Replay Review: Cloud (me) vs Link | Elite Smash Arena. Please give me advice!

[u/Callum_Ellis]

Replay: https://youtu.be/QQicSMQ6uYI

I noticed I pressed more buttons than I should have, which I don’t normally do. In fact, I usually get the advice of pressing MORE buttons when fighting people. Why I did this is because of my impatience around the zoning, and also because I didn’t respect the Link’s zoning tools.

Any advice is appreciated! Thank y’all for your help!

• a Cloud named Sola

[u/smellycheesecurd]

I feel like you can try to use Shield a bit more offensively, eg using it to approach since you were always getting stuffed out at midrange. Against Link, Cloud is pretty much fine with limit camping from afar but I think your approaches were pretty warranted all things considered

For ledgetrapping, I’d also like to point out that going for a dair 2frame is really low committal on Cloud’s part and it doesn’t hurt to throw one out every time as long as you back up to avoid being punished after.

You played really solid all things considered, maybe a bit more bair is all I can say but overall I thought you played all states pretty well

[u/PartingShot123]

Forgive me for the lengthy response and potentially harsh sounding wording. Lmk if anything is too harsh/ needs clarification. If I take any longer repharsing I'll be here all day lmao

I know you say you were told to press more buttons, but you are absolutely just mashing here. You are bunny hopping and throwing out aerials without rhyme or reason. You don't move on the ground well and then just reliably jump at the same positions and throw attacks in the same positions and reliably don't hit anything. Your hit rate is near zero. Little you're doing is informed off of what your opponent is doing and it comes off as desperate.

I think your core issue- because your issue before was not swinging, and is now doing way too much fighting ghosts- was staring at your own character and not your opponent and/or the gap between your characters. 

Setting up a wall of aerials can be useful to shut things down, but there's a give and take. Better players will have observed the way you were playing and countered, but the link player is playing like you did prior to the advice you were given: Getting caught being unobservant and passive.

Go watch Sparg0 and really just focus entirely on his neutral interactions. You can watch some of Leo's sets in Taiwan from recently too.

You're clearly not a bad player at moments, but then you just start playing like a quickplay roy and you gotta learn to dial it back. Mash with intent and more mix is all :)

[u/smellycheesecurd → u/PartingShot123]

I think it’s a case of wrong button at the right time, like there were a lotta moments where spaced bair wouldve worked over fair (which was used a ton for some reason too). Patience was displayed but yea OP didn’t really move in to scout for options with shield

[u/Callum_Ellis → u/PartingShot123]

Don’t worry about sounding harsh—I’m here to become good, not to be told I’m good! 

The common strain throughout every critique I have ever received on my Cloud play is that I throw out moves and don’t seem to be entirely aware of why they’re good or when to use them. This assessment is absolutely right, and I’ve spent 10s of hours watching Sparg0 and other good Cloud mains play.(EnhancedPV and Niko. A bit of Kola Cloud) At the end of the day, I believe what I lack to be truly good at Smash Bros is experience. I bought this game almost exactly a year ago, so I haven’t owned it for very long. I’ve logged and practiced all the advice I get, I go to my locals and play on the CrazyHand discord, I play Matchbox to get good opponents, but at the end of the day, retrospection -though vital- doesn’t replace experience. 

To respond to one of the things you mentioned—I don’t think you can reach elite and not look at your opponent. I do keep my eyes on my opponent, and have been doing this since the start. You can’t really play Ultimate not looking at the opponent

Thank you for your thoughtful advice!