****NOTE: this thread was not made in an effort to analyze the players themselves (ADHD and Ninjalink), but instead to analyze their PLAY STYLES. Respond accordingly.
Lately, I've been hearing a lot of different people in the Smash community, especially tournament commentators, comparing ADHD's Diddy and Ninjalink's Diddy in a SIMILAR way. Although I would agree that they are relative to each other on a general SKILL level, I would argue to the contrary that they have completely different styles of play.
To further explain my initial statements, and to connect more specifically to all of you visual interpreters, I've compiled two lists; One listing characteristics (general and specific) of ADHD's play style, and the other doing the same thing for Ninjalink's play style. Of course, these lists are completely opinionated, and are open for interpretation/debate, but I truly feel that most characteristics will be largely agreed upon. The POINT of all of this will be explained at the end of this thread, but, for now, here are the lists:
ADHD's Play Style
-Defensive
-Patient
-Consistent
-Technically efficient
-Punishing*
-Fluent**
* I mean Punishing in a positive manner; for instance, if his opponent makes a mistake or hesitates, his play style allows for that mistake to be punished.
** There are many definitions for Fluent, but in this case, I'm leaning toward the meaning of 'graceful and flowing.'
Ninjalink's Play Style
-Offensive
-Overwhelming
-Unpredictable
-Technically efficient
-Punishing*
-Mechanical**
* I mean punishing in the same way as the previous list.
** I mean Mechanical in a positive way; some words that could have been used in its place could have been quick, jerky, or efficient.
So that was, essentially (in my opinion), the fundamentals of each player's play styles. I'm sure I could have extended the lists and went into more detail, but I felt that these were the core qualities of each style. As I'm sure you were able to notice, there ARE some core qualities that are shared by each play style, including Technically efficient and Punishing. What is MORE significant, however, is that for the most part, their core play styles are completely different. The biggest example, according to my lists, is the contrast between ADHD's "Defensive" qualities and Ninjalink's "Offensive" qualities.
Am I bashing either play style? Am I saying that one outweighs the other? Am I saying that these are the only two play styles that exist? Most certainly not, and to the contrary, I am trying to convey the complete opposite ideas. I am praising these play styles. Both win tournaments, as we have obviously seen from both parties; both are capable of beating your opponent. Earlier on I said that these two players, in my opinion, are on the same general skill level, as far as Diddy goes. This being said, I can infer that their play styles do not outweigh each other, but in fact are equal to each other and balance the other style. Obviously other Diddy players will have different play styles, or even a combination of the two. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but these two players specifically are two of the most notable Diddy players in our community, and their styles are very refined and most often stick to the core qualities mentioned before. What we can take from this, perhaps, is that both styles work. We can also then assume that a different character choice from our opponents position can sometimes require a switch in play style, whether that be a switch from Offensive to Defensive or Defensive to Offensive; it all depends on what character your opponent chooses. Just think if we could learn to adjust between these play styles like a flick of a switch; how much more complex Diddy would become.
Anyway, these are my thoughts, and I hope they made sense. I've been thinking about this for a while, and thought I'd put it out in the open. This is also my first actual thread, so please respond with your own ideas as well, and whether you all agree with what I presented. Thanks.
-The Sìrén.
Lately, I've been hearing a lot of different people in the Smash community, especially tournament commentators, comparing ADHD's Diddy and Ninjalink's Diddy in a SIMILAR way. Although I would agree that they are relative to each other on a general SKILL level, I would argue to the contrary that they have completely different styles of play.
To further explain my initial statements, and to connect more specifically to all of you visual interpreters, I've compiled two lists; One listing characteristics (general and specific) of ADHD's play style, and the other doing the same thing for Ninjalink's play style. Of course, these lists are completely opinionated, and are open for interpretation/debate, but I truly feel that most characteristics will be largely agreed upon. The POINT of all of this will be explained at the end of this thread, but, for now, here are the lists:
ADHD's Play Style
-Defensive
-Patient
-Consistent
-Technically efficient
-Punishing*
-Fluent**
* I mean Punishing in a positive manner; for instance, if his opponent makes a mistake or hesitates, his play style allows for that mistake to be punished.
** There are many definitions for Fluent, but in this case, I'm leaning toward the meaning of 'graceful and flowing.'
Ninjalink's Play Style
-Offensive
-Overwhelming
-Unpredictable
-Technically efficient
-Punishing*
-Mechanical**
* I mean punishing in the same way as the previous list.
** I mean Mechanical in a positive way; some words that could have been used in its place could have been quick, jerky, or efficient.
So that was, essentially (in my opinion), the fundamentals of each player's play styles. I'm sure I could have extended the lists and went into more detail, but I felt that these were the core qualities of each style. As I'm sure you were able to notice, there ARE some core qualities that are shared by each play style, including Technically efficient and Punishing. What is MORE significant, however, is that for the most part, their core play styles are completely different. The biggest example, according to my lists, is the contrast between ADHD's "Defensive" qualities and Ninjalink's "Offensive" qualities.
Am I bashing either play style? Am I saying that one outweighs the other? Am I saying that these are the only two play styles that exist? Most certainly not, and to the contrary, I am trying to convey the complete opposite ideas. I am praising these play styles. Both win tournaments, as we have obviously seen from both parties; both are capable of beating your opponent. Earlier on I said that these two players, in my opinion, are on the same general skill level, as far as Diddy goes. This being said, I can infer that their play styles do not outweigh each other, but in fact are equal to each other and balance the other style. Obviously other Diddy players will have different play styles, or even a combination of the two. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but these two players specifically are two of the most notable Diddy players in our community, and their styles are very refined and most often stick to the core qualities mentioned before. What we can take from this, perhaps, is that both styles work. We can also then assume that a different character choice from our opponents position can sometimes require a switch in play style, whether that be a switch from Offensive to Defensive or Defensive to Offensive; it all depends on what character your opponent chooses. Just think if we could learn to adjust between these play styles like a flick of a switch; how much more complex Diddy would become.
Anyway, these are my thoughts, and I hope they made sense. I've been thinking about this for a while, and thought I'd put it out in the open. This is also my first actual thread, so please respond with your own ideas as well, and whether you all agree with what I presented. Thanks.
-The Sìrén.
