Neutral game: Difference between revisions

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{{articleIcons|competitive=y|all=y}}
{{articleIcons|competitive=y|all=y}}
The '''neutral game''', or just '''neutral''', is a phase during gameplay when no player has a situational advantage over the other. In this phase, either player's objective is to "win the neutral game", i.e. land a hit with possible follow-ups, or [[punish]] the enemy for a failed attempt to do so. A strong neutral game is crucial at top level play, as it is necessary to put the opponent in a disadvantageous position.
The '''neutral game''', or just '''neutral''', is a phase during gameplay when no player has a significant advantage over another. The goal of all players is to "win the neutral game", i.e. gain a positional advantage or capitalize on an opponent's mistake. A strong neutral game is crucial at top level play, as it is necessary to put the opponent in a disadvantageous position.


Some characters have an advantage during the neutral game, depending on the [[matchup]]. For example, a [[projectile]] may be used to pressure the enemy into making a move. Other possible advantages include attack range and mobility.
==Overview==
Every game starts out in what can be considered a neutral position; a medium distance away from each other relative to the size of the stage. This theoretically means that no character starts a game with a positional advantage. However, this is not always the case in practice. Some characters will spawn in the exact position they want to be at, putting them at an advantage. This can come down to the size and shape of the stage and what port a [[controller]] is plugged into depending on the game.  


The neutral game can be looked at as a [https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1AJqWdlRkZDeYU8KrhcJuIiXCqO09xWO9byR1W5xGLSc/edit?usp=sharing triangle of sorts], like Rock, Paper, Scissors, where each vertex overrides another. Grabbing goes through shielding. [[Shield]]s can block attacks and leave opportunities to punish afterward. Regular attacks can outprioritize grabs due to their generally superior range and speed. This triangle mindgame adds a new layer of strategy. Players must anticipate what course of action in the triangle their opponent will take during the neutral game.
Being in a neutral position that no player can use their abilities as effectively as they can against being somewhere else on the stage. A character's effectiveness in the neutral game comes down to three main factors: mobility, attack speed, and range. Good mobility grants easier movement and repositioning, and can allow a character to respond quickly when they find an opening, or retreat to escape pressure. Fast attack speed makes a character unpredictable, and can be used to force reactions and create openings. Characters with long reach in their attacks can fight at a safe distance, and range also encompasses projectiles, which are essential for applying pressure and limiting the opponent's options. Characters typically are either decently effective with all three attributes, or greatly excel in one attribute and lack in the others.


This way of looking at the neutral game does not encompass the entire picture, however; players generally have more than 3 options available to them (such as moving out of the way if they feel they are too close to the opponent, or using different attacks at a time). In addition, although shields do block attacks, many high level players will often space their attacks so as to make them as difficult to punish as possible, either by placing it as far away as possible while still connecting with the move, or by overshooting behind them to limit the opponent's out-of-shield options in the case of aerials. In fact, the attacks they use in this situation could be safe (or in most cases, simply difficult to react to on shield without good prediction) even if not spaced properly, thus baiting players to preemptively use their out-of-shield options to punish the opponent (if they recognize this, they can opt to escape or continue shielding instead). Stage position also greatly affects which options are viable for either player; the player who takes the center of the stage has much better options than the player who is closer to the ledge. Thus, a player that successfully pressures the opponent into limiting their own movement by forcing them to use more defensive options or move to the ledges of the stage generally wins the neutral game, since they will know exactly how to counter these options and punish them.
The neutral game can be looked at as a [https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1AJqWdlRkZDeYU8KrhcJuIiXCqO09xWO9byR1W5xGLSc/edit?usp=sharing triangle of sorts], like Rock, Paper, Scissors, where each vertex overrides another. Grabbing goes through shielding. [[Shield]]s can block attacks and leave opportunities to punish afterward. Regular attacks can outprioritize grabs due to their generally superior range and speed. The strategy comes in trying to anticipate what the oppoenent will do next and develop a counterplay on the spot. This way of looking at the neutral game is a bit reductive, however; players generally have more than 3 options available to them (such as moving out of the way if they feel they are too close to the opponent, or using different attacks at a time). Each attribute also, despite naturally having an advantage over the second and a disadvantage over the third, does not mean a character that excels in that one attribute will automatically win or lose a specific matchup, as the skill of the individual players is still the ultimate deciding factor.


A character's effectiveness in the neutral game comes down to three main factors: mobility, attack speed, and range. Good mobility grants easier movement and repositioning, and can allow a character to respond quickly when they find an opening, or retreat to escape pressure. Fast attack speed makes a character unpredictable, and can be used to force reactions and create openings. Characters with long reach in their attacks can fight at a safe distance, and range also encompasses projectiles, which are essential for applying pressure and limiting the opponent's options. While a character who is proficient in all three areas will have a powerful neutral game, some characters are dominant in the neutral despite lacking in one aspect. Falco in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' and ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' has average horizontal mobility, but his {{b|Blaster|Falco}} is a potent projectile, and he boasts fast attack speed as well, and his strong neutral is a large reason behind his top-tier placement in both games.
The goal is not to stay in a neutral position forever, as the game would grind to a halt and go to a time out. Both players are looking to "win" the neutral game by whatever means they seem fit. A common way to win the neutral game is to get around the opponent and into a positional advantage, i.e. wherever a character's attacks are the most effective. Characters with fast attacks and good grabs would want to be as close to the opponent as possible. Characters good at zoning and setting traps would want to get as far away as possible. Characters with long and disjointed attacks would want to be just far enough away to hit their opponent but they can't hit back. Another way to force or trick the oppoent into making a mistake or risky action, then capitalizing off this bait with a strong [[punish]]. There are also some characters that excel in a neutral position  depending on the [[matchup]], such as those with strong [[projectile]]s may be used to pressure the enemy into making a move. The stage also plays a factor into this strategy, as characters can exploit certain geography and [[stage hazard]]s to make winning the neutral game easier.
 
All characters have multiple different offensive and defensive options available to them in the neutral game, and a player's decision to use these tools is based on a variety of factors, including the strength of their potential following a successful neutral opener, as well as their opponent's decisions in neutral. For example, the previously mentioned Falco is known for having one of the most complicated neutral games in ''Melee'', due to the wide variety of offensive options available to him, and each option is effective in their own situations. Falco's most rewarding punish option at low percents involves starting a large combo with [[Falco (SSBM)/Down special|Shine]], but this move has the smallest hitbox out of all his attacks and is thus difficult to land in neutral. As such, Falco's optimal neutral game requires him to land one of his other combos into Shine. His best aerial options in neutral are his {{Mvsub|Falco|SSBM|neutral aerial}}, {{Mvsub|Falco|SSBM|down aerial}}, and {{Mvsub|Falco|SSBM|back aerial}} (all of which can be SHFFL'ed), each with their own strengths and weaknesses in different situations. Falco's nair has the largest hitbox in front of his body and the least landing lag (making it more difficult to punish or [[shield grab]]). However, it can be easily [[crouch cancel]]ed and can be difficult to land a guaranteed followup if the opponent [[DI]]s away when hit. His dair nearly nullifies crouch cancelling and has the best combo potential (even if the opponent DIs away), but has much less range than his nair and higher landing lag, making it easier to shield grab. Falco's bair deals a large 15%, has the least total lag (it can be [[autocancel]]ed following a short hop), and has the farthest reach behind his body, but also has the smallest hitbox in front of his body, and has the highest landing lag of the three while also losing to crouch cancel. Falco's grab is among the least rewarding of his neutral openers; it cleanly beats shielding opponents, but has no guaranteed followups, as his {{Mvsub|Falco|SSBM|up throw}} (unlike Fox's) can be escaped using [[smash DI]]. Despite the effectiveness of his lasers, they only deal 2% each and do not give Falco a frame advantage when landed vs. grounded opponents. As such, opponents are strongly incentivized to shield against Falco in neutral, which forces Falco players to find calculated openings in order to maximize their punish game.  


A common mistake made by beginners is to always approach the opponent with the exact same option, such as dash attack or dash grab, without putting much thought into how the opponent might also want to approach or if they aim to punish these options. Without any level of unpredictability or situational awareness, it can be very difficult to mount an offense against a better player. Understanding the difference between engaging the opponent (i.e. approaching through movement to win neutral by positioning) and actually attacking them is a key point in neutral and not grasping it will hurt the player more often than not.
A common mistake made by beginners is to always approach the opponent with the exact same option, such as dash attack or dash grab, without putting much thought into how the opponent might also want to approach or if they aim to punish these options. Without any level of unpredictability or situational awareness, it can be very difficult to mount an offense against a better player. Understanding the difference between engaging the opponent (i.e. approaching through movement to win neutral by positioning) and actually attacking them is a key point in neutral and not grasping it will hurt the player more often than not.
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*{{SSBU|Wolf}}: {{b|Blaster|Wolf}} fires a transcendent projectile that is extremely useful for forcing or disrupting approaches. Forward aerial is fast, has decent range, and autocancels in a short hop. He has excellent aerial mobility, with one of the fastest air speeds in the game as well as good air acceleration.
*{{SSBU|Wolf}}: {{b|Blaster|Wolf}} fires a transcendent projectile that is extremely useful for forcing or disrupting approaches. Forward aerial is fast, has decent range, and autocancels in a short hop. He has excellent aerial mobility, with one of the fastest air speeds in the game as well as good air acceleration.
*{{SSBU|Olimar}}: [[Pikmin Throw]] is a great tool for creating long-range pressure and forcing the opponent to approach, in which Olimar's long-range grab and decently safe up smash can start combos after opponents commit to unsafe approach options.
*{{SSBU|Olimar}}: [[Pikmin Throw]] is a great tool for creating long-range pressure and forcing the opponent to approach, in which Olimar's long-range grab and decently safe up smash can start combos after opponents commit to unsafe approach options.
==In competitive play==
The neutral game is an integral part of any match, with professional player essentially being required to master its intricacies. Knowing which characters excel at which ranges and how to get into said ranges is extremely important in a competitive setting, as putting oneself at a disadvantage is never a good idea. There are many strategies to win the neutral game. A common technique is to throw out quick and safe moves to entice the opponent into making a gambit, sometimes doing something slightly more commital as a bait for the same purpose. If the opponent makes a big play but misses, they have handed over a prime opportunity to punish them. Another strategy is to gradually encroach into their side of the stage, restricting their options and eventually forcing them to make a risky play. After conditioning the opponent like this for a while, a player can surprise said oppoent by being immediately aggressive and bypassing the neutral game entirely to catch them off guard. Depending on the character, a player can also simply run away until they are far enough away to start their zoning. However, all of these strategies have the inherent risk of backfiring if the opponent anticiapates them and counters, and sometimes turns the table by using these very strategies for their own purposes.


==See also==
==See also==
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