From fighting zombies to fighting Metroids!

[Claire Redfield]

Hi there! I'm yet another new player. I haven't played in a few months, since I got rid of Brawl when I got the Wii U. While I think I'm doing even better than I used to (thanks to practicing fighting game fundamentals with USFIV), I'm trying to really elevate my game. Learning footsies, combos, mix-ups and so on. Zero Suit Samus is my favorite fighter, though I really like Mega Man, Zelda and Rosalina, for whom I will consult the appropriate sections.

So, I could use any help and tips. I'm reading other threads. I want to start basic and work my way up to intermediate and advanced stuff, basically getting a good foundation and building on that. Combos, basic strategies against various deck types, recoveries and so on.

 

[Zero Suit Roxas]

I do a TON of Flip Jumps (down special) to trick my opponent and it's a bit more reliable for jumping over opponents with. Jumping on opponents with them ends up burying them, which I take advantage of to use a powerful move. Much like a normal Zero Suit Samus main, I use Paralyzer shots and rack up damage while they're paralyzed. It's not as reliable as burying them since they can get out of it faster, so I would prefer using a faster attack.

Juggling is also a key part of playing this character. I like grabbing opponents and throwing them down. They bounce back up and I kick forward or up, depending on how far they were launched away (it varies from character to character). If they're in the air, always try attacking. If you're on the ground, I recommend using an up smash attack to whip them with some impressive range. It can even hold back opponents' stall-then-falls if played out right. All of her aerial attacks are pretty good, so use them when you can!

Perhaps above all: make sure you can match your opponent's speed or even outspeed them. Zero Suit Samus is a fast character, but not the fastest. Faster characters like Sonic or Little Mac can be zoned out with the Plasma Whip (side special). A lot of those are nice to interrupt combos or charges.

I probably didn't list every effective strategy, so if you have any other questions let me know!

 

[DeLux]

Rather than doing too much reading, I'd suggest watching videos of the high level players and working from there.
If you need help dissecting a video for why/how things happen, those are good questions to ask.

While doing that, I'd also suggest getting into tournaments and getting footage of your own personal play. Compare that to the high level and that should give you some direction on what you need to really work on. You could even get more experienced tournament ZSS's to give advice. I'm pretty mid-level, but there are other high level players that patrol the area.

Smash is a game fought on the battlefield of the screen, not the forums.