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Mind Games/Conditioning with Diddy Kong

Valciar

Smash Rookie
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
15
Location
Vermont
NNID
Valciar
Hi All!

Just a quick into for myself I'm a Diddy main from Vermont as well as a TO down there. I feel like recently I've gotten into a slump into my gameplay, I feel like my fundamentals are at a good spot and I'm now trying to incorporate as much mental game as I can with Diddy now but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to progress from it so I've wanted to ask this question for a while but, What kind of Mind Games/Conditioning do you guys do with Diddy Kong? I wanted to see what kinds of things other than myself people do to incorporate into my gameplay and just because knowledge can definitely be power in this game. I wanted to make this thread a temporary general discussion on the topic I'll list a couple of things myself.

Mind Games:
Banana:
One thing I'll do with banana is hold it in my hand and in general see how they react to it. This may be an obvious one but might be useful for new Diddy players. I will then see how they respond such as holding shield, short hopping, then pick the appropriate option.

Leaving Banana on the ground is another one, see how an opponent will react to where it is on the field and wither or not they will go after it, if I go after how they respond, etc.

Conditioning:
This is one concept I'm starting to learn but unfortunately don't have a ton of useful information on how to approach doing it with Diddy.

Anyway I look forward to hearing responses and happy Diddying! :D
 

EmpireCrusher203

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
79
Location
Florida
3DS FC
3926-7161-9170
Breaks my heart to see thsi thread go down :'(

Okay so, here are my methods of conditioning in game.

Airdodge:
In order to condition your opponent to airdodge, you muzt first rush at him, all the time. In other words, punish all jumps with fair, and punish zero spotdodges, shields (optional), or spotdodges. Your opponent will assume that you have a tough time with this and will continously use it, and yoy will continously fall for it. Although i could grt huge punishes off of these dodges, i opt not too. Why? Well because when my opponent is a kill percent and I'm on Town and City, i can upthrow upair 50/50. My opponent, having dodging the entire match, will assume that I am a scrub who will just rush in, so they airdodge. However, you being the trickster that you are, know that his first reaction is to airdodge, will simply delay the attack and net the kill. However, for this to sork, you must phlunish anything that isnt an airdodge, spotdodge, or roll. If your opponent is smart enough, they'll catch on and fall into your trap. If they dint, well then you get free punishes.

Anti-Shield conditioning:
Another simple one, read every time they pull up a shield with a monkey flip. In order to get them into their sheild, have a banana onhand. Now, monkey flip grab. Your opponent will get frustrated, and if he's smart, he'll catch on and react aggressively. This is much riskier, and i dont recommend on characters with huge combo strings. You must let them punish you. This affects their playstylw, rewarding them for offensive play and punishing defensive (punish rolls with the banana or monkeyflip kick). And once they become aggressive, they also become more predictable. Now you can watch and take mental notes of your opponents best combos, and approach tactics. I use this mostly on campy characters, as their approach game is predictable imo. Once you know their approaches, you can actively find a way to pumish it. Now punishing offensive play. However, now you must let them escape with shield, rolls, and spotdodges. Thus turning them back defensive, and the cycle continues. The shole pount if this? To willingly change your opponent's playstyle. Smart eh?
 

Chief Hotsuin

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Oct 11, 2015
Messages
262
Location
Newark, California
NNID
Blue-Rob
3DS FC
3411-3937-1436
100% what EmpireCrusher203 said. Diddy Kong on his own is really frustrating to fight, in my Corrinly opinion. lf someone thinks they have a surefire way to get a cheesy win, they'll use it if they don't know any better. Outside of a banana confirm or grab 50/50, Diddy doesn't have great ways of killing, from what l know, so having these resources (being the potential control of opponents habits with Banana and the MFing MF) could help clutch it out when you know you'll need it. This goes for a lot of players and is probably most immediately useful with Bayo's Witch Time.

But then you get to the point of meeting someone else with the same idea in mind and then it becomes a much more complex game of rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock, where you need to know if you're baiting or being baited and whether it worth going for it that game. Or even that set. These things could go on through more than one match, if necessary.

l don't believe there's too much to delve into outside of Monkey Flip and Banana shenanigans but there's always the classic tomahawk grab after ff fair conditioning. l think this might just be something you need to play more with. Try experimenting.
 
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