Why I hate comparing players

It’s an often discussed topic in the smash community, and it’s not hard to see why. When players represent their crew, state, and region, the out come of a match means a lot more than advancing in the bracket. If an east coast player is better than a west coast player, everyone on the east coast feels just a little more confident in their game. However, when players discuss who is better on speculation and pseudo-facts, or making ignorant you tube comments, it becomes too much for me to handle.

First off, I want to say that I am not against the idea of comparing players, quite the contrary. I think it is healthy for the community because it promotes more active dedication to Smash as a whole. When players are involved with Smash, whether it be playing the game, running tournaments, recording matches, or just posting about it on smash boards, the community grows. So when players are involved in a discussion about the comparison between two players, that’s great. The only problem is that I would like to see a more articulate discussion and less emotion involved.

The classic example of failed logic is as follows:
X player beat Y player
Y player beat Z player
Therefore, X player will beat Z player.
It would be nice if the world worked this way, but it doesn’t. It simply doesn’t. There are too many factors that go into a match that make that match unique. For once I’d like to see people discuss how one players strengths in ledge guarding will lead them to victory because their opponent doesn’t have as much experience in that area as the other. What about the mental barriers that each player faces, will those affect the match? Will the pressure of fighting a big name player be too much for the challenger to handle? Or, will the favorite to win be too cocky against the up and comer to take him seriously, only to be blindsided to a first game lost, then counter picked on game 3 to lose the set?

None of this even address that we don’t have a concrete method to determine what makes a player directly better than another. The most obvious answer is that he beats the other player more than he loses to them, but at what point can we conclude the evidence is sufficient? A simple 2 out of 3 tournament set? 5 friendlies? A $5 money match? Sure, when two players meet up in a tournament, I will reflect on their previous match ups as a clue to who might win. But if you care to tell me your opinion, be careful how you do so, it’s easy to sound ignorant or biased.

This is where my biggest complaint lays in comparing players. More often than not, comparing players is an issue of pride for one’s region. That is why I find it refreshing to meet someone who favors a player that is not from their region to win against someone that is. It tells me that they are looking at the match up objectively, and not a biased one that is based on friendship or local pride. If you want to support your local players, please do. Cheer for them, hype them up, talk shit for them, but don’t expect to be taken seriously with your one liner you tube comments, you’re only a head count for their number of fans.

Just play the game

Just play the game. Play 50 more matches and you will understand it. You will see the patterns. You will develop the reflexes. I can’s stress it enough. If you want to improve, you have to play. Time spent not playing the game could be better spent playing the game. Thinking about the game also works. Time spent thinking about your homework, or that girl you have a crush on, could be better spent thinking about the game. Some of the best strategies I have developed came to me when I was not playing the game, only thinking about it. It is probably more beneficial than training alone on CPU’s or in training mode. That will only develop your tech skill, which is important, but will only get you so far.

All of the best players have amazing technical skill, but all of those with amazing technical skill are not the best players. The reason is simple, the most technical option is not always the best option. I have seen many players whose game suffers because of excessive movement, and even my game does at time. Perform only the actions that are necessary to execute your game plan. If you must trick your opponent into approaching you, do so with swift and flowing movements that they can understand, not hyper-fast technical skill. Concentrating too much on technical skill will also distract your mind from the more important issue at hand, what your opponent is thinking. At times I think the reason I was hit was because I was not fast enough. “If only I could turn > run > shuffle nair faster then I wouldn’t be hit when I do shield pressure!” However, I know this is not true. I was hit because the opponent predicted my next move. They knew I was thinking to bombard them with the fastest possible combination of movements and attacks. When you apply technical skill as a style, it will only hold you back. It becomes readable. I know what technical players are thinking when they play against me, they are thinking about how they can play fast. If you so blatantly tell me how you are going to play, do not expect me to play dead fish and be a part of your combo video, it’s not happening.

Any style besides pure adaptation is not going to work at the highest levels of play. Great players adapt to many pieces of their opponent that intermediate players often over look. It is not obvious, and most players probably don’t even notice themselves doing it, but there is more information to gather about your opponent than just their tech patterns or recovery. Do you notice how they react to using a single jump? What do they do when you turn your back towards them? What is their response when you start spacing for a nair? How do those reactions change based on their percentage? How do they change based on YOUR percentage? How do they change according to stage position? And so on. Not only do great players have keen observation, they are masters of stealth. They are always changing their moves and making sure not to reveal their own patterns.

Example: Your opponent is running at you from across the stage. As he gets closer, he will either

A) Dash attack, up smash, B attack, or grab.

B) Shield

a. Dodge

b. Roll left or right

c. Jump

d. Wavedash away, towards, or in place.

C) Full jump

a. Double jump

b. Attack

D) Short hop

a. Double jump

b. Attack

E) Wavedash away, towards, or in place.

F) Crouch

G) Keep running

A novice player in this situation may feel panicked and on edge. The opponent has many options, and he probably cannot predict which one they will use. Even if he could predict them, he may not know the best way to counter it. As he gains more experience, he is no longer confused by the many options available to the opponent, and he may even know some great combos to counter with after he predicts them correctly. As he gets even better, he uses less concentration to land his combo, and his thoughts are now free to profile his opponent, where he records their habits and tendencies to better counter them in the future. Players of all level have a memory bank of previous encounters with opponents, characters, stages, stocks, positions, and percentage. The best players often have a plethora of experience to call upon mid match to make quick fixes on their style to suit their opponents.

Perhaps you may even “feel” your opponent. You sense that they are confident, which means he will usually try to fake you out. You can feel their fear, so you know he will be paralyzed as you run shield pressure on him like a freight train. Their frustration makes the air tingle, it is so obvious that he will spam the stupidest moves in a desperate attempt to counter. Worst of all is when you feel them surround you, corning you, hitting you from every direction, so all you can do is pray that they make a mistake.

There is so much information to collect. Calm your mind. Be patient. Observe.