thatoneguy1
Smash Journeyman
i feel like you would learn more strategies as a single character than if you swap between like 3 characters. Could there also be times when that's not enough due to a bad matchup?
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is it bad to swap characters when you lose?
- Thread starter thatoneguy1
- Start date
Nixon Corral
Southland Scion
Certainly bad matchups can make it very hard to win against someone that plays the opposing character well, but in a tournament setting especially, it's always wise to play as whatever character you think gives you the best chance of winning. Personally, I rarely switch because I'm only tournament competent (and even then only just) with one character. As I practice with others that may change, but the point is It's all a matter of who you feel most comfortable winning with.
When just practicing, I think it's always a good idea to just keep getting beaten over and over as long as you're taking steps to figure out why you're losing. If you can ultimately turn the tides and win, you've really learned something.
When just practicing, I think it's always a good idea to just keep getting beaten over and over as long as you're taking steps to figure out why you're losing. If you can ultimately turn the tides and win, you've really learned something.
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LancerStaff
Smash Hero
It's definitely a good idea if you're concerned about the win. But it's also important to learn the matchup with the other character, so that way you'll stand a chance before you can switch. Characters with lopsided matchups (Mac, Megaman, ect.) basically need to switch to win at times. But characters with more even ones (Marios, Pits) should probably tough it out unless you've got a character that handles them easily.
If you aren't sure if you should switch or not, don't. You are naturally going to emotionally fixate on the problems of the matchup you just lost, causing your evaluation to be skewed in favor of a seeking a different matchup.
It's a grass-is-always-greener situation.
Generally only people with tons of competitive experience with multiple true mains benefit from switching.
It's a grass-is-always-greener situation.
Generally only people with tons of competitive experience with multiple true mains benefit from switching.
AvariceX
Smash Champion
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Rule of thumb: stick to your best character unless there's a matchup it simply can't win, then learn a counterpick for that matchup.
If you lose the first game of a 4-6 matchup it's probably not worth it to switch off your best character even if you can play a character with a better matchup. The advantages you gain from the matchup are probably outweighed by the advantages you lose by not playing your best most experienced character. If you lose the first game of a 3-7 and you have a 7-3 counterpick that you are actually proficient with then yeah go for it. Just be aware you could be counterpicked back next game so you might need to know how to fight that character's counters as well (so when learning a character for a counterpick try to make it one who doesn't have any hard counters themselves). Only problem is we don't really know who counters who yet so best to stick to your guns.
If you lose the first game of a 4-6 matchup it's probably not worth it to switch off your best character even if you can play a character with a better matchup. The advantages you gain from the matchup are probably outweighed by the advantages you lose by not playing your best most experienced character. If you lose the first game of a 3-7 and you have a 7-3 counterpick that you are actually proficient with then yeah go for it. Just be aware you could be counterpicked back next game so you might need to know how to fight that character's counters as well (so when learning a character for a counterpick try to make it one who doesn't have any hard counters themselves). Only problem is we don't really know who counters who yet so best to stick to your guns.
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Keep in mind, if their character DOES have a bad matchup, they are probably WAAAY better at the matchup than you.
We're talking about a matchup they have specifically focused on with their main, versus a random matchup with your secondary.
I played Jigglypuff in Brawl, and enjoyed a lovely 2-8 matchup against G&W. But I never lost to a G&W secondary in a tourney set, ever. (And several people tried.)
We're talking about a matchup they have specifically focused on with their main, versus a random matchup with your secondary.
I played Jigglypuff in Brawl, and enjoyed a lovely 2-8 matchup against G&W. But I never lost to a G&W secondary in a tourney set, ever. (And several people tried.)
DavemanCozy
Smash Photographer
If you swap to a character you are unfamiliar with, it's gonna be a bad time no matter what. There are players who are also really good, even at their bad matchups. So if you end up picking a secondary and tertiary, make sure to learn them first.
In my opinion, if you want to play competitively, it's best to stick with 3 characters at most. The more characters you try to play, the more you have to learn: don't overload yourself with information.
If you're playing friendlies though, you should go nuts and try different characters. Specially now that the game is so fresh, new things are being found with every character.
In my opinion, if you want to play competitively, it's best to stick with 3 characters at most. The more characters you try to play, the more you have to learn: don't overload yourself with information.
If you're playing friendlies though, you should go nuts and try different characters. Specially now that the game is so fresh, new things are being found with every character.
thatoneguy1
Smash Journeyman
i main very few characters and generally only use 2, the second is in case of a bad match up.
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I agree with what has been stated by multiple people on this thread already. However, I would like to add my own personal experience as well and hopefully help you out in the process as the others have done.
For me, the concept of having two mains is a little difficult. In a few cases though I have seen people be extremely competent with two characters to adequately call it having two mains. My opinion though is that having one character as your main should be your goal, especially if you have other obligations that cut down on your time. This will allow you to know the in's and out's of your character. In my case, with Smash 4, I decided to take it a step further and actually study frames and other concepts that are still alien to me. But all of this applied to my main in the game; Lucina.
In my previous local community, I was one of the regulars at the Brawl Scene. When I started playing Brawl competitively my main was Luigi. I was new to competitive smash. As I started trying to increase the odds of placing higher in tournaments, I began using Meta-Knight to the point that he became my main and Luigi my secondary. In other words, most of my time practicing went into perfecting my knowledge of that character. On the other hand, I personally had a terrible match-up as Meta-Knight against Diddy Kong. Yet, my Luigi had a much better time versus Diddy. So I focused my time on learning Luigi's match-up against Diddy to the point where I was confident in using him in tournaments if that match-up indeed occurred. If this is your case, then I consider having a secondary advantageous as long as it does not eat up the time that you could be perfecting the craft of your main. At the end of the day it also comes down to how much knowledge your opponent has against your own character.
Anyways, this is my own personal opinion and I hope it helps you out at the end of the day when you make the final decision.
For me, the concept of having two mains is a little difficult. In a few cases though I have seen people be extremely competent with two characters to adequately call it having two mains. My opinion though is that having one character as your main should be your goal, especially if you have other obligations that cut down on your time. This will allow you to know the in's and out's of your character. In my case, with Smash 4, I decided to take it a step further and actually study frames and other concepts that are still alien to me. But all of this applied to my main in the game; Lucina.
In my previous local community, I was one of the regulars at the Brawl Scene. When I started playing Brawl competitively my main was Luigi. I was new to competitive smash. As I started trying to increase the odds of placing higher in tournaments, I began using Meta-Knight to the point that he became my main and Luigi my secondary. In other words, most of my time practicing went into perfecting my knowledge of that character. On the other hand, I personally had a terrible match-up as Meta-Knight against Diddy Kong. Yet, my Luigi had a much better time versus Diddy. So I focused my time on learning Luigi's match-up against Diddy to the point where I was confident in using him in tournaments if that match-up indeed occurred. If this is your case, then I consider having a secondary advantageous as long as it does not eat up the time that you could be perfecting the craft of your main. At the end of the day it also comes down to how much knowledge your opponent has against your own character.
Anyways, this is my own personal opinion and I hope it helps you out at the end of the day when you make the final decision.
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