Any help with smart play/ mind games?

[TunaAndBacon]

So I'm a bit of a rookie to the Melee/Project M scene and even though I have pretty average tech I've been having a hard time adapting mid match, implementing mind games, and I often find myself falling in to predictable patterns.

so any tips?

 

[gmBottles]

One thing I do sometimes to bait is dash forward then wavedash back. Then do it a few more times. If successful, they may open themselves to attacks. If not, nothing will happen and the game continues as normal. This is something I do with Puff, so keep in mind her wavedash length. It doesn't work quite as well on, say, Luigi.

 

[EPsilon933]

Mostly only experience will teach you this. Play as much as you can. Observe everything your opponent does and what you do. Change up what you do to counter what your opponent is most likely to do

 

[Marth Regalia]

KNOW WHEN YOUR OPPONENT WILL TECH.
If you're fighting anyone good, you need to learn to tech chase. If they don't tech, you can take them from 0 to death easily and if they do you can bait it and get another grab and chain it into a combo.
Little things like that will give you a skillwise and psychological edge that will make you a better player.

 

[Sir Bubbles]

Know your character strengths and weaknesses, along with your opponent's. Other than that, it really is based on experience.

 

[TunaAndBacon]

ah ok cool, I guess I just gotta get some matches under the belt then, I've been playing alot of bots recently so that might end up being my downfall. Is it ever a good idea to practice against bots?

 

[Sir Bubbles]

ah ok cool, I guess I just gotta get some matches under the belt then, I've been playing alot of bots recently so that might end up being my downfall. Is it ever a good idea to practice against bots?

Practicing with bots isn't particularly a bad thing, just isn't as good as playing against a human being.

With bots, you're generally just practicing movement and tech. Bots aren't the best to practice mind games with just for the simple fact that their patterns are simple and easy to counter. Bots also tend to spam moves that'll lead to a free stock. (C. Falcon Raptor Boost off stage, for example).

If you don't have people around you to play against, I suggest playing against others through Dolphin Netplay, or using PM Wifi if your PC isn't powerful enough.

 

[Marth Regalia]

When I have no one to play, I usually play bots to perfects my tech stuff and make it better so that when I fight actual people, I know what I'm doing.

Make sure you get a couple practice matches to get familiarized with human style before any tournament matches, just a heads up.