Two on One

[Ginger_Al]

Alright so heres something I've been wondering about. I play smash with my friends at school but they aren't really quite at my skill level. Meaning they haven't been playing the game as long so for the most part they don't do advanced techniques like wave-dashing, l canceling, the usual. So I feel as though playing one on ones with them isn't really making me progress because I don't have to push myself to be better than them. My question is, do you think playing two on one (me on my own team and two of my friends on another) will make me better because it forces me to play quicker/ react to things at more rapid rate. I also feel that it could have some negative aspects because it subjects me to circumstances that I will never see in a one on one and could cause me to develope bad habits. Just want to hear some opinions.

Sorry if this question has been asked several times. I couldn't find it anywhere

 

[Ramo]

It's the predictability of computers that makes you develop bad habits. As long as they can learn and adapt somewhat, they prolly won't hurt.

Plus, you'll get really good at teams.

 

[Ziodyne]

Any practice with people is better than no practice and practicing 2v1s is good for when you actually get into a 2v1 situation in teams.

That said, there might be some things that you wanna practice in terms of shutting down one person instead of practicing how to swat away two people, so I dunno, if you can, why not do both methods?

 

[Jayk]

Playing against people worse than you could probably help, just worry about spacing your moves right and peforming well technically, not reading your opponents or taking advantage of their slow playstyles.

 

[Ginger_Al]

yeah i agree. also when two people are attacking you at once, I found i had a tendency to roll out of shield a lot, which isn't a good habit to get into. idk just food for thought. also team attack was off so that made it even crazier. but it definitely demands speed and precision to win when you're on your own team lol. i think it gets you into an interesting mindset while playing. could have potential to be beneficial

 

[DrkRoxas]

Something I read around here but don't quite remember who said it. Even if you only play against one person and he/she is very below your skill level, you might as well handicap yourself, like fight with only one stock and play very careful without letting yourself get hit, reading the opponent's movements and such, and yeah, I think a 2 v 1 can earn you some good practice, better little than none.

 

[TheCrimsonBlur]

2v1s are pretty helpful, yeah. You won't get any better at comboing, but your reactions / instincts / decision-making will get much better.

Never do 3v1s though, they are useless.

 

[Ginger_Al]

they demand technical perfection to succeed so thats cool. and it forces you to get creative with your recoveries sense its so easy for two people to cover a lot of options

 

[4 Aces]

Plus, you'll get really good at teams.

^This. I got better at teams due to all the 1v2 situations I used to always inadvertently get myself into, back when we used to do 4v4 free-for-alls. I would shinespike and upsmash kills with fox on one poor soul, or snipe kills (just running in on a high-percentaged opponent), taking advantage of the chaos, learning how to weave in and out of tough spots. Then one guy is eliminated and the other two want to gang up.

1v2 helps your smash senses a lot. Forces you to become more aware of your surroundings. And sometimes you learn to make different...unconventional calls. Like for example you grab someone. Usually you upthrow into combos or forward throw into a gimp. But if the second opponent is running right at you, you might not have time to follow up on your plan, or you'll be knocked off-stage into free edgeguard for them. So what do you do? Backthrow right into the enemy and watch as they both get hit. It's why I advocate team attack on pretty much always. Or like, 2v2 with a lower-level friend. You learn to spot for your friend and help him out. Or zone them. Beat the crap out of one, then run over to help your friend out. Basically have them inadvertently fight themselves -- if you notice them being bad at coordinating, get them into fighting you at a corner or so; they'll inadvertently hit each other.

1v2's, especially last stock, high percent...you're forced to play smarter.

1v1 does have its merits though. Even if it's against lower level players -- lets you freely practice your combos and setting up/leading into them. Dash dance grabs and baits are kinda hard to practice against a computer.

 

[Bones0]

2v1s, especially against beginners, won't help your singles game hardly at all. There's a lot of things you SHOULD do in 1v1s that are discouraged in 1v2s or teams in general. Your best bet is to actually help them get good at playing you 1v1. Your going to cap out whatever training you can get from 1v2 vs. noobs really quickly compared to actually teaching them basics.