I want to get good at this game. What are the fundamentals? Should I be using tilts for most of my

[Sandwiches]

attacks? Is there a good beginners/intermediates guide?

Thanks!

 

[Jrzfine]

How experienced are you? Is this your first smash? Do you know the controls?

 

[Evello]

The strategies you should be using depends heavily on which character you are using. I would check out the individual character boards for in-depth strategies.

As for really general stuff, yes, tilts are commonly used by many characters. You will want to be familiar with and competent at using virtually all of your character's moves, including smashes, tilts, jabs (pressing A repeatedly), specials, aerial attacks, and grabs/throws. At the casual level most people can't dodge very well, so there's no reason to use anything other than smash attacks; but with better players speed and positioning become more important than sheer power. You also probably want to become good at using the best shared movement techniques, like shielding (/), dodge rolling (/ + ), spot dodging (/ + ), and short hopping (pressing the jump button but immediately releasing it so that your character only jumps a small amount). Can't think of any other ones as important as those off the top of my head.

Which exact moves are fastest and most advantageous is highly variable, though. I do recommend looking into specific characters; the character boards usually have a guide pinned. Also, see if you can watch some videos of pro players and observe which attacks they utilize most commonly. Pros are obviously ridiculously good, and you may not even want to ever get that good (I, for one, have no desire to practice that much), but you should be able to get a feel for what stuff to focus on. It was watching videos of Brawl pros that taught me how amazing Ike's jab was in that game.

 

[Jaedrik]

Only use your character's good moves, and, above all, know when and why to use them. This is the core of fundamentals.

What do you think the application of Link's d-tilt is? Is his f-tilt useful? Should I try to smash, or is it too slow and will the enemy recover from their stun before I can get it out? Then I should jab or tilt, again depending. Is he in the air and can I predict him coming down? Then I'll try to u-tilt him or f-smash where I think he's gonna land! Maybe, since Link's dash attack is crap, slow, and laggy, I should play defensively with item throwing or approaching or defending with nair.

This also means attacks in relation to space. Will the attack even reach? you always want to be at a range where your move will make you safe, if they block then due to shieldpush, but often times it's just not possible. Robin, when am I safe to charge?

The other major fundamental thing besides space and move management is predicting and mixing things up. If you become too predictable then you should be easily shut down. This doesn't mean you have to use your character's bad moves, just adjust the timing slightly, or rush in one time and don't in another, or grab instead. Am I charging Robin's laser? Then I should mix up how I'm gonna get out of their attack if they try to get close. When should I cancel it, and with what? Use a roll. Are they constantly hitting you into the air, and you can't get out? Try mixing up airdodges with drifting left or right or using your midair jump. Lure them into investment, then punish them when they do something risky.

Edit 3: these are fundamentals, but you'll notice that they require you to look at your opponent most times. This is true, in fact. You should never look at your own character. You must have such expertise that your peripherals, even your mind's peripherals, are enough for you to know your character. Your control should be sure, and steady, and the focus should be on how your opponents are doing and reacting.