Counterpicking stages

[Prezi]

So I went to a tournament a while ago and I played a DDD. This was the first time I ever fought a DDD and I had no clue on what to do. I managed to win the first game and then when I had to counterpick I left dreamland open and then lost the match. I didn't know that DDD had the crazy AGT. I want to avoid situations like this again so I want to make a list of stages that you should counterpick against certain characters. I think it would also be good to put stages that are unfavorable for characters. I really don't know much about stages so please comment so that I can add to this list. I know that some people prefer some weird stages like I prefer FOD and I play falcon but most falcons hate that stage. If you prefer a stage that most people dislike, please tell me the general consensus of the stage rather than your thoughts on the stage.

Here is the list of stages that are currently legal
FD-Final Destination
BF-Battlefield
SV-Smashville
PS2-Pokemon Stadium 2
GHZ-Green Hill Zone
DL-Dreamland
WW-Warioware
FOD-Fountain of Dreams
YS-Yoshi Story
YI-Yoshi Island
LC-Lylat Cruise

Bowser
CP:
UF:

Captain Falcon
CP:FD, DL
UF:FOD, YS, WW

Charizard
CP:
UF:

Diddy
CP:
UF:

DK
CP:
UF:

Falco
CP:
UF:

Fox
CP:
UF:

G&W
CP:
UF:

Ganondorf
CP:YS, WW
UF:

Ice Climbers
CP:
UF:

Ike
CP:
UF:

Ivysaur
CP:
UF:

Jigglypuff
CP:DL
UF:

DDD
CP:DL
UF:

Kirby
CP:DL
UF:

Link
CP:FD
UF:

Lucario
CP:
UF:

Lucas
CP:
UF:

Luigi
CP:
UF:

Mario
CP:
UF:

Marth
CP:FD
UF:YI

Metaknight
CP:
UF:

Mewtwo
CP:
UF:

Ness
CP:
UF:

Olimar
CP:
UF:

Peach
CP:DL
UF:

Pikachu
CP:
UF:

Pit
CP:
UF:

ROB
CP:
UF:

Roy
CP:
UF:

Samus
CP:
UF:

Sheik
CP:
UF:

Snake
CP:
UF:

Sonic
CP:
UF:

Squirtle
CP:
UF:

Toon Link
CP:
UF:

Wario
CP:
UF:

Wolf
CP:
UF:

Yoshi
CP:
UF:

Zelda
CP:
UF:

ZSS
CP:
UF:

 

[Binary Clone]

In some ways, it's better not to have a list, but rather to have the ability to discern what stages are best or worst for any given character, and in matchups against the character you're playing.

Being able to make these on-the-fly decisions is both much more valuable, and is a good mental exercise in analyzing your opponents that will enable you to fight more effectively overall.

A list like this is also limiting in your decision making, as there are too many factors that it does not and cannot take into account, including playstyle, opponent preferences, and specific matchups.

For example take the Marth v Roy matchup. Roy's worse stages include Dreamland and Skyworld. His better stages include Yoshi's Story, Fountain of Dreams, and Warioware. So, you'd bad Dreamland and Skyworld and CP either YS, FoD, or WW, right?

Wrong. Because Marth is even better on TS than Roy is because of his sweetspots through platforms. The advantages Roy has on that stage are similar to Marth's, but Marth has additional bonuses that Roy doesn't, making it a better stage, and something a Roy might actually want to ban. WW has a similar issue. And Dreamland? Consider not banning it. DL is annoying for Marth because he can't tipper through those high platforms. That isn't a problem for Roy, though. And the distant blastzones make less of a difference because Marth doesn't have a super-strong recovery in comparison to Roy's. So a ban is fairly wasted on DL.

Though a list like this might be a nice thing to have on hand, it's a bad thing to have to consult, and it's much, much more valuable to be able to analyse your opponent and their character in order to make informed decisions about your counterpicks and stage bans. Does he hate Lylat and Skyworld? Don't bother to ever ban them. In fact, if he doesn't ban them, maybe take him there. If he doesn't like it, he probably doesn't practice on it, and that might give you an extra little advantage. If he does ban them because he doesn't like them, it's to your advantage, because now he's essentially wasted bans on stages not because of the MU, but because of personal preference.