Will Smash 4 Have Balance Between Aggression and Patience?

[Gatoray]

I made this same thread a few days ago but it got locked because I threw in a video example that one of the mods didn't like, but I still want to see this discussion, so I'm posting it again without the fluff. (Maybe next time just ask me to edit my post, per chance?)

I know the game is early in it's metagame development, but based on what you can see from the game mechanics right now, will Smash 4 have balance between aggression and patience? In other words, will players be able to feel like they can be either aggressive or campy and still have a chance at winning either way? Feel free to explain your judgement.

 

[TTTTTsd]

It looks like airdodging and a lot of really abusable defensive options from Brawl have been cut. Granted, some changes have buffed defensive manuevers but I think the ground game is absolutely defensive and the air game(from the limited amount of it that I've seen) looks to be where you can play aggressive.

But funk dat, I'm going aggro anyways. I'll make it work, damn it! (This game at least lets you do that with finite hitstun)

 

[popo12]

Hitstun should help reward aggression quite a bit, making it more rewarding for aggressive rushdown characters to finally get in on a defensive zoner since they can combo and capitalize on the opening. That said, there's a chance that the combos will be too weak to be worth it, which would make the game much more defensive.

 

[Raijinken]

Looks like it to me. Early to tell, but it looks like camping will be almost strictly matchup-based.

 

[HeavyLobster]

Some matchups will be very campy, especially with an influx of projectile based characters such as Villager, Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Duck Hunt. There are characters that are clearly designed to be aggro, but it isn't entirely clear what optimal play will look like yet. The good news is that the game's mechanics do encourage following up your attacks once you get in, so it's not as disjointed as Brawl and you do usually gain something from landing a decent hit, whether it's a follow-up opportunity or just positioning. Things will change depending on the matchup, but I think overall it'll probably be relatively campy in neutral but opportunities to be more aggressive and take more risks will be there once you get the opponent in a vulnerable position.