Shield Dropping with Light Shield vs. Regular Shield

[X WaNtEd X]

The only player I really see that shield drops with the light shield is Plup. I would think it'd be better with the light shield, but literally every other player I see does it with the regular shield. Are they each better for different scenarios? Is there a reason Plup does this with Samus specifically? If so, what characters would also benefit from the light shield drop? And in what situations is each better?

 

[Superspright]

I prefer light-shield drop because you can't be shield poked for a while and if they hit you you get pushed back. Hard shield usually has holes in it within a half a second.

 

[X WaNtEd X]

I prefer light-shield drop because you can't be shield poked for a while and if they hit you you get pushed back. Hard shield usually has holes in it within a half a second.

But let's say you wanted to shield drop aerial someone attacking your shield on a platform. Would light shield still be the better option? It seems to me in that situation normal shield would be better because you'd have less stun on your shield and you wouldn't be pushed as far back so you'd be able to stay closer to the other guy and get out your aerial quicker.

But that's just what I feel. I'd like to hear thoughts from more people.

 

[Superspright]

I guess it depends on what you're going for...typically as Ganondorf I don't want my legs to become vulnerable and they are vulnerable a few frames after the shield comes up. Light shield prolongs this by quite a bit. His head is also pokeable. Light-shield may be strictly better, or it may be situational. I don't really know yet myself. I do both, but if I am conscious about it I go to light-shield usually.

 

[Ganreizu]

Is it easier to perform in general compared to hard shield?

 

[X WaNtEd X]

Is it easier to perform in general compared to hard shield?

it's just as easy to do

 

[Ganreizu]

it's just as easy to do

Shame. Odd that you say it's just as easy instead of just as hard. Isn't it considered one of the more difficult techs?

 

[X WaNtEd X]

Shame. Odd that you say it's just as easy instead of just as hard. Isn't it considered one of the more difficult techs?

oh don't get me wrong it's super hard. execution isn't what we're talking about here though.

 

[DippnDots]

Light shielding an attack creates more shield chip and shield stun than if that same attack gets hard shielded, so if your intention is to react to someone hitting your shield and counter attack, you want to do a hard shield. If using a hard shield would get you poked in this situation, then you probably shouldn't try to counter attack.

 

[strawhats]

in terms of players that shield drop with light shield, I know that m2k could only shield drop using light shield for a good while...he's just started to be able to implement hard/regular shield dropping into his game

 

[MookieRah]

Light shielding an attack creates more shield chip and shield stun than if that same attack gets hard shielded, so if your intention is to react to someone hitting your shield and counter attack, you want to do a hard shield. If using a hard shield would get you poked in this situation, then you probably shouldn't try to counter attack.

Unless the attack had enough knock back to send you off the platform, and characters that don't have much traction would get tossed around a lot in light shield.

I would say using light shield for shield dropping would be good if you are using the Axe method (it isn't really his method I just remember that he does it this way) in which you hold a direction before you shield so that all you have to do is rotate the stick down in order to drop. This prevents you from rolling so it's much easier, and with a light shield you wouldn't have to worry about shield pokes as much.

 

[X WaNtEd X]

I really don't think it matters how you shield drop that much so long as you can do it consistently. Again, this thread is not about how to do it. Rather, it is about application. If you want to talk about how to do it go to another thread or Google it.

 

[Splice]

Do you think there's any point in this with Fox/Falco?

With 1 frame shine, I feel like they'd always prefer to not lightshield so they can shine immediately afterwards. I think you'd only use lightshield if you were aiming to shield drop defensively and didn't want to get poked or baited or something, and that would probably apply to all characters. I'll have to play around with light-shield drop a bit more and see how I feel.

 

[X WaNtEd X]

Do you think there's any point in this with Fox/Falco?

With 1 frame shine, I feel like they'd always prefer to not lightshield so they can shine immediately afterwards. I think you'd only use lightshield if you were aiming to shield drop defensively and didn't want to get poked or baited or something, and that would probably apply to all characters. I'll have to play around with light-shield drop a bit more and see how I feel.

i'm not a space animal player, but i think you're better off using light shield to let them hit you off a platform so you can come back with an aerial. and if they don't hit you off, then you can just drop out defensively, as you say. as for regular shield, i'd imagine using shield drop aerials or shine.

 

[tauKhan]

I think Shield dropping can be succesfully applied in situations you should light shield and in situations where regular shield is appropriate. So the real question is when you should light shield on platform vs full shield. Of course, because shield dropping is your fastest way to get aerials OoS, being able to shield drop makes your full shield more useful.

If you want to shield an attack and retaliate afterwards, then you have to either full shield, or get pushed off a ledge, because light shield makes you take too much shield stun to be able to retaliate in most situations. However, full shield with many chars is often almost useless on a platform if it isn't near full health, since it's usually too easy to poke. Of course you can angle your shield but that makes shield dropping much harder. I've been actually practicing dropping out of a down angled shield to punish marths trying to hit my shield from under me. As a summary, I prefer using full shield if it covers well enough, and switch to light shield when the shield has worn a bit. Also light shielding near ledge is good vs chars that don't have multihit aerials or other moves to deal with it.

As for shield dropping as movement method, for example if you want to drop through a platform during dash, it ofc doesn't matter which type of shield you use.