Projectiles or No Projectiles

[StarChaserNX]

Once a person asked me what my favorite character to use was. The character I told him was one without any projectile attacks (Marth to be specific). He then asked me if I missed having projectiles (he said he would only use Link or Pit).

I thought about this, my brother being my usual human oppenent, about my brother's use of Wolf (I dislike being on the receiving end of that blaster ), and my brother's almost perfect use of the reflector (so many super charged Aura Spheres have been marked "Return to Sender" ). My answer was no.

Sadly, I was never able to play this person in Smash Bros. He joined the Navy (if you see this and recognize that you are the one I'm talking about, my thanks to you for doing so) before I asked him.

Anyway, how do you feel projectiles affect your play. How do you play when you have none against one that spits them out like a cartoon shooting watermelon seeds from there mouth. When you have projectiles (especially nice ones) against a reflector (Fox and Mario for example) character. And how have expeirences such as these influenced your style.

 

[Noobicidal]

Most projectiles are too much of a chore for me to use, so most of my characters lack projectiles. I don't miss using projectiles since Jiggs can cancel/clank with all projectiles used against me minus a select few, plus most projectile games are SO telegraphed that spot-dodging and shielding negates their usefulness.

 

[BOB SAGET!]

Well I main Mk and sometimes I do miss having projectiles, but thats what my olimar is for! However, at least Mk can approach without projectiles.

 

[DarkAura]

i main fox... cant live without them
lasers are one of foxes main damage builders he would be even lower on the tier list without it
and the reflector is hardly used for reflecting unless your fighting a character that relies on camping, its usually a GTFO or close range back up attack

 

[Nexus Bond]

Diddy would be nothing without his projectiles.

 

[UltiMario]

I use almost 0 projectiles with anyone I play. The only person I play with a useable porjectile is Falco, and he is probably me least-used secondary.

 

[Sosuke]

Its easy to get around reflectors so I don't worry about them.

 

[GwJ]

You obviously have never seen Camalange's No-nanner Diddy, have you?

 

[Poltergust]

I just realized that every single one of my characters has a projectile of some sort...

 

[Moozle]

I agree that all you really have to do to get around reflectors is adjust your play style. I personally like to use projectiles because they are great at switching my game up (so I don't become to predictable). I don't know how terrible my Peach would be without turnips. I also think projectiles help adjust to many different kinds of play styles, so they make it much easier to be versatile. I love 'em

 

[demonictoonlink]

I like projectiles to create openings. I hate only relying on them...

 

[kingcobra9]

I'm half and half I main olimar who is only proj. And marty who has none. My secondaries are rob(projectiles), and mk who has none but I like not having them because when someone is good with a reflector or dodging it really shortens my game nut it is nice having the option to reach it

 

[uhmuzing]

I love projectiles, but none of my three main characters have them.

 

[Mag!c]

As a ROB main, projectiles are my bread and butter. I don't mind playing characters without projectiles though- Marth is a lot of fun. I just really enjoy the idea of being able to keep up the fight at a distance when I need to, and to get a breather but put my opponent under pressure.

 

[SuSa]

Apparently few people use them to bait reactions....

Throw > they dodge > I punish dodge.

Simple enough.

Snake would suck without his grenades/mortar/c4/mines. lol (well, not suck. But not be as good =p)

 

[Jon?]

I main Falco and his lasers are a very important aspect in his game. I also tend to play Kirby on teams and sometimes in 1v1 occasionally. The gameplay is very different, where a character with projectiles can sit back and force an opponent to make a move, where a character like Kirby has to be the one usually on the offensive.

 

[Amazing Ampharos]

I'd like to point out that most of the cast has projectiles. Specifically, only the following do not:

Donkey Kong, Ganondorf, Meta Knight, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Marth, Ike

Granted, some of them are what we might call situational (Wario's thrown bike/bike parts, Kirby's Final Cutter, Squirtle's Water Gun, Mr. Game & Watch's Chef, or Sonic's spring), but they all have something. Ike's Aether is also just about the most disjointed attack ever so it might as well be a projectile...

I'm not really that partial to projectiles given that my character has a very poor one, but given the nature of this game, any projectile is important since the safe range of that projectile is space that you can seize at any time. Not having one at all means your character has to always endanger itself to score damage; it's quite the disadvantage.

 

[Noobicidal]

I'd like to point out that most of the cast has projectiles. Specifically, only the following do not:

Donkey Kong, Ganondorf, Meta Knight, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Marth, Ike

Three of my best characters right there.

 

[Beren Zaiga]

Falco's Lasers and Pit's Arrows are ***.

-and by that statement I mean they are hard for me to get around. I may be able to beat Falco with Bowser online due to lag and some luck, but I doubt I would stand a chance in a lag-less match. I don't try to Ledge-Bomb because Bowser has no defense against an enemy's Uair with the Bomb. So I usually Dair it.

With Pit, most noobish ones spam the arrows to ad nauseum. The only effective way to get close is jumping, cause rolling means he has a chance to come and smack you with his blades, or hit you with another arrow, and even then I find effectively countering to be hard.

 

[JigglyPunch]

Samus is my main, so projectiles come up quite frequently. I hate reflects. with a passion

 

[demonictoonlink]

It does seem to be more fun without them...They just stall so much...Still necessary though

 

[REL38]

Some projectiles like Diddy's nanners and Snake's nades make up a lot of their game. Most people who play as them depend on those to at least some extent. It all depends on how well you can use the projectile. naners have no use if you can't land them and ROB's laser won't do squat if you can't aim it right.

 

[mountain_tiger]

Well, my main is Peach, and turnips make up a good deal of her meta game. Glide Tossing those things makes a great approach for me, and it's also useful for harrassing and pressuring your opponent, and sometimes baiting them as well. Plus they're useful for edgeguarding, especially if you're facing someone with a bad recovery like Link or Ike.

My secondary is ZSS, and I don't really use her blaster shots that much tbh. Sometimes they can be useful for stopping an opponent's approach, but otherwise there's usually a better option.

 

[professor mgw]

I can work good with either or.
though preferably i choose none

 

[SpongeBathBill]

I'd like to point out that most of the cast has projectiles.

I was about to do the exact same thing.

Granted, some of them are what we might call situational (Wario's thrown bike/bike parts, Kirby's Final Cutter, Squirtle's Water Gun, Mr. Game & Watch's Chef, or Sonic's spring), but they all have something.

I doubt you were going for an exhaustive list of bad projectiles, but don't forget Mario's FLUDD. That's a situational projectile if there ever was one. Of course he does have fireballs, which aren't in the same league of uselessness.

 

[B!squick]

G&W has the best projectile in the game. That skillet's dynamite. Bowser has an epic projectile for edge guarding, fast fallers beware.

Projectiles though are just annoying and delay the inevitable when I get through your

 

[IxxI]

I use projectiles to lower the options of a character. I then quickly analyze what options they have if they, get hit by the projectile, or not. I then take an action that is less punishable, keeps me at a good position on the stage, and still has a number of options.

 

[JUDGE]

i would say you don't really need so many projectiles like link but it's not bad to have some

 

[StarChaserNX]

Apparently few people use them to bait reactions....

Throw > they dodge > I punish dodge.

Simple enough.

Snake would suck without his grenades/mortar/c4/mines. lol (well, not suck. But not be as good =p)

What if they reflect instead of dodge? Can a reflect be punished?

 

[Gamegenie222]

I beleive that projectiles can usually make or break a mainer in any tournament.

 

[saviorslegacy]

*only read a few posts*

Projectiles are really good and act as support for most characters. Just look at Toon Link, Falco and Pit. Those characters are good without projectiles, but with them they are a force to be reckoned with.

I main Sheik, so I naturally have a love for Needles. They are good as an anti camp, an anti juggle, for gimping and as a combo tool.
Pretty much: If your character is good without them and then you add projectiles that makes them a threat.
To get my point across... replaces MK's Drill Rush with Falco's lasers.

 

[Shoshidai]

if you're not a total cheap *** and make it your only attack,
then, yeah, projectiles are an essential

 

[Drig786]

projectiles are a good use for manipulating my oppenents strageties and its good for mindgames, if it were a oppoenent with a reflector then i mix it up somehow ... :s

 

[Wyvern]

I tend to gravitate towards characters with more intricate projectile games. Link especially, but also ones like Rob, Samus, and Snake.

I almost never play the characters with mindless, all-purpose spamfest projectiles like Pit or the Starfox trio, though. (Exception: Ivysaur. Much <3 for Razor Leaf.)

 

[Brado]

Come to think of it, all my main char., Olly, Pika, Wolf, use projectiles as a good approach, so i guess i love projectiles. Without my pikmin throw i wouldn't rack up half the damage i do.

 

[TheREALShadowChaos]

the Only real projectile that my main has is Razor Leaf and I use it to help me approach or the force other to approach. (Depends who my opponent is)

 

[Kamikaze*]

Don't need them.

 

[Sgt. Baker]

Eh, I don't mind them but sometimes it slips my mind that my Sheik's needles are fully charged lol

 

[StarChaserNX]

Its easy to get around reflectors so I don't worry about them.

How do you get around reflectors?

 

[StarChaserNX]

So, looking at the replies and generalizing, some people love projectiles and think that they add to the game dimension and others dislike them, thinking they take away from the game (they cause camping, dull).

Looking at some of the replies it almost seems like a projectile character against a pure melee (not SSBM) character is like a game of chess. White (the one with lasers, arrows, etc.) sets the intial tune of the game and black (melee) must do what he or she can to break it up.