NESSBOUNDER
Smash Master
I've been learning how to transform into ZSS in the middle of a match, and by placing my right index finger in the center of the + pad and doing the ever-handy muscle spasm trick, I can trasform to the Zero Suit pretty much whenever I want without much trouble.
Generally, I can see this as being a good thing for tournament players to master (despite nobody using Samus in tourneys) because you don't have to counter-pick to change characters.
Say you start the match with a blind pick and your opponent just happens to be Dedede. Any Samus player in this situation would think "ohcrap. Chaingrab hell is a-coming my way".
However I'm pretty sure that Dedede can't infinite grab Zero Suit samus, and she's actually quite decent when it comes to fighting him due to her speed, range and ability to KO early compared to Samus.
Zero Suit Samus is also better at fighting opponents with reflectors, since her style focusses more on close quarters combat, though she still has that element of trap pressure that Samus excels in, just to a lesser extent (her aerial trapping ability is fantastic.)
Unfortunately, the transformation process takes a long time to complete and leaves you open for a while. Opponents can also grab your armor pieces, making things problematic for you if they knock you away before your transformation is finished. It's also hard to get it to work on the first taunt. Even with my controller-rattling method, I usually end up taunting twice before I transform.
So I wanted to make this thread so that we can discuss which opponents are worthy of a transformation into ZSS, what do do with her armour pieces, and how to avoid being punished for said transformation.
How to transform
This takes a lot of practise and fooling around, and some people may not even be able to do it at all if you don't have the ability to "shudder" your hand/arm muscles.
In order to transform into ZSS, you need to have input up + down taunt 4 times before Samus's jetpacks fire (for her up taunt). You can buffer it behind other actions such as an attack or charge shot blast to make the process easier.
When I transform, I usually drop a bomb or fire an uncharged shot first to help buffer the command. I take my right hand off the controller and place my index finger directly in the center of the + pad and "vibrate" the muscles in my arm and hand to put as many inputs in as possible. It's easier to do it if you tense your arm really hard.
Although the dojo says the input is taunt up and taunt down, you are allowed to input side taunts as well since the transformation process only registers the up and down taunts. So don't worry about accidentally pressing the other buttons.
If you did it right, Samus should interrupt her tuant animation and go into a crouch, then the armor pieces will fall away. You are invulnerable for a short amount of time during the transformation, but as soon as ZSS is visible, she can be attacked.
How to avoid getting attacked
The easiest way to avoid being punished badly for a transformation is to either transform right at the beginning of the match (you might eat a half-charged Dedede Fsmash or another powerful attack, but it most likely KO you from 0%.) or knock the opponent off stage, keep them busy with some projectile spam, then quickly transform. It's for this reason that I like to buffer a charge shot or bomb to transform.
If you can manage to knock your opponent off the stage, fire a MC homing missile, pause for half a second, then fire another one while buffering the transform command. This forces the opponent to air dodge the first missile, making it very hard for them to avoid being hit and stalled by the second one. You can also throw in a Zair if you're feeling confident.
The armour pieces
The thrown pieces of armour have more KO power than most of Samus's attacks, which is kind of sad in its own ironic way. Even so, if you can manage to transform before your opponent gets to you, then you can really use these weapons to your advantage. The armour pieces travel very fast when thrown and bounce off things like shields while retaining their ability to damage. You can throw an armor piece into the air, grab your opponent, then throw them into the bounching armour piece, then grab them again. There are lots of cool tricks you can perform.
Sadly, the opponent can do the same if they manage to grab one of the armour pieces, which also means that sometimes it may just be safer to throw all of them off the stage except for one, which you can then try to use carefully. Since Zero Suit Samus KOs mainly with her side B, it's quite possible to get an early KO just by throwing around armour pieces and using her specials.
coming soon: a list of characters who Samus hates, but ZSS isn't so scared of.
Oh, and don't hate her just because she has boobs. ZSS is an INCREDIBLY fun character to play.
Generally, I can see this as being a good thing for tournament players to master (despite nobody using Samus in tourneys) because you don't have to counter-pick to change characters.
Say you start the match with a blind pick and your opponent just happens to be Dedede. Any Samus player in this situation would think "ohcrap. Chaingrab hell is a-coming my way".
However I'm pretty sure that Dedede can't infinite grab Zero Suit samus, and she's actually quite decent when it comes to fighting him due to her speed, range and ability to KO early compared to Samus.
Zero Suit Samus is also better at fighting opponents with reflectors, since her style focusses more on close quarters combat, though she still has that element of trap pressure that Samus excels in, just to a lesser extent (her aerial trapping ability is fantastic.)
Unfortunately, the transformation process takes a long time to complete and leaves you open for a while. Opponents can also grab your armor pieces, making things problematic for you if they knock you away before your transformation is finished. It's also hard to get it to work on the first taunt. Even with my controller-rattling method, I usually end up taunting twice before I transform.
So I wanted to make this thread so that we can discuss which opponents are worthy of a transformation into ZSS, what do do with her armour pieces, and how to avoid being punished for said transformation.
How to transform
This takes a lot of practise and fooling around, and some people may not even be able to do it at all if you don't have the ability to "shudder" your hand/arm muscles.
In order to transform into ZSS, you need to have input up + down taunt 4 times before Samus's jetpacks fire (for her up taunt). You can buffer it behind other actions such as an attack or charge shot blast to make the process easier.
When I transform, I usually drop a bomb or fire an uncharged shot first to help buffer the command. I take my right hand off the controller and place my index finger directly in the center of the + pad and "vibrate" the muscles in my arm and hand to put as many inputs in as possible. It's easier to do it if you tense your arm really hard.
Although the dojo says the input is taunt up and taunt down, you are allowed to input side taunts as well since the transformation process only registers the up and down taunts. So don't worry about accidentally pressing the other buttons.
If you did it right, Samus should interrupt her tuant animation and go into a crouch, then the armor pieces will fall away. You are invulnerable for a short amount of time during the transformation, but as soon as ZSS is visible, she can be attacked.
How to avoid getting attacked
The easiest way to avoid being punished badly for a transformation is to either transform right at the beginning of the match (you might eat a half-charged Dedede Fsmash or another powerful attack, but it most likely KO you from 0%.) or knock the opponent off stage, keep them busy with some projectile spam, then quickly transform. It's for this reason that I like to buffer a charge shot or bomb to transform.
If you can manage to knock your opponent off the stage, fire a MC homing missile, pause for half a second, then fire another one while buffering the transform command. This forces the opponent to air dodge the first missile, making it very hard for them to avoid being hit and stalled by the second one. You can also throw in a Zair if you're feeling confident.
The armour pieces
The thrown pieces of armour have more KO power than most of Samus's attacks, which is kind of sad in its own ironic way. Even so, if you can manage to transform before your opponent gets to you, then you can really use these weapons to your advantage. The armour pieces travel very fast when thrown and bounce off things like shields while retaining their ability to damage. You can throw an armor piece into the air, grab your opponent, then throw them into the bounching armour piece, then grab them again. There are lots of cool tricks you can perform.
Sadly, the opponent can do the same if they manage to grab one of the armour pieces, which also means that sometimes it may just be safer to throw all of them off the stage except for one, which you can then try to use carefully. Since Zero Suit Samus KOs mainly with her side B, it's quite possible to get an early KO just by throwing around armour pieces and using her specials.
coming soon: a list of characters who Samus hates, but ZSS isn't so scared of.
Oh, and don't hate her just because she has boobs. ZSS is an INCREDIBLY fun character to play.
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