Event - MLG Anaheim 2014 How do you know when you're (tourney ready)?

[FaMaS]

Hello everyone . this is my first post :O. I've been playing super smash bros since 64 first came out. I've always been casual but considered one of the best around my peers in my city. Since i've been on these forums the past week or two, i"ve learned a TON. it's like a whole new ball game. anyway, Im having difficulty figuring out what makes you good/bad at ssbb. Would someone be tourney ready if they always beasted on a 1v1 vs a lvl 9 cpu? Or is it more dependent on consistency online? idk, i just wanna know how to get better, and how to know when im ready to take on a tourney. anyway, thanks for reading this and have a nice day <3.

 

[TP]

NOTHING gets you better like actual tournament experience does. Spending a day playing and watching amazing players has a huge effect on your game. The fact is that most people do horribly at their first tournament, because they don't have that experience. You just have to accept that and go anyway. It's the best option.

 

[FaMaS]

Should i be practicing against CPU's or is that noobish?

 

[ook]

really, the best way to find out is to go to a tourney.

Most people that enter tourneys every weekend don't actually have a realistic chance of winning. But they do it to get better by playing other good people, and just hang out.

It's probably not a good idea to play CPUs while you're still in the early stages of figuring out how to play competitively. You gotta play real people so you don't learn all those stupid habits that only work on CPUs. It's a much different experience.

 

[FaMaS]

ohhh true. Yeah I'm trying to main ness and i tend to pk fire then grab a lot which prolly gets punished on real people haha XD

 

[Gadiel_VaStar]

You can play CPUs in training mode to work on your mix-ups, movement, and control. No one is really tournament ready. You learn as you go.

 

[Apollo$]

Nobody is ever tournament ready, just go to the tournament and see where you stand next to all the other players.

 

[Nitrix]

Dont learn with CPUs. If anything play wifi, it helps a bit and teaches you how to read patterns.

 

[FaMaS]

Do you guys consider level 9 CPU's hard at all?

 

[-Ran]

Cpus tend to teach bad habits and expectations of reactions that people aren't going to have. Level 9 Cpu's always air dodge immediately after being hit, and so on. The best practice is to play real people that take the game seriously. Record how you play a match or two, and then compare your style with the way that the players that are going to tournaments use. Ie, as a Ness main you'd want to look at how Shaky performs in tournament matches. This would give you a base line style that you should attempt to emulate, or glean information from. Though really, walking the path of a Ness main isn't the easiest in the world, nor would I recommend it as the first competition character.

Truthfully, the only way to get good enough to play in a tournament, is to go to tournaments. Aside from the matches that you'd play in bracket, there are numerous chances to play friendlies against tournament players.

 

[6Mizu]

First few tournaments most likely will not turn out well for most people. This is why your motive should be looking for as many friendlies as possible.

 

[t3h Icy]

The best way to improve is to play with other people that want to improve, and then you can together.

 

[z00ted]

I'm new to tournaments all I gotta say is after you do your first one don't EVER play WiFi again if you know the matchup.

Unless its just for fun or whatever.

 

[Nitrix]

lvl 9 CPPUs have bad patterns and get destroyed by camping. People don't fall for the same tricks and comboes, so you could beat them a ton and get bad habits that don't work in practice

 

[PK-ow!]

Cpus tend to teach bad habits and expectations of reactions that people aren't going to have.

FOR INSTANCE,

level 9 Zelda will always roll an Olimar grab. ALWAYS. Sakurai got source material right and gave her precognition, clearly.

But everyone knows nothing beats Olimar pivot grab, ever. It's inconceivable.


Honestly, when you can control your character to a degree you're happy with, that's when you're ready for your first tournament. Show up, play, lose a helluva lot. Learn ****.

Go to maybe one or two more the same way.


AFTER THAT, yeah, maybe you have stuff to work on. But before those first few times? You gotta just run the gauntlet. There's nothing else to do.
Come at the tournament with the truly competitive mindset. Ask, "I lost; why did this work? Can I win like that?"
Even if you have main dedication, seriously consider switching over to whatever beats you. At least this will help you adopt the perspective of the opponent playing it out on you, and this should help you see how to defeat it. (Really though, the best solution is to just copy it, and either reap the benefits obviously, or be beaten and thereby understand how it is beaten.)

 

[DreadCthulhu]

1v1 CPUs<Training Mode<Wifi<Friendly Offline Matches< Tournament Experience

Too much CPU practice gives you bad habits (waiting for people to walk into smash attacks :/ )
Too much training mode makes you reckless with your attacks (when not using it to learn techniques)
Too much wifi makes you a slower player

Play offline with people better than you

 

[MiniTroika]

The only surefire way to know is if you attend tournaments. But a good way to improve is to attend smashfests and do as many matches as you can. Measure your progress.

By yourself, training mode is so underutilized. It is a great tool for helping you to attain better control of your character and create interesting set ups.

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

By yourself, training mode is so underutilized. It is a great tool for helping you to attain better control of your character and create interesting set ups.

Now, I know you can simiulate all of this using the vs mode or training mode by simply setting the CPU level and cpu to attack, but I am under the assumption people are using training mode with the CPU on stand setting.

I find training mode to be overrated. I hear about people talking about messing around in it to figure our your character, but really it's no different than actually trying to fight a CPU. If you are attacking a standing character that does nothing but move back to the stage everytime, you never really get the feel if this would ever work in a real match. Your time in this regard would probably be better suited at facing a CPU that can actually attempt to punish you. I am finding this espically helpful since I have started playing melee. There are dozens of follow-ups from attacks I have been trying for the longest time in training mode, but it was only until I started playing the CPU lv 9 that they started punishing my so called combos that I thought worked.

You really need a moving opponent that can fight back to really get a feel for your character, so while fighting a CPU might develop bad habits, it is an extremely useful way to get ahold of your character much faster early on, then trying to use training mode. Besides, while facing a the CPU you can attempt to get new habits formed purely on reaction. For example, I played the MK for a time through matches with the sole purpose DIing the tornado on reaction so that I could escape it. Before I had problems doing it unless the MK used it a lot, but when used infrequently I forget about it and did not DI it. After the matches against the CPU training, I now DI out of it on reaction. And there are other reaction based things you can train to come out in the middle of battle too with the CPU.

The only uses for training mode that I have found that vs mode does not really do very well is allow you free time to train certain skills such as particular techs like DACUS or fox's SHDL. But, even then, you lack the ability know when to use it or even if you can perform it on reaction when need be.

 

[MKOwnage]

I sucked until I started playing good people.

CPU's are a waste of time.

 

[iiDEMIGODz]

Go to a tourney anyway. I went to MLG Columbus, got beat 2 and out, and still learned a ton. It's worth it.

 

[Pierce7d]

To just add on a bit to what everyone else is saying . . .

CPUs are an amazing resource when you're good. This is because CPUs will not be stuck in normal human mindset, and hence are harder to read, and escape traps, and since they don't have human patterns, they can actually help you break bad habits. I took a leaf out of Mew2king's (that's the best player) book, and I now practice gimping CPU snakes, because it's a motion, so I can get the spacing, and option limiting correct.

Since CPU's do not rely on reaction, it's a different experience, but of course, the AI is exploitable. CPUs are not even remotely hard for me, and I will not die against a CPU unless I'm not trying to defend myself.

However, this type of training is only recommended for high level players (which you are not yet). For now, practice with other players. It's important to practice with players that are better than you, so you can learn, and players worse than you, so you can explore.

Going to tournaments is extremely important, because it gives you access to a lot of players all at once, and can really help boost your performance.

 

[Blacknight99923]

You will probably find that using a character like ness will result in it being harder to win with in tournament play but that's your choice in using a lower tier'd character, and you will need to accept that it will be harder to win with.

your mindset for tournament play really depends on your mindset as a player. You aren't ready if your a "Sirlin" scrub because people will be playing to win and not care if you think chain grabbing is "gay" ect. You will need to accept that people will be picking better characters and exploiting them in tournament play.

If your mentally prepared then yes I'd say go to a tournament (hell you don't even have to enter just do friendlies if your concerned) and you can see just how fun and intense competitive level smash can be.

 

[TheZhuKeeper]

When you don't get bored by camping!

 

[GhllieShdeKnife]

1 is this jack from calgary NE
2 play humans if possible

 

[vato_break]

when you don't get bored by camping!

zhu is always right

 

[Jigglymaster]

Nobodies tourney ready unless they are maining Metaknight....


Nah jk Ness is awesome u don't need Metaknight. Seriously don't use him.

 

[kirbydabest]

Your gonna get destroyed in your first tourney I just went to my first tourney last month it was still fun my goal for the tourney was just to get out of the first round and I did and I was happy when I was waiting for the tourney to start and between matches I played as many friendlies as possible there fun some people will give u tips everyone thought I was good for my firt tourney the only critcizim i got was i rolled to much but alaways make it your objective to play as many friendlies as possible agianst anybody they help u practice.

 

[NeutralDamage]

How to know when you're ready? It's easy to know: You know you are ready when you get a boner while watching brawl from youtube.

 

[AfroQT]

You're always ready.

 

[GwJ]

You know you're ready for a tourney when you can pull **** out of your rear-end, post it on SWF and somehow be right.

 

[Life]

You know you're ready for a tourney when you can pull **** out of your rear-end, post it on SWF and somehow be right.

Guess I'm ready then.

IMO, just play people on wifi, go use the arena thread, if you can beat people reasonably consistently you're ready.

 

[GwJ]

Guess I'm ready then.

IMO, just play people on wifi, go use the arena thread, if you can beat people reasonably consistently you're ready.

Basically what I did. I did the AiB ladder for two seasons, then started tourneys. I placed 4th in all 4 of my tourneys that I've gone to, most based entirely on wifi training.

 

[Masky]

when you can defeat 3 level 9 yoshis on a team against you no time limit 3 stocks team attack off on final destination...... then you're ready

 

[Jim Morrison]

Go to a smashfest before tournaments, seriously. You'll meet people there with whom you can meet up at the tournament. You'll also be able to see how good other people are with just some travel costs.

Smashfest > tournaments when just starting out. After you got to know the people in the community you're in (your area), tournaments become just a social meetup. It's fun.

 

[JoeCool33]

I went to my first tourney and placed 9th out of like 30 for the first time. Second time I did better soo Yeah you should just go for the experience!

 

[Solid Jake]

I went to my first tourney and placed 9th out of like 30 for the first time. Second time I did better soo Yeah you should just go for the experience!

Very nice! Prime example right here. Nothing beats the real thing.

 

[ranmaru]

I usually go to melee tournaments, so at least my MINDSET will be fine.

I played brawl with friends, that were good. So I will probably do ok, but I know I won't get out of pools.

I'm going just to get the experience. If you go to a tourny, it will be VERY hard. But you'll get SO much better from it. That is why I'm going, to get better at smash in general. ;p

 

[ADHD]

No one is "tourney ready" at the start. Just go to a tournament, lol.

 

[ICHIGOBLEACH]

what is the typical age of a tourney-goer
is being around age 16 weird for tournaments?

 

[Blacknight99923]

there is no age in smash

that being said the average age is probably like 18-22. High school students aren't infrequent though