Q&A The 'Mains' Advice Thread

[Liyrex]

Hey it's me again! So I tested olimar, rob and villager, and finally I'd like a more aggressive character that needs to be close to the opponent, either with fists or a sword, I still want a meteor smash, a decent recovery, decent speed, follow ups/combos and kill options! I really like combos, follow-ups and an aggressive character, those are the most important. So can you list the characters that would be best for me? Thanks for helping me!

try or

 

[Plesioth]

I'm new to competitive Smash(Although i been playing casually since Melee), and since Brawl, i could never settle on who my "mains" and "Secondaries" are.

In Melee, I main , as i loved and as Characters, and given that pretty much everyone started out maining either a or , and seemed like better Mario. I also wanted to used , as i LOVED Metroid Prime, and and as well.

In Brawl, I kept and , and picked up (Really for , and to a lesser extent ), and had and as a secondary.

Now in Smash 4, I have as a on and off secondary as he feel considerably worse now. his moves have a considerable amount of endlag and have a hard time killing, but i want to keep him due to being my 1st Smash main.

I dropped all together as his Dair nerf was IMO too big of a hit for me. Dair pogo bouncing was a big part of his appeal to me.

I picked up , as he is even wackier than G&W moveset and character wise, and i love his offstage and aerial presence.

I also kept as a main, and have and as secondaries, and now is a contender as a main given i grew up on Vs. Capcom fighters.I dropped ,, and as well.

However my main problem(no pun intended) is just how often that list fluctuates. i change my mains and secondaries almost as much as underwear. i cant really say i have a main or secondary(outside of Villy and maybe Ness).I have considered almost the whole cast at some point now.

i know however that my playstyle is hyper aggressive(even to the point of detrimental) and generally aerial focused(SHFL galore).i get decent results with Ness,Villy, and Ryu on FG, and everyone else is ok unless i go up against someone who is decent with their character and know the matchup. Its hard for me to improve if i don't know just WHO to improve with. I want to have a number of mains, not be a master of one, but i don't want to main random at the same time.

 

[Divemissile]

I'm having trouble picking a main. I've tried out so many characters, but I haven't found one that I liked enough to main. The character I liked the most was Charizard, but I also stuck with Falcon for a while.

 

[Liyrex]

I'm new to competitive Smash(Although i been playing casually since Melee), and since Brawl, i could never settle on who my "mains" and "Secondaries" are.

In Melee, I main , as i loved and as Characters, and given that pretty much everyone started out maining either a or , and seemed like better Mario. I also wanted to used , as i LOVED Metroid Prime, and and as well.

In Brawl, I kept and , and picked up (Really for , and to a lesser extent ), and had and as a secondary.

Now in Smash 4, I have as a on and off secondary as he feel considerably worse now. his moves have a considerable amount of endlag and have a hard time killing, but i want to keep him due to being my 1st Smash main.

I dropped all together as his Dair nerf was IMO too big of a hit for me. Dair pogo bouncing was a big part of his appeal to me.

I picked up , as he is even wackier than G&W moveset and character wise, and i love his offstage and aerial presence.

I also kept as a main, and have and as secondaries, and now is a contender as a main given i grew up on Vs. Capcom fighters.I dropped ,, and as well.

However my main problem(no pun intended) is just how often that list fluctuates. i change my mains and secondaries almost as much as underwear. i cant really say i have a main or secondary(outside of Villy and maybe Ness).I have considered almost the whole cast at some point now.

i know however that my playstyle is hyper aggressive(even to the point of detrimental) and generally aerial focused(SHFL galore).i get decent results with Ness,Villy, and Ryu on FG, and everyone else is ok unless i go up against someone who is decent with their character and know the matchup. Its hard for me to improve if i don't know just WHO to improve with. I want to have a number of mains, not be a master of one, but i don't want to main random at the same time.

Thats easy dude I play exactly the same way try either for the aggressiveness i font prefer him though but hes easy to pick up.
is hard to learn but well worth your time
not really hyper aggressive characters but their aerial game is one of the best in my opinion and they have speed same applies to who just got a buff
also try
and is my boi

 

[Soup's On!]

I played Jigglypuff back in Melee, and I can do... okay-ish with her in Smash4, but I feel the need to diversify. The problem is nobody else really feels as natural to me to play as. Her aerial goodness is just something I got behind really quickly. So I guess what I'm looking for is a character similar enough to Her Jiggliness that at least some of my habits/mindset/style translate over, while hopefully covering some of Jigg's flaws.

 

[Liyrex]

I played Jigglypuff back in Melee, and I can do... okay-ish with her in Smash4, but I feel the need to diversify. The problem is nobody else really feels as natural to me to play as. Her aerial goodness is just something I got behind really quickly. So I guess what I'm looking for is a character similar enough to Her Jiggliness that at least some of my habits/mindset/style translate over, while hopefully covering some of Jigg's flaws.

I mean that depends on your style which i assume is defensive walling if you like her that much. Try dedede or kirby

 

[xthefurry]

got some new mains can i get them rated on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best)

 

[C0rvus]

got some new mains can i get them rated on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best)

Those are all fine characters. I wouldn't recommend having so many mains if you want to seriously compete, but casually play as many character you want. Hell, I play nearly half the roster just playing with friends. Anyway, I would rate each of these characters as follows:

: (5/10) Marth is generally a better pick, but I can understand liking Lucina for other reasons. Neither she nor Marth are very threatening due to lack of general combos and low reward. But they have good neutral and offstage game.
: (6/10) A personal favorite of mine. Not going to sugarcoat things, he's a bit lacking. Great zoning tools, a command grab, disjoints. But his speed and poor grab kinda hold him back in a meta dominated by rushdown characters.
: (6/10) A bit better than Marth. Faster, throw combos. Worse offstage and has the stronger hilt thing, which balances him out. So he isn't THAT much better than Marth. A solid character.
: (7/10) One of the best zoners in the game. Struggles a bit in singles imo, but he's a lot of fun. Tree kills are super satifying and pocket is shenanigans. Definitely a character you can go far with.
: (8/10) A top threat with an amazing projectile and the best throw combos in the game. His mobility and slow revery hold him back from being the best in the game. A super good character.
: (7/10) Kirby has great combos and recovery but can take a while to get in. Gets even better with customs. A character that rewards patience and capitalizes on openings.

Play who you enjoy most. These are just my general thoughts on these guys.

 

[dy831532sssfjhhggb2224523]

I played Jigglypuff back in Melee, and I can do... okay-ish with her in Smash4, but I feel the need to diversify. The problem is nobody else really feels as natural to me to play as. Her aerial goodness is just something I got behind really quickly. So I guess what I'm looking for is a character similar enough to Her Jiggliness that at least some of my habits/mindset/style translate over, while hopefully covering some of Jigg's flaws.

, , , (fat Jigglypuff), , (floaty, good air game and some of the best offstage play), , might be good picks.

got some new mains can i get them rated on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best)

is 10/10 forget the others.

 

[Soup's On!]

I mean that depends on your style which i assume is defensive walling if you like her that much. Try dedede or kirby

, , , (fat Jigglypuff), , (floaty, good air game and some of the best offstage play), , might be good picks.

Thanks both of you, I think I'll be giving Kirby and Dedede a serious try. Also Wario because "fat jigglypuff" is the best sales pitch that could ever possibly be given.

 

[C0rvus]

Thanks both of you, I think I'll be giving Kirby and Dedede a serious try. Also Wario because "fat jigglypuff" is the best sales pitch that could ever possibly be given.

For Wario, I would definitely check out TheReflexWonder, or sometimes he's just known as Reflex. He is not only a very good Wario, he also played (possibly still plays) Jigglypuff quite a bit. He's netted good results with both characters and is always trying to push the meta. A player to be watched for sure.

 

[dy831532sssfjhhggb2224523]

For Wario, I would definitely check out TheReflexWonder, or sometimes he's just known as Reflex. He is not only a very good Wario, he also played (possibly still plays) Jigglypuff quite a bit. He's netted good results with both characters and is always trying to push the meta. A player to be watched for sure.

His youtube channel is the realest.

 

[Blasiancoolio]

I need more variety in my mains I think. I currently main falcon and Mario, and messing around with Lucas and Roy. Is this good variety? Or should I pick up a more zone-y kind of character (pacman/villager/etc)?

 

[dy831532sssfjhhggb2224523]

I need more variety in my mains I think. I currently main falcon and Mario, and messing around with Lucas and Roy. Is this good variety? Or should I pick up a more zone-y kind of character (pacman/villager/etc)?

Stick to 1-3 characters. More than that will hurt your development as a player and spread many things too thin.

If you want variety, I'd say:

• Mario: Good all-around fighter, your middle ground.
• Roy: Fast and aggressive, the swordsman of your kit.
• Pac-Man or Villager: Strong zoning and projectile play.

 

[C0rvus]

I need more variety in my mains I think. I currently main falcon and Mario, and messing around with Lucas and Roy. Is this good variety? Or should I pick up a more zone-y kind of character (pacman/villager/etc)?

Honestly Falcon and Mario is fine. Playing too many characters hurts your rate of improvement in general. If you want more variety in playstyle, Villager and Pac Man are great choices for a more deliberate, zoning/trapping fighter with a strong neutral game. People have called Roy "Sword Falcon", but it's generally agreed upon that Falcon is better in general.

 

[Haze.]

Just picked up the game. What are some good characters to try out?

 

[C0rvus]

Just picked up the game. What are some good characters to try out?

I would go for any characters that appeal to you or you find fun. It's harder to improve if you don't have fun playing the game. That said, is there a particular way you enjoy playing (ie. zoning, trapping or restricting the opponent's options, aggressive, keep-away, offstage heavy, etc.)? What do you look for in a potential main? Are you a total beginner or have you played Smash before and to what extent? Pardon all the questions, but the answers can help make your choice clearer.

 

[xthefurry]

thinking of replacing with or in my mains.
here are my original mains:
your thoughts?

 

[Haze.]

I would go for any characters that appeal to you or you find fun. It's harder to improve if you don't have fun playing the game. That said, is there a particular way you enjoy playing (ie. zoning, trapping or restricting the opponent's options, aggressive, keep-away, offstage heavy, etc.)? What do you look for in a potential main? Are you a total beginner or have you played Smash before and to what extent? Pardon all the questions, but the answers can help make your choice clearer.

I'm not really sure how to answer some of those questions but yeah I'm new to Smash, I've only ever watched content of it online, though I guess I did play a bit of melee and brawl at a friends house once or twice.

 

[Soup's On!]

Just picked up the game. What are some good characters to try out?

I'm not really sure how to answer some of those questions but yeah I'm new to Smash, I've only ever watched content of it online, though I guess I did play a bit of melee and brawl at a friends house once or twice.

In all fairness, the only answer that can really be given for "Who should I try?" with nothing else to narrow it down is "Everyone until you find a character or style that you like."

 

[Haze.]

In all fairness, the only answer that can really be given for "Who should I try?" with nothing else to narrow it down is "Everyone until you find a character or style that you like."

I guess, I'll spend some time trying to figure out who I like.

 

[RevolverTurtle]

Hey all, I'm just now getting into Smash again after a long absence because work and I don't know which character(s) to pick up. As fighting games go I've only played Tekken seriously for about 5 years (mained Capos/Raven) and I prefer high risk-high reward and characters that rely heavily on mixups. I absolutely can't stand brain dead or campy characters. Much more exciting to play high risk and it makes it satisfying to win too.Gimmicks are fine too.

 

[Nexin]

Hey all, I'm just now getting into Smash again after a long absence because work and I don't know which character(s) to pick up. As fighting games go I've only played Tekken seriously for about 5 years (mained Capos/Raven) and I prefer high risk-high reward and characters that rely heavily on mixups. I absolutely can't stand brain dead or campy characters. Much more exciting to play high risk and it makes it satisfying to win too.Gimmicks are fine too.

Based off what you gave me, it sounds like Little Mac would be your best fit. On the ground, he is one of the most dangerous characters in the game, but in the air, he is pretty crap. Because of that, he is an absolute monster should he take control of the momentum, but he can also be potentially zero to deathed by every character in the game. The biggest issue I could see is the learning curve. He is the most difficult character in the game to play at a high level, so if you haven't played Smash in a while, he may not be the greatest character to use for now. Of course, I've also heard that Tekken is supposed to be one of the harder fighting games to play, so you might not be bothered by that.

There is also Lucario, who is the best example of a high risk, high reward character. He has a unique mechanic known as Aura that causes him to become more powerful as he takes damage, meaning that you need to be good at fighting near death to win with him. Of course, due to the way Aura works, he can potentially be one of the more defensive characters, which you said you don't like, but I would still recommend checking him out.

I don't know way too much about Tekken, so could you give me a bit of information on Capos and Raven, such as their general playstyle or what about them made them high risk, high reward characters/ team. Knowing what they are like will give me a better idea of what other characters you might enjoy playing.

 

[Liyrex]

thinking of replacing with or in my mains.
here are my original mains:
your thoughts?

NOOOO

 

[Joeyd123]

Hey all, I'm just now getting into Smash again after a long absence because work and I don't know which character(s) to pick up. As fighting games go I've only played Tekken seriously for about 5 years (mained Capos/Raven) and I prefer high risk-high reward and characters that rely heavily on mixups. I absolutely can't stand brain dead or campy characters. Much more exciting to play high risk and it makes it satisfying to win too.Gimmicks are fine too.

Captain Falcon i think would be your best choice.

He is an extremely high risk high reward character. He also is not campy at all and you must play very aggressively with him. I am currently switching my main to Falcon from Sheik and I must say he is a bery fun character to use as well.

 

[xthefurry]

I just reduced my mains from 6 characters to 4 characters, here they are;
can you rate them on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) on how well they work together?

 

[xthefurry]

how many mains is a good amount? I don't know if i should keep my 4 or decrease the number a little

 

[Akira213]

how many mains is a good amount? I don't know if i should keep my 4 or decrease the number a little

Call me conservative but I am a staunch advocate of only having 1 "main" and 1 "secondary". I feel you get a lot more out of a character this way. About ~80% of my matches are Marth.

 

[xthefurry]

Call me conservative but I am a staunch advocate of only having 1 "main" and 1 "secondary". I feel you get a lot more out of a character this way. About ~80% of my matches are Marth.

thanks @ Akira213

 

[xthefurry]

i'm thinking of replacing in my mains, he seems a little overpowered you know with the hammer, easy to dodge with, great recovery, and copying powers, yeah he's overpowered. any suggestions? i'm thinking or .

 

[xthefurry]

Stick to 1-3 characters. More than that will hurt your development as a player and spread many things too thin.

If you want variety, I'd say:

• Mario: Good all-around fighter, your middle ground.
• Roy: Fast and aggressive, the swordsman of your kit.
• Pac-Man or Villager: Strong zoning and projectile play.

best opinion i've seen on this site

 

[xthefurry]

I'm having trouble picking a main. I've tried out so many characters, but I haven't found one that I liked enough to main. The character I liked the most was Charizard, but I also stuck with Falcon for a while.

why not choose one close-range one balanced and one zoner, try them out and if you don't like em' repeat until you get the ones you like?


also get mewtwo and ryu they could be real good secondaries

 

[dy831532sssfjhhggb2224523]

Hey all, I'm just now getting into Smash again after a long absence because work and I don't know which character(s) to pick up. As fighting games go I've only played Tekken seriously for about 5 years (mained Capos/Raven) and I prefer high risk-high reward and characters that rely heavily on mixups. I absolutely can't stand brain dead or campy characters. Much more exciting to play high risk and it makes it satisfying to win too.Gimmicks are fine too.

Try (if DLC) and see who you like (1-3 of em) from there.

I just reduced my mains from 6 characters to 4 characters, here they are;
can you rate them on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) on how well they work together?

: 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000/10 choice
Others: idk could be higher than that
I like Roy and Robin, A+ choices.
or seems good.

how many mains is a good amount? I don't know if i should keep my 4 or decrease the number a little

1-3. 1 is good for fast improvement and if one character's enough of a homie, 2-3 is good for more well-rounded improvement, to shut down unfun/bad MU's for a character, and just to be able to rotate someone out for a bit or drop them if they or the game gets stale. Also double posting or more is generally frowned upon. I usually use the edit button or save drafts for later to offset this.
Sometimes I hop on a second account to give myself more posts since nobody pays enough attention to notice.

 

[Fatmanonice]

Hey all, I'm just now getting into Smash again after a long absence because work and I don't know which character(s) to pick up. As fighting games go I've only played Tekken seriously for about 5 years (mained Capos/Raven) and I prefer high risk-high reward and characters that rely heavily on mixups. I absolutely can't stand brain dead or campy characters. Much more exciting to play high risk and it makes it satisfying to win too.Gimmicks are fine too.

These guys mach these traits the best, in my opinion.

- Aside from Mario and Luigi, probably has the most mix up options out of throws in the game. Can easily follow up ground attacks with his aerials (including, of course, the legendary Knee of Justice) and his smash attacks hit like a truck when they land. Fairly easy to pick up and a very dependable character all around.

- Much more on the defensive side this time around than he was in Brawl. He has very dependable dthrow set ups that are easy to learn and lead to fairly predictable reactions from your opponent. His shield grab is arguably the best in the game and he's one of the most rewarding characters to play defensively with. His attacks have long range and hit hard but he's at his best when you play smart and set up traps for people to fall into. Attacks like his dash attack and fsmash can kill at very low percentages, making them some of the most high risk, high reward attacks in the game. The downside is that he can become overwhelmed with very speedy characters or characters with a myriad of dependable projectiles.

- A much slower Captain Falcon but hits much, much harder. Breaking shields and killing characters off stage at low percentages is not unusual with this character, making him very dangerous in the hands of people who can easily read their opponents. Has one of the few real tech chases in the game and has some of the hardest punishes in the game. He has many of the same downsides as Dedede though and his recovery is pretty lackluster, leaving his vulnerable off stage.

- Mr. High Risk/High Reward incarnate. This is a rushdown character that can do absurd amounts of damage in a short amount of time and quickly overwhelm his opponents with insanely quick attacks. His KO punch can kill the entire cast as low as 30% on most stages, making it the most high risk, high reward attack in the game. The problem though is that he doesn't handle projectiles very well and his offstage game and recovery are the worst in the game. Arguably the most polarized character in the game.

- "Good things comes to those that wait." This is a character that is all about patience and endurance. He has a lot of weak attacks and throws that can easily be followed up with but he really shines after he's taken a beating. Thanks to his aura property and this game's rage mechanic, he becomes a deadly force when he's in KO range. Not only do his attacks hit harder the more damage he takes, the longer their range with be too with his force palm going more than a 1/3rd of most stages when he's critical. Killing characters at 50-60% with a smash attack is not unusual once he's past the 150% mark and this character is built from the ground up for surprise comebacks. The downside is that if you goof and die, it's an uphill battle until your aura is strong again.

- Kind of a choose your own adventure kind of character. His Monado Arts give him strong stat boosts but come with big drawbacks too. Smash can help you kill people in the 60-70 range but leaves you just as vulnerable. Buster can help you quickly pile on damage but the exact same can be done to you. Shield makes you hard to launch but also makes you laughably slow and gives you a terrible recovery. Jump makes recovering a cinch and helps with gimps and early off the top kills but it makes you lighter and makes aerial movement kind of awkward. Speed makes you one of the fastest characters in the game but your hits will be underwhelming while its in affect. His follow ups depend on the Art he's using so he's very versatile but, with that being said, he also has one of the highest learning curves in the game aside from Ryu and Robin.

 

[xthefurry]

: 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000/10 choice
Others: idk could be higher than that
I like Roy and Robin, A+ choices.
or seems good.



1-3. 1 is good for fast improvement and if one character's enough of a homie, 2-3 is good for more well-rounded improvement, to shut down unfun/bad MU's for a character, and just to be able to rotate someone out for a bit or drop them if they or the game gets stale. Also double posting or more is generally frowned upon. I usually use the edit button or save drafts for later to offset this.
Sometimes I hop on a second account to give myself more posts since nobody pays enough attention to notice.

thanks @ dy831532sssfjhhggb2224523

 

[DavemanCozy]

I played Jigglypuff back in Melee, and I can do... okay-ish with her in Smash4, but I feel the need to diversify. The problem is nobody else really feels as natural to me to play as. Her aerial goodness is just something I got behind really quickly. So I guess what I'm looking for is a character similar enough to Her Jiggliness that at least some of my habits/mindset/style translate over, while hopefully covering some of Jigg's flaws.

If you like the aerial movement Jiggs offers, other characters with good or floaty air movement are:

- He fits Jiggs "jigglyness" the most while being heavier himself and having a projectile that can be used to set up combos or follow up with. He has some really good aerial mobility this time around, letting him line up his powerful aerials with precision or weave in and out with his long lasting aerial moves. He also has a lot of power behind his moves and a great set of jabs, although his lack of a true grab means you need to find other ways around shields.

- he's essentially a heavy Jigglypuff. His Waft is the equivalent of Rest, KOs as low as 50% on full charge. The downside is it takes a while to charge, but this can be slightly sped up by eating his bike and other projectiles. He is unorthodox to play though, his playstyle is very unusual. Still, he has very good air mobility himself backed up with a great recovery. Wario has a command grab in Chomp too, which can snatch opponents even in the air or while he falls next to them.

- his air speed isn't exactly amazing, but he still has the multiple jumps which overall give him a good recovery and great air presence. He is more of a damage racker, which is different from Jigg's wall-like moves. He also has the stone, which is fairly good for breaking juggles if your opponent starts chasing you. Kirby's downside is his movement is a tad lacking when compared to other characters, which means some characters can "circle-camp" him (ie, run around him and avoid him).

You might also want to give a try, I don't know much about him yet since he's only been released for one week, but his air speed is actually among the best in the game, comparable to Wario's. The difference between Roy and Jiggs is that Roy is a fastfaller and his recovery distance is poor, but he has some serious power in those sweetspots.

 

[Soup's On!]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been running Wario and Kirby and I'm still kind of in "controller-flailing chump" state with both of them. I think Wario might be a little TOO unusual for me, unless somebody else steps in and tutors me directly. Kirby, though, I think I can pick up an affinity for. I did find something appealing about Roy when I played using him for a laugh, though, so that might be someone worth looking into. Yoshi? Interesting... I've never even considered Yoshi as an option. I have more video-watching and playing to do, seems.

 

[Joeyd123]

Who do you guys think are the most fun characters to use while still being able to win matches? Because winning is also part of the fun.

I was a Ness main, but he was way too Boring because I would play every game the same way getting kills with Bthrow. Now I can't decide on a main.

 

[Nexin]

Who do you guys think are the most fun characters to use while still being able to win matches? Because winning is also part of the fun.

I was a Ness main, but he was way too Boring because I would play every game the same way getting kills with Bthrow. Now I can't decide on a main.

Can you describe what you would consider to be fun? I only know that you want a character that allows you to be more creative in the way that you score KOs, but was there maybe anything about Ness that you did enjoy?

The reason I ask is because if you ask somebody to give you a character that is fun, then everybody is going to give you completely different answers.

 

[Woohoo982]

Im thinking of adding to my mains.
Who should I replace, ROB
Pikachu
Bowser
or
Shulk
(I also have but hes bae so yeah)