Is it too late?

[mariogamer]

Yes, I perfectly know this question is asked a lot but....

Welp, this wednesday, it was the first time I saw melee great player (in a local tournanement).

But, not like smash 4 where I was at least able to "do something" against great player, I simply got rekt..... REALLY hard...

That's why I am asking myself if it is too late to enter competitive scene... Is it?

 

[pagedMov]

Absolutely not, in fact, now is probably one of the best times to start playing competitively. The amount of resources available to Melee players is larger than ever before, which is what gives you an edge over the people that started playing earlier than you. These resources could be anything like frame data, guides, training tools like the 20XX hack pack, netplay, etc. Things like this make the game easier to access than ever before, making now a great time to start.

 

[ChivalRuse]

Nobody ever asked "is it too late to start playing chess?" The best games have no expiration date.

 

[KirinKQP]

You aren't too late and there's a bunch of videos and guides on pretty much everything for the game. Learning tech for the character is the easy paparand can grinded to master and matchup knowledge comes with experience. The hard part about Melee is the learning curve on things people can't just tell you how to do; things you have to find out for yourself like memorizing combos at certain percents, analyzing other sets, and noticing small things mid-match. Small things like the opponent's DI and their attack timings. These are crucial and take a lot of time to grasp effectively and to put to use in a set.

The competitive scene has gotten better over the last couple of years. Just jumping in without feeling comfortable with your character and stages will suck. Sure, everyone has a s*** time at first then they get good eventually. But without preparation, that "getting wrecked" period will last a while. Get a sparring partner or play a butt-load of friendlies at tournaments.

Play the game a lot to get a feel for your main (master them before you get secondaries) and look to improve. Yes, it's just a game, have fun. But what's the fun about losing? In Melee, it is very easy to lose and difficult to win; persistence and ambition can carry you.

 

[JFB (JurgaBurgaFlintines)]

It's never too late to enter the Melee scene. If you feel really motivated to play more after getting bodied, go ahead! There are so many resources and guides on how to improve. You have the Melee Library, Smashboards, SSBM Tutorials and soo much more. Another thing is that joining the community is a great way to make new friends and have some fun.

 

[tsmfoxmaster]

No it's not to late melee scene is bigger than ever. More people are getting into the scene melee will be around for many more years.

 

[JagerCrush]

Tools like 20XX and netplay can help you to develop fast. Since the meta is so developed and players are so good it can be very intimidating to enter tournaments or go to locals. But you will find most of the community is very welcoming to new blood no matter what skill level and people are willing to play friendlies, give advice etc. everyone had to start at some point. Even if it's late in the game's life, the scene is bigger now than it was a decade ago and once upon a time that was thought to be the peak of Melee.
Just for comparison, even though Sm4sh gets more entrants the twitch viewership of an event is usually about double for Melee than it is for Sm4sh. Melee is still very much alive and it should still have a few years left at the very least.

 

[Madcatz McGee]

If you want to play the game and you have a passion for it, it's never too late to start.

 

[.Marik]

melee is ridiculously high learning curve , as well as the most demanding technical skill ceiling of any fighting game i know

just remember that and you wont get discouraged. its a hard game that requires grinding and time invested. good luck

 

[Captain Phobos]

Not too late, but you'll have a he11 of a time getting there. Melee is one of the most competitive games out there, and I doubt that there will be a time in the next 10 years that people will stop playing it.

 

[Lola Luftnagle]

Certainly not. If competitive play is your aim, go for it. But of all the Smash games, this one has a pretty massive learning curve partly due to advanced techs. Thankfully, y'all don't have to figure all of it out on your own since there are tons of resources to work with. So chop-chop! We're always open to new competition.