off from the edge: you're just standing vulnerable by the edge. Try waiting for them to take an action and shielding it if it's an attack.
    • They keep air dodging my edgeguarding: You're being too straightforward with your edgeguards. Try using a long lasting attack to hit them out of the air dodge, or just waiting for them to air dodge when you get close to them, then attacking.
    • They keep out-prioritizing my edgeguarding w/ their recovery: They're Metaknight. Deal with it.
  • Recovery
    • Keep getting hit out of the startup of you recovery: Recover starting farther away from the stage
    • Keep getting gimped: avoid starting your recovery near or under the edge at low percents. Try to stay away from the edges.
    • Keep getting edgehogged: Stop going for the edge and go for the stage.
    • Keep getting hit while drifting back: try air dodging or attacking with a faster or longer ranged aerial. Make use of your double jump or fast falling or some momentum changing attack to change the timing on your recovery.
    • Keep getting hit in landing lag from recovery: try to go for the edge, or go past the edge and drift back to the edge once they're off it. Also try ending your recovery farther in stage or on a platform.
    • Keep hitting me out of my stage return: Stop always attacking off the edge. Try jumping to safety, standing up and shielding, or ledgehopping a recovery move (i.e. falco phantasm) to get away from the edge.
    • Keep having HUGE LAG after returning to the stage from the edge: When you use a special recovery move, until the next time you land, you cannot cancel your landing lag with IASA frames. Try making sure the next time you land is with an aerial with very little landing lag (NOT AUTOCANCELED).
 

B0mbe1c

Smash Lord
Joined
Jun 14, 2007
Messages
1,330
Location
Maryland
Haha, yeah nice guide. But you should have said "Vary where you land when recovering" because you said go for stage if you get edgehogged. or go for edge if you get hit when falling on the stage. :3
 

Pr0phetic

Dodge the bullets!
Joined
May 11, 2008
Messages
3,322
Location
Syracuse, NY
Nice guide, this can be good for people who can't train with humans. However, all of this can be learned from tourney experience. But im not gonna knock you, good stuff =P
 

K 2

Smash Lord
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
1,920
Location
Tennessee
ooo nice guide. Basically, vary up your approaches, defenses, edgeguarding, and recovery. Be unpredictable.
 

livan

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Dec 3, 2008
Messages
184
Location
???
very good picture and you can't choose a perfect character for that than luigi he fight doing a little funny style
 

indianunit

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
Messages
459
Location
Freehold, NJ
stupid and unnecessary

is what I would have said if this article wasn't so useful and necessary for people who are frustrated with what they are doing wrong in brawl.
 

Crizthakidd

Smash Champion
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
2,619
Location
NJ
oh wow lol some basics i have to master before moving on and getting better. silly now ur like dammit how could i not think of that
 

Foxy

Smash Master
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
3,900
Location
Raleigh, North Carolina
that was a good guide for newbies or just anyone who hasn't already done a god-awful amount of study on brawl to attempt to make it a better competitive game.

i think i have something that would be useful to link here, as it shares a lot of the same principles of the thread and also benefits new players learning to improve their game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRQhnffr28A
 

Starwarrior27

Smash Apprentice
Joined
May 5, 2008
Messages
106
Location
The Stars
SCOTU, your guide is very invaluable, especially to those new to the competitive scene in Brawl. Not only did the picture perfectly introduce the topic :laugh:, but the guide itself was also filled with information that could easily be missed for those who are frustrated. It truly takes a step back to look at the issues. Your Realpolitik method of addressing the issues fits just perfectly for Brawl (Realpolitik - If a strategy does not work, change it).

As an additional note to the being punished by an opponent's recovery, with enough practice, the Metaknight could actually be baited to use the Shuttle Loop too early, resulting in being edgehogged. But for players frequently frustrated by Shuttle Loop, the best solution is just to NOT edgeguard/edgehog Metaknight. This is only an elaboration of "deal[ing] with it." Excellent guide, though!
 

Kaffei

Smash Hero
Joined
Feb 8, 2008
Messages
7,048
"They keep out-prioritizing my edgeguarding w/ their recovery: They're Metaknight. Deal with it."

Lmfao
 
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