Playing against unpredictable scrubs

[ZeroPixelHitbox]

I've been a competitive smasher for quite a while, but I can never actually efficiently defeat a scrub.

Maybe it's because I'm so used to the generally predictable nature of other competitive smashers, but it always throws me off how horribly luck-based the moves of scrubs are, and I can never get around it, such as spamming things at the right time and playing with the strongest ground game with absolutely no air game.

Tips?

Thanks!

 

[WiPPY]

Tbh, scrub tier or not, you game isnt always gonna be perfect. Even in cases of achieving a 4 stock win, even some of the pros dont leave without maybe taking a hit or two.

 

[Royal-X]

In my experience, scrubs tend to be somewhat predictable. They usually favor a few moves that they simple must use. The best way to beat them is to sit back and adapt. See what their habits and reactions are. Do they roll to the edge? Spam a certain smash attack or special? Use the getup attack only when they miss a tech? Once you adapt to their playstyle you can usually just start punishing their mistakes.

 

[Mansta]

Some Marth players at my school use counter a lot, it caught me off guard many times until I caught onto when they use it. Now I just grab them.

Just watch the way they play and punish like @ R Royal-X said.

 

[Planet Piss]

Don't try to trick them or anything because they won't change what they're doing with regards to what you're doing. Instead, just do what others have said and watch what they do until you find out their habits. Play at a distance for a while and then close in slowly and shut them down. Run in and shield their attack, for example, and time punishes based on activity at the moment and where the character is weak (like if Shiek is spamming ftilt then wait until one comes out and run in the second you see her foot go up so that she will be grabbed by the time the animation is done). Do this as opposed to waiting until no attacks are out, because one will be out by the time you go in. Everything is punishable, more or less.

 

[Hinichii.ez.™]

They like to tournament winner a lot

 

[himemiya]

Sandbag'em, no need to be a tryhard about it.

 

[Frost | Odds]

Just wait, and punish when they inevitably throw out unsafe stuff.

 

[Narpas_sword]

i don't think you get to call people who beat you scrubs...

 

[Bleck]

if they're beating you maybe it's because they aren't a scrub

 

[Abyssal Lagiacrus]

if they're beating you maybe it's because they aren't a scrub

Pretty much this

​

 

[OSCA MIKE]

you know, if you call yourself a competitive smasher and you get beaten by people you deem "lower skilled" than you, and you blame their ability to beat you as nothing short of "horribly luck-based moves," maybe they aren't the scrub

for one, stop making excuses, they beat you fair and square

two, realize where you are messing up, learn what got you into that situation, and mitigate it occurring as much as possible

three, don't go on autopilot and expect to win

four, don't put people down because you deem them at a lower level than you, it's simply disrespectful and you come off as ignorant

five, adksfljlaejri

 

[MechWarriorNY]

Make having patterns a bad idea by obliterating them for having them, and thus being easy to read.

 

[GabPR]

i don't think you get to call people who beat you scrubs...

He said he can't *efficiently* defeat them, not that he cant defeat them.

 

[MechWarriorNY]

inb4argumentoverthesemantics

 

[OSCA MIKE]

He said he can't *efficiently* defeat them, not that he cant defeat them.

which means he still loses to them

 

[GabPR]

which means he still loses to them

Thats just jumping to conclusions and putting words into another persons mouth.

 

[MaxThunder]

i kinda tend to just run at them and mindlessly spam sword (unless they have a counter, in whch case i grab)... scrubs tend to be bad under pressure...

 

[Narpas_sword]

He said he can't *efficiently* defeat them, not that he cant defeat them.

Same point still stands.

 

[MechWarriorNY]

You casuls actually went and argued anyway.

 

[Fortress]

I've been a competitive smasher for quite a while, but I can never actually efficiently defeat a scrub.

Maybe it's because I'm so used to the generally predictable nature of other competitive smashers, but it always throws me off how horribly luck-based the moves of scrubs are, and I can never get around it, such as spamming things at the right time and playing with the strongest ground game with absolutely no air game.

Tips?

Thanks!

One of the most helpful things that can make you a more skilled player: don't act like nothing can surprise you or that you're above being beaten by 'scrubby behavior'. If it's beating you, obviously it's not scrubby. At the very least, you're more scrubby than the play you're going up against.

Don't treat yourself like you're above anything, and don't use the term 'scrub' when you're getting beaten by a clearly-better way to play.

When I first started a couple of years ago, I took myself to the books and studied every technical aspect of the game, and learned how to perform every technical ability on a dime. Another friend of mine who started at the same time as me played in the same way that you're describing here, and I treated it the same way; "why can't I beat him, I'm so much more technical, I know so much more about the game, I am clearly the superior player", and I spent a lot of time angry at the game (and, worse at it than the people I said were worse than me) because of it.

What I took away from all of that is that if I was getting beaten by something that I considered 'scrubby', maybe I was the scrub. That's something you seem to need to confront. 'Scrubby' tactics are only going to work as well as you are predictable and unable to learn.

 

[ZeroPixelHitbox]

You know what, most of these posts are true, and I've been arrogant. Thank you for the tips and letting me know. I really do appreciate it.

 

[Bullys]

You know what, most of these posts are true, and I've been arrogant. Thank you for the tips and letting me know. I really do appreciate it.

The fact you could reflect on this and see this is huge.

I am sure in terms of Smash I am a scrub, but I've also been very, very good at other games, one thing that I always prided myself on is I took everything seriously, be it playing a game at low ELO or someone asking me for advice. Personally for me, I took the chance to play against "lower" players as a chance to practice fundamentals, make sure I was doing things correctly mechanically. I'd always try to avoid the mentality of "I've won" or "they got lucky with that X, Y or Z".

But the biggest piece of advice, and I think you've taken this away, is that no matter your performance you still need to look and evaluate it. I see so many people just win, and by winning they think they were right, no matter the margin of victory, and on the flip side when they lose, they blame something else - it wasnt them.

Its something I talk about a lot with the players I coach (not just in games, but I also coach basketball - my philosophy has always been to aggressively search to become better, not expect to passively improve)

 

[SwisshySwaash]

Be patient and punish when they over-commit. also shield grabbing and WaveDash>FSmash works well on my brothers

 

[Fortress]

Technical ability is about five percent of the game. Mindgames are another good fifteen. Everything else is your attitude, and how you carry yourself match to match, minute to minute. If your attitude is garbage, your mental game will be so, and your technical game will suffer with it.