TKK112
Smash Rookie
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2014
- Messages
- 7
I'm not sure what I'm about to say here. I figured Id write a post on another one of my smash experiences........ "Controlling the Gods"
Xanadu is home to most, if not all, of my smash experiences. There I sat playing with my usual friends. Playing Super Smash brothers Melee at our fullest which still managed to be a 16th of anyone who mattered. After all we are the lowly bottom dwellers of the Xanadu bracket. Only managing to defeat those who were noticeably worse than us, Those who played the game strictly for fun, only learning the tech so that they could keep up and enjoy the night rather than get 4 stocked at every setup. We, the bottom dwellers need these casual folk so that we can exist. For without them we become the casual folk. It took me a while to realize that in this hierarchy of smash, this.. food-chain if you will;relies, as all food-chains do, on the previous chain or in this case, the chain link's title. The Gods Cant exist without the Demi-Gods, the Demi-Gods cant exist without the great players,the great players cant exist without the local pros, the local pros cant exist without the bracket bottom dwellers like myself, and I cant hold my title without the casual player. That being said. The lower you are in the chain, the higher you are in the tier list of importance as it relates to the titles above you. Essentially the Casuals control the Gods. I had this thought while I sat in Xanadu that night because a God was present that same night. Mew2king had found his way to Xanadu and I was eager to play him and talk with him as I was fresh to the game and new him to be a reputable source on smash info, Melee specifically. At the time I was an Ice Climber Main. This is an important detail as I've come to understand why I chose the ICs in the first place. Mew2king and I ended up play friendlies for a bit and being typical Mew2king he counter-picked for every match-up I threw at him. I went Falco, He went Sheik. I went Fox, He went Marth on FD. I didn't want to reveal my Main knowing the counter-pick he had in store if I did decide to show my last card. I ended up bring out the ICs and his cursor immediately snapped to Princess Peach. The hardest match-up for ICs if you weren't already aware and with Mew2king and I being on opposite ends of the smash chain It was going to be near impossible. Don't get your hopes up, this isn't the part where I slay Mew2king.
I simply asked him "why do you do this?"
to which he turned to me, shrugged, raised an eyebrow, gave a playfully cynical smile, and the returned his focus to the small screen in front of us waiting for me to finalize my decision of going ICs versus his Peach, as I had not yet pressed the A button the seal my fate yet. Not contempt with getting 4 stocked, I turned to him and asked a second question.
"Would you go Marth?"
As if prepared to answer the prompt before laid out he quickly responded with a quick "no"
Mind you we were in a pre-tournament setting and a small crowd of 4 or 5 was huddled around watching this bracket bottom dweller trying to persuade a machine into reevaluating its predetermined choice. A single voice from the huddle said
"do it"
Mew2king shook his head but said nothing.
I responded to his silence with a cheerful "go Marth"
It took a second but he muttered a barely audible "Fine" and switched to the Dark King we all know and love. I selected the ICs, happy with the outcome of the match-up. The Randomizer led us to pokemon stadium. I had no fear of the god in my presence and didn't respect the area around Marth. I wavedashed in, went for Jab-Grab, It connected and Marth's robes were left in the control of the ICs, My control. As I said earlier, I understand now why I chose ICs as my main in this game. I crave control. Complete and utter rule over the opposing player. The ICs are notorious for their control over their opponents, with their various grab setups to hand-offs to the most famous of them all, the wobble. I was free to do with the Marth, I had managed to capture, as I pleased and I intended to do the option with the most control. I began to wobble this Marth. Mew2kings name started to become irrelevant as I tapped the A button with computer-like accuracy. The crowd behind me chuckled at the event taking place. It was then I was reminded then that I was In fact at he lower end of the chain in Super Smash Bros Melee.
Now, what Mew2king said may or may not be true but his words hung with me and I remember them every time I begin the rhythmic assault on the A button in a tournament match. Mew2king looks over and, without a shard of emotion, says
"This is why I play characters that take skill..."
Marth had a good 97~% on him which meant a simple down throw upsmash would be a kill and I would be able to say that "I wobbled Mew2king" something Id want to be able to say with truth behind it for a long time. But what Mew2king had said to me hit hard. Like, Falcon Punch at 300% on Yoshi's story hard. I didn't show any emotion but I stopped feeding inputs to my controller. I let Marth out of the grab and I quit out of the game. Not because I was sad or salty. But because I knew he was correct. During the wobble I felt as though I was controlling a god. Manipulating him into doing what I wanted. Forcing him to Mash inputs or try and DI the kill move. But In reality I wasn't doing any of that. I got up from that setup. Partly to allow others a chance at showing their skill versus a God but also because I wanted to improve, improve faster than anyone ever has. Mew2king taught me about skill that day. He taught me the full meaning of skill without uttering a single input or a sliver of match-up knowledge. All in all what I managed to pull from that experience was that you can control the Gods in one of two ways. One by playing on their level and earning their respect or Two, have everyone below the Gods quit and eventually they'll die out. We know the second one isn't ever going to happen so I need to get better so I can truly, rightfully say, that "I took a stock from Mew2king"
Xanadu is home to most, if not all, of my smash experiences. There I sat playing with my usual friends. Playing Super Smash brothers Melee at our fullest which still managed to be a 16th of anyone who mattered. After all we are the lowly bottom dwellers of the Xanadu bracket. Only managing to defeat those who were noticeably worse than us, Those who played the game strictly for fun, only learning the tech so that they could keep up and enjoy the night rather than get 4 stocked at every setup. We, the bottom dwellers need these casual folk so that we can exist. For without them we become the casual folk. It took me a while to realize that in this hierarchy of smash, this.. food-chain if you will;relies, as all food-chains do, on the previous chain or in this case, the chain link's title. The Gods Cant exist without the Demi-Gods, the Demi-Gods cant exist without the great players,the great players cant exist without the local pros, the local pros cant exist without the bracket bottom dwellers like myself, and I cant hold my title without the casual player. That being said. The lower you are in the chain, the higher you are in the tier list of importance as it relates to the titles above you. Essentially the Casuals control the Gods. I had this thought while I sat in Xanadu that night because a God was present that same night. Mew2king had found his way to Xanadu and I was eager to play him and talk with him as I was fresh to the game and new him to be a reputable source on smash info, Melee specifically. At the time I was an Ice Climber Main. This is an important detail as I've come to understand why I chose the ICs in the first place. Mew2king and I ended up play friendlies for a bit and being typical Mew2king he counter-picked for every match-up I threw at him. I went Falco, He went Sheik. I went Fox, He went Marth on FD. I didn't want to reveal my Main knowing the counter-pick he had in store if I did decide to show my last card. I ended up bring out the ICs and his cursor immediately snapped to Princess Peach. The hardest match-up for ICs if you weren't already aware and with Mew2king and I being on opposite ends of the smash chain It was going to be near impossible. Don't get your hopes up, this isn't the part where I slay Mew2king.
I simply asked him "why do you do this?"
to which he turned to me, shrugged, raised an eyebrow, gave a playfully cynical smile, and the returned his focus to the small screen in front of us waiting for me to finalize my decision of going ICs versus his Peach, as I had not yet pressed the A button the seal my fate yet. Not contempt with getting 4 stocked, I turned to him and asked a second question.
"Would you go Marth?"
As if prepared to answer the prompt before laid out he quickly responded with a quick "no"
Mind you we were in a pre-tournament setting and a small crowd of 4 or 5 was huddled around watching this bracket bottom dweller trying to persuade a machine into reevaluating its predetermined choice. A single voice from the huddle said
"do it"
Mew2king shook his head but said nothing.
I responded to his silence with a cheerful "go Marth"
It took a second but he muttered a barely audible "Fine" and switched to the Dark King we all know and love. I selected the ICs, happy with the outcome of the match-up. The Randomizer led us to pokemon stadium. I had no fear of the god in my presence and didn't respect the area around Marth. I wavedashed in, went for Jab-Grab, It connected and Marth's robes were left in the control of the ICs, My control. As I said earlier, I understand now why I chose ICs as my main in this game. I crave control. Complete and utter rule over the opposing player. The ICs are notorious for their control over their opponents, with their various grab setups to hand-offs to the most famous of them all, the wobble. I was free to do with the Marth, I had managed to capture, as I pleased and I intended to do the option with the most control. I began to wobble this Marth. Mew2kings name started to become irrelevant as I tapped the A button with computer-like accuracy. The crowd behind me chuckled at the event taking place. It was then I was reminded then that I was In fact at he lower end of the chain in Super Smash Bros Melee.
Now, what Mew2king said may or may not be true but his words hung with me and I remember them every time I begin the rhythmic assault on the A button in a tournament match. Mew2king looks over and, without a shard of emotion, says
"This is why I play characters that take skill..."
Marth had a good 97~% on him which meant a simple down throw upsmash would be a kill and I would be able to say that "I wobbled Mew2king" something Id want to be able to say with truth behind it for a long time. But what Mew2king had said to me hit hard. Like, Falcon Punch at 300% on Yoshi's story hard. I didn't show any emotion but I stopped feeding inputs to my controller. I let Marth out of the grab and I quit out of the game. Not because I was sad or salty. But because I knew he was correct. During the wobble I felt as though I was controlling a god. Manipulating him into doing what I wanted. Forcing him to Mash inputs or try and DI the kill move. But In reality I wasn't doing any of that. I got up from that setup. Partly to allow others a chance at showing their skill versus a God but also because I wanted to improve, improve faster than anyone ever has. Mew2king taught me about skill that day. He taught me the full meaning of skill without uttering a single input or a sliver of match-up knowledge. All in all what I managed to pull from that experience was that you can control the Gods in one of two ways. One by playing on their level and earning their respect or Two, have everyone below the Gods quit and eventually they'll die out. We know the second one isn't ever going to happen so I need to get better so I can truly, rightfully say, that "I took a stock from Mew2king"
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