The Ball: My opinion on what to prioritize in fighting games.
Seibrik - May 20, 2017The following is a quick note on what I believe the most important fighting game fundamental. The main points covered below can apply to most fighting games but I will use examples from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. For low and mid-level players this may serve as a new perspective on what to prioritize in your decisions. For higher-level players this may serve as a reminder.
The Ball
Neutral Game
Keep your eye on the ball. That’s probably the first rule you ever learn in most sports. Before the batter steps up to the plate, he has to know the importance of never losing sight of the white blur hurling toward him.
The more often a team has possession of the ball in football or basketball, the more likely they will be to score. No ball, no scoring; got it? This same sentiment also exists in fighting games, and is, in my opinion, why having control of the ball is the most important fighting game fundamental.
But what’s the ball in fighting games? Obviously there’s no physical ball, but there must be something similar that holds the same weight somewhere under the surface, right? The ball in most sports determines who is in an offensive or defensive position at almost all times. This leaves us with only one possibility.
The ball in fighting games is the stage itself. The positioning of the players on the stage almost always directly influences which player will be more likely to press a button first. If two players are fighting around the center of the stage, they are not simply fighting to hit each other, they are fighting to gain control of the stage, and this can come in various forms with varying levels of reward.
This is where the term Neutral comes from, as neither player is cornered, they’re both grounded and facing each other with all options available. Once a player is hit in the air or pressured into a corner, they have officially left neutral state and have gone into a disadvantaged state. It’s disadvantaged because this player now has fewer options, making them easier to pressure and easier to hit.
In Smash Brothers for Wii U, if someone is hit in the air, they can do one of three things: fall with an air-dodge, fall with an attack (both of these get beat by walk up shield), or they can jump away. When someone is caught in a corner, they no longer have space to move back without going off stage. This increases the likelihood that they will choose an aggressive option to push out, as they no longer have the choice to exercise their patience by walking away from you.
The player that has center stage behind them, or landed the hit has gone into an advantaged state. It’s advantaged because this player now has more opportunities to collect more hits over time without the need to predict his opponent. This player feels little to no pressure as walking away and blocking are options that are completely available at all times.
When you have someone in a corner, you’ll always have the option to walk away any time to cover them trying to push out too quickly. You no longer have to stress about opening someone up or attacking them once you have them cornered. This is your chance to let them dig their own grave so to speak.
There are certain options you can use when you have advantage that will cut off player’s abilities to get out of disadvantage. These options will work consistently if done properly and it can increase the rate in which you can seal out stocks from winning even just one neutral situation. This is most commonly how Perfect’s or huge comebacks can happen so quickly.
Abusing Advantaged States
Know your opponents escape options, and cover them. An escape option is any option your opponent could pick that would result in them regaining center stage in that moment. If you don’t know what a character’s most common escape options are, pick them up for a week and try money-matching people around your level or better. You’ll quickly learn what you like to use to escape.
After reading this, I want your goal after landing a hit or cornering someone to change from making an aggressive read or stretching for another hit (unless it’s true and practiced) to cutting off their quickest escape route. The longer you can keep this a priority, the longer you will hold your advantage. This mindset shift will result in you getting longer strings of hits over time. It will also require you to “read” your opponent less and minimize not only the chances of them hitting you back but also the chance of them ever regaining neutral.
Remember, the more often you can regain control of the ball, the more often you can score. In this case, scoring can either mean getting a kill or just tacking on additional hits over time.
This is the type of skill that higher-level players use to consistently make it through bracket. It’s a mindset that relies less on learning the individual player and more on being able to force an opponent's hand, waiting until you see what you want, and reacting accordingly.
One universal way most characters can force an opponents hand is by launching someone with a weak move or throw, then walking under the hit-stun and doing one of the following: shielding to grab their falling attack or spacing out a strong move to destroy their landing. If you know the opponent still has their double jump, it’s usually better to pick the more reserved shield option. Once you’ve eliminated the double jump by waiting for it, feel free to corner their next landing area with a bigger kill move.
Another universal way to force an opponents hand is by paying close attention to their DI. Directional Influence is the direction someone is holding when they get hit, affecting if they fly away at a high or low angle. This also affects how far away or close the opponent is to you after being launched. Often times, opponents will try to use varying forms of DI in hopes of messing up your follow-up.
To account for this follow these steps to consistently follow up: if they DI close to you, they are more likely to attack into you, so step back and prepare for their landing. If they DI away from you, walk forward to better cover their landing. If they DI’d close to you and you waited for it, they may panic and waste their jump instead.
In following these steps, if they choose to air dodge or falling with an attack out of hit-stun, you will get your easy follow-up. However, if they chose to waste their double jump at any point, you can continue to stay grounded and attempt to catch their now more predictable landing spot. Waiting for their instant escape option is a win/win.
So if trying to land or escape the corner are such easily countered options, what are you supposed to do when you’re the one in disadvantage? If abusing advantaged states is what can result in getting Perfects or making huge comebacks, then learning to respect disadvantaged states is what you need to avoid them. In many cases, this can often be more important to learn than anything in the game.
Respecting Disadvantaged States
Know your escape options, but don’t use them. It’s very important to note how ready an opponent is for your own escape options early on in a match. It’s fine to test the waters against a new opponent to see what escape options they are ready for and what you can reliably use to escape disadvantage easily.
However, once you see your opponent adjust to your escape habits and punish your escape attempt, you need to quickly adjust your goals. Focus less on escaping the corner and more on respectfully fighting your way out of it. Patience is key and is also your one true weapon against players in a advantaged state.
While it may seem daunting to be in a corner and stare an opponent in the face with so little space behind you, consider this; if you’re opponent has caught on to your escape options, chances are that’s become their main focus. If your opponent is busy looking for a dash attack, a roll forward or any other character specific cross up option, they are not simultaneously trying to punish your patient play in the corner.
In order to properly cover those quick escape options, they are likely spacing themselves out accordingly, much like you would need to. If they expect a dash attack out of the corner, and you take a step forward instead, they have to readjust their spacing by taking a step back. Sometimes, you have to play this micro-spacing game even in the tightest of situations in order to stand a chance at regaining neutral.
If you’ve ever heard the term footsies in other fighting games, this is what it’s referring to. Footsies are these imaginary bubbles between two players, a constant struggle of what one player wants and what the other player is willing to give. This concept isn’t exclusive to being cornered but is also seen directly in neutral as well. The more you are willing to take small brave steps forward and back, the more likely you can test your opponent’s patience, and even get a player with stage control to commit to a button first.
A version of footsies that is special to Smash also exists when you are put into the air with hit-stun. Much like being in a corner, you need to exhibit patient play and spacing when launched into the air as well. The human psyche is always in this state of trying to survive. When launched, this psyche is telling you to get back to the ground ASAP. This is the same inner dialogue that tries to tell you to get back to center stage quickly when cornered. Do NOT listen to it.
Knowing that a good player can consistently cover your falling options, sometimes with bigger than usual punishes, your best bet when launched will usually be to DI away and even jump away if they can follow-up quickly with a jump option of their own. There are very few exceptions where jumping away is more dangerous than not.
Now, once you jump away, stay committed to pulling off stage. This is what separates jumping out of hit-stun from being a bad option to being a good option. If you waste your jumps in an attempt to later land on stage, you are setting yourself up to get your landing easily covered. If you end up going the jump route, your safest way to land is to aim for the ledge itself and go from there. Extend being in this bad position to being in a slightly less bad position with your ledge options. One way I easily do this myself is jump away, then as you near the ledge, air-dodge any incoming attacks and up-b back to the edge.
Your goal once you’ve been put into hit-stun needs to change immediately. No longer should you try to hit your opponent back (revenge hits are the worst habit you see in low-mid level play). No longer should you try to regain center stage, at least not at this moment. Your goal right now needs to be minimizing the damage your opponent can get on you, and minimize the chance that this follow-up will lead to your death.
Do not fear the edge or being off stage. You need to embrace the idea of retreating to the edge by pulling off stage after being launched. Hold your jump while pulling back; use your jump only if you see your opponent extend a jump as well. Your jump being the invaluable resource that it is should not be wasted unless necessary. Maintain as much space between the grounded opponent and yourself as possible while retreating back. If they continue to walk up, you continue to pull back.
“But Seibrik, this is going to lead to me being in the corner!” You’re right. But this will also prevent you from losing too many early stocks due to a nasty air-dodge habit leading to early smash attacks or spikes. Yes you may take an extra hit or two because you refuse to air-dodge to the ground, but your stock will ultimately thank you. While being in the corner is bad, being dead is much, much worse.
So you’ve managed to pull off stage, or your opponent threw you off stage; what’s next? First and foremost, do not use your double jump if you’ve fallen below the edge in an attempt to jump back on to the stage. This is another very common bad habit amongst most players, even high level ones sometimes. Once you’re right below or near the ledge, your jump is the only option I need to cover.
Not only is double jump over ledge the only option I need to cover, but also covering it with any move is one of the most rewarding situations in the entire game. Covering this jump lands you in literally the worst position in Smash; being off stage without your double jump. This is the only thing to actually fear in regards to being off stage, and is the reason maintaining your jump is so important. As long as you have your double jump, being off stage can still be reasonably safe. Keep covering this jump in mind when sending opponents off stage to gain quick big rewards and potential early stock leads.
The best thing anyone can do in this position is to simply fall off stage, maintain the space you created while pulling away from your opponent, and simply use your best recovery move or tether to snap to the ledge immediately. Yes being on the ledge sucks but not nearly as much as losing your jump off stage, getting gimped, or falling on stage into a smash attack. The ledge simply allows you to extend your opponents attempts to follow up to the next situation, while providing you a brief moment to breath using the invisibility the ledge provides (don’t sleep on the ledge every time as you don’t want to get poked or ledge trumped).
This ledge game is a necessary part of Smash and any attempt in skipping it can result in getting hit hard, and taking hits consistently. You must accept that being on the ledge is another part of the game to improve at, and ultimately relies on your ability to mix-up your get-up options. Yes, in doing this you may get sent back off stage, sometimes multiple times in a row. Stick to your guns, respect the disadvantage and work your way back to neutral with all the patience you can muster.
Wrap-Up
Once you can consistently turn bad situations into edge situations, you have successfully made your tournament play more consistent, allowing you to jump to the next tier of player skill. Avoiding falling options, avoiding using escape options when cornered, and avoiding unnecessarily using your double jump off stage are all keys to improving your disadvantaged play. Master abusing advantage and respecting disadvantage, and you will officially begin playing and seeing the same game as the high level players in your region. And remember, always keep your eyes on the ball.
Common Smash 4 Escape Options
Diddy-
- Side-B when cornered/off stage.
- Falling Fair when coming out of hit-stun.
Fox-
- Side-B when cornered/off stage.
- Dash attack when cornered.
- Falling Dair/Nair when coming out of hit-stun.
Luigi-
- Falling Down-B when falling from any high distance.
- Falling Nair when coming out of hit-stun.
Cloud-
- Dash Attack/D-Tilt when cornered.
- Uair when coming out of hit-stun.
Pikachu-
- Quick Attack when off stage.
- Quick Attack when cornered.
- Quick Attack when in neutral.
- Fair/Nair out of hit-stun. Or Quick Attack.
- This one was mostly a joke. Mostly.
Multiple Jump Characters-
- Any jump option out of hit-stun.
This is one of the only situations I will deliberately over extend and attack over their heads when they’re coming out of hit-stun. Extend at your own risk.
This blog post was written by a SSB World community member. Share your Smash 4 knowledge by creating your own blog post now.
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