D20
01-12-2008, 03:34 PM
Disclaimer: This is a work in progress. At the moment, I am just trying to get some ideas written out. I will go into detail as soon as possible.
There are too many threads that focus on analyzing character matchups. I think we've heard almost everything there is to hear about who counters who, which matchups are even, and which stages are good for which characters. However, most people are not super computers. If I simply pick Jigglypuff against Ganon on Mute City, it doesn't mean I will win.
In this thread, I will examine four distinct player (not character) matchups that effect the outcome of a set (not a friendly). In mathematical terms, I will be looking at the variables instead of the constants.
Player Matchup Type 1 - Players are Familar (from friendlies)
Everyone plays friendlies with a certain group of people. This may be a group of friends you invite to your house every Tuesday night or a group of players from local colleges that meet at a lounge each Friday. Whatever the case, you have probably played over 100 friendly matches with some of these people. You know who they main, what matchups they like, and what stages they hate. You probably even know some of there in-game tendencies - The direction they tech when they are close to an edge, a certain combo they look for when their opponent is at 65%, a mindgame they use when looking for a KO, and any number of other little things. They obviously have similar knowledge about you. So, what happens when you have to face one of these players in a tournament set?
I will use some of my own experiences and some other examples to illustrate the mechanics of this matchup in my next update.
Player Matchup Type 2 - Known v. Unknown
Everyone knows who Cactaur, Silent Wolf, and Chillindude829 are, right? Well, they probably don't know all of you. Sure, they are way more experienced than you, but they don't hold every advantage. In fact, when you play a set with them, they might be overconfident or might not be in the right mindset to play. You, on the other hand, are... and you know general bits of information about them, too.
In this section, I will look into some cases that highlight the advantages of being unknown. Additionally, I will examine how a known player can limit the danger of such a matchup.
Player Matchup Type 3 - Unknown v. Unknown
More often than not, this is the standard tournament matchup. You have little to no info on your opponent, and he has little to no info on you. Everything is a surprise and, because of that, the better player typically wins.
I won't go into as much detail on this matchup since it is very general, but I will share my own experiences and show some ways to quickly "figure somebody out".
Player Matchup Type 4 - Players are Familiar (from tournaments)
This might be the most intense matchup. You've played tournament sets with this person in the past, but you've rarely played friendlies... you are basically rivals. Typically, this scenerio presents itself in larger, regional, tournaments... the stakes are probably very high.
I will share my own experiences with players I only see in tournaments and will examine techniques for limiting stress while capitalizing on your opponent's nervous habits.
That is all for now. I have an outline and will hopefully get to work at some point this week. Feel free to share your opinions or anything else that might help this little project. If you hate it... fine. Even if only one person learns one thing from the finished product, I'll be happy.
There are too many threads that focus on analyzing character matchups. I think we've heard almost everything there is to hear about who counters who, which matchups are even, and which stages are good for which characters. However, most people are not super computers. If I simply pick Jigglypuff against Ganon on Mute City, it doesn't mean I will win.
In this thread, I will examine four distinct player (not character) matchups that effect the outcome of a set (not a friendly). In mathematical terms, I will be looking at the variables instead of the constants.
Player Matchup Type 1 - Players are Familar (from friendlies)
Everyone plays friendlies with a certain group of people. This may be a group of friends you invite to your house every Tuesday night or a group of players from local colleges that meet at a lounge each Friday. Whatever the case, you have probably played over 100 friendly matches with some of these people. You know who they main, what matchups they like, and what stages they hate. You probably even know some of there in-game tendencies - The direction they tech when they are close to an edge, a certain combo they look for when their opponent is at 65%, a mindgame they use when looking for a KO, and any number of other little things. They obviously have similar knowledge about you. So, what happens when you have to face one of these players in a tournament set?
I will use some of my own experiences and some other examples to illustrate the mechanics of this matchup in my next update.
Player Matchup Type 2 - Known v. Unknown
Everyone knows who Cactaur, Silent Wolf, and Chillindude829 are, right? Well, they probably don't know all of you. Sure, they are way more experienced than you, but they don't hold every advantage. In fact, when you play a set with them, they might be overconfident or might not be in the right mindset to play. You, on the other hand, are... and you know general bits of information about them, too.
In this section, I will look into some cases that highlight the advantages of being unknown. Additionally, I will examine how a known player can limit the danger of such a matchup.
Player Matchup Type 3 - Unknown v. Unknown
More often than not, this is the standard tournament matchup. You have little to no info on your opponent, and he has little to no info on you. Everything is a surprise and, because of that, the better player typically wins.
I won't go into as much detail on this matchup since it is very general, but I will share my own experiences and show some ways to quickly "figure somebody out".
Player Matchup Type 4 - Players are Familiar (from tournaments)
This might be the most intense matchup. You've played tournament sets with this person in the past, but you've rarely played friendlies... you are basically rivals. Typically, this scenerio presents itself in larger, regional, tournaments... the stakes are probably very high.
I will share my own experiences with players I only see in tournaments and will examine techniques for limiting stress while capitalizing on your opponent's nervous habits.
That is all for now. I have an outline and will hopefully get to work at some point this week. Feel free to share your opinions or anything else that might help this little project. If you hate it... fine. Even if only one person learns one thing from the finished product, I'll be happy.