john!
Smash Hero
Warbling is a highly controversial issue in the Wisconsin Melee scene. Although it is a relatively unknown tactic outside of America's Dairyland, our local scene is highly affected by this annoying and cheap maneuver. For those of you who don't know, warbling is performed by trilling loudly with your tongue at an infuriating volume, enough to distract the opponent and lower their defenses, allowing you to attack. Opinions among our community are strongly divided. Some say that we should ban warbling, and others think that it does not affect the metagame enough to warrant a ban.
The technique was invented by Warbles the Songbird, a smasher from Milwaukee. A few months ago, he placed 4th at a local tournament, relying heavily on this technique to compensate for his lack of skill. I had to play him in the first round of bracket, and it was probably the most frustrating experience of my life. Twice during the first game, I had him in a grab with the Ice Climbers, and began to wobble him because the TO wasn't looking. He starting warbling, so loud that I couldn't hear myself sing Eye of the Tiger (which is how I keep a steady tempo during wobbling). I lost my wobble both times, and he ended up winning an unfair victory. He did it AGAIN during the second game, when I counterpicked Pokemon Stadium and began infinite shine comboing him on the stage walls with Fox. Needless to say, I lost my concentration and was defeated again, even though I'm clearly a better player than him.
I recognize that many of you don't think that this technique will affect the metagame in any meaningful way. But I strongly recommend that the MBR take action against it before it spreads throughout the rest of the Midwest, and tourneys everywhere are filled with the dissonant screeches of smashers looking to distract their opponents. Banning it outright may cause hostility among the pro-warblers, so the best solution in my opinion is to find a compromise that will nerf warbling enough so that it doesn't become a game-breaking technique at the top levels of play. Here are a few suggestions:
- Mandate the use of earplugs during matches, to lessen the distracting effect of warbling
- Set a decibel limit of 80, so that players must watch their warbling volume during a match
- Force players to wear a barking collar for dogs, which administers an electric shock if loud noises are made
- Similarly, tie a gag cloth around each player's mouth to prevent excessively loud speech
I feel that these solutions will provide a happy medium where all smashers can play in peace and harmony, without the impending threat of warbling ruining their day.
Since I have no polling power I'll just display a running total to get a better idea of the ratio of opinion
1) Ban:
john!: Warbling is annoying and lets lesser skilled players beat good players by simply making loud noises.
2) Legal:
Warbles the Songbird: LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA
The technique was invented by Warbles the Songbird, a smasher from Milwaukee. A few months ago, he placed 4th at a local tournament, relying heavily on this technique to compensate for his lack of skill. I had to play him in the first round of bracket, and it was probably the most frustrating experience of my life. Twice during the first game, I had him in a grab with the Ice Climbers, and began to wobble him because the TO wasn't looking. He starting warbling, so loud that I couldn't hear myself sing Eye of the Tiger (which is how I keep a steady tempo during wobbling). I lost my wobble both times, and he ended up winning an unfair victory. He did it AGAIN during the second game, when I counterpicked Pokemon Stadium and began infinite shine comboing him on the stage walls with Fox. Needless to say, I lost my concentration and was defeated again, even though I'm clearly a better player than him.
I recognize that many of you don't think that this technique will affect the metagame in any meaningful way. But I strongly recommend that the MBR take action against it before it spreads throughout the rest of the Midwest, and tourneys everywhere are filled with the dissonant screeches of smashers looking to distract their opponents. Banning it outright may cause hostility among the pro-warblers, so the best solution in my opinion is to find a compromise that will nerf warbling enough so that it doesn't become a game-breaking technique at the top levels of play. Here are a few suggestions:
- Mandate the use of earplugs during matches, to lessen the distracting effect of warbling
- Set a decibel limit of 80, so that players must watch their warbling volume during a match
- Force players to wear a barking collar for dogs, which administers an electric shock if loud noises are made
- Similarly, tie a gag cloth around each player's mouth to prevent excessively loud speech
I feel that these solutions will provide a happy medium where all smashers can play in peace and harmony, without the impending threat of warbling ruining their day.
Since I have no polling power I'll just display a running total to get a better idea of the ratio of opinion
1) Ban:
john!: Warbling is annoying and lets lesser skilled players beat good players by simply making loud noises.
2) Legal:
Warbles the Songbird: LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA
