I'm sure everyone here has heard, read, or even said this after looking at Ness' change log in 3.5. Between the various changes to a few of his staple moves, it seems many are struggling to adapt in the early game. This isn't exactly unexpected, but there are a shocking number of people looking at this issue through a very narrow scope. So let's take a step back from our big, red panic buttons and look at the big picture.
Ness received several changes that removed a number of options that he relied on in the previous patch. I assume you're all familiar with the change log, but if you've had your head under a rock for whatever reason, you can find the change log [here].
Point 1: Significant nerfs aren't exclusive to Ness.
Open a new tab, and go to the character discussion. Do it. Seriously, I'll wait.
...
After that, pick a character, and just scan their board. I'd wager with about 80% certainty that you will see a similar scenario in the particular character board you just visited.
"Character X lost Option A, and now won't stand a chance!"
"Option B was not broken in 3.02, so why is it gone now?"
"Option C was our only answer to Character Z, that match up is impossible now!"
Bonus points for the exercise if you happened to visit the Squirtle or Sonic boards.
(<3 u squirtman and sanic gaiz)
Now, the purpose of that exercise that you probably didn't do anyway (even though I waited for you ;~; ), is to show that even though some of his options were somewhat nerfed, we need to realize that the entire game changed around him as well. Compared to a 3.0 character, Ness would indeed struggle with a significant chunk of the cast. Remember however that there obviously aren't any 3.0 characters left in this game.
Point 2: Ness' nerfs are far less significant than they appear on paper.
Again referring back to the change log, the negatives certainly stand out. PK Fire, PK Thunder1&2, and Down Throw all received nerfs of varying severity. It looks grim at first, but take a look back when the sting has worn off (and after you've played more than a couple of games with the new Ness).
Although PK Fire doesn't lock shields and force a buffered roll anymore, it also can't be power-shielded after it detonates. The pillar also falls faster, so instances of hitting a character's forehead only for it to hover above them harmlessly will be much rarer. The damage and duration nerf seems significant at first, until you realize how rarely someone actually gets hit by the full pillar. Shield activation is the only objective nerf here, and it's compensated by the extra shield-stun given to the first hit. The move is barely worse at all, and significantly more well designed.
PK Thunder lost some shenanigans, but given the nerfs to recoveries across the board? We got off extremely easy. As an added bonus, we can counterpick to Smashville and Yoshi's Island without fearing for our lives. The Red Balloon/Fly Guy Alliance rules the sky no longer!
Down Throw is a straight nerf, and there really isn't an upside to it. Which is okay, as dthrow was extremely toxic in the first place. It still combos, but we'll have to be a little more clever about our follow ups at mid-high percents.
Point 3: Don't look at what changed; Look at what didn't.
So, PMDT took some of our toys away. It's human nature for a recent negative to stand out more than a past positive, so a lot of us are pretty bummed. However, consider that the most significant nerfs to most characters was recovery, and that Ness' UpB distance remains unchanged (from the furthest in the game by a lot). Now, this helps Ness in two ways. Firstly, it means a significant number of characters who could go extremely deep offstage to intercept him no longer can. Secondly, it means that our opponents generally have far fewer ways back to the stage. Thirdly, we can chase opponents exactly as far as we could in 3.0, whereas they can bounce back from a lot less.
This is just an example, of course. Many of Ness' tools have found new applications and tricks in a similar manner, and (in my early opinion, at least) we could not ask for a better platform for his strengths to shine through than 3.5.
In conclusion, 3.5 brings us a new Ness, but certainly not an inferior one. Though he has lost some tricks, due to the many, many changes present not only in the rest of the cast, but the physics of the game itself, he still finds himself very well off in the early metagame. I urge everyone move forward, adapt to the change, and above all else: play. No Johns, guys.
Also seriously, we can use pajamas in doubles now. That's pretty sick, right?
Ness received several changes that removed a number of options that he relied on in the previous patch. I assume you're all familiar with the change log, but if you've had your head under a rock for whatever reason, you can find the change log [here].
Point 1: Significant nerfs aren't exclusive to Ness.
Open a new tab, and go to the character discussion. Do it. Seriously, I'll wait.
...
After that, pick a character, and just scan their board. I'd wager with about 80% certainty that you will see a similar scenario in the particular character board you just visited.
"Character X lost Option A, and now won't stand a chance!"
"Option B was not broken in 3.02, so why is it gone now?"
"Option C was our only answer to Character Z, that match up is impossible now!"
Bonus points for the exercise if you happened to visit the Squirtle or Sonic boards.
(<3 u squirtman and sanic gaiz)
Now, the purpose of that exercise that you probably didn't do anyway (even though I waited for you ;~; ), is to show that even though some of his options were somewhat nerfed, we need to realize that the entire game changed around him as well. Compared to a 3.0 character, Ness would indeed struggle with a significant chunk of the cast. Remember however that there obviously aren't any 3.0 characters left in this game.
Point 2: Ness' nerfs are far less significant than they appear on paper.
Again referring back to the change log, the negatives certainly stand out. PK Fire, PK Thunder1&2, and Down Throw all received nerfs of varying severity. It looks grim at first, but take a look back when the sting has worn off (and after you've played more than a couple of games with the new Ness).
Although PK Fire doesn't lock shields and force a buffered roll anymore, it also can't be power-shielded after it detonates. The pillar also falls faster, so instances of hitting a character's forehead only for it to hover above them harmlessly will be much rarer. The damage and duration nerf seems significant at first, until you realize how rarely someone actually gets hit by the full pillar. Shield activation is the only objective nerf here, and it's compensated by the extra shield-stun given to the first hit. The move is barely worse at all, and significantly more well designed.
PK Thunder lost some shenanigans, but given the nerfs to recoveries across the board? We got off extremely easy. As an added bonus, we can counterpick to Smashville and Yoshi's Island without fearing for our lives. The Red Balloon/Fly Guy Alliance rules the sky no longer!
Down Throw is a straight nerf, and there really isn't an upside to it. Which is okay, as dthrow was extremely toxic in the first place. It still combos, but we'll have to be a little more clever about our follow ups at mid-high percents.
Point 3: Don't look at what changed; Look at what didn't.
So, PMDT took some of our toys away. It's human nature for a recent negative to stand out more than a past positive, so a lot of us are pretty bummed. However, consider that the most significant nerfs to most characters was recovery, and that Ness' UpB distance remains unchanged (from the furthest in the game by a lot). Now, this helps Ness in two ways. Firstly, it means a significant number of characters who could go extremely deep offstage to intercept him no longer can. Secondly, it means that our opponents generally have far fewer ways back to the stage. Thirdly, we can chase opponents exactly as far as we could in 3.0, whereas they can bounce back from a lot less.
This is just an example, of course. Many of Ness' tools have found new applications and tricks in a similar manner, and (in my early opinion, at least) we could not ask for a better platform for his strengths to shine through than 3.5.
In conclusion, 3.5 brings us a new Ness, but certainly not an inferior one. Though he has lost some tricks, due to the many, many changes present not only in the rest of the cast, but the physics of the game itself, he still finds himself very well off in the early metagame. I urge everyone move forward, adapt to the change, and above all else: play. No Johns, guys.
Also seriously, we can use pajamas in doubles now. That's pretty sick, right?
Last edited:
