Tech: Difference between revisions

A '''tech''', officially referred to as a '''breakfall''' in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', '''absorbing damage''' in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', an '''ukemi''' ({{ja|受け身}}) in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', '''breaking your fall''' in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', and a '''fall break''' in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', and '''Passive''' internally by the games, is an action that can be performed when the player's [[character]] hits the [[ground]], a [[wall]], or a [[ceiling]] while [[tumbling]] (or [[reeling]]). To tech, the user must press a [[shield]] button a certain period of time (20 [[frame]]s in all games except ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', which provide 8 frames and 11 frames respectively) before hitting the surface. After that, a player won't be able to tech for 40 frames (30 in ''Smash 4''), preventing them from simply [[mash]]ing the button to execute it. Additional button or control stick inputs can cause different types of techs.

 

When performed, the user will negate most lag and prevent themselves from being on the wrong end of potential punish opportunities while on the floor (known as a “missed tech”). A successful tech grants the performer [[intangibility]] during most of its animation, but leaves them completely vulnerable for a few frames at the end of the animation, after which the character becomes actionable again. This short window of vulnerability forms the basis of [[tech-chasing]], the act of punishing an opponent after their tech.

The word "tech" is borrowed from the competitive communities of other fighting games and traces its origin back to technical bonuses awarded in [[Capcom]] games for performing special maneuvers to escape grab attacks and get much less damage and more recovery time.

[[File:SSBM Amsah Tech.gif|thumb|{{Sm|Amsah|c1=Sheik|g=SSBM|size=12}} performing an Amsah tech against a [[down smash]] from {{Sm|Zhu|c1=Falco|g=SSBM|size=12}} in ''Melee'']]

A '''standing tech''', '''standard tech''', or '''neutral tech''' is a neutral, ground-based tech performed by simply pressing a shield button before a tumbling character comes in contact with the floor. The character will experience a brief period of [[intangibility]] and quickly bounce from the ground into a standing animation. The player will also grab any items that they come into contact with.

 

A common variant of the this tech in Melee is the '''ASDI down tech''', which is performed by holding the control stick down (or sometimes in a neutral position), the C-Stick down for ASDI, and pressing shield before hitlag. This causing a standing tech, and is useful against moves that knock down at a low percent that might otherwise combo, such as Fox's [[Fox (SSBM)/Up smash|Up smash]].

An '''Amsah tech''' (named after Dutch player [[Amsah]]) is the combination of a rolling tech and [[directional influence]] in ''Melee'' that can be used to survive low knockback-angle attacks like {{SSBM|Falco}}'s [[down smash]]. It is performed by DIing down and either towards or away from the attacking character (away allows to survive longer, because it moves the trajectory closer to the ground), holding the C-Stick down for ASDI, and pressing shield before [[hitlag]]. It is also referred to as an '''Over tech''', named after Spanish player [[Overtriforce]]. While an Amsah tech can allow the player to survive to very high percents that would otherwise be impossible to live with standard DI, it can be immediately punished during its ending animation by a prepared opponent. Amsah teching is still used as a situational defensive mixup in competitive play, particularly against {{SSBM|Marth}}, who has a difficult time punishing Amsah techs due to the high ending lag of his best finishers.

If a jump input is active when a wall tech is performed (such as holding up or pressing a jump button), then the teching character will [[wall jump]]. This is known as a '''wall tech jump''' (or '''PassiveWallJump'''). Every character can wall tech jump, even those who cannot wall jump normally. Wall tech jumps are especially useful offstage, as they can be used to recover more effectively from stage spikes, and since wall jumps incur no lag, allow the character to counterattack immediately if the opponent is in range; a notable example of this is getting grabbed by [[Captain Falcon]]'s [[Falcon Dive]] offstage, which (except in ''Ultimate'') can be easily [[punish]]ed by wall tech jumping it and then hitting Falcon with an aerial attack ([[Tech Check]]). Combined with [[DI]] and [[SDI]], it can even be used to survive other stronger moves if the player is close enough to the wall, such as the [[Ice Climbers]]' [[forward aerial]] that often ends their [[chaingrab]]s. Another notable use of wall tech jumping is when using a [[bomb recovery]] to get launched towards the stage, as it can further aid the character's [[recovery]] and prevent them from stage spiking themselves.

In ''Melee'', nearly all characters are vulnerable for 6 frames at the end of their tech animations before becoming actionable; the exceptions are {{SSBM|Pikachu}} and {{SSBM|Pichu}}, who are only vulnerable for 2 frames.

 

Any digital L or R press either opens a 20 frame tech window, or closes the tech window when there was another digital L or R press in the preceding 40 frames.

When L or R was pressed during hitlag, it works as if the same button was pressed on all consecutive hitlag frames. As a result the tech window is 1 frame when L

or R was pressed at any but the last hitlag frame, and 20 frames when pressed at the last hitlag frame. In any case, there is a 40 frame tech lockout after the

hitlag ends. [[SDI]] can be used to bump into a wall or ceiling, but not into the ground, and tech from it during hitlag. At the first frame after hitlag, ASDI can be used to bump into the ground, wall or ceiling and tech from it, even if the knockback direction points away from the object. It is possible to press L or R on the same frame as the character bumps into something and still get a tech. As a result, players not only have to time their tech properly, but may even be left unable to tech a hit at all if they are launched too quickly after executing a defensive action such as [[shield]]ing or [[dodging]]. However, as teching can only be done with a digital press of the [[L]] or [[R]] buttons, analog inputs of such buttons do not incur this penalty.

While all of ''Smash 4''{{'}}s untechable situations have been removed (including hitting {{SSBU|Cloud}} at the peak of his Climhazzard), there is now a knockback-based threshold; sustaining too much knockback at a certain distance from a surface will prevent players from teching, making stage spikes guaranteed at high enough percents (or when hitting a surface with a current launch speed of 6 or higher). The visual indicator for an untechable move is the green shockwave of the rebounding character having a larger red shockwave surrounding it. This threshold is also much smaller for ground techs than walls and ceilings, making meteor smashes more effective on-stage on aerial opponents. Players can attempt to mitigate this threshold on walls by holding down while sustaining knockback, due to the unchanged [[directional influence]] and LSI mechanics from ''Smash 4''.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-ge7VRRWUo</ref>

 

File:Marth_PassiveWallJump_to_AttackAirB.gif|{{SSBM|Marth}} wall jump teching the side of Final Destination. The second Marth's forward smash is [[Smash DI]]'ed into the ledge, teched, and the tech's forward momentum is immediately cancelled with a back aerial.