Help with Sonic's approach game

[ShadowLink84]

Yes I know Sonic is extremely predictable but there has to be some more options on approaching..
I attempted to make use of Sonic's Nair to approach because it has some priority and has no lag upon landing on the ground when buffered,however thisleavs me vulnerable since if I goup against anyone with half a mind they can easily counter my Nair approach and rush in to overpower me, in which case I end up having to use the spindash to approach quickly while making use of its invincibility frames.

HELP THIS NEWB!

 

[dmnky88]

im not gonna say im an expert or anything (far from it) so if any professional sonic players have a different opinion, feel free. the key to sonics approach is keep it varied, imo. if your careful, sonic really isnt that predictable. whenever your opponent is in a lag frame, run in and hit them with a dash a, its quick damage and if they dont recover well you can start a juggle or just hit them with another dash a. other than that, i use auto RAR to get some priority or i do a d special and wait till my opponent gets annoyed with waiting and release it the minute they try to come to me. another technique ive used is side b and then cancel it mid hop and go into a homing, throws them off every time.

but like i said, the biggest key is to keep it varied, a lot of sonics moves look a like and if you take the time to become equally good with all of them, your opponent will never know which one your using.

also, one other thing ive found is if you use side b in the air alot, it looks exactly like homing. so if you use side b to recover and then your opponent thinks hes bein smart and wait for you the next time, using a homing instead to send him flying.

 

[ShadowLink84]

The problem as I mentioned though is that if I try making the opponent approach me that really isn't making use of Sonic's speed and often leaves youmore vulneralbe since an aggro opponent can cause issues for Sonic.

 

[Umby]

There are three approaches that I've picked up on/been advised on so far:

1) Dash Attack. Sonic's fast enough that you can keep your distance from an opponent and either force him to approach you and/or create an opening for a dash attack, which you can follow up with something like a tilt or maybe a grab.

2) Spin Dash. This gets predictable, but you can mix up every now and then with a JC, or perhaps try and mindgame your opponent with the "Infinite Jump" technique. I don't use this much.

3) Shield Cancelled Spin Dash. You can run up to your opponent, start up a side B at the last minute, and shield cancel it. From there you can punish your opponent with an aerial or even a shield grab. Alternatively you can mix that up by letting of your Spin Dash instead of cancelling it.

 

[Dr. James Rustles]

Would your first tactic work, Teh? Running away from the enemy gives them time to prepare, and lets their tension die down. I like the third, however.

 

[Umby]

Would your first tactic work, Teh? Running away from the enemy gives them time to prepare, and lets their tension die down. I like the third, however.

It might not apply to projectile spammers, and that's assuming you aren't sitting there pressing Down + B all day. And with Sonic, your tension can't afford to die down, since Sonic can react pretty quickly. If someone like Ike is forced to approach, closing the distance between the two can make reaction time an important factor in who's taking damage. Obviously, it's pretty easy to see a Spin Dash from the other side of the stage, but taking a dash attack from midrange might not be so obvious.

 

[Blistering Speed]

Shield Cancelled Spin dash, gets them every time.