Why do you play LM?

[Ghidorah14]

Why, of all the characters you have to choose from, do you play LM? Why do you pick a character like LM when there are so many "better" choices? What is it about FG's biggest loser that draws you to him?

In my opinion, LM is the true underdog of smash bros. By picking him, you are intentionally handicapping yourself, and potentially throwing the match before it even begins. His air game is non-existent, his grabs have pitiful reach and no true followups, and his recovery speaks for itself. So why do we subject ourselves to it?

For me, it's because LM is incredibly fun to play. He has arguably the best ground game of all the characters, with his amazing frame data, super armor, speed, and general high damage moves. He has a ton of kill options and ways to setup those kill options. The most infamous of them all is his KO punch, easily the most satisfying move to land in all of smash bros; better than the falcon punch, better than the knee, better than the warlock punch, and better than any spike in the game. That "**** yeah" feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you hear that glorious sound, accompanied by the camera zooming in and the game slowing down just long enough for it to sink in as you then watch your opponent rocket off-screen, is unmatched by anything else. Plus, he's a boxer, and boxers are badass (funnily enough, one of my mains in street fighter 4 is dudley).

Because of his exploitable weaknesses, LM requires the player to not only play well, but play well consistently. He is the very opposite of an EZ mode or braindead character. Dying under 30% to a non-kill move is a very real possibility. One mistake could mean a stock, and another mistake could mean game over. When you win with LM, it's because YOU spaced correctly, YOU made the right reads, and YOU were the better player.

Sure, it sucks when he's so easily gimped or throw off-stage too far to recover, but LM is right up there with lucario when it comes to being a comeback king. And any time I'm feeling down or salty when I lose with LM, all I need to do is watch his reveal trailer and I feel inspired again. I'm even considering bumping dedede down to secondary status and making mac my #1 main.

So what about you guys? Why do you play LM?

 

[Zodiacx10]

I always try to stay away from being just another top tier main. i don't plan on winning any nationals lol, so I'll just play who i think is cool and also like to play as (preferably a character not a lot of people main). there were two characters i wanted in smash, paper mario and little mac, and i got little mac. when i watch the direct and the trailer i was like "wow he looks fun" and he is fun. i general prefer to play the hard hitters and i love making reads, which mac does both really well. mac is the biggest underdog of smash, when you pick mac people think the game is already won for them, but sometimes they are in for a surprise when you do pull off a win.

 

[Thundering TNT]

I just love his moveset so much, and to me, that's all that matters when i determine the characters I play as.

 

[Cookie Boy]

I'm a HUGE fan of the Punch-Out series, so Mac was the one I wanted the most in smash. That and his moveset is amazing, just like Ghidorah said. Winning with him is so satisfying and it truly feels like you've accomplished something!

In short: Little Mac is just awesome, and truly is smash's underdog.

 

[Ionthawon]

I feel like a lot of people underestimate him when he appears on the screen, but in the hands of the right players, he is absolutely deadly. I gravitated towards him back when I first started the game. I've been regrettably gimped very early, but I've also completely destroyed with him.

 

[Tino]

He's a pretty fun character to use, even his movesets are pretty satisfying. And while I've never played a Punch-Out!! game before, I'm a huge fan of boxing as a sport in general. Oscar De La Hoya will always be the best.

 

[Zarxrax]

I like him because he seems easy, lol.
Seriously, I have been playing this game since it was released, and tried maining different characters like Mario, Falcon, Sheik. Whenever I get up against a tough opponent, I might lose 3 or 4 times in a row or more. And then I switch to Mac, and wipe the floor with them.
For a while, I didn't really play as mac, I just pulled him out for fun after losing a few rounds. But then I started to realize how often I was actually winning with him. Its at least 50% more often than with my next best character. Sometimes my opponent will switch to little mac after losing to me, only to lose again.
His combination of speed and power makes him deadly. The only times I really have trouble is if I am fighting someone who isn't afraid to go offstage for the gimp.

 

[EpicPirate]

Ohh, Where do I start? There is may reasons for why I play Mac. As with other Little Mac mains out there, it is the satisfying gameplay where his attacks are strong and has super armor. It is how you can kill someone at early percents and ignore the enemy attack with your armor. Then we also have the the very satisfying and extremely awesome KO punch; and the feeling of landing it during a intense match. He is the sort of character you can pick up randomly one day and see immediate results. He is the a character that is simple to pick up and difficult to master.

However, to me, it is a personal thing. The concept of him being a underdog intrigues me greatly and even stirs up emotions in me. In the original Punch Out series he is portrayed as the underdog boxing his way through the WVBA against the most ripped boxers in the world. In Smash he is in the same position. The difference being in Punch Out he is ridiculed for his size, while in Smash is because of his terrible air game and recovery. It is this unjust that make me main him.

To change the topic, in our current roster we have such a variety of characters, but in my honest opinion Little Mac is by far the most relatable. His background is that he is from Bronx, New York and at a age of 17 he was already attending the WVBA and fighting the best of the best. And to think he came to smash to fight against the likes of Captain Falcon, Mario, Sonic, etc is really a feat. He is just a human, and more importantly just a human from New York that worked his way up.

To get back to the point I said earlier, he doesn´t deserve this negative status he has ordained since launch. But when you main Little Mac, you get to experience how it is to be treated with disrespect. I´ve gotten ridiculed for maining Little Mac numerous times. This fact often discourages people to main Mac, and in most cases get put as secondary, for fun only or not played at all (Not saying having him as a secondary or playing him for fun is bad, I did so myself for several periods as welln xP). But like myself and all other Little Mac main; we are dedicated. The unjust prejudice acts as a fuel for our determination, and motivates us further to push ourselves and the character to the limit. Just like Little Mac does in Punch Out, we fight against the stream. We are not giving up because of our weaknesses, rather we embrace it and rather show the enemy our strengths.

And give them a nice KO punch up the jaw c:

 

[daxterattano]

This is my first smash game and out of all the characters I tried, he's who I had the most fun with. I keep trying to learn others, but I always creep my way back to the Mac.

 

[TheSqushiestManatee]

He's extremely fun and satisfying.

 

[shinhed-echi]

There are so many reasons for me to play Little Mac.

Let's get the obvious out of the way, I AM a Punch Out fan, no surprise there. :D
I introduced myself to Punch Out when I was reading about my favorite Nintendo IP, Startropics. Turns out, Punch Out was made by the same team (R&D2 I think). So I got real curious, and picked it up on the VC.
Now, these brother franchises are my favorites (even over ssb).

Little Mac was my most wanted character tied with Mike Jones (startropics), so when he was revealed, I dropped my laptop due to the excitement. His trailer was just so much hype too.

The underdog factor. I don't like high tiers, so Mac fit like a glove in this sense.
In Punch Out, the disrespect for Mac was purely fictional, but in smash, it's real!

The KO punch / comeback mechanic.

His moveset is a lot of fun. Yeah, it's just punching, but the speed/power and combo ability makes his gameplay style really addictive.

The fanservice: The color swaps, the wireframes, the hoodies, Doc Louis randomly speaking through his taunts, the bruises on the Wii U version, etc There's just a lot of love here.

The premise of Mac being a regular human being, fighting with a real human sport, with no superpowers, no goddess-blessed strength, fireballs, magic, etc. He got his power from training and training alone.
This is what makes him unique IMO.

And he is a black haired protagonist.

And seriously, his training montage in the trailer!

 

[KevN くコ:彡]

Everyone in this thread nailed it right in the head.

 

[MarioFireRed]

I don't have much of a reason. I play Little Mac because I like him and his playstyle. All there is to it.

 

[TheLegendaryFoxFire]

However, to me, it is a personal thing. The concept of him being a underdog intrigues me greatly and even stirs up emotions in me. In the original Punch Out series he is portrayed as the underdog boxing his way through the WVBA against the most ripped boxers in the world. In Smash he is in the same position. The difference being in Punch Out he is ridiculed for his size, while in Smash is because of his terrible air game and recovery. It is this unjust that make me main him.

This part is the reason I play Little Mac. Add to it my friend that plays used to mock all Little Mac's because of how people played him and I wanted to prove him wrong. He still messed me up when we play. He uses Rosalina, but its a lot harder for him now to simply Back-Throw gimp now then it was early.

 

[LucarioDude]

I play Little Mac since I've always liked Little Mac as a character in Punch Out! His moveset is also really neat and I just love how fast he moves. Landing that KO punch is also very satisfying. Playing as wireframe Little Mac in the green hoodie is the best.

 

[Zeta~]

He is broken.
*leaves*

 

[sleepy_Nex]

I like to play him because is framedata is very comfortable to me and shiek sucks.

 

[dawnpatch]

I play him for his aerials...


Legit though lol getting a an f-air or d-air that kills is the best thing ever cause thats not supposed to happen lol its the ultimate disrespect for me XD

 

[420quickscoper]

Little Mac's a really fun character, and he's rewarding to use.

One of the biggest reasons I use him is that, if I have some trouble with matchups (Mewtwo/Dedede) then, instead of going for MK (who has a pretty great matchup spread imo), I go Little Mac. I couldn't defeat my friends' Ryu with my Mewtwo or Dedede, but I nearly 3 stocked him with Mac. It's really fun, with the combination of speed, power, and super armor, you can dish out the damage to people. I mostly use him as a counter pick character when I don't want to use MK, because MK, compared to my other characters, isn't as fun to play. But Mac is pretty fun and rewarding.

 

[akaChillz]

I was somewhat new to smash so I was drawn to him just because I thought he was cool looking so I had no expectations going into it with regards to his recover or aerials so I started as a scrub killing myself allot but I put sooooo much time into him that I can almost recover every time against any character that said I am not perfect of course but I am so used to him I try to play other characters and do ok but when I come across a very good player I always switch to mac and can usually win most of the time I am just a mac main to the end I guess!!

 

[akaChillz]

I was somewhat new to smash so I was drawn to him just because I thought he was cool looking so I had no expectations going into it with regards to his recover or aerials so I started as a scrub killing myself allot but I put sooooo much time into him that I can almost recover every time against any character that said I am not perfect of course but I am so used to him I try to play other characters and do ok but when I come across a very good player I always switch to mac and can usually win most of the time I am just a mac main to the end I guess!! p.s to all the players who counter pick me with sheik and still lose.......you suck!

 

[swingroo3]

Because almost no one knows how to play against a good little mac.

 

[Dastardly Ridleylash]

Little Mac is honestly just really damn fun for me, even if I lose. His speed and power are great, and it's satisfying as hell to get off a KO Punch, especially if it actually results in my opponent getting KO'd.

He's easy to pick up and fun to play; and yes, his recovery is bad, but then again why would you be trying to go deep for kills as Mac anyways? I feel like so many people underestimate Mac because of all the people on For Glory who try to shoehorn Mac into being a rushdown character when he's just not built to be that way.

 

[BintonGaming]

When Smash was first announced I was really excited about what new characters they would add, and so many people were saying "ADD LITTLE MAC!!!" I only played Punch Out a little bit (I beat it on the Wii), so I wasn't necessarily rooting for him to be added but I wasn't against it.

Then the announcement for him came and I saw how he'd work and I was incredibly pumped about it. A character who's a tank on the ground yet sucks in the air? The idea was very interesting to me. So when the game came out I gave him a spin, and I was immediately impressed.

But that was because I suck more than most at smash, yet with LM I could dominate the stage against anyone. It caused me to be a little suspicious of whether he's OP or not, but then I thought back to earlier smash games. In Smash 64 and Melee I played as Fox because he was quick on his feet. In Brawl I played as Sonic all the time for the same reason. Then Little Mac became a thing, and he not only is one of the quickest characters on the ground, but he's one of, if not the strongest ground character. It just fit my play style, and I was able to reach new heights with him (not literally though. He's kinda a rock in the air).

Of course, when I get knocked out of the ring, I fall to my death every time. But I can do some massive damage before then. That's why I play as Little Mac.

 

[Shadow Huan]

As a Melee and PM player, I like playing Little Mac because he feels like a combination of PM Bowser (the good one with kill power and super armor), Melee Falcon (amazing ground mobility, reliable and intimidating kill moves but poor techs) and with weaknesses of his own (nonexistent air game, the worst recovery in the series since 64 Link)

As a character he greatly rewards smart play. He requires good spacing, prediction and proper punishment on your opponent, and knowing when to use your mobility to close the gap. From my small experience with Smash4, he does require a secondary. For that I play the other character I was super excited for, Duck Hunt

 

[GooberGaming]

I feel like Little Mac can be consider a character that represents "Balance" in this game.

His strengths being one of the best ground games, and being giving a 1 hit mechanic is balanced out with a laughable recovery and poor air game!

He also feels VERY unique. He's the first character where carelessness is highly punishable and avoiding off stage fighting is a necessity o succeed!

 

[SteadyDisciple]

After all the time this thread has been up, I FINALLY have a good response that hasn't been said by nearly everyone.

A few days ago, I was playing online against a Yoshi and got the K.O. Punch ready to go. I chased said Yoshi all the way to the edge, where he went over the ledge and tried to stall with eggs and his jump to get me to waste the punch. In the process, said yoshi dropped too low to make it back to the stage, and lost his final stock. This makes Little Mac the only character I have ever seen win a set with sheer intimidation, and captures my love of the character quite aptly.

 

[#HBC | Joker]

I first picked Mac because the trailer when he was announced was hype, and he looked fun as hell to play. Getting the game in my hands and trying him for myself has not changed my opinion on this. He's fun.

 

[SherrdreamZ]

While not one of my secondaries i always play a few matches with Little Mac because it's just a very unique fighting experience in Smash. In doubles he seems to be on Par and sometimes superior to my Mains aswell. No character has given me 621% damage and 6 KO's in a session but Mac!

 

[Volga]

3 Reasons I Main this lil slugger.

1.I feel like i'm more inclined to learn the matchups when i'm playing him,due to how easy it is to screw up with him.

2.Found his moveset to be very fun. Down Angled FSmashes are always enjoyable to throw out for shield breaks

3.Anime. Hajime No Ippo. Dempsey Roll. DEMPSEY ROLL!

 

[Blurb =)]

He's basically everything I want in a character.

His neutral is awesome, his punishes are fantastic, he's quick, and he's strong. However, one mistake can cost you a stock or possibly even the game, so playing him also requires you to focus a lot on what's going on around you. You have to be precise with mac, because with him, every frame matters. So he's not only fun to play, but it is challenging to play him as well.

 

[Zoramine Fae]

The whole concept of Mac in general attracted me right at the start: An extremely high-risk, high-reward character with a strong ground game and a pitiful recovery and aerial prowess, with one of the greatest punishing games and great frame data. As soon as I bought Sm4sh, the one thing I wanted to do before I took over was have me and my brother both play one For Glory match as Little Mac for a little laugh, and surprisingly I did extremely well for having not played a Smash game in 4 years and the last one being Brawl. As such, I began to get interested in Mac to the point of actually beginning to use him alongside Lucina, who I later ditched to go full-on into Little Mac. I've learned a few characters occasionally like right now I'm learning Roy and Ryu and I've learned Kirby, Link, and Shulk pretty decently, but the true main that I will always play, no matter how difficult the matchup, will now and forever be Little Mac.

Now I just need to stop playing and actually study for some finals.

 

[Josiah Andrews]

He is the prime example of a glass cannon, a very powerful glass cannon. He is unstoppable in the hands of the right player and can definitely catch players off-guard, especially with the shield break combos. I remember seeing his reveal trailer and thought "Him, he's going to be my main." Like Zoramine Fae said " An extremely high-risk, high-reward character" everything from the Super Armor to the K.O Punch Little Mac is a character who requires an extraordinary amount of skill.

 

[jet56]

haven't posted here yet.

because he is underutilized, underestimated, and unrepresented. my favorite game and character since i was a kid has such untapped potential, and when i picked this character i thought "im gonna be the Chudat of smash 4, making little mac a highly relevant and tourney viable character that no one thought possible".

 

[Zoramine Fae]

Another reason (that I didn't list before) was that I actually knew what Punch-Out!! was before I even played Sm4sh, since I'd seen several speedruns of Punch-Out!! on the NES as well as on the Wii (NES was the first, right? Maybe I'm awfully wrong), and I loved watching them. It actually matched a playstyle I had inherited in Brawl playing for fun - Punish anything and everything and avoid getting hit. Once I got Sm4sh, well, it goes from there from my other post.

Same goes for most of my Secondaries - I'd played over 200 hours into Fire Emblem games after my Wii broke and I couldn't play Brawl anymore due to Marth and Ike being such interesting characters. Kirby I picked up due to my brother never shutting up about me never using him in Brawl and I had put about 20 hours into Super Star Ultra, Squeak Squad, and Canvas Curse. Robin I've picked up more due to the playstyle, but I also played Awakening. Link I picked up on a whim, though, in an attempt to get myself off non-projectile characters (when I started with him, I only had Marcina, Lil' Mac, and Kirby). And Ryu is ultra recent and because he was interesting, the closest to his style of fighting game I've played is Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.

Teriteraries go the same way - Roy because Binding Blade, Ganondorf because why tf not (and he wasnt a projectile character), Pit only because he had been fun in Brawl and I'd seen gameplay of Kid Icarus Uprising before, and Lucario my brother played in Brawl and I'd played Platinum before and found him rather cool as a kid.

 

[Rohaun]

I use Mac a good bit because he is criminally underestimated. All. The. Time. People are so used the to stereotypical For Glory Little Mac, that when they are put against a Mac that knows what the hell they're doing, they'll usually get slaughtered. I think of LM like potato salad. It's easy to completely mess up, and a lot of people suck at making it. But when someone knows how to make it, it is really, really, really good.


Plus he has stupid good framedata.

 

[SuFiRo]

Where to begin.
I'm a huge Punch-Out nerd, and Mac is one of my favorite video game characters of all time. He's truly an underdog in every sense of the word, both in his home franchise and in Smash.
He's easily one of the most stereotyped characters in all of smash. Awful recovery, horrible aerials, side-b suicide, etc. People tend to forget about his strengths, and focus more on his weaknesses, at least in my experience. He has almost unarguably the greatest ground game in the game, super-armor on all smashes, and top notch frame data.
To play Mac successfully, you have to play it like an actual boxing match. Mix it up often, and do the unexpected. You can argue that this is how you could play any character, but I think Mac benefits from this style the most, based on just how fast and hard-hitting his moves are.
One of my favorite things about him is how easy it is to make a comeback. All it takes is a nice string of strong moves to add loads of percent onto your opponent. And once you hear that oh-so sweet "ding-ding" noise, the entire tide of the battle is changed. Players are now even more scared to approach him than they were before, and Mac being the speedy character he is, can easily move in for the kill. I can't tell you how many times I was a stock and a large amount of percent behind, and a nice KO Punch coupled with Mac's combos to easily even out the match and sometimes, even win the game. Truly the Comeback King.
Even with all his bad match-ups, I feel like a skilled Mac player can overcome anything. I've been playing him since day 1 and don't plan on dropping him anytime soon.