Prince Of Fire
Smash Lord
Hi, I'm Prince of Fire and have been with the smash community for about a year. I joined right when Brawl was pretty much announced for Dec and was more than excited to see what Brawl held for us.
I went to ONE Melee tourney to get a hold of what the competitive scene was like for Melee and got *****. I was one of those people who thought that if you could wavedash and shffl nairs...you could win. haha
Anyway, a lot of new smashers often ask such questions like:
How do you waveshine with Falco?
How do I DI this attack?
Do you use the C stick for _____?
Is Fox REALLY better than Falco?
Who is top tier?
ETC ETC ETC
So having seen all of this for about a year and no one ever really addressing this to our new smashers I thought that I would write a little something to help the beginners out there. This is not going to be organized or well thought out...its just a simple quick post to help people.
A-t-t-i-t-u-d-e:
The most important thing. If you just play friendlies and think the game is just fun and such....you'll never develop, it's that simple. If you think "Well, I'll never beat ____ or anyone really good so I will just play for fun." Having this mindset is WHAT IS KILLING MELEE and it is what will kill you from becoming a great player in Melee. I used to think this way and really used to think that I could never grow or ever standout as being decent in Melee...but, I changed my attitude and started practicing...and dedicated more time to the game and I am improving significantly now. I'm not what I would call a GREAT Smasher, but I've improved so much and find myself contending with those who I could not before. Play money matches, go to tournaments, and put yourself in pressure situations. That is another way to get better and get a TRUE idea of where you stand as a player. If you always play for fun and just friendlies, sure you'll definitely improve and get smarter..but you'll grow at a much FASTER rate with playing with someone who is better than you.
There are only two forms of matches that mean anything in the single competitive aspect of Smash. Money Matches, and tourney matches.
Here is some footage of me when I first joined the community....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDjpN190o1w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf9UJLMUUdM
(disgusting horrible rolling habits)
And here I am now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1ck89JT5x0
I improved.
PLAY THE GAME:
Yes, its that simple....play the game and experiment while playing people whether its someone who ***** you all day...or someone who you destroy. Experiment with new things, try new attacks, and just play.
Dropping Habits:
One of the hardest things to improve upon and notice in your game is HABITS. A lot of new players will have the habit of rolling away from the edge once on the stage when recovering....get rid of it. Also, you may find yourself teching the same direction all the time....stop. Find your habits or let someone point them out to you....and get rid of them.
Quick tip-If you are having trouble with the placement of your floor techs simply hit L or R (whatever you use) and quickly hit back and forth on your analog stick so you randomly go in a direction....so its basically random all the time and you dont ever have to think. (Thanks Brookman for helping me out with that) The only problem is, you just have to think more quickly when you get up because you will be randomly placed....you get used to it though.
Use The C Stick:
Get into the habit early of using the C-stick. If you DO NOT like the C stick...at least use it for your up and down aerial attacks. Try to go sHFFL a marth uair with the A button and tell me how that pans out VS using the c stick. Or, get on a ledge with Falco and try to dair while trying to get back onto the stage with the A button....then, try the C stick. If you are not convinced that you should use the c stick for those two aerials now...you'll never be good at this game. Some people use the cstick for fairs....some dont. Some people use it only for certain attacks with particular characters. (I find I do.) It really is all preference, just find what works for you! If you main Marth...just use the C stick for your fairs at least...it makes spacing much easier.
The Computer:
Playing the computer to try and improve is beyond a horrible idea. Don't ask why, just dont play the computer for working on your mind games. However, it IS A SMART IDEA to play the computer on level 4 (The best DI) if you are working on combos, L/R cancels, wavelands, waveshines, techs, (go to hyrule temple at the bottom) moonwalking, and other misc tech skills that are in the game.
Play People Who Are BETTER Than You:
If you play scrubs and people you always beat...how are you going to improve? You wont. You must also play DIFFERENT people. You could go play someone like Cactuar or even Chu Dat...but you will not learn everything. Unlike Brawl, EVERY SINGLE PERSON has their own unique style and approach in Melee. Some Falcos laser camp better than others, some falcos excel at Fsmashing, some Fox's waveshine incredibly, some Fox's do more dash attacks into other moves, some never miss that uair, some drill shine to running u smash....there is more style to each character. Every single person has their own style. Thats what I like about Melee most.
Patience:
Being good at Melee (or smash in general) means that you have to be able to know when to stop being aggressive. You have to know when to stop, slow down, and think! So many players just run around..move around....tech and do all this crazy stuff but they never slow down...stop...and WAIT. Waiting is what a lot of nooby players have trouble with.
Quick tip-If you're having trouble being patient....USE ROY. YES, Roy is a BAD character but using him will teach you to be more patient and slow down. Seeing as Roys combos are extremely horrible you have to rely more on a good tech chase and throw and patient edge guarding game. Roy will make you a better tech chaser and develop you into more of a patient player. Once you've learned how to pick people off with Fsmashes....just drop him because he sucks
Character Selection:
Pick 1-2 characters to focus on....no more....no less. The reason for this is you want to get used to your mains before you go exploring and getting used to characters different fall speeds, ending lag, recoveries, projectile game, etc. Keep it simple first...dont go crazy.
Personal Advice:
Listen to what other people tell you to do. If someone says "You should be DI'ing this way..." or "When you're edguading ___ you need to _____" Listen to them. They know what they are talking about and such.
Throws:
You NEED TO KNOW your characters throws! Throws are one of the most important aspects to playing Melee. Some characters can chain throw (Iceys, Marth, Sheik, Mario, Ganondorf,) and some characters have a really nice tech chase game (Marth, Captain Falcon, Roy) that can allow you to lead to more throws, or a nice combo. A lot of combos in Melee stem from throws, learn your characters bes throws and know when and how to use them.
The Stages:
Make sure you also play ALL of the stages. Battlefield, Final Destination, Yoshis Story, Pokemon Stadium, Fountain of Dreams, Kongo Jungle, Corneria, Poke Floats, Rainbow Cruise, MAYBE Green Greens, Mute City, Dreamland. You want to do this because you need to get a feel for where you perform your best. If you main Marth you better do well on Battlefield and Yoshis Story...otherwise...dont plan on making him your main No single tourney match or Money Match you play is just going to be all Final Destination on that flat ground. Get used to working with platforms and avoiding things while you fight, its part of the game.
Repetition:
Never do the same thing over and over and over again in a match. A good player can read your mind like a book as it is....so try not to make it too easy for him, eh? A lot of good players know exactly when you are going to do something AND how. Do not just short hop or shffl the same attack alll match....you will pay. Mix your game up and always throw them something different. Even by changing it up and doing something really stupid can sometimes catch someone off guard. Now, I dont recommend running around and spamming GAW hammers or just spamming Marth fsmash....but yeah, i think you get the point. Stupidity works sometimes, but...only every now and then.
Video Footage:
You're also going to want to watch LOADS of video footage on your mains. If you're a Peach main and you're having problems fighting Marth go watch videos of Cort on youtube....watch him play different Marths and take a look at how he approaches. The same goes for if you main Marth....watch Ken and M2K and see what they do against particular characters. Nine times out of ten you will not be able to do EXACTLY what the pros do, but you can get a general idea of what you should/can be doing in the matchup. Watching footage is a good idea. A good example may be something that Cort often does when he plays Marth. Usually he'll grab you, fthrow and then follow that with a d tilt due to its speed. Try doing that...it can often lead into a good position to edge guard with marth if they are near the edge.
Quick Tip-If you're having difficulties on edge guading a particular character......watch footage of your character against the character your having trouble with on different stages. You get the idea...
Mindset:
Ahhhhh...the best for last. With each and EVERY SINGLE match you play always remember to keep the right mindset and be calm and relaxed. Every single person you play can beat you and WILL if you dont play with the right mindset. If you think "Well, hes a noob so i can slack a bit and still beat him." then you will most likely lose that match.
Just watch this---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9khDedACgY
It explains everything perfectly.
I went to ONE Melee tourney to get a hold of what the competitive scene was like for Melee and got *****. I was one of those people who thought that if you could wavedash and shffl nairs...you could win. haha
Anyway, a lot of new smashers often ask such questions like:
How do you waveshine with Falco?
How do I DI this attack?
Do you use the C stick for _____?
Is Fox REALLY better than Falco?
Who is top tier?
ETC ETC ETC
This is pretty much the most updated tier list for Melee. Fox, Marth, and Sheik are all up for grabs for the best character in the game.....then it goes Falco...peach...and the rest down is pretty much accurate.
So having seen all of this for about a year and no one ever really addressing this to our new smashers I thought that I would write a little something to help the beginners out there. This is not going to be organized or well thought out...its just a simple quick post to help people.
A-t-t-i-t-u-d-e:
The most important thing. If you just play friendlies and think the game is just fun and such....you'll never develop, it's that simple. If you think "Well, I'll never beat ____ or anyone really good so I will just play for fun." Having this mindset is WHAT IS KILLING MELEE and it is what will kill you from becoming a great player in Melee. I used to think this way and really used to think that I could never grow or ever standout as being decent in Melee...but, I changed my attitude and started practicing...and dedicated more time to the game and I am improving significantly now. I'm not what I would call a GREAT Smasher, but I've improved so much and find myself contending with those who I could not before. Play money matches, go to tournaments, and put yourself in pressure situations. That is another way to get better and get a TRUE idea of where you stand as a player. If you always play for fun and just friendlies, sure you'll definitely improve and get smarter..but you'll grow at a much FASTER rate with playing with someone who is better than you.
There are only two forms of matches that mean anything in the single competitive aspect of Smash. Money Matches, and tourney matches.
Here is some footage of me when I first joined the community....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDjpN190o1w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf9UJLMUUdM
(disgusting horrible rolling habits)
And here I am now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1ck89JT5x0
I improved.
PLAY THE GAME:
Yes, its that simple....play the game and experiment while playing people whether its someone who ***** you all day...or someone who you destroy. Experiment with new things, try new attacks, and just play.
Dropping Habits:
One of the hardest things to improve upon and notice in your game is HABITS. A lot of new players will have the habit of rolling away from the edge once on the stage when recovering....get rid of it. Also, you may find yourself teching the same direction all the time....stop. Find your habits or let someone point them out to you....and get rid of them.
Quick tip-If you are having trouble with the placement of your floor techs simply hit L or R (whatever you use) and quickly hit back and forth on your analog stick so you randomly go in a direction....so its basically random all the time and you dont ever have to think. (Thanks Brookman for helping me out with that) The only problem is, you just have to think more quickly when you get up because you will be randomly placed....you get used to it though.
Use The C Stick:
Get into the habit early of using the C-stick. If you DO NOT like the C stick...at least use it for your up and down aerial attacks. Try to go sHFFL a marth uair with the A button and tell me how that pans out VS using the c stick. Or, get on a ledge with Falco and try to dair while trying to get back onto the stage with the A button....then, try the C stick. If you are not convinced that you should use the c stick for those two aerials now...you'll never be good at this game. Some people use the cstick for fairs....some dont. Some people use it only for certain attacks with particular characters. (I find I do.) It really is all preference, just find what works for you! If you main Marth...just use the C stick for your fairs at least...it makes spacing much easier.
The Computer:
Playing the computer to try and improve is beyond a horrible idea. Don't ask why, just dont play the computer for working on your mind games. However, it IS A SMART IDEA to play the computer on level 4 (The best DI) if you are working on combos, L/R cancels, wavelands, waveshines, techs, (go to hyrule temple at the bottom) moonwalking, and other misc tech skills that are in the game.
Play People Who Are BETTER Than You:
If you play scrubs and people you always beat...how are you going to improve? You wont. You must also play DIFFERENT people. You could go play someone like Cactuar or even Chu Dat...but you will not learn everything. Unlike Brawl, EVERY SINGLE PERSON has their own unique style and approach in Melee. Some Falcos laser camp better than others, some falcos excel at Fsmashing, some Fox's waveshine incredibly, some Fox's do more dash attacks into other moves, some never miss that uair, some drill shine to running u smash....there is more style to each character. Every single person has their own style. Thats what I like about Melee most.
Patience:
Being good at Melee (or smash in general) means that you have to be able to know when to stop being aggressive. You have to know when to stop, slow down, and think! So many players just run around..move around....tech and do all this crazy stuff but they never slow down...stop...and WAIT. Waiting is what a lot of nooby players have trouble with.
Quick tip-If you're having trouble being patient....USE ROY. YES, Roy is a BAD character but using him will teach you to be more patient and slow down. Seeing as Roys combos are extremely horrible you have to rely more on a good tech chase and throw and patient edge guarding game. Roy will make you a better tech chaser and develop you into more of a patient player. Once you've learned how to pick people off with Fsmashes....just drop him because he sucks
Character Selection:
Pick 1-2 characters to focus on....no more....no less. The reason for this is you want to get used to your mains before you go exploring and getting used to characters different fall speeds, ending lag, recoveries, projectile game, etc. Keep it simple first...dont go crazy.
Personal Advice:
Listen to what other people tell you to do. If someone says "You should be DI'ing this way..." or "When you're edguading ___ you need to _____" Listen to them. They know what they are talking about and such.
Throws:
You NEED TO KNOW your characters throws! Throws are one of the most important aspects to playing Melee. Some characters can chain throw (Iceys, Marth, Sheik, Mario, Ganondorf,) and some characters have a really nice tech chase game (Marth, Captain Falcon, Roy) that can allow you to lead to more throws, or a nice combo. A lot of combos in Melee stem from throws, learn your characters bes throws and know when and how to use them.
The Stages:
Make sure you also play ALL of the stages. Battlefield, Final Destination, Yoshis Story, Pokemon Stadium, Fountain of Dreams, Kongo Jungle, Corneria, Poke Floats, Rainbow Cruise, MAYBE Green Greens, Mute City, Dreamland. You want to do this because you need to get a feel for where you perform your best. If you main Marth you better do well on Battlefield and Yoshis Story...otherwise...dont plan on making him your main
No single tourney match or Money Match you play is just going to be all Final Destination on that flat ground. Get used to working with platforms and avoiding things while you fight, its part of the game.Repetition:
Never do the same thing over and over and over again in a match. A good player can read your mind like a book as it is....so try not to make it too easy for him, eh? A lot of good players know exactly when you are going to do something AND how. Do not just short hop or shffl the same attack alll match....you will pay. Mix your game up and always throw them something different. Even by changing it up and doing something really stupid can sometimes catch someone off guard. Now, I dont recommend running around and spamming GAW hammers or just spamming Marth fsmash....but yeah, i think you get the point. Stupidity works sometimes, but...only every now and then.
Video Footage:
You're also going to want to watch LOADS of video footage on your mains. If you're a Peach main and you're having problems fighting Marth go watch videos of Cort on youtube....watch him play different Marths and take a look at how he approaches. The same goes for if you main Marth....watch Ken and M2K and see what they do against particular characters. Nine times out of ten you will not be able to do EXACTLY what the pros do, but you can get a general idea of what you should/can be doing in the matchup. Watching footage is a good idea. A good example may be something that Cort often does when he plays Marth. Usually he'll grab you, fthrow and then follow that with a d tilt due to its speed. Try doing that...it can often lead into a good position to edge guard with marth if they are near the edge.
Quick Tip-If you're having difficulties on edge guading a particular character......watch footage of your character against the character your having trouble with on different stages. You get the idea...
Mindset:
Ahhhhh...the best for last. With each and EVERY SINGLE match you play always remember to keep the right mindset and be calm and relaxed. Every single person you play can beat you and WILL if you dont play with the right mindset. If you think "Well, hes a noob so i can slack a bit and still beat him." then you will most likely lose that match.
Just watch this---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9khDedACgY
It explains everything perfectly.
