[Melee] Advanced How to Play

[Flint]

I probably should have done this post before doing my data post; better late than never I suppose. I will be listing the basics and the advanced techniques if any of you want to take Melee as a serious tournament fighting game.

The Melee Metagame is a very fast paced fighting game and the goal of fighting your opponent is to space the distance between your opponent, good approaches, strong neutral game, become very volatile and minimizing landing-lag.


The Basics:

1. Shorthopping
If you tap the jump button faster than usual then you will preform a shorter jump. This is very useful for quickening the pace and removing vulnerabilities in your character. This technique can make you unpredictable when you make an approach. An example of a shorthop using Sheik.



2. Fastfalling
Fastfalling can be described as dropping quicker than usual to better position yourself in the field of battle. The point is to press down on the joystick once you've reached the peak of your jump. Something to note is that fullhops and shorthops can both be fastfalled. An example of fastfalling using Samus.



3. L-Cancelling (SUPER USEFUL TECHNIQUE)
This is a technique that reduces the landing lag time from an aerial attack. Right before you hit the ground, if you're in the middle of an aerial attack; press L, R or Z to decrease the recovery time in half. L-Cancelling can only be performed in the last 7 frames of the aerial attack before you hit the ground. The goal is to perform an aerial attack with A since moves that require the B-Button cannot be L-Cancelled. This technique can only be done in Super Smash Bros. 64 where it is known as Z-Cancelling and in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Any variation of Z/L-Cancelling has been removed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS. An example of L-Cancelling using Link.



4. SHFFL (Short-Hop Fast-Fall L-Cancel)
This is an advanced term used when doing certain aerials mixed with the previous techniques as mentioned. This is essentially the fastest passable combination to perform an aerial with a given character. An example of SHFFLing using Captain Falcon.



Note:
SHFFLANA     (Aerial Neutral A) "N-Air"
SFFLAUA       (Aerial Up A) "U-Air"
SHFFLAFA      (Aerial Forward A) "F-Air"
SHFFLABA      (Aerial Back A) "B-Air"
SHFFLADA      (Aerial Down A) "D-Air"

5. Wavedash
The name of an unorthodox movement technique. It is done by jumping and then immediately air dodging toward the ground diagonally so that your character will slide along the ground. The timing on a wavedash varies from character to character and some characters wavedash are longer than others. This technique can only be done on Super Smash Bros. Melee and Project M since directional airdodging was removed for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS. An example of a wavedash.



Longest to shortest wavedashing distance in Super Smash Bros. Melee:

1.) Luigi
2.) Ice Climbers
3.) Mewtwo
4.) Marth
5.) Yoshi
6.) Roy
7.) Dr. Mario, Mario, Mr. Game & Watch
8.) Samus
9.) Ness
10.) Fox
11.) Bowser
12.) Falco
13.) Young Link
14.) Ganondorf
15.) Donkey Kong
16.) Pikachu, Sheik
17.) Captain Falcon, Kirby
18.) Pichu
19.) Jigglypuff
20.) Link
21.) Princess Peach, Princess Zelda

In competitive play, Luigi, the Ice Climbers and Mewtwo players make heavy use of wavedashing as their primary movement, while users of nearly every other character wavedash frequently for positioning and maneuvering.

Contrary to popular belief, wavedashing is not strictly a glitch; it is more accurately a corner case of Melee's physics engine. When air dodging diagonally to the ground, all of the momentum of the airdodge is transferred into horizontal (ground) movement, since the character can no longer fall. Additionally, performing a wavedash causes the game to recognize the character as landing from the helpless state due to air dodges causing the state. Thus, the game is not recognizing wavedashing as a specific "technique" (such as an attack or movement) but as if the character simply landed and stood still; the sliding effect is due to the "slipperiness" inherent in the game's engine.

6. Wavelanding
When in the air, a player can airdodge into the ground at a low height and to an angle to create space between the enemy or instantly close the distance needed to attack your opponent. Again, it's only possible to do this mechanic in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Project M. Examples of wavelanding.




Shield Options:

7. Shield Grabbing
Since grabbing is done by L+A or R+A, you can immediately grab out of your shield be pressing A while in shield. This is a major defensive move that eliminates a lot of options for your opponent if you can use it well. You need to be faster with the grab before your opponent can escape the move animation.

8. Out of Shield (OOS)
Often when you're in the shield you want to avoid dropping the shield since there is a gap where you character is vulnerable to an attack without the ability to defend or counterattack. Of course there are options that can be done without having to drop your shield. One of the options we just listed being Shield Grabbing, another option is to Up-Smash or Up-Special out of shield. Some characters don't have good Up-Smashes or Up-Specials to take advantage but some of them absolutely need this technique like Bowser and Link.

9. Waveshielding
This is a combination of shielding and wavedashing. The purpose of wavedashing is the same but you're shielding before the wavedash. Since you're given the ability to jump out of shield, you can perform a wavedash out of shield and if you want to enter a safe approach, you can also wavedash into the shield.

Recovery Techniques:

10. Teching
The name given for instant recovery techniques. When you are sent flying from an attack, if you hit L or R before hitting the ground or the wall; you will recover instantly. On the ground, you will stand up, on the wall you will prevent yourself from being bounced around. If you hold on to the side as you do it, you will recover in a rolling dodge. If you hold up as you walltech you can jump off of the wall. Examples of teching.




Edge Techniques:

11. Edge Hogging
The term used when your opponent is knocked off the stage, and you hold onto the ledge causing them to not be able to grab on. It helps to wavedash onto the ledge for quickness. The goal is to grab the ledge while you're opponent is trying to come back. Since only one character can hold on to the edge at one time, you can hinder their chances of getting back on the stage.This mechanic was removed for Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS. Example of edge hogging.



12. Edgehopping is purposely falling of a ledge followed by double jumping onto the level. People usually use an attack on the way to ensure they are not hit off of the ledge. With this technique, you can surprise your opponent and attack them while you're on the ledge.

13. Edge Waveland
While standing on the edge, you can combine edgehopping and wavelanding. It's another way to come back on to the stage but much quicker and safer. With some characters if you're quick enough you can use the invincibility frames you get on the edge for an offensive or defensive recovery. Example of edge waveland.




Dash Techniques:

14. Dash Dancing
A technique that requires the user to tap the joystick back and forth quickly to keep turning around in the opening dash animation, used as a fake-out tactic mainly because you can dash in either direction at any time. This mechanic was made harder to do in Super Smash Bros. Brawl since tripping was added and had the possibility of tripping everytime in the beginning of dashes. Tripping was removed in Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS which allows safer dash dances but the initial dash animation still remain short in relation to Melee, thus making the technique relatively useless in competitive play. Example on how a dash dance looks like.



15. Dash Cancelling
You can cancel your dash by crouching, this works well as a fake out tactic or if you don't want to attack with a dash attack.

16. Pivot
This is a hard technique. The easiest way to get a sense of the technique is to watch a Marth or Sheik dash dance. You'll notice that there is a frame during the dash dance that the character seems to be standing upright. Well now here comes in the pivoting idea. At that upright frame you may perform any move from a neutral position. So this could be quicker than wavedashing back where instead you could dash back just a bit and pivot into an attack. Example of pivoting.



Jump Cancelling:

17. Jump Cancel Grab
If you dash and hit Z you will perform a dashgrab. However by hitting jump right before hitting Z, you will jump cancel into a standing grab. Standing grabs are safer than dash grabs since a missed dash grab last much longer than a missed standing grab.

18. Chain Grabbing
Characters like Sheik, Marth, Fox, Falco, Ice Climbers, Mario (and a few others) can chain grab an opponent. This is done by throwing the opponent at a given direction. For Sheik and Mario, chain grabs can be start by throwing them downward. Typically for Marth you'd need to throw your opponent upward. And Ice Climbers are just weird. In order to catch them again the process must be done over again, eventually there will be a point where the opponents percentage is too high to continue chaingrabbing. This mechanic was removed for Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS. Example of chaingrabbing.



19. Directional Influence (DI)
DI will alter your trajectory to help you survive better. After a strong attack it's recommended that players hold the direction perpendicular to the direction they have been shot. If the player's character has been short horizontally across the stage, the best response is to hold up. The logic is that holding up transfers some of the momentum of the blast vertically. Increasing the size of the arc and reducing the overall horizontal momentum. The same applies for vertical strikes where the best response is to add horizontal momentum to reduce vertical momentum. Example of DI.



20. Crouch Cancelling (CC)
Many players aren't aware that when character is hit while crouching; damage, percentage and knockback are reduced. At low percentages, knockback out of a crouch can be so short that recovery from the hit can complete faster than the animation from the opponent's attack. CCing is best to use against dash attacks. Protip: NEVER Crouch Cancel Peach's Down Smash.



21. Walljumping
Wall sliding against a wall, simply tiling the stick in the other direction will make your character wall jump.

Characters that are able to walljump:
-Captain Falcon
-Fox
-Falco
-Mario
-Pichu
-Samus
-Sheik
-Young Link

22. Meteor Cancelling
When you are sent downards, you can still come back by pressing Up-B after you got hit by a meteor attack. The higher percentage you have, the more difficult your meteor cancel will become. There is a distinct difference between a meteor smash and a spike. Spikes cannot be cancelled, the stun must be complete in order to perform a jump or Up-B.

23. Powershielding
Consists of shielding at the EXACT frame you get hit. When you perform it, it does a different sound than usual. If you powershield a projectile like Falco's laser, you shield will act like a reflector and reflect the move back at your opponent.
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And that should do it. All the important techniques that can be done in Melee and should be mastered if considering playing in high level tournament.