Q&A The Smash 4 Question and Answer Thread

[Codaption]

I've heard that Robin is the go-to for testing kill percents, though I'm not sure how their fall speed affects things.

 

[Dark Dire Wolf]

When we say DI up and away, is the movement stick supposed to be diagonal or do I literally move the stick from up to away?

 

[The Dark Hero 64]

I have a question:
What is the best controler between the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii u Gamepad?
And are Nintendo 3DS allowed in smash Wii u Tournaments?

 

[heykyle]

Was looking into going to a tournament but I realized there is no customs allowed right? So tonight me and my friends played with default characters and got absolutely wrecked, I can't play online where I live so what is my best bet for improving? cpu's at level 9 I can usually beat (depending on the character) but I read somewhere that its not great practice against level 9 cpus because they are too different from human players

 

[Hyruleslink]

Can anyone comment on the differences between the 3DS XL and the NEW 3DS XL for Smash? I know about the extra buttons and c-nub, but what about improvements in graphical display or smoothness of animation or sound? I am considering an upgrade, but not sure it's worth an extra $200. Thanks for any help in advance

 

[Deleted member]

Can anyone comment on the differences between the 3DS XL and the NEW 3DS XL for Smash? I know about the extra buttons and c-nub, but what about improvements in graphical display or smoothness of animation or sound? I am considering an upgrade, but not sure it's worth an extra $200. Thanks for any help in advance

Having played Smash 3DS on both my old and new 3DS systems, I can say there's no improvements in terms of graphics and smoothness. The higher-quality models still don't show up during gameplay, only when you pause it. Everything is the exact same; the game just runs faster on the new one.

I have a question:
What is the best controler between the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii u Gamepad?
And are Nintendo 3DS allowed in smash Wii u Tournaments?

I think people would advocate more towards the GamePad. And I doubt it; most tournaments rely on the GameCube controller.

 

[Codaption]

I'm with Flight here, 3ds is almost the exact same except that it lacks a c-stick.

Though, I do know that some tournaments do allow 3ds. If you're looking at the local level, you might be able to get away with it.

 

[A17]

Is there a period of time where I am vulnerable between doing regular ledge getup and immediately shielding, and if so,how many frames?

People are knocking me off stage so easily every time I get back up.

 

[Rinku リンク]

Is there a period of time where I am vulnerable between doing regular ledge getup and immediately shielding, and if so,how many frames?

People are knocking me off stage so easily every time I get back up.

The answer is yes. While simply getting up from the ledge is one of the safest options it can be punished if your opponent reads you. There is a set amount of time where you are vulnerable and cannot act while getting up from the ledge.

You can find all the ledge option data here in this thread:
http://smashboards.com/threads/lets-collect-ledge-option-frame-data.409945/

 

[xtidusxx]

ok so i have been having a bit of a problem...and its with For glory Little Macs....i cant not beat them straight up like at all unless im able to gimp them. if they are smart enough not to get gimp then i most likely will lose...i mainly lose because of that dame forward tilt from them and all the power armor smash attacks... ive been playing as mario for awhile and like i said if i cant gimp with the cape or fludd its most likely im going to lose. as soon as i shield/spot dodge a smash attack i get hit by a forward tilt its ridiculous....its almost impossible for me to grab them because mario is so small he has to get in to hit or grab it just doesnt work...any advice would be appreciated thanks...

 

[Rinku リンク]

ok so i have been having a bit of a problem...and its with For glory Little Macs....i cant not beat them straight up like at all unless im able to gimp them. if they are smart enough not to get gimp then i most likely will lose...i mainly lose because of that dame forward tilt from them and all the power armor smash attacks... ive been playing as mario for awhile and like i said if i cant gimp with the cape or fludd its most likely im going to lose. as soon as i shield/spot dodge a smash attack i get hit by a forward tilt its ridiculous....its almost impossible for me to grab them because mario is so small he has to get in to hit or grab it just doesnt work...any advice would be appreciated thanks...

Typically if you can't gimp a it means they're at least above average and probably know what they're doing. It's a tough MU but it's definitively still winnable.

As you can force him to approach with your fireballs. Never approach Little Mac as doing so will give him the upper hand in the fight. Try to juggle and keep the fight in the air if you can. His aerials are pretty bad and his options are very limited when airborne.

 

[xtidusxx]

Thanks i really appreciate i am going to try this out when i get the chance

 

[jset818]

If an HDTV have input lags, will the gamepad have the same amount of input lags? I ask because the local Smash tournament I go to sometimes uses laggy HDTVs and I was wondering if I could just use the gamepad as my monitor. I heard the gamepad display is 1 frame after the video output of the console. Is this true? Doesn't that mean it's even faster than some of the Asus monitors that a lot of national tournaments use?

 

[Aqua4ever]

What is the best game cube controller adaptor on Amazon to get to use ONLY with the Wii U. I would guess the official nintendo brand but are there others that are just as good but not as much on there? (Prime only)

 

[Babycowland]

What is the best game cube controller adaptor on Amazon to get to use ONLY with the Wii U. I would guess the official nintendo brand but are there others that are just as good but not as much on there? (Prime only)

I've heard good things about the Mayflash adapter. Now that the official Nintendo adapters are back in stock, they're really not that more expensive than the third party adapters though. It looks like the third party ones are only about $5 cheaper.

 

[Comet7]

how can i footstool somebody in the air without jumping?

 

[Krysco]

I guess this is the place to ask this. I've got an HD capture card and was wondering how I'd go about using it to count frames. To my understanding, gameplay is recorded and then slowed down to...1 frame per second? Is any additional software required or would the likes of Windows Movie Maker suffice? I've used the capture card before so I understand how to use it perfectly but counting frames still puzzles me.

 

[Aqua4ever]

I remember in the past there was a smash finder deal on this website that helped you find other users that lived in your state or close by to fight so that you had better connection online. Does this exist anymore and if not why?

 

[Valyrym "Alpha" Lancelot]

I need help with my competitve play,

im trying to get better with the general gameplay, teching, Perfect shielding, short hopping, fast falling dash dancing and whatnot, and im getting somewhere, same with characters, given enough time i could get better

thing is, all that training goes to **** when fighting actual human competitors, whenever i try and play aginst another human being, i just forget EVERYTHING i know, is this something i can overcome or am i ****ed?

 

[Codaption]

I need help with my competitve play,

im trying to get better with the general gameplay, teching, Perfect shielding, short hopping, fast falling dash dancing and whatnot, and im getting somewhere, same with characters, given enough time i could get better

thing is, all that training goes to **** when fighting actual human competitors, whenever i try and play aginst another human being, i just forget EVERYTHING I know, is this something i can overcome or am i ****ed?

Practice, practice, practice. This same thing happens to just about everyone when they're starting out, because applying what you know becomes a lot tougher when there's pressure at your back to do it just right.

Keep playing against real people (who in most cases will be better practice than a CPU anyway) and you should eventually be able to get over this kind of mental block and play at a more satisfactory level.

 

[Pixel_]

Which actions disable Z-dropping? I've noticed that if you try to do it out of tumble stun or right after an airdodge, you just throw gyros/etc. instead of dropping it like it's supposed to.
It's annoying.
EDIT: I tested it out myself, here's the results if you're curious:
(tested with Yoshi and Motion Sensor Bombs, just because. Also with Special Flags.)

Out of tumblestun: throw (you do an air dodge if you do it too early)
After an attack (used to catch item): Z-drop
After Special (Egg Toss): throw
After air dodge: throw
After jump: Z-drop

So yeah, the only thing you can really do to make sure a z-drop comes out is either jump, or wait for a second afterwards (which works for all of them).

 

[Sneaky boy Nick]

How do I get more consistent as a player? I feel like i can play really well to really bad from set to set and i can never figure out why

 

[GunGuts]

Just a question about jargon. Invincibility, intangibility, and invulnerability all mean the same thing right?

 

[Supersteve45]

How do I get more consistent as a player? I feel like i can play really well to really bad from set to set and i can never figure out why

Do you find yourself playing better or worse against certain characters? Like if you body a Samus in one set and then lose to a Sheik in another it doesn't mean you're inconsistent it just means you have to work on certain match-ups. However, there are multiple problems that could lead to real inconsistency, after winning a set do you find yourself to be cocky? This could lead you to a poor play style in your next set.

Whatever the problem is, I would say that a good thing to do is look at your mindset when you're winning sets and your mindset when you're losing sets. Finding the ideal mindset can sometimes lead to consistency. If finding the right mindset still doesn't help then just keep playing and practicing and consistency will eventually come your way.

 

[Supersteve45]

If an HDTV have input lags, will the gamepad have the same amount of input lags? I ask because the local Smash tournament I go to sometimes uses laggy HDTVs and I was wondering if I could just use the gamepad as my monitor. I heard the gamepad display is 1 frame after the video output of the console. Is this true? Doesn't that mean it's even faster than some of the Asus monitors that a lot of national tournaments use?

The gamepad will not have the same amount of input lag as those laggy HDTVs. Depending on the TV the gamepad can sometimes be much faster and if the tournaments you go to like to use laggy TVs I would recommend using the gamepad as a monitor. As for the gamepad being faster than some Asus monitors and it having 1 frame of lag after the consoles video output... I don't really know that much as I don't usually use the gamepad.

 

[Sneaky boy Nick]

Do you find yourself playing better or worse against certain characters? Like if you body a Samus in one set and then lose to a Sheik in another it doesn't mean you're inconsistent it just means you have to work on certain match-ups. However, there are multiple problems that could lead to real inconsistency, after winning a set do you find yourself to be cocky? This could lead you to a poor play style in your next set.

Whatever the problem is, I would say that a good thing to do is look at your mindset when you're winning sets and your mindset when you're losing sets. Finding the ideal mindset can sometimes lead to consistency. If finding the right mindset still doesn't help then just keep playing and practicing and consistency will eventually come your way.

It's most likely both. If I go in against a would be ****ter expecting to stomp I play worse I guess. If I get frustrated I play bad as well.

 

[CHOMPY]

Whats the difference between campy vs. patient?

 

[Pixel_]

Being patient means waiting for the opponent to mess up, and can do that by staying out of the opponent's range, ready to come in. Being campy focuses more on keeping the opponent away.

You can still be patient and campy by keeping the opponent out with projectiles, then coming in once there's an opening.

 

[Codaption]

Just a question about jargon. Invincibility, intangibility, and invulnerability all mean the same thing right?

Intangibility applies only to specific parts of the body where a hurtbox does not exist during a move (example, Megaman's dtilt has some on his legs). Invincibility and invulnerability have some very slight differences but are basically the same thing.

 

[kii]

I was playing some Smash today, and out of nowhere I died about 5 times in a row by doing a side-B instead of an up-B. It's not something that's ever happened to me, let alone that many times.

Annoyed, I went into training mode and tested inputs. Turns out 45* to the left was doing an up-B, but 45* to the right was doing a SIDE-B, 100% of the time. It was as if the axis of the joystick was thrown off by about 10* . So, I unplugged the controller and plugged it back in, and everything worked perfectly again.

This is probably a given for most, but if I learned anything today; it's to always test inputs. Doesn't matter if you're a pro or a scrub like me. Losing because of legit messed up controls sucks.

Are there any other specific things to look out for to test controls?

 

[Foxus]

So I have some concerns about my performance recently.

I recently got back into Smash after taking a month off, for other reasons. I erased the game completely to start off with a clean slate (took about 30 minutes to do that) since I could not just delete my records. So far, I have won 2 matches out of 6-8 of FF. 3rd and 2nd are my most popular slots. I'm not sure what the problem is. I have been playing Smash for years, yet have a huge difficulty predicting and adapting to strategies of opponents. Items have literally been my lifeline at times.

Is it possibly because of my age (24) since reaction times slowly decrease overtime?

Is there something I'm not getting? Do I need to network with more people (possibly from this site) and train that way?

My win rate before I deleted the game off the console, from when I last checked, was 36% out of nearly 4000 matches overall, but it might have been lower.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Luigiguy42]

So I heard the elgato capture cards are the best you can get, but I currently don't have $200 to spend. I'm on a budget of about $100. I want to record my matches and make montages but currently there ones I have are bad quality. Help is very much appreciated!

 

[KirbCider]

So I have some concerns about my performance recently.

I recently got back into Smash after taking a month off, for other reasons. I erased the game completely to start off with a clean slate (took about 30 minutes to do that) since I could not just delete my records. So far, I have won 2 matches out of 6-8 of FF. 3rd and 2nd are my most popular slots. I'm not sure what the problem is. I have been playing Smash for years, yet have a huge difficulty predicting and adapting to strategies of opponents. Items have literally been my lifeline at times.

Is it possibly because of my age (24) since reaction times slowly decrease overtime?

Is there something I'm not getting? Do I need to network with more people (possibly from this site) and train that way?

My win rate before I deleted the game off the console, from when I last checked, was 36% out of nearly 4000 matches overall, but it might have been lower.

Any help is appreciated.

You shouldn't focus so much on winning personally, as it causes it's own problems.

For example, those that put a huge emphasis on winning and trying to keep a high Win Rate tend to break down more easily (as in get "I give up" or "I can't beat anyone" mindsets). The important thing to keep in mind is to have fun. Nothing wrong with trying to win; however try not to make it your main focus or else you'll stress way more than you should. Then again, that's my thought process on it.

Next, I have been playing Smash for years as well. I've played the original on N64 and own just about every Smash game for it's respective system. Despite this I'm no where near a pro player either and in fact consider myself as an average player. Last I checked my For Glory 1V1 Win Rate is around 57% with 1100+ or so matches. It's not too great, but it's certainly not too terrible either. So yeah, average.

I don't think it has anything to do with age mainly because we have a variety of players who are both young and old. I think it just boils down to how much experience and skill one has with games. There's some people who have played games their entire lives after all!

It would be expected that gamers who have played a wide variety of games their entire lives to have better reaction times and the like.

Well, that's how I see it anyways... In any case, you really shouldn't feel bad about it. We all get losing streaks and often lose our mojo at times as well. Some days we just don't play very well almost as if the Smash Gods are against us. If you're looking for advice specifically the only and best advice I could give is to keep practicing and playing everyday. You can't get better if you don't put work into it, ya know!

You should also try to ween yourself off of trying to rely on items so much if it's possible as they could possibly hinder your skill.

And yes, I would suggest and recommend trying to find other SmashBoarders to play against. I've only went against a few here so far but my experiences have been overall pretty great. I've found opponents who were either the same skill level or a tad above my skill.

If you find a tough opponent don't try to back down. If you face someone you can beat easily then you aren't being challenged enough.

 

[Foxus]

You shouldn't focus so much on winning personally, as it causes it's own problems.

For example, those that put a huge emphasis on winning and trying to keep a high Win Rate tend to break down more easily (as in get "I give up" or "I can't beat anyone" mindsets). The important thing to keep in mind is to have fun. Nothing wrong with trying to win; however try not to make it your main focus or else you'll stress way more than you should. Then again, that's my thought process on it.

Next, I have been playing Smash for years as well. I've played the original on N64 and own just about every Smash game for it's respective system. Despite this I'm no where near a pro player either and in fact consider myself as an average player. Last I checked my For Glory 1V1 Win Rate is around 57% with 1100+ or so matches. It's not too great, but it's certainly not too terrible either. So yeah, average.

I don't think it has anything to do with age mainly because we have a variety of players who are both young and old. I think it just boils down to how much experience and skill one has with games. There's some people who have played games their entire lives after all!

It would be expected that gamers who have played a wide variety of games their entire lives to have better reaction times and the like.

Well, that's how I see it anyways... In any case, you really shouldn't feel bad about it. We all get losing streaks and often lose our mojo at times as well. Some days we just don't play very well almost as if the Smash Gods are against us. If you're looking for advice specifically the only and best advice I could give is to keep practicing and playing everyday. You can't get better if you don't put work into it, ya know!

You should also try to ween yourself off of trying to rely on items so much if it's possible as they could possibly hinder your skill.

And yes, I would suggest and recommend trying to find other SmashBoarders to play against. I've only went against a few here so far but my experiences have been overall pretty great. I've found opponents who were either the same skill level or a tad above my skill.

If you find a tough opponent don't try to back down. If you face someone you can beat easily then you aren't being challenged enough.

I don't team up. I might win like 3 in 50 matches. This is in For Fun (which I honestly still have yet to experience), and a lot of those winnings items have been responsible for. I don't dare stumble into For Glory, I'll be roadkill. I used to be really good actually, often have a winning streak in For Glory. Now, I'm barely above a punching bag. Its almost as if I had one good night, then my skill completely deteriorated. Maybe I panic and screw up maybe? I didn't know taking a month off could do so much damage.

This is my third day of almost all-losses, and I eventually decided to DC in the last 5 seconds of the match, like I have in the last two days. I honestly feel better having more voluntary DC's racked up than a 10% win rate (even though I see no reason for the ban system, I once had to wait 72 minutes before playing. Like that achieves anything, who's going to wait over an hour to play again?). Would getting a Amiibo help?

Bottom line is I'm tired of this aggravating stream of losses, when I know I can do better. I want a challenge, but I want it to be a challenge I can do. You don't learn anything from consistently losing, a match or two yes but 20 in a row, no.I'm not trying to sound like a scrub, I am just intolerant of this unacceptable, bad performance. I am generally a serious person when it comes to Smash. I'll double check, but I think they took down the NNID friend request thread.

Sorry, just had to vent.

 

[Codaption]

I recently got back into Smash after taking a month off...

Stop right there. This is the main problem- you haven't lost your touch, you're just rusty.

Taking time away from the game can mess up a loooot of things. I myself have been kinda spotty playing lately, and coming back I've noticed I've gotten worse in many regards- my spacing is off, I go on autopilot more easily, my tech skill is pretty much kaput, etc. Mindset has also suffered a bit as a result, though it's important to not get too hung up over stuff like this.

Even the pros have to freshen up before every tourney, and a month is a very long break. Don't get disheartened if you can't get it back in a matter of days like you've been trying, very few people would. After you get over this initial hump, though, you'll definitely be able to see results again. In fact, you might be able to get new insight from all this and improve your playstyle in little ways,

In the meantime, keep at it and don't lose hope!

 

[Foxus]

Question about more technical stuff. I'm trying to take notes like crazy pertaining to Fox in particular, but taking notes on this as well.

I know what camping is. How do you:doing the following effectively:

Perfect Shield?
Pivot Correctly?
Edge Guard?
Read the opponent correctly?
Short Hop?

I know that dashing and grabbing is one of Fox's most effective moves, but it doesn't always work. I ask how to read the opponent correctly/esaily because that will vary between matches, and I often find myself stuck with the same strategy, constantly getting bodied day after day. Reading and adapting I have intense difficulty getting down. It doesn't seem to soak into my brain. Please explain this stuff in simple terms. Note I don't use the gamepad nor Gamecube controller, instead the Wiimote and Nunchuk.

Thanks for the response Coda, Fox is said to be one of the most difficult characters to master. I know how Yoshi works in general, since I used to use him (such as avoiding his ground pound and headbutt). Fox is relatively faster and has a better recovery setup, which is part of why I switched to him.If anyone is wiling to help me sometime, I would appreciate that. All I ask is that you be patient and concise in your feedback.

 

[Foxus]

Question about more technical stuff. I'm trying to take notes like crazy pertaining to Fox in particular, but taking notes on this as well.

I know what camping is. How do you:doing the following effectively:

Perfect Shield?
Pivot Correctly?
Edge Guard?
Read the opponent correctly?
Short Hop?

I know that dashing and grabbing is one of Fox's most effective moves, but it doesn't always work. I ask how to read the opponent correctly/esaily because that will vary between matches, and I often find myself stuck with the same strategy, constantly getting bodied day after day. Reading and adapting I have intense difficulty getting down. It doesn't seem to soak into my brain. Please explain this stuff in simple terms. Note I don't use the gamepad nor Gamecube controller, instead the Wiimote and Nunchuk.

Thanks for the response Coda, Fox is said to be one of the most difficult characters to master. I know how Yoshi works in general, since I used to use him (such as avoiding his ground pound and charged up headbutt). Fox is relatively faster and has a better recovery setup, which is part of why I switched to him.If anyone is wiling to help me sometime, I would appreciate that. All I ask is that you be patient and concise in your feedback.

 

[Codaption]

Double posting

Question about more technical stuff. I'm trying to take notes like crazy pertaining to Fox in particular, but taking notes on this as well.

I know what camping is. How do you:doing the following effectively:

Perfect Shield?
Pivot Correctly?
Edge Guard?
Read the opponent correctly?
Short Hop?

I know that dashing and grabbing is one of Fox's most effective moves, but it doesn't always work. I ask how to read the opponent correctly/esaily because that will vary between matches, and I often find myself stuck with the same strategy, constantly getting bodied day after day. Reading and adapting I have intense difficulty getting down. It doesn't seem to soak into my brain. Please explain this stuff in simple terms. Note I don't use the gamepad nor Gamecube controller, instead the Wiimote and Nunchuk.

Thanks for the response Coda, Fox is said to be one of the most difficult characters to master. I know how Yoshi works in general, since I used to use him (such as avoiding his ground pound and headbutt). Fox is relatively faster and has a better recovery setup, which is part of why I switched to him.If anyone is wiling to help me sometime, I would appreciate that. All I ask is that you be patient and concise in your feedback.

1. Perfect shielding is a bit of a toughie- it's all about timing, which varies drastically from move to move, so in order to properly perfect shield something you have to have a really good idea of how fast it comes out. Projectiles are a little easier, since it's pretty much pure reaction and as such just a matter of shielding right as they get to you.

For reference, the window is frames 1-3, meaning it'll come out right after you hit the button and stay out for around 1/20th of a second.

2. Edguarding is tougher than ever now that everyone's been blessed with long recoveries and magnet hands. That being said, it's still definitely doable, and is a very important skill to learn. Fox unfortunately has not been graced with particularly potent tools for it this time around, but he's still got a few nice tricks up his sleeve.
-Bair is quick and strong, making it useful for intercepting recoveries and sending them the rest of the way past the blastzone. It can also be used out of a ledge trump.
-Fair can be fastfalled to avoid landing the last hit, leading into a potential footstool.
-Nair and Dair have a lot of active frames that can cover the 2-frame vulnerability on ledge snap.
-Reflector's low angle can be useful for gimping weaker recoveries, and
-Usmash or Uair can be used to intercept them if they go high.

How you edgeguard and how effective it is varies from character to character. For example, Pit's lengthy recovery makes Fair-> footstool not so effective, but the lack of a hitbox means you can knock him away easily with Bair and maybe close the stock. Some characters have a lot of mixup options- Fox himself can snap right to the ledge with Illusion, or he can use Fire Fox to try and recover low or to a platform (if one is available).

3. I'm not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean pivoting in general, or the different timings on pivot fsmash/ftilt/grab?

4. Reads.... reads reads reads... this is a doozie to explain. Reads will in general vary from match to match and person to person, because not only do people have different habits but the habits of one person can change a lot based on the situation and their experience.

It's all just a matter of trying to observe what they're doing, and noticing a pattern. Maybe they use a certain attack a lot when they're coming down from the air, or maybe they always airdodge when you get close to them offstage (reads factor a lot into perfect shielding attacks and edgeguarding). It's a bit of an abstract thing, and in the end there's only so I much I can tell you- just practice, and keep your eyes out for the things they seem particularly fond of. Human beings like patterns, and everyone inevitably has their own that they fall back on in a match.

5. This one's pretty easy to explain, though! Simply tap the jump button quickly instead of holding it- you'll notice you'll go a little lower in your jump.

 

[Foxus]

Double posting

1. Perfect shielding is a bit of a toughie- it's all about timing, which varies drastically from move to move, so in order to properly perfect shield something you have to have a really good idea of how fast it comes out. Projectiles are a little easier, since it's pretty much pure reaction and as such just a matter of shielding right as they get to you.

For reference, the window is frames 1-3, meaning it'll come out right after you hit the button and stay out for around 1/20th of a second.

2. Edguarding is tougher than ever now that everyone's been blessed with long recoveries and magnet hands. That being said, it's still definitely doable, and is a very important skill to learn. Fox unfortunately has not been graced with particularly potent tools for it this time around, but he's still got a few nice tricks up his sleeve.
-Bair is quick and strong, making it useful for intercepting recoveries and sending them the rest of the way past the blastzone. It can also be used out of a ledge trump.
-Fair can be fastfalled to avoid landing the last hit, leading into a potential footstool.
-Nair and Dair have a lot of active frames that can cover the 2-frame vulnerability on ledge snap.
-Reflector's low angle can be useful for gimping weaker recoveries, and
-Usmash or Uair can be used to intercept them if they go high.

How you edgeguard and how effective it is varies from character to character. For example, Pit's lengthy recovery makes Fair-> footstool not so effective, but the lack of a hitbox means you can knock him away easily with Bair and maybe close the stock. Some characters have a lot of mixup options- Fox himself can snap right to the ledge with Illusion, or he can use Fire Fox to try and recover low or to a platform (if one is available).

3. I'm not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean pivoting in general, or the different timings on pivot fsmash/ftilt/grab?

4. Reads.... reads reads reads... this is a doozie to explain. Reads will in general vary from match to match and person to person, because not only do people have different habits but the habits of one person can change a lot based on the situation and their experience.

It's all just a matter of trying to observe what they're doing, and noticing a pattern. Maybe they use a certain attack a lot when they're coming down from the air, or maybe they always airdodge when you get close to them offstage (reads factor a lot into perfect shielding attacks and edgeguarding). It's a bit of an abstract thing, and in the end there's only so I much I can tell you- just practice, and keep your eyes out for the things they seem particularly fond of. Human beings like patterns, and everyone inevitably has their own that they fall back on in a match.

5. This one's pretty easy to explain, though! Simply tap the jump button quickly instead of holding it- you'll notice you'll go a little lower in your jump.

What is Bair? Is that being in the air while pressing B? And how about Nair?

To answer number 3, I don't know the different types of pivoting. Maybe start with what is the most handy or popular among more skilled opponents? I've found Fox can use both Fire Fox and Illusion as recoveries as long as B is held down the entire time.

 

[Stryker95]

What is Bair? Is that being in the air while pressing B? And how about Nair?

To answer number 3, I don't know the different types of pivoting. Maybe start with what is the most handy or popular among more skilled opponents? I've found Fox can use both Fire Fox and Illusion as recoveries as long as B is held down the entire time.

Bair means back air, so pressing the analog stick in the other direction you are facing and hitting A while in the air or by flicking the c-stick in the other direction from where you are facing while in the air. Nair is neutral air, so pressing A when in the air with no movement of the analog stick.
I would suggest looking up tutorials on Youtube, stuff for beginning competitors, they are very useful. There is a heck of alot to learn in competitive Smash.