What does a main mean to you?

[Daxter]

I just can't choose a main! There are 4 characters I'm juggling at the moment, but there are even more I've considered being my main. That is until they get slaughtered by ZSS'/Sheiks/Ness' everywhere. It's hard to pick that one character who I can actually win with.

 

[Gunslinger]

I just can't choose a main! There are 4 characters I'm juggling at the moment, but there are even more I've considered being my main. That is until they get slaughtered by ZSS'/Sheiks/Ness' everywhere. It's hard to pick that one character who I can actually win with.

Pick someone whose playstyle suits you the most. Just because ZSS/Shiek/Ness are good in this game, doesn't necessarily you can't adapt to them and then bop them with your favorite character. There doesn't seem to be too many tremendously gross matchups in this game (like Peach vs Ice Climbers in Melee), especially this early on in the meta, so learn as much about your character while its early and you'll have the advantage as the metagame develops.

Obviously, I use . I don't enjoy playing "lame" or campy too often, I like pressuring my opponent (be it from up close or afar). I like to be swiftly dancing in and out of my opponents range until they whiff a move allowing me to combo them across the stage to a kill. When I get the lead I'll switch up my playstyle with blaster spam and reflector if they try to outcamp me. Then when they're forced to approach, I'll combo them again to remind them why they don't wanna fight me in neutral. Fox has been my favorite Nintendo character ever since I got my hands on Star Fox 64 as a kid. His movement, normals, specials, aerials, and smash attacks have always felt fluid in every iteration of Smash (no matter how overpowered or underpowered he was compared to other characters in Melee and Brawl respectively).

 

[Bullys]

I come from a world where you have your main - then alts after that (MMO's and to some extent the FPS games I've played).

Having 12 mains to me just seems like you cant decide, and you spread you time and focus. I would actually just say you have 12 chars you play and no main.

 

[Smitus]

Nothing at all. I can never stick with a single character, and the one's I do I'm inconsistent with. I'm barely a jack of all trades :/

 

[Reila]

To me, a main is your favorite character, the one you like playing the most. Not necessarily the one you are best with. You can only have one main, though that doesn't mean you can't play more characters. In fact, having a couple extra characters you are proficient with is a great thing (but make sure they are also characters you like and not simply le top tier characters).

 

[WinterShorts]

A main is either:

A. who you do best with.

B. Your best friend in Smash (in a mental image).

 

[LOGIA666]

I feel like you can have multiple "mains", but the use of the word sticks better when you have just one character as your "main"

For example, in Project M, my "main" is Snake, who is without a doubt my best character.
I'll alternate between Link, Roy, and Ganon, and those would be my secondaries, rather than my "other mains"

It's really just based on your interpretation of the word. For Smash 4, my "main" is ROB, but i'll mess around with other characters.

So either your best character is your only main, and all other's are secondaries, or multiple characters are your mains, and the rest are just characters you pick out of boredom.

 

[Lemon Girl]

To me it means the character you're best with, the one which you spent most time on. I play a lot of characters in 4, but the ones I'm better at are Ness, Marth/Lucina, Megaman, Falcon and ZS Samus, that being said, my very best character is Ness, so I consider him my main with Marth as a second close.

 

[Deleted member]

I consider my main to be someone I play with the most. So far, that character for me would be Mega Man and I intend on keeping it that way.

 

[lanbobyonson]

I used to be very indecisive about what characters to play in games. Whether it be melee or mobas but after playing them for years I finally decided. It may take you some time but you will find your main someday. Just keep playing, have fun and you'll find a main eventually.
I have dual mains in melee Falco for fast fallers/mid weights and YL for floaties.I will always play them for those matches. That's what makes them mains imo.
Smash 4 I wouldn't say I have a main yet. I need to learn all the new characters too.

 

[Zatchiel]

It means one of the cute little heads beneath my name in my posts.

 

[The Shadow Emperor]

My main is the character I'm most devoted to at a given time. Was Bowser at one point, then Sonic, but I settled on the 'Dorf a few years ago and haven't looked back.

 

[Lichi]

A main is a character you would pick 99% of the time should you not know whom you're playing against and on what stage. It is your default character you enjoy the most and feel most competent with. It often even is your last resort even in unfavorable matchups, just because you think that with this character, you can beat the odds.

 

[MrMustard21]

A main to me not only represents the character and playstyle that you prefer. But it's more of a bond when you put in endless hours to strive to do your best with even though you won't win every time. It's about having fun with the character to show that even in the darkest of moments. Nothing will keep you down or deteriorate your appreciation for said character.

 

[MarioMeteor]

A main to me? Weird question, but I'll roll with it.
A main to me is someone who instantly clicks with you. Someone who comes naturally to you. Someone who you feel you aren't just controlling, but extending. You know, who you just feel chill with. If you have to give yourself a reason to main that dude, then you picked wrong. If you find that man, you'll know right there. You know you'll know it when you know it.

 

[MasterJack888]

Whelp mains to me are characters I think are good for example, and if they Make this character a dlc,

 

[LIQUID12A]

A main, to me, is the character I enjoy playing the most/pour the most time into. Of course, my true main, following this principle, is Lucina, but amongst the characters I use, Robin and Samus are second to her, and Mewtwo shall join their ranks upon his release.

 

[Darches]

My main is who I win most with.
My secondary is Ganondorf, for the lolz. Love volcano kick.

 

[Smitus]

Actually I take back what I said. A main is a mix of who you enjoy playing as, put the most time into, and can consistently play well with. I've always floated more towards heavy characters, so I'd say Bowser and Dedede. I'm trying to learn Fox and Morton on the side though.

 

[CaptainPressTheXButton]

I used to think I could only have one main, one secondary, and one tertiary (I made it up), but after reading a lot of the posts it has kind of opened my eyes to how I see mains and secondaries now. The way I understand it is a "main" is someone I would go with in a tournament or online and a "secondary" is someone who I would use against friends or on my own time against CPUs.

Mains:
Secondaries:

 

[phoenixairs]

Reading the previous replies didn't really clear up who my main is...

I love playing and have logged by far the most time with her, but if my life were on the line I'd go with (who I'm also a fan of, having played Wind Waker on GC).

So, not to say Robin sucks, but when your favorite character isn't your best character, who's the main?

 

[-Tic-]

A main to me is a mix between a character you're good at and a character you like. It has to be a mix because you can love a character but their play style just might not match yours. You don't want to pick the best character because they're the best though, you want to pick a character that YOU like, but you also don't want to feel uncomfortable. However, if your mind is set on one character that you just don't get, then good for you, go pour your time into that character and make it yours.

 

[PokemonyeWest]

it's the characters you play when you go to tourney

 

[ZigZagGamer]

13 Mains!? I know smash has a huge cast with lots of variety but 13 mains is not a thing.

Your mains are the characters that when it comes to crunch time you will always turn to.
Even if you play them less than others if you know you preform best with them and pull them out when it matters that's what a main truely is.

I have 4 mains in this games and I feel like that I have too many already

Those mains would be Robin Toon Link Ike and Zero Suit Sammus

 

[Empulsion]

I would say a main character would be who you use competitively, who your most interested in, who you have the most fun with, and generally the best with. I can play a variety of characters. Some better then others. But I main Megaman.

Personally, my mains changed as the series unfolded. I mained Fox at first. I remember playing him so much and loving that "pu ping" sound at every successful up aerial. But in Melee they completely changed him. The same tactics I learned at the time didn't help in Melee. So I started using more characters until I mained Mewtwo. I learned how to play aggressively with him, and he is all I play in Melee now. Then brawl came and they took out Mewtwo. As well as changed Fox again..

So yea, knowing a variety of characters is one thing. The more you know the easier it is to go against because you know there limitations. But I main 1 character per game.

 

[Apple Jaxx]

A main is like your first/native language. A person may be equally proficient in many languages but your first/native will always feel the most natural.

 

[Tonzura Koite]

For me, a main is the character I really love and want to represent. I don't play Smash just for the competition/gameplay, although that's a major factor in its longevity for me. But most of my true hype for Smash is because of that connection I have with the characters that I grew up with or liked in their own series. I find my game advances the most with a character I have that connection with, where I want to get better with him/her and prove something.

For my secondaries, my motivation is covering my main's bad matchups and to avoid getting locked into habits. Skill with multiple characters also improves my overall game and what I learn from a character can carry over to another.

 

[Utena]

honestly a main means nothing to me its just whoever im currently the most adept with, with adjustments for tiers and potential for growth lol

 

[gmBottles]

This applies to all Smash games. A main to me is a character that I want to be as good as possible with, that I aspire to be the best I can with. Its the character I'll try my hardest with in an attempt to be the best I can be.

 

[Himynameisisaac]

My mains would be: .

Secondaries:

Playabouts:

Trying to find one more character to work on to make a main. I'm leaning a little more towards Bowser Jr or Pit.

 

[GSM_Dren]

A main is a character who you feel most comfortable playing as. This character isn't necessarily the one you most win with, but the one that suits your playstyle. In S64, my main was Yoshi because he was fun to play with. When I got to melee, I didn't like the feel of the character so I mained Dr. Mario instead and I've gotten good results. In brawl, Yoshi was more easily playable so I stuck with him and the same goes for Smash4. The tier lists should not justify who you main, therefore pick a character you feel like playing the most.

Likewise, a secondary would be the character(s) you feel the next comfortable playing with. These character(s) that will balance out your main's weakness or also go along with your playstyle.

 

[Arle Nadja]

A main to me means the characters that I want to play better at than all my other characters. Saying you can only have one main simply does not make sense in a competitive scene in which counter picks exist. Specializing in at least 2-3 characters makes sense from the perspective of someone that wants to win and understands that matchups are not negligible. It's like pokemon. Rather than overspecialize a team that compliments each other is the best strategy. You can call those secondaries, you can call those sub-mains, but just as it's unrealistic to specialize in half the roster it's also unrealistic to expect people to specialize in only one.

 

[NessAtc.]

If you have to pick a main you're doing it wrong

 

[Darkwing]

Mains:
Secondaries:
Playabouts:

I don't know. Secondary and playabouts seem like nearly the same thing to me.

 

[Tino]

To me, a main means the character/s you are pretty good with or use most often.
In this case, my mains are ,,,and although my one true main is .
I also got some secondaries that I play as from time to time, which are ,,,and .

 

[tm730]

Main means a Pokemon

 

[Yung Nikey]

I see Main as a favourite ONE character. Followed by a Secondary, Tertiary then the rest is blah

 

[YoshiandToad]

If you have many mains, you probably don't have any mains.

A main to me is a character you use the most OR are most fond of. Be it because you're good with them or enjoy their playstyle or it's your favourite character. Or all of these things.

After that are secondaries, and tertiaries. Weirdly I see the secondary and tertiary roles as more accepting of having multiples, but I can't explain why.

 

[RESET Vao]

It's probably been said like 3847398 times in this thread so far but a main is a character you mainly play.

 

[Zink Imp]

For any fighting game mains usually mean something to me.
No matter how good or bad, I will always choose my favorite character.
If it's Street Fighter, I choose Cammy.
If It's Tekken I choose King.
I usually have some special interest/relation with the character.

I chose Marth as my main for Smash games because I used to play FE3 on my aunt's Super Famicom way before Melee came out. I even had the Fire Emblem anime on VHS.