A Yoshi Story: Trying not to be a spoiled egg.

[SPIRE_FAN]

Before going into the main topic of this thread, I would like to give some brief background knowledge

*Initiate Fitting Music*: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkxShR_k03I


I started playing Super Smash Bros since 64 and Yoshi's Island was one of my very first video games I ever played. Yoshi has always stayed as my true to heart character when looking back (and right now).

Currently I play competitive Melee (and Project M) with Yoshi, and have been for about 4/5 years (though I didn't hookup with an actual scene until last year) and I'm the only Yoshi Player for Melee and P:M in my scene atm.

This all leads up to a P:M tournament I went to last month, where most players there just played P:M/Brawl. During the tournament, some of my opponents started going "Man, you play Yoshi?!" or "Dude your Yoshi is sick!". I told most of the people that complimented me that I mainly got my skills from Melee and have only been messing with him in P:M without that much competitive experience at the time with P:M Yoshi.

Introductions aside, what I mainly want to share is the realization I came across the other night while at a melee centered hookup. While trying to play against some of the top players in the area, I kept doing a lot of BAD HABITS that I developed while playing P:M. I tried jumping out of shield, side B'ing for a mixup recovery, and rising aerial. All while getting plowed that night for the most part.

During that night I sat there and pondered "Am I really that out of shape with my Melee Yoshi?", after more matches I realized that I had to adjust to a more limited play style without as much tricks for my character compared to his P:M iteration. Some of the same players I fought against agreed that you really have to put a lot of time and creativity to be proficient at playing Yoshi in P:M (and Melee). But Melee Yoshi was just that! His weakness's helped me grow and become more creative in playing at a decent level, which in turn was the core reason why my performance with P:M Yoshi was a lot better than I expected.


I guess this thread is mainly a personal realization I had on how awesome it really has been playing him in smash for so long. It helped emphasize to me even more that the best competitors acknowledge and work with their weakness’s. And that limitations can help improve creativity, skill, and effort.

But enough about me and what I've experienced. Tell me your Yoshi Stories!!!

 

[Invader_Zirk]

I'll go first, I guess!

I spent the whole month of December practicing Yoshi for when I'd return to school, and one of
our guys, Mars, had been working on his Kirby against a buddy who played some Yoshi, but
wasn't a Yoshi main. He insisted on FB that he knew the matchup and could stomp a good
Yoshi with his Kirby.

I don't think he really anticipated how much I'd been practicing Yoshi over break. An hour
everyday AT LEAST, in the training room and against level 1 CPUs.

We did a best of 3 MM to pay for dinner one night. I came out swinging with a lot of Yoshi's
advanced techniques that Mars clearly hadn't seen playing his friend back home. DJC nair
OOS is such a good tool now, and those Egg Roll tech-chases. Oh lawdy, those Egg Roll
tech-chases...

So I won 2 games back-to-back and won dinner from my friend whose entire Yoshi experience
came from playing a casual Yoshi back home.

 

[didds]

I just practiced way to much yoshi in melee with my casual friends to not use him in P:M, I love his speed and strength and the fact that 30 other people at my fests don't share the same main Plus my buddy is a Mario main and Yoshi loves a little revenge for all those punches to the back of the head.