Dryn's Personal Samus Guide (WIP; Help is Appreciated; Exploring Charge Shot)

[Crystanium]

In the past, I wanted to work on a guide for people who main Samus. I never got around to doing that, however. I still have what I worked on last, and I guess it's all I have to offer for now. Maybe I'll add more if I can think of anything else to add. Ever since my Wii stopped reading discs, I stopped playing Brawl altogether, and I guess I just detached myself from the Smash scene. Anyway, here's a bit of information I have. It's not a lot, but maybe it'll help everyone here a bit.

The Play Styles

There seems to be three ways of fighting. These three are as follows: Offensive, Defensive, and Adaptive. All three of these have certain aspects. The Offensive play style, for example, is aggressive, and this aggressiveness leads to pressuring the opponent, giving him or her no space. For the Offensive play style, it's about control. The Defensive play style is different. It tends to avoid close-combat and risks. Instead of aggressiveness, the Defensive play style is about patience, waiting for the opponent to do something wrong, and then strike. It's a style that likes to play it safe. Then there is the Adaptive play style. It really cannot be considered a play style, since it does not conform to one style. It is always becoming better suited to the situation at hand.

Things to Observe

1. Grounded opponents can only perform neutral, tilts, smashes, specials, and grabs. That's five offensive options.
   
2. Airborne opponents can only perform aerials and specials. That's two offensive options.
   
3. Grounded opponents can only shield, roll, and spot-dodge. That's three defensive options.
   
4. Airborne opponents can only perform an air-dodge. That's one defensive option.
   
5. Opponents with two jumps can only jump once more once he or she jumps, or is hit into the air.
   
6. Opponents with multiple jumps like Jigglypuff, King Dedede, Kirby, or Meta Knight have only five more jumps once they jump into the air or are hit into the air. Pit has three more jumps.
   
7. When the match begins, you want to always do something different. You also want to pay attention to the first thing your opponent does when the game begins. The stage you or your opponent selects may change this.
   
8. When the match begins, pay attention to whether or not your opponent is using a KO attack as a regular attack. An attack meant to KO that is staled will least likely KO.
   
9. When at high damage percent to the point that you can be KO'ed, pay attention to what attack your opponent uses to KO you. By knowing what attack to expect, you might be able to survive longer.
   
10. When your opponent is on the edge, pay attention to how he or she gets back onto the stage. This might be determined based on where you're standing and what you're doing. Your opponent can return from the edge by:
    
    • Getting up by pressing forward.
    • Attacking by pressing A or B.
    • Jumping by tapping up on the analog stick or pressing Y or X.
    • Rolling past you by tapping L or R.
    • Jumping slightly away and toward the stage while air-dodging.
    • Jumping slightly away and toward the stage while attacking with an aerial or special attack.

Playing at Your Own Pace

Playing at your own pace comes from experience. There are gamers who do not play at their own pace, but at the pace of their opponent. I'll offer an example. When you grab on the edge of the stage, what do you normally do after you grab the edge? Do you immediately get back onto the stage? If you do, you might do well to slow down a bit. You're on the edge. You're safe there for a bit. Take the time to breath and relax and focus. Let's say that your opponent is waiting for you to get back onto the stage. Take the time to see where your opponent is positioned. Try to familiarize yourself with how your opponent reacts when you are returning to the stage. Check if there is a pattern for each time you return.

If you're on a stage like Green Greens or Pokémon Stadium 1, don't be in such a hurry to attack. Think about what you want to do. Don't play the way other people play. Play your own way. When you play your way, your opponent is no longer in control. When your opponent influences the way you act, then your opponent has control over the stage. If you do not let this happen, your opponent cannot influence you any longer. For example, on Pokémon Stadium 1, when the stage transitions to the construction site, you can hide behind that large rock and just kick back. Let your opponent come to you, if he or she is daring enough. You don't have to do anything.

 

[SuSa]

Jab, 3 tilts, 3 smashes, 4 specials, and a grab. That's a bit more then 5 options.

An attack can be considered a defensive option. (EG: Marth can fair your missiles to avoid them)
Also jumping can be considered a defensive option.

5: I thought this would be common sense. :| Did you know a character with 4 jumps can only jump 3 more times after they have jumped, and after 2 jumps can only jump 2 more times!

Expecting an attack won't matter if it's a reliable KO move (EG: snake's utilt), you should know the opponents viable KO moves already and about when they KO. If you are facing a Lucas/Ivysaur and don't know how strong their usmash is, after you get hit by it once. You now know.

At the start of a match, it's safe to use a KO move to rack up damage. You can freshen it as time goes on.


This seems more or less the extreme basics of "Ok, so you understand the game a bit."

How is this a Samus guide at all?

 

[NO-IDea]

I'm more expecting this to not be completed, Susa. More than likely, I would expect Dryn to

A) Go into depth the three styles he's mentioned, complete with player and video examples

B) Things to observe could be clarified, using specified match-ups to explain how knowing their options helps Samus mains learn how to limit them.

In your example of Snake's u-tilt, it clearly calls for Samus to be grounded, for starters, and for her to be only within range of u-tilts hitbox. Not within range of his grab or jab. This, by definition, would be limiting Snake's options to u-tilt, 2nd hit of f-tilt and dash attack/DACUS.

Thus, knowing these three options, Samus can shield and use the proper OoS option for each one (lowered f-tilt for Snake's u-tilt, grab for Snake's f-tilts, and super missile/z-air for the dash attack options.)

Perhaps by outlining all of Samus's OoS options, using specific examples (other characters moves and their according hitboxes) to define their uses, the guide would prove more fruitful. For example, Samus's u-tilt should see more gameplay in particular MUs. F-air and U-smash as well.

Also, by doing this, it may support more use of Samus's laggy but long grab. If players learn when to use it at least.

C) The "Playing at your own pace" is something every player should learn. I see no need for expansion on that subject.

It's a work in progress. Gosh.

 

[PK-ow!]

The Playing at your own Pace section could be expanded into a whole philosophical dissertation, on the notion of 'control'.
EDIT: This was not intended as a reply to NO-Idea; you guys Sarnath'd me.

After all, you're presupposing you can distinguish parts of the player-player-game system from each other. But in another, at least possibly truth-bearing view, those things all engender the whole; there is a co-dependence which validates talk that they each are the thing, just maybe under different aspects.

In central Africa, a leopard, or one of many other predator species (not lions), must by necessity govern its movements in accord with the motions of surrounding prey (mostly ungulates, Wikipedia refines my edification). Doesn't mean the leopard isn't the predator.


In the same way, I feel I must speak up that... even if your advice is 'good advice' in one sense... the story doesn't end there; the jury is still out on how ultimately to look at separation of entities and control.

 

[NO-IDea]

The Playing at your own Pace section could be expanded into a whole philosophical dissertation, on the notion of 'control'.
EDIT: This was not intended as a reply to NO-Idea; you guys Sarnath'd me.

After all, you're presupposing you can distinguish parts of the player-player-game system from each other. But in another, at least possibly truth-bearing view, those things all engender the whole; there is a co-dependence which validates talk that they each are the thing, just maybe under different aspects.

In central Africa, a leopard, or one of many other predator species (not lions), must by necessity govern its movements in accord with the motions of surrounding prey (mostly ungulates, Wikipedia refines my edification). Doesn't mean the leopard isn't the predator.


In the same way, I feel I must speak up that... even if your advice is 'good advice' in one sense... the story doesn't end there; the jury is still out on how ultimately to look at separation of entities and control.

Well said.

10truths

 

[Crystanium]

I'll need to update this. Any help would be nice.

 

[SuSa]

So what exactly about Charge Shot do you want to explore?

 

[KillerJawz]

Maybe we can explore how close to the ground it can be before it cuts out? Like when Samus does a sh ledge CS it skims along the floor, maybe it can go even lower

 

[NO-IDea]

All of Charge Shot's OoS options would be a good start. Or, in other words, all OoS options and how charge shot can be used as bait.

On an interesting note, here's something: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXXIyk_Fb6M&feature=related

Samus's undisputed strongest stage is BF. Well wouldn't this help out.

 

[SuSa]

People said they already knew about that when I mentioned it.

It can be done on any platform.

Also charge shot to bait someone to run into fair/nair/shieldgrab is fun.

 

[Crystanium]

Maybe we can explore how close to the ground it can be before it cuts out? Like when Samus does a sh ledge CS it skims along the floor, maybe it can go even lower

It seems to be only when it's in half. The example you mentioned in one. You could also perform the Low Charge Shot, which involves timing your landing properly to where the Charge Shot will hit your opponent if he or she is hanging on the edge of the stage. There's also the Reverse Charge Shot, which was discovered by Rohins a long while back. Usually, though, when you are using your Charge Shot, your opponent tends to pick up when you're going to use it. How can we make it to where your opponent won't pick it up? Here are examples of when your opponent knows you're going to do it.

• Short hop Homing Missile to Charge Shot.
• Short hop Super Missile to Charge Shot.
• Z-air to Charge Shot.

 

[Xyro77]

no idea, the video is in japanese. how does he do wha he is showing us?

 

[SuSa]

I'll give you a hint.

It has to do with shielding, pressing down lightly (but not so quickly as to sidestep) and inputting a command. That second part is tricky and will take practice.

I've yet to quite figure out the attacks out of dash, I have several ideas however.

EDIT:
Also it seems pressing down > shield in quick succession picks up items. So you can press down > shield > A + Direction (or jump+a+direction) to pick up an item+throw it. I'm currently working on this theory.

First, I need to get home to test that. That could sooo help with Snake's platform camping. O_O

 

[Sago]

falling upair into charge shot is to my understanding guaranteed. No one has ever jumped out of it when i use it.

Low Percents Dair->chargeshot

Forceing an airdodge off stage with smash missle cancel then droping off with a charge shot.

Those are my 3 main ways. A last 2 are newer to my play style

 

[Crystanium]

You know, I want to explore the Charge Shot, but I don't know where to start. Thanks for the information, Sago, but I don't know if that's what I am looking for. I would like to figure out how we could use the Charge Shot more effectively so that we can land our shots a lot more than before, but yeah. I'm not too sure. Any suggestions?

 

[NO-IDea]

Well starting with what we do know, Samus has those rare frame traps, from z-air to CS, or Sago's example.

Better reads in general can lead to more charge shots. Perhaps if we begin to mix up between level 6 and level 8 (full CS), landing it could be more easier as well.

It:

A) Hides the animation that a fully charged shot would give off.

B) Because there is still room for charging, it can be used as a mid-range OoS. Think of it as a smash attack. You can let it loose right away for that 18%, or bait the spot dodge for the 21%. Worst case scenario involves them perfect shielding the shot (that's the worst case scenario for every OoS tactic.) So it's advised for mid-range only. If they only shield it, at least CS provides enough shield stun so it isn't a failed endeavor.

*In this scenario, it would require Samus to charge from level 6 to level 7. Charging from level 7 to level 8 doesn't work as a mind game because there is significant lag when Samus completes charging.*

I've seen plenty of Samus mains do this in dittos. Not as often in other matches.

Of course, people argue just letting off uncharged shots here and there work fine. However, method B still retains high damage and more importantly, speed and an opportunity to mix up tempo. In other words, its a potential middle range/z-air range OoS tactic rather than simply a projectile.

Hope this is a good start.

 

[LanceStern]

When you use a mid charged charge shot on MK (or other people), you can follow up with a zair. Does this work with fully charged shots?

 

[Crystanium]

As I said before, we have the following list of what Samus does to use her Charge Shot.

• Homing/Super Missile + Charge Shot.
• Z-air + Charge Shot.

These are really the only options I ever see myself use, especially other Samus mains. Xyro77 has a quirky way of doing his, which can be useful, but eventually the opponent learns either in the first or second match. A lot of times I see the Charge Shot being used when Samus is grounded. This means the opponent jumps over the Charge Shot. You might also notice your opponent jumping toward you while you're charging your Charge Shot. Remember what I said about the two jumps in the air? When one jump is used (assuming the character does not have multiple jumps), your opponent has only one more jump, and the only defense is an air-dodge.

I learned that while the Charge Shot can be avoided when fully charged, an uncharged Charge Shot can be unexpected at times, and it seems to hit opponents better, due to its slowness. "Wait a minute, Dryn," you say. "How can you say someone would get hit by a slow attack?" Simple, really. First, it's unexpected as I said before. The opponent doesn't see a flashing light at the tip of your Arm Cannon, so they don't expect it. Second, because it's slow, characters who do use short hop air-dodges tend to get hit anyway, because the air-dodge finishes before the Charge Shot passes all the way. What can we do for fully charged Charge Shots?

 

[KillerJawz]

I always use my Fully charged ones close up, it makes a suprisingly good gtfo move. I've actually used this in alot of my tournament matches and it works really well, especially against characters who have short roles or like you said, airdodges.