Introduction
Adaptation in any game is important, as it allows a player to find weaknesses in his opponent's play-style for them to then take advantage of. However in Smash 4, it is one of the most vital parts of the game because of how balanced the roster is. This guide explains the art of adaptation and how it can be used and countered. For all examples in this guide, I will describe Ganondorf versus a character, but this can and does apply to all characters in the game.
Contents
Why you need to adapt
Smash 4 is an incredibly balanced game compared to its predecessors, with nearly the entire roster being represented in the top 16 of large tournaments across the world. That being said, in tournament it is likely you will face someone you haven't played before. Even if their character is one you have played against before, their play style could be completely different, and not picking up on their weak points can spell doom for your stocks.
How to adapt
All bracket matches are usually best of 3, with the best of 5 matches being Winners', Losers' and Grand Finals. These matches last 6 minutes for 2 stocks, 8 minutes for 3. So you have a maximum of 18-24 minutes to adapt to a player and exploit their weaknesses for a win.
Some characters, such as Rosa, Cloud and Diddy, have an easier time of getting past defenses and punishing unsafe approaches, and characters such as Ganondorf, King Dedede and Zelda have a harder time. That being said, any character can punish every other character given the right situation and timing.
To adapt to a player, you must notice every action they take in reaction to yours. For example, the action they take after being flame choked by Ganondorf. You need to take note of what they do so that when that situation comes up again, you can punish accordingly.
This is hard to accomplish, as an opponent can be very pressuring and can give you little clue on what they will do. However all players have points where they are unsafe, such as when they are approaching or after a move has whiffed, and it is up to you to make note of them in your head for when they do it again.
As an example, the average opponent has 4 options after being Flame Choked; roll towards, roll away, get-up attack and stand in place. If they choose to roll away, the Ganondorf will then remember their option for the next flame choke, and proceed to punish the roll away with a dash attack or another flame choke.
Any competent player will know how to mix-up their options to get away without a punish or to counter your offense. However no matter how good the player is, there will always be a pattern of mix-up options. It can often take the first game of a best of three set to fully adapt to an opponent's play-style. Many high-level players can punish a certain unsafe option so efficiently and so brutally because they had noticed it before hand and came up with the best combination of attacks to combat that option during the match.
In all honesty, adaptation is really something you can only learn through experience playing a lot of opponents. But knowing what to punish and how to punish is essential in being able to make something of the many opportunities players will give you. Kurogane Hammer (http://kuroganehammer.com/) is a great site where the frame data for all characters is presented neatly and for your benefit. Using this site, you can figure out which of your moves can punish the best, and which can punish certain options you have trouble with in general.
How to avoid being adapted to
If a player is much better at the game than you, then no matter what character you play and how many mix-ups you do, they can figure out and punish you. However, it's good to make it as hard as possible for the opponent to figure out what your habits are.
A good way to avoid the opponent adapting to your playstyle is to mix-up irregularly. Commonly, the players I face in my locals and regionals perform the same routine of reactions against my action. For example, for every flame choke, they will roll away, towards, get up attack, repeat. Mixing irregularly is a good way to throw off opponents who you think have noticed what options you take and to keep them guessing for longer.
Of course, another way of avoiding an opponent adapting to you is to adapt right back at them. If they keep trying to punish one of your options, perform a different option that will put you in the correct position to punish sufficiently. For example, if a Captain Falcon is attempting to punish an airdodge with a sweetspot knee, you can counterattack with an aerial instead. This can lead to said Captain Falcon not punishing a later airdodge for fear of eating an aerial.
Conclusion
To end this guide, I'd just like to emphasize the fact that you cannot learn how to adapt purely by reading something on the Internet. This is something to learn as you play people of different skill levels and characters. Looking up other people who play your character is beneficial too, as you can find out what they do and use it in your own game.
This is my first guide, so feedback is appreciated. I hope this helps in any way.
Adaptation in any game is important, as it allows a player to find weaknesses in his opponent's play-style for them to then take advantage of. However in Smash 4, it is one of the most vital parts of the game because of how balanced the roster is. This guide explains the art of adaptation and how it can be used and countered. For all examples in this guide, I will describe Ganondorf versus a character, but this can and does apply to all characters in the game.
Contents
- Why you need to adapt
- How to adapt
- How to avoid being adapted to
- Conclusion
Why you need to adapt
Smash 4 is an incredibly balanced game compared to its predecessors, with nearly the entire roster being represented in the top 16 of large tournaments across the world. That being said, in tournament it is likely you will face someone you haven't played before. Even if their character is one you have played against before, their play style could be completely different, and not picking up on their weak points can spell doom for your stocks.
How to adapt
All bracket matches are usually best of 3, with the best of 5 matches being Winners', Losers' and Grand Finals. These matches last 6 minutes for 2 stocks, 8 minutes for 3. So you have a maximum of 18-24 minutes to adapt to a player and exploit their weaknesses for a win.
Some characters, such as Rosa, Cloud and Diddy, have an easier time of getting past defenses and punishing unsafe approaches, and characters such as Ganondorf, King Dedede and Zelda have a harder time. That being said, any character can punish every other character given the right situation and timing.
To adapt to a player, you must notice every action they take in reaction to yours. For example, the action they take after being flame choked by Ganondorf. You need to take note of what they do so that when that situation comes up again, you can punish accordingly.
This is hard to accomplish, as an opponent can be very pressuring and can give you little clue on what they will do. However all players have points where they are unsafe, such as when they are approaching or after a move has whiffed, and it is up to you to make note of them in your head for when they do it again.
As an example, the average opponent has 4 options after being Flame Choked; roll towards, roll away, get-up attack and stand in place. If they choose to roll away, the Ganondorf will then remember their option for the next flame choke, and proceed to punish the roll away with a dash attack or another flame choke.
Any competent player will know how to mix-up their options to get away without a punish or to counter your offense. However no matter how good the player is, there will always be a pattern of mix-up options. It can often take the first game of a best of three set to fully adapt to an opponent's play-style. Many high-level players can punish a certain unsafe option so efficiently and so brutally because they had noticed it before hand and came up with the best combination of attacks to combat that option during the match.
In all honesty, adaptation is really something you can only learn through experience playing a lot of opponents. But knowing what to punish and how to punish is essential in being able to make something of the many opportunities players will give you. Kurogane Hammer (http://kuroganehammer.com/) is a great site where the frame data for all characters is presented neatly and for your benefit. Using this site, you can figure out which of your moves can punish the best, and which can punish certain options you have trouble with in general.
How to avoid being adapted to
If a player is much better at the game than you, then no matter what character you play and how many mix-ups you do, they can figure out and punish you. However, it's good to make it as hard as possible for the opponent to figure out what your habits are.
A good way to avoid the opponent adapting to your playstyle is to mix-up irregularly. Commonly, the players I face in my locals and regionals perform the same routine of reactions against my action. For example, for every flame choke, they will roll away, towards, get up attack, repeat. Mixing irregularly is a good way to throw off opponents who you think have noticed what options you take and to keep them guessing for longer.
Of course, another way of avoiding an opponent adapting to you is to adapt right back at them. If they keep trying to punish one of your options, perform a different option that will put you in the correct position to punish sufficiently. For example, if a Captain Falcon is attempting to punish an airdodge with a sweetspot knee, you can counterattack with an aerial instead. This can lead to said Captain Falcon not punishing a later airdodge for fear of eating an aerial.
Conclusion
To end this guide, I'd just like to emphasize the fact that you cannot learn how to adapt purely by reading something on the Internet. This is something to learn as you play people of different skill levels and characters. Looking up other people who play your character is beneficial too, as you can find out what they do and use it in your own game.
This is my first guide, so feedback is appreciated. I hope this helps in any way.
- Applicable Games
- Smash Wii U
