Hey guys, i'm intoxicated and felt like sharing some ice climber related sentiments I have been pondering
first the RPS analogy
melee is basically a game of rock paper scissors. grabbing beats shielding beats attacking beats grabbing
it's slightly varied because, for instance, attacking in an unsafe manner still gets beat by grabbing, but essentially the idea is true. now, in an ordinary game of rock paper scissors, the winnings are divided evenly 33/33/33 between the three different types. That is, beating scissors with rock is no better or worse than beating rock with paper. In melee, however, each character has a strong suit. Beating fox's shield with a grab is MUCH BETTER for us than beating fox's attack with shield. But most characters, the power is divided close enough to 33/33/33 that they're still playing rock paper scissors, and the differences are nominal to everyone but the best players. Fox is probably 50(attack)/30(grab)/20(shield), while samus is 30(attack)/20(grab)/50(shield which includes camping). Ice climbers are 80(grab)/20(attack)/0(shield), allowing for wild differences in playstyle. My ice climbers are, anyway.
Now the pool analogy:
Melee is like a game of pool. Most characters are just straightup playing pool; they're trying to get all of the balls in the pockets sequentially, with maybe a little more emphasis on the 8 ball. However, with ice climbers, there are quite a few situations in which, if the balls are oriented even slightly in a schema which suits us, we can do a very cool "trick shot" where we can hit the 8 ball in a pocket without scratching, and instantly win the game. Fox, falco, falcon, ganon, and sheik, if they aren't being careful, will accidentally put the balls in this position in the ordinary course of their play if they aren't used to playing against such an incredible maker of trick-shots such as us; thus, it is often beneficial for an ice climbers player to sit back, not even attempting to knock the balls into the pockets, and wait for a trick shot to present itself.
This breeds laziness. In the north carolina smash community, I am often ridiculed for doing absolutely nothing but camping in my shield, and spamming desynced blizzard at all safe opportunities, whether or not it will hit at all. The problem is that there are so many foxes and falcos and falcons and ganons and other easily-chain-grabbed players who won't even think about my trickshot ability, who won't think about the fact that if I win with rock, as opposed to scissors or paper, I win the entire game. They set up elaborate trickshots and then stand aside and let me take them. And I'm so used to being able to win this way, being able to beat every spacy in NC besides Dr. PP and Lozr, that I never had to learn to hit the balls into the pocket! I could always rely on the trickshots to save me.
Except when I play against floaties. I play against jigglypuff and sit back, biding my time, and all the sudden all my stocks are gone and I am disoriented, trying to figure out what happened. I wasn't even paying attention to my damage, or stocks, because they don't matter nearly as much in a game where I am supposed to be guaranteed to win the second I get a grab. They never set up the trick shots, and before I know it all that's left on the board is an 8 ball, and I don't know how to hit it in the pocket. (My drunkenness is becoming more and more obvious as I type lol, i hope i don't sound stupid).
And I never improve my game if I never learn how to play the regular game. How to hit the ball into the pocket. How to predict my opponent instead of just waiting for scissors and then mashing rock as fast as possible. I have already hit the cap at seeing the obvious opening and going for it; i can't get any better at that, and my opponents can only get better at not leaving openings. They can learn not to choose scissors, they can learn to scatter the balls in ways such that I can't make trick shots, especially if they know that I don't know how to choose anything but rock, that I don't know how to consistently hit the pool balls in a sequential order into pockets.
one more piece. The fox matchup is ridiculous. From my experience, they have absolutely no options for approaching the climbers. If we're patient, we can shield literally everything they do, and never leave ourselves open. We can sit back and wait for the opportunity to grab, and take it and take their stock. They are forced to camp, and this becomes an easy game to play; the most minimal of prediction is required. All I have to do is approach them as they stand on the edge lasering, and jump and hit them with an upair as they jump to get around me. This isn't even real prediction, and as such teaches me nothing as it only happens once or twice a match.
But I will never beat the (admittedly rare, in these parts) floaty with this strategy. They never choose scissors. They never set up trickshots. It's in their NATURE; the player doesn't even have to be good.
Regular rock paper scissors is about prediction. It's about knowing the player, not the character, you're playing against. If I want to beat floaties, I have to play rock paper scissors, and only use rock when I actually think my opponent is going scissors, instead of waiting for him to go scissors and hoping I picked rock in time.
Because if I learn to predict my opponent, not only will I beat him at the regular game. Not only will I attack when he grabs, and get some damage there. Not only will I shield when he attacks, and nullify his efforts. But I will still get the grab every time that I would have, because that's still in the game, that's still what other characters would do.
So this is my goal for the next couple months. I'm already perfect at playing ice climbers. Every time my opponent leaves an opening, I'll get the grab. Now I just have to get good at playing melee.
also holy **** whisky is amazing
