Neutral game

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.

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.

The Neutral Game can be looked at as a triangle of sorts, like Rock, Paper, Scissors, where each vertex overrides another. Grabbing goes through shielding. Shield-grabbing can be used to block attacks and punish the foe afterward. While attacks are faster than grabbing. 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. Click here to see the triangle.

Demonstration video

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