What's your biggest road-block to getting better?

[Hael Phael]

This thread will be a spot to discuss and try to fix whatever problems might be causing us to phael at improving. I feel like sharing our experiences with each other will help us all grow as a group.



My biggest roadblock is that I'm not patient enough to take momentum back slowly, I look for instant switches rather than trying to slowly inch my way back. This has caused me many losses that I probably could have avoided. So patience is kinda at the root of it.

 

[Roller]

My biggest problem is I don't main

 

[Stealth Raptor]

my biggest problem used to be my utter unability to read people. now its turning into matchups

 

[Metatitan]

Reaction time is sometimes just a liiiiiittle too slow. I'll read a roll, follow with up smash and it gets powershielded.

 

[PZ]

Me or the existance of hitlag.

 

[Pikabunz]

Me or the existance of hitlag.

Existence of hitlag? Explain!

 

[PZ]

Existence of hitlag? Explain!

I mess up on qac n probably die from hitting shy guys, balloons, ICs..., or projectiles.

I think I could w8 later or just input the action and it just ends up killing me either way or getting a result I do not want...

 

[Roller]

I agree with Stealth on the matchups. I lose to the same like 3 characters every tourney.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

i dont even go to enough tourneys to say so, i just know i have like maybe ten matchups down solid enough i wouldnt lose to any but like the top two or three of the char, but some like marth and ics i get ***** SO ****ING HARD by its not even funny. esam help me with marth D:

 

[Pikabunz]

I hate fighting these 3 so much. There's at least 3 players in TX for each of these characters that could beat me. :/

 

[Luckay4Lyphe]

When I want to get a grab, I am too intent on getting it that I take like 50% before I give up. And this is like always when my opponent is at 0. Whenever I don't start a fight without free % from cg or grab follows I feel like I'm off to a bad start and I'm less confident with the majority of of the match.

 

[Hael Phael]

Yeah I've had tunnel vision problems myself, I feel like the only way to break that is to go to a tournament and don't look for a grab ever only take one if it falls into your lap, that helps with that habit

 

[Leaf.]

I have problems with forcing stuff.

Forcing kills.
Forcing grabs (especially when it won't even be a big deal, like against metaknight)

And I can tend to autopilot a lot, although that's been going away recently.

 

[global-wolf]

I usually have no idea what's going in the game while I'm playing. It's not quite autopiloting, I am thinking but I don't realize the most obvious things. Because of that I can't read and I tend to do the same thing over and over.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

I'ma discuss how to get over several general problems

Tunnel Visioning (AKA Forcing)

You just need to calm down. It isn't hard to hit people in Brawl, but people at a high skill level will be playing more cautiously when they are about to die. They will tend to shield a lot more, so watch for that and you can get free grabs. Remember, if you keep hitting them, they will eventually die from moves that aren't designed to kill. I have kill PLENTY of times with JUST U-tilt or F-tilt, or sometimes get a jab U-smash.

Getting Flustered:

If your opponent has the momentum, slow the game down. Run away, shoot jolts, play the spacing game, hell, even go to the ledge. Momentum is the scariest thing in this game because people will act more nervously and choose worse options/react to something they shouldn't. Just calm down and realize that you can switch the situation back with one read, but again, don't try to force it.

For Match-ups, all I can say is practice them. Get used to their openings as a character (Like Marth's weakness below/in front of him. Abuse their weaknesses and remember what can punish what. If you aren't sure, don't do it. Go for the safe D-tilt or something that is difficult to punish. Low-risk Low-reward punishes are amazing. You don't have to always go after them with an F-smash or a Thunder. Take your hits where you can get them.

Forcing grabs (This one is a specific issue since we have CGs)

There is, in most match-ups, no point in forcing grabs. You are trying to get early % on a CG, right? Well, if you camp your opponent and they get hit, you are getting the damage that you would get from the CG anyway, which is why I don't mind if Snakes blow themselves up at the beginning. The 30ish % they give themselves is 30% more on my side, and you can hit them off the level and edgeguard. Damage is the key, it doesn't matter how you get it.

If you have any specific questions, please ask.

 

[Hael Phael]

i think ESAM's post will be really helpful for a lot of people, thanks for posting that bro

 

[KayLo!]

Autopiloting by far.

 

[Scatz]

If you're autopiloting, then you should stop letting instincts completely takeover. You have to think as you play. Take mental notes of how people react to certain things, then capitalize on them later in the matches/sets.

 

[Flutter NiTE]

I kindof auto pilot a lot instead of actually thinking about the match-up :/

Also, when I go to read my opponent, I usually predict what PROS do, and not what others do, which ends up killing me.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Oh yeah, that is another thing I should mention




Not all of your opponents are on the same level of thinking. Some people are going to be able to outsmart you, stay on your level, and stay beneath you. They all have different habits and choose different options (Although similar options in different scnearios) based on their level of thought. It is important that, either by reputation or by early-game scenarios, that you depict their level of thought, their normal patterns, and abuse them.

Now, this isn't a one-way street. You will often choose similar options based on situations, offensive or defensive. The theoretical best option (Like a way to not get hit) isn't always the best. Sometimes the best option is the worst just because people won't expect it. There is a time and place for every single option (Aside from Suiciding, that is reserved for only the best Pikachu, myself), and you must learn when and where do execute those options based on your opponent's pattern. There is no reason that I should ever just charge a smash attack after I d-throw people, because the logical choice would always be to jump away and air-dodge. However, people of different levels of thought will either fall into it, attack, or jump away. Top players will often try to mix those options, so I tend to get a lot of reads off of D-throw because they think I won't do something.

Ahh, the game of mix-up, the thing that makes Smash, and Brawl more significantly due to its nature of getting one hit and that's it, so unique.

 

[Roller]

(Aside from Suiciding, that is reserved for only the best Pikachu, myself)

Not gonna lie. Pretty sure Anther wrote the book on SDs. Not just for pika, but for Brawl as a whole.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

I made the much more popular sequel. Just letting you know~

 

[KayLo!]

Nah, Thrz is still the best SDer by far.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

i dunno im in the official sd club of kansas.....

 

[Dnyce]

i dunno im in the official sd club of kansas.....

I'm only in it for the membership benefits

 

[Stealth Raptor]

wtf stop stalking me.

 

[Hael Phael]

I'm the king of SDs and no one can take that from me, in Morehead we have a saying in reference to me, "glimmer of hope" I'll be doing really well then all of a sudden blow a lead with quick sds or lose a close game it's pretty pathetic, get @ me.

 

[Syko_Lemming]

When someone SD's in my region, it's called Pulling a Nick Best.
Yep, I'm a verb.

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Well Nick Riddle and I are memes throughout the AMerican smash scene. My F**************** and his "I'm kinda the best in the world" are legendary!!

I'm also #1 on my PR. Get @ me world.

 

[Zerieth]

My biggest road block is not having anyone to play with. Can only get so far with A.I.'s. Even the lvl 9's are no fun anymore. Also now I has to Wii to play on so I gotta use a friends.

 

[Zeroxius]

Other than life getting in the way, I don't have anyone to play with. T.T

- - - - -
Sent from my Droid 2.
Droid Does.

 

[Roller]

Well Nick Riddle and I are memes throughout the AMerican smash scene. My F**************** and his "I'm kinda the best in the world" are legendary!!

I'm also #1 on my PR. Get @ me world.

Congrats on #1. =]

Also. Neither of you are memes here. Just sayin'.

 

[KayLo!]

Also. Neither of you are memes here. Just sayin'.

Not here either, lol.

 

[Stealth Raptor]

yeah definitely not here then again its kansas noone cares :D

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Well........

 

[Leaf.]

You know, when I suicide like that I ALWAYS jump up and yell like you do.
(hug)

 

[linkisthebest123]

I'm bad. very bad. so I can't get better.

 

[Life]

^ Poor attitude to take.

Ontopic: techskill is the reason I don't main Pika. (I found this thread from New Posts)

QAC? I can do it in place, but otherwise it's horribly inconsistent.
The CG-uair-footstool thing I keep hyping (and the other reason I come here)? Can't even get the uair.
Ledge stuff? Meh.

Pika could be A-tier but I suspect everyone who isn't ESAM has trouble with same. Why go to all that work when you could learn MK instead? And thus he remains in a kind of B-tier limbo. (Or am I not watching enough mid-level Pika vids?)

 

[[FBC] ESAM]

Pika will be A tier this time. Hopefully I convinced enough people he has potential...

 

[Roller]

^ Poor attitude to take.

Ontopic: techskill is the reason I don't main Pika. (I found this thread from New Posts)

QAC? I can do it in place, but otherwise it's horribly inconsistent.
The CG-uair-footstool thing I keep hyping (and the other reason I come here)? Can't even get the uair.
Ledge stuff? Meh.

Pika could be A-tier but I suspect everyone who isn't ESAM has trouble with same. Why go to all that work when you could learn MK instead? And thus he remains in a kind of B-tier limbo. (Or am I not watching enough mid-level Pika vids?)

1) Brick doesn't have that "poor attitude," he was trying to be facetious, as every other post he's made here has been hyping himself up and saying he is underrated. However, he shouldn't be going the sarcastic route, as he's done nothing to prove that is not the actual case with him.

2) 90% of pikachus can perform QAC pretty much flawlessly. It really isn't hard to do at all, nor are the followups out of it. The cg is very easy as well.

3) Yeah, the uair footstool thing is tough, due to school, and focusing on my IC's more recently, I have yet to really work on it. I get off after my exam today though, so I will be in the coming week. But 98% of pikas can't do that well yet. And nobody can do it consistently.

4) Ledge stuff is easy. Just be smart. Read your opponents recovery habbits and/or current trajectory.


Overall, I actually find in many of the pikachus that I've met that they rely on their tech skill as a crutch to compensate for poor reading ability/habbits/etc. They think, "oh, all I have to do is get the CG and I will **** them" or "If I learn all these QAC tricks then players will be confused/get wrecked by them."

As a result, many players try a lot to force grabs, do unneeded QAC tricks against players that can punish them, and make many other fundamental gameplay errors, but use the "techskill" to compensate and remain competitive.

If you think QAC stuff is hard after 20 minutes in training mode though... Yeah, just go mk.

PikaPika! is arguably a top 3/4 pikachu and he relies very little on techskill. In fact he couldn't buffer cg until recently. I find that this lack of actual player skill is why pikas aren't doing as well. Pikapika reads players like open books and punishes with simple yet effective offense. Not having the shenanigans at his disposal has forced him to rely more on those aspects of play and as a result he outplaces most pikas.