blakinola
Constantly Delicious
My name is Ak aka Africa aka Ak-47 aka theultimodragon, and I felt like writing.
This is kind of like an informational, blog-like post. I don't feel I'm the best DK, but if I had more than a couple tournament's worth of experience, I feel I could be even with Bum.
I went there. Ask people who have played me in PA/NJ, I would think they'd say my DK is legit.
So you're at your first tournament, or you're a seasoned regular. Cool beans.
One thing to realize is your position at the tournament. Analyzing what can you achieve and what can't you achieve will make your victories and defeats vary to a large degree. As a DK player, I know the following facts:
-We live till at least 150% every stock.
-We have great range and few other characters can match us on kill %s. DK can kill around 85-90%.
-As long as we're on the screen, level or higher above the edges of the stage, we'll make it back
-Super armor on 2 moves
-bair is our wop
-3 Spikes
Unfortunately for us:
-Extending our hurtboxes opens DK up for trading unnecessary damage
-Tip of head and bottoms of feet poke through shield, lowering our defensive options
-Massive frame means DK gets hit by everything.
-No projectile.
-Recovery is extremely predictable and punishable. (no hitbox above or below, can be caped.)
Of course you can get more in-depth than that, but those are pretty important, and should commit those to memory.
One of the best things you can do at a tournament is play friendlies against people you don't normally play. If it's a character that DK has an advantage on, woo, good for you. You won't have to worry. It's even better if it's a character that you don't normally play well against, whether it be a top-tier character like Diddy or a lesser-played character like Ganondorf.
Your goal: Be able to adapt to all your matchups without counterpicking as possible. Dedede is the exception to this goal, as it is HIGHLY advised to pick a secondary just for this matchup. It's unwinnable if you get grabbed and the standing/small-step infinite is not banned. Other than that matchup, DK can hold his own, and doesn't have any glaring, game-breaking weaknesses.
Good secondaries include: Falco, Snake, etc. Experiment with characters that compliment your playstyle!
When you get to playing a tourney match, size up your opponents--see what they like to do when they play friendlies. Analyze any tactics and strategies they do, like:
Whether they are grab-happy
Do they shield a lot
Do they side step a lot
Really campy
Really aggressive (lol brawl)
A planker
A trash talker
If they mash their controller a lot when grabbed or not at all
...And the list can go on forever. Knowing these properties can make a match much more relaxing. The last strategy can let you know whether they are susceptible to cargo stage spikes. I don't know about you Mr./Ms. Reader, but when I play someone new for the first time, my heart races and the tension mounts. These happenings can throw off the rhythm you try to establish early on in the match. It can cost you dearly.
Stage selection is key as well. Pick large stages. Don't fear FD with diddy. Just jump and charge and go for the sakurai combo.
Pick stages with water. Water spikes rule. DK=Michael Phelps. Side Taunt will shake off any excess fluids.
Avoid/Ban walkoffs/moving stages.
If your opponent is doing something gay, make a scene. I'm serious. It freaks them out and the pressure can make em mess up!
If you win your match, congratulations! Realize that if the match was close, you'll have to mix up your tactics to keep your opponent on your toes.
If you lose your match, it's okay. Analyze what you were falling victim to and how you can counter it. How can you punish? What moves are safe to approach and follow-up with?
Eat before your matches. Get pumped up. Eat a banana. Bless the rains down in Africa. You're playing an amazing character who likes to give Olimar the business. You prey upon princesses and have beef with plumbers.
The most important thing is to have fun. Sure it may take you a while to win money, or you may not win anything. Think of the money you're paying as invaluable experience. It's a crazy wake up call when you get 2 stocked by Ganondorf or a Ness, or even Ike. There are many smashers I want to play against that I feel I would do really well against. I'd love to play Ally and Anther. Those are just a couple people out of a list of dozens.
If you can't afford big tournaments, then you can go to biweeklys or monthlys for much cheaper, usually.
Work up your experience and you can sometimes defy matchups, regardless of tier placement. The impossible (except for Dedede) can be come reality. I suck at tournament matches still, but this information has drastically improved my DK and I hope it can do the same for people who are playing DK (or any character you main) in tournament. Thanks for reading.
This is kind of like an informational, blog-like post. I don't feel I'm the best DK, but if I had more than a couple tournament's worth of experience, I feel I could be even with Bum.
I went there. Ask people who have played me in PA/NJ, I would think they'd say my DK is legit.
So you're at your first tournament, or you're a seasoned regular. Cool beans.
One thing to realize is your position at the tournament. Analyzing what can you achieve and what can't you achieve will make your victories and defeats vary to a large degree. As a DK player, I know the following facts:
-We live till at least 150% every stock.
-We have great range and few other characters can match us on kill %s. DK can kill around 85-90%.
-As long as we're on the screen, level or higher above the edges of the stage, we'll make it back
-Super armor on 2 moves
-bair is our wop
-3 Spikes
Unfortunately for us:
-Extending our hurtboxes opens DK up for trading unnecessary damage
-Tip of head and bottoms of feet poke through shield, lowering our defensive options
-Massive frame means DK gets hit by everything.
-No projectile.
-Recovery is extremely predictable and punishable. (no hitbox above or below, can be caped.)
Of course you can get more in-depth than that, but those are pretty important, and should commit those to memory.
One of the best things you can do at a tournament is play friendlies against people you don't normally play. If it's a character that DK has an advantage on, woo, good for you. You won't have to worry. It's even better if it's a character that you don't normally play well against, whether it be a top-tier character like Diddy or a lesser-played character like Ganondorf.
Your goal: Be able to adapt to all your matchups without counterpicking as possible. Dedede is the exception to this goal, as it is HIGHLY advised to pick a secondary just for this matchup. It's unwinnable if you get grabbed and the standing/small-step infinite is not banned. Other than that matchup, DK can hold his own, and doesn't have any glaring, game-breaking weaknesses.
Good secondaries include: Falco, Snake, etc. Experiment with characters that compliment your playstyle!
When you get to playing a tourney match, size up your opponents--see what they like to do when they play friendlies. Analyze any tactics and strategies they do, like:
Whether they are grab-happy
Do they shield a lot
Do they side step a lot
Really campy
Really aggressive (lol brawl)
A planker
A trash talker
If they mash their controller a lot when grabbed or not at all
...And the list can go on forever. Knowing these properties can make a match much more relaxing. The last strategy can let you know whether they are susceptible to cargo stage spikes. I don't know about you Mr./Ms. Reader, but when I play someone new for the first time, my heart races and the tension mounts. These happenings can throw off the rhythm you try to establish early on in the match. It can cost you dearly.
Stage selection is key as well. Pick large stages. Don't fear FD with diddy. Just jump and charge and go for the sakurai combo.
Pick stages with water. Water spikes rule. DK=Michael Phelps. Side Taunt will shake off any excess fluids.
Avoid/Ban walkoffs/moving stages.
If your opponent is doing something gay, make a scene. I'm serious. It freaks them out and the pressure can make em mess up!
If you win your match, congratulations! Realize that if the match was close, you'll have to mix up your tactics to keep your opponent on your toes.
If you lose your match, it's okay. Analyze what you were falling victim to and how you can counter it. How can you punish? What moves are safe to approach and follow-up with?
Eat before your matches. Get pumped up. Eat a banana. Bless the rains down in Africa. You're playing an amazing character who likes to give Olimar the business. You prey upon princesses and have beef with plumbers.
The most important thing is to have fun. Sure it may take you a while to win money, or you may not win anything. Think of the money you're paying as invaluable experience. It's a crazy wake up call when you get 2 stocked by Ganondorf or a Ness, or even Ike. There are many smashers I want to play against that I feel I would do really well against. I'd love to play Ally and Anther. Those are just a couple people out of a list of dozens.
If you can't afford big tournaments, then you can go to biweeklys or monthlys for much cheaper, usually.
Work up your experience and you can sometimes defy matchups, regardless of tier placement. The impossible (except for Dedede) can be come reality. I suck at tournament matches still, but this information has drastically improved my DK and I hope it can do the same for people who are playing DK (or any character you main) in tournament. Thanks for reading.
really? You must be loads of fun at tourneys.
