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Q&A Smash Ultimate "Mains Advice" Thread

DelugeFGC

Smash Stick Space Cowboy
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Chrom's recovery issues are by no means limited to vertical gain, it's extremely exploitable and anytime he has to go low he's a free kill, in some MU's in particular (like Mario) Chrom just gets flexed on and it's.. really bad. He's still a viable high tier, he just has an extremely unfortunate recovery and it's not a viable suicide kill anymore unless you're up a stock.

Sheik has absolutely zero kill power at the moment and piss damage output, until she's buffed I wouldn't touch her outside of loyalty.

Toon Link is by far the weakest of the three Links. He's slower than Young Link, he has less range and far less kill power than adult Link, no remote bombs, no arrow gimmick (I REALLY wish they'd give him ice arrows), attack sounds that sound like rubber chicken noises and a slew of other problems including weird choices for move replacements over YL / AL. Young Link has more of a focus on rushing your opponent down and using your projectiles to rack up damage or work into combos or kill confirms, while Toon and AL's are more for zoning and space control. Both Toon and Young lack kill power, but the fat hitboxes on the Kokiri + his speed go a long way on YL and he has much better arrows. If you don't like AL but want a Link, Young is by far the best bet. I think YL could end up the best link if he got some buffed kill power on FAir and USmash.

Falco is great and I think a little slept on at the moment, but he has a lot of combo game that you'll have to learn and I'd say doing well with him is going to be dependent on MU knowledge and mechanical execution / precise timing. He's still good, but by far the weakest space animal in Ult.

Shulk is amazing and could get pushed into top tier as the meta develops and a galaxy brain player picks him up and takes him further than we could ever imagine, Shulk is by far the most technical sword character and he can use Monado to do some pretty disgusting stuff.

Sonic got taken down a peg from Sm4sh and can't time people out as well in this faster meta, but I don't know a whole lot about him.

Pac-Man is a solid character, low high-tier I'd say. He's come a long way since Sm4sh and if you can get comfortable with him I could see some explosive results.

Fox is extremely good, easily a top tier imo.

Wii-Fit is under-developed and always surprised me in my matches against her players, she's quite cool but I'm not sure how far a good player dedicated to her could TRULY take her so I'll avoid commenting too much. At least a mid-tier.

Incineroar's issues boil down to speed that's way worse than it should be, killing a lot of his follow up game.. and one of the worst recoveries in this game. With a few more buffs he could end up being the king of mid-tier with the right development, but I don't think we'll ever see him leave mid-tier. I do like him a lot though.

The Mii's are.. eh. The only one with any viability is swordfighter due to that low % confirm, and even then it doesn't do a whole lot for them imo. If they ever took a nerf, they'd be especially bad. Brawler is a low tier in the eyes of myself and many, and I'd say Gunner a low mid-tier who you can't really justify using over Samus imo.
 

KuroShin

Smash Rookie
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Feb 21, 2019
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Hey, so i've been playing Smash for quite a while now, my first Smash game was Melee when i was way too young to understand it so i was just like: Oooh that dudes Sword has flames lol After that i played a bit of brawl with friends and Smash 4 was where i started getting more interested in getting better at the game. Towards the end of Sm4sh i started to get into it and when ultimate hit i was hooked right from the beginning, a new smash game! I wanna be good at it! I had a long way to go and still have. In smash 4 i loved ZSS in Ultimate not so much anymore.
Right now i'm looking for a real Main and secondaries.
I really enjoy playing Cloud, Lucina and Wolf. I find these 3 help me improve quite a lot in my overall skill. I love being more aggressive while playing.
Right now my best character by far is Lucina so i'm thinking about maining her in the future or even switch to marth once my spacing is better(and lucina gets nerfed ;) )
For Lucina/Marth i am looking for secoundaries, that help my bad matchups.
I've been looking into Inkling and i am very stoked playing Joker and i think i will play him a lot.
Would you consider Inkling and maybe wolf to be good secondaries for Lucina/Marth?
And my last question, if i really main Cloud what should my secondaries be?
 
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Naptec

Smash Cadet
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
31
Recently, I found out that I had a pretty defensive playstyle (except against Olimar and Villager, I go over-agressive against them) but I don't like playing as turtle characters (it's just boring) and I also wants to do pretty good damage, who do you think is suited for me ?

P.S : I'm sticking to :ultmegaman: for now, but I'm not very sure of myself
 

~?~

The Strangest Link Main
Joined
Feb 24, 2019
Messages
266
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Baltimore
So i have been attempting to pick up Roy, but I've noticed that i struggle in match-ups with characters shorter than me especially Isabelle. my shorthop aerials swing just above their heads.

I had a match yesterday facing her on a battlefield layout stage and i was having an extremely difficult time approaching because she would just stand under the platforms on one side and cover the front with her Lloyd and fling projectiles/fishing pole me from there. and any time i could get near her i would just swing over her head. prior to ultimate i played Marth and had no trouble hitting the short folks with a short-hop Dair but unfortunately Roy cant even swing his Dair from a short-hop. Any advice here? i typically use the a+jump auto short-hop, can i swing lower if i manually short-hop?
It sounds as tho you are pressing the Jump Button and the Attack Button at the same time to perform the Auto-Shorthop Aerials. Roy actually has a pretty easy time dealing with shorties thanks to his disjoint reach and his forward swing. I recommend learning to shorthop with JUST the button on a consistent level in the training mode. After that, practice delaying your Forward Air and your Back Air, as they are your main tools for scooping up shorties off the ground. If you do it before or during the apex of the jump, you'll usually swing over their head, but if you throw out the attack as you are already falling, you'll typically hit them in the head (except for crouching characters who lay on their belly, like Snake or Zero Suit). Also try the footsies game, where you dash in and out with a fox trot to bait an attack, let it whiff miss, then punish it with a single dash forward into Jab attack, thus scooping up the said shortie and allowing you the standard neutral air into forward air follow up. I hope this helps.

Recently, I found out that I had a pretty defensive playstyle
Wolf and Link are both some of the best "Defensive" units in the game. Especially Wolf. They both also fulfill your wish for damage output with the added bonus of good killing power in their toolkit. Wolf is a little bit mindless so he gets boring to play after a while, and he doesnt really have to play neutral because his toolbox will carry your mistakes for you. So if you're trying to be a defensive player but want a higher level of complexity to your character, Link is probably a good option for you. He's a midrange character so you don't have to choose turtle at long distance or aggro at short distance, you can just switch between both as needed, making him a really solid neutral powerhouse, especially having the Bomb, being one of the best moves in the game easily. Just note that if you do choose Link, you're going to need to learn advanced bomb aerial setups with Z drop aerials into bomb-down throw into aerials bomb catches to reset the process. It's something you have to lab out in training before you really get better at using it in game, as it is hard to do consistently while in a competitive nailbiter. Hope this helps.
 
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Naptec

Smash Cadet
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
31
Thanks for the answer, man. Gonna try Link for a few matches against the CPU (I already tested Wolf earlier, and I didn't liked him), because I'm one of those players without Online, but it's OK. Thanks again !
 

Plazma™

Smash Rookie
Joined
Mar 22, 2019
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5
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Illinois
Thanks to DelugeFGC DelugeFGC 's advice, I gave :ultcloud: a serious go, as well as re-trying :ultsamus: and :ultdarksamus: for their neutral capabilities. :ultcloud: is a really fun heavy hitter, but I just feel like I'm playing a faster version of :ultganondorf:, getting caught out on my heavier attacks. I know this is my fault, but I just don't know if he's really main material for me, as I've found his zoning capabilities lacking. This is no fault of :ultcloud:'s, that's just not his job. I've since given quite a few more characters a decent go (still needing to seriously attempt getting good with :ultmegaman:), trying to fit them into my more defensive (turtle-y) neutral playstyle. I've tried all 3 :ultlink::ultyounglink::ulttoonlink: (again thanks to DelugeFGC DelugeFGC ), liking :ultlink: the best. He feels very good throwing out projectiles for stage control or just mindgames (bomb), and his setups are fantastic. The only thing holding me back from getting good with him is just my lack of practice. I am still not 1000% certain I'll settle on him, but I feel much better with him than I have with any of the rest of the cast I've taken seriously.

I had a question though. Where do :ultbowser: and :ultrob: fall on the role categories? I feel very good with :ultrob:, only putting off maining him because I think he lacks some of the defensive capabilities :ultlink: has. I would like to know what the people who know what they're doing, are doing with :ultrob:. What's his role?
For some reason though, :ultbowser: feels absolutely fantastic to me, and I don't think he's really meant for my playstyle at all. Granted, I could adjust my playstyle given enough time, I just want to be sure what I'd be getting into with him. What is :ultbowser: for? Or more accurately, why is he in the game? What is his role?

EDIT: I still have that muscle memory for :ultsamus: and :ultdarksamus:, but I just can't do what they need me too. Or rather, I don't enjoy doing what is neccessary for the bounty hunter and her doppleganger.
 
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Xelrog

Smash Lord
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What is :ultbowser: for? Or more accurately, why is he in the game? What is his role?
You're talking like this is a MOBA. Characters don't have "roles" to fill. They can do what they can do, and can't do what they can't.

Bowser is a fast super-heavy who suffers from the bad frame data and combo-ability of all heavies, but has a little bit of a combo game himself and obviously hits extremely hard. From what I've heard, general consensus is that he's one of, if not the, best heavy in the game, which is a far cry from his placement in previous Smash games. Abuse his Nair for good damage potential, use Fair and Bair/Ftilt and Utilt for some decent disjointment, and remember you have the option to attempt a suicide if you have a stock advantage and %'s aren't too disparate.

The main thing to worry about is his recovery, which is linear and pretty easy to punish.
 

Plazma™

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Xelrog Xelrog I suppose I was, whoops. Too many hero shooters.

I've noticed that his recovery is less than stellar, so staying onstage would definitely be a priority. Whereas with R.O.B. I'm honestly antsy to get the opponent offstage so I can fling em around. Out of all the heavies in the game, Bowser absolutely feels the most "natural" to me, like the quintessential heavy fighter.

Hm. Well I think I've caught myself in a love triangle here. I very much enjoy R.O.B., both on the ground and in the air (especially in the air), I love cold-cocking people with Bowser's sucker punches, and Link is just legit a fantastic character that does everything I need him to. I suppose this is the point where you guys can't help me choose anymore, as far as a main is concerned.
 

Xelrog

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Don't get me wrong, Bowser can be awesome off stage, so long as he's the aggressor. Fair and Bair are terrific for pursuit--you can even combo some Fairs together. He's only really in trouble if he's off the stage and the opponent isn't.

Of the three ROB definitely has the best combo game, and... probably the highest skill ceiling? If you enjoy him you could do a whole lot worse. Link and R.O.B. are both much more technical characters than Bowser. R.O.B.'s the combo guy, Link is the traps and positioning guy, and Bowser relies on prediction. If you're going to play a heavy well, you really have to be good at noticing and punishing your opponent's habits.
 

Plazma™

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Honestly, paying attention to my opponent's habits has been what's winning me games at all. Sure, being able to DI and dodge properly and get positioned to hurt them the most possible is absolutely necessary, but I don't win with that. I can play super well and still lose when my opponent gets a hard read or 10. I only win when I'm doing my best to be one step ahead. Maybe Bowser isn't such a bad idea, for now, to learn the art of reading my enemy.
 

DJ3DS

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had a question though. Where do :ultbowser: and :ultrob: fall on the role categories? I feel very good with :ultrob:, only putting off maining him because I think he lacks some of the defensive capabilities :ultlink: has. I would like to know what the people who know what they're doing, are doing with :ultrob:. What's his role?
Hey man. This discussion was a while back but I thought I'd try to weigh in on this from the perspective of someone who mains :ultrob:.

ROB is a character who is honestly pretty good at a lot of things. He's deceptively heavy, without the awful mobility that often comes with it. He can play a zoning game, but has surprisingly good frame data that allows him to actually box with the opponent quite well. He has fantastic distance on his recovery which makes him difficult to edgeguard whilst being very good at it himself. He has lots of cool setups, traps and item comboes that really afford you a ton of freedom in how you play.

The main thing ROB is bad at is resetting the game once he's been put in a bad spot. He's huge and relatively floaty, with no fast options covering below or behind him in the air. He can struggle to get off the ledge, and also to get out of smart shield pressure. This means that a lot of players will resort to a relatively slow, controlled pace of gameplay, using his two good projectiles to keep the opponent at bay to figure them out before going in for a potentially devastating combo or edgeguard.

The character has a relatively low skill floor - he's not too hard to pick up and play - but a decently high ceiling, with lots of item play and movement tech to incorporate.

If you're interested in more of the meat and bones, watch some of the guide videos by Luu343 on Youtube!
 

Vistra31

Smash Cadet
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The Mii's are.. eh. The only one with any viability is swordfighter due to that low % confirm, and even then it doesn't do a whole lot for them imo. If they ever took a nerf, they'd be especially bad. Brawler is a low tier in the eyes of myself and many, and I'd say Gunner a low mid-tier who you can't really justify using over Samus imo.
imo I tried Samus but I prefer Mii Gunner over her any day. Reflector is really good. Up-B 3 is like a better version of Pit's recovery so you can recover pretty safely. I think Samus is good with combos but without a reflector you're really investing in projectiles blocking shots and hoping they don't get reflected. Lower skill window for Mii's though so that's my take.
 

DelugeFGC

Smash Stick Space Cowboy
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imo I tried Samus but I prefer Mii Gunner over her any day. Reflector is really good. Up-B 3 is like a better version of Pit's recovery so you can recover pretty safely. I think Samus is good with combos but without a reflector you're really investing in projectiles blocking shots and hoping they don't get reflected. Lower skill window for Mii's though so that's my take.
Mii Gunner is an entirely neutral-focused character who gets laughably little out of winning said neutral exchanges in the first place. Like Mii Brawler, they feel like an incomplete character only designed to do a single thing, Mii Gunner just happens to get more mileage out of their gimmick. The only Mii that's even close to a fully-functional fighter is Mii Swordfighter.

Mii Gunner can win neutral in a fair bit of MU's okay, and that's -it-. They don't have a single other viable thing about them, they're an extremely lazy character designed entirely around being alright in neutral, in a similar fashion to how Mii Brawler feels like 'baby's first combo character' with how they're designed too. I would recommend giving ALL of a Mii's a pass if you intend to get serious development and growth from your character(s). The Mii characters feel like customizable basic instances of a few archetypes and concepts in Smash, perhaps each with some individual elements they could teach newer players.. but as a complete package all of them can be pretty lacking.

If Mii Swordfighter EVER loses that confirm or it gets worse, he's pluging directly to mid tier, I promise. The only reason people use him over most other swordies is because you can build to 70% and get free kills off of a neutral B in like 60%+ of MU's. Though, I will say, they do feel like the closest thing to an actual character of the three and I do like their aerials, their range is just a bit too pitiful and they don't do nearly enough damage. Mii SF basically has to nickle and dime all of his damage before going for the gale to hero spin.
 
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fanasthesia

Smash Rookie
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Jan 5, 2019
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So I just got Joker, and I've been struggling wether I should switch to him or keep my previous mains.

I used to main Roy. I like his aerials, his speed, but he has no range so I decided to try Joker, since he looked fast and also has a gun. (+Extra cool points for a gun.)

I also enjoy Link (normal Link) because I like sword characters and he has a really good bomb.

I love Jokers up B and Arsen is really cool and good, but I'm still reluctant to switch to him. His down air doesn't spike except with Arsen, and I guess I'm just not used to his playstyle. I'd really like to main or at least get good with Joker, since I spent money on him and everything, but I'm struggling who to stick with at this point.

Any help? My playstyle is very fast and very jabby, if that helps. I really do enjoy all 3 but I'd really like to stay with one, escpecially since they're similar and I'd like to secondary someone new. What do you think?
 
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Xelrog

Smash Lord
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I really do enjoy all 3 but I'd really like to stay with one, escpecially since they're similar and I'd like to secondary someone new. What do you think?
Objective answer: It's still too early to judge Joker in any capacity yet, so no one, myself included, will be able to give you a definitive answer.

Personal answer: Joker is a character designed around counters. Counters are historically not considered amazing moves, at least not when used excessively, which Joker requires by design. I think Joker is being blown out of proportion by bad players who don't know how to bait or read, and once people get used to him, much like K. Rool, opinions of him will plummet. I think he's a very easily exploited character by design.
 

Extritio

Smash Rookie
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Apr 23, 2019
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I'm having a bit of trouble finding the right main. I've considered myself a Puff and Bowser Jr. main for a while, but I just don't feel satisfied with the results I'm getting from both. My opponents figure out my aerial-based fighting style and work around it too easily it feels like. Is there anyone else that's really aerial based that I can hopefully pick up?
 

Heracr055

Smash Ace
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Hmm...if you're getting figured out with your aerial style, it sounds to me that you might just need to mix up your playstyle tbh. There are other reasons to want to leave Puff, but this doesn't seem to be one if the character specific reasons.
If you're looking for an alternative air fighter you could try Yoshi
 
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Vistra31

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I'm having a bit of trouble finding the right main. I've considered myself a Puff and Bowser Jr. main for a while, but I just don't feel satisfied with the results I'm getting from both. My opponents figure out my aerial-based fighting style and work around it too easily it feels like. Is there anyone else that's really aerial based that I can hopefully pick up?
With puff you can try to retreat better with fair or bair because of the insane horizontal air speed. Getting close is risky unless you get a rest/sing rest shield break. imo you need to also capitalize on opposing recoveries to get the mileage out. Maybe you should try Isabelle over puff or Pac-Man over Bowser Jr.
 

Jaro235

Smash Apprentice
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I main :ultyoshi: and my secondary is :ultpalutena:, but I don’t if she is the best choice as a secondary for Yoshi. Does Palutena cover Yoshi’s weaknesses well? If not, what are some other good secondaries for Yoshi?
 

cincnno

Smash Rookie
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Jan 31, 2019
Messages
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Hi everyone, I'm a smash noob, and I don't have a concrete main yet. I've dabbled with a lot of characters, like mewtwo or inkling, but I've never had a main that really "clicked". I'm trying to find a character with good damage output, and has no problem recovering/edgeguarding. Also, I can't invest too much in smash, being a student, so I can't play those characters with a super high skill cap, like Peach or Rosa. I enjoy a relatively fast playstyle, and combos are always nice. Can anyone please give me a good idea on who to main?
 

Naptec

Smash Cadet
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Mar 30, 2019
Messages
31
Hi everyone, I'm a smash noob, and I don't have a concrete main yet. I've dabbled with a lot of characters, like mewtwo or inkling, but I've never had a main that really "clicked". I'm trying to find a character with good damage output, and has no problem recovering/edgeguarding. Also, I can't invest too much in smash, being a student, so I can't play those characters with a super high skill cap, like Peach or Rosa. I enjoy a relatively fast playstyle, and combos are always nice. Can anyone please give me a good idea on who to main?
Welcome to the Smash community, man! Hope you'll have a lot of fun out there!

I think :ultjoker: might be for you. According of what I read/heard about him, he has a good damage output, some cool combos, and a nice recovery. I don't know anything about his edgeguard abilities, and he's pretty technical (but meh, I also main Link, and he's a very technical character, especially for his recovery), but since I didn't paid fo him, the things I gave to you might be wrong, so go in the Joker Discord or here: https://smashboards.com/forums/71-joker.658/

I hope this might help you
 

Toolbox

Smash Rookie
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May 8, 2019
Messages
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So, I've been playing since the 64 days. I used to be pretty decent across all the games, but as of late, my hands just can't keep up with my mind. It's gotten much harder to pull off combos and other split-second maneuvers. I know that's going to be a limiting factor no matter who I play, but I can at least try to mitigate it as much as possible. What characters could I focus on that are less combo-based, more tactical? I played a lot of Yoshi before, but I'm fumbling the combos I used to be able to do. Samus, perhaps? One guide video I watched said she's more on the take-it-slow end of things. Any others I could look into?
 

Xelrog

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So, I've been playing since the 64 days. I used to be pretty decent across all the games, but as of late, my hands just can't keep up with my mind. It's gotten much harder to pull off combos and other split-second maneuvers. I know that's going to be a limiting factor no matter who I play, but I can at least try to mitigate it as much as possible. What characters could I focus on that are less combo-based, more tactical?
Well... all heavies.

Snake and Ganondorf come to my mind as the slow and tactical type. Snake's being discussed as a pretty decent character this game with his zoning and area control and opinions on Ganondorf seem mixed, sort of middle of the board at worst. Dorf is very contingent on reading and punishing your opponent. Bowser's in a similar vein but actually has a surprising amount of speed and combos going for him.

There's also Wolf, but so many people of all skill levels are complaining about him that he could be visited by Uncle Nerf. His playstyle fits the bill of tactical, reliable, and not too combo-based, though.
 
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slammer

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Nov 28, 2018
Messages
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I am having such a main crisis.

I dont know if I should be looking for a character to play that I win with (comes natural to me) or should I be choosing someone that fits my playstyle personality. (My personality type is ENTP if that helps lol)

I enjoy pressuring people alot, I like to read people, I like to be calculated aggressive (wait till someone whiffs and then be aggressive on them) , and I like to edgeguard and ledgetrap. Now that im typing this, it may come off that what I want is basically everything. If I were to boil it down to more specific, If i could only pick 2 of those I would pick edgeguarding and calculated aggressive.

I feel like ive played every character in this game and no character just sticks with me yet. It just feels like every character has like one thing that just sucks about them. I feel like if I could just get a pointer in a direction I should go towards in terms of a main it could help me so incredibly much. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the idea of neutral and the fundamentals. Even though my fundamentals arent perfect, fundamentals is a never ending practice.

it could also be that maybe Im just looking in the completely wrong area. Maybe my personality type fits with a more defensive or calculated character. I am definitely open to the idea of that.

Im just looking for something at this point because I do enjoy the game mechanics at its core and it has so much potential but I just cant seem to find a character that fits me well. I just need some guidance on which path I should take or a character that seems to fit me well or anything else.

pls help haha
 

Heracr055

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I think Snake could be a good pick. You can definitely set up a lot of traps and pressure with grenades, to where they will have to come to you. Your barrage of grenades and c4 traps make their approaches predictable by restricting them, meaning you can anticipate and punish their actions. As far as edgeguarding Snake has Nikita, which is insane and keeps him relatively safe. The big disadvantage he has is his, well, disadvantage state, but you can mitigate that with careful play.
 

slammer

Smash Rookie
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Nov 28, 2018
Messages
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I think Snake could be a good pick. You can definitely set up a lot of traps and pressure with grenades, to where they will have to come to you. Your barrage of grenades and c4 traps make their approaches predictable by restricting them, meaning you can anticipate and punish their actions. As far as edgeguarding Snake has Nikita, which is insane and keeps him relatively safe. The big disadvantage he has is his, well, disadvantage state, but you can mitigate that with careful play.
I will give him a shot! Thank you! Who is more agressive-ish snake that I can watch?
 
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Heracr055

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The "big 3" Snakes atm are Ally, MVD and Salem (there's also Pelca but I'm not as knowledgeable about him). I think Ally and MVD are your best bets for aggressive Snake play. Maybe check out Pelca too (Salem plays super passive so he's your guy for defensive playstyle).
 
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Toolbox

Smash Rookie
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2
Well... all heavies.

Snake and Ganondorf come to my mind as the slow and tactical type. Snake's being discussed as a pretty decent character this game with his zoning and area control and opinions on Ganondorf seem mixed, sort of middle of the board at worst. Dorf is very contingent on reading and punishing your opponent. Bowser's in a similar vein but actually has a surprising amount of speed and combos going for him.

There's also Wolf, but so many people of all skill levels are complaining about him that he could be visited by Uncle Nerf. His playstyle fits the bill of tactical, reliable, and not too combo-based, though.
Sounds good, I'll look into them. After watching a couple Snake videos, I'm re-understanding the sheer number of explosives at his disposal from back in Brawl days. I miss that proximity mine, though.
 

Redica_v.2

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Jan 30, 2019
Messages
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I want to get better at the game. I have a hard time finding a main. I always switch between ganondorf, joker, and lucina. I win a few games and I want to win a tournament. It would be great if someone thought me how to get better.
 

VodkaHaze

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VodkaHaze58
Right now I'm considering dropping Lucario as my main and making him my secondary. I want to main a top tier, but I preferrably wouldn't mind picking one whom's playstyle is similar to that of Lucario's. Do Greninja, Wario or Pichu fit the bill?
 

M2 Is God

Smash Rookie
Joined
Dec 29, 2017
Messages
23
I have been a Mewtwo main for a long time now and know the game mechanics of ultimate quite well. However I'm struggling to find a secondary that suits my defensive play style and can be more aggressive if need be. I have tried joker over sheik(buff her please) and I have tried sword fighters like lucina and even Roy. I like them but I can't seem to get a grip on their game play. Any tips?
 

Xelrog

Smash Lord
Joined
Feb 24, 2019
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1,136
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Battle Ground, WA
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I have been a Mewtwo main for a long time now and know the game mechanics of ultimate quite well. However I'm struggling to find a secondary that suits my defensive play style and can be more aggressive if need be. I have tried joker over sheik(buff her please) and I have tried sword fighters like lucina and even Roy. I like them but I can't seem to get a grip on their game play. Any tips?
Ness comes to mind. He moves a little like Mewtwo, has as much disjointment on his aerials as sword users, can play very defensively and punish people BADLY for being defensive with his projectiles, and also has a lot of options for aggressive combos. His main downside is the learning curve on his recovery, and its gimpability in some matchups. An offstage Ness does NOT like Peach.

I have a friend who plays a very defensive game and some of his characters are Mewtwo, Incineroar, Little Mac, and Wolf. Popular opinion would probably advise you to avoid Mac and take a crack at Wolf if you haven't. He doesn't play much like Mewtwo but he definitely is great played defensively while still having some aggressive options.
 

anqilador999

Smash Rookie
Joined
Jun 14, 2019
Messages
4
Hi Im I new player that bought the game (and the switch for what is worth) because the will add the Hero (yeah one of the few western DQ fanatics) but we'll have to wait to get him so in the meantime Im need other main, Im considering :ultshulk:or :ultwolf: (Because they look cool).
So I have a few questions which one do you think is better for a begginer ? Which kind of playstyle has eachone ? And more from curiosity as I love tier list meta-game and that stuff which one is stronger right now ?
 
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Naptec

Smash Cadet
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
31
Hi Im I new player that bought the game (and the switch for what is worth) because the will add the Hero (yeah one of the few western DQ fanatics) but we'll have to wait to get him so in the meantime Im need other main, Im considering Shulk or Wolf (Because they look cool).
So I have a few questions which one do you think is better for a begginer ? Which kind of playstyle has eachone ? And more from curiosity as I love tier list meta-game and that stuff which one is stronger right now ?
I would say that :ultmario:, :ultcloud: and :ultlucina: are great beginner characters. :ultmario: is a fundamental-based all-rounded character, :ultlucina: is more about spacing and :ultcloud: is Lucina but with the Limit Break mechanic. As for the tier list, :ultpeach:, :ultsnake:, :ultpichu:, :ultlucina:, :ultroy: and :ultolimar: are among the best in the game, but tier lists are for weaklings (I'm not entirely sure of this).

Overall, just pick the one you think is the coolest, then if it clicks, hurray! If not, pick the second coolest one, and so on.


OK, for real, everything I just said is bull****, just pick Random, he's so OP he's literally another Brawl MK
 

Keeshu

Smash Ace
Joined
Jun 30, 2013
Messages
778
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Lurking in the darkness.....
Since you are looking to main Hero specifically. I'll suggest some characters that are similar to him keeping in mind you want to keep things simple so you can learn the game.

:ultlucina:Lucina is an incredibly basic and speedy character overall, and has a counter and shield break to punishing easier at lower level of play. Counters might not be the best at top level, but when you are new to the game it is incredibly comforting having an option that lets you attack back when you know someone is going to attack. However when you get better at the game you'll use other ways to punish predictable attacks, and I don't think Hero will have a counter like that. Similarly shield break lets you break predictable shields on people who shield too much when you are out of grab range and can make you feel amazing.
:ultike:Ike is incredibly basic, and he's a slow hard hitting swordsman. Hes' a very fundamentals based character. He'll force you to think about your actions, instead of just tossing out moves like you can with Lucina or Cloud. This is because his attacks are very long range and strong, but he is much more easily punished when he misses an attack. Make sure you use your tilts and grab! If it's a bit too much to handle people punishing you, you might want to wait a while before trying him again. Also it might be tempting to hit people with Side+B and up B because it's easy to hit people with them, but that doesn't work at higher level and you're not really learning anything by spamming them.
:ultcloud:Cloud is another very easy speedy swordsman to use. However he has limit break which lets you use one powerful move (though limit break goes away in 15 seconds so many sure you use it!). Playing cloud will definitely teach you the importance of knowing when to double jump as his recovery is terrible (which makes up for him being awesome on stage). One lesson you'll learn with Cloud is that it's a very bad idea to double jump the second you are off the stage. Another thing about Cloud is that his frame data is pretty ridiculous, so people generally have a hard time punishing you if you miss an attack, especially at low levels of play. Also Cloud may have a projectile, you'll usually be using his sword.

:ultrobin::ultrobinf: While not something I'd recommend most beginners, this seems like a huge exception for you. Robin would be good to pick if you plan on maining Hero just so you can get used to swordplay and projectile play while having a mechanic that makes you pay attention to how many spells you have left which is something Robin has in common with Hero as well. Hero has a mana bar, but we don't know if that regenerates quickly or if it refills after a while or whatever, but we know that mana spells are going to be limited in some way like Robin.

:ultlink:Hero is looks to be a bit slow and hard hitting with longish range attacks so Breath of the Wild Link seems pretty fitting for that (Hero has the same dash attack as BOTW Link as well!). Also the 3 Links :ultyounglink::ulttoonlink::ultlink: uniquely have a shield that is immune to projectiles. While the shield is probably not going to be much for Hero or Link, it's still nice to know how it works just in case. I just don't suggest the other Links because they are much more focused on speed, but if you're new to the game you're not going to be able to make the most out of that speed which can be a big problem when trying to learn the game. One thing to note about Link though, he has the capability to spam projectiles like crazy, and due to the mana gauge on Hero, I do not think Hero will use projectiles anywhere near as much as the Links do. Also if you rely on your projectiles too much you can ignore some of the fundamentals of fighting up close. However if you do use Links, you'll probably have a good idea of the strengths + weaknesses of projectiles.


However don't be afraid to choose some other characters as well. They might not be close to Hero, but they will help you learn the game.
:ultmario:Mario is an all around character that can have a ton of different playstyles. Also playing him will let you know how to play without abusing long range before you actually get Hero because characters with longer range are usually more punishable if they miss an attack.
:ultpalutena:Palutena is a very easy to use character that gives you an idea of how things are done with just about all her moves. Then she has a counter that is also a reflect (usually it's one or the other), and she has 2 types of projectiles to attack.
:ultkirby:Absolutely designed for beginner players, which is why he's the one you get to play first in Subspace in Brawl and World of Light in Ultimate. He has multiple jumps to help you get back to stage, his specials are pretty easy to hit against bad players (down B especially. that won't work for a second against good players though). He has some pretty easy combos.
:ultfalcon:Captain Falcon is a hard character to master, but it is also a character that gives you a good general idea of how the game works. Just remember that while side b and down b are rather easy to hit on people at low levels, don't rely on them too much because you should be learning all your moves, not just those ones. He is a bit of a fast character, but his power and easy combos can make things really easy.


Edit:
Oh and uh, don't worry about tier lists right now. Tier lists are meant for top level play, not meant for people just learning the game. Like for example Peach is top tier, but is one of the hardest characters to learn in the game..... With that said, :ultwolf:Wolf is pretty dang easy to learn how to play. I haven't touched Fox much, but I've seen quite a few people reccomend :ultfox:Fox to new players and I can see why. Just keep in mind that Wolf and Fox are a bit on the fast side.
 
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MasterOfKnees

Space Pirate
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Jan 4, 2010
Messages
8,579
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Denmark
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KneeMaster
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Hi Im I new player that bought the game (and the switch for what is worth) because the will add the Hero (yeah one of the few western DQ fanatics) but we'll have to wait to get him so in the meantime Im need other main, Im considering :ultshulk:or :ultwolf: (Because they look cool).
So I have a few questions which one do you think is better for a begginer ? Which kind of playstyle has eachone ? And more from curiosity as I love tier list meta-game and that stuff which one is stronger right now ?
Shulk is one of the more complex characters in the game, so maybe not the best character to start out with. His main gimmick are his Monado Arts, which basically boost some of his stats at the expense of other stats, and you really need to know what Monado Art to use in which situation, which is difficult if you're only just learning the game, you need to know the basics phases of the game before you pick him up.

Wolf on the other hand is a decent beginner character, he's a character who wins neutral in simple manners, and he's good at both low and high level play, so you can never really go wrong with him. His recovery isn't great, but I also think that teaches a new player to put thought into how they recover, instead of just having a get out of jail card. For a beginner I also think it's important to play a character that they think is cool to help motivate them to get better, so if it's between the two you listed, then Wolf is very clearly the best choice.
 
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rawrau

Smash Rookie
Joined
Feb 27, 2019
Messages
7
Hello, everybody! I'm a Smash noob who wants to make the most of his competitive potential (playing Ultimate for 6 months and loved the older games despite not being familiar with competitive play).

I've been playing Pokémon Trainer and really like the character, however I feel this a limiting main since the character relies too much on gimmicks and overblown Ivy kill confirms.

Overall, I want a character that will teach me better fundamentals while still being able to use PT every now and then. Characters I really enjoy playing are Mega Man (hard to master), Joker, Peach, Pikachu, DDD, Belmonts, Roy, Palutena and Wario (talk about a main crisis)

I don't know my playstyle, but I love edgeguarding and find Lucina really boring.

In case it helps, my worst MU are Sonic, Diddy and maybe G&W they just get in my head I get annoyed and play terribly against them.
 

Call_Me_Red

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 29, 2018
Messages
420
Location
Yeehaw, Texas
Guys I'm stuck, I can't decide on a solid main trio.

So here's my sitch:
-I definitely want King K in the roster, sentimental value, I'm sticking with him
-I thought I'd make PT my secondary because he covers so many weaknesses, and 3 character? I'll never get bored
---I got bored
---Also, everyone knows the PT match up, everyone has a pocket PT, that's not how I like to play
-I want to make Bayo work and lately I've been having a lot of fun with her, but fun =/= results
-I'd like to have Isabelle but according to the whole world she's bottom tier, but there's an Isabelle resurgence lately

TL;DR King K main, need a solid secondary (preferably someone in my signature, but I'm open to suggestions). Bayo, PT, and Isabelle are good contenders.
 

Xelrog

Smash Lord
Joined
Feb 24, 2019
Messages
1,136
Location
Battle Ground, WA
Switch FC
SW 2367 4933 3404
TL;DR King K main, need a solid secondary (preferably someone in my signature, but I'm open to suggestions). Bayo, PT, and Isabelle are good contenders.
Isabelle's no worse than K. Rool or Bayonetta. They're all held in kind of low regard at the moment.

Anything you're particularly drawn to in a character or playstyle? How do you like to play? It sounds like you're more into K. Rool for the character than for how he plays, which doesn't give us much to draw from.
 
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