US Scene vs. EU Scene
Cagt - May 20, 2017I've been in Europe for about two weeks now, and have absolutely been enjoying my time here. Not only do I get to see family and friends, but I get to meet and interact with the local French smash scene and learn more about them/other EU scenes. While my trip is far from over (I still have three more weeks here), I thought I'd make a blog post comparing both scenes in terms of playstyle, mentality, and community.
As a disclaimer: this does not represent the entirety of the US or EU scene. I have been to multiple US scenes (New England, Florida, MD/VA, etc.) but have only been to the French and UK scene so far, so I'll be mainly comparing those two European countries to the US. However, I will do my best to include what I've heard about other countries as well.
All of this is my opinion and experiences with both scenes. This is what I saw and think of both scenes. If another US player were to spend time in EU, they would most likely have a different experience as well, so please keep that in mind. But I hope this blog post sheds some light on the whole US vs EU debate.
PLAYSTYLE
This is probably the most debated topic when comparing both regions, and rightfully so. What're the differences between both regions?
The short answer is: the US is defensive, while EU is aggressive.
The long answer? Let me get into it.
The US scene is generally defensive and reaction based. Most players will play around the neutral and making sure they win as many exchanges as possible, while maintaining a good defense during neutral. Meaning they'll be more walking, standing around, stage control, camping, etc. Of course you have more aggressive playstyle, but games in the US tend to take more time simply because players tend to not commit to as many options, or at least be safer in general. That's why optimal play is key: having the right spacing and using the right moves is what gets you to the top ranks in the US. The top US players have very clean play, and are VERY hard to break apart and beat. Fighting players like ZeRo and Dabuz require precise play and extensive knowledge of the neutral to stand a chance. That's why timeouts are also more likely, as players will take their time during a match (playing the percent game).
EU however will be much more aggressive. While they of course have a good grasp of neutral, they will be more active during that phase (dash dancing, short hops, throwing out hitboxes) and will be MUCH more prone to approach and engage the opponent. Meaning most players are well versed in their approach options, and know how to mixup their opponents. This makes it harder for defensive or neutral based players to fight them, as they have to be very on point and much more adaptive to their opponent, and have to deal with more neutral exchanges than US players. EU players also do a very good job at maintaining the advantage state and applying pressure: once they're in, they're going to stay in and do as much as possible. Whlie this can be overwhelming at times, that does mean they have a habit of overextending, which means they can be easily punished if you're careful enough. Another thing to keep in mind is, from my experience, EU players are more combo heavy as well, so you'll tend to see either "flashier" combos or very solid conversions. All of this does mean that their defenses are slightly weaker, and that they can more easily be broken into if you can follow their game.
This description applies ESPECIALLY to the French, who are the most aggressive of the EU scene. UK players are a little more reserved, but mostly play off the advantage state as well. The Germans and Netherlands are much closer to the US playstyle (meaning defensive and neutral based), which in my opinion is why they are regarded as the stronger players. Because they also play more often with the US players and study them, this usually gives them an edge locally. However, FR and UK players are of course strong themselves as well, and make strides in large EU tournaments.
I myself am a more neutral based player, reacting and adapting to my opponent. When I first got to France, it took me a few days to really completely get used to their aggressiveness, and really had to pay attention to my defense to not get overwhelmed. UK players were more manageable as I mentionned, but were still strong at the advantage state.
MENTALITY
This is usually more player dependant of course, but I found an interesting trend when comparing both scenes.
US players are VERY adamant about matchups. They tend to focus on how to beat the character or how to play their own character rather than beating the player or improving as a player (not saying this is the case for everyone of course, but that it is a big trend). Oftentimes you will see players talk about how they cannot figure out certain matchups, have multiple mains/secondaries, etc.
EU players are the opposite: they will focus more on the game rather than matchups or characters. An interesting thing I noted is that there are few low and bottom tier mains in EU, and much more mid and high tiers mains. This could be a result of their mentality or their playstyle (or both).
Both regions are john heavy (as goes Smash tradition). But usually, when asking why US players lost a set, they'll go "my character sucks" or "I hate that MU/it's bad for me" or "I can't figure out that character". Whereas EU players will often go "I played like shit" or "I can't figure out how to do anything to him". I think this is because since they don't focus on their character as much (not that they mastered them already), they focus on how to improve at the game itself (whether it's having a better mentality, neutral, etc). Again, this doesn't apply to every player/country, but this is the trend I found. There isn't as much "I lost because that character is BS", but moreso "I can't deal with his combos" sort of thing.
Of course, character hate is still strong. I've seen plenty of disgust at ZSS ladder combos, lame Sonic play, or other similar "jank" things. But they're more easily shrugged off than in the US it seems. Players have accepted that the game has these sorts of things, and they learn to deal with it (or use it to their advantage, as seen often in France).
COMMUNITY
This is probably the most black and white part of the two scenes: while I found similarities in the US and EU playstyle and mentality, the community aspect is VERY different between the two.
In the US, tournaments are VERY common. It's not rare to see regions have a weekly everyday with a monthly/regional on Saturday, and there's almost always some sort of big national tournament going on, whether it's a super regional or major. "Top player privilege" is also very common sadly, which creates a gap in communities. When travelling to multiple scenes, you'll often see cliques of people together, whether it's friends or training partners. Of course, the regions themselves are all friendly and support each other, but they'll be groups within each region. Wi-Fi is also it's own "region", as it is extremely common to practice on it, and you'll see many players dubbed as "Wi-Fi Warriors" because they'll exclusively play on it and rarely go to tournaments. Hidden bosses are also much more common, but that is generally due to a geography matter.
In EU however, things are VERY different. Tournaments are far less common and smaller, ranging around the 32-40 entrants. 60+ entrants weeklies are considered big here, and 70-80 man monthlies are the norm, whereas in the US numbers can get large even for weeklies. Due to this, communities are much more tight-knit than the US. Everyone knows everyone, and it is very common for players to go around a venue and say hi to everyone as they arrive. Because scenes are smaller and tournaments more scarce, it's a much better feeling seeing your friends once or twice a week, compared to the US where you'll see them much more often, or Wi-Fi with them more. This also means the whole idea of "Top Player Privilege" is also a lot less common here: top players will be around much more often, interacting more, playing friendlies, etc. Not saying this is the case everywhere in the US of course, but it is more present, and that needs to be said. Wi-Fi is however scarce here for a multitude of reasons, which means smashfests and get-togethers are a lot more common. Players are dedicated on improving and don't have many tournaments to train at, so they do it together. As such, you'll rarely have hidden bosses or Wi-Fi warriors here. Players were shocked when I told them how many tournaments we have in the US, and how the topic of tournament saturation is a thing. Many people told me it would be a dream come true to be able to compete everyday.
Both the US and EU scenes are very enjoyable, and I love hanging out with both. But the hospitality of EU is something that I've yet to experience anywhere in the US. Again, not saying it's non-existant, but that it's far more present here.
CONCLUSION
So now comes the big question... who's better? The US or EU?
I won't answer it in terms of the community, because there is no better "community". Both are amazing and both are great to hangout with and meet.
But in terms of skill level? The US has the advantage.
Now something to note is that the gap is not as big as players make it out to be: there are plenty of strong unknown EU players who I am sure could make waves in the US. There is an insane amount of unknown talent here, and I really wish EU could travel more overseas. However, it is in fact true that the average US level is higher than the average EU level. Smash 4 is a naturally defensive game, and I think US players have a better grasp of the main aspects of the game than EU players. That is not to say EU players aren't good: they have strong aggressive play and know how to maximize off of neutral wins better than the average US player does in my opinion. Both regions have different playstyles, so it's hard adapting from one to the other. And both regions have their strengths and weaknesses. But I believe the US still holds a slight edge over EU.
EU players have shown holes in my playstyle that most US players haven't, and my US playstyle has shown holes in many EU players' playstyles as well. I've learned an immense amount since I'm here, and I'm excited to compete even more and get to play/know even more players. This has really been an enlightening experience, and I will make sure to cherish it as much as possible.
Thanks for reading!
~Cagt (@Cagt3000)
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