My First Tournament Experience: Not What I expected (But Don't Give Up!)

[StealthyGunnar]

Link to original post: [drupal=3543]My First Tournament Experience: Not What I expected (But Don't Give Up!)[/drupal]



Games N Go at Rosedale Mall. I'll be there, I thought. It'll be awesome. I'll get to meet some new people and maybe I'll win a few games.

I'm hyped. It's game day. It's gonna be awesome. But it wasn't. It was not the experience I thought it would be.

I arrived at Games N Go at around 5:30, tourney didn't start until 6:15. Luckily, some guys with setups came and we played some friendlies, and I just didn't understand why I wasn't doing better. But it wasn't that bad. I got to meet Moe and Deepak, both good players. We play some team friendlies, my team kept losing time and time again, but it's just friendlies. I also watch some friendlies and notice this guy just owning with Marth against some other guy playing Fox. Then the rules are told to all attendees. Double elimination? Awesome. I'll get a second chance if I lose.

First match in the tourney, Moe vs. me. "Good luck", he says. Random stage picked - we went to FoD. I picked Doc since I love playing as him, and Moe picked Falco. Needless to say, he slaughtered me. For some reason, after everything I've practice, I just can't perform as well as I do at home. Nerves or something, I don't know.
Second set, I pick Ganon and go Dreamland. He stays w/ Falco. I took a few stocks off him, but still, he slaughtered me. He shook my hand afterward and said "good game." I said, "No... it wasn't," but with a smile. But he was a nice guy and gave me some good advice. "You gotta lose some before you start winning. Check out Mn Smash. We got smashfests almost everyday. That's where you get your practice." Taking this in, I get up and await my next match still thinking about why I didn't perform better. Something was wrong. After forgetting about the previous match, I start watching these two randoms I don't know. Mario vs. Link. Not a very exciting match, but who cares. Mario wins and some other guys step up to the TV, plug in their controllers and start playing.

My name is called up after about 5-6mins. Me vs. the guy that played fox against Marth in the friendlies. Of course, I decide to use Captain Falcon. He uses Fox and we go to Dreamland. He barely wins, by one stock.
Next set, I pick Marth thinking, "maybe I'll have some luck and beat him." But no, he just reads me too well. And I still keep wondering why I'm not doing better. Then I realize that the calibration on the TV's were off. Like there was either lag on the TV I normally play, or there was lag on these. I don't know which. It didn't matter, though. I couldn't adjust in time. But again, he beats me. And I hear the words I hope I never have to hear again: "Wow... you kinda suck." I answer meekly, "I know."

I get up with my controller and walk away. I feel weightless... I feel like I'm about to break down. I didn't stay for the rest of the tourney. I couldn't learn anything from watching these people who are at a level I will only someday achieve. The only thing I learned is that I need to get way better.

I see my mom walking by and follow her out. I tell her I'm ready to go and explain that I lose both my matches in a row. I still feeling like breaking down. I put all this effort in just to lose and to be told that I suck. Not how I thought my first tournament would go. I know I wouldn't get far, but to be told I suck? That just ruined it. Now I'm wondering if I should even play melee anymore. I don't want to have to be told I suck ever again.

Eventually, we get home. And as I'm writing this blog, I realize something: I'm not going to stop playing melee, no matter how many times I lose. I'm going to show that kid who really sucks the next time I see him. I will get better. And I will beat him.

So for all of you who want to quit, don't. You can only get better and learn from your mistakes.

 

[Still Alive]

Huh, I usually take nonconstructive criticism well, but I still hope that my first tournament goes well.

 

[StealthyGunnar]

It should be fine. The main reason I wasn't as good as everybody else was that I had nobody to play/practice with. Mainly computers.

 

[The_Guide]

You shouldn't be too hard on yourself. Everyone started at the level you're at, you'll work to it eventually.

Did that Fox player even give you a GG? Just "you suck"?

 

[StealthyGunnar]

You shouldn't be too hard on yourself. Everyone started at the level you're at, you'll work to it eventually.

Did that Fox player even give you a GG? Just "you suck"?

Ya, he said "Wow... you kinda suck" while we were playing. But his GG, I'm sure, was arrogant and he didn't mean it.

 

[Geist]

That Fox player was a ****.

Definitely keep going. Same thing happened to me at my first tourney, there weren't many matches I wasn't 4-stocked in.
The weird thing about improving is that you never notice it. People you play just seem to get worse at the game, and you don't realize you're 10 times better until you see old vids of yourself.

 

[StealthyGunnar]

That Fox player was a ****.

Definitely keep going. Same thing happened to me at my first tourney, there weren't many matches I wasn't 4-stocked in.
The weird thing about improving is that you never notice it. People you play just seem to get worse at the game, and you don't realize you're 10 times better until you see old vids of yourself.

Thanks man.

 

[#HBC | Gorf]

Just go out to tournies. Training with CPU's will make you plateau. Off of memory, I think you said a dude hosts smashfests like every day? Go check those out frequently.

Also, you went from Doc, to Ganon, to Falcon, to Marth. Stick with one, two at the most. I wouldn't advise Doc. There comes a point where you can't get any better, and somebody at your level will beat you because, well, he's not a good character. Sure, he's fun as hell, but not for tournies. You said you almost won as Falcon. Falcon's great. Maybe find an alt, and you can develop.

 

[Melomaniacal]

The Fox was definitely a ****, ignore him.

Just a few suggestions:
Don't leave early if you don't have to. Try to get as many friendlies as you can and ask for advice. Most importantly: don't use a different character every match. If a match was close, stick with the character and counterpick stage. You won't get much better with a character if you don't stick with him for awhile.

 

[Fly_Amanita]

You seem really determined to improve. That alone should take you a long way.

Here's what I recommend doing:

1. Go to tourneys and smashfests. Keep track of whatever sort of situations/tactics cause you problems.
2. When you go home, write down everything that was troubling you. If it's something basic like technical consistency in a few particular scenarios, you can practice that on your own. For the other problems, first try to come up with your own solutions. It's fine if you don't come up with the greatest options; I think this process helps you become more aware of your character's options in general. After doing that, watch videos of better players to see what they do in these scenarios. You can also ask on the relevant character boards for insight, but I think it helps a lot more to actually see exactly how things work out as opposed to merely reading a vague description of something.
4. Go to a tourney/smashfest and try everything out. Keep track of how you perform in the former problematic scenarios and try to identify new weaknesses.

and so on

 

[trumpcard]

wow dude thats intimidating im hoping to go to my first tourny in the fall ive been playing for years but never got the courage to say im gonna do this u did and thats a big step and then u lost but u tried and thats the second step. third is improving fourth is gettin back on that saddle so to speak in the end its mostly battle experience that helps

 

[Glöwworm]

You seem really determined to improve. That alone should take you a long way.

Here's what I recommend doing:

1. Go to tourneys and smashfests. Keep track of whatever sort of situations/tactics cause you problems.
2. When you go home, write down everything that was troubling you. If it's something basic like technical consistency in a few particular scenarios, you can practice that on your own. For the other problems, first try to come up with your own solutions. It's fine if you don't come up with the greatest options; I think this process helps you become more aware of your character's options in general. After doing that, watch videos of better players to see what they do in these scenarios. You can also ask on the relevant character boards for insight, but I think it helps a lot more to actually see exactly how things work out as opposed to merely reading a vague description of something.
4. Go to a tourney/smashfest and try everything out. Keep track of how you perform in the former problematic scenarios and try to identify new weaknesses.

and so on

I'd recommend doing this if you are indeed determined to 1up that fox player.

 

[t3h Icy]

1. Pick a main. Perhaps a co-main/secondary for tougher match-ups, or go purely with one character to the point where you know enough to handle bad match-ups.

2. Practice and play often. You'll improve with other people that want to also.

3. Learn how to adapt to other players. It's an incredibly useful tool that can help balance skill differences (I got 5th at my first tourney because of it =D).

4. Even if you're Mango, you're going to lose sometimes.

 

[StealthyGunnar]

Thanks guys. But finding a main, that is just such a problem for me. I swear, I've swtiched mains at least every few weeks for years now. I just can't stick with one. They lose their fun.

 

[kpm91]

That's where your determination and hard work have to kick in. Everybody has doubts about their character and start to get bored with them but you just gotta see your way through it.

Also, you'll get better as time progresses. Experience is the key so play as many people as possible and FiretrUCK that Fox player up next time lol.

 

[StealthyGunnar]

lol thanks.

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

Don't let people like that Fox main get you down! That was a total jerk move on his part!! D:<

Just as everyone else has been saying, go to smashfests and more tournaments and just keep practicing. Just keep up the effort and you'll see results! :D
Best of luck in the future!!

 

[StealthyGunnar]

Thanks everyone for the positive advice!

 

[Steel_Samurai]

Wow, That fox player must be really insecure about his own skill level to say something like that
If you start getting firsthand experience, you should be able to improve dramatically

Just know 99% of smashers aren't *** holes like that

 

[StealthyGunnar]

Well that's comforting. And it's not like he was the best either, he lost his first match and put him in losers with me.

 

[Today]

Wow @ the guy saying that. Don't listen to him! He's a jerk...
It was your fist tournament playing Melee at that! I'm a Brawl player, and my first tournament I did poorly in pools and got eliminated. I didn't even get to play brackets.
But that's your fist tournament! That's going to happen! You get better by going to more tournaments and smashfests.
Don't agree that you suck, say, "Hey! I'm going to kick butt next time." and that's exactly what you're going to aim to do. And if you fail, there's the next time and you keep going.

I agree with finding a main. When I was reading you going CF then Marth I cringed. Key to getting better:
Stick with one character.
You can't focus on multiple characters, otherwise none of them will become better. If you put all your time and working on a single character, you'll get better. Work on what's best for that character, their stages, your worse stages, what you can do against x character on y stage, etc. It'll take a lot of time, but that's how you get better.
I've been playing my main for over a year now going on two. Granted, I started competitive Smash in September of '09. However, I worked up fast. I went from losing to top ten. I focused on my single character for months. I went to smashfests, I played loads of friendlies before and after tournaments, I went to loads of tournaments.

And it's okay to get nervous sometimes! Take a deep breath and have confidence. I learn I do better when I'm extremely confident in myself. I get nervous break downs sometimes, and being a girl sometimes I feel that I HAVE to do good otherwise people are going to assume I'm just bad so it's double the pressure. And hey... I lose sometimes and I get sad, but I think, "I'll get them next time!"

Either way, good luck! Don't let your first tournament bring you down, let it bring you up and motivate you to kick butt next time!

 

[StealthyGunnar]

Thanks, but how do I find that one char that's right for me? I admire HMW playing Doc and all, but he'll only get you so far. It seems that the chars that are fun to play are always low-mid tier, and like I said, they will only make it so far.

 

[Today]

If you enjoy playing low-mid tiers then you enjoy playing.
There are Brawl players that play low tiers. Surely, it's difficult (there's MK to worry about,) but they enjoy their character and they work on that character. And despite being a low tier or a mid tier, they do well with that character. I've seen an awesome Link player that places high all the time. Admittedly, he'll probably never get first because yeah, Link's bad in Brawl... but he enjoys himself.
And if you need to you can focus on your low-mid tier character for a long time, get him/her really good and kick butt. Afterwards, if you feel like you need to work on a secondary do so. But you will not get better focusing on multiple characters.
It's tough, I see people do it. Playing a bad character and getting so far. But they like that character and they have and that's what's important. And like I said, once that character is good enough you can always pick up a secondary.
Not everyone plays Metaknight!
Not everyone plays Fox!

 

[Glöwworm]

Main a high tier character and make your secondary one of those low tier characters you enjoy using

 

[StealthyGunnar]

I was actually going to consider using a low-tier as my main, and maybe Fox or CP as my secondary considering I used to play both of them.

Also, next tourney is on Friday. Unfortunately it's a brawl tourney, but I'll be going mostly just to meet people. Thanks for all the advice guys.

 

[inditled]

jeez sorry i feel rly bad D: i look like a complete *** now,

sorry man in all honesty i dont remeber sayin this tho

you may have misheard what i said

i have no room to say you suck cuz i suck alot too but really im sorry i really am >.<

gtkjalierwjtiajertija'ewtastaweoktewkjaet'l

again sorry

 

[StealthyGunnar]

Lol man. Don't worry too much about it. I just need more practice, and r u going to the brawl tourney>

 

[Jim Morrison]

Thanks guys. But finding a main, that is just such a problem for me. I swear, I've swtiched mains at least every few weeks for years now. I just can't stick with one. They lose their fun.

God, I know your pain.

It took me a long, long time to find a main, because I kept with the attitude "man my main has to be in the top 8 characters or I'll never win". I always picked one of those characters, never did terrible but I still wasn't anywhere near good and didn't win with them. I started cruising character boards, read up on a few characters on how to play and just tested them out the next time I played some people.
Soon I found myself playing as Donkey Kong. What I noticed is that the first few matches you play as a character you almost never play, and now you do for serious, you are a lot better than you think. Won a few matches, after that it became worse, but I didn't want to quit DK, he was too fun to play. Now I'm improving a bit him. It's pretty cash.

That being said, don't delude yourself into thinking you'll do good/great with ****ty characters. I had this with Mewtwo because he was too cool. I dropped him, glad I did. DK has more of a chance.


Anyway, your first tournament expierence sounds a lot like mine. Seems like we all go through it. Mine was my first and only Brawl tournament. After that I realized I didn't want to play Brawl and picked up Melee. I enjoy the tournaments more, and they can only get more fun now that I've picked a main.

EDIT: Playing the char you think is the most fun will often get you furthest if he's not an utter garbage character. Not everyone is made to just pick up Marth, Fox, Falco (not Sheik, any brainless ****er can play her) or Falcon and do good.

 

[StealthyGunnar]

Thanks. But I don't know anyone ever using Yoshi and doing well at tournies. That's why I use Falcon as well, he's just great fun.

I kinda want to find a main that is played by barely anyone and I want to do well. Kinda like a pioneer for that character. But maybe it's just not in the cards.

 

[Jim Morrison]

Thanks. But I don't know anyone ever using Yoshi and doing well at tournies. That's why I use Falcon as well, he's just great fun.

I kinda want to find a main that is played by barely anyone and I want to do well. Kinda like a pioneer for that character. But maybe it's just not in the cards.

It's 2010, being a pioneer nowadays is priy hard. If that's your goal you definitly don't want to pick Falcon. He's been sucked dry like the tittes of a pornstar.

Of course, if you have fun with playing him and when you do, are thinking "man this character is so amazing to play I want to play him in every match I can", then you should main him. However, I know the "Falcon-is-fun-to-play"-syndrome. Everyone suffers from it because it's LOL FALCON PUNCH - LOOK AT ME BEING FLASH - OH MY GOD KNEEEE - LOL DROPZONE DAIR - AH I LOST AH WELL BUT I HAD FUN.

 

[StealthyGunnar]

Ya, Falcon has been played by way too many people. That's why I'm hesitant to use him, I'll never stand out.

If I were to play Yoshi, I would. Hey have you heard of CA$H, oh that awesome yoshi player? He was the best. You know?

 

[Jim Morrison]

Heard of him, but never seen him play. You'd stand out playing Yoshi, provided you'll be good with him and beat people. To do that you at least need to make it out of pools, which is hard to do with Yoshi already, because he's just a **** character. You really have to look for what you want. If you enjoy winning, you can't let personal preferences stand in your way.
If you want to stand out, you have to find a balance between who is still viable for use and if you still find them fun.
If you don't care, just pick who you love using.

Best way to do this is to seriously just sit behind your melee and pick every character for a match or two.
Reading the characters forums will help though.

 

[#HBC | Gorf]

If you want advise on character choice, just pick top 8 tier characters AT LEAST. You seem good as Falcon. I'd stick to him.

 

[AlphaZealot]

Eventually, we get home. And as I'm writing this blog, I realize something: I'm not going to stop playing melee, no matter how many times I lose. I'm going to show that kid who really sucks the next time I see him. I will get better. And I will beat him.

Good, best way to handle things. Every time I get beat I turn it around and decide to make it a personal goal to beat that person next time. It's worked pretty well to.

 

[StealthyGunnar]

Thanks for commenting. And guys, he apologized and crap so it's all good I guess.