• Welcome to Smashboards, the world's largest Super Smash Brothers community! Over 250,000 Smash Bros. fans from around the world have come to discuss these great games in over 19 million posts!

    You are currently viewing our boards as a visitor. Click here to sign up right now and start on your path in the Smash community!

Is constant shieldgrabbing a noob strategy?

Quillion

Smash Hero
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
5,718
I hear a lot of people complaining about how good shield grabbing is, but in the tournament footage I've browsed, I fail to see it used a lot. I guess there was that one :4diddy: ditto with M2K and Nairo (iirc) that had a lot of grabbing, but that was chalked more up to the OP combo than anything.
 

Ranias

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
233
Location
Georgia, USA
NNID
Ranias
3DS FC
1864-9368-1757
Competitive players are aware of shield grabbing, so they find ways to not get shield grabbed as much.

For example, you will likely not see many pro players aerial and land in front of a shield.

There is also often harder ways to punish than a grab.
 
Last edited:

PSIBoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 11, 2014
Messages
1,103
Location
Aboda Village
Constant shield grabbing would be punished by a smart player. If you keep falling for the same thing, it's your own fault.
 

TimeSmash

Smash Champion
Joined
Aug 23, 2006
Messages
2,669
Location
Inside a cheesecake
NNID
nintend64
While shieldhrabbing in itself is not noobish, spamming it in every situation will not work as described above. Like anything else, shieldgrabbing can be baited and punished, so you're better off using it more sporadically. That is unless, you're playing someone who falls for it every time haha, but that's usually not the case
 

Blablabug

Smash Cadet
Joined
Dec 16, 2014
Messages
29
Nothing is really noobish, if you don't see something being used by the pro players it is only because they can't do it against a strong opponent. If they were against someone who is really easy to grab, they would grab him a lot, that's all !
 

Raijinken

Smash Master
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Messages
4,420
Location
Durham, NC
If it works each time, then it's the other player that needs to step up their game.

If it fails often and you keep using it, then yes, it's a sign that your strategy is underdeveloped.
 

Rajikaru

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Messages
249
Yoshi and Bowser's respective Pit codecs encourage shield grabbing, though. It's supposed to be a basic strategy.
No, the Bowser guidance says "Fight smart and look for chances to counterattack" verbatim, not even mentioning shield grabbing or grabbing for that matter, and the Yoshi guidance encourages shielding and grabbing when the Yoshi's using Egg Roll, which is the most effective strategy in such a situation (especially in online where attack timing can be screwy).

Shield Grabbing isn't "noobish" or anything like that, if it's effective for the person in question then it's effective, and if anybody wants to win against it they''ll have to suck it up because unless it's something that's considered universally over-powerful, nothing's going to change about it (unless a counter comes that beats it 100% of the time). The first tip I'd give (since I have to learn not how to just jump in front of an enemy and leave me wide open for a free grab myself) is to focus more on letting the enemy come to you and positioning yourself so when they approach you, you have the spacial advantage.
 
Last edited:

Quillion

Smash Hero
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
5,718
No, the Bowser guidance says "Fight smart and look for chances to counterattack" verbatim, not even mentioning shield grabbing or grabbing for that matter, and the Yoshi guidance encourages shielding and grabbing when the Yoshi's using Egg Roll, which is the most effective strategy in such a situation (especially in online where attack timing can be screwy).

Shield Grabbing isn't "noobish" or anything like that, if it's effective for the person in question then it's effective, and if anybody wants to win against it they''ll have to suck it up because unless it's something that's considered universally over-powerful, nothing's going to change about it (unless a counter comes that beats it 100% of the time). The first tip I'd give (since I have to learn not how to just jump in front of an enemy and leave me wide open for a free grab myself) is to focus more on letting the enemy come to you and positioning yourself so when they approach you, you have the spacial advantage.
What happens if they don't come? Particularly when I'm not playing as a projectile user?
 

Rajikaru

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Messages
249
What happens if they don't come? Particularly when I'm not playing as a projectile user?
You gotta pressure their shield then, or approach in unexpected ways. Some characters have airs that are good for approaching as they give enough space to not be shield-grabbed. Like I said, I do it myself, the whole "get really up close and end up grabbed" problem, so I still have to learn how to not do it too.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom