Do you need tech skill to win tournaments?

[Justkallmekai]

Recently someone has brought to my attention that you may or may not need tech skill to win tournaments? So is it useless to learn and practice tech skills?

 

[Saito]

Depends on the skill of the opposing players and the character that you are using.

Someone like Jigglypuff can win without much tech skill investment but if you use someone like fox, then the need for Tech skill is much greater.

 

[Jolteon]

Simply put, yes. When you are competing in high caliber tournaments you will want optimal punishes and control of your character, which typically requires a degree of tech skill and consistency. How much depends on your character, but it is still a requirement.

 

[GP&B]

Tech skill is necessary, but it is not the end-all-be-all to winning tournaments. Execution is crucial in working out your battle plan, but you must also understand how to interact with your opponent. Likewise, if you are great at creating openings but cannot capitalize, then that will make you lose matches as well.

 

[Justkallmekai]

Depends on the skill of the opposing players and the character that you are using.

Someone like Jigglypuff can win without much tech skill investment but if you use someone like fox, then the need for Tech skill is much greater.

Really good point.

 

[Pika_thunder]

Lol at whoever said no.

 

[Werbenjagermanjensen]

Basically everything said above. Tech skill is required to play Melee/PM to an extent, but you don't need to be a Dark/Lovage to win tournaments. In fact, from what I noticed in literally every fighting game, it's less tech skill and more "fundamentals honed to a point in which it looks like tech skills." As long as you have the basics mastered, and you can adapt to different situations, it comes down to who's the better thinker and player. Just look at Hungrybox/Cacutar/Dj Nintendo for examples.

 

[Empyrean]

New players tend to believe that learning techs automatically makes them better than those who don't. They'll be often disappointed when they still lose to their casuals friends who take good decisions and play smart. Tech skill is required, but it will hardly get you anywhere alone.

 

[Justkallmekai]

New players tend to believe that learning techs automatically makes them better than those who don't. They'll be often disappointed when they still lose to their casuals friends who take good decisions and play smart. Tech skill is required, but it will hardly get you anywhere alone.

I like that answer, cause I used to be like that. Sadly.

 

[Thane of Blue Flames]

IDK, as the only one in my group of casual friends who L-Cancels ...

Then again, I did get beat when I QD'd right into my friend charging Roy's Flare Blade. I've gotten smarter about such things, though.

 

[MoonlapseOpethian]

To an extent, yes, but an understanding of the fundamentals is equally important.

Knowledge is power.

 

[MLGF]

Knowing tech is good.
Being able to apply it in a match to enhance your playstyle is great.

 

[Rikana]

It's more about being consistent than it is about tech skill. You need the tech skill to get there but you must stay consistent after you've achieved it.This applies to all characters.

 

[Thane of Blue Flames]

Go watch Pink Fresh play.

Then realize he never Wavedashes.

Cuz he hasn't learned it yet.

 

[The_NZA]

L cancelling and shffling are requirements. Everything else will help but I've seen people not lean on them. I mean, just look at Awestin: that guy is only starting to incorporate tech, and he was the top 10 winningest players of last year in PM.

 

[Empyrean]

Go watch Pink Fresh play.

Then realize he never Wavedashes.

Cuz he hasn't learned it yet.

I'm pretty sure I've seen Pinkfresh wavedash out of magnet. Your point still stands though, he never uses it for movement, yet performs amazingly. I still find it incredible how much he improved in a matter of two months.

I myself just started incorporating tech skill in my playstyle. Even though I knew how to do them a while ago, I decided to focus first on understanding the characters, spacing, making good reads, basically fundamentals. I try to make the ATs complement what I already do instead of my playstyle revolving around ATs.

 

[Bambi_]

To a point, yes. You should know the basics, but that's to win a tournament. If we're talking what to improve on, tech skill is less important than a good understanding of the game. Use your ability to make good decisions as a base, and then over time sprinkle different technical things onto it. The top players could probably easily beat you without ever wavedashing or l-canceling for an entire match, because they all make good decisions. So that should be your priority. Make good decisions. And then after that, use tech skill as a means of facilitating the decisions that you do make.

All of that said, you won't be able to capitalize on as much if you don't have technical skill. You think you see an opening about to happen and your opponent is at kill percent? If you can't DACUS, it's worthless. But seeing these things and knowing the flow of the game puts you above your opponent on a mental level. It's more valuable than just DACUSing everywhere like a dumbass because you just learned it and want to show it off.

 

[BackwardCap]

New players tend to believe that learning techs automatically makes them better than those who don't. They'll be often disappointed when they still lose to their casuals friends who take good decisions and play smart. Tech skill is required, but it will hardly get you anywhere alone.

This, I started learning tech skills recently but I still lose to my casual friends who call me a loser that tries too hard even though I basically destroyed them before I started practicing. Unfortunately for them, I just keep getting more consistent with my execution and end up making them cry occasionally when they get four stocked.

 

[Justkallmekai]

This, I started learning tech skills recently but I still lose to my casual friends who call me a loser that tries too hard even though I basically destroyed them before I started practicing. Unfortunately for them, I just keep getting more consistent with my execution and end up making them cry occasionally when they get four stocked.

Hehe. You make them cry.

 

[Fortress]

Yes, the degree of which is determined by your character pick, mostly. At the least, learn L-cancelling, fast-falling, and the SHFFL. Wavetech and ledgeplay don't hurt either.

 

[Terotrous]

It's worth noting that L-Cancel is absurdly easy to learn. I got used to it in like 10 minutes. You just press L when you land from an Aerial, that's it. This game even has a helpful flash to let you know if you did it right.

 

[Fortress]

L-cancel in itself is easy, it's learning to do it when freeze frames, opponent's decisions, and other factors get involved that's the hard part.

 

[OmegaMuffin]

I consider tech skill to be the ability to control your character and perform the actions you want to consistently.

So yes, you need tech skill.

 

[Justkallmekai]

It's worth noting that L-Cancel is absurdly easy to learn. I got used to it in like 10 minutes. You just press L when you land from an Aerial, that's it. This game even has a helpful flash to let you know if you did it right.

Yup I got it down easy too.

 

[210stuna]

- Moonwalk with C.Falcon
- Win game
- Leave satisfied

 

[shairn]

Tournament wins are actually decided by who can show off the flashiest tech skill, the matches you see streamed are just a distraction.

 

[Waite]

Tech skill is always a factor simply due to the fact you can win a lot of smaller battles over the course of a match with proper use of it. That being said, as a Peach player, I have to focus more on spacing than anything, but I can still fall back on teching to gain an advantage in a sticky situation.

So I guess my answer is both yes and kinda yes.

 

[Kink-Link5]

This is a silly question. Obviously the answer is yes. High level play is a combination of executing on point and out thinking your opponent. Having only half the equation or the other can't be enough. Even players like Hbox who play Jigglypuff "Because I'm bad at tech skill" have to have the execution requirements to make what they want to happen, happen.

 

[Rizner]

It depends on the tournaments you're entering and who you're against. If I enter a tournament run at a local gameshop, advertised to noon competitive people who don't make good decisions, sure I could win without tech skill even if they had some by just playing smarter. But if I were to play someone who was fundamentally as good as me when it comes to spacing and decision making, but wasn't as good with tech skill they wouldn't win because I would always have more options and capitalize more on opportunities/followups than they could. I think tech skill isn't going to make up for being an ok or bad player when playing someone better, and without tech skill you can win low level tournaments, but when you're getting better there comes a point that in order to beat people in high level play or in tournaments with people who make good decisions you will need it to get first.

 

[tripwire]

Why even question this? Having more tech-skill is only beneficial to winning. Kink is right about out thinking your opponent but different tech skills open up many options.

 

[Justkallmekai]

This is a silly question. Obviously the answer is yes. High level play is a combination of executing on point and out thinking your opponent. Having only half the equation or the other can't be enough. Even players like Hbox who play Jigglypuff "Because I'm bad at tech skill" have to have the execution requirements to make what they want to happen, happen.

Actually its not really a silly question, because some people actually don't really use tech skills and will win matches, and may even get really good at smash withput tech skill

 

[Paradoxium]

Actually its not really a silly question, because some people actually don't really use tech skills and will win matches, and may even get really good at smash withput tech skill

Have you seen anyone recently win high level tournaments without tech skill?

 

[210stuna]

Have you seen anyone recently win high level tournaments without tech skill?

Yeah! We don't want to just win tournaments, we want to win them all.
We all want to be the very best!

 

[Justkallmekai]

Have you seen anyone recently win high level tournaments without tech skill?

I know nobody has, but it's still a legit question.