Since I'm hitting writer's block before I even start this article, I figure I might as well open with the statement that I haven't a clue where to begin. I've been hesistant for months to write something such as this due to what such an endeavor would encompass. There's also the realization that teams is rarely taken anywhere near as seriously as singles competition, and that there are so many variable factors involved with teams that it may be too huge an undertaking to try and write an article about team competitions that covers all the bases. But **** it, I'm gonna try.
The Overview:
I've been playing team matches for as long, if not longer, than I've played singles matches. I spent two years playing this game in 4-player FFA matches every weekend before I even realized this game had any depth to it, subconciously learning getaway tactics, camping strategies and general stage awareness. Once I got into the competitive smash scene and began tweaking and honing my 1vs1 skills though, I would on any given day probably be the person least interested in playing teams. Everything just seemed so random and chaotic about teams, including everything from switching player focus to combos to edgeguarding, that I felt playing teams was just a sideshow event to the main attraction of singles competition. With all the random motion and sometimes complete lack of strategy I was witnessing from so many players, I accepted that teams was nothing more than just for fun.
I couldn't have been more wrong. I've spent the last 2 years competing in and studying the aspects of team competition such as team strategies and specifics, character matchups, pace of play, playstyle synergies and tendencies of players during a teams match to alter their style/movesets/etc. I've come to the conclusion that high-level teams competitions are the most complex exercises of strategy, synergy and mental awareness available in this game.
Loftiness aside though, I'm going to skip to the part where I bluntly and rightfully state that most people actually absolutely suck when playing in teams matches. And I'm not referring only to noobs flailing around in friendlies on the weekend; even great players can be, and in many cases are clueless as to how to be an effective teammate. A lot of the problems in making the transition from singles to teams competition come from the lack of recognition of the skills one needs to be successful in a teams environment. It's not that they can't still perform well in a teams match; on the contrary, put two solid singles players together into a team and more often than not, they'll put up a solid performance. But that's usually just their raw talent destroying their opposition. More times than I can recall, I've seen exceptional groups of singles players taken out of the bracket by players who may not be as good singles-wise, but their team has the strategy, mindset and teamwork to come out on top. So for the rest of this article, I'm going to delve into how to play teams matches, and how to win, ranging from what the best players do that others overlook, to what the downfalls of good players are that makes them perform poorly in teams matches, to how even bad players can become great teammates, and much much more.
TOPIC #1 - THE DIFFERENCE
This ISN'T singles play. You need to throw out everything you know about singles play and reform your game again from scratch; this includs how agressive or defensive you play, what kinds of openings are safe to punish, how to edgeguard, how to protect yourself, how to protect your teammate and stay out of his way at the same time, etc. Teamwork is paramount; you cannot and will not win big matches by yourself by being a hero. Everything you do in a teams match, including pounding an opponent into submission, can have an adverse effect on your team's well-being if you don't properly support your teammate. You may have just finished up a gigantic death combo on one opponent, only to realize once it's over that your other opponent has made quick work of your teammate while you were distracted by your single-mindedness. Where does this get your team? The Loser's Bracket.
TOPIC #2 - THE GAMEPLAN
There is a plethora of strategies and mindsets that a team could adopt and employ. However, many of the different gameplans a team could share are completely wrong from a competitive aspect; many of them are obviously stupid if looked at in retrospect, or if the team would just step back and look at how they operate together. There are a few select mindsets that have what it takes to compete at a high level, but still get ahnillated by best of them. So let's try and break down what makes a great competitive mindset.
As I mentioned earlier, a competitive teams match can be extremely complex. You not only have interactions between yourself and one opponent, but also between yourself and another independant opponent and between yourself and your teammate. You need to play three times as conscious and aware of your surroundings. You need to modify your combos, edgeguards, and movements to compensate for your lack of open space and freedom. All this in addition to everything that goes on in a normal 1vs1 match. However, if everything were given respective percentage totals for how important they are to winning, it is my opinion that 50% of a team match is in knowing your teammate's game, and him knowing yours.
This is where forming a solid team all begins. Before you can work and perform fluidly as a team, you'd best know exactly what to expect from your teammate. You need to know his pace of play inside and out. There should be no suprises, and no confusion as to each other's role in the match (I'll get to this in a bit). If someone were to ask you questions like "How agressive is your teammate's edgeguarding? Does he like to fight out front, or remain protected by his teammate's offense? Is he careful or careless with respect to attacking near your position? Does he like fighting near the edge or near the center of the stage?" The answers to these questions should not evade you, nor should they escape your teammate.
So here you are now. You know your teammate's pace and style of play, and he knows yours. Where do you go from here? This is where you need to step back and analyze your respective styles, and begin assigning roles between each other. Now, roles are not always static, but knowing your role in the match and being able to follow through with it can give your team new levels of confidence and focus you might never have thought possible. Roles also serve as building blocks for creating successful mindsets and strategies. Roles can be divided in such ways as:
-Who will be the agressor in the match and who will be the stock tank
-Which teammate will focus on which respective opponent, determined by such possible factors as advantageous character matchups or abilities to counter certain styles of play.
-When to intervene in a teammate's combo and when to leave them be
-How close a proximity should be kept to each other for defensive purposes
-Goals and complimentary character combos you should aim for whenever possible (such as grabs leading to a teammate's Upsmash/Rest/Jab Infinite, for instance)
In the end, the more accurate roles you can assign between the two of you, the stronger your gameplan will be and the better your chances of victory. Things such as execution and confidence will of course factor into how successful your team will be as well, but for every role divided amongst you, for every goal your team sets out to accomplish in a match, the more prepared and focused your team will be over your adversaries. Remember, the main goal in any team stock match is to take their 8 stock faster than your team loses yours. So sit back, reflect on your character's complimentary traits, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your team's style and pace of play, and arrange roles in the match to best mask your weaknesses and compliment your strengths.
TOPIC #3 - POINTERS ON HOW TO PLAY EFFECTIVELY AS A TEAM
I don't really have a plan for this topic, so I'm just going to list a number of tips, ideas and mindsets I feel are important for playing well in a team match.
Don't be afraid to play "cheap" in a match. Cheap is just a scrub's term for efficiency. You can't pull off half the stuff you can do in a singles match in a teams match, but with help from your teammate, a whole new bag of tricks is available as well. Don't be ashamed to use every dirty little trick in your arsenal.
A great analogy to playing teams successfully would be to imagine you're playing a match as Ice Climbers, only that Team Attack is turned on between them and affects the interaction with Popo and Nana. Your team should flow as if you were Popo and your teammate were Nana; symmetrical trains of thought, both moving with the same goals in mind. Never once for a moment ignore what your opponent is doing (or what your opponent is doing to him). Stay out of his way and do not impede his movements, but always stay close enough and correctly-positioned that you can bail him out of a combo or edgeguard at a moment's notice.
Always watch your back, and remember that no matter what you might think, no combo is sacred in a teams match. No matter how well your combo is going, remember that you cannot complete it if you are dead. If you see an opponent approaching you to break up your combo and punish you for your vunerability, either but your victim in between you and the advancing opponent, or toss your victim aside and place your focus on the approaching enemy. The best combos and punishments in a teams match usually derive from catching an opponent preoccupied or unaware of his surroundings; keep an eye out for these opportunities at all times, and take care not to fall into situations like those yourself.
Everything you do in a teams match is doubly amplified; a mistake will prove twice as costly, and precise executions twice as clutch. For this reason, revenge, arrogance and pride have absolutely no place in a teams match at the highest level. I cannot emphasize this enough. In singles play, a player who rushes into an opponent's defense without analyzing the situation will almost always be punished by a good player. In teams, though, rushing in to exact revenge is completely reckless, not only leaving you prone to getting completely owned when you blindly rush into your opponent's trap, but it also makes you a hazardous burden to your opponent as well. You rushing blindly or aggressively towards your opponent to defend your honor from his last kill on you will:
1.) Put you into a position where your teammate needs to constantly watch and support you more than normal to keep you out of trouble
2.)Throw up the red flag for both of your opponents that you are easy prey, playing on tilt, and will be an easy target of which to take advantage
3.) Effectively cut off your connection of teamwork by abandoning your teammate in order to attempt to exact sole revenge onto your opponent. You sacrifice such opportunities like double-teaming the opponent your teammate was fighting, or leave your teammate hanging out to dry while he gets comboed or edgeguarded simply for your own blind stubborness.
This is what I could come up with for playing teams effectively. I know that a lot of material is probably escaping me at the moment, and if anything else comes up I'll be sure to edit it in. Since teams play is one of my favorite subjects in smash, if you have any questions you might want answered, feel free to ask and I'll try to give as best a response as I can. Thanks for taking the time to read this; I hope it helps, and hopefully many of these concepts will transfer over to competitive teams play in Brawl.
King Out
The Overview:
I've been playing team matches for as long, if not longer, than I've played singles matches. I spent two years playing this game in 4-player FFA matches every weekend before I even realized this game had any depth to it, subconciously learning getaway tactics, camping strategies and general stage awareness. Once I got into the competitive smash scene and began tweaking and honing my 1vs1 skills though, I would on any given day probably be the person least interested in playing teams. Everything just seemed so random and chaotic about teams, including everything from switching player focus to combos to edgeguarding, that I felt playing teams was just a sideshow event to the main attraction of singles competition. With all the random motion and sometimes complete lack of strategy I was witnessing from so many players, I accepted that teams was nothing more than just for fun.
I couldn't have been more wrong. I've spent the last 2 years competing in and studying the aspects of team competition such as team strategies and specifics, character matchups, pace of play, playstyle synergies and tendencies of players during a teams match to alter their style/movesets/etc. I've come to the conclusion that high-level teams competitions are the most complex exercises of strategy, synergy and mental awareness available in this game.
Loftiness aside though, I'm going to skip to the part where I bluntly and rightfully state that most people actually absolutely suck when playing in teams matches. And I'm not referring only to noobs flailing around in friendlies on the weekend; even great players can be, and in many cases are clueless as to how to be an effective teammate. A lot of the problems in making the transition from singles to teams competition come from the lack of recognition of the skills one needs to be successful in a teams environment. It's not that they can't still perform well in a teams match; on the contrary, put two solid singles players together into a team and more often than not, they'll put up a solid performance. But that's usually just their raw talent destroying their opposition. More times than I can recall, I've seen exceptional groups of singles players taken out of the bracket by players who may not be as good singles-wise, but their team has the strategy, mindset and teamwork to come out on top. So for the rest of this article, I'm going to delve into how to play teams matches, and how to win, ranging from what the best players do that others overlook, to what the downfalls of good players are that makes them perform poorly in teams matches, to how even bad players can become great teammates, and much much more.
TOPIC #1 - THE DIFFERENCE
This ISN'T singles play. You need to throw out everything you know about singles play and reform your game again from scratch; this includs how agressive or defensive you play, what kinds of openings are safe to punish, how to edgeguard, how to protect yourself, how to protect your teammate and stay out of his way at the same time, etc. Teamwork is paramount; you cannot and will not win big matches by yourself by being a hero. Everything you do in a teams match, including pounding an opponent into submission, can have an adverse effect on your team's well-being if you don't properly support your teammate. You may have just finished up a gigantic death combo on one opponent, only to realize once it's over that your other opponent has made quick work of your teammate while you were distracted by your single-mindedness. Where does this get your team? The Loser's Bracket.
TOPIC #2 - THE GAMEPLAN
There is a plethora of strategies and mindsets that a team could adopt and employ. However, many of the different gameplans a team could share are completely wrong from a competitive aspect; many of them are obviously stupid if looked at in retrospect, or if the team would just step back and look at how they operate together. There are a few select mindsets that have what it takes to compete at a high level, but still get ahnillated by best of them. So let's try and break down what makes a great competitive mindset.
As I mentioned earlier, a competitive teams match can be extremely complex. You not only have interactions between yourself and one opponent, but also between yourself and another independant opponent and between yourself and your teammate. You need to play three times as conscious and aware of your surroundings. You need to modify your combos, edgeguards, and movements to compensate for your lack of open space and freedom. All this in addition to everything that goes on in a normal 1vs1 match. However, if everything were given respective percentage totals for how important they are to winning, it is my opinion that 50% of a team match is in knowing your teammate's game, and him knowing yours.
This is where forming a solid team all begins. Before you can work and perform fluidly as a team, you'd best know exactly what to expect from your teammate. You need to know his pace of play inside and out. There should be no suprises, and no confusion as to each other's role in the match (I'll get to this in a bit). If someone were to ask you questions like "How agressive is your teammate's edgeguarding? Does he like to fight out front, or remain protected by his teammate's offense? Is he careful or careless with respect to attacking near your position? Does he like fighting near the edge or near the center of the stage?" The answers to these questions should not evade you, nor should they escape your teammate.
So here you are now. You know your teammate's pace and style of play, and he knows yours. Where do you go from here? This is where you need to step back and analyze your respective styles, and begin assigning roles between each other. Now, roles are not always static, but knowing your role in the match and being able to follow through with it can give your team new levels of confidence and focus you might never have thought possible. Roles also serve as building blocks for creating successful mindsets and strategies. Roles can be divided in such ways as:
-Who will be the agressor in the match and who will be the stock tank
-Which teammate will focus on which respective opponent, determined by such possible factors as advantageous character matchups or abilities to counter certain styles of play.
-When to intervene in a teammate's combo and when to leave them be
-How close a proximity should be kept to each other for defensive purposes
-Goals and complimentary character combos you should aim for whenever possible (such as grabs leading to a teammate's Upsmash/Rest/Jab Infinite, for instance)
In the end, the more accurate roles you can assign between the two of you, the stronger your gameplan will be and the better your chances of victory. Things such as execution and confidence will of course factor into how successful your team will be as well, but for every role divided amongst you, for every goal your team sets out to accomplish in a match, the more prepared and focused your team will be over your adversaries. Remember, the main goal in any team stock match is to take their 8 stock faster than your team loses yours. So sit back, reflect on your character's complimentary traits, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your team's style and pace of play, and arrange roles in the match to best mask your weaknesses and compliment your strengths.
TOPIC #3 - POINTERS ON HOW TO PLAY EFFECTIVELY AS A TEAM
I don't really have a plan for this topic, so I'm just going to list a number of tips, ideas and mindsets I feel are important for playing well in a team match.
Don't be afraid to play "cheap" in a match. Cheap is just a scrub's term for efficiency. You can't pull off half the stuff you can do in a singles match in a teams match, but with help from your teammate, a whole new bag of tricks is available as well. Don't be ashamed to use every dirty little trick in your arsenal.
A great analogy to playing teams successfully would be to imagine you're playing a match as Ice Climbers, only that Team Attack is turned on between them and affects the interaction with Popo and Nana. Your team should flow as if you were Popo and your teammate were Nana; symmetrical trains of thought, both moving with the same goals in mind. Never once for a moment ignore what your opponent is doing (or what your opponent is doing to him). Stay out of his way and do not impede his movements, but always stay close enough and correctly-positioned that you can bail him out of a combo or edgeguard at a moment's notice.
Always watch your back, and remember that no matter what you might think, no combo is sacred in a teams match. No matter how well your combo is going, remember that you cannot complete it if you are dead. If you see an opponent approaching you to break up your combo and punish you for your vunerability, either but your victim in between you and the advancing opponent, or toss your victim aside and place your focus on the approaching enemy. The best combos and punishments in a teams match usually derive from catching an opponent preoccupied or unaware of his surroundings; keep an eye out for these opportunities at all times, and take care not to fall into situations like those yourself.
Everything you do in a teams match is doubly amplified; a mistake will prove twice as costly, and precise executions twice as clutch. For this reason, revenge, arrogance and pride have absolutely no place in a teams match at the highest level. I cannot emphasize this enough. In singles play, a player who rushes into an opponent's defense without analyzing the situation will almost always be punished by a good player. In teams, though, rushing in to exact revenge is completely reckless, not only leaving you prone to getting completely owned when you blindly rush into your opponent's trap, but it also makes you a hazardous burden to your opponent as well. You rushing blindly or aggressively towards your opponent to defend your honor from his last kill on you will:
1.) Put you into a position where your teammate needs to constantly watch and support you more than normal to keep you out of trouble
2.)Throw up the red flag for both of your opponents that you are easy prey, playing on tilt, and will be an easy target of which to take advantage
3.) Effectively cut off your connection of teamwork by abandoning your teammate in order to attempt to exact sole revenge onto your opponent. You sacrifice such opportunities like double-teaming the opponent your teammate was fighting, or leave your teammate hanging out to dry while he gets comboed or edgeguarded simply for your own blind stubborness.
This is what I could come up with for playing teams effectively. I know that a lot of material is probably escaping me at the moment, and if anything else comes up I'll be sure to edit it in. Since teams play is one of my favorite subjects in smash, if you have any questions you might want answered, feel free to ask and I'll try to give as best a response as I can. Thanks for taking the time to read this; I hope it helps, and hopefully many of these concepts will transfer over to competitive teams play in Brawl.
King Out