WritersBlah
Smash Journeyman
So I've decided to make this topic because I feel like this is an aspect that gets overlooked a ton when introducing newbies to competitive Smash Bros. You can know your character inside and out, have working knowledge of all of the legal stages, and know what kinds of combos are most likely to rack up damage and kill throughout the cast, but a good lot of that knowledge won't do much good in the long run if you can't play the mental aspect of Smash. When people talk about wanting to make reads and punishing opponents for their mistakes, what's very easy to miss is that getting these kinds of reactions out of your opponent so that you don't have to be constantly gambling as you play is based off of understanding yourself and your opponent. Sometimes, especially for newbies, it's difficult to look past the physical of seeing what your opponent is doing without understanding the reasons behind their actions. What begins separating low level from mid-level players is in understanding that actions are not simply made because they would be an optimal move within a vacuum, but because they are serving a purpose to cause some kind of reaction within the match.
The reason I'm posting this now is because this is something I've struggled with for a very long time, and am only now beginning to figure out, at least outside of the game. So let's discuss what's potentially the most important transition from low level to mid-level play; Smash psychology. During a match, what kind of things can we look for that can serve to tell us about what kind of player our opponent is like, and simultaneously, what kind of player we are like? How can we recognize offensive options from defensive options, which is more complicated than simply "is he attacking or shielding?" How does the space between ourselves and our opponent, and recognizable habits play a part in figuring out what the best course of action is to take in the middle of a match?
The reason I'm posting this now is because this is something I've struggled with for a very long time, and am only now beginning to figure out, at least outside of the game. So let's discuss what's potentially the most important transition from low level to mid-level play; Smash psychology. During a match, what kind of things can we look for that can serve to tell us about what kind of player our opponent is like, and simultaneously, what kind of player we are like? How can we recognize offensive options from defensive options, which is more complicated than simply "is he attacking or shielding?" How does the space between ourselves and our opponent, and recognizable habits play a part in figuring out what the best course of action is to take in the middle of a match?