LoyalSoldier
Smash Apprentice
Marth has always been one of my favorite characters since the Melee days. Even though I was a heavy fox main I always loved using Marth as an alternative. In Brawl Marth is still easily one of the top dogs in the hands of a good player. His move set is very diverse and he seems to have a perfect move for every situation. He is also one of the few who can pull of rather good combos in brawl. The problem becomes that people fall in love with certain moves or combos that Marth has and as such it weakens their Marth from his true potential.
I decided to write up a small list of mistakes I see that are common to Marth. A few of these apply to characters in general.
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1. Use a combo/move because it is good for the situation not because it is good.
This is most likely one of the worst mistakes I keep seeing. People fall in love with one combo because it is good, but then they go over the deep end and start spamming it relentlessly. This is a horrible mistake because a good combo may not be good for some situations. For instance the short hop combo (Two Fairs finished by a Fsmash or similar combos) may not be the best when you are too close to your enemy since you need to hit with the tip to make it the most effective. There might be a time, such as when the target is at lower %, where it is a good idea to use dancing blades to rack up the damage rather than going for the big smash move.
Learn which moves work in which situations. The 3 Ds (not to be confused with DeDeDe) Be wary of distance, damage, and delay. Notice how far away the foe is, how much damage he has, and how long you are going to be vulnerable or if your foe is going to be able to escape.
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2. Don't over use smash moves!
This is one that applies to just about every character, but Marths are notorious for doing this. A fan favorite smash move is the Fsmash. Marth's Fsmash is a very good move, but keep it mind it still leaves you open when you use it. Marths tend to spam this so much that they become a punching bag to good players. Smash moves should only be used when you spot an opening.
Marth is such a good character that you can win without using a single smash move. I demonstrated this to a friend who is a big Marth fan. Just about every move of his can be used in some way to KO the opponent. His Dair is one of my favorites if you can hit the target with the tip of the blade.
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3.Don't be afraid to pull up from a combo if it isn't working.
One of the other problems I see all the time is a Marth will start a combo(Especially Dancing blades), but the enemy puts up his shield thus making the combo fail. Yet the Marth will refuse to do anything else except finish the combo thus leaving himself open to shield grabbing or other counter attacks. Remember if you see a combo isn't going to work cut your losses and quit before you are too far in.
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4. Mix things up. Don't become predictable.
This is a combination of the previous 3 errors. One problem players in general have is they tend to develop a pattern. This is one of the cardinal sins of competition. If I know exactly what you are going to do before you do it I am going to punish you each and every time you do it. Throw the proverbial wrench in the machine once in a while. Occasionally branch off into something else. Do you like to run in and be aggressive? Occasionally
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I may add more to the list if I see more common mistakes. Remember Marth is a great character, don't limit yourself.
I decided to write up a small list of mistakes I see that are common to Marth. A few of these apply to characters in general.
-------------------------------------------------
1. Use a combo/move because it is good for the situation not because it is good.
This is most likely one of the worst mistakes I keep seeing. People fall in love with one combo because it is good, but then they go over the deep end and start spamming it relentlessly. This is a horrible mistake because a good combo may not be good for some situations. For instance the short hop combo (Two Fairs finished by a Fsmash or similar combos) may not be the best when you are too close to your enemy since you need to hit with the tip to make it the most effective. There might be a time, such as when the target is at lower %, where it is a good idea to use dancing blades to rack up the damage rather than going for the big smash move.
Learn which moves work in which situations. The 3 Ds (not to be confused with DeDeDe) Be wary of distance, damage, and delay. Notice how far away the foe is, how much damage he has, and how long you are going to be vulnerable or if your foe is going to be able to escape.
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2. Don't over use smash moves!
This is one that applies to just about every character, but Marths are notorious for doing this. A fan favorite smash move is the Fsmash. Marth's Fsmash is a very good move, but keep it mind it still leaves you open when you use it. Marths tend to spam this so much that they become a punching bag to good players. Smash moves should only be used when you spot an opening.
Marth is such a good character that you can win without using a single smash move. I demonstrated this to a friend who is a big Marth fan. Just about every move of his can be used in some way to KO the opponent. His Dair is one of my favorites if you can hit the target with the tip of the blade.
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3.Don't be afraid to pull up from a combo if it isn't working.
One of the other problems I see all the time is a Marth will start a combo(Especially Dancing blades), but the enemy puts up his shield thus making the combo fail. Yet the Marth will refuse to do anything else except finish the combo thus leaving himself open to shield grabbing or other counter attacks. Remember if you see a combo isn't going to work cut your losses and quit before you are too far in.
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4. Mix things up. Don't become predictable.
This is a combination of the previous 3 errors. One problem players in general have is they tend to develop a pattern. This is one of the cardinal sins of competition. If I know exactly what you are going to do before you do it I am going to punish you each and every time you do it. Throw the proverbial wrench in the machine once in a while. Occasionally branch off into something else. Do you like to run in and be aggressive? Occasionally
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I may add more to the list if I see more common mistakes. Remember Marth is a great character, don't limit yourself.
