To Tap Jump or not to Tap Jump: That is the Question

[A10theHero]

Hey guys! As the title suggests, I wanted to talk about using tap jump with Pikachu vs. not using tap jump.
I've pretty much always used tap jump when playing Smash, but now, I was thinking about turning it off and trying to play without it for a little while to see which one I like better.
The reason I made this thread was because I was hoping we could make a list of all the pros and cons of using and not using tap jump with regard to Pikachu (ie. like how Pikachu's recovery, neutral game, etc. are affected).
Edit: I know people are gonna say to use whatever feels more comfortable, but I feel like this thread might still be helpful. For people who use tap jump and who don't use tap jump, they'll see some specific areas that they have to be wary of and should practice (ie. Practicing up tilts with tap jump on).

Tap Jump

Pros
Higher degree of control (in terms of out of shield actions)
Easier to transition from jumping to quick attack
Easier to repeatedly QALC or QAC on moving platforms (very situational)
Full hop up air and rising up air combos feel easier/more natural
Impossible to accidentally turn and jump rather than jump with backwards momentum

Cons
The Pros of No Tap Jump

No Tap Jump
Pros
Easier to perform up tilt
The up-direction has less functions (no full hops or short hops)
Easier up air while falling and short hop up air
Easier to jump with maximum left/right momentum
Impossible to accidentally jump before QA, which can mess with positioning slightly


Cons
The Pros of Tap Jump​

 

[Angiance]

Tap Jump allows for a higher degree of control (only slightly), but takes a little time to master

No Tap Jump is for ease of use

Pika-pi~ ♡♡

 

[Ogopogo]

Do what you feel is easier or more comfortable. If you have a gamecube controller, it makes no difference.

 

[A10theHero]

Do what you feel is easier or more comfortable. If you have a gamecube controller, it makes no difference.

For me, it's not a question of what is more comfortable. My goal for this thread is to assess which one is better based on the pros and cons.

 

[tru.]

No tap jump is better in my opinion. Up-tilts are often vital in battle, although this is situational. With tap jump, it's difficult to set up an up-tilt combo. Also, I find jumping with "X" more reliable, because with an up-tilt jump, you immediately have to move your joystick another direction to navigate.

 

[Angiance]

Tap Jump allows for frame perfect inputs, basically, but as I stated before-it takes practice to master (so you don't accidentally jump and whatnot)

 

[JayWon]

In what way does Tap Jump on give higher degree of control?

I'm guessing... U-smash out of shield? It's actually really easy to do with Tap jump off.

If you have Tap Jump on there's just too many things competing with the Up direction:

Short Hop
Full Hop
Double jump
Up Air
Up Tilt
Up Smash
Quick attack
Tilting your shield up

My personal preference is Tap Jump OFF and I would strongly recommend other players to turn Tap Jump OFF as well. Though OP states there is more precision/control with Tap Jump On, I have to completely disagree with him. I find absolute control over Pikachu with Tap Jump OFF.

 

[Angiance]

As I said, if you -master- Tap Jump, you'll have a slightly higher degree of control, and it'll in general feel more natural

Ex. Utilt > FH Uair
OoS actions
etc.

It's really mostly for frame perfectness (although buffers invalidate some uses of Tap Jump)

In a nutshell: Tap Jump is for more professional use; No Tap Jump js for more simplistic use

Keep in mind that I said -slightly-

 

[A10theHero]

In what way does Tap Jump on give higher degree of control?

I'm guessing... U-smash out of shield? It's actually really easy to do with Tap jump off.

If you have Tap Jump on there's just too many things competing with the Up direction:

Short Hop
Full Hop
Double jump
Up Air
Up Tilt
Up Smash
Quick attack
Tilting your shield up

My personal preference is Tap Jump OFF and I would strongly recommend other players to turn Tap Jump OFF as well. Though OP states there is more precision/control with Tap Jump On, I have to completely disagree with him. I find absolute control over Pikachu with Tap Jump OFF.

If you look <, you'll see it says "Smash Rookie". I'm literally just writing whatever you guys have to say about Tap Jump and the lack of thereof. You guys are more experienced with Pikachu, so I try to yield to what you guys have to say. (Though now that I think about it, I probably should have been critically assessing what you guys have to say. My bad. I'll start doing that now.)
I think what "higher degree of control" is referring to is the fact that the transition from jumping to quick attack is smoother with tap jump.
One thing I do have to say about your list is that even if you turn off tap jump, you only remove three things from the equation. That's still a lot, regardless, don't you think? So wouldn't that mean your list is a little misleading?
I use the gamepad and pro controller when I play, and when I use them, the C-stick helps me with short hop aerials, up smash, and up aerials in general. It took more practice, but I can up-tilt too with them.

Anyways, I'll be modifying the list. Thanks for your input!
And if you can make a rebuttal for anything I have to say, please do!

As I said, if you -master- Tap Jump, you'll have a slightly higher degree of control, and it'll in general feel more natural

Ex. Utilt > FH Uair
OoS actions
etc.

It's really mostly for frame perfectness (although buffers invalidate some uses of Tap Jump)

In a nutshell: Tap Jump is for more professional use; No Tap Jump js for more simplistic use

Keep in mind that I said -slightly-

Would what I said about going from jumping to Quick Attack apply too?

 

[lmntolp]

I recently switched to tap jump off because of other characters I play, but I think pika is totally fine with tap jump on or off with enough practice either way. I have more small things to add to the list based on what I noticed from switching:

tap jump on pros:
- easier to repeatedly QALC or QAC on moving platforms like lylat, but this is situational in use
- full hop uair and rising uair combos feel easier
- impossible to accidentally turn and jump rather than jump with backwards momentum

tap jump off pros:
- easier uair while falling and short hop uair
- easier to jump with maximum left/right momentum
- impossible to accidentally jump before QA, which can mess with positioning slightly

 

[Jester Kirby]

I can't stand tap-jump. Ever since I turned it off in brawl I just can't play with it on anymore. It may give a more natural feel in some situations but overall, imo, if you master something with one set of controls, you can get it frame perfect regardless. It's really jsut going to boil down to preference.

 

[A10theHero]

I can't stand tap-jump. Ever since I turned it off in brawl I just can't play with it on anymore. It may give a more natural feel in some situations but overall, imo, if you master something with one set of controls, you can get it frame perfect regardless. It's really jsut going to boil down to preference.

Yeah, I see what you're saying. And like I attempted to say in my original post, your personal preference doesn't matter too much--it's just that you have different obstacles to overcome.

 

[Saviorr]

@ JayWon asked, "In what way does Tap Jump on give higher degree of control?"
I have the same question, particularly for out of shield actions.

I use the default button layout on the Wii U pro controller and have no problem with out of shield actions. If I want to immediately do a Special out of shield I can jump by using the Y button which allows my thumb to easily and quickly press B. If I want to immediately do an Aerial out of shield I can jump by using the X button which allows my thumb to easily and quickly press A.

Am I missing something? Is there something else Pikachu can do out of shield that Tap Jump would give a higher degree of control to?

 

[A10theHero]

@ JayWon asked, "In what way does Tap Jump on give higher degree of control?"
I have the same question, particularly for out of shield actions.

I use the default button layout on the Wii U pro controller and have no problem with out of shield actions. If I want to immediately do a Special out of shield I can jump by using the Y button which allows my thumb to easily and quickly press B. If I want to immediately do an Aerial out of shield I can jump by using the X button which allows my thumb to easily and quickly press A.

Am I missing something? Is there something else Pikachu can do out of shield that Tap Jump would give a higher degree of control to?

I think @ Angiance answered that already. He said that it's slightly easier to achieve frame perfectness with tap jump.