User:Omega Tyrant/Competitive Q&A
Being SmashWiki's resident competitive smasher, I figure I'll create a page where people can ask me any questions they may have about competitive play, gameplay, information about characters and stages, what they can improve on, etc. Note though, I'm not equally knowledgeable on all areas, so don't expect an answer as equally informative as someone else may have received. For example, asking a question about Zero Suit Samus will likely result in a less informative answer than a question about King Dedede will.
Post your questions in a new section on this page, in the format below.
Subject of question
Q: Your question ~~~~
Age of players
Q: What would you say is about the average age of players in the typical tournament, and what is the range of ages? --- ReiDemon, Author Extraordinaire, 12:37, 27 December 2011 (EST)
A: I don't know the age of everyone, so I can't answer that accurately. Though in the two tournaments I went to, I would guess the average age was between 18 and 20. For the age range in the Smash scene as a whole, from what I observed, is from as low as 13, up to the high 20s (which could increase farther in the future). Omega Tyrant 
15:01, 27 December 2011 (EST)
- At the top levels, most players are at least college age, usually over 21. Clarinet Hawk (talk · contributions) 19:09, 14 April 2012 (EDT)
Tier list
Q: Why do you dislike Meta Knight even though you are a Competitive smasher like I am? ..... Happy New Year 
16:36, 27 December 2011 (EST)
A: 1.) Smashers from all levels dislike Meta Knight, from the top professionals to the scrubbiest of casuals. Being competitive is irrelevant. 2.) What do you mean by dislike? If by disliking playing the character, I simply do not enjoy playing him more than I enjoy playing many other characters. If you mean disliking the character himself, I do not dislike him, as being proban does not mean I dislike the character. Omega Tyrant 16:45, 27 December 2011 (EST)
Distribution of information
Q: What would you say is the correct and/or prevailing ratio of technical knowledge vs. non-technical knowledge vs. instinct needed to succeed at a high level? Toomai Glittershine 
The Non-Toxic 17:22, 27 December 2011 (EST)
A: I think this would vary from person to person. For myself, I find "practical knowledge" (such as knowing when a move will KO, its reach, its relative speed, etc.) more useful than exact technical knowledge, with instinct being capable to trumping both when it comes through. Omega Tyrant 06:11, 14 January 2012 (EST)
I like pie
Q: How long has it been since you got your first Smash Bros. game? Avengingbandit 
23:26, 13 January 2012 (EST)
A: See Mega's answer, though I got Melee back in the Christmas of 2003. Also, keep the name of the section relevant. Omega Tyrant 06:11, 14 January 2012 (EST)
- Sorry, I just couldn't come up with a name for this question. Avengingbandit 11:48, 14 January 2012 (EST)
Rumble: On or Off?
Q: By default, Rumble is on for Melee and Brawl. Some smashers prefer to turn it off, but others keep it on, claiming that it provides additional stimuli to SDI as soon as they are hit. Do you play with rumble on, or do you turn it off? Why? Mousehunter321 (talk · contributions) 16:12, 12 February 2012 (EST)
A: I just keep it on, as I simply never been bothered by it. Omega Tyrant 17:12, 12 February 2012 (EST)
Copies
Q: Are people supposed or recommended to bring their own Smash Copy? King KirbyD 
18:49, 14 April 2012 (EDT)
A: Each person is not expected to bring a copy of whatever Smash game they're playing. However, tournaments are very rarely able to provide an adequate amount of setups (a full setup being a tv with a game console and game), and as such, recommend people to bring setups to the tournament, often giving those who bring setups an incentive (usually giving them a discount on their venue fee or removing the fee altogether). Omega Tyrant 18:56, 14 April 2012 (EDT)
C-Stick
Q: If smashers play with the tap jump disabled and use X to jump, do they use the C-Stick for smash attacks and aerials? I use the C-Stick for all my aerials and most smash attacks, but if I was forced to jump with X, I would find this quite awkward. Toast 
ltimatum
07:05, 7 August 2012 (EDT)
A: Tap jump varies, plenty of players have it on (even if no one uses it to primarily jump), such as Meta Knights using it to aid uair strings. For c-stick, every competitive player makes use of it. You simply can't play to your best without it (c-stick allows you to use aerials in any direction without interrupting your air movement to initiate them with the control stick). As for your comment, using X with the c-stick for aerials has always felt completely natural to me, and there's no way I could do autocancelled aerials, spaced bairs, and the rest of the aerials stuff to such proficiency using tap jump. Omega Tyrant 08:05, 7 August 2012 (EDT)
Intense
Q: Your userpage says that you've completed Adventure Mode on Intense with all characters, gotten at least one KO with every character in Cruel Brawl, and completed Classic Mode in Brawl with 17 characters on Intense without using any continues. It also says you've cleared Boss Battles on Intense with every character and even Solimar. What is your strategy for Classic, Adventure, Cruel Brawl, and Boss Battles? blue ninjakoopa 15:37, 16 December 2012 (EST)
- Not sure what you're talking about with Adventure, in Melee I only managed that feat with Ganon, and in Brawl, SSE doesn't work that way.
- With Classic, there is no real particular strategy, just being able to outplay the AI and exploit it in the nonstandard battles. If you want a slightly easier Classic run, you can ensure you fight giant Yoshi round 2, as this will eliminate one of the 2 giant battles you have to do and is much easier than the other possible giant battles.
- With Cruel Brawl, simply plank. Planking is the only way to realistically get a high score in Cruel Brawl. Strategies may differ some depending on character (I utilise an offensive plank approach with Dedede instead of trying to get the alloys to kill themselves), but planking remains the core of the strategy. There's no safer place than the ledge.
- With Boss Battles, first and foremost, it's all about learning boss patterns and knowing how to evade their attacks. If you can't get hit, you can't possibly lose. Unless your evasion is near perfect, you'll sustain damage, and it helps to know how to properly utilise the heart containers and evaluate the risk/reward of going into the next battle not healed. Such as, if you're over 100% and are up against Master Hand, it's advisable you go for it as Master Hand doesn't have much risk of killing you while having the potential to cause a lot of damage (with his hand drill attack). And lasty, you have to know how to beat bosses most efficiently (the less time you spend fighting them, the less chance you have of sustaining more damage or dying). To do so, you have to spam the attack that racks up damage most quickly (a combination of the attack's damage output, and how quickly the move can be performed). You also have to know your safer alternatives, in situations where you can't use your primary damage racking attack (such as with Bowser, f-smash will be your primary move, but you'll want to use fair instead when you don't enough time to safely f-smash).
- If you have questions regarding specific characters, I can give specific strats for them. Omega Tyrant
23:30, 16 December 2012 (EST)
Teching
Q: Can you tech out of helpless state? I want to get up faster after using Spinning Kong. Infernape612 (talk) 22:44, 2 February 2013 (EST)
A: You can only tech the ground, a wall, or ceiling while you are in hitstun. The helpless state that results from expending your Up-B or using an airdodge (melee) does not induce hitstun and therefore cannot be teched out of.--BrianDon't try me!
02:04, 4 February 2013 (EST)
A: I'll add to this; while you can't tech it, you can avoid the landing animation, by using the move so that it ends at a height that it auto-cancels. Donkey Kong players like Will regularly do this when recovering with Donkey Kong. Omega Tyrant 00:50, 6 February 2013 (EST)
Spike
Q:Does Mr.Game & Watch dash attacking on someone that is on the ledge count as a spike? BlueRidiculous 22:29, 3 February 2013 (EST)
A: That isn't a true spike. It is a stage spike. See this article for more details.--BrianDon't try me! 02:04, 4 February 2013 (EST)
Team battles
Q:Team battles are annoying for me due to lack of teamwork between my brother and me, and my neighbour's Snake constantly pelting me with exsplosives. What is your opinon on Team battles? Fedorakeeby11
Hey look, a giant, flying distraction! 11:20, 8 March 2013 (EST)
A:This page isn't really to ask about my opinions of things, but I'll answer anyway; I can enjoy doubles, though I prefer singles to them. Mainly, I just like the gameplay of singles better, and in singles, I know any victory/defeat is of my own doing. Omega Tyrant 15:48, 8 March 2013 (EST)
I think that 2v2 battles are among the funnest things to do in Brawl. Try practicing team combos (following up with a strong attack after a throw, etc.) If you want to improve team cooperation, try turning Friendly Fire on so you can practice not focusing on the same thing at once to improve teamwork. If you do, focus on different opponents. Important to team battles is always watching your teammate and protecting them when they're in danger. Maybe OT could give you more tips.Awesome Cardinal 2000 17:00, 12 March 2013 (EDT)
Pokémon Trainer hacks
Q: Are there any tournaments that allow hacks for Pokémon Trainer that allow his Pokémon not to switch every time they die, and hacks that remove stamina? What do you think the individual tier placements of the three Pokémon would be, or their ranking compared to other characters? Awesome Cardinal 2000 11:59, 1 June 2013 (EDT)
A: Of course. In fact hacks exist to remove the trainer completely and give each pokemon an individual down B. I'm sure codes exist on Brawl Vault. Or you could extract some from the Project M gct file. As for their individual tier rankings, Squirtle would be middle high tier similar to Wolf. Charizard would be lower middle similar to Ike and Ivysaur would be low tier. BrianDon't try me! 12:50, 1 June 2013 (EDT)
A: Brian is incorrect about hacks in standard vBrawl tournaments. In standard tournaments, gameplay hacks are typically never allowed. While there are hacks that pretty much everyone would agree improves the game (no tripping code, removing stamina + forced switching from the PT), they aren't standardised. Mandating the hacks would create significant logistic issues, as it requires additional resources outside the game that many players do not have access to. And players want to try playing the same exact game across each setup in a tournament and from when they practise (some players are very sensitive and won't play on a setup with even a very minor aesthetic change). As such, gameplay hacks are disallowed altogether, including the unanimously beneficial ones.
For tier placements, Squirtle would be around where Brian stated. Charizard would range from low tier to middle low (however he wouldn't reach as high as Ike, around Yoshi would be the possible maximum). Ivysaur would be a definite bottom tier and candidate for worst character in the game. Omega Tyrant 14:19, 1 June 2013 (EDT)
- Whoop I misread the question. I thought you asked ARE there hacks to remove PT flaws. Also note Project M tournaments have standardized hacks to remove PT and make the 3 pokemon all viable characters :p--BrianDon't try me! 16:24, 1 June 2013 (EDT)
vBrawl
Q: Why would some competitive people name Brawl as vBrawl while many other people would just name it as the former? Dots 
The Hammer Bro 15:15, 1 June 2013 (EDT)
A: To quickly differentiate it from the hacks, and "vBrawl" is pretty much only used in context with the hacks or where the hacks are applicable. When talking about just about it, people will just use "Brawl". Omega Tyrant 15:52, 1 June 2013 (EDT)
R.O.B.
Q: What would you say ROB's best finishers are? Couldn't find any good information on his page. Scr7
11:11, 18 June 2013 (EDT)
A: R.O.B.'s biggest problem in competitive play is his poor killing ability. His best overall finisher is probably his nair, though slow startup can make it difficult to land at kill percent without your opponent being dumb, and its not so high knockback scaling can delay killing heavier opponents until 150%. Bair is a similar to nair in killing ability with better startup and a worse hitbox, but it has significantly less base knockback, so it can even struggle to kill non heavies under 150%. U-smash is R.O.B.'s strongest attack, and his only real shot outside an improbable dair meteor smash to get a kill around 100%, but its strictly vertical hitbox necessitates a hard read to land it, especially without platforms. R.O.B.'s killing ability is so subpar that you can find yourself getting kills regularly with up throw, which will kill from the 160-200 range (if your opponent lives to this range, up throw is your best shot to end their stock as it is far easier to land than his other kill moves).
Those moves are your primary killers with R.O.B. F-smash is really bad with a combination of slow start-up, poor reach with a terrible hitbox, and simply not being that strong for a move of its speed. D-smash is often stale, and it has low knockback scaling, so heavier characters can live a fresh d-smash to even 200%. Dair is so ridiculously slow, that it takes an incredible read or a really dumb opponent to land it offstage. Fair can get edgeguard gimps and kills, but it's not quite strong enough and is often stale to kill from neutral. Charged laser and fully charged Gyro can kill if landed offstage, but lack the power to kill from neutral (especially the former). Omega Tyrant 11:34, 18 June 2013 (EDT)
- Thanks. Would it be a good idea to get the opponent offstage with a f-throw, b-throw, or something else, then try and edgeguard them? I know that ROB can easily edgeguard most characters. Scr7
11:54, 18 June 2013 (EDT)
