How do you know where you are skill-wise?

[Kyzael]

As the title says, how do you know? I would assume that just because you beat your friends (Who started just like you did) means that you have a concept of the game, but how do you know when you are at the point where Zero is for example. (I used Zero as an example as I can't think of anyone else at the moment.)

The local scene where I am, I do not dominate. I don't wipe the floor with them but I do win either very hard, lose very hard, or just barely win/lose.
I don't have the privilege to drive to Houston (Which is the nearest tournament scene for Texas for me) so I can't go smashing against a lot of other people.

So this is a question for myself and the other people who have the same situation as me, I suppose.
How do you know where you are in this game? Am I still just some casual or have I at least stand against the professionals at this game?

 

[Pyr]

Tournaments, basically. It gives you an idea of where you are in comparison to locals/state/regions/nationals/internationals.

Sorry, but I can't really think of another gauge. There just isn't enough context elsewhere.

 

[PerryEllis]

I suppose the obvious way you can know whether you're good is if you don't use projectile/counter heavy characters.

 

[RayNoire]

Anther's Ladder, local competition, tournaments, and even For Glory can all give you some hints as to your skill level, but you can't read too much into any of them because of various factors (online lag, bad matchups with friends, nervousness at tournaments, etc.) It kind of requires a composite look of your overall skill.

 

[Dream Cancel]

If you're skilled enough, you should know where you stand skill-wise.

But for the sake of the conversation, "local tournament player" sounds like the place you are at right now. You're definitely not a casual player because you're proficient enough to do a decent job at local tournaments, but you need to polish your skills if you are to solidify yourself as a tournament player.

I suppose the obvious way you can know whether you're good is if you don't use projectile/counter heavy characters.

Please tell me you're joking.

 

[wedl!!]

Anther's Ladder, local competition, tournaments, and even For Glory can all give you some hints as to your skill level

uhh...no? 95% of FG players are terrible and playing against them is detrimental to you as a player.

I suppose the obvious way you can know whether you're good is if you don't use projectile/counter heavy characters.

i suppose the first way to know if you're bad is if you go to smashboards to john about "spammy strategies" as opposed to conducting a constructive discussion devoted to countering these supposedly cheap playstyles.

 

[GhostUrsa]

uhh...no? 95% of FG players are terrible and playing against them is detrimental to you as a player.

I like how almost everyone dismisses FG as some plague when it is still a good tool. It shouldn't be your only one, but it is still one to use. And that percent is just junk. Every one has different experiences on FG, I for example only have 1 in 5 matches against someone who is terrible, while the rest are either at my skill level or higher.

Are there other tools that will better tailor a player to the Tournament scene in the US? Yes. This forum is full of threads that mention alternatives. At the same time, ignoring everything available to you when learning is a great way to cut off your nose to spite your face.

 

[digiholic]

I suppose the obvious way you can know whether you're good is if you don't use projectile/counter heavy characters.

A better metric is whether you complain about projectiles and counters instead of just, y'know, beating them.

 

[erico9001]

Everyone imagines this baseline skill level that they are at, like we're all in Dragon Ball Z with our own set "power levels."

That baseline skill does not really exist. Sure, you can use a points system, rank system, or win/loss ratio, but it's fairly inconsistent when facing people within the same league (so, facing people who DO play competitively and DON'T play for a living). A bronze on smashladder can beat a gold. I'm a Silver II rank right now (that rank is above the average, decent rank), and I beat a Platinum III rank (ranked 20th on the whole site) just yesterday. Smash Bros skill is divided up into many different factors, making it very complex to accurately predict whether you will win or lose before the match begins.

You are always left doubting where your skill level is if you seek to know it. Some examples... If you play online, you wonder if the lag has made you better or worse, or if it makes everybody else better or worse. If you become the sole winner of your local scene, you wonder if you would stand up to people in other scenes. Even when you are at the top of all scenes, you wonder if you are good, or if everyone else is just kind of bad.

We all have a pattern. We all can be thrown off. When you abandon the idea of skill levels, people who have the high ranks no longer intimidate very much. You can focus on figuring out their weaknesses, rather than assuming you're done for.

Where are you in this game, skill-wise? You are both very far and very near at the same time.

 

[GSM_Dren]

As the title says, how do you know? I would assume that just because you beat your friends (Who started just like you did) means that you have a concept of the game, but how do you know when you are at the point where Zero is for example. (I used Zero as an example as I can't think of anyone else at the moment.)

The local scene where I am, I do not dominate. I don't wipe the floor with them but I do win either very hard, lose very hard, or just barely win/lose.
I don't have the privilege to drive to Houston (Which is the nearest tournament scene for Texas for me) so I can't go smashing against a lot of other people.

So this is a question for myself and the other people who have the same situation as me, I suppose.
How do you know where you are in this game? Am I still just some casual or have I at least stand against the professionals at this game?

Like Bay6 stated above, you probably fall under the local tournament player who performs with a mindset more competitive than casual. I believe there are many different avenues to evaluate your current "skill level." Performance at smashfests or local tournaments gives you a basis of where you are at compared to your opponents locally. It would be difficult to base your skill as compared to in other regions because a lot of players have not the luxury to travel. If you did have the ability to travel then you would have a better idea of where you stand.

Another way players can gauge their skill would be online through the Smash Ladder or For Glory. The former being much more forgiving than the randomness of opponents that FG provides. Even so, lag may or may not play a role so its just another variable in the mix when thinking about skill. I find that its a great resource for those who are unable to travel, like in your case. It has a decent sample of population of players from NA to the rest of the world and its given me the ability to play people I would have never been able to play otherwise.

 

[LightLV]

If you dont play locally there just isnt a good way to tell. There is so much crap that works on Smash4's netcode that doesn't quite fly offline. Smash 4 doesn't have a particularly good online mode for this sort of judgement, its "competitive" For Glory settings are lazy, biased and not very competitive friendly at all.

 

[1FC0]

Just see what the scouter says about your Smash Level!