choknater
Smash Obsessed
(To clear up any discrepancies before I begin: Jeet Kune Do is not a specific martial arts style. It was Bruce Lee's search for an ultimate way of fighting. The analogy I want to make is not specifically a martial arts to video games comparison. This thread is about how I have, as much as possible, searched for the best way to play. Just a warning, this thread will be a fairly autobiographical. Lots of "I"s.)
Since the release of Brawl, I've been looking for ways to stay ahead of the pack. Everyone (or at least everyone who enjoys the game) has been learning new techniques and picking up all the characters... All these people have been searching for new ways to move, attack, and defend. As they create threads to show the world what they know... I am on the listening end.
As Bruce Lee said...
"Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless."
Now, I'm not going to enter a huge shpiel about martial arts philosophy. That's not what this thread is about. It's about Brawl, and how I've chosen to learn it.
You see, I was a pretty high level Melee player when the dawn of Brawl came about. I mained Ice Climbers and used the rest of the top 7 high tier characters as close secondaries. The last Melee tournament I went to was in December, I only lost to three people... three who happened to also be the top three players in my region. I guess that's a mildly respectable record. Since then I have only improved at Melee.
But with the release of Brawl, I have wanted nothing but to prove that I still had an edge. I improved in Melee not by technical prowess but via creativity and reflection. I mained Ice Climbers after all, and the only way I could do better was to make up new desynch combos and learn how to conquer my counter characters like Peach.
Since the Melee community and metagame were so far-evolved, anyone could pretty much hit up YouTube and search for a tech skill guide video, a character guide video, and some combo videos. Within a couple weeks, that person could be quite decent with any given character. We were long past the phase where everyone who was anyone already knew a lot about tech skill... We were even to the point where even the scrubbiest melee players would have a decent understanding of "mindgames" and would show respect to videos of Ken instead of trash talking him all the time and saying they were better. For the most part, they have gotten enough thumbs-down's on YouTube to learn their lesson. Everyone was good, and everyone recognized exactly what it took in the game to be great. With tech skill long out of the way, all that was left was spacing, matchups, and overall experience.
In the end, the highest echelon of Melee players was truly a spectacle to behold. The six regions of the US (WA, CA, TX, MW, EC, FL) all had unique talent. There were even the young prodigies and late bloomers that took tournaments by storm. Hax and Mang0, to name a couple. CA had floaty players HugS and Edrees from Socal, and techy players Zhu, Silentspectre, and Luninspectra from Norcal. WA had Combo status. FL had DaShizWiz, his brother, and lots of new blood including pro-Ganons and a Samus player who knows everything about Melee. TX had Caveman, DoH, FLT, Xelic, and more. MW had unbelievable talent in simple playstyles like Vidjo and Drephen. Not to mention Rainbow Cruise's one and only Dope, and the inventor of the modern Falcon, Darkrain. EC? Well... they had pretty much everything. All the best players, the best crews, the best regions, and the largest tournaments.
My idol in particular was Azen Zagenite, the true master of diversity who had stayed consistent from the very beginning of Melee up until now. He continues to do well in Brawl.
We still don't know quite EVERYTHING about Melee, and I still continue to play it. I know what it will take to win more matches and do better against the pro players in my region. I know everyone's bios and mains. With Brawl, I'm not necessarily "moving on," but I'm taking on the new task of being the best at another game.
But HOW, how do I do it?
Once again, absorb what is useful and discard what is useless...
Not everyone is making the transition. For some, Brawl came first. But no, not for me. I realize that some of the things that were useful to me in Melee are not so much in Brawl. And I'm not talking superficial stuff, I mean the deep, deep nuances of high level play.
Two major examples: Spacing and Priority.
My eye for spacing in Melee was trained to dodge lasers and stay right outside of Marth's sword range. To not get grabbed by Sheik, to be able to watch Falcon's movements very closely, and to not get down smashed by Peach. I knew what to do when getting pressured by a Fox or WoP'd by a Jigglypuff or missile spammed by a Samus. In the end it all came down to pure knowledge. It's not that my previous knowledge is working against me... rather, I have to newly discover a lot of the intricacies of Brawl spacing. Not just that, but also HOW to do it.
For example, rolling is very effective, and it moves much farther and faster than normal dashes and walking. And it keeps you facing the opponent. With rolling away as the best option, some might think that Brawl could turn into a camp battle (though this is not the case... but let's not get into that right now.) Knowing that, I could learn how to avoid attacks well, and also how to approach people while they are rolling too. I form simple strategies in my head for what to do next and it keeps me moving. Dash grab at this time, dash attack at this, fake out with an sh RAR bair at this time. Etc.
Spacing and Priority are two VERY knowledge-based ideas. My knowledge is limited and I need to gain it with experience... For example, there are crazy disjointed hitboxes in Snake's ftilt and utilt. But I hold it true in my head that the matchup is not impossible, so I don't lose hope right away. When I play against snake I try to figure out exactly how far away to stand from Snake to not get hit by the disjointed, high-priority tilts. Falco's fsmash is another crazy move. I need to worry about Wario's fsmash too. Zelda's usmash. Drill-type attacks (DDD's dair, Wario's dair, Fox's dair, Jigglypuff's dair, etc.) G&W's bair.
These are just a FEW high priority attacks to watch out for. Many lose hope too quickly against these moves and deem them cheap... but jeez, I mained IC's in Melee and I had to deal with Peach players' dsmashes all the time. I know that it is ALWAYS possible to deal with very effective moves, and that is an ideal I will never let go of.
At this stage in Brawl... the will to learn and also create... will go beyond anything.
* * *
So yeah, those two concepts are pretty important in both games. And they have changed greatly. When it comes down to it, everything is a learning process. It's not necessarily re-learning. Rather, I am just "learning more." It's come to the point where I can keep my mind clear of bad habits and I can make the transition back and forth from Melee to Brawl pretty easily. I think that could come in handy at a more diverse tournament.
Here's where I come to the point I really want to come across.
I don't want to glorify myself, but if I could just do one positive thing for aspiring Brawlers, it's this: I want to let people know that pre-conceived notions about the game are very, VERY horrible things to abide by. Never accept a statement as an absolute, and take the game in your own way.
THIS is the edge. This is how to stay ahead of the pack in Brawl.
Accepting pre-conceived notions and absolute statements as fact is the way of a scrub. Here are some examples:
1. Snake is a very good character.
2. Yoshi and Falcon are weak characters.
3. Brawl is slow.
4. Zelda is better than Sheik this time around.
5. Anyone can get good at Brawl.
Now, as smashers, what do we do? We form mental responses based on our own knowledge of the game. There are negative responses and positive ones. First, let me define what I'm calling a negative response... To me, a negative response isn't just something that is emotionally negative, like filled with anger or resentment toward the game, a character, or a player. Those count, but sometimes there are some fully developed intelligent posts that I consider negative. To me, negative is anything that would detract from improvement as a smasher. So here are some examples of the ever-popular negative response to these absolute statements.
1. Snake is CHEAP. His priority is TOO high, his tilts are TOO good, and I can't beat him. It's dumb how he's so good. I wish I could use my character to beat him, but it's impossible. Brawl needs to be more balanced.
2. Yoshi and Falcon are weak because they were nerfed from Melee. Yoshi can't double jump cancel anymore, which makes him really slow. Falcon can't even combo anymore. He's supposed to be a real man. This Brawl guy WISHES he could be called Captain Falcon.
3. Brawl is much slower than Melee. There's no tech skill involved, which lets noobs get good at the game. Since it is easier to play, the game has no depth. Therefore, it won't be good as a competitive game, and it should die out within a year or so.
4. Zelda was buffed and Sheik was nerfed. I really want to play Zelda more, because she was buffed. She can spam Din's fire really well and has much better KO moves than before. Sheik is weaker than before.
5. It's true! Everything about Brawl screams "noobs can get good at this game too easily." It kinda makes me feel bad that all the effort I put into Melee is going to waste.
Hmm...! So what do you guys think? You've had enough of these, right? And then if we don't believe in those statements, we respond to them with more of our own, right? Then possibly the entire forum could get caught up in this crossfire and be torn apart... Ah, a lot of that has already happened. You know, this is why I never voice my opinion about Melee vs. Brawl. Instead, I'll just make a new thread instead that talks about getting good and being the best... at both games. Hahah.
I think it's much easier if we can have our OWN positive responses right from the get-go, instead of listening to what other people have to say and then responding to their negativity. This doesn't really get anywhere unless you are REALLY good with people and REALLY want to help other people improve.
Here are some of my own responses. I realize some of you may disagree... but that doesn't matter to me. At all. I just want to get good at the game, so this is how my mind goes about solving these problems. FYI, I don't really think about these at all, it's just how I respond in my head when someone says something absolute.
1. Snake is good. Yeah, he's really good. However, I know for a fact that he's not unstoppable. Nothing is unstoppable. The new types of movement in Brawl actually do provide for a lot more freedom... No more 0-death combos. So that's why Snake is very effective... he has stage control and high priority/strength in individual attacks. I haven't devised my own full-proof counter picks and counter strategies against him yet, but I choose to see him as only a strong character instead of an invincible one. If he really, truly is unstoppable (which is unlikely)... then maybe I'll just pick him up myself.
2. Yoshi and Falcon do have their strengths. I think maybe people call them weak because they are underused, and supposedly nerfed from the Melee transition. It does look like Falcon won't be high-tier anymore, but I won't doom him to being weak just yet. I've seen a replay of SilentSpectre playing Falcon and he is really good. I even picked up Yoshi myself in the past week and I have done well against Falcos and Toon Links. Yoshi has a lot of cool movement tricks with his double jump, eggs, and his down-B on the slopes. Using down B on a slope pushes him off the ledge so he can jump or do an aerial right away... Interesting! Yoshi does have potential after all, and it seems that his unpopularity could actually work in my favor.
3. Yes, Brawl is slower than Melee. I agree. However, that fact could actually be useful for me. Sure, people said doing combos is more "enjoyable," but I just want to be the best and I'll find other things that are enjoyable. Since Brawl is, so far at least, less technically demanding, it could actually work in my favor that it will be easier for me than other players to be technically sound. Even if technical SPEED isn't a big factor, technical PRECISION and KNOWLEDGE are still very important. Even if it's easier for people to catch up to me, I will have an easier time staying consistent.
4. Hm, it's true. Zelda seems more efficient and Sheik less deadly. But I do think Zelda does have her limits. It's easy to avoid her KO moves and she can't move very quickly. Sheik, on the other hand, has the speed in her dash and aerials that she can actually approach people. Her ftilt combos are effective too. (Remember boys, moves are "EFFECTIVE" not "CHEAP.") Actually, it seems more viable this time around to interchange between the two. I can use Sheik to deal damage and use Zelda for the KO moves. I think we're on to something here.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l_mqR8QROCA (Teehee, some self-advertisement.)
5. Anyone can get good at Brawl? Or was the intention of this statement to say that Brawl is too easy...? It's true that anyone can get good! If that person really tries hard to learn as much as he can, then yes he can get good. I think people are just too mope-y about the difference in skill level between what used to be a pro and what used to be a noob. It's different now. I won't say that EVERYONE has a brand new slate... Like I said, we experienced ones do have something to carry over. It's not perfect... but I know I have started out with an advantage and I intend to keep it.
AAAAAND that's it. Like I said, some of you might not agree and most of these arguments have been discussed already. In the end, it comes down to what helps YOU become a better player.
ALSO: These arguments I've brought up are based on what other people have been saying. We need to be more creative, though! I can make up my own claims right here and now! Yoshi has potential. Metaknight is beatable. Norfair should be legal. Brawl is intense.
I believe these, and I leave them out for you to refute!
(...Like I care what you say.)
Right now, all I want to do is improve and win. I don't care which characters are the best, which matchups are bad and which aren't. And whoever says anything about them isn't 100% canon gospel truth. In Smash, I've learned that an absolute statement is never completely true. There is always a way around it, and it requires a lot of practice and experience to truly find a way. This, my friends, is how we beat stuff like counter-picks and top tiers. This is how we get better.
You can go ahead and tell me what's good and what isn't. I'm going to continue absorbing and discarding knowledge. I will only do what is useful to becoming the superior smasher. What you say may or may not influence me a little, and I may or may not find my own counter-theories. But no matter.
The thing is...
When it all comes down to it... all the time I spend on smashboards has but one purpose:
After I sit down and plug in...
I must win the match. Shake hands, no johns.
* * *
"The usefulness of a cup is its emptiness." -Lao Tzu
After two to three months of the world's Brawling... I'm pretty **** sure that, so far, we only have a few drops in that cup of knowledge.
Since the release of Brawl, I've been looking for ways to stay ahead of the pack. Everyone (or at least everyone who enjoys the game) has been learning new techniques and picking up all the characters... All these people have been searching for new ways to move, attack, and defend. As they create threads to show the world what they know... I am on the listening end.
As Bruce Lee said...
"Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless."
Now, I'm not going to enter a huge shpiel about martial arts philosophy. That's not what this thread is about. It's about Brawl, and how I've chosen to learn it.
You see, I was a pretty high level Melee player when the dawn of Brawl came about. I mained Ice Climbers and used the rest of the top 7 high tier characters as close secondaries. The last Melee tournament I went to was in December, I only lost to three people... three who happened to also be the top three players in my region. I guess that's a mildly respectable record. Since then I have only improved at Melee.
But with the release of Brawl, I have wanted nothing but to prove that I still had an edge. I improved in Melee not by technical prowess but via creativity and reflection. I mained Ice Climbers after all, and the only way I could do better was to make up new desynch combos and learn how to conquer my counter characters like Peach.
Since the Melee community and metagame were so far-evolved, anyone could pretty much hit up YouTube and search for a tech skill guide video, a character guide video, and some combo videos. Within a couple weeks, that person could be quite decent with any given character. We were long past the phase where everyone who was anyone already knew a lot about tech skill... We were even to the point where even the scrubbiest melee players would have a decent understanding of "mindgames" and would show respect to videos of Ken instead of trash talking him all the time and saying they were better. For the most part, they have gotten enough thumbs-down's on YouTube to learn their lesson. Everyone was good, and everyone recognized exactly what it took in the game to be great. With tech skill long out of the way, all that was left was spacing, matchups, and overall experience.
In the end, the highest echelon of Melee players was truly a spectacle to behold. The six regions of the US (WA, CA, TX, MW, EC, FL) all had unique talent. There were even the young prodigies and late bloomers that took tournaments by storm. Hax and Mang0, to name a couple. CA had floaty players HugS and Edrees from Socal, and techy players Zhu, Silentspectre, and Luninspectra from Norcal. WA had Combo status. FL had DaShizWiz, his brother, and lots of new blood including pro-Ganons and a Samus player who knows everything about Melee. TX had Caveman, DoH, FLT, Xelic, and more. MW had unbelievable talent in simple playstyles like Vidjo and Drephen. Not to mention Rainbow Cruise's one and only Dope, and the inventor of the modern Falcon, Darkrain. EC? Well... they had pretty much everything. All the best players, the best crews, the best regions, and the largest tournaments.
My idol in particular was Azen Zagenite, the true master of diversity who had stayed consistent from the very beginning of Melee up until now. He continues to do well in Brawl.
We still don't know quite EVERYTHING about Melee, and I still continue to play it. I know what it will take to win more matches and do better against the pro players in my region. I know everyone's bios and mains. With Brawl, I'm not necessarily "moving on," but I'm taking on the new task of being the best at another game.
But HOW, how do I do it?
Once again, absorb what is useful and discard what is useless...
Not everyone is making the transition. For some, Brawl came first. But no, not for me. I realize that some of the things that were useful to me in Melee are not so much in Brawl. And I'm not talking superficial stuff, I mean the deep, deep nuances of high level play.
Two major examples: Spacing and Priority.
My eye for spacing in Melee was trained to dodge lasers and stay right outside of Marth's sword range. To not get grabbed by Sheik, to be able to watch Falcon's movements very closely, and to not get down smashed by Peach. I knew what to do when getting pressured by a Fox or WoP'd by a Jigglypuff or missile spammed by a Samus. In the end it all came down to pure knowledge. It's not that my previous knowledge is working against me... rather, I have to newly discover a lot of the intricacies of Brawl spacing. Not just that, but also HOW to do it.
For example, rolling is very effective, and it moves much farther and faster than normal dashes and walking. And it keeps you facing the opponent. With rolling away as the best option, some might think that Brawl could turn into a camp battle (though this is not the case... but let's not get into that right now.) Knowing that, I could learn how to avoid attacks well, and also how to approach people while they are rolling too. I form simple strategies in my head for what to do next and it keeps me moving. Dash grab at this time, dash attack at this, fake out with an sh RAR bair at this time. Etc.
Spacing and Priority are two VERY knowledge-based ideas. My knowledge is limited and I need to gain it with experience... For example, there are crazy disjointed hitboxes in Snake's ftilt and utilt. But I hold it true in my head that the matchup is not impossible, so I don't lose hope right away. When I play against snake I try to figure out exactly how far away to stand from Snake to not get hit by the disjointed, high-priority tilts. Falco's fsmash is another crazy move. I need to worry about Wario's fsmash too. Zelda's usmash. Drill-type attacks (DDD's dair, Wario's dair, Fox's dair, Jigglypuff's dair, etc.) G&W's bair.
These are just a FEW high priority attacks to watch out for. Many lose hope too quickly against these moves and deem them cheap... but jeez, I mained IC's in Melee and I had to deal with Peach players' dsmashes all the time. I know that it is ALWAYS possible to deal with very effective moves, and that is an ideal I will never let go of.
At this stage in Brawl... the will to learn and also create... will go beyond anything.
* * *
So yeah, those two concepts are pretty important in both games. And they have changed greatly. When it comes down to it, everything is a learning process. It's not necessarily re-learning. Rather, I am just "learning more." It's come to the point where I can keep my mind clear of bad habits and I can make the transition back and forth from Melee to Brawl pretty easily. I think that could come in handy at a more diverse tournament.
Here's where I come to the point I really want to come across.
I don't want to glorify myself, but if I could just do one positive thing for aspiring Brawlers, it's this: I want to let people know that pre-conceived notions about the game are very, VERY horrible things to abide by. Never accept a statement as an absolute, and take the game in your own way.
THIS is the edge. This is how to stay ahead of the pack in Brawl.
Accepting pre-conceived notions and absolute statements as fact is the way of a scrub. Here are some examples:
1. Snake is a very good character.
2. Yoshi and Falcon are weak characters.
3. Brawl is slow.
4. Zelda is better than Sheik this time around.
5. Anyone can get good at Brawl.
Now, as smashers, what do we do? We form mental responses based on our own knowledge of the game. There are negative responses and positive ones. First, let me define what I'm calling a negative response... To me, a negative response isn't just something that is emotionally negative, like filled with anger or resentment toward the game, a character, or a player. Those count, but sometimes there are some fully developed intelligent posts that I consider negative. To me, negative is anything that would detract from improvement as a smasher. So here are some examples of the ever-popular negative response to these absolute statements.
1. Snake is CHEAP. His priority is TOO high, his tilts are TOO good, and I can't beat him. It's dumb how he's so good. I wish I could use my character to beat him, but it's impossible. Brawl needs to be more balanced.
2. Yoshi and Falcon are weak because they were nerfed from Melee. Yoshi can't double jump cancel anymore, which makes him really slow. Falcon can't even combo anymore. He's supposed to be a real man. This Brawl guy WISHES he could be called Captain Falcon.
3. Brawl is much slower than Melee. There's no tech skill involved, which lets noobs get good at the game. Since it is easier to play, the game has no depth. Therefore, it won't be good as a competitive game, and it should die out within a year or so.
4. Zelda was buffed and Sheik was nerfed. I really want to play Zelda more, because she was buffed. She can spam Din's fire really well and has much better KO moves than before. Sheik is weaker than before.
5. It's true! Everything about Brawl screams "noobs can get good at this game too easily." It kinda makes me feel bad that all the effort I put into Melee is going to waste.
Hmm...! So what do you guys think? You've had enough of these, right? And then if we don't believe in those statements, we respond to them with more of our own, right? Then possibly the entire forum could get caught up in this crossfire and be torn apart... Ah, a lot of that has already happened. You know, this is why I never voice my opinion about Melee vs. Brawl. Instead, I'll just make a new thread instead that talks about getting good and being the best... at both games. Hahah.
I think it's much easier if we can have our OWN positive responses right from the get-go, instead of listening to what other people have to say and then responding to their negativity. This doesn't really get anywhere unless you are REALLY good with people and REALLY want to help other people improve.
Here are some of my own responses. I realize some of you may disagree... but that doesn't matter to me. At all. I just want to get good at the game, so this is how my mind goes about solving these problems. FYI, I don't really think about these at all, it's just how I respond in my head when someone says something absolute.
1. Snake is good. Yeah, he's really good. However, I know for a fact that he's not unstoppable. Nothing is unstoppable. The new types of movement in Brawl actually do provide for a lot more freedom... No more 0-death combos. So that's why Snake is very effective... he has stage control and high priority/strength in individual attacks. I haven't devised my own full-proof counter picks and counter strategies against him yet, but I choose to see him as only a strong character instead of an invincible one. If he really, truly is unstoppable (which is unlikely)... then maybe I'll just pick him up myself.
2. Yoshi and Falcon do have their strengths. I think maybe people call them weak because they are underused, and supposedly nerfed from the Melee transition. It does look like Falcon won't be high-tier anymore, but I won't doom him to being weak just yet. I've seen a replay of SilentSpectre playing Falcon and he is really good. I even picked up Yoshi myself in the past week and I have done well against Falcos and Toon Links. Yoshi has a lot of cool movement tricks with his double jump, eggs, and his down-B on the slopes. Using down B on a slope pushes him off the ledge so he can jump or do an aerial right away... Interesting! Yoshi does have potential after all, and it seems that his unpopularity could actually work in my favor.
3. Yes, Brawl is slower than Melee. I agree. However, that fact could actually be useful for me. Sure, people said doing combos is more "enjoyable," but I just want to be the best and I'll find other things that are enjoyable. Since Brawl is, so far at least, less technically demanding, it could actually work in my favor that it will be easier for me than other players to be technically sound. Even if technical SPEED isn't a big factor, technical PRECISION and KNOWLEDGE are still very important. Even if it's easier for people to catch up to me, I will have an easier time staying consistent.
4. Hm, it's true. Zelda seems more efficient and Sheik less deadly. But I do think Zelda does have her limits. It's easy to avoid her KO moves and she can't move very quickly. Sheik, on the other hand, has the speed in her dash and aerials that she can actually approach people. Her ftilt combos are effective too. (Remember boys, moves are "EFFECTIVE" not "CHEAP.") Actually, it seems more viable this time around to interchange between the two. I can use Sheik to deal damage and use Zelda for the KO moves. I think we're on to something here.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l_mqR8QROCA (Teehee, some self-advertisement.)
5. Anyone can get good at Brawl? Or was the intention of this statement to say that Brawl is too easy...? It's true that anyone can get good! If that person really tries hard to learn as much as he can, then yes he can get good. I think people are just too mope-y about the difference in skill level between what used to be a pro and what used to be a noob. It's different now. I won't say that EVERYONE has a brand new slate... Like I said, we experienced ones do have something to carry over. It's not perfect... but I know I have started out with an advantage and I intend to keep it.
AAAAAND that's it. Like I said, some of you might not agree and most of these arguments have been discussed already. In the end, it comes down to what helps YOU become a better player.
ALSO: These arguments I've brought up are based on what other people have been saying. We need to be more creative, though! I can make up my own claims right here and now! Yoshi has potential. Metaknight is beatable. Norfair should be legal. Brawl is intense.
I believe these, and I leave them out for you to refute!
(...Like I care what you say.)
Right now, all I want to do is improve and win. I don't care which characters are the best, which matchups are bad and which aren't. And whoever says anything about them isn't 100% canon gospel truth. In Smash, I've learned that an absolute statement is never completely true. There is always a way around it, and it requires a lot of practice and experience to truly find a way. This, my friends, is how we beat stuff like counter-picks and top tiers. This is how we get better.
You can go ahead and tell me what's good and what isn't. I'm going to continue absorbing and discarding knowledge. I will only do what is useful to becoming the superior smasher. What you say may or may not influence me a little, and I may or may not find my own counter-theories. But no matter.
The thing is...
When it all comes down to it... all the time I spend on smashboards has but one purpose:
After I sit down and plug in...
I must win the match. Shake hands, no johns.
* * *
"The usefulness of a cup is its emptiness." -Lao Tzu
After two to three months of the world's Brawling... I'm pretty **** sure that, so far, we only have a few drops in that cup of knowledge.
