Who's your Sheik counter?

[BBOY15]

When you play against someone using Sheik, which is Samus's hardest matchup by far, which character do you personally switch to? Or do you still use Samus? Are there any other matchups you don't use Samus for?

Personally, I use Samus against everyone except sometimes Sheik. I'm currently raising a Falco just for this matchup, because Falco happens to be my second best character. Though it took a few months, I think my Falco is finally almost as good against Sheik as my Samus, and will soon overtake my Samus in the matchup. The two characters are so different that using one doesn't mess up my skill with the other. Falco's tech skill is harder to time, which makes Samus seem easier by comparison.

If a Samus player was to become one of the best in the world, don't you think they'd need to raise a secondary for at least the Sheik matchup? There's no reason why a Samus player, with Samus having an even matchup against Fox, couldn't become a legend if they did this. There'd be nothing besides their own skill to limit them.

 

[Litt]

When you play against someone using Sheik, which is Samus's hardest matchup by far, which character do you personally switch to? Or do you still use Samus? Are there any other matchups you don't use Samus for?

Personally, I use Samus against everyone except sometimes Sheik. I'm currently raising a Falco just for this matchup, because Falco happens to be my second best character. Though it took a few months, I think my Falco is finally almost as good against Sheik as my Samus, and will soon overtake my Samus in the matchup. The two characters are so different that using one doesn't mess up my skill with the other. Falco's tech skill is harder to time, which makes Samus seem easier by comparison.

If a Samus player was to become one of the best in the world, don't you think they'd need to raise a secondary for at least the Sheik matchup? There's no reason why a Samus player, with Samus having an even matchup against Fox, couldn't become a legend if they did this. There'd be nothing besides their own skill to limit them.

Do you think you are the first person that plays samus to understand the utility of having secondaires/dual mains? If so, no need to comment further. If not... whats the point of this post? All you are saying is that you are incapable of putting the time and work in on your main to compensate for a bad MU... heres the truth... samus has loads of **** MUs, Falcon, Puff, Sheik and Marth are all ass for samus, but if you are a competent enough player that has put in enough time, you will be able to overcome MUs. It takes twice as long to get equally as skilled with two characters as it does for one, and you are at a point in your smash career where focusing on one would be more beneficial for you to mentally explore as a player with regard to option select and good decision making instead of compensating for weaknesses in one of your character's games by substituting the character.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe shiek to be a stupid as **** character that should only be permitted if PAL version of shiek is forced on 20xx melee or shiek is simply banned. This is because her very presence invalidates half the cast at the low to mid level scene which has its backlash on the higher end of the spectrum of skill with a drastic funnel being placed on which characters are viable at the lowest levels as well. But this is besides the point, Duck makes it to GF, same with Hugs, they beat sheiks along the way, its not impossible just hard and you knew that picking up samus as a main.

 

[Schematic]

Do you think you are the first person that plays samus to understand the utility of having secondaires/dual mains? If so, no need to comment further. If not... whats the point of this post? All you are saying is that you are incapable of putting the time and work in on your main to compensate for a bad MU... heres the truth... samus has loads of **** MUs, Falcon, Puff, Sheik and Marth are all *** for samus, but if you are a competent enough player that has put in enough time, you will be able to overcome MUs. It takes twice as long to get equally as skilled with two characters as it does for one, and you are at a point in your smash career where focusing on one would be more beneficial for you to mentally explore as a player with regard to option select and good decision making instead of compensating for weaknesses in one of your character's games by substituting the character.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe shiek to be a stupid as **** character that should only be permitted if PAL version of shiek is forced on 20xx melee or shiek is simply banned. This is because her very presence invalidates half the cast at the low to mid level scene which has its backlash on the higher end of the spectrum of skill with a drastic funnel being placed on which characters are viable at the lowest levels as well. But this is besides the point, Duck makes it to GF, same with Hugs, they beat sheiks along the way, its not impossible just hard and you knew that picking up samus as a main.

Woah woah woah calm yourself brother

OP is just asking about secondary advice and our opinions on the idea. Yes some of us are diehard Samus mains and will never use another character, but not everyone feels that way. I find myself being able to pick up Link and Puff quite easily and mastering their tech/movement rather fast. IMO it's always a massive plus to have another competent character to whip out for counter picks and stage picks (that surprise element and accounting for lack of their personal MU knowledge on your other character(s)).

For me I second Link for almost every other top tier character I can't whoop with Samus (or it might be player specific). People definitely sleep on Link and I think he has the highest ratio of viability to MU ignorance out of all the mid/low tiers, he has stuff on floaties like Peach, Samus (I hate dittos), and Puff as well. A very rare character that people don't play against on a local/regional level (even National to a large extent).

Falco I have never seriously tried other to learn him to know the MU. It seems like the amount of time you'd have to dedicate to tech practice and mastering his crap recovery wouldn't pay off especially considering how common the MU is.

 

[Dilla2000]

I belive a well spaced marth is the best counter for sheik. Not only can marth get some deadly grab combos with a well placed dash dance, but also if you get a few f-smash tippers here and there before u know it u are up 2 or 3 stocks .

 

[X WaNtEd X]

Yeah sometimes at the lower levels, pulling out a wonky low tier secondary works. I've done it with Zelda before. But unless you're really ****ing good with that character, you're not going to best a good regional player with your low tier secondary.

Overall you're better off just mastering your character. You'll get better with other characters just by playing against them. For example, my Marth is now pretty solid but I've never practiced him in my life. You don't really need to pull out the secondary until you get to a top 50 level. By that point, you should be able to pick up a character quickly enough without taking away from your main. But until then, I think it's better to just learn all the hard matchups with your main. Even if you have a character that might beat someone that is unfamiliar with the matchup you should just stick to your guns and learn to adapt. That's why I don't whip out Zelda anymore, even if I know I could win with her.

Of course, I don't think there's anything wrong with messing around with other characters on the side in friendlies. That's how you learn more about the game. But for tournament, stick with your main.

 

[BBOY15]

Do you think you are the first person that plays samus to understand the utility of having secondaires/dual mains? If so, no need to comment further. If not... whats the point of this post? All you are saying is that you are incapable of putting the time and work in on your main to compensate for a bad MU... heres the truth... samus has loads of **** MUs, Falcon, Puff, Sheik and Marth are all *** for samus, but if you are a competent enough player that has put in enough time, you will be able to overcome MUs. It takes twice as long to get equally as skilled with two characters as it does for one, and you are at a point in your smash career where focusing on one would be more beneficial for you to mentally explore as a player with regard to option select and good decision making instead of compensating for weaknesses in one of your character's games by substituting the character.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe shiek to be a stupid as **** character that should only be permitted if PAL version of shiek is forced on 20xx melee or shiek is simply banned. This is because her very presence invalidates half the cast at the low to mid level scene which has its backlash on the higher end of the spectrum of skill with a drastic funnel being placed on which characters are viable at the lowest levels as well. But this is besides the point, Duck makes it to GF, same with Hugs, they beat sheiks along the way, its not impossible just hard and you knew that picking up samus as a main.

Okay...
1. It's not really fair that you grouped Falcon and Marth together with Sheik as part of the problem of Samus having some horrible MUs. I can maybe understand Jiggs, but Falcon and Marth are not as bad as Sheik. Yeah Samus is disadvantaged against Marth and kind of Falcon, but Sheik is over the "should I switch to another character?" line, whereas with those two, especially Falcon, there's just a couple annoying things you have to deal with.
2. Sure we could try our hardest to learn the Samus-Sheik MU, try our hardest to win etc, but guess who can also try their hardest? The opponent. At higher levels of play, the opponent is going to be trying just as hard to exploit the MU and own you, as you are trying hard to survive. And what happens when two equally skilled players are trying their hardest in a 70-30 or w/e matchup?
3. I'm not talking about what's best for a Samus player to do from an instant-gratification standpoint. I'm talking about eventual potential. Sure it takes forever to fully learn 2 characters, but just think about what you could achieve. I mean, I'm almost as good against Sheik with Falco than I am with Samus, but yeah, it's taking a while (though I have only been playing against real people once a week). And I enjoy playing as Falco + it helps me fully learn the game, so it's not a waste of time.
4. It's more fun to play 2 characters than 1. The more fun you have, the more you want to practice and the easier it is to get better. I always play better when I'm having fun. It's not like we're playing smash so we can make a career out of it and quit our jobs, so we might as well treat it like a game.
5. There seems to be this idea in people's minds that there's a maximum amount of space in your head for learning characters. We aren't some computer; we can learn anything if we try hard enough. Learning 2 chars is like overcoming bad MUs: it's not impossible, just hard. There's a lot of pro Marth, Sheik, etc players etc that use another character for certain MUs, and people don't question it. Is there some reason why Samus is different, a special reason why Samus players shouldn't have another character?

But I'd like to say Barbie, thanks for pointing out how much Sheik sucks for Melee. A character that requires a relatively very low amount of skill should not have so many good MUs that rip through the tier list. Bout time someone said it.

 

[NastyNard]

The sheik salt in this thread is hilarious.

On topic: falco is probably the best secondary character I can think of...he has great matchups and his auto-approach with lasers makes him more simple to learn than most top tier characters.

 

[343]

if you're a samus player below top level, it's not the character holding you back, it's you.

 

[Faltrazz]

When you play against someone using Sheik, which is Samus's hardest matchup by far, which character do you personally switch to? Or do you still use Samus? Are there any other matchups you don't use Samus for?

Personally, I use Samus against everyone except sometimes Sheik. I'm currently raising a Falco just for this matchup, because Falco happens to be my second best character. Though it took a few months, I think my Falco is finally almost as good against Sheik as my Samus, and will soon overtake my Samus in the matchup. The two characters are so different that using one doesn't mess up my skill with the other. Falco's tech skill is harder to time, which makes Samus seem easier by comparison.

If a Samus player was to become one of the best in the world, don't you think they'd need to raise a secondary for at least the Sheik matchup? There's no reason why a Samus player, with Samus having an even matchup against Fox, couldn't become a legend if they did this. There'd be nothing besides their own skill to limit them.

Honestly I think puff is a worse matchup than sheik, but here's my take on dealing with this nasty counterpick. Melee isn't balanced. If you don't feel comfortable dealing with a character that has a clear advantage over yours, then you shouldn't feel pressured to feel that it's your skill level holding you back if you honestly believe that's not the case. Sheik heavily exploits the fact that samus doesn't have ranged out of shield options(no roll or grab either), she has guaranteed combos off of grab which is an enormous deal considering samus' defensive playstyle, and has needles to negate samus' powerful projectile game and make her recovery suffer. Sheik's speed advantage, good frame data, and range(particularly in fair, bair, and up air) makes it incredibly hard to challenge or punish her approach, or follow ups. I believe that this matchup is 7:3 and shouldn't be winnable if not for the human element. Samus has to constantly win uneven games of rock paper scissors, successfully confuse her opponent with movement, deal with sheik's good edgeguard and superior neutral, and get reads to stand a chance. Good fundamentals alone won't win you a match against a good sheik, especially if they're well versed in the matchup, and worse, well versed against you. There's only so much a samus can do. I think it's easier to win Bo3s over Bo5s because the sheik has less time to adapt to your bag of tricks(scarjumps, grab reads, extender, weird projectile placements, etc.).

It's a very good idea to have a pocket character though. Secondaries exist for a reason. Myself? I like the sheik ditto. Sheik is a very simple, lame character that can combo and space most characters pretty easily. DO NOT AGREE TO NO CHAINGRABS. Have mastery over sheik's followups in the ditto and use your powerful spacing and mental advantage that you have from playing samus to win the neutral and get in their head. Spacies, puff, and a very on point marth are also good alternatives. I just find it easiest to ditto because anything they can do, you know you can do better.

I also highly recommend having a puff counter and possibly a marth counter. For puff, i like puff dittos, fox puff, and luigi puff. For marth, sheik marth, or marth ditto.

 

[cisyphus]

Sheik/Samus feels absolutely amazing tbh. I only really pull Sheik out when I know Samus can't cut it, but it really does help quite a bit.

 

[Mervis]

if you're a samus player below top level, it's not the character holding you back, it's you.

I dunno dude I'm kind of an ignorant optimist. I feel like even if the matchup is hard, Samus still has good enough tools to beat any player. I won't say any Samus main can CURRENTLY do that, but I feel like even in the highest level, Samus is capable of winning any game.

 

[Litt]

Okay...
1. It's not really fair that you grouped Falcon and Marth together with Sheik as part of the problem of Samus having some horrible MUs. I can maybe understand Jiggs, but Falcon and Marth are not as bad as Sheik. Yeah Samus is disadvantaged against Marth and kind of Falcon, but Sheik is over the "should I switch to another character?" line, whereas with those two, especially Falcon, there's just a couple annoying things you have to deal with.
2. Sure we could try our hardest to learn the Samus-Sheik MU, try our hardest to win etc, but guess who can also try their hardest? The opponent. At higher levels of play, the opponent is going to be trying just as hard to exploit the MU and own you, as you are trying hard to survive. And what happens when two equally skilled players are trying their hardest in a 70-30 or w/e matchup?
3. I'm not talking about what's best for a Samus player to do from an instant-gratification standpoint. I'm talking about eventual potential. Sure it takes forever to fully learn 2 characters, but just think about what you could achieve. I mean, I'm almost as good against Sheik with Falco than I am with Samus, but yeah, it's taking a while (though I have only been playing against real people once a week). And I enjoy playing as Falco + it helps me fully learn the game, so it's not a waste of time.
4. It's more fun to play 2 characters than 1. The more fun you have, the more you want to practice and the easier it is to get better. I always play better when I'm having fun. It's not like we're playing smash so we can make a career out of it and quit our jobs, so we might as well treat it like a game.
5. There seems to be this idea in people's minds that there's a maximum amount of space in your head for learning characters. We aren't some computer; we can learn anything if we try hard enough. Learning 2 chars is like overcoming bad MUs: it's not impossible, just hard. There's a lot of pro Marth, Sheik, etc players etc that use another character for certain MUs, and people don't question it. Is there some reason why Samus is different, a special reason why Samus players shouldn't have another character?

But I'd like to say Barbie, thanks for pointing out how much Sheik sucks for Melee. A character that requires a relatively very low amount of skill should not have so many good MUs that rip through the tier list. Bout time someone said it.

To be fair, sheik play at high level comes easy, there are relatively no marths in Maine that are worth half a crap, and there are zero falcons in NE that could hold a candle to high level falcon play. I don't think you have had a reality check in either of those Mus to have an appreciation for how bad they are.

 

[343]

To be fair, sheik play at high level comes easy, there are relatively no marths in Maine that are worth half a crap, and there are zero falcons in NE that could hold a candle to high level falcon play.

Zoso/KDJ/Swift (I'd say 3 top-100 level marths is a lot more than "relatively no"...)? Slox?

 

[Litt]

Zoso/KDJ/Swift (I'd say 3 top-100 level marths is a lot more than "relatively no"...)? Slox?

Can you read 343? No, obviously you cant, because I said no marth in Maine worth half a crap, then no falcon in NE that can hold a candle, you bringing up slox is as relevant as you bringing up Cort, because Slox rarely plays falcon anymore, and hes pretty inactive. I highly doubt BBoy15 has made it far enough in a tourney big enough yet to take on Zoso or Swift and KDJ has been MIA for a while....

 

[343]

welp, I guess I can't read "Maine" :/ oops

but Slox has played Falcon in tournament a lot more times than Cort has even entered recently... and even if his Falcon is inactive, it could "hold a candle" to high level Falcon play

the part about "he hasn't reached those players" is kinda tangential, since meeting a high-seeded player in bracket is possible for basically anyone, depending on seeding

 

[Litt]

welp, I guess I can't read "Maine" :/ oops

but Slox has played Falcon in tournament a lot more times than Cort has even entered recently... and even if his Falcon is inactive, it could "hold a candle" to high level Falcon play

the part about "he hasn't reached those players" is kinda tangential, since meeting a high-seeded player in bracket is possible for basically anyone, depending on seeding

More hasn't reached them by going out of state since all his basis for comparison are those players in Maine... and not NE

 

[343]

sure, I suppose that's true

 

[BBOY15]

Can we all just agree that Melee is freaking hard and yeah.

 

[X WaNtEd X]

To be fair, sheik play at high level comes easy, there are relatively no marths in Maine that are worth half a crap, and there are zero falcons in NE that could hold a candle to high level falcon play. I don't think you have had a reality check in either of those Mus to have an appreciation for how bad they are.

To be fair, I think Klaps is getting there. He has some impressive upsets under his belt in the last half a year. But overall, I would agree that there really aren't any high level Falcons in NE aside from the occasional Slox Falcon.

 

[Litt]

To be fair, I think Klaps is getting there. He has some impressive upsets under his belt in the last half a year. But overall, I would agree that there really aren't any high level Falcons in NE aside from the occasional Slox Falcon.

Hold a candle to high level falcon, Klaps flame would get snuffed out by any reputable falcon at the moment, despite him showing real progress. Yes... we all know slox is the only semi active falcon worth half a crap here.

 

[X WaNtEd X]

Hold a candle to high level falcon, Klaps flame would get snuffed out by any reputable falcon

Who would you consider a reputable falcon? What klaps has going for him at least is that he's getting good at a lot of falcon's harder matchups like falco, puff, and good peaches. I don't think he's like that bad compared to the reputable falcons, but not quite there. I guess we'll get to see next week at ng+ when gravy shows up.

 

[Litt]

Who would you consider a reputable falcon? What klaps has going for him at least is that he's getting good at a lot of falcon's harder matchups like falco, puff, and good peaches. I don't think he's like that bad compared to the reputable falcons, but not quite there. I guess we'll get to see next week at ng+ when gravy shows up.

Gravy, Gahtzu, Wizzy, N0ne, S2J, Hax, Lord... with like the floor being like Scar and Juggleguy

 

[Mervis]

Gravy, Gahtzu, Wizzy, N0ne, S2J, Hax, Lord... with like the floor being like Scar and Juggleguy

Hax is a ****ty Falcon main. He presses down B too much.

 

[X WaNtEd X]

Gravy, Gahtzu, Wizzy, N0ne, S2J, Hax, Lord... with like the floor being like Scar and Juggleguy

I think you're missing some people, but those are definitely the top falcon mains at the moment.

 

[Litt]

I think you're missing some people, but those are definitely the top falcon mains at the moment.

Bruh.... you asked "Who would you consider a reputable falcon?" Not who is every reputable falcon....

Hax is a ****ty Falcon main. He presses down B too much.

Why do you consistently comment on my posts? we have already established I don't like you, don't like you commenting on my posts/threads, and that I don't value your opinion at all, so I ask you sir... why do you continue to engage with me?

 

[Mervis]

Why do you consistently comment on my posts? we have already established I don't like you, don't like you commenting on my posts/threads, and that I don't value your opinion at all, so I ask you sir... why do you continue to engage with me?

I'm not one to hold a grudge man. I was poking fun at the fact that Hax plays Fox now. Consistently commenting on your posts would be an overstatement, but I do somewhat frequently. I just like interacting with the Samus boards. It's nothing personal.

 

[Litt]

I'm not one to hold a grudge man. I was poking fun at the fact that Hax plays Fox now. Consistently commenting on your posts would be an overstatement, but I do somewhat frequently. I just like interacting with the Samus boards. It's nothing personal.

It is personal, because I have specifically asked you to not comment on my posts many times now and you never listen, there is a difference between interacting with the samus boards, and interacting as much as you can any chance you can to make a post.

 

[Mervis]

...you never listen.

Really lol? I'm not a dog dude. If you really don't want to put up with me then why haven't you blocked me by now? In your eyes I'm never any value to any discussion, but you still read and reply to me.

I'm not trying to stir the pot, I'm just genuinely interested in your SB persona.

 

[Litt]

Really lol? I'm not a dog dude. If you really don't want to put up with me then why haven't you blocked me by now? In your eyes I'm never any value to any discussion, but you still read and reply to me.

I'm not trying to stir the pot, I'm just genuinely interested in your SB persona.

I wish I could block on here, however you only can ignore other players. This allows them to still comment on your material, which they can see, however can still see that someone who is ignored replied to or commented on a post of your own, which defeats the point of ignoring someone if they tell you that someone you ignored posted something.

In my eyes, you don't contribute value, you just antagonize and put up postulations as if they are fact, which forces others to correct you, instead of you properly asking if you are correct or how something can be viewed, ect... You have stated before "I'm a low tier player AT BEST " and that you are aware of this... so being a low level player, why are trying to sit at the big boys table and talk like you deserve a place there?

Its clear you are not a dog, since you can type on a keyboard and respond on here... but it is clear you also do not listen. I am flattered that you are genuinely interested in my SB persona, however the way you have interacted with me up until this point has shown you that we do not get along, and by continuing to act in a similar way does nothing to help your cause of me continuing to treat you in a way to deem to be inappropriate or a way you would treat a dog... Relationships are two way streets, and I'm a stubborn asshat, in order for me to not treat you like a dog that doesn't listen and is bad at the game, perhaps speak to me in a way different than you have in the past, (i.e., act like you are inherently right and entitled to correction without public flogging post correction as a result of trying to act like a knowledgeable competent player).

Don't get me wrong, I am not deluded enough to believe incompetence in smash meta translates to personal intelligence, you may very well be a very intelligent person. On this site though, I don't know you personally, and we aren't talking about concepts that qualify general mental ability as relevant to qualification as a competent player. I digress, that I understand your intentions and actions up to this point, however the reason I respond and read is because when you put up false or inaccurate information, I feel the need to correct so you do not act as negative value to this site. Certainly you provide a basis of misunderstanding which others can relate, however focusing that misunderstanding through questions (saying I think I'm right here... but what do you guys think) goes a hella lot further than... (this is right guys, oh wait im wrong, ah well w/e im just a bad player lol you shouldn't have listened... )

People like Jerkphil... Corigames... they say their **** because they know its right and they also know they are kind of top dogs on these boards as a result of their knowledge and experience base. You say your **** on the basis of no experience with speculative knowledge because you have yet to prove the validity of what you claim to know through results. If anything, just look at the way billnyethesamusguy posts, when he thinks he is correct, he puts up the facts and data behind it and even still asks if he could be wrong, he knows hes not the best but he is willing to improve, put the work in, and he is fine with being wrong.

 

[Mervis]

Honestly I'm just going stop here. PM me your essays if you really want hash it out.

 

[NastyNard]

Barbie you really need to reevaluate how you carry yourself on the internet and how you treat others....like holy **** man. Kudos to Mervis though for taking the high road here and not allowing this thread to be derailed any further.

 

[Mervis]

Barbie you really need to reevaluate how you carry yourself on the internet and how you treat others....like holy **** man. Kudos to Mervis though for taking the high road here and not allowing this thread to be derailed any further.

TO BE FAIR I do give Barbie a hard time sometimes.

 

[NastyNard]

Haha I don't doubt it based on his comments, but you clearly did nothing wrong in this case, and that was a pretty insane reaction to a Hax joke that didn't reference him in any way aside from quoting his post. From the perspective of someone who doesn't frequent these boards (I'm a sheik main so you guys wouldn't want me here too much anyway =P) it looked really bad. I don't think historical context can justify that kind of behavior, and his first reply to the OP also struck me with how aggressive and condescending it was, so I'm going to stand by my comment.

 

[Mervis]

Haha I don't doubt it based on his comments, but you clearly did nothing wrong in this case, and that was a pretty insane reaction to a Hax joke that didn't reference him in any way aside from quoting his post. From the perspective of someone who doesn't frequent these boards (I'm a sheik main so you guys wouldn't want me here too much anyway =P) it looked really bad. I don't think historical context can justify that kind of behavior, and his first reply to the OP also struck me with how aggressive and condescending it was, so I'm going to stand by my comment.

This was pretty weak compared to most Barbie reactions. You should read the Slingshot Wavedashing thread. Gets crazy in there.

 

[Ringedge]

I don't really think Sheik is Samus's worst match up or that it is really that bad at all, but I did use Jiggs for the matchup for a long while, although I have since gone solo Samus main. From the view of someone that put a lot of time into trying to learn 8 characters for tournament play, you should really just stick with one and learn the the matchup to the best of your ability. It will really help you in the long run with the character you chose to play as you may learn something from the matchup that you can apply to another matchup or the game in general.

 

[IdkLmao]

Mewtwo is my shiek counter

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

When you play against someone using Sheik, which is Samus's hardest matchup by far, which character do you personally switch to? Or do you still use Samus? Are there any other matchups you don't use Samus for?

I remember trying to beat people in Sheik dittos, but I gave up on that venture as its a short term goal. I would not say this is a good long term strategy, but depending upon your goals and skill level of opponents the CG in sheik dittos is incredibly easy to learn and would not require a ton of effort.

All you are saying is that you are incapable of putting the time and work in on your main to compensate for a bad MU... heres the truth... samus has loads of **** MUs, Falcon, Puff, Sheik and Marth are all *** for samus, but if you are a competent enough player that has put in enough time, you will be able to overcome MUs. It takes twice as long to get equally as skilled with two characters as it does for one, and you are at a point in your smash career where focusing on one would be more beneficial for you to mentally explore as a player with regard to option select and good decision making instead of compensating for weaknesses in one of your character's games by substituting the character.

Secondaries is a fun topic to talk about.

As you put forth it does take more effort to learn another character, but we have seen from several good players that you can have an effective alternative character in a short space of time. M2K seems to regularly pull out Fox and Marth despite being more successful with Sheik. Armada/PPMD ended up having Apex 2015 grand finals in pretty much Marth vs Fox rather than say customary Peach/Falco we all usually expect. Plus, that random nonsense awhile back with Ylink and Jiggs. All of those secondary characters I feel were learned in a much shorter space of time than the mains they use.

Anyway, I think you are right that sticking with a singular character can allow you to reach a peak condition more quickly than learning two at once. At which point you can go back and very easily pick up another character. It will not as strong as say your main knowledge, but the learning time I feel is drastically reduced. Like understanding how smash works is like the biggest barrier to anyone. Afterwards it seems like it is simply applying the framework of how smash works with the tools of whatever character you use.

But, despite what is probably the best route to take regarding how to approach the topic of secondaries I would think it depends upon your goals. If you really want the fastest route to getting better. Ignore taking another character and stick through the nonsense you have to put up with. If you are in it for the fun and short term goals, then trying to cheese out a win with another character can be a viable option. There are your two choices that I see (probably more though) and its up to the individual to make their own goals.