How to Survive the transition into Smash Bros Ultimate

We are over three weeks into Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and many are getting well adjusted to the games new mechanics. Some however, aren’t doing so well in making the leap from Smash 4 into Ultimate. Smash Ultimate may seem pretty similar to Smash 4, but don’t be fooled; these are two very different games. 4 years of Smash 4 can lead to many habits getting carried over into the new game. This can make the jump into the new game very challenging, as many tried and true tactics simply don’t work anymore. Here are a few ways that one can weather the storm and thrive in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

Old Habits Die Hard

The very first thing a struggling player need to do is abandon the majority of their Smash 4 habits. Smash Ultimates engine is so much different that of Smash 4, it’s faster. Players have many new movement options at their disposal, but sometimes fail to use them. This leads us into one of the biggest habits players have to get over. DO NOT TRY TO GRAB OUT OF SHIELD! The emphasis is definitely needed.

Shielding is nowhere near as viable as it was in previous games. Grab out of shield just doesn’t come out quick enough, and can leave you open for a big punish once it whifs. This can leave players shook because it was such a great, go-to option in Smash 4. While grab out of shield isn’t much of an option anymore, jab, or a quick tilt can do wonders out of shield.

Shielding in general just isn’t a great option anymore, as you can easily get shield poked. If your character doesn’t have access to a quick out of shield option, you might want to either roll or dash away to escape the pressure. Smash Ultimate has such quick fluid movement, and dashing has been buffed considerably.  So instead of lamenting over the lack of out of shield options, players should utilize the games many great movement options to get out of bad situations.

Air-dodging

Another bad habit to lose is air-dodging too much. Frequent air-dodges are a bad habit even in Smash 4 but in ultimate it will definitely be the death of you. There is a huge amount of lag after an Air-dodge in ultimate, which means you cant safely air-dodge off-stage without a jump. This requires players to be less predictable with their recoveries. Players should only air-dodge off stage if they’re doing it to snap to the ledge. Air-dodging on stage should also be avoided when possible. With Air-dodge being so laggy now, if a player reads it, it could lead to a huge punish. Air-dodging is still a useful tool to help you get out of disadvantage, but it shouldn’t be overused. Disadvantage state can be tough for some characters, but spamming air-dodge likely won’t help every time.

Dash Dash Dash

Dashing is so good in Ultimate, that it’d be a crime not to utilize it. With the ability to cancel a dash with a tilt, or smash attack, creative use of dashing is now very necessary to success. Dash-dancing and fox-trotting is now much easier, which can lead to some very interesting neutral play. Dashing back and canceling into a forward smash in the opposite direction can be a great kill option.

The key is to keep your movement ambiguous and condition your opponent to approach you as you turn around and hit them with a strong kill option. Dashing can help you get a grab, help you apply pressure, and help you find a kill in tough situations. This buff to dashing might be the biggest change to Smash ultimate and likely will be the most important one as the game develops.

Smash Ultimate is a much different game than Smash 4 and that needs to be respected. Because the worst mistake a player can make right now, is to play Smash Ultimate like it’s still Smash 4.

How has your transition from Smash 4 to Ultimate been? Let us know in the comments below!

Featured image courtesy of Slashgear.

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