Q&A The 'Mains' Advice Thread

[Lamuh]

Ok so considering Ike's weaknesses, which character would fill in those gaps and help against those bad match-ups the most between Mewtwo, Rosalina & Luma and Diddy Kong?

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

Ok so considering Ike's weaknesses, which character would fill in those gaps and help against those bad match-ups the most between Mewtwo, Rosalina & Luma and Diddy Kong?

Or . I would say go since Ike is a tall character and having diddy will allow to you have a short character who can avoid more combos from characters like . Keitaro gave me that advice.

 

[TheBeggingBard ~~JoMo~~]

As a Bowser main I have dropped Cloud as my secondary due to how repetitive his style is. I'm considering practicing like crazy either my Pac-Man or my Roy. But as I'm not sure how those will work out if someone else could refer me to a character that has good synergy with Bowser and Wario (ie Covers a majority of Bowser's weaknesses and Wario covers the secondaries weaknesses).
Thanks for the advice.
TB

 

[Lamuh]

Or . I would say go since Ike is a tall character and having diddy will allow to you have a short character who can avoid more combos from characters like . Keitaro gave me that advice.

Ok so that being said.... well, I've dabbled with diddy and I've decided that I just don't like him. I don't know why but I just don't. So, between mewtwo, fox and (I promise I'm not trolling) Little Mac, which one would be the best for that slot?

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

Ok so that being said.... well, I've dabbled with diddy and I've decided that I just don't like him. I don't know why but I just don't. So, between mewtwo, fox and (I promise I'm not trolling) Little Mac, which one would be the best for that slot?

Is ass against projectiles so or . Which ever you like better.

TheBeggingBard ~~JoMo~~ as a Roy main it hurts me to say this but go .
Are both projectile weak heavy hitters who get juggled and comboed easily. Roy does too so having 3 like that is a bad idea. Offered you great camping and projectile game as well as a great recovery and a floaty character who's harder to combo.

 

[Lamuh]

Is *** against projectiles so or . Which ever you like better.

TheBeggingBard ~~JoMo~~ as a Roy main it hurts me to say this but go .
Are both projectile weak heavy hitters who get juggled and comboed easily. Roy does too so having 3 like that is a bad idea. Offered you great camping and projectile game as well as a great recovery and a floaty character who's harder to combo.

So they both cover Ike's bad match-ups relatively equally? Alright thanks.

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

So they both cover Ike's bad match-ups relatively equally? Alright thanks.

For the most part yeah. No problem.

I think I've come up with a good plan to help pick your main(s). I'll post it after I've tested it and if it works. (Testing it on myself)

 

[SmashSwordsman]

Hey, I just bought Roy, and I am wondering if I should main him. I'm not the best at him, but I think he's a really fun character to play.
My current mains are Cloud/Corrin.

Thanks!

 

[KniteBlargh]

SmashSwordsman This would depend on what your goals are. If you play for fun, play Roy. If you're a competitive player and care mostly about winning, maining him may not be optimal, but at the same time since you play a lot of Cloud/Corrin, you still wouldn't be in the worst shape since you'd have a fallback plan anyway, but still something to consider since he may end up costing you your first game. If you're a competitive player, but have fun doing as well as you can with a character you really enjoy, there's nothing wrong with playing Roy, honestly.

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

Hey, I just bought Roy, and I am wondering if I should main him. I'm not the best at him, but I think he's a really fun character to play.
My current mains are Cloud/Corrin.

Thanks!

As a Roy main, is a great secondary for him same with so using him is a great idea. But, only if you can handle 3. And you really don't need him since handles basically all matchups anyway (though handles better than the 2) you really don't need him. If you love him though then use all 3.

 

[SmashSwordsman]

KniteBlargh Nice_FZPSC.42 thanks for the help!
I think I'll have 3 characters to play:

, then once I need to, switch to , then , and if all else fails , , and .

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

Ive come up with a good simple method of helping you narrow down the characters you'd want to main. This is best if you like a lot of characters but if you like a few it still works. This method helps you get to 3-5 to choose from mostly, which makes picking the 1 (or 2-3) that you want to main. I'll use my data as an example.

Spoiler

Either write it down or put all the characters together on a wed site such and warchamp7's post your own roster app or the tier list maker etc. you take all the characters you like in the game and write them down or add them to your list. This can be as many characters as you like. Ex .
Then what you do is you simply play a match. Make sure you aren't picking a good matchup on purpose. Set it to random for cpu or go on for glory/ wifi. If you win keep them on the list. If you loose take them off. If it's a bad matchup and you did really good but still lost you can keep them if you want. Then your list will be smaller. Ex . Repeat the process again until more characters are eliminated. You start picking out your most skilled. Ex. Now here you either repeat the process or you can take the fun route and do a match on great cave offensive. This should narrow you down some. Ex . Then you think about playstyle. Ex I'm aggressive asnd do worse with huge heavy characters so I was left with . Then you do 2-3 matches each. Which ever you do worst with or loose with you take out. Ex . Do this enough to get to 3-5 characters atleast (I haven't passed this step yet) . From here pick whoever you can't afford to drop, whether it's love for the character, level of fun, matchups, whatever. And if you still can't decide go to the pros for help. Ask who they think you should use or watch their vids on picking a main. Or just ask around which characters together would cover the most matchups. Like if you use use since that's an amazing team. Etc.

 

[TheBeggingBard ~~JoMo~~]

Welp thank you for all your help but I've ran into a problem: Pac-Man takes too much practice and I have little time to practice. So is there a another character who has a low skill ceiling but is still viable within competitive? If you've forgotten my mains are Bowser and Wario. (FYI I despise Mario)

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Nice_FZPSC.42 Seems interesting but you have to have some decent skill with your entire list and be able to win with them consistently. Just some thoughts

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

Welp thank you for all your help but I've ran into a problem: Pac-Man takes too much practice and I have little time to practice. So is there a another character who has a low skill ceiling but is still viable within competitive? If you've forgotten my mains are Bowser and Wario. (FYI I despise Mario)

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Nice_FZPSC.42 Seems interesting but you have to have some decent skill with your entire list and be able to win with them consistently. Just some thoughts

I do play the game a lot. I'd say the low skull cap characters are .

I absolutely love . He's one of if not my favorite character in the game. But damn he's hard to use. I think I'll wait till I'm more experienced to use him. But I'll still practice with him. Which leaves me to choose from . Also is dropped due to lesser results.

 

[TheBeggingBard ~~JoMo~~]

Alright so I've completely rearranged my line up due to the lack of results from Bowser recently. This is me trying to get most bases covered on weaknesses plus having some pocket sand. (Also it wasn't Mario who I despise

Main:
Secondaries:
Pocket Sands:

Any bases that I missed? Also looking for approach options on a Cloud as he's the bane of my existence.

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

Alright so I've completely rearranged my line up due to the lack of results from Bowser recently. This is me trying to get most bases covered on weaknesses plus having some pocket sand. (Also it wasn't Mario who I despise

Main:
Secondaries:
Pocket Sands:

Any bases that I missed? Also looking for approach options on a Cloud as he's the bane of my existence.

This is a great team. Also don't approach cloud if you don't have to. Would have to but that's a terrible matchup. Just camp him out with fire ball + cape/ lasers + reflecter. Make him approach you. Then don't let him put range you and get him off stage as quick as you can. As Ryu camp with hadukens (mix them up) and try to focus through his attacks then follow up. Also don't be afraid to shield against him. If he grabs you so what? He can't do much.

I'm not sure how to narrow down. I know for a fact that I'm maining . But that's the only decision I can make. He's my Mario counter so I don't need to worry about beating any specific characters. I just need 2 more to complete my trio. . I love the item game that posses, but they have some flaws, grad for TL and kill power for Diddy, I have an easy time pulling off Mario's and Pikachu's combos, but they have the least amount of range, and Corrin in slow but his range is very helpful. How do I narrow down? If it helps I can tell why I like each character.

 

[Scapesteam]

I need to find a main, I really enjoy characters that can do a ton of damage in a short period of time ex: crazy combos, or jigglypuffs rest/Luigi's shoryuken. I main marth and jigglypuff in melee but im learning a bit of ice climbers, im pretty good with pit in brawl but I just cant find anyone that clicks in smash 4, I have every DLC except for Bayo/Corrin, I really enjoy an aggresive playstyle any ideas?

I can play defensive and patient too, I want to find a character in the top 25, someone that can place well in tournaments

Sorry if this isn't enough info I can give more if needed

 

[TheBeggingBard ~~JoMo~~]

Scapesteam one word for you: Bowser.

 

[Scapesteam]

Scapesteam one word for you: Bowser.

I actually went with luigi, just looking for a secondary now to counter his weaknesses against some characters

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

I actually went with luigi, just looking for a secondary now to counter his weaknesses against some characters

Bowser isn't top 25. Luigi is for sure. He struggles with To my knowledge so a or wouldn't be a bad idea, also a or is a good idea. I would go to the luigi matchups page and ask there

 

[Lagnew]

Hey guys. I'm stuck for a main.

I TRIED to play ZSS a bit, but she's a competitive bombshell in my hands, since everyone DI's out of my combos. I generally like playing combo characters (Harley Quinn from Injustice <3) but she just felt too weak.

Can anyone advise me on characters I should try? I would prefer humanoid characters that have decent damage and, if possible, combos.

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

Hey guys. I'm stuck for a main.

I TRIED to play ZSS a bit, but she's a competitive bombshell in my hands, since everyone DI's out of my combos. I generally like playing combo characters (Harley Quinn from Injustice <3) but she just felt too weak.

Can anyone advise me on characters I should try? I would prefer humanoid characters that have decent damage and, if possible, combos.

The best combo characters that are humanoid are . They all have good damage too. Do you want speedy combos? Easy to use? Can you be a little more specific on what you want?

I've been able to drop from my list due to lack of speed and combo game. This helps. Now I have to drop 2 more. The problem is, even the pros have given me stuff on all of them. Keitaro said , Nairo said , and NAKAT said . This is hard to pick. (tri mains with ). Suggestions?
I like every thing about each character, but each one does have 1 flaw I don't like; short range, ability to finish off a stock, and grab.

 

[TheBeggingBard ~~JoMo~~]

Bowser should be Top 25 though

Going to a tourney this weekend and planning on using my Bowser and Wario

 

[Lagnew]

The best combo characters that are humanoid are . They all have good damage too. Do you want speedy combos? Easy to use? Can you be a little more specific on what you want?

Thanks for replying! I don't really need any more help: out of that list, I'm confident that I want Bayonetta. Thanks again!

 

[TheBeggingBard ~~JoMo~~]

Nice_FZPSC.42 One thing that you have to keep in mind is that Tink doesn't have to rely on grabs. Use ZAir for spacing. I'd recommend dropping Mario and 'Chu as Roy is already short ranged. Diddy will also bring that high tier threat along with having a low skill ceiling.

 

[smashedu]

so im looking for some help, im trying to main cloud and am neeeding some direction, also i have been spectating and bayonetta looks really fun if shes played correctly, is she really hard to learn and is she worth the buy?

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

so im looking for some help, im trying to main cloud and am neeeding some direction, also i have been spectating and bayonetta looks really fun if shes played correctly, is she really hard to learn and is she worth the buy?

she isnt the hardest but some of her stuff will take a bit of practice to pull off, but not like ryu or mega man. If you are interested then definatly buy and play her. For direction on cloud check out his charatcer page for better info. If you use you will hve a hard time with but Cloud can handle diddy and Pika isnt super common so dont worry too much about him.

TheBeggingBard ~~JoMo~~ I actually just decided to drop but im still keeping pika cause his range actually isnt what was messing me up. its his harder to do stuff. So im still left with to go with . Would it be a bad idea to use all 4?

 

[smashedu]

she isnt the hardest but some of her stuff will take a bit of practice to pull off, but not like ryu or mega man. If you are interested then definatly buy and play her.

Good to know thanks for the reply, I was really hoping to get to speak to quite a few players who main her. I was watching a match where it was like the entire time she was spamming attacks but was all over the map doing so causing havoc, like is that easy to pull off and how reliable is it? also how is she with bidou tech?
p.s. ~ another question, yeah i know, but it looks like she has superb recovery, is that so?

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

Good to know thanks for the reply, I was really hoping to get to speak to quite a few players who main her. I was watching a match where it was like the entire time she was spamming attacks but was all over the map doing so causing havoc, like is that easy to pull off and how reliable is it? also how is she with bidou tech?
p.s. ~ another question, yeah i know, but it looks like she has superb recovery, is that so?

No problem

 

[Aetheric]

I'm looking for a new main but I'm having some trouble. Let's start with how I love jigglypuff to death however we all know she f***ing sucks. Is their any character close to her in anyway?

I also really REALLY enjoy PM Lucario an character in smash 4 like PM Lucario?

 

[KniteBlargh]

A Aetheric Jigglypuff main here. There are a number of options, but a few of the usual Jiggs substitutes are , , and .

As far as PM Lucario goes, I haven't had enough experience with the game to suggest anyone who would fill that void.

 

[JoelTheSmasher]

Hey guys, So I am having trouble picking a main. I like R.O.B a whole lot, but I am better with Duck Hunt and Rose and Luma. I am a melee player, so characters like falcon and sheik SHOUL be natural fits for me but they aren't, I just don't like the way they feel. So should I pick the character that is most fun or the character I do best with is my question? R.O.B = Fun, I can win often in For Glory. Duck Hunt/Rose = Not that fun, I can win most of the time in For Glory.

EDIT: Also, I forgot about Diddy, I have heard that he is one of the easiest characters to be good at, and Sm4sh is really more of a side thing for me. If I am devoting most of my time to melee still, is Diddy a good option. I have almost no experience with him.

Play who you like. Play who YOU have fun with. Roy and mewtwo are fun, so i play them.

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

So I have . Is 4 unessessary? I'm kinda going for the counterpick part of the meta. Any matchups I don't cover? I just wanna know how these 4 do. Is 5 better? If so I'd add to the mix. Or .

 

[JoelTheSmasher]

1. So I have . Is 4 unessessary? I'm kinda going for the counterpick part of the meta. Any matchups I don't cover? I just wanna know how these 4 do. Is 5 better? If so I'd add to the mix. Or .

4 is fine. Especially those. with different playstyles. Us Roy mans know he's rushdown. TL is projectile. The other 2 work like you want them to.

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

4 is fine. Especially those. with different playstyles. Us Roy mans know he's rushdown. TL is projectile. The other 2 work like you want them to.

Sweet thanks. It's nice to see another Roy main. He is my main main.

 

[Jackguti]

So I am wondering what to do to cover some personal weaknesses I have. I currently main , , , and . However, I seem to have a terrible time using these characters against opposing s, s, s, and the Links. Basically characters that can spam projectiles. I have a decent time with aggressive characters and some campy characters like or . Basically is there a character that is worth trying to counter my bad match ups? Is one of my mains good and I just need to practice my approaches? And should I drop 1 or 2 of my mains because of the sheer amount of mains I already have? Thank you for the help!

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

So I am wondering what to do to cover some personal weaknesses I have. I currently main , , , and . However, I seem to have a terrible time using these characters against opposing s, s, s, and the Links. Basically characters that can spam projectiles. I have a decent time with aggressive characters and some campy characters like or . Basically is there a character that is worth trying to counter my bad match ups? Is one of my mains good and I just need to practice my approaches? And should I drop 1 or 2 of my mains because of the sheer amount of mains I already have? Thank you for the help!

I tried 4 but it's too much so id drop 1 and go with 3. I'd drop since you got cloud. Cloud is fine just practice nair and dair approaches. Camp them out with your range and projectile and limit charge and make then approach. Diddy can monkey flip and throw banana to approach too. Luigi' cyclone is good approach.

Btw guys I'm dropping . He's my worst and unessessary. So I'm sticking with my trio . Maybe keep incase I need projectileless range.

 

[SgtPorkchop]

I only started really getting into smash recently, even though I have had the game since release. I found Melee (Marth) extremely enjoyable, but when applied to Smash 4, he just seems more like a zoning character instead of fast paced offensive combo character. I'm looking for a character who has good edge guards, and has a similar offensive play style to in Melee. I've been thinking about maybe Kirby, but IDK. I like aerial mobility because I find combos in the air fun to do. Also if the character has a spike that is a plus, but it's not too important to me.

 

[Nice_FZPSC.42]

I only started really getting into smash recently, even though I have had the game since release. I found Melee (Marth) extremely enjoyable, but when applied to Smash 4, he just seems more like a zoning character instead of fast paced offensive combo character. I'm looking for a character who has good edge guards, and has a similar offensive play style to in Melee. I've been thinking about maybe Kirby, but IDK. I like aerial mobility because I find combos in the air fun to do. Also if the character has a spike that is a plus, but it's not too important to me.

I am a fanboy myself too and I know how you feel. I've found to be the most similar to him, other than that maybe for the fast swordsmen with range. Also can connect more hits into eachother than Marth so she's similar ish too.

 

[Grimtixx]

Hi people. So I use and I've been looking for another character to learn that has a lot of his good qualities (combos, mobility, juggles, good neutral) and I've been told by a very good player in my state that fits this role well. Would Pika cover Cloud well and vice versa? And are there any other characters that fit this criteria? (The player I talked to also cited and as potential candidates)