Important Carefully Ask PPMD about the Tiara Guy

[G--Man]

Hi PPMD, I hope you are doing well.

I've heard you previously discuss the use of rising fair within the Fox matchup (I'm assuming rising fair means a short hop fair while rising in the jump, right?). I'm having trouble utilizing this tool. If my guess is correct, rising fair is supposed to be good at stuffing some of fox's aerial approaches (like SH nair). However, due to the speed at which this moves comes out, I have come to the opinion that you simply cannot react fast enough to a SH fox nair to be able to get out the rising fair in time to stuff it. Because of this, I'm assuming the rising fair is thrown out as an educated guess, and thus it must be thrown out preemptively. However, I find that when I do this the fox simply elects to not jump, and DD grabs me when I land. How do you approach avoiding this counter-option from fox? do you use your second jump after the fair if you expect the grab? Do you incorporate other aerial mixups to make the fox uncertain of the safety of his DD grab? Or do you think focusing on properly spacing the rising fair is a better way to avoid the DD grab?

 

[Syaith]

Hi PPMD, I hope you are doing well.

I've heard you previously discuss the use of rising fair within the Fox matchup (I'm assuming rising fair means a short hop fair while rising in the jump, right?). I'm having trouble utilizing this tool. If my guess is correct, rising fair is supposed to be good at stuffing some of fox's aerial approaches (like SH nair). However, due to the speed at which this moves comes out, I have come to the opinion that you simply cannot react fast enough to a SH fox nair to be able to get out the rising fair in time to stuff it. Because of this, I'm assuming the rising fair is thrown out as an educated guess, and thus it must be thrown out preemptively. However, I find that when I do this the fox simply elects to not jump, and DD grabs me when I land. How do you approach avoiding this counter-option from fox? do you use your second jump after the fair if you expect the grab? Do you incorporate other aerial mixups to make the fox uncertain of the safety of his DD grab? Or do you think focusing on properly spacing the rising fair is a better way to avoid the DD grab?

I would also like to hear more of your thought process behind rising fair esp. in the fox matchup. I see you use it often in "scuffle"/neutral situations as a quick hitbox that covers a fair (pun intended) amount of space when fox is at high percent and you want to get a stray hit.

 

[Dr Peepee]

Hi PPMD, I hope you are doing well.

I've heard you previously discuss the use of rising fair within the Fox matchup (I'm assuming rising fair means a short hop fair while rising in the jump, right?). I'm having trouble utilizing this tool. If my guess is correct, rising fair is supposed to be good at stuffing some of fox's aerial approaches (like SH nair). However, due to the speed at which this moves comes out, I have come to the opinion that you simply cannot react fast enough to a SH fox nair to be able to get out the rising fair in time to stuff it. Because of this, I'm assuming the rising fair is thrown out as an educated guess, and thus it must be thrown out preemptively. However, I find that when I do this the fox simply elects to not jump, and DD grabs me when I land. How do you approach avoiding this counter-option from fox? do you use your second jump after the fair if you expect the grab? Do you incorporate other aerial mixups to make the fox uncertain of the safety of his DD grab? Or do you think focusing on properly spacing the rising fair is a better way to avoid the DD grab?

Please read my previous post which concerns threatening range. If you are fighting from that space, there is NO way Fox can SH Nair you unless he conditions you well. What is more likely is you are trying to rising Fair in a place you just cannot Fair in with normal reactions. In the spacings you use, rising Fair is wrong like you say and you should use other options like WD back or dash back pivot Fair or CC grab. TLDR you gotta back up or do different stuff.

That's not the whole story though. If you are simply waiting for a Fox to move in then you will always be surprised when he does because it will seem random and you aren't prepared. To prepare yourself, you need to figure out what makes a Fox player move in and then create those conditions. When you do that, you can prime yourself for rising Fair and much of the lag problem can be mitigated. Putting this and the above advice together should solve your problem, but it is difficult.

 

[G--Man]

Please read my previous post which concerns threatening range. If you are fighting from that space, there is NO way Fox can SH Nair you unless he conditions you well. What is more likely is you are trying to rising Fair in a place you just cannot Fair in with normal reactions. In the spacings you use, rising Fair is wrong like you say and you should use other options like WD back or dash back pivot Fair or CC grab. TLDR you gotta back up or do different stuff.

That's not the whole story though. If you are simply waiting for a Fox to move in then you will always be surprised when he does because it will seem random and you aren't prepared. To prepare yourself, you need to figure out what makes a Fox player move in and then create those conditions. When you do that, you can prime yourself for rising Fair and much of the lag problem can be mitigated. Putting this and the above advice together should solve your problem, but it is difficult.

That makes so much sense, thank you! The last portion about figuring out which conditions motivate fox players to move in seems daunting, but I completely agree with your assessment that sitting back and waiting is not an optimal solution to the problem. One needs to find conditions that one can use to encourage fox to approach. I will not bug/ask you to give me some comprehensive list of conditions that you probe your opponents with.. I'll see what I can do on my own first. I'll get back to you later with my observations and hopefully then we can have a more developed discussion about how to use movement, aerials, tilts, and grabs in a safe manner to discover which conditions work without losing the match to figure these out.

 

[FE_Hector]

Dr Peepee Been out of the loop with this thread for a bit, so my bad if you've answered this recently, but what do you think about emotion during matches? I was just watching your SKTAR 3 set vs Mango and saw your visible confusion when he got the reverse fsmash. Is it okay to show a bit if it's not affecting your mentality? Just not sure where the lines are drawn between it being okay/silly and it affecting your mentality and how I should identify it.

 

[Whap]

Dr Peepee Hello there, I was wondering if I could ask you two questions. One being where do you place marth and falco on the tier list given the current meta/tournament results. And two, which of the two do you believe to have more potential in the sense of solo maining

 

[Dr Peepee]

Dr Peepee Been out of the loop with this thread for a bit, so my bad if you've answered this recently, but what do you think about emotion during matches? I was just watching your SKTAR 3 set vs Mango and saw your visible confusion when he got the reverse fsmash. Is it okay to show a bit if it's not affecting your mentality? Just not sure where the lines are drawn between it being okay/silly and it affecting your mentality and how I should identify it.

Emotion is fine if you control it. I showed surprise then went right back into the game. It's easiest to explain with anger. Sometimes when you get mad you can channel it and play well, but sometimes it overwhelms you. Control is the key and that is focused on by understanding emotions and also building focus through activities like meditation.

Dr Peepee Hello there, I was wondering if I could ask you two questions. One being where do you place marth and falco on the tier list given the current meta/tournament results. And two, which of the two do you believe to have more potential in the sense of solo maining

If I use only current results and not what I think, then Marth/Falco are probably below Puff and maybe Peach.

They're both really good for solo maining. At the highest level maybe Marth has an edge I'm not sure, but ultimately at most levels it doesn't matter they're great.

 

[Whap]

Dr Peepee thank for answering my last question, it means a lot. You are an absolute genius not only in understanding the game but breaking it down into simple enough ways for others to learn, of which only few players can do. I've seen you break down marth to very simple moves and game plans i.e. Minimalistic movement, down tilt, etc. so may I ask you to provide a short game plan for what a falco may look to do. I'm sorry as this does not pertain directly to marth, I just did not know where else to ask this question. Hope you come back soon!

 

[UnderTheKnife]

Hey Dr Peepee ! I'm a huge, huge fan and I've learned so much from your videos, this thread, and your interviews. ! I'm a low/low-mid level Marth, ranked in a weak-ish region who usually gets top 8 and better at locals (here's an example of my play for reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE0yK5Dm5Jc…) and if you have time I'd love it if you could answer a few questions in regards to improving at the game


1. If you were to be an active competitor again, what would your training routine be like now? What are your primary methods of practicing and improvement, and how does one implement them? I know you've mentioned shadowboxing before, but if you could go into the nitty-gritty of how it works, that'd be awesome!
2. If you had to start building your skill from scratch but still had the same knowledge of how you got better and how to get better, what would you do? How would you begin your climb back to where you are now?
3. What advice would you give to a completely new player who wants to become good at the game?
4. What, in your opinion, are the things that players should be focusing on the most on their journey to improvement? What are the few things to focus on that provides players with the most tangibles results? How do they go about developing those?
5. What are some of the most common mistakes that players make in their journey to improvement? How do they fix those?

I know these are lengthy and aren't exactly Marth related, but I'm really trying to figure out and dissect a general framework of what to do and how to do it in terms of rapid, tangible improvement. A lot of people say "practice" but I'm just trying to figure out what that actually means. You could say I'm trying to figure out your Art of Learning even Whether or not you see/read/respond to this I'll always be a fan, I can't wait to see more of you! Get well soon PP <3

 

[Kaoak]

I feel dumb asking such a simple question but I've been playing a sheik player in my region for about 3 years and I always lose to him, our tournament record is disgustingly in his favor and no matter how much more than him I practice I can't beat him. It's pretty depressing and I don't know what I need to do to win.

I feel like whenever I play against him in neutral I'm getting destroyed by boost grab and dash attack. If I put a lot of distance between us I get needled but if I play at a closer range I feel like I randomly get grabbed or dash attacked seemingly out of my control. Whenever I try to grab him it feels like most of the time I end up getting hit or spot dodged which leads to a brutal punish. I really don't know what to do. Any advice would be appreciated. Trying so much harder than somebody but losing regardless is very depressing to me

 

[AirFair]

I feel dumb asking such a simple question but I've been playing a sheik player in my region for about 3 years and I always lose to him, our tournament record is disgustingly in his favor and no matter how much more than him I practice I can't beat him. It's pretty depressing and I don't know what I need to do to win.

I feel like whenever I play against him in neutral I'm getting destroyed by boost grab and dash attack. If I put a lot of distance between us I get needled but if I play at a closer range I feel like I randomly get grabbed or dash attacked seemingly out of my control. Whenever I try to grab him it feels like most of the time I end up getting hit or spot dodged which leads to a brutal punish. I really don't know what to do. Any advice would be appreciated. Trying so much harder than somebody but losing regardless is very depressing to me

Don't let needles throw you off from spacing and moving properly. Remember that Sheik has substantial lag after throwing needles, and you can take advantage of that by making them uncomfortable when you close distance after needles.

Aerial needles require proper spacing, since you don't really want to shield them. Again, I would advise taking advantage of what she might do after landing. Depending on when she likes to jump, you can also use fair, but that would only work if she jumps on your movements forward I think.

If you feel like you get randomly grabbed or dash attacked, you probably need to look at Sheik's threatening range, which on the ground, is mostly those two options, at least at a close range.

I wouldn't worry so much about being better than him, just try and learn the matchup instead, as that is going to help you more, whether you win or lose at first.

 

[Deleted member]

man ive been on smashboards for 14 years

im a weenie

gdi

 

[s0da is bad for you]

Dr Peepee hey pp I got a quick question what do i do when a falco just short hops and lasers onto my shield and he lands right on top of me as marth if i jump i get clipped by the laser and there is a 50 50 he will shine or try to grab my shield

 

[Syaith]

Dr Peepee hey pp I got a quick question what do i do when a falco just short hops and lasers onto my shield and he lands right on top of me as marth if i jump i get clipped by the laser and there is a 50 50 he will shine or try to grab my shield

SSBM Tutorials made a video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGtPF_13AaA. I hope this helps

 

[s0da is bad for you]

SSBM Tutorials made a video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGtPF_13AaA. I hope this helps

oh thanks i didnt see that

 

[bts.mongoose]

Alright, so, a problem that plagues me and I think many lower level Marths is killing opponents after they get past the percentages where you have guaranteed kill setups. It's a two pronged issue, because first, I obviously struggle to kill them and they survive and do damage to me for much longer then they should be able to, and second, I get impatient and start throwing out unsafe, laggy moves to try to kill or set up for a kill(nair, fsmash, ftilt), which gets me punished and lets them survive for even longer. It's clear that the changes I make to my game when my opponent is high percent are ineffective, and at times even harmful. However, I have trouble believing that I should be playing the exact same strategy when my opponent is over 100% as when they're at 0%. So, in your opinion, to what extent(if at all) and how should I be changing my strategy against a high percent opponent?

 

[Zorcey]

Alright, so, a problem that plagues me and I think many lower level Marths is killing opponents after they get past the percentages where you have guaranteed kill setups. It's a two pronged issue, because first, I obviously struggle to kill them and they survive and do damage to me for much longer then they should be able to, and second, I get impatient and start throwing out unsafe, laggy moves to try to kill or set up for a kill(nair, fsmash, ftilt), which gets me punished and lets them survive for even longer. It's clear that the changes I make to my game when my opponent is high percent are ineffective, and at times even harmful. However, I have trouble believing that I should be playing the exact same strategy when my opponent is over 100% as when they're at 0%. So, in your opinion, to what extent(if at all) and how should I be changing my strategy against a high percent opponent?

Versus Peach is probably the best example of Marth often not netting a kill until ridiculously high percents, so I'll use that mu as an example here. Take a look at these m2k/PP vs. Armada sets

https://youtu.be/-PHP9ZTu7No

https://youtu.be/IomXcdAAt7E

Interestingly enough, you can see a trend in that when Peach gets to such high percents that kill setups no longer work and she can't really be comboed, she is often being killed with the very fsmashes/nairs/etc. you're having trouble with. The difference here is that the top players know when their move will hit, so they don't miss and get punished (often). Because of this, it follows that they're probably trying to apply safe, non-commital pressure with their movement and spacing in order to force Peach into making a mistake - some of these mistakes are punishable enough to make high-risk high-reward moves guaranteed.

A big problem is likely that you're tilting in frustration at high percents, and that's something you need to control, because if m2k is any indication bad mindsets can fester even at the top level. I know it's harder than it sounds to beat this stuff, but for a lot of players it comes down to needing to stay active and patient throughout the game, and not get all "wtf I just need one more hit," because that feeling gets worse as your percent builds, and then your gameplay follows.

If you're too lazy to watch the sets, I'll put it concisely: stay active, pressure them with your movement and zoning abilities, and only throw out the yolo moves when you're sure you'll hit something (except Shy Guys)

 

[DutchCG]

Thanks for being so invloved people, PPMD, you especially, your knowledge is incredible.

I have a lot of trouble dealing with 2 things.

One, I tend to allow combos to just continue on me because I don't know the best way out of them.
Particularly shiek. Is SDI the best option to get out of most of the combo starters such as tilts?

The other is this.
I love playing Marth, but I will admit, my hardest challenge is keeping the mentality. When my mind is on it, it's on it and I do well, but the mentality can be so hard to hold for an extended period of time, especially when I get caught in 2 or 3 combos in a row that I do not have the knowledge to get out of. More commonly, I will find that it effects my play when my frustration turns into bad dash dancing and turning without dashing and such. What is the best way to keep that mentality or gain it back when I feel I have lost it? Do I overact all my button movements to make sure they stay solid and not miss-input?

 

[FE_Hector]

Thanks for being so invloved people, PPMD, you especially, your knowledge is incredible.

I have a lot of trouble dealing with 2 things.

One, I tend to allow combos to just continue on me because I don't know the best way out of them.
Particularly shiek. Is SDI the best option to get out of most of the combo starters such as tilts?

The other is this.
I love playing Marth, but I will admit, my hardest challenge is keeping the mentality. When my mind is on it, it's on it and I do well, but the mentality can be so hard to hold for an extended period of time, especially when I get caught in 2 or 3 combos in a row that I do not have the knowledge to get out of. More commonly, I will find that it effects my play when my frustration turns into bad dash dancing and turning without dashing and such. What is the best way to keep that mentality or gain it back when I feel I have lost it? Do I overact all my button movements to make sure they stay solid and not miss-input?

For the first thing, DI out vs her ftilt negates a LOT of followups, so that's really useful. In general, DI down+away (or at least away) helps a lot with escaping combos. The Sheik MU is def. a harder one because of how large her rewards can be for punishing smaller mistakes you make.

As far as the second thing goes, it sounds a LOT like a mentality issue. If you look at the thing I posted earlier in the thread, he answers a lot of that. Also, one of his old posts in the Falco Discussion Thread discusses the specifics of how he meditates, but I can sum it up briefly. Close eyes and breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Only think about that. Once your mind's clear, release tension from your body. He said with enough practice, you should be able to practically reset mentality in the span of a few short breaths simply by doing that.

 

[FlapFlap]

Quick question is you have some time Dr.

I should start with the fact that this is for sure beginner level play but, I've recently been running into the problem of facing several players who like to grab a ton (usually fox/falco/marth) as Marth/Falco (since i could use help on both ) how should I be approaching if I know my opponent is looking for a dash dance grab or is hoping to get a shield-grab, and also how should iIgo about punishing those missed grab attempts, or punishing knowing there is a grab coming.

Thanks a ton,

A huge huge huge PPMD fan

 

[Taytertot]

Alright, so, a problem that plagues me and I think many lower level Marths is killing opponents after they get past the percentages where you have guaranteed kill setups. It's a two pronged issue, because first, I obviously struggle to kill them and they survive and do damage to me for much longer then they should be able to, and second, I get impatient and start throwing out unsafe, laggy moves to try to kill or set up for a kill(nair, fsmash, ftilt), which gets me punished and lets them survive for even longer. It's clear that the changes I make to my game when my opponent is high percent are ineffective, and at times even harmful. However, I have trouble believing that I should be playing the exact same strategy when my opponent is over 100% as when they're at 0%. So, in your opinion, to what extent(if at all) and how should I be changing my strategy against a high percent opponent?

id like to add to what zorcey said because against all the top tiers, except peach and puff, you can reliably edgeguard them to death. this doesnt require a huge transition in the way you go about neutral, it just changes the followups that youre looking to get off clear openings. falcon is probably the easiest, all you need to do is cut off either his ability to go to ledge or his ability to go on stage with your positioning and then punish the other option once he commits to it. sheik is as easy as grab ledge and punish her recovery on stage with fsmash or nair. fox and falco have more nuances to covering recovery options but im sure you know them because they are fairly well explored. marth is relatively similar to sheik. im not as familiar with icies so i wont speak to that but its usually pretty straight forward. my point being that marth has an impressive edgeguard game once you get comfortable with it and that can really reduce the number of kills that require you to make a hard read or force bad positioning to earn.

 

[FE_Hector]

sheik is as easy as grab ledge and punish her recovery on stage with fsmash or nair.

Ik this doesn't really add anything to the thread, but this is why I feel bad for Sheik mains. She's got a few slick recovery mixups, but if you know the MU well enough (especially at lower levels), Sheik kiiiiiiiiiinda gets bodied the second she has to upB.

 

[JFB (JurgaBurgaFlintines)]

So I have been working on my punish game, specifically the chaingrab and I have it all optimized for the most part. The problem is, I don't know what to work on or study now in terms of my punish game. Can anyone guide me in the right direction?

 

[FE_Hector]

So I have been working on my punish game, specifically the chaingrab and I have it all optimized for the most part. The problem is, I don't know what to work on or study now in terms of my punish game. Can anyone guide me in the right direction?

TBH, I feel that very few Marth's can utilize the European fair strings all that well. That and looking for offstage reverse Dolphin Slash are two things that the European Marth's do way better than pretty much any American.

 

[AirFair]

TBH, I feel that very few Marth's can utilize the European fair strings all that well. That and looking for offstage reverse Dolphin Slash are two things that the European Marth's do way better than pretty much any American.

What makes a European fair string unique from any fair string? don't all fair strings involve using the weak part of the fair to carry your opponent? Also you are probably right about the reverse dolphin slash thing, since European's can't kill with dair the way we can.

 

[FE_Hector]

What makes a European fair string unique from any fair string? don't all fair strings involve using the weak part of the fair to carry your opponent? Also you are probably right about the reverse dolphin slash thing, since European's can't kill with dair the way we can.

The point was more that I can't recall seeing really any American Marths combing with fair the same way European players do. I just kinda think of it as a European thing.

 

[Dr Peepee]

So I have been working on my punish game, specifically the chaingrab and I have it all optimized for the most part. The problem is, I don't know what to work on or study now in terms of my punish game. Can anyone guide me in the right direction?

Tech chasing vs FF'ers and Peach, juggles on all characters, how to set up 50/50s in combos where they have to DI in or out(Fair vs Fsmash is one example), how to convert off of a stray hit/Dtilt in neutral. I think those things will all help a lot.

 

[JFB (JurgaBurgaFlintines)]

Tech chasing vs FF'ers and Peach, juggles on all characters, how to set up 50/50s in combos where they have to DI in or out(Fair vs Fsmash is one example), how to convert off of a stray hit/Dtilt in neutral. I think those things will all help a lot.

Thanks a lot! Will definitely get on the grind asap.

 

[AirFair]

Hey PP, I've been reading a lot of the things you have said about the Sheik matchup, and I did some thinking on my own, and I was wondering if you could elaborate on a couple of things.

You've discussed how Marth is able to discourage Sheik's use of dash attack as he changes his spacing, and how that can cause Sheiks to rely on using walk and ftilt to try and get Marth to back off. When talking about how to handle this kind of approach, you've said that fair is something that Marth's can leverage really well, as using dd grab.

When I imagine this scenario, I feel like Marth should be aware of dash attack out of the walk forward as well as the ftilts, which make dd grabbing ftilt something that I wouldn't want to rely on, since that involves being so close to Sheik. On the other hand, if you see Sheik wanting to ftilt on your movement forward then is pivot fair something that you could use well here? or are you referring to a more delayed fair? I'm unsure of delayed fair since jumping leaves you vulnerable upon landing and before the fair comes out, which is probably why you emphasize spacing here.

You've also said that WD dtilt is another thing that could be used well here if Marth knows Sheik isn't as responsive to his movement forward, which could make it a good way to hold space (move back out of DA range, wd forward dtilt to stop her walking forward). The one objection I have to this is that it can require more space than you have at times, which is where I turn to fair.

The way I see it now, fair is really good for stopping this approach as it can be spaced well to where Sheik can't punish it directly, yet I want to know how it is set up. Dtilt can be used, yet I feel that if Sheik is moving forward, it becomes dangerous, since it can be easily misspaced. I'd love to hear what you think.

Also, Happy Thanksgiving PP and Marth friends. All of you are amazing.

 

[Dr Peepee]

Generally, when you discourage a tool, especially one like dash attack, people don't use it in any capacity(or really obvious ones). That particular information you can gain when playing a Sheik player, but I have yet to see a Sheik DA out of walk that I can recall. As for Fair, I'm talking more about middle and late Fair, as the early one is usually only better/at a better hitbox position if Sheik is really close or jumping(or you're hitting her extended hurtbox on a move I guess).

Overall, you're right in that Dtilt should be used when you have more space and need to push Sheik, and Fair can be used at more times and spaces. Those threats can be transitioned between somewhat easily though, so that's worth keeping in mind as well.

 

[ita16]

Hello pp. I was wondering how you go about studying and analyze vods of other players. What habits should be looked for, how to find tendencies of players and how to exploit them, then craft strategies before playing them. Huge fan of your Marth's neutral . And I hoped you haven't already commented on this and I simply missed it.

Also I heard you might go to dont park on the grass? True? Or rumor?

 

[Dr Peepee]

Easiest way to analyze is look for when someone got hit and figure out why. Sometimes you need to go back some steps, but it's also fine to move on until you can find patterns.

I did say I might go at one point but that looks pretty unlikely now.

 

[mangú]

peepee, when I play I struggle with thinking, and reading my opponents moves in real time, tho in hindsight I can normally realize what happened and what i should have done. How do i focus on this in real time, and what should I prioritize on reading?

 

[Vista_]

hey everyone, do you find that music hurts or helps you focus when you play? I find that it gives me a really solid rythm for punishes but leaves my mind somewhere else during neutral and so I find myself with little to no data on the opponent. I love listening to music when I play, so I'd like to know if you guys listen to a certain type of music that helps you focus or if you try to tune out the music in neutral?

 

[mangú]

hey everyone, do you find that music hurts or helps you focus when you play? I find that it gives me a really solid rythm for punishes but leaves my mind somewhere else during neutral and so I find myself with little to no data on the opponent. I love listening to music when I play, so I'd like to know if you guys listen to a certain type of music that helps you focus or if you try to tune out the music in neutral?

I love rap. I used to listen to Hamilton and Mang0light Beam when I practiced/played, however, it got me too hype. I used to main fox, so I would autopilot, SD, salt etc. Nowadays I usually listen to Lord or Frank Ocean when I'm on netplay, and when I'm irl it depends who I'm playing with. One of my friends likes having the rap when he comes over so I play it over the mic, and with the other we talk over the game when we practice. I don't know about tourneys cause I haven't been able to figure out my schedule for going to any. They're all early morning sundays here.

 

[FE_Hector]

hey everyone, do you find that music hurts or helps you focus when you play? I find that it gives me a really solid rythm for punishes but leaves my mind somewhere else during neutral and so I find myself with little to no data on the opponent. I love listening to music when I play, so I'd like to know if you guys listen to a certain type of music that helps you focus or if you try to tune out the music in neutral?

I find that it's best for me to listen to something that I already know pretty well. Lyrics are important to me, and if I'm trying to decipher them as I play, then it messes me up badly. By and large, I prefer something loud so I can easily drown out everybody else talking in the venue, so bands of choice for me are Amaranthe or BVB. I really should put together a playlist b/c there's so much other music lol.

PP, it sucks to hear you won't be at Don't Park on the Grass. We're so close to you're 180 day mark, too. Fingers crossed. Can't wait.

 

[CanBeatAnyFaux]

Yo PP, I've been playing for a little over a year now and something that I notice about my play is that I very often match the tone/tempo of my opponent. Against good/fast players, my movement seems to be better and I make decisions faster. I can see weaknesses in opponent's play because it feels like my brain is moving that much faster. I think more creatively and my favorite sets/the sets where I feel I played best often come from my sets against PR players. This is, however, a problem against slower/worse players who I tend to shut off vs. I just drop SHFFL fairs and f-smashes on shield and hope for the best. I can win like this and usually do, but I had a terrible loss vs a campy Sheik who was frankly incompetent. I was wondering if you had a sage wisdom for me that could save me from an embarrassing WR2 loss.

P.S. Your Falco blows my mind with how well the character can be played at times

 

[Dr Peepee]

peepee, when I play I struggle with thinking, and reading my opponents moves in real time, tho in hindsight I can normally realize what happened and what i should have done. How do i focus on this in real time, and what should I prioritize on reading?

You can't do this in real time. It's impossible. The correct way to handle things is to practice so that you have setups you automatically can use and confirm while letting your subconscious act since it's more energy efficient and quick than conscious thinking.

Yo PP, I've been playing for a little over a year now and something that I notice about my play is that I very often match the tone/tempo of my opponent. Against good/fast players, my movement seems to be better and I make decisions faster. I can see weaknesses in opponent's play because it feels like my brain is moving that much faster. I think more creatively and my favorite sets/the sets where I feel I played best often come from my sets against PR players. This is, however, a problem against slower/worse players who I tend to shut off vs. I just drop SHFFL fairs and f-smashes on shield and hope for the best. I can win like this and usually do, but I had a terrible loss vs a campy Sheik who was frankly incompetent. I was wondering if you had a sage wisdom for me that could save me from an embarrassing WR2 loss.

P.S. Your Falco blows my mind with how well the character can be played at times

This is pretty normal. Pretty much same advice as above, where if you train well you'll have a consistent level and will be much more resistant to the opponent's level. You can use movements and attacks you use when you're playing well and just practice those and it'll be much easier to keep them engaged when playing anyone.

 

[capusa27]

Hi Dr Peepee

I was re-watching some of you and Mew2King in Marth v Peach. While watching, I noticed that you and M2K prefer down/forward throw instead of up throw vs Peach, correct?

• Why would you want to down throw at low percents instead of up throw?
  • Do you prefer the possibility of very advantageous corner positioning instead of the advantageous ground positioning where you can easily track Peach in the air?

I would think that the possible benefits of up throw (no turnip; dash attack; or down smash for Peach; only air dodge and down air if spaced correctly) would give Marths a greater incentive to up throw instead of down/forward throw at low percents.

Do you always think that positioning is more valuable than damage output, especially vs lightweight characters? Some examples that I can think of where damage (up to a certain extent) is more important than positioning is edgeguarding fast-fallers.

Thanks for answering.

 

[Dr Peepee]

If Peach broke out of throw stun instantly yeah uthrow would be way better. The thing about the side throws is you can get easier, faster, and arguably stronger followups out of them. Even if you fail, Peach is still cornered with little time(meaning no turnips since the pull is slow) which is great for you. If you fail uthrow Peach could reasonably get back to the middle or hit you. Peach is likely going to get launched from the side anyway, but because she has to come in from one side as opposed to being above you and able to switch sides that also means it eventually simplifies the air game. I hope that explains it some.