Approaching Tips

[Project Crysis]

So I've gotten a few thing down with Zss, but my primary concern is how should I be approaching the enemy. Sometimes I go in with short hop Nairs but i usually get shield grabbed after if they blocked. is there something a bit safer?

 

[BatShark]

This thread might end up getting moved, but I'll give some thoughts on this in the meanwhile.

Nair is much, much safer on block if you space it correctly. If they are trying to just shield-grab after each time, space them correctly and punish with tilts and jabs.

Empty hops will also open your opponent up a bit more - if they're just meeting your aerial approaches with shield and succeeding each time, you can break this cycle with different types of approaches and tempo. Mix it up with grabs, try some fakeouts with SH B-Reversed Paralyzers, or approach defensively and see if *they* are going to invite you to stuff their own predictable approaches.

 

[pichuthedk]

Running and shielding is quite effective in some mus while it goes even further in other MUs where you need to walk and power shIeld.

You can also (depending on stage/character) approach with zair, randomly sometimes find zair to jab on landing effective.

 

[BatShark]

Yeah running in and shielding is like, the meta for how to approach right now. All the cool kids are doing it. It is also why I sometimes have success with retreating pivot grabs.

 

[Muffin!]

Depends entirely on the matchup. For more physical characters I use some variation of a running approach (shield, dash attack, grab, pivot) or a short hop zair/side B. Short hop side B can be a great approach since you pretty much double the range on your tether, it's difficult to punish if you space it right, and it has a huge hitbox.

For projectile characters lots of short hops and a down B. Don't kick if you're using down B as an approach though, space yourself well, and vary your range. Down B doesn't have to be either long or short, you can move back and forth a bit. This means you can make it look like you're going long, and land short or vice versa, making it difficult to read.