Sandbagging as a tactic

[Justin Wiles]

So when you go to a tournament and you're playing new folks, I know you worry about the competition reading your moves early on, and then know what you're all about a few rounds later when you meet up. I've got a tournament myself coming up, and I'm worried about throwing out all my best moves in the first round for the world to see.

So have you ever sandbagged in the first couple rounds? played secondary characters and held your main back for a few rounds? Played ****ty purposefully to throw off observers?

I'm trying to figure out ways I can still hide some of my cards for the finals, if I make it. What say you?

 

[GimR]

yes, I think everyone does, especially if it's there first tournament.(at least in my case)

 

[Zankoku]

I honestly can't care that much about giving away my characters or secrets or whatever. It's going to be a decently sized tournament, you might end up in the loser's bracket and never see him, or he might end up there and you stay in winners and he never appears. If I'm playing friendlies before the tournament, I'd like to warm up the characters I'm planning on using for the tournament itself.

 

[Binx]

Dont sandbag as a strategy per say, I understand not wanting people to know how to fight you but if you are good enough that wont be a problem anyways, even if they know all your tricks when your good you have soooo many that you wont be easy to predict anyways.

 

[red stone]

play to win the tournament

 

[choknater]

As a matter of fact, I have done this, and it was a only tournament that I won. There was a Falco player named Jimbo who played very strangely, he had some deep mindgames and clever strategies. I thought to myself "Falco is Falco" and decided to play him in many friendlies without using my main (Ice Climbers.) I learned the matchup, particularly HIS Falco, and when it came to our tournament match I beat him pretty soundly.

Heck, I'd do it again if I had the chance.

Fortunately, my match against him almost a year ago has helped me against every Falco I played thereafter. I pretty much never lost to a Falco again, except for Zhu. Then I met Forward and Bombsoldier at 0c3... they are really good, lol.

 

[kenny10]

Play to win, just don't be noticeably repetitive during each match.

 

[metroidmania]

Go ahead and sandbag, as long is it doesn't make you lose the tournament.

It can be useful I guess, but pretty soon you're going to have to either play your absolute best with your main or lose, even if it does mean revealing your secrets.

 

[Rage.]

I never play my main unless I have to

 

[red stone]

i don't have secrets. every person i play gets my full attention and gets their own personalized beating. i don't reuse strategies and i only get repetitive if it works.

 

[Justin Wiles]

Hmm, thanks for all the replies. I've all ways been curious about the game outside the game (so to speak) at tournaments.

I think I will play to win in every round, but I might keep my main hidden until I feel I need to use it. But I mean, that only takes you so far when alot of the people at the tournament have all ready played you, or seen you post, or whatever... I only really have this slight advantage because it's the first major tournament in the area.

 

[Eaode]

Lol, sometimes I break out what MookieRah calls the "make you feel stupid Marth" where you just observe everything and punish with Fsmashes. It's actually a good tool to hide your full playstyle

 

[Skler]

If your playstyle is so predictable as to be completely understood within a few matches you won't be doing well in tournies.

 

[pikachun00b7]

So when you go to a tournament and you're playing new folks, I know you worry about the competition reading your moves early on, and then know what you're all about a few rounds later when you meet up. I've got a tournament myself coming up, and I'm worried about throwing out all my best moves in the first round for the world to see.

So have you ever sandbagged in the first couple rounds? played secondary characters and held your main back for a few rounds? Played ****ty purposefully to throw off observers?

I'm trying to figure out ways I can still hide some of my cards for the finals, if I make it. What say you?

Just change your playing style. If you don't do that your opponents will read you.
Sandbagging is a horrible to you and your opponent.

 

[Impact009]

During my last tourney, I played all out and owned the competition in the first pool. The brackets weren't concrete, so nobody wanted to play me. These were scrubs who had no idea how to combo, DI, or even something like needle storing with Sheik. Needless to say, my spot was being tossed around on the brackets because the tourney runners were falling to the requests said scrubs.

I was playing as Sheik back then. The rules were Hyrule Temple only (though somebody chose Corneria and one of the matches was on Corneria without the **** hosts knowing). I was taken out by a Fox on Hyrule Temple, go figure.

Yeah, next time I'll only play enough to insure that I win, but not ****. Rules were 10 stocks on Hyrule Temple, and I 8-stocked a Mario, 9-stocked a Link. Scrubbiest, worst tournament ever.

 

[cradmazy_SKAG]

unpredictability wins tournaments

 

[Justin Wiles]

During my last tourney, I played all out and owned the competition in the first pool. The brackets weren't concrete, so nobody wanted to play me. These were scrubs who had no idea how to combo, DI, or even something like needle storing with Sheik. Needless to say, my spot was being tossed around on the brackets because the tourney runners were falling to the requests said scrubs.

I was playing as Sheik back then. The rules were Hyrule Temple only (though somebody chose Corneria and one of the matches was on Corneria without the **** hosts knowing). I was taken out by a Fox on Hyrule Temple, go figure.

Yeah, next time I'll only play enough to insure that I win, but not ****. Rules were 10 stocks on Hyrule Temple, and I 8-stocked a Mario, 9-stocked a Link. Scrubbiest, worst tournament ever.

That's plainly a ROFLicious statement. Holy God, haha! Would have liked to go to THAT tourney!

 

[Impact009]

That's plainly a ROFLicious statement. Holy God, haha! Would have liked to go to THAT tourney!

It was a tournament in a small community north of Houston. It was at Game Crazy, and entry was free if you already had their store membership for discounts. I paid the $20 anyway because my friend wanted to use the discount to buy a bunch of games. The only prize they had was a free copy of Brawl for first place when it came out.

I guess looking at it from a spectator's point of view, it would've been funny. It was a "serious" tournament (how the hell?), but in my mind, it was a tournament noetheless, and tourneys should have concrete rules.

 

[Weed]

What exactly is sandbagging?
i remember it in counterstrike as crouching and un-crouching repeatedly over a dead opponent so it looks like you're ****** them

this doesn't seem to be the case in melee..someone enlighten me?

 

[Impact009]

What exactly is sandbagging?
i remember it in counterstrike as crouching and un-crouching repeatedly over a dead opponent so it looks like you're ****** them

this doesn't seem to be the case in melee..someone enlighten me?

It's when you don't play your best, whether you go to a secondary that you're bad with, or you just don't try. Some people believe in saving the best for last, and some people prefer not steamrolling their "competition."

As for my previous statement about only playing the bare minimum to win, I guess I'll only do that at scrubby tournaments. At pro level tourneys, I sure as hell won't sandbag at all. It sucks to nearly get banned (different tourney) for something "cheap" that everybody else outside of that immediate area would accept.

 

[Bailey]

What exactly is sandbagging?
i remember it in counterstrike as crouching and un-crouching repeatedly over a dead opponent so it looks like you're ****** them

this doesn't seem to be the case in melee..someone enlighten me?

You were thinking about tea bagging LOL

 

[x4FoSho4x]

What exactly is sandbagging?
i remember it in counterstrike as crouching and un-crouching repeatedly over a dead opponent so it looks like you're ****** them

this doesn't seem to be the case in melee..someone enlighten me?

lmao thats teabagging not sandbagging

 

[Weed]

Ah yes, apologies..
Teabagging ftw!

 

[x4FoSho4x]

Ok sandbagging is good. lol

Your first tourney? your not gonna make it far. So just get practice in friendlies and go all out. When you start getting better and people actually want to beat you then thats when you start sandbagging.

First ill warm up with my mains regardless of who im playing then ill after im fully warmed up Ill start playing people that I will most likely play in the tourney and sandbag.

I say sandbag all day. Do things you normally wouldn't do. Tech in place the whole match roll who cares falcon punch. Then just beast on everyone.

Just don't john with it. Because some people will lose and be like "Oh i was sandbagging" when they obviously were not.