Gatoray
Smash Journeyman
I have been playing Ness exclusively for probably around a half a year now (I'll admit I switch for fun, but never for "srs bsns") and I am officially declaring my loyalty to Ness as my Melee main forever and ever. Hashtag BFFs 4 lyfe.
I really hope my discoveries are not invalidated by my lack of experience against super high-level players and I do not feel Ness as a character has potential to really win against them if they're playing for money. My experience level is mainly online netplay and friendlies at the Super Arcade on Sundays. I have faced opponents of many different skill levels, I have been 4-stocked and given 4-stocks as well. That being said, I'd still like to share with you some really important mechanics that I honestly haven't seen too many Ness mains explore in a tournament setting (not like there isn't a plethora of good Ness videos online... right guys? Guys? *sadface*).
Movement:
Seriously, If I'm ever practicing Ness by myself I will do the single-player vs. mode glitch and practice tech for hours. There is so much potential for Ness as a DJC character that the other three DJC characters don't have. Fun fact: all of Ness' aerials can be auto-canceled before and after the hitbox activates. What does this mean? Spazz the frick out! Don't discount L-canceling because you still need it for landing during the active frames, but if you know the frame data there is the potential to be surprisingly unpredictable. Ness at a high level takes really fast fingers arguably on par with spacies depending on what you're trying to do, but I encourage Ness mains to get better at tech skill.
Neutral Game:
What's your favorite food? Spam! Haha! Get it? It's a reference to Earthbound, you know, in the beginning, haha... oh, ok I'll stop. But seriously, spam. Like I was saying earlier, you need to constantly be moving, and part of this movement is spam. Fair spam, DJC-FF-AC Dair spam (yay more acronyms), Uair spam. Even spam DJC PK Fire if it's safe, it gives them something to think about. However, through this chaos is a sense of control. Sometimes spam-camping across the stage can be a taunt to approach. Show them that you know your options and that Ness isn't free.
DJC Momentum Manipulation:
Have you ever tried jumping forward then holding back and double jumping? The 4 DJC character are unique because their double jump sends them downward and horizontal initially before upward. The direction of the horizontal velocity is determined by the direction you're holding when you initiate the DJ. Because of this, you have MUCH greater control of your aerial movement than most characters, notably an ease of execution for low aerials that would normally have to be short-hopped. Another notable feature is the horizontal movement and how you basically have a mini Falcon moonwalk-Bair at your disposal. This is SUPER important for getting sweet-spot Bair hits after a bait or during a combo. Most players unfamiliar with the matchup (which fortunately for us is most of the players) will underestimate the distance that can be covered by a well-executed DJC horizontal Bair.
PK Thunder is Real:
I'd like to give a big shoutout to my Ness sensei, Simna, for teaching me the ways of PK Thunder. I still need experience to fully understand the potential of PKT since my playstyle is more PKF based. However, both options are equally as strong and they both have their uses. I believe that mindgames are probably around 50% of Ness' metagame, and PKT if used correctly can really leave the opponent scratching their head. PKT juggling works well on floaty characters and Marth and Sheik are tall enough that PKT can shield spike sometimes, notably when coming from underneath a platform. Be careful when using PKT to gimp though, you may end up saving them if you're not aware of the smash DI distance.
Changing Playstyles (contributed by Double Helix):
One thing that I have found VERY helpful in the matchups that nobody likes to play as Ness (example: Peach. Sadly, it doesn't work as well against Sheik, that is a neutral game issue) is to know when to play like a fast faller and when to play like a floaty. I use Ness's wavedash dance (I guess you would call it) to choose which direction I am facing for spacing issues, whether I want a momentum shifted DJC bair or a retreating fair, I can have whatever I want. Knowing when to play as a floaty (and doing it, which is the hard part since I love comboing people) has made the awful awful matchups have one less awful, and some awful matchups seem more 40:60 than 25:75 (if we must boil it down to numbers). Playing like a floaty the entire match with a moveset as underwhelming (in terms of knock-back) as Ness' makes for a long match and very mentally draining. It is like watching Hbox vs Armada when it is Jiggs vs Young Link, but you are playing Ness and it can actually end faster than that because you don't play to the timer, you just play to cover Ness' weaknesses, which can sometimes be the same thing.
To be continued...
I'll update this thread later if I can think of anything else. Maybe add some videos, etc. Let me know what you think so far and input is appreciated.
I really hope my discoveries are not invalidated by my lack of experience against super high-level players and I do not feel Ness as a character has potential to really win against them if they're playing for money. My experience level is mainly online netplay and friendlies at the Super Arcade on Sundays. I have faced opponents of many different skill levels, I have been 4-stocked and given 4-stocks as well. That being said, I'd still like to share with you some really important mechanics that I honestly haven't seen too many Ness mains explore in a tournament setting (not like there isn't a plethora of good Ness videos online... right guys? Guys? *sadface*).
Movement:
Seriously, If I'm ever practicing Ness by myself I will do the single-player vs. mode glitch and practice tech for hours. There is so much potential for Ness as a DJC character that the other three DJC characters don't have. Fun fact: all of Ness' aerials can be auto-canceled before and after the hitbox activates. What does this mean? Spazz the frick out! Don't discount L-canceling because you still need it for landing during the active frames, but if you know the frame data there is the potential to be surprisingly unpredictable. Ness at a high level takes really fast fingers arguably on par with spacies depending on what you're trying to do, but I encourage Ness mains to get better at tech skill.
Neutral Game:
What's your favorite food? Spam! Haha! Get it? It's a reference to Earthbound, you know, in the beginning, haha... oh, ok I'll stop. But seriously, spam. Like I was saying earlier, you need to constantly be moving, and part of this movement is spam. Fair spam, DJC-FF-AC Dair spam (yay more acronyms), Uair spam. Even spam DJC PK Fire if it's safe, it gives them something to think about. However, through this chaos is a sense of control. Sometimes spam-camping across the stage can be a taunt to approach. Show them that you know your options and that Ness isn't free.
DJC Momentum Manipulation:
Have you ever tried jumping forward then holding back and double jumping? The 4 DJC character are unique because their double jump sends them downward and horizontal initially before upward. The direction of the horizontal velocity is determined by the direction you're holding when you initiate the DJ. Because of this, you have MUCH greater control of your aerial movement than most characters, notably an ease of execution for low aerials that would normally have to be short-hopped. Another notable feature is the horizontal movement and how you basically have a mini Falcon moonwalk-Bair at your disposal. This is SUPER important for getting sweet-spot Bair hits after a bait or during a combo. Most players unfamiliar with the matchup (which fortunately for us is most of the players) will underestimate the distance that can be covered by a well-executed DJC horizontal Bair.
PK Thunder is Real:
I'd like to give a big shoutout to my Ness sensei, Simna, for teaching me the ways of PK Thunder. I still need experience to fully understand the potential of PKT since my playstyle is more PKF based. However, both options are equally as strong and they both have their uses. I believe that mindgames are probably around 50% of Ness' metagame, and PKT if used correctly can really leave the opponent scratching their head. PKT juggling works well on floaty characters and Marth and Sheik are tall enough that PKT can shield spike sometimes, notably when coming from underneath a platform. Be careful when using PKT to gimp though, you may end up saving them if you're not aware of the smash DI distance.
Changing Playstyles (contributed by Double Helix):
One thing that I have found VERY helpful in the matchups that nobody likes to play as Ness (example: Peach. Sadly, it doesn't work as well against Sheik, that is a neutral game issue) is to know when to play like a fast faller and when to play like a floaty. I use Ness's wavedash dance (I guess you would call it) to choose which direction I am facing for spacing issues, whether I want a momentum shifted DJC bair or a retreating fair, I can have whatever I want. Knowing when to play as a floaty (and doing it, which is the hard part since I love comboing people) has made the awful awful matchups have one less awful, and some awful matchups seem more 40:60 than 25:75 (if we must boil it down to numbers). Playing like a floaty the entire match with a moveset as underwhelming (in terms of knock-back) as Ness' makes for a long match and very mentally draining. It is like watching Hbox vs Armada when it is Jiggs vs Young Link, but you are playing Ness and it can actually end faster than that because you don't play to the timer, you just play to cover Ness' weaknesses, which can sometimes be the same thing.
To be continued...
I'll update this thread later if I can think of anything else. Maybe add some videos, etc. Let me know what you think so far and input is appreciated.
Last edited:
