What Helped You Decide Your Main?

[Gaona]

I've been playing Smash 4 since it came out, and I really liked that Falco had a spike on Melee. Thus leading me to main Mario on Smash 4, just because of the speed he has and the spike. But, I really want to attend tournaments and feel as if Mario isn't just for me. How do you guys decide on which Character you main? Is there more to it?

 

[DMan64]

It really depends on how you play and how you are.

For example, if you are someone like me, who is a Fire Emblem fan and likes spacing and sword characters, characters like Lucina and Corrin work great for me. If you are someone who likes to be stylish or aggressive, a character like Captain Falcon usually works best.

Also if you are playing to win, picking a Top/High tier would be a good idea. Also in Smash 4 it is generally a good idea to have at least two characters you are extremely good at that way one can cover the others weaknesses.

If that doesn't matter though, just play a character that feels comfortable to you. Experiment with each one and see what clicks with you.

Also trust me when I say, don't go for spikes all of the time, it's better to use spikes when you know you can get away with it safely or set-up into it, fittingly enough, Mario can do that with his down throw at higher percentages as a 50/50.

 

[ZafKiel]

Also if you are playing to win, picking a Top/High tier would be a good idea. Also in Smash 4 it is generally a good idea to have at least two characters you are extremely good at that way one can cover the others weaknesses.

This is essentially how I chose to play Sheik. Despite the nerfs, I decided to learn Sheik because I wanted to start winning. While she struggles to kill, her frame data is among the best in the game. She's definitely not easy to play but practicing with her has made me a better player (in terms of positioning and spacing).

At the end of the day, you need to enjoy playing your main! I love Sheik's rush-down style and (finally) getting the kill is pretty satisfying. I'm planning to pick up a secondary (maybe Mario?) just to cover up matches I'm weak at.

 

[Masonomace]

Other than a sweet spike move that feels well, what else do you prefer? Many aspects can appeal to one, but it's the character's overall kit as well as the several bits of niche options that helps you better decide if you like that character.

I love playing the character I chose, no matter how good or bad he is. The overall kit of the character I play is so vast, it's easy to be exploring & never stop losing love. I'd say find that character. I'd also say that if tournament viability is a thought in mind, then keep in mind of the characters that get good results nationally, but also think about low tiers too. Low tiers in this game tend to be underdeveloped, & that's just a matter of exploration.

 

[MERPIS]

I like the combination of speed, power, and range that Mewtwo has, it feels like I'm actually playing as a legendary, with amazing power, they had to reflect that base 154 special attack stat somehow. Also, ever since I saw Mewtwo returns, I have liked the character, and he has been my favorite legendary aside from Marshadow, since I saw that.

When I was little, I really liked Monkeys, when I got brawl because blind parents don't notice army man with big guns. I saw Diddy kong, and I immediately knew I was gonna main him, unknowing of tier lists at the time, I used him all through the subspace, then at tabuu, when Sonic appeared, I was all "OH MY GOOAD SANIK UUGGH" and I added him to the 6 character roster to fight the stupid jank boss, my final roster was, oh lord, Diddy, Sonic, Wario, Ganondorf, MK, and Falco. In smash 4, I learned of the sacred death combo, hoo hah, I had my first big advancement as a player as diddy kong, the advancement that seperated the noobs from the advanced noobs that actually know combos, this repeatedly made me advance more and more as a player.

I started using Wario because when I was young I really liked the Wario land games, I liked them so much that I bought Wario land shake it, and immediately fell in love with the graphics and style of gameplay. I liked him so much I used him in brawl, and I also picked him up in this game back in april 2015, just to see what he was like. I liked the idea of a heavy that is small and hard to combo.

now for the crappy reasons.

I main cloud because as a child I loved the idea of a character wielding a weapon bigger than themself, so when I saw cloud I was all "UMG BIG SORD GUY" with the typo. When I saw big sord guy with the typo in smash, I picked him up, and I started playing FF7 in the process.

I play Sonic because, like every one else not named wrath, and fg sonics, I loved his games and fast. So I main him because fast.

 

[Gaona]

I like the combination of speed, power, and range that Mewtwo has, it feels like I'm actually playing as a legendary, with amazing power, they had to reflect that base 154 special attack stat somehow. Also, ever since I saw Mewtwo returns, I have liked the character, and he has been my favorite legendary aside from Marshadow, since I saw that.

When I was little, I really liked Monkeys, when I got brawl because blind parents don't notice army man with big guns. I saw Diddy kong, and I immediately knew I was gonna main him, unknowing of tier lists at the time, I used him all through the subspace, then at tabuu, when Sonic appeared, I was all "OH MY GOOAD SANIK UUGGH" and I added him to the 6 character roster to fight the stupid jank boss, my final roster was, oh lord, Diddy, Sonic, Wario, Ganondorf, MK, and Falco. In smash 4, I learned of the sacred death combo, hoo hah, I had my first big advancement as a player as diddy kong, the advancement that seperated the noobs from the advanced noobs that actually know combos, this repeatedly made me advance more and more as a player.

I started using Wario because when I was young I really liked the Wario land games, I liked them so much that I bought Wario land shake it, and immediately fell in love with the graphics and style of gameplay. I liked him so much I used him in brawl, and I also picked him up in this game back in april 2015, just to see what he was like. I liked the idea of a heavy that is small and hard to combo.

now for the crappy reasons.

I main cloud because as a child I loved the idea of a character wielding a weapon bigger than themself, so when I saw cloud I was all "UMG BIG SORD GUY" with the typo. When I saw big sord guy with the typo in smash, I picked him up, and I started playing FF7 in the process.

I play Sonic because, like every one else not named wrath, and fg sonics, I loved his games and fast. So I main him because fast.

I definitely feel you on that, I want to main Mewtwo too because of how cool he is. Especially how Mewtwo has a good moveset too. Sonic was my favorite growing up, but he's optimal play style isn't just me. Thanks for the opinion man. I really feel how you pick your mains.

 

[MERPIS]

I definitely feel you on that, I want to main Mewtwo too because of how cool he is. Especially how Mewtwo has a good moveset too. Sonic was my favorite growing up, but he's optimal play style isn't just me. Thanks for the opinion man. I really feel how you pick your mains.

With Sonic you really just need to learn to use your speed to your advantage, run in, wuss out, fake them out, do reads with spin dash. Chip in little damage until a throw kills.

 

[SmasherToonLink22]

I picked toon link because he has a wide range of ranged and electric attacks, and a very powerful final smash.

 

[lolito52]

With Sonic you really just need to learn to use your speed to your advantage, run in, wuss out, fake them out, do reads with spin dash. Chip in little damage until a throw kills.

a common mistake I see newbie sonic mains do is homing attack high in the air near a ledge this can drive to a severe SD if your opponent jumps over you, so I HEAVILY advise to avoid doing such stunt, specially when on your last stock, as this can end the game earlier than intended, with no way to save yourself.

edit: for anyone wondering what I'm talking about: look at this poorly made photoshop of the first time this happened to me (p.s.: I was dedede playing against a friend)

 

[lolito52]

a common mistake I see newbie sonic mains do is homing attack high in the air near a ledge this can drive to a severe SD if your opponent jumps over you, so I HEAVILY advise to avoid doing such stunt, specially when on your last stock, as this can end the game earlier than intended, with no way to save yourself

this said I choose my mains, not because of tier ranking, not because oftheir possibilitys with combos, I just do it cause they seem fun to play

 

[Lola Luftnagle]

I've chosen and as my mains for these reasons:

• Now, I've nothing against but precision is not my cup of tea. appears to be something of an all-rounder and with the possible exception of down-air (which is decidedly **** anyway) I don't have to worry about precision but still necessitates spacing (yes I know). She's getting lots more tournament air time and results. She's elegant when slashing up foes with her sword. Yeah, she's my girl, that's all I can say.
• As for , I really like her play-style of heavy zoning which fits my defensive style of play. That, and Luma hits like a school bus...
• I chose these ladies since I was deathly disheartened that s must involuntarily be locked into default specials. I said the **** with this; drop them for somebody else (but they're my tertiaries now so I haven't given up on them).
• Their learning curves, okay: 's very steep, and 's somewhat low. I aim to learn one easy and one hard character.

 

[Verted]

Just pick a character you have the most fun with! Don't just go for the best character in the game because that can cause limitations on the entertainment you find in the game. Just test out every character and pick whatever suits you, and you don't have to just have one character you prefer over the rest of the cast.

 

[Baby_Sneak]

Time.

Zard is Basic and straightforward. I don't have a lot of time to play games, so I'd rather stick with someone who just works with me.

 

[Gaona]

Damn, reading through these made me realize that there really is a lot involved with how you pick a smash main. I'm gonna take a long while to figure it out, but I'll really try to use everything you guys said. Thanks.

 

[MERPIS]

Damn, reading through these made me realize that there really is a lot involved with how you pick a smash main. I'm gonna take a long while to figure it out, but I'll really try to use everything you guys said. Thanks.

When in doubt, sword guy.

 

[Coachables]

I picked Mario because he was the only one out of the demo that i liked using and i just kinda stuck with it

 

[L9999]

I literally picked up because his PK Thunder interested me. I play because I am that one hipster who doesn't like tippers.

 

[Gaona]

I literally picked up because his PK Thunder interested me. I play because I am that one hipster who doesn't like tippers.

PK Thunder gives me so much salt. LOL

 

[FamilyTeam]

I played Lucina at first as a joke.
Then I started liking her.
Then I loved her.
Then I got interested into finding out more about her.

That's basically the story summed up.
It's far more detailed than that.
But Lucina is legitimately my favourite character of all time.

 

[Gaona]

I played Lucina at first as a joke.
Then I started liking her.
Then I loved her.
Then I got interested into finding out more about her.

That's basically the story summed up.
It's far more detailed than that.
But Lucina is legitimately my favourite character of all time.

Lucina is really great to watch. She seems more elegant than Marth.

 

[Rizen]

Any player who doesn't say fanboyism is a dirty liar but I really like his passive playstyle too. In games that give the choice I usually prefer to sneak and strategically handle a situation over muscling through. For example in Dark Souls 3 I chose the assassin class to start.

 

[Gaona]

Any player who doesn't say fanboyism is a dirty liar but I really like his passive playstyle too. In games that give the choice I usually prefer to sneak and strategically handle a situation over muscling through. For example in Dark Souls 3 I chose the assassin class to start.

I really don't have the patience to play like that. But, I have mad respect for players who do have the patience to play like that. It reminds me of how Batman takes down a gang of 30 men in a flash.

 

[cyberpunk]

I picked up Fox this year and I'm not exactly sure why, but I'll take some guesses.

Within all of the smash games, Fox has been a safe top tier pick. He's always good, if not the best. I've played since 64, and have mostly been a Ness player since I started playing Brawl more often, and barely even touched Fox in any of the series, but I wanted to train myself for a competitive level, and while Ness is pretty good, he's often predictable.

Fox forces your awareness and reflexes to be higher than most characters, so he kind of conditions you to play better. Now I feel so slow when I'm not on Fox that I pretty much exclusively play him when I'm serious

 

[KirinKQP]

I chose Jigglypuff and Yoshi because I thought both of the characters were trash tier when I first played Melee casually with my friends last year. I didn't know about the competitive Smash scene for a very long time and I thought rest was as useless as trying to save a fish from drowning by pulling it out of the water. Not to mention how he died so easily to everyone. I accidentally pulled off a rest which killed really early and then on thought Puff was broken and try to spam down-B when possible. Then after looking up Puff guides, I noticed that one of the best players in the world uses Jigglypuff which led me to the VOD of EVO 2016. From then on, I started using jigglypuff. He was easy to get the hang of though he dies really early if uncareful, his moves have a decent amount of lag and I had trouble learning how to space properly.

As for Yoshi, his lack of recovery except for his long and tedious jump made him terrible to me. When you try to double jump then use an aerial, he would stop going up and just fall to the ground which annoyed me. When I tried to 'swag' on my friends off stage, I would run off the stage, jump then use an aerial then die in the process before them. I learned about how crazy his movement on stages with platforms thanks to AmSa and his edge guarding potential. My initial response on learning how to wavedash and waveland was that Yoshi is probably the only character that is fun to zip around the stage with. Though he can't jump put of shield, that wasn't a big problem for a while after I learned to shield-drop consistently and how important it is to use rolls effectively. These characters are a reminder of how I thought they were trash tier

 

[Weggieninja]

There's nothing with maining Mario in tournaments as long as you know how to use that character well. Ally shows off how good Mario can be. He's also near top tier, so he'd be good going up against a wide variety of characters.

I've yet to participate in a competitive tournament for Smash 4 and that's mainly due to me switching mains a lot. I always considered myself a Captain Falcon main since Melee but I never used him competitively, and after learning about how CF is compared to other characters, I knew there were better options for me. I then moved on to Greninja/Shiek, but ditched Greninja as I don't like his down air attack, especially over ledges since that'll cost me a stock. I'm fine with Shiek, but not the best. I started playing around with Mario and Mewtwo, and I really like Mewtwo due to his mobility in the air. I've always liked Mario but ever since his Down-B was changed, I didn't use him anymore, that is until I realized how useful his new Down-B is. So as of right now, I'm maining Mewtwo.

 

[Gaona]

There's nothing with maining Mario in tournaments as long as you know how to use that character well. Ally shows off how good Mario can be. He's also near top tier, so he'd be good going up against a wide variety of characters.

I've yet to participate in a competitive tournament for Smash 4 and that's mainly due to me switching mains a lot. I always considered myself a Captain Falcon main since Melee but I never used him competitively, and after learning about how CF is compared to other characters, I knew there were better options for me. I then moved on to Greninja/Shiek, but ditched Greninja as I don't like his down air attack, especially over ledges since that'll cost me a stock. I'm fine with Shiek, but not the best. I started playing around with Mario and Mewtwo, and I really like Mewtwo due to his mobility in the air. I've always liked Mario but ever since his Down-B was changed, I didn't use him anymore, that is until I realized how useful his new Down-B is. So as of right now, I'm maining Mewtwo.

I was deciding on Mewtwo as well. Especially since he's changed a lot from Melee. His combo game can be really tricky, but if you execute them perfectly you can rack up some nice damage. He really reflects on the player with how careful you have to be recovering. Keep trying man, it really takes a lot of thinking to reflect yourself on a character.

 

[Mini_Mac]

Sm4sh is my first competative smash so before that, I never really bothered to practice the other smash games. I enjoyed playing Melee and Brawl just for fun and I never sat down for an hour or two or three or four a day in training mode to practice combos and perfect pivots and dash dancing and wobbling and shining and wavedashing etc. That is why when I first opened Sm4sh and played it, I had a very natural attatchment to .

I stumbled upon him when I was just playing through the character roster to find who is a right fit for me. Before I got the game, I had some pretty high interest in playing this game competatively and one of the first things the professionals taught to help prepare someone for the competative scene was to pick a main. However, after getting the game, I really wanted to sit down with whichever character I chose and actually practice intensively and not just find a randon tournament, pay 10-15$, and get bodied. That is why I waited 9 months so I could look at how to play effectively, study his strengths and weaknesses (trust me... his weaknesses become noticable within 10 seconds of playing him...), learn some good combos, and also watch others play him in tournament and see how they approach certain MUs.

So yeah. I feel like the reason has been such a natural pick is because his air-game, which the creators of the game could have programmed to be better, was traded for prestige ground game and that just fits with me because back in the early days of melee and brawl, I never bothered studying awesome aerial combos and crazy offstage action. So that's why is my go-to.

 

[AZ_Spellbound]

I picked Cloud for a number of reasons.
1. I just find it amazing that he's actually in the game in the first place
2. I have grown up with the character and have always thought he was cool
3. hes within my means of execution.
4. We are both crossdresser! XD

 

[MERPIS]

I picked Cloud for a number of reasons.
1. I just find it amazing that he's actually in the game in the first place
2. I have grown up with the character and have always thought he was cool
3. hes within my means of execution.
4. We are both crossdresser! XD

Hey he only had to do that once and it was to get back Tifa from some rich stump sucker.
Also sword guy.

 

[TheKirbyFan]

I chose Sonic and Kirby because they fit my fighting style of
1. Attack
2. Throw
3. Dodge
4. Repeat.
5. When bored, do some salty disrespect.

 

[TheRabidChipmunk]

I've always been partial to grapplers in fighting games (Zangief in SF, Machamp in Pokken) and I have a special attachment to the Donkey Kong Country games, DKC2 was the third game I ever played but I thought DKC1 was better. And I'd be lying if I said I don't get immense satisfaction from killing Sheik's at 65% or Lucario's before they even get their aura started.

 

[TooBadWaluigiTime]

I main Dedede and Wario for a number of reasons.
1. Their movesets really show their personality, in my opinion.
2. The world needs more Dedede and Wario mains.
3. Hitting that fsmash or fully-charged Waft is the best thing.
4. They go really underappreciated.
5. Girthquake and Narwelch are what really got me into the character.

 

[DarkestLaugh]

The real way to find your main is to think about your strategy. What is it that you want to do? What do you want to be able to do? What do you want to accomplish? I wanted to have long reach and be able to challenge what strikes were thrown at me. This first brought me to Cloud, but I found his recovery unforgivably terrible so I needed a better answer. Next best range is Marth. His counter can also be very useful in certain matchups. While I could have hopped onto the hipster band wagon and went with Lucina, her range is shorter.

After playing some friendlies with some strangers, I found there were some matchups where I would rather just have more movement options and an actual projectile. This led me to have Mewtwo as a secondary.

I took a different approach. I didn't find my mains, they found me. I also like to play Mario and Pikachu. I learned a bit about them because I like the characters themselves but I know they're not my best.

 

[AlexJ15]

Finding a main was easy for me. Try out all the top tiers and see which one fits your play style best. If none of the top tiers fit you, then there's always high tiers to play. Low tiers can be okay if you're really good at the game. Just know that if you pick a character C-tier or lower, then you're putting yourself at a disadvantage in the long run.

 

[SmashWithoutSympathy14]

In Brawl, Ike was total awesomeness at first sight and I started training with him. He is now my For Fun character. For Glory is Marth (duh, gotta love those swordsmen).

 

[Shredder55]

Ike is my main cuz,
#1: He has blue hair
#2: He is extremely tanky (when i was playing wii u. Ike survived up to 685% on an 8-player smash!!! p.s. i got first place!!!)
#3: He has counter which is extremely useful!!!

#WeLikeIke

 

[Wompo Compo]

In Melee I started off with . But then I realized that Pichu isn't viable. So I went to. He felt good, but then I tried out ...and a beautiful relationship was born. In Brawl, when I was like, 5 I just played as . When I picked Brawl back up, I tried out , he sucked so I went to again. Honestly, they have some of the best moves in Melee AND Brawl! But when there were no Ice Climbers in Smash 4...I was heartbroken. So I chose to start off with, but I slowly lost my love for the Big Dog. I dropped him and picked up. And I'm pretty good with Puff. I think I have around a 30% win rate on For Glory with her. And when my friend gave me 3DS, I used my secondary, . And everything was perfect.

 

[SmashWithoutSympathy14]

Ike is my main cuz,
#1: He has blue hair
#2: He is extremely tanky (when i was playing wii u. Ike survived up to 685% on an 8-player smash!!! p.s. i got first place!!!)
Nice survival! Was that just by vectoring and momentum canceling or other techniques? (get it, techniques?)
#3: He has counter which is extremely useful!!!
While Counter is useful, I prefer to use Powershielding in SSB4 and powershield canceling in Brawl.

#WeLikeIke

LOL Good reasons!

 

[RobC]

Experiment with characters until you play one who fits your preferred play style then optimize their neutral, recovery, and combos.

I dropped Shiek for Luigi after my first time playing For Glory against a Luigi. I was getting destroyed by the character's combos and when he misfired into the side of the stage and got stuck in the stage headfirst I laughed so hard I teared up. At that point I had to give Luigi a try and it worked out in the end.

Other characters enjoy besides Luigi are Marth and Shiek because of Melee days, Cloud, Roy, Diddy, and Falco.

 

[Deleted member]

I've always been loyal to playing since I started playing Melee. I stuck by her in Brawl and here in Smash 4, is still my main. I also main alongside her since Luma's up-air is a mercilessly early finisher when she has enough rage stored up.

My secondaries are since she's getting better tourney results and I like that she's somewhat easy to pick up and master. I also have on as my other secondary since she obviously kicks ass with her unparalleled punishment game in Witch Time and plethora of combos. That, and I had an unusual dream where she kissed me...