Noob question about DI

[LadyKillaCaillou]

So I would like to preface this with the obvious, I'm brand new to smash boards aad to competitive SSBM. So if I am posting in the wrong place, please let me know and I will delete this post and repost it where it should be.

However, that aside, I have a simple question about DI. When DI'ing a smash attack (or any attack for that matter), do I need to be tilting the C stick and D stick as I'm being hit or when I am in the air (ie after the hit connects). Or both? Thanks for the replies.

- Caillou

 

[Drodeka]

Standard DI will affect where you travel UPON being hit. In fact, all DI will, but there are two types of DI.
Standard DI simply affects where you travel, but it must be perpendicular to your default trajectory from the attack.

"Smash" DI moves your characters actual position while in hit stun. This is done by inputting a direction on either stick the moment you get hit, or almost immediately after (stronger attacks have longer hitstun, thus easier to Smash DI).

Make sure not do confuse Smash DI with some sort of DI that is specific to smash attacks, as their is no such thing.
The easiest DI to learn is the DI of throws. This is where I would begin practice. Most characters have one or two throws that they will be using. Just try to figure out and predict what throw they are going to use and what they are trying to do afterward.

Example: Marth Forward throws a lot. DI away from Marth (in front of him) to prevent his followups and force him to either tech chase you, or reset into neutral game. In this case, DI-ing incorrectly toward Marth will give him free, strong followups, such as Forward Smash or another grab.

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

So I would like to preface this with the obvious, I'm brand new to smash boards aad to competitive SSBM. So if I am posting in the wrong place, please let me know and I will delete this post and repost it where it should be.

However, that aside, I have a simple question about DI. When DI'ing a smash attack (or any attack for that matter), do I need to be tilting the C stick and D stick as I'm being hit or when I am in the air (ie after the hit connects). Or both? Thanks for the replies.

- Caillou

So, the process for an attack hitting someone is the hitbox overlaps with the person, both characters go into freeze frames (hitlag) where neither does anything, then you proceed to the person who got hit gets launched.

You "DI" the launch by holding the control stick in some direction before launch. To influence the angle you need to hold the stick to the side of whatever angle you are getting launched. If you get hit by Luigi's Nair you hold (almost) directly left or right to get the largest launch angle of yourself away from simply going straight up if you had not DI'd.

During hitlag you "tap" the C-stick or control stick to move some distance. Whatever direction you held for a frame of hitlag you move in that direction a tiny bit. However, if you hold for two frames in a row you only move once. You would have to return to neutral or another direction to repeatedly SDI yourself in a move. The best method is rocking between two or three directions. Say you want to SDI right. You could rock the C-stick upright, right, downright, right upright, etc. to move. However, SDI only occurs during hitlag which hitlag usually lasts very little time.

Now, the final type of DI I am familiarly with with an automatic smash DI (ASDI). At the very end of hitlag, whatever direction you are holding your character will automatically smash DI in that direction a bit, then launch takes over. If you get hit by any weak multihitting attack like Kirby's rapid A attack you can hold the control stick in a direction and you will eventually ASDI out of the move's reach. However, with SDI you can get out of the moves way much faster or even behind the character.

 

[Kadano]

So I would like to preface this with the obvious, I'm brand new to smash boards aad to competitive SSBM. So if I am posting in the wrong place, please let me know and I will delete this post and repost it where it should be.

Questions like these usually go into the stickied question & answer thread, but now that you’ve made this thread, there’s no need to delete and repost it.

I have a simple question about DI. When DI'ing a smash attack (or any attack for that matter), do I need to be tilting the C stick and D stick as I'm being hit or when I am in the air (ie after the hit connects). Or both? Thanks for the replies.

As you are being hit. DI only changes the angle you are sent in (by up to 17.5°), so it needs to be input before you start flying.

 

[Twitchy]

As you are being hit. DI only changes the angle you are sent in (by up to 17.5°), so it needs to be input before you start flying.

Does this mean that the DI will not work if you are holding the direction before you get hit? Like say if I was about to be downsmashed by fox and I was holding down out of a fast fall or something, would that still work the same?

 

[Drodeka]

Whatever direction you are holding when you get hit, that's where you'll DI.