How to be generally good at the game?

[Tomaster]

Hey guys, sorry if I posted this in the wrong place, im new to this forum.
I've seen so many guide on how to do fancy tricks like wavedashing, teleporting into aerials, etc. This kind of stuff is good to know but even after learning a lot of these i feel like im stuck in this noob level and can't get any better. I feel like there is a lack of basic playing tips wherever I look. I know how to wavedash and L-cancel and things like that but my friends who don't know how to do that are still better than me. They know how to react better in every situation.
Any advice is appreciated, thank you!

 

[CELTiiC]

Well for one spacing is huge. Without good spacing you will get punished a lot easier. Also learning things like DI is important because then you can live longer and get out of combos easier. To add also, read up a lot on footsies and how neutral game works. Even if they aren't just entirely about smash, the principle still stands the same with all fighters. While being able to l-cancel and wave dash is nice to have under your belt, if you don't understand how to win the neutral game and don't space well then you are going to lose almost 100% of the time.

 

[MechWarriorNY]

Hi, new guy.

Celt covered a lot of the more important stuff already, so all I'll say is that you shouldn't dwell on losses and/or mistakes, and there will be a LOT of those happening. So, in advance, relax!

 

[.alizarin]

just came in to say that you should definitely work on the punish game just as much as the neutral game. even if you only win neutral like, 40% of the time, if you flat out kill people or put them in a horrible position every time you touch them, you'll often make up for the less-than-stellar neutral performance.

neutral is still important obv cause if you never win neutral you never get to punish, but if your punish game is garbage and you let them reset the situation when you win neutral, your wins in neutral mean almost nothing

 

[Tomaster]

Thanks everyone, this was extremely helpful, i never knew about this whole neutral game and spacing stuff, but I checked it out and im sure it will improve my playing tremendously. Should've come here sooner

 

[CORY]

don't know what you looked up, but this is a really good video for explaining the further concept of spacing, within the smash brothers metagame sense.

 

[MEnKIRBZ]

It's all about mindgames. Use your advanced techniques to space well and bait them into bad situations to punish them, and play aggressively. Since you know how to wavedash and l-cancel, you will also play "faster" then them as well, giving you the advantage.

 

[CelloLuCC]

Mindgames are not as useful at a basic level nearly as spacing and punishing.

Spacing (especially with Mewtwo, your main) is essential, and at least getting a punish when your opponent messes up are things you will need. My advice is to make sure your not always being agressive, and don't walk into stuff. Also, make sure you know what moves can be used where, someone using moves in a bad way is, well, bad.

 

[Tomaster]

Mindgames are not as useful at a basic level nearly as spacing and punishing.

Spacing (especially with Mewtwo, your main) is essential, and at least getting a punish when your opponent messes up are things you will need. My advice is to make sure your not always being agressive, and don't walk into stuff. Also, make sure you know what moves can be used where, someone using moves in a bad way is, well, bad.

Im not really maining mewtwo, i tried it but he's really slow so im trying mario now. Eventually i wanna work my way up to fox but he's hard to play and i need a solid character for now. it's really hard to learn what moves to use at what time, that's what i struggle with the most.

 

[CelloLuCC]

Im not really maining mewtwo, i tried it but he's really slow so im trying mario now. Eventually i wanna work my way up to fox but he's hard to play and i need a solid character for now. it's really hard to learn what moves to use at what time, that's what i struggle with the most.

Mario is definitely a good starting main, and if you need to know what moves to use I can help you there

 

[Nausicaa]

You speak truth, opening poster.
I don't mean to sound like a jerkface, but I haven't seen a good guide about anything on the forums (or other) ever, when it comes to the general game and what all of those guides are leaning at, but not going into.
And I've seen basically ALL of the guides possible.

Even my own written-works are rubbish, and don't tap into what the concepts all 'guides' actually imply. Spacing? Application of technique? So surface and feeble.
The best I've come up with for short-term is...
Don't get hit by the things you don't want to get hit by, and hit people with the things you want to hit them with.
Emphasis on the 'things you want/don't want to'
Notice that it's not 'don't get hit/hit them' but it's specifically what you want/don't want from the exchanging of interactions. Your DECISION in terms this (your choice based on desired action will come far before your execution of those actions or application of any techniques and concepts) is what matters more than anything.

Anything you study from development concepts to technical sharpening to practicing methods, they're all surface, but as long as you're leaning a certain volitional way WITH all of that stuff you'd be doing/studying/playing, you can't go any direction by the direction you're wanting to go.

 

[Bleck]

play as Fox

 

[Phaiyte]

Play street fighter and get good at that. Preferrably 2 Turbo and 3rd Strike.

Move up to King of Fighters and get good at that.

Come back to Smash and feel how suddenly easy everything is