I'm confused, don't know how to practice. Here's why.

[MegaJoseph32123]

[This thread involves the topic of improving with online and offline so I don't know where else to put it other then ult general]

I'm at a loss when it comes to practicing to improve at this game. I know the best thing to do is play locally. But the only time I can play with people is at events that happen only once maybe twice a week. I feel that this isn't enough. My smash friends do not live nearby so I can't meet them and play. So when by myself which is most of the time, I only have access to: 1. Play against CPU's. 2. Play online. (quickplay and friend arenas) However, I hear negative things about both these options. In my research people say "you shouldn't practice with cpu's because it'll form bad habbits" and also say "you shouldn't practice online because the input lag will screw up your reactions for irl play". This makes it seem like there is just no good option. So I guess my question is, are either of these claims false or can be worked around? What is the best thing for me to do as someone who just started playing competitively?

 

[VodkaHaze]

Practicing offline is the best option due to you playing against human players and reduced input lag. If you can't play locally, then practice online because it's better to practice against humans with some increased lag than practice against CPUs. Many competitive players do play online.

 

[Sebas22]

Level 9 CPUs aren't as bad as people say (sometimes they perform good combos and they do wall techs like pros) but you do start to see their patterns after a while. Even if the online is not so great, fighting against players is the best way to practice.

 

[Wiziliz]

Labbing stuff out in training can actually be heaps fun. Come up with some fun and/or effective combos and then test them out online a bit, before trying offline against some friends when you get the chance.

 

[nshoes]

Level 9 CPUs aren't as bad as people say (sometimes they perform good combos and they do wall techs like pros) but you do start to see their patterns after a while. Even if the online is not so great, fighting against players is the best way to practice.

Um, they actually are. If your goal is to git gud then playing against an opponent that doesn't play like a human AT ALL is the worst way to practice. The only CPU training I'd allow is if you are just starting out. If you can beat a level 6 CPU, you can play online.

The input lag online does stink, but if you balance it with offline play then it's easier to switch contexts and reaction times.

 

[BFlat]

Ultimately, CPUs will hurt you in the long run as you'll be able to spot their tactics as time goes on and when faced with a human player, you won't be able to adapt as well. This is speaking from someone who mainly played with CPUs until the final days of Smash 4 and went online to be beat by mostly everyone. After building myself up by playing online and grinding out meaningful matchups, I'd say it's beneficial, even if there's additional input lag involved.

 

[REZERO]

Doing both will help you in the long run, practicing is better than not practicing at all. Go watch some combo videos and then practice those combos in training mode.

 

[iLLusi]

Playing online and offline is good. When you play against a bot, you have to ask yourself, what strategy is it using to beat me. What do I have that can beat it?

I'm not sure why so many people think you can't apply that same strategy to humans.

Most games that have a ranked mode that I play, I play the hardest bot until I'm fully comfortable.
When I meet some particularly annoying strategy, I ask myself, what is the bot using that is so effective - why does my move seem to be crushed - what can i do differently to prevent this
After I go back online, I use the exact same strategy I praticed against the bots, with the reflexes I gained and can stomp most people assuming there is no lag and the person isn't just beyond superior.

The truth is, facing godly opponents and figuring out why they're godly is a strategy that works no matter what you're facing.
When I played ranked ARMS and before that, ranked counterstrike if I get dominated by other people too much, I go back off online against the toughest bots until I'm comfortable again then go back online and my win% soars up.

If you fight against a bot using a particular strategy, then expect the human to play the exact same way, you need to change your mindset
You need to adapt to how the bot is adapting to you.
You can apply the exact same strategy against real humans except you have to adapt continuously since people change up their stuff when they feel like they have been figured.