How you should choose your competitive main in Smash 4

[CharZane]

Never think you've chosen your main until you've tried out all the characters on the roster.

Very true. The various 'with all charcters' challenges for smash run, all star, classic, etc. are a great excuse to try everyone out, and that's certainly the only way I would have thought to play the heavy-stigma Mac or the 'seems like brawl' Toon Link, who're my secondaries now. It's also important to go back and try them after you get familiar with the game every now and again, as preferences can always shift and who knows, maybe after you get to some new tier of play you'll find some particular character all the more interesting.

Pointless guide is pointless.

Well now that's some unnecessary passive-aggression. It's quite easy to tell that the guide's thoughtful in both its intentions and its clarity. Insults like that rather than disagreeing in a respectful manner certainly strikes me as a rather immature approach t--

I'm 15.

Ah. Point. You're welcome to disagree with some point or another, but just because something doesn't help you personally does not make it acceptable to be rude to someone who's trying to help people out. Come on now, we can all be friendly here. And if not, you can always... settle it in smash. XD

 

[The Animator]

By the time I finish unlocking everything in the game I will know which characters I do best with. Then I just pick whichever has a moveset that I am most comfortable with.

 

[Buddy002]

I had this same problem for a while, but my old Melee main started to grow back on me after a lot more practice than I'd have expected it to take-- I'd definitely recommend giving a long study to Falco (or Fox, if looking for a biiit close to melee Falco or such) to start; you'll likely find at least a secondary out of the trouble. You can go ahead and keep retrying characters that 'don't agree with you' to see if you make any breakthroughs, while going with 'what wins' can help you pin down your style a fair bit, even if that has you using someone you know you're not keen on maining for a while. It took me a good hundred games to even start feeling out Lucina in a way that at all felt reminiscent of my old Melee Marth, but it did happen-- definitely recommend giving that a try to see if such turns out to be the case for you. Playing some bot matches can really give you some perspective (based on how many stocks you have left vs a lv. 9 in a 7 stock match, is my usual measure-- though with my new dual main Lucina I can manage a 2v1 against random lv. 9's a bit now, too... which was certainly quite telling).

Thank you very much, this is a big help. I never really thought about taking on the lv 9's, I always did for glory. I will take a closer look at Falco and Fox, I hope that they start to agree with me more! Thank you for your help!

Important to acknowledge if a characters' speed gives you trouble controlling them. Characters with high speed have a high skill cap, and require dexterous and quick-minded players to control. If that is not your primary skillset, then perhaps try not to insist upon choosing someone like Sheik or Fox or Captain Falcon or Greninja to main.

Instead, consider the more slow-paced yet hardy characters that have a similar playstyle to the 'quick' characters, yet with a more 'focused' angle. Falco, Ganondorf, Ness, Duck Hunt, Pac Man, etc may fit the bill. Don't write them off just because they're not the ones you see in tournament streams as often (Sheik v Sheik or Sheik v Mac is common currently), because current tournament results do not take into account character potential.

Currently, the top characters are very moveset-decided. Those with simply powerful movesets and movepools are ranking highly in tournaments because hey, that's an immediate advantage you have when playing as that character. However, as time passes, our grasp of the game's mechanics and how we use them at a high level (the metagame) will make player skill more important. Do not be mistaken - what I mean is that there are some characters that, while not overpowered, will have qualities that shine as time passes.

These qualities will be harnessed by players, and sometimes these qualities can become stronger than the initial 'most powerful characters' that are being represented. Those with the more advantageous movesets will still always be powerful, but other strengths will arise amongst the cast. Things like 'how many options do you have from neutral?' and 'how many ways can you punish in mid-range?' and 'what attacks are safe on block?' become more important as time passes.

Basically, not every characters' metagame is evolving at the same pace, and not everyone's potential has been unlocked. Is easy to see where there is likely LESS potential (ie is obvious they can't combo or set up into KOs, which is very important), but that doesn't mean there isn't a way to play the character that is reliable. So don't worry about who is 'top tier' currently - it does mean something, but it's supposed to be 'interesting', not demoralizing.

Choose someone less popular and see what they're all about!. Somebody has to play Pit/Samus/Luigi/Jigglypuff/MK etc and develop their metagame in order to confirm or deny what's up with them in comparison to the more-obviously-good characters.

Agreed, a character like Sheik can give me trouble. I do find it helpful to play characters who are the opposite of my play style, so that way I can learn how others think.

 

[CharZane]

Can't emphasize enough that bots are only good for mechanics, though. Actual players will doubtless spam rolls, spam projectiles, spam almost anything mapped to B button, and inevitably win against someone only prepared for the ironically more conventional play of bots. While a 'retreat' bot can help to some extent for dealing with the matches that'd otherwise go to sudden death due to stalling, keep in mind that parting with For Glory for too long means you'll end up dead after lunch after a pizza, having accidentally lost your tolerance and developed a lethal allergy to cheese.

 

[Buddy002]

Can't emphasize enough that bots are only good for mechanics, though. Actual players will doubtless spam rolls, spam projectiles, spam almost anything mapped to B button, and inevitably win against someone only prepared for the ironically more conventional play of bots. While a 'retreat' bot can help to some extent for dealing with the matches that'd otherwise go to sudden death due to stalling, keep in mind that parting with For Glory for too long means you'll end up dead after lunch after a pizza, having accidentally lost your tolerance and developed a lethal allergy to cheese.

Agreed... once you learn the CPUs, they are REALLY easy to beat. They always airdodge when out of hitstun, making them predictable. Actual players are harder to predict, and offer more of a challenge. I would like it if For Glory offered more stages than just FD, seeing that FD offers advantages to some characters.... ah well...

 

[Conda]

Going between characters like a tennis match, an eight way tennis match. I think I'm boiling it down though Toon Link and Samus are my newest interests. Nobody's talking about either, so that's kind of a bummer.

 

[Ingoro]

Years of competitive Pokemon Trainer play and being known for the best and only PT of my scene led me to drop him because he was holding me back so much and I wasn't getting better at placing at tournaments.
With smash 4, I pick a character who suits me but I believe has potential to get high at tournaments, I don't need to get first, I just don't want to be super restricted by my character pick alone.

 

[Buddy002]

Going between characters like a tennis match, an eight way tennis match. I think I'm boiling it down though Toon Link and Samus are my newest interests. Nobody's talking about either, so that's kind of a bummer.

I believe Tourney Locator has some Toon Link (I can't post a link yet...) The player's name is Lunchables. He is really talented. You should check him out if you already haven't. Btw, I check out your YouTube channel, loved the content, subscribed

 

[ConsummateK]

I'd just like to say thanks to everyone sharing great info in the thread. I've found that I have the most luck with Adult Link. He seems fairly conventional (no odd mechanics like tomes or fruit) and the fact that he is a bit slower has helped me keep him under control. I think the goal now is to identify what is happening during a match and the best way to respond to it.

 

[PedroSmashFan2014]

My main online is Pikachu. Suprised?

 

[Daxter]

What do you do if you've exhausted the roster and still can't find a main? Or am I just a hopeless case that nobody's playstyle suits me, or that I can't win against decent players as anybody?

 

[SwoodGrommet]

What do you do if you've exhausted the roster and still can't find a main? Or am I just a hopeless case that nobody's playstyle suits me, or that I can't win against decent players as anybody?

So, I guess I'm not a decent player then, huh?

Alright, you're probably sick of hearing from me at this stage, but I'm going to keep talking until I get through to you.
Over the past two days, I've seen you cycle through three different mains. Two days. Three mains. You were a good Bowser, and probably a good Charizard and Wario as well. But honestly, people here have been trying their best to help you and give you advice, but you just don't seem to take it to heart.

I've already told you this, but I'm telling you again. You need to give your characters time. It takes time to learn how to use them to their full extent. There's only so much we can do for you. The rest, you need to figure out for yourself. Your problem is that you seem to think that when people find their main, they are instantly a master of that character. No, it takes a hell of a lot of time and dedication to what your idea of "good" is at this game.

The most irritating part of this for me is that you're not even bad. You've just repeated something so many times you've somehow gotten yourself to believe it. I hate how you're constantly second-guessing yourself. Just pick a guy, and go with it. Every character on this roster will be difficult to master. I don't know why I'm so caught up over this, but whatever. I hope I'm not coming off as a total jerk, but there's nothing we can tell you that will instantly make you fantastic at this game.

 

[mimgrim]

What do you do if you've exhausted the roster and still can't find a main? Or am I just a hopeless case that nobody's playstyle suits me, or that I can't win against decent players as anybody?

Just play random until something clicks.

 

[Daxter]

So, I guess I'm not a decent player then, huh?

Alright, you're probably sick of hearing from me at this stage, but I'm going to keep talking until I get through to you.
Over the past two days, I've seen you cycle through three different mains. Two days. Three mains. You were a good Bowser, and probably a good Charizard and Wario as well. But honestly, people here have been trying their best to help you and give you advice, but you just don't seem to take it to heart.

I've already told you this, but I'm telling you again. You need to give your characters time. It takes time to learn how to use them to their full extent. There's only so much we can do for you. The rest, you need to figure out for yourself. Your problem is that you seem to think that when people find their main, they are instantly a master of that character. No, it takes a hell of a lot of time and dedication to what your idea of "good" is at this game.

The most irritating part of this for me is that you're not even bad. You've just repeated something so many times you've somehow gotten yourself to believe it. I hate how you're constantly second-guessing yourself. Just pick a guy, and go with it. Every character on this roster will be difficult to master. I don't know why I'm so caught up over this, but whatever. I hope I'm not coming off as a total jerk, but there's nothing we can tell you that will instantly make you fantastic at this game.

Nah, not at all; a stern tone is what we all need sometimes. One of the reasons I'm looking for someone so quickly is because an online tourney is coming up. Obviously I won't aim for the loftiest of heights first time, but it'd be nice to not be knocked out in round 1, yeah?

I think it's also the attitudes of others on For Glory. I've seen people say 90% of players there are 'casual scrubs' (yep) which would make anybody feel bad if they can't beat them. I guess its also my anxious nature - I can do well in training, but in an actual match I forget everything in my usual autopilot mode and start air-approaching all over again

I also take some of my friends into account. One of them is a multi-tourney winner as Dedede and Bowser. Another had never played Smash 4 before, and decimated me as Link and Little Mac. Kind of a natural talent per se. Sadly we don't get too many chances to play the game together due to work life, so I'ma rely on online strangers..!

 

[Teh Sandwich]

I main link, and do very well in both online ladders, and in person tournys. I also don't agree with 90% of any tier list I've seen. But that's just cause the game is still really new.

 

[wedl!!]

don't pick a character based on their tier listing, do it on your own merit. for instance i tried to play shiek when the game came out. I hated her. don't just take blind advice from tourney results and make your decision based on that.

 

[PCHU]

I looked for what character I had fun with and felt like I could clutch out any match with.
It was Dedede, and I'm really happy with it.
I do well with Fox, Wario, and DK, but Dedede's so basic that the game feels formulaic/gimmicky, like picking Tager in BlazBlue.
I feel right at home.

 

[Mazdamaxsti]

I chose main after a while of main switching. Lucina, Fox, Sheik, Pac-man, Kirby, Luigi, Meta Knight, Ness, and even more switches. I finally decided though, and it was Kirby. Not because he is super top tier viable, but because he is decent, I like him (Look, sounds, everything) and I'm winning with him. I don't even have a true 2nd main though, I can't relate to any other character. Ness/Meta Knight might come to mind, but that's it.

 

[Conda]

I generally focus on one character and then temporarily dump them for another. I end up learning so many different characters and become competent with each of them, but not excellent. This is alright, as I'm a commentator and character knowledge + matchup knowledge is super important to me, as well as research. But when it comes to playing the game and practising, I focus on one character at a time.

I've been through the following:

Early in the 3ds version
Megaman
Falco
Bowser Jr
Fox
Toon Link
Ness
Shulk

Wii U
Pit / Dark Pit
Samus
Pac Man
Robin
Charizard
DK
Toon Link
Greninja
Duck Hunt


As of the past week or so, I've trained up a lot with Greninja and have just begun, as of 3 days ago, Duck Hunt.

Who knows who is next!

Funny how there is basically no overlap between my use of characters early on in the 3ds version, and afterward in the Wii U version.

 

[Daxter]

I thought I'd watch some of APEX for inspiration. I saw a brilliant Pac Man there, which inspired me to make him a secondary for me. I don't think I'd main him though, if only because of his bizarre grabs.

As for mains I've knocked it down to Donkey Kong and Robin. I honestly, truly believe DK can be good if used correctly, and the fact he can take a whole lot of punishment suits me because he has the strength to turn things around. Robin on the other hand is about thinking rather than fighting, so logic wins the day rather than technicalities... usually ;D

And on a side note, I just like all 3 characters. DK is my favourite Ninty character, Robin is unique and very likely, and Pac Man is a happy yellow cake monster.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Play the character you like the most.

 

[RESET Vao]

This is the mindset you should have in ANY competitive setting. A balance between suiting your mindset and the way you make split second decisions, how well you perform and just straight up liking a character.

 

[Dee-SmashinBoss]

I chose main after a while of main switching. Lucina, Fox, Sheik, Pac-man, Kirby, Luigi, Meta Knight, Ness, and even more switches. I finally decided though, and it was Kirby. Not because he is super top tier viable, but because he is decent, I like him (Look, sounds, everything) and I'm winning with him. I don't even have a true 2nd main though, I can't relate to any other character. Ness/Meta Knight might come to mind, but that's it.

Exactly, he's like the most(arguably) basic character with a very simple moveset, but he still good and can hold his ground on many top tier characters despite being mid tier.
He's got some fantastic combos and frame data, fast attacks and is overall a fun character.
He's very cute too.
Now he does have his flaws, but so does every other character.

I think when choosing a main, think about their faults and how much it affects them on certain MUs

 

[Baby_Sneak]

Play the character you like the most.

you're lucky your fav character has been top tier in every smash game he's been in lol.

 

[erico9001]

As my Calc 3 teacher liked to say, pick your favorite!

 

[COLINBG]

I have a lot of trouble choosing a main.


I'll disregard point two from the OP (choose a character you can feel passionnate about). I don't have any particular bond with any of the smash characters since the only games I really played were Mario and Pokémon. While I do prefer the look/I'm more attracted to some character, I don't have any negative views towards any of them. So this point doesn't matter to me.


So far I have decent experience with , , , ,, , , , , , and , but none of them seem to fit my playstyle. I can and do win with all of them, so it's not the problem. I played Sheik more and more recently, and I'm starting to like her better, but there's still something a little off that I don't like about her, and I can't figure out what. I mained Villager for a long time on the 3DS, and while I still love playing him, it gets a little boring sometimes. Right now, I'm juggling between these 11 characters and don't use any of them more than the others.


I have played every character at a basic level, and I know most of the cast's moveset and general strategy/combos/etc. I plan on experimenting with , , , , , , and more. I also don't like slow/big/heavy characters.


So I'm kinda stuck there. I play a dozen of characters well, with , , and being my most solid. However, I'm not 100% satisfied with them.


1. Are/were some of you in the same situation?
2. Is it possible to not have a main?

3. Do any of you have any suggestions on who to main (even if I didn't give much information)?
4. Do I just need to play more with some characters to really appreciate their playstyle? I played a lot with the 11 characters at the top (several hours almost every day), but I still played each of them less than 1/11th of the total time I played the game.


Thanks for reading/answering.

 

[Mizzy Moe]

i still dont feel like tier matter too much ( i know they do as in how good a characters tools are to get the kill, make the recover, or deal the damage im just sayin) i knew i was goin to main sonic as soon as he was annouced for smash 4. (i didnt like brawl at all i gave it away before i even beat the story so i never played him in that.) When i played him against my friends and they didnt know how to stop them i picked who we all thought was the worst in every smash as a joke character jigglypuff and FELL IN LOVE to be able to play with peoples heads long enough to get that rest in is beautiful!

 

[(Air)]

Yea i agree. Just pick a character you really enjoy to play and thrive off of in Smash. Out of the whole Roster I've made a 12 character lineup of the people I enjoy playing over everyone else. Yes there are rankings within that 15 like the top 3 or 5 i'd use competitively to the rest that are in the works or just for friendlies. It's all about how you perceive each character and not only what they have to offer but what you can offer to them and how they are played.

 

[Stigmata]

I know this has probably been answered somewhere, but how do I pick a secondary? I main Lucario, and I love being a solo Lucario main because I think he's good enough to compete. But I know there are matchups that are just hard for him, and I'd love to find a way around those that didn't include just picking Shiek because she's good. If I pick Shiek, I want it to be a well-thought-out decision with good reasoning. So, what should I do?

 

[Nintendrone]

Check out the Lucario boards and see his matchups. Ask for advice on what other Lucarios think, and see which characters can overcome his bad matchups.

 

[2Fat4U]

Just go off feel. I am a die hard zelda fan and I tried for so long to be really good with Link. Then one day I was playing with my friends and we were all going random and I got peach. And I was doing very good with her and it just felt right. After about a week of training with her I was already better than I was with Link (who I had mained and practiced with for months).

 

[2Fat4U]

Check out the Lucario boards and see his matchups. Ask for advice on what other Lucarios think, and see which characters can overcome his bad matchups.

Ya lucario actually has very few bad matchups. He's a pretty underrated character imo.

 

[2Fat4U]

I'm planning on double maining this time, or at least training up a strong secondary from the start. I don't want to have to deal with any ridiculously bad matchups this time, like Marth in Brawl. I fully intend on maining someone viable this game, but I'll decide for myself whether I think that's the case instead of counting on someone else's first-month opinion. Double maining will also help me hedge the risk that I end up picking someone unviable.

Choose a secondary that counters the playstyle of your main. That way if your struggling with your main your secondary will have a whole new playstyle that will more than likely have a better match up against the character your struggling against

 

[shapular]

Choose a secondary that counters the playstyle of your main. That way if your struggling with your main your secondary will have a whole new playstyle that will more than likely have a better match up against the character your struggling against

No need. Yoshi too OP.

 

[2Fat4U]

No need. Yoshi too OP.

True he doesn't have a lot of bad matchups.

 

[Qiom]

be wary about people telling you your character is bad. If you are serious about doing well at the game figure out whether or not your character is bad on your own. And then, and this is important, be willing to let them go if they prove to be bad. (kind of unrelated but nothing bothers me more than people maining a low tier and then attributing every loss to their character choice...)

Tier lists are neat and all, but they are never correct. At best they can only reflect the knowledge we have at hand and that knowledge is always expanding especially in a game like smash brothers. Figure out what works do it until it doesn'y anymore.

I gotta agree with this one. Especially with smash, there's a way around any character with any other character. It's a matter of reading your opponent and knowing when to strike. As long as the character you pick matches your playstyle, it's fine.

 

[Flamma]

Press Random. You'll find it eventually.

Thats what I did with Shulk and Fox

 

[Foozco]

I'm having a real tough time deciding who I would like my main to be even with reading this helpful advice posted. I have a goal to be at least semi-competitive with each character. To find one character that truly fits my style is tough. I love Mewtwo but on For Glory I'm decent to good at him. I'm not that passionate about Shiek but I'm actually pretty good at her. I like Roy too because I've been playing him since Melee but he's changed a lot since then. Someone help. Pls

 

[Baby_Sneak]

I have a lot of trouble choosing a main.


I'll disregard point two from the OP (choose a character you can feel passionnate about). I don't have any particular bond with any of the smash characters since the only games I really played were Mario and Pokémon. While I do prefer the look/I'm more attracted to some character, I don't have any negative views towards any of them. So this point doesn't matter to me.


So far I have decent experience with , , , ,, , , , , , and , but none of them seem to fit my playstyle. I can and do win with all of them, so it's not the problem. I played Sheik more and more recently, and I'm starting to like her better, but there's still something a little off that I don't like about her, and I can't figure out what. I mained Villager for a long time on the 3DS, and while I still love playing him, it gets a little boring sometimes. Right now, I'm juggling between these 11 characters and don't use any of them more than the others.


I have played every character at a basic level, and I know most of the cast's moveset and general strategy/combos/etc. I plan on experimenting with , , , , , , and more. I also don't like slow/big/heavy characters.


So I'm kinda stuck there. I play a dozen of characters well, with , , and being my most solid. However, I'm not 100% satisfied with them.


1. Are/were some of you in the same situation?
2. Is it possible to not have a main?

3. Do any of you have any suggestions on who to main (even if I didn't give much information)?
4. Do I just need to play more with some characters to really appreciate their playstyle? I played a lot with the 11 characters at the top (several hours almost every day), but I still played each of them less than 1/11th of the total time I played the game.


Thanks for reading/answering.

bruh. look at other fighting games like USF4, GG, marvel, BB, etc... and look for characters that look super fun to play. then see if there is any similar characters in S4 (you will find him/her).

 

[A_Phoenix_Down]

I main my favorite Nintendo character.