Playing at tournament level in Smash Bros. Ultimate requires grit and determination. It’s a mechanically deep game with a high skill-ceiling, so you have to be pretty well-versed in its fundamentals before you enter the competitive scene. These tips and strategies will provide you with the intel you need to become a better player!
Starter Tips
It may be tempting to shoot for the moon and jump straight to learning Smash’s more advanced mechanics, but as with any learning new skill, it’s best to start with the basics. Getting to grips with the simpler aspects of the game will lay a solid foundation and you can worry about the finer details later.
25. Choose your Character!
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Picking your main is never easy, but it’s the first step towards finding your preferred playstyle.
From brawlers, to sword-wielders, to zoners, Smash Ultimate’s has a diverse roster of characters, all with varying movesets. Deciding on one to match your playstyle can be pretty overwhelming to begin with, as there are over 80 fighters to pick from. You might be tempted to choose a familiar character from a series that you love, although this isn’t always the best approach. It might be worth trying out someone simpler first, such as Mario, Lucina, or Bowser.
24. Picking a Controller
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With your main locked and loaded, your next decision lies with your choice of controller.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate gives you a wide range of options, from the Joy-Cons, to the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, to even the classic GameCube Controller. If you don’t value your sanity, you can even use a single Joy-Con on its side! We personally recommend the Pro Controller, although you can’t go wrong with the good old-fashioned GameCube controller (as long as you’re willing to shell out for an adapter!)
23. Setting up your Control Scheme
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Now that you’ve selected a controller, it’s time to tweak some of the settings!
The default loadout is serviceable, but there are a few changes we’d recommend making. For example, it’s probably a good idea to turn “Stick Jump” off, to reduce the risk of accidental jump inputs. Mapping the right stick to “Tilt Attack” instead of “Smash Attack” may also be a good idea, but of course this varies between characters.
22. Learn the ropes!
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With all of your preparations made, it’s time to enter the fray!
Don’t get too excited, though! Your first goal should just be to nail the basics and get used to the controls. This may seem tedious at first, but it’s a fundamental step in learning how to perform all those fancy combos later down the line. You have to walk before you run, right?
21. Get Moving!
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Moving around may seem like a rudimentary concept, but it hides a surprising amount of depth!
Depending on your input, characters can run at a range of speeds, from walking pace to dashing. For the majority of a match, dashing is the movement option you’ll use the most, so take the time to learn how to do it consistently. Additionally, there are some more complex techniques to learn such as dash-dancing and fox-trotting, but it’s best to leave these for when you have more experience under your belt.
20. Bring your A(ir)-Game!
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Smash is as much an aerial game as it is a grounded one, and understanding this is critical for success.
One of the main aspects of the air-game newcomers struggle with is recovering. Each character has a different way of making it back to the stage, so it’s important to learn how your main operates. Virtually all recovery moves are mapped to a character’s up-special, but some characters have other options, such as tether grabs and side-specials for horizontal distance. Keep practicing getting back to the ledge and you’ll eventually get the… hang of it!
19. Put your Shield up!
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The best offense is a good defense, right?
Your shield is activated by pressing the left or right trigger and is used to block attacks, or dodge by rolling to the side. As long as you’re holding down the button, it’ll stay up to protect you from all sides. While this seems great on the surface, there is unfortunately a catch. If it takes enough damage, your shield will break, leaving you in a dizzy, stunned state… or if you’re Jigglypuff, you just get sent straight to the stratosphere!
18. Grab every opportunity!
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Attacking your opponent’s shield may prove futile, but fear not!
The solution to your troubles is the grab, which allows you to bypass the foe’s defense, leaving them at your mercy. Once they’re in your grasp, you have a few options: you can pummel them to rack up some extra damage, or throw them in any direction you please. This is a fantastic combo tool and can be great for scoring KOs!
Advanced Techniques
Now that you’ve got the fundamentals sorted, it’s time to practice some trickier techniques! You may find these a little challenging to pull off, but practice makes perfect here. Once you get to grips with these skills, you’ll no doubt become a better player.
17. Short-hopping
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Short-hopping may be a hard maneuver to pull off at first, but it’s a useful tool for gaining more control over your character’s aerial movement.
It’s essentially what it says on the tin: a quicker, snappier jump, which makes using your aerials so much more convenient. For most characters, their airborne attacks are some of their safest options on-shield; being able to use them without the risks that come with jumping will make approaching considerably easier.
16. Edge-guarding
A staple technique since the dawn of the series, edge-guarding is the act of stopping the opponent from recovering safely to the stage. In this scenario, you have the clear upper hand and need to take advantage of the opponent’s limited recovery options. Whether you’re running off-stage to hit ‘em with a spike, or throwing projectiles like there’s no tomorrow, stop the foe from getting back at all costs!
15. Ledge-trapping
In a similar vein to Edge-guarding, the aim of Ledge-trapping is to prevent the opponent from getting back to the stage. The key difference is that Ledge-trapping describes the situation where you are on the stage and your opponent is hanging from the ledge. The foe can only use a limited range of moves here: a regular get-up, a get-up attack, a roll, or a jump. Your goal is to cover these options using any projectiles and disjointed hitboxes that you have at your disposal.
14. Directional Influence (“DI”)
So you’ve just been hit with a Ganondorf Forward-Smash and are now flying helplessly through the air. That’s it, right? Game over? Well, not necessarily. In reality, you can actually change your character’s trajectory by holding down the Control Stick in the opposite direction that you’ve been launched. The influence that you have is small, but it can be the difference between winning or losing a match.
13. Parrying
The parry, or “Perfect Shield” as it’s been dubbed by Sakurai, is performed by releasing your shield just as an opponent’s attack makes contact. This gives them more hit-lag, granting you an opportunity to strike with a counter-attack. Getting the timing right is difficult when you’re starting out, but it comes with practice!
12. Teching
Another defensive technique in Smash is the “tech”. This involves performing a shield input just before your character collides with a surface, whether it’s the ground, the wall or the underside of the stage. As with parrying, timing is paramount here, so you’ll need to practice this in order to get a feel for when to hit that shield button.
11. Angled Attacks
When the opponent is slightly above or below you, it may seem impossible to hit them with certain moves. However, by tilting the control stick upwards or downwards while your attack is charging, you’re actually able to slightly change its angle! Try this one out with Lucina’s Shield-Breaker and you’ll really feel the difference.
10. B-Reversals
Performing a B-reverse allows you to reverse your direction while performing a special attack in mid-air. This is done by inputting the opposite direction immediately after you use your special. It’s a handy skill to have in your arsenal, allowing you to quickly turn around in mid-air, shift your momentum and play some mind-games with the opposition!
Match Advice
So you’ve honed your skills to perfection and are now ready to take on the world. Here are some tips for how to apply what you’ve learned to your matches and thrive in the competitive scene!
9. Analyze Matchup Charts
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Every character has their strengths and weaknesses and it’s important to know your main’s!
Some fighters are naturally going to struggle more in certain marchups – a slow, melee-based slugger like Ganondorf, for example, will definitely have a hard time with a projectile-heavy foe like Young Link. This means that selecting the right character for the right opponent can give you a slight edge before the match even begins!
8. Mix things up!
Abusing cheap strategies may seem like a sure-fire way to win, but your opponent will quickly see through these. Instead, you need to make sure you constantly keep the foe on their toes, by using a variety of combos and approaches. Being less predictable makes you less vulnerable to attack.
7. Punish the opponent’s mistakes
What’s just as important as recognizing your own mistakes is seeing those of the opponent. As the match goes on, you should pick up on their habits, identify holes in their defense and use them to your full advantage.
6. Adapt to the match
When both players are trying to find weaknesses in one another, it creates a peculiar dynamic. One fighter will attempt to attack another’s weak spot, while the other will defend said weak spot by adapting to the flow of the match. This is the playstyle you need to use to ensure victory. If the opponent can’t handle your projectiles, keep using them! If they learn how to play around them, start getting up close and personal! A good Smash match sees both parties dynamically adjusting the way they play based on their opposition.
5. Don’t focus too much on your own character
Looking directly at your character is fine in moderation, but this limits one key thing: your view of the opponent! One of the most important aspects of a battle is knowing what the foe is doing at all times and that principle is no different in Smash. This might be a tough habit to break, but trust me: it’ll make it so much easier to react to the enemy.
4. Play Online
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has gained something of a notoriety for its… admittedly frustrating online play. Nevertheless, it’s still a decent way to practice in spite of its drawbacks. The main ranking system is Global Smash Power, or GSP, which increases the more you win. While this is a decent indication of your general skill level, don’t worry too much about it. Focus on improving the way you play, even if it means going on a losing streak and tanking your GSP.
3. Save Your Replays
When you lose a match, it’s easy to get all worked up and rage-quit on the spot. If you want to improve, however, the best thing to do upon losing is to save the replay of the match. This allows you to review the footage at a later stage and see what exactly it is that you’re doing wrong. Take notes on any specific flaws or trends you notice and try to apply what you’ve learned to your next session.
2. Watch Competitive Matches
If there’s anyone to learn from, why not the best? Seek out tournament footage and analyze what professional players are doing that makes them so tough. Find someone who uses your main and take notes of the combos and techniques they use, so you can incorporate them into your own gameplay.
1. Use Training Mode
Funnily enough, the best place to practice in Smash is, well… the game’s in-built practice mode. Training Mode offers a range of options, allowing you to fine-tune your movement, practice combos, and perfect your out-of-shield options. With features like visualized attack trajectories and slower speed settings, it’s a comprehensive environment to refine your gameplay and reach mastery in any area you find challenging. Whatever aspect you're struggling with, Training Mode is the ultimate space for improvement!
Hailing from the land of tea, crumpets and horrible weather, this British gamer has mastered the art of stomping Koopas, saving princesses, and defeating evil with nothing but a sword and shield.
