Main a low tier to get better at mindgames?

[Sonic94]

I have heard that maining a low tier (particularly slow heavies like Gannondorf and bowser) helps you learn how to mindgame people due to there playstyle and that it is necessary for you to win. Is this true and is it worth attempting?

 

[1FC0]

I think that it is not worth it since every character requires mindgames and gives good practice as long as your opponents are good enough to give you trouble.

So I suggest seeking stronger opponents instead of worse characters if your victories come too easy and you want to practice. And if your opponents generally are already good enough to give you trouble then you probably are already getting enough practice if you play enough.

 

[Charey]

I think that it's more that when learning how to play competitively the low tier mains, specifically the heavies learn mind games earlier because it's more central to their game plan where as the fast character mains would focus on learning strings first because that is the center of their play.

I would suggest that if you want to learn mind games make that your focus during friendlies rather then taking the time to learn a character that you never plan to actually use, any character can use mind games and some characters have mind games unique to what they can do, like Duck Hunt's can tricks.

 

[AlMoStLeGeNdArY]

I have heard that maining a low tier (particularly slow heavies like Gannondorf and bowser) helps you learn how to mindgame people due to there playstyle and that it is necessary for you to win. Is this true and is it worth attempting?

Na I'd just pick a top tier if I was you. Playing bad characters don't give you some inherent advantage. Any character can have mind games.

 

[Baby_Sneak]

Main who you like, regardless of tier positioning

 

[Sonicninja115]

The only reason to pick a low tier to get better is because they are worse then other characters. For example if you are playing a ganondorf vs. shiek then in order to win you will have to purely outplay the other player. You will have to have better reading skills, tech and mindgames. You can't rely on your character as much as a sheik or rosalina main can.

 

[Big-Cat]

No, as the play styles vary too much. You can learn certain things by playing different characters, but it won't guarantee better mind games.

 

[C0rvus]

Every character can teach you mindgames. Actually, mindgames happen independently of your characters for the most part. I can think of a couple other reasons to play low tiers, but playing a high tier has more merit tbh.

 

[Raijinken]

It's a true statement at some level, but on the other hand, it may not work for you as a player. Since they depend so heavily on reads and mindgames, if your opponent gets the advantage (or even if you're just getting used to the playstyle), you don't really have much to fall back on.

If mindgames are your goal, I'd say aim more towards the mid-tiers, where at least if your mindgames fail you have a little bit to fall back on. Characters like Lucario, Ike, Megaman, Ryu (if you consider him as bad as mid-tier) and Little Mac (when used carefully) all have enough strengths to fall back on if your mindgaming fails, provided you're reasonably skilled at them to begin with.

 

[Pinnacle-eSport]

Maybe won't help you learn but will rather force you into that style or else lose

 

[Axel311]

I think learning to play a heavy well definitely improves your punish game. You have to rely on reads to win matches, unlike top tiers that don't and can rely on safe moves. As someone who mained Dedede for ~8 months and switched to Wario as primary main fairly recently, I think it does rub off.

 

[LightLV]

Practicing off the handicap of a low-tier provides a fleeting advantage at best. Being proficient at any character requires you to be on-point with your punishes and mindgames. And in the case of punishes, this is often very character and situation specific, so it's not like being a godlike punisher with Ganon is going to magically make your Shiek punishes that much better.

What you're really doing is learning to win with access to less options. Which, honestly, after a certain skill level has alot more to do with your opponent's mastery than your own, just by nature of your handicap.