Spectator's Guide to Smash 4

Spectator's Guide to Smash 4
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Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to explain basic concepts in high-level Super Smash Bros for Wii U for:

• Players that may have dropped the game a long time ago
• Spectators that are confused by the removal of items and certain stages
• New players that are interested in picking up and following the Smash scene

This guide will quickly bring you up to speed with what’s going on with Smash 4’s high-level play. With the recent announcement of Smash coming to the Switch and string of events becoming officially partnered with Nintendo, the game has received a second wind from those looking to make their final step into the game, or those who want to understand what exactly is going on. This guide will focus on the gameplay aspects of Smash 4 as the aspects while similar, are different between all the games.

Glossary
Smash 4: Throughout this guide I will refer to the game as simply Smash 4. Keep in mind that this is only referring to the game Super Smash Bros for Wii U and not any other game in the Smash series.

Stock: Stocks are a part of what set Smash apart from other fighting games. Your stocks are the number of lives you have left in a match, with you losing a stock whenever you are knocked into the blast zone.

Blast Zone: The blast zone is the boundary for a stage where if a character goes beyond it, they lose a stock. The boundaries are different for each stage, varying horizontally and vertically.

Ledge: The edge of a stage that a character can hang from. When a character is on the ledge, they can roll onto the stage, attack onto the stage, jump from the ledge or drop from the ledge.

Percent: Unlike other fighting games, Smash uses a percentage to indicate how much damage you’ve taken. The higher the number, the easier you will fly off the stage.

JV: Refers to winning with a fresh stock at zero damage. For example a “JV two-stock” means the victor won with one stock and was not damaged by the opponent, being one hit away from a two-stock. A “JV three-stock” in Smash 4 would be considered a perfect game, meaning the opponent didn’t get a single hit in.

DI: “Directional Influence” - Holding a direction to influence the direction you are being sent in. Can be used to survive longer by having DI be perpendicular to the direction you are going in (ex. DI up when sent left)

SDI: “Smash Directional Influence” or “Smash DI” - Repeatedly tapping a direction in order to slightly change your position after an attack. Can be used to potentially escape multi-hit moves or certain combos.

Fair/Bair/Nair: Abbreviations for aerials, attacks done in the air. Short for “forward air”, “down Air” and “neutral air”

Smash Attack: Attacks that usually dead strong damage and knockback, usually in order to take a stock.

Rage: As you gain percent, the knockback of your attacks will increase. Rage begins at 35% and caps at 150%, with max rage boosting knockback by 15% than normal. Can usually be seen by the steam and red flashes emitted by a character.

Edgeguard: Using different attacks to prevent your opponent from reaching the ledge or recovering.

Ledgetrump: Grabbing the ledge when your opponent is hanging from it, causing them to let go. This causes the opponent to hop a shorways up and can be edgeguarded.

Gimp: When you interrupt your opponent’s recovery, usually with a weak attack, that results in them losing a stock that would not be lost normally. This can range from blocking your opponent’s recovery to hitting them low enough from the stage where their recovery would fail.

Tech: When knocked into the air, pressing the shield button right before hitting the ground allows you to get up faster. You can also tech walls and ceilings to prevent yourself from bouncing off them.

Tether: A grab where the character has a ranged grab, with some characters being able to latch onto a ledge and recover with them.

Footstool: When you are directly above your opponent, you can press the jump button to bounce off your opponent’s head. If done while your opponent is in the air, it causes them to tumble for a set distance and can gimp them.

Fast Fall: Performed by tapping down while falling in midair, which causes your character to fall faster. A flash and white star will appear over the character to indicate a fast fall. Characters can cancel a fastfall by using an aerial attack as well as fast fall during an aerial.

Short Hop: Done by inputting a jump and quickly letting go, resulting in a jump lower than normal. This allows for aerials much closer to the ground.

Pivot: By timing when your character turns around after a dash, you can perform any options that could be done standing still, with those being smash attacks, grabs and tilts. Pivots allow a variety of micromovements for spacing and attacking. If done near frame perfectly without attacking, it is called a perfect pivot.

Foxtrot: Performed by flicking the control stick to dash, resetting the stick in a neutral position and then flicking the stick to dash again. This is mainly used by characters whose initial dash is faster than their dash speed.

Tomahawk: Done by jumping, usually a short hop and land without making an attack. The intent of the move is to make the opponent believe an aerial attack is coming and cause them to shield, leaving them open for a grab.

RAR: “Reverse Aerial Rush” - Performed by running and canceling the turn around animation with a jump, allowing you to keep the running momentum while backwards. The main purpose is to approach or attack with back aerials and jump-cancelled up smashes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Smash 4 is a fast-paced platform fighting game that is incredibly brutal at a high level. Its rules and mechanics mean that even one mistake could completely turn around a match. The game features a very dynamic and diverse cast of characters with near endless styles of play possible to them.

The game can be random at nearly all levels. It is the most criticized aspect of the game as rage can be hard to keep track of and the game’s history as a party game. However, players that compete at a high level have mastered their craft in a way to eliminate the random factor as much as possible as well as tournament organizers creating rulesets that minimize the random factors of Smash such as no items and a set stage list. Players like ZeRo, Nairo, Dabuz, and MkLeo have refined the art of breaking down a random opponent and showing off how good it is to be patient and disciplined in this game.

The game’s popularity has waned since its peak, partially due to being on an unsupported console, which mean they won’t patch or update the game. This doesn’t mean the community is dead in any way. In the past year, the game has had two circuits, fresh new faces have made their way into top 8s, new playstyles and strats have been developed! All because of the community joining together in an effort to revitalize the scene.

Smash 4 might not be receiving the developer support that Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Dragon Ball FighterZ is getting, but people continue to play Smash 4 because it is the only fighting game of its type.

The thing about Smash is that it’s essentially a game that is “easy to learn, but hard to master”. Once you get past the initial slump of learning your character and the stages, everything else comes naturally. The game isn’t execution heavy when compared to other fighters but some techniques are more precise than others and are important to learn.


The Meta
The game is mainly based on who can keep/reverse momentum. To be able to win against an experienced opponent, you need a playstyle that can keep up with the meta. Ideally your character and playstyle should have at least two of these three properties:

• Being able to kill your opponent at low percent.
• Having an effective neutral game plan.
• Having a specific “win-condition” or gimmick that changes the usual pace of a match. (Donkey Kong “Ding Dong”, Bowser “Showtime”, Ryu True Shoryuken, Lucario Aura, etc)

Your goal should be to include these things while playing as safe as possible, while also respecting your opponent’s plans to do the same thing. Being able to understand the risk/reward of your options is the key to defeating your opponent in the neutral game.

Ruleset
Mainly elements in Smash 4 tournaments are generally consistent in order to promote competitive consistently, with very few details changing from tournament to tournament.
As of now, the current legal ruleset generally is:

Singles

• 2 Stocks, 6 Minutes
• Items turned off or none
• If time runs out, winner is determined by remaining stock, and then by ending damage percent
• If both stock and percentage are identical or both players lose their final stock at the same time, a 1 stock, 3 minute tiebreaker is played with the same characters and stage

Doubles

• 3 Stocks, 8 Minutes
• Items turned off or none
• Team attack is on and sharing stocks is allowed
• If time runs out and the total stocks between each team is equal, the team with the lower sum of percentage wins the game

Legal Stages
Smash 4 is a unique game compared to other fighting games as one of the unique selling points of Smash are its variety in stages. However, not all of these stages are fit for competitive play for a variety of reasons including walk-offs, transformations, etc.

Stage Striking
The stage for the first game is chosen through stage striking, which begins with the two players play rock paper scissors for the first strike.

The winner of the game gets to choose one stage to strike of the starter stages and the loser then strikes two stages of the remaining list. The process continues until there is one stage left.

Stage striking only occurs for the first game in a set as afterwards, the winner of the game gets to ban one stage for their opponent to counterpick them. Also the loser of the game is allowed to pick counterpick stages.

Stage striking can be skipped through the Gentleman’s Clause, in which both players agree on the stage to start on.

The stages listed below are the current legal stages in Smash 4:


Battlefield

STARTER
Battlefield consists of a solid platform with 3 soft platforms that can be dropped through, placed in a triangular layout.
An important note is the left underside of the stage does not slide up as a slope, making it possible for recoveries to get stuck if they rode along the left side of the stage.

The stage has the largest vertical and horizontal blast zones in the game (with the bottom blast zone only being challenged by Dreamland), making it useful for characters who prefer surviving as long as possible.

The position of the platforms also make the stage useful for characters who can hit beneath the platforms or ladder upwards.





Final Destination

STARTER
Final Destination consists of a single platform with no hazards.

As the stage background transitions to a flash of white light, some people switch their character to a white color to camouflage themselves during the flash.

The stage has generally even blast zones horizontally and vertically which results in the stage generally being picked by those who want to punish their opponent’s landing without platforms.







Lylat Cruise

STARTER
Lylat Cruise consists of a solid platform with 3 soft platforms. The platforms towards the sides and the edges of the solid platform are tilted.

The stage is most infamous for its small ledges and the stage tilting affecting some recoveries.

The stage has the 2nd closest horizontal blast zones as well as a normal vertical blast zone. This results in the stage frequently used by characters who can either use the tilt to their advantage or combo off the low platform heights.







Smashville

STARTER
Smashville consists of a single solid platform with a moving horizontal soft platform.

While seeming symmetrical, the stage is not centered within the blast zones. This makes it easier to take stocks off the right blast zone.

The stage has the lowest closest horizontal blast zone of the legal stages, making it best for characters who kill horizontally.








Town and City


STARTER
Town and City consists of two stages transitioning between each other.

The “Town” setting consists of a single solid platform with 3 soft platforms with the center platform moving up and down.

The “City” setting consists of the same single solid platform with 2 soft platforms moving horizontally on the left and right sides of the stages.

The soft platforms fly off to the side during the transitions between the two forms, making it possible for someone standing on them to be taken to the blast zone if not careful.

The stage has the smallest vertical ceiling and 2nd closest horizontal blast zones. This means characters with strong vertical finishers prefer this stage.

Dreamland

COUNTERPICK
Dreamland consists of a layout similar to Battlefield, with a solid platform with 3 soft platforms that can be dropped through, placed in a triangular layout.

Whispy Woods is in the middle of the stage and will blow wind towards one side of the stage. The direction the wind is blown generally depends on the position of the characters (If both left, wind blown left. If both right, wind blown right. If both are center stage or separate, the wind blown direction is random.)

The stage has the 2nd largest vertical and horizontal blast zones and the largest bottom blast zone. While being very similar to Battlefield, the higher platforms and slightly lower blast zone make the stage useful for characters who can ladder combo off the top.





Overall





Character Playstyles

Most playstyles are designed to exploit at least one aspect of the Smash 4 game engine.
Not all playstyles fall directly into these archetypes but these are what you will generally see in the Smash 4 meta.
Please keep in mind that these are just examples of the most common playstyles in the game, but there are way more combinations of characters and playstyles people utilize in competitive play.

Relentless Rushdown
This playstyle is meant to pressure you until you crack. Since Smash 4 can be a very neutral-heavy game, these rushdown-heavy players are very effective against players with poor defense and turning momentum into their favor.

Notable Examples:
Nairo (Zero Suit Samus, Bowser, Cloud)
Larry Lurr (Fox, Donkey Kong)
Fatality (Captain Falcon)



This playstyle is designed to steamroll you quickly and effectively. You need to be on your guard against this style!



Wall of Pain
This playstyle is designed to keep you out and frustrate the life out of you. As Smash 4 can be a neutral-heavy game, some players focus heavily on zoning out their opponent with projectiles or ranged attacks in order to control the match. Players that favor a zoning playstyle in Smash 4 are known for their airtight defense and incredible mobility.

Notable Examples:
Salem (Bayonetta)
Dabuz (Rosalina and Luma, Olimar)
Komorikiri (Cloud, Sonic)



While this playstyle may look simple, it’s a highly orchestrated assault designed to negate or limit your options. Take care to learn their rhythm to figure out their puzzle of play.



Well Rounded
This playstyle shares a bit of both good zoning and good rushdown. They don’t fall into any one category as they can usually adapt and change their gameplans on the fly.

Notable Examples:
ZeRo (Diddy Kong)
MkLeo (Cloud, Marth, Meta Knight)
Mr. R (Sheik, Cloud)



The power of this playstyle is the ability to have the options with their characters and change to whatever is needed for a match.




Wild Cards
This playstyle focuses on changing the entire pace of the game and you usually have to comply to their play. They still adhere to the meta with the meta with the ability to take stocks at low percent or control neutral, but also add a specific “win-condition” or gimmick such as a grab kill combo or growing stronger as they gain percent or lose stocks.

Notable Examples:
Konga (Donkey Kong)
Raito (Duck Hunt)
Tsu- (Lucario, Ryu)



You can usually figure out an opponent’s preferred playstyle by analyzing the character they use! Take care to have at least a bit of knowledge of all characters.


Useful links:
If you enjoyed this guide and want to get more involved with the scene, please visit these useful sites where you can learn more about the game and the community!

r/Smashbros
The central hub for all Smash Bros-related news and discussions.

SmashWiki
A wiki written and maintained by the community for the purpose of creating a complete resource on all info related to Super Smash Bros.

Smashboards
The largest Smash Bros community site with over 250k members. (And where you might be reading this from.)

SSB World
Replay database that lets you search by player or character as well as post player blogs.

Local Scenes
r/Smashbros Wiki that lists Facebook groups for Smash communities. Take a look and find your local scene!

Smash Streams
r/Smashbros Wiki that searches for all ongoing Smash streams


You can contact the author of this guide through Twitter @MedaPlz


Special Thanks
Raid and his Spectator’s Guide to UMvC3 for being the inspiration for this guide.