How to get into competitive smash?

[FrankPlanet]

Hi! I would really like to get into competitive Smash but IDK how to even start? So what should I do to start. Should I go on for glory or should I do something else? Let me know in a reply

 

[Greasy Mawf]

I'm also looking to train and improve my game so I can try playing competitive play at some point.

 

[FrankPlanet]

I'm also looking to train and improve my game so I can try playing competitive play at some point.

Sure we can! Im okay at shulk villager and Ryu so we can try

 

[Lola Luftnagle]

For Glory is a start but it won't help y'all improve immensely due to almost always being subject to input lag. Start by practicing things like edge-guarding, combos, perfect pivoting, reverse aerial rushes, all those good things. These advanced techniques are crucial to achieving strong results in tournament play. SSBWiki can tell y'all more about these things though there are many guides here that talk about them. Earlier this year, a website called Smashvods came online, and this is where y'all can see videos on any matchup. It certainly helped me improve my and . Y'all can deviate from them as well.

 

[CaptainCobalt]

Watch YouTube, that's how I figure out how to do a lot of things like wavebouncing, which is pretty simple when you get to know how to do it.

 

[The-Technique]

First thing you wanna do is pick out your favorite character. Don't worry about tiers or anything, just play who you like the most.

Next thing you wanna do is watch how pros play that character, just type "smash 4 *insert character* tournament" when searching (and view results by upload date). Lab out their combos and how they move around in training mode

And the final step is play a bunch of For Glory. It's good practice no matter what people say, a lot of top players have given anecdotes on how they started out on netplay before moving onto tournaments, such as Ally. True you will run into severe lag every once in a while, but most of the time you won't even notice it.

Bear in mind that you will lose, a lot. Like your record is going to be really bad starting out, you're gonna have more losses than wins by a large margin. But after a while, you will train yourself to have good instincts and habits, and of course keep on watching pros play the character so you'll know what styles to emulate (and things that you shouldn't do that will get you punished by the opponent)

 

[Kaioxys]

I think the main thing is fully mastering all the movement options so that you can do them effortlessly consistently without mistakes, which does take considerable practice and training. After that you need to learn how each character counters/punishes every possible option. Then you figure out the optimal option in every situation(it's character dependant, but an example would be turnaround grabbing people behind you in turnaround grab range instead of back tilting, and the perfect autocancel timing for all the aerials). After you know what you are supposed to do in every situation, you learn to read and condition your opponent. Basically so that you know exactly what you are supposed to do in any given situation, and if you want to do something, you actually do it, instead of missing your inputs.

Personally I found the "Art of Smash" videos on youtube helpful. Not necessarily the character specific ones, but the general ones.

I recommend cloud (or lucina, if you're not pay to win) as an initial character, as he is the easiest. If you use patience and full utilization of movement options, you don't need any character specific knowledge to win. Your neutral will just be good, and that's enough to win.

After you master cloud you can try training with other characters if you want.

As far as training is concerned, I recommend just playing a match with infinite time against a mario Level 3 or less, and practice hitting it. You're good when you never miss, and never get hit.

When you get to character specifics, what you really need to know is a few things:

1.) What is my damage racking options at every percent?
2.) What are my kill options at every percent?

This is because basically you want to do number 1, followed by number 2. You want the highest damaging option, and then a kill move.

You will base your neutral on whatever options you have, but it's also kinda based on what options your opponent has. You need to know some other things:

3.) What is the best option against shield?
4.) What is the best option against aerials?
5.) What is my best option against projectiles?
6.) What is my best tech chase option?
7.) What is my best option against each of the options my opponent can use?

Let's say your opponent rolls away alot. You want to think to yourself, "what's my best option to punish my opponent rolling away?" If your opponent throws a particular move often, say, "How do I punish them for using this?"

Often times, with your options you will have one that does more damage or even kill, and one that is safer, in which case it's kinda to your discretion. But sometimes you have an option that is safer and more damaging, in which case, just use that.

That's just my 2 cents.

 

[FrankPlanet]

Wow guys! thanks for all the replies! This was kind of an old post so its good to see that people responded. I will get back into the game when I get my wii u unpacked (Im moving)

 

[Goodberger]

I too am interested in getting into comp. Smash. I played the original (when I was a kid) I got the game new. I played that game a TON solo on the N64. In middle school I played Melee with friends. When I got a wii I played Brawl. I never got Smash WII U. I am almost 29. I feel that my reaction time will be less than that of people that are playing who are 10-15 years younger than I am. This isn't going to keep me from practicing and streaming. However, I am interested in understanding players reaction speeds in this game, and how much that matters in comp. play.

 

[Call_Me_Red]

I am also interested in getting competitive with Smash (I have nearly 1,000 hours in SSB4, but never competed). Something I haven't seen mentioned yet is 'reads'. Predicting what your opponent will do is the best way to beat them. The best advice I've ever heard on the subject is from ZeRo in one of his videos on the topic. He says that you need to realize which options your opponent is taking and why.

The why is very important. For example, if your opponent is shielding a lot, it's likely because they're scared of you. If you know they're scared, you know they will choose defensive options, which you can then punish. If you are at an advantage and you see your opponent throwing out a bunch of strong moves, going for the kill, let them whiff one and punish accordingly.

Technical skill is important, but it's useless if you can't hit your opponent. Honestly, I think the mindgames are the most interesting part of fighting games, and probably the most important too.