Marth Help

[dodoromeo]

Before I begin... Please don't flame...

Now, I have always played smash casually with my mates, since SSB, followed through to Melee and now Brawl; although none of us got used to advanced techniques, ever. Now I'm looking to change my game, and head for the competitive scene.

I decided to go with a fresh start with Brawl, since Melee has a plethora of advanced techs that even if I learned them now, it may be a waste of time because of Brawl's popularity.

Anyway, back on topic, I have selected Marth because I find him a good character and I enjoy playing him. I have looked at the guides and found out some valuable insights, only I'm not exactly sure where to begin. Which leads me to my question.

Where should a new Marth player, seeking to play competitively, begin in his training? Any help would be appreciated, and please don't flame, I'm not sure if this is in the right section, but it seems the most logical. Thanks.

 

[grandmaster192]

This goes for any character...

Do you have total control over Marth? That is the most important thing when starting a character. If you watch a vid of a pro player, their control is almost flawless. It's the most basic but important thing IMO.

 

[dodoromeo]

Well, I can do all of the intermediate stuff, I'm no beginner to Smash, but no pro either. My game with Marth at the moment involves what could be called an 'overuse' of his Fair and Fsmash, with a Nair, Bair and Dancing blade combo every now and then.

 

[grandmaster192]

Why the fsmash? That move isn't all that good. You can sneak in an early ko with it, but the dnacing blades beats in every other way.

 

[SagePrime]

Dont overuse any one move. Mix it up. Most Marths ive seen use fair and fsmash way to much. Learn to use his shieldbreaker. And one very important thing with Marth is spacing. Learn how to tip hit well.

 

[Ulevo]

Start playing CPUs at lvl 3 or lower daily on set neutral stages at random, and have the character set to random as well. Do this to practice your basic techniques, such as your spacing, weaving, tipping, and simplistic combos. Keep in control of the match without going over board, and try to focus on what it is you are trying to learn and where you would apply it in a real match.

When you fight your friends or other players, use what you've learned and apply it there in friendlies. Try to play as much as you can to learn as best you can. If you wish to know with what to learn or where to start, the guide in my signature is a good place to look. It has a lot of the advanced and basic qualities of Marth, where and when to use them, and how to apply them.

If you have any further specific questions, simply ask here on the Marth boards.

 

[Doodx]

SERIOUSLY now
learn not to spam fair
also check out Emblem Lord's threads They are Top Tierz! they will help alot in playing your marth

 

[zCasanova]

The first thing you need to learn to do is short hop, after that, you have to become comfortable with fast falling. Once you have these two basic techniques down, you need to understand that there are more approach methods than just fair->fair->fsmash; this is the biggest obstacle I see most new Marths having to overcome. While fair->fair is fine for spacing, you don't want your Marth to become stale and predictable, which is the case with many newcomers. A lot of new Marths get stuck here because this approach works on other beginners, but once you step into the competitive scene, that's no longer the case. For every improperly spaced fair you throw at an experienced player, there's almost alway a shield grab or some other form of punishment waiting for you once you've landed.

Back on topic--once you're able to switch it up a bit, you then have to learn to properly utilize the rest of Marth's moveset: dancing blade, dtilit, utilt, dolphin slash, etc. After you've made it this far, there isn't much left to learn as far as technical skill goes, everything starts to be more about mindgames and your ability to read your opponent. As Ulevo said, check EL's guide, there's a ton of helpful information in there for new Marth mains.

 

[dodoromeo]

Ah ok, many thanks to all of you, I'm off to practise my Marth lol.

@Moderator: Please close this thread at your discretion.

 

[Pierce7d]

Eh . . . get very comfortable with using the C-stick to activate aerials, so you can space better.

 

[Rave925]

Spacing is everything with Marth, remember that. Spamming Fsmashes is not good to do at all, because it's too predictable and if you mess up you're going to regret it. Short hop fairs and dancing blade is what you want to concentrate a lot of your Marths game around, since it puts a lot of pressure on your opponent. Dolphin Slash is a great surprise kill move at high percent, but don't be predictable with it. utilts and dtilts are great for openings and also good for spacing yourself between you and your opponent. Only do Fsmash if you really think you're going to hit with it, since it is powerful and has decent range. If you want to, you can battle against my Marth and see how you do.