Supermodel From Paris
Smash Hero
This discussion IMO deserves its own thread. This is an elephant-in-the-room sort of thing that I think we've avoided discussing, maybe to preserve the idea that all playstyles are valid (which they are, with some caveats).
I'm going to say straight-up that I think up until now, ZSS players from top-level to new players, have not focused enough on tech skill, and I'll also admit that I used to agree largely that it wasn't very important to learn a lot of these little techniques. The first time I thought I might be wrong was when I started watching Dazwa in 2009, who is probably the earliest ambassador to a flashier, more aggressive and technical ZSS style. Later, Dakpo resurrected it (well, dakpo has a hybrid style, sort of), presumably after playing against Salem on Wifi. After watching Salem (and to an extent, V115) play, and then later watching him win Apex, I think this is worth discussing.
The one thing all of these players had in common was that they surprised people very suddenly with how good they were, and how much they could do with ZSS very quickly.
I think a key to playing and winning with ZSS in the future will be learning tech skill and applying it when it's appropriate. Salem straight-up uses very technical options that were very strong and very difficult to avoid, it isn't just flash. See his last-stock kill on Otori game one. In some match-ups, it is possible to use ZSS' technical attributes and mobility to completely shut out certain characters when you have an advantage (DK, and to an extent, Falco). In some others, like MK, playing with a mostly conservative style will probably be better, but knowing how to use ZSS' mobility to cover blind spots in sudden bursts is going to be super important.
I'm not saying this to criticize any players with conservative playstyles, top players or otherwise, I'm saying this because I think there needs to be a very fundamental shift in how we view the character, from how we teach new players here on the forums (and they will be coming after Apex) to how we approach match-up discussions. Choice tech application and mobility are the future.
These are just some thoughts I've wanted to throw out there for a while, feel free to flame.
I'm going to say straight-up that I think up until now, ZSS players from top-level to new players, have not focused enough on tech skill, and I'll also admit that I used to agree largely that it wasn't very important to learn a lot of these little techniques. The first time I thought I might be wrong was when I started watching Dazwa in 2009, who is probably the earliest ambassador to a flashier, more aggressive and technical ZSS style. Later, Dakpo resurrected it (well, dakpo has a hybrid style, sort of), presumably after playing against Salem on Wifi. After watching Salem (and to an extent, V115) play, and then later watching him win Apex, I think this is worth discussing.
The one thing all of these players had in common was that they surprised people very suddenly with how good they were, and how much they could do with ZSS very quickly.
I think a key to playing and winning with ZSS in the future will be learning tech skill and applying it when it's appropriate. Salem straight-up uses very technical options that were very strong and very difficult to avoid, it isn't just flash. See his last-stock kill on Otori game one. In some match-ups, it is possible to use ZSS' technical attributes and mobility to completely shut out certain characters when you have an advantage (DK, and to an extent, Falco). In some others, like MK, playing with a mostly conservative style will probably be better, but knowing how to use ZSS' mobility to cover blind spots in sudden bursts is going to be super important.
I'm not saying this to criticize any players with conservative playstyles, top players or otherwise, I'm saying this because I think there needs to be a very fundamental shift in how we view the character, from how we teach new players here on the forums (and they will be coming after Apex) to how we approach match-up discussions. Choice tech application and mobility are the future.
These are just some thoughts I've wanted to throw out there for a while, feel free to flame.
