Teams has always been my favorite mode in smash. When done correctly, Teams exhibit the highest levels of Smash play. When done incorrectly, Teams boils down to a chaotic button mashing fiesta where the structure of the game is nearly lost. It’s time again for some pros and cons.
<!--more-->I’ll start with cons. The biggest con for teams is you must fight with a partner. What I mean by this is you must have four people to play with, and they must also want to play with their partners. Once you have a partner, a level of cooperation exists. If three players are serious, and one player just wants to goof-off, then the whole match can derail. This is why it can be hard to get Teams play up and running.
Pros. Teams play is more balance than 1v1 or free-for-all. Like 1v1 play, there are only two sides attacking each other. But unlike 1v1 play, you have a partner to back you up in case you get into some tricky situations. At the same time, they have a player that’s trying to prevent you from messing with their partner. This dynamic revolves into many different situations that nurture different gameplay styles. In the most basic form, each player picks an opponent, and they square off like they would in a normal 1v1 match trying to stay out of each others way. If a partner needs help, someone may leave what they’re doing to lend a hand. If someone is killed, the other team’s players have an opportunity to double team the other player. If someone is too conspicuous when trying to finish someone off, they might be finished off. In other words, Teams has it all.
What’s also exciting about Teams is low tiers are welcome and quite competent. Low tier characters often have neat tricks and abilities that no other characters have. But in a 1v1 situation, their flaws are glaring. In teams, however, low tier characters have a partner to back them up. So if the partners know these flaws, they work together to fill in the “gaps.”
Now we come to the part on how to do teams correctly. Team attack <strong>must </strong>be turned on.
1) It prevents chaos and button mashing on the battle field. As fun as randomness is, control is where we derive the most satisfaction. Though we can’t control everything that happens in smash, a considerable amount of control must exist between the game and the player for the game to function at all. When Team attack is off, the players of each team can attack through each other without fear of hurting their partners. This is a viable option at first when the players are still getting acclimated to the game. Unfortunately, this mode lends itself too easily to ignoring one’s partner and smashing away. Teams is more than just two people who happen to both get 1st place in the end.
2) Melee is built around rules and through these rules the characters interact with everything within the gaming environment. By taking team attack off, you are essentially taking your partner out of the match. When this happens, there is a lopsided balance. When your attacks have no chance of hurting your partner, there’s only a 100% chance of hitting an enemy. With these kinds of odds, smashing wildly becomes a legitimate strategy.
3 ) There are much deeper levels of strategy that come from being able to interact with or hurt your partner. Kirby taking powers from his partner becomes an option, as well as using your partner as an attack by throwing him into enemies. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve save my partner from sure death, by jumping off the edge and hitting him back to the stage. When your partner is in between you and your enemies, you’ll think twice before smashing away. Now that your partner can be hit, there’s only a 2/3 chance of hitting an enemy. This is just enough to play the odds and attack your enemies, but also enough to consider not attacking to spare your partner’s life. With team attack on, Pulling off team strategies that simultaneously avoid one’s partner while only hurting the enemies requires a lot of skill.
Here are two matches with Team attack on. Just check out the team work towards the end of each match.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdbUWndqatM" title="Match 1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdbUWndqatM</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT0ozqSxrhA" title="Match 2" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT0ozqSxrhA</a>
I encourage everyone to play with Team attack on. I’ve played both, and I have to say, I’ve reach the ceiling of strategy and fun when Team attack is turned off. With team attack on, there’s no ceiling. The sky is the limit… so they say.
<!--more-->I’ll start with cons. The biggest con for teams is you must fight with a partner. What I mean by this is you must have four people to play with, and they must also want to play with their partners. Once you have a partner, a level of cooperation exists. If three players are serious, and one player just wants to goof-off, then the whole match can derail. This is why it can be hard to get Teams play up and running.
Pros. Teams play is more balance than 1v1 or free-for-all. Like 1v1 play, there are only two sides attacking each other. But unlike 1v1 play, you have a partner to back you up in case you get into some tricky situations. At the same time, they have a player that’s trying to prevent you from messing with their partner. This dynamic revolves into many different situations that nurture different gameplay styles. In the most basic form, each player picks an opponent, and they square off like they would in a normal 1v1 match trying to stay out of each others way. If a partner needs help, someone may leave what they’re doing to lend a hand. If someone is killed, the other team’s players have an opportunity to double team the other player. If someone is too conspicuous when trying to finish someone off, they might be finished off. In other words, Teams has it all.
What’s also exciting about Teams is low tiers are welcome and quite competent. Low tier characters often have neat tricks and abilities that no other characters have. But in a 1v1 situation, their flaws are glaring. In teams, however, low tier characters have a partner to back them up. So if the partners know these flaws, they work together to fill in the “gaps.”
Now we come to the part on how to do teams correctly. Team attack <strong>must </strong>be turned on.
1) It prevents chaos and button mashing on the battle field. As fun as randomness is, control is where we derive the most satisfaction. Though we can’t control everything that happens in smash, a considerable amount of control must exist between the game and the player for the game to function at all. When Team attack is off, the players of each team can attack through each other without fear of hurting their partners. This is a viable option at first when the players are still getting acclimated to the game. Unfortunately, this mode lends itself too easily to ignoring one’s partner and smashing away. Teams is more than just two people who happen to both get 1st place in the end.
2) Melee is built around rules and through these rules the characters interact with everything within the gaming environment. By taking team attack off, you are essentially taking your partner out of the match. When this happens, there is a lopsided balance. When your attacks have no chance of hurting your partner, there’s only a 100% chance of hitting an enemy. With these kinds of odds, smashing wildly becomes a legitimate strategy.
3 ) There are much deeper levels of strategy that come from being able to interact with or hurt your partner. Kirby taking powers from his partner becomes an option, as well as using your partner as an attack by throwing him into enemies. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve save my partner from sure death, by jumping off the edge and hitting him back to the stage. When your partner is in between you and your enemies, you’ll think twice before smashing away. Now that your partner can be hit, there’s only a 2/3 chance of hitting an enemy. This is just enough to play the odds and attack your enemies, but also enough to consider not attacking to spare your partner’s life. With team attack on, Pulling off team strategies that simultaneously avoid one’s partner while only hurting the enemies requires a lot of skill.
Here are two matches with Team attack on. Just check out the team work towards the end of each match.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdbUWndqatM" title="Match 1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdbUWndqatM</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT0ozqSxrhA" title="Match 2" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT0ozqSxrhA</a>
I encourage everyone to play with Team attack on. I’ve played both, and I have to say, I’ve reach the ceiling of strategy and fun when Team attack is turned off. With team attack on, there’s no ceiling. The sky is the limit… so they say.
