Name (aka Handle):

ScytherBlade

How old are you?:

18

Which characters do you play in SSF2? Why do you play these characters? (Note: do not list characters that are not currently in the game):



Link is an all time favorite

I am very experienced with Fox having used in very much in both Melee and Brawl. I like hos mobility and how easily he can chain attacks for devastating combos

IMO Marth is the best character in the whole game and a good Marth can match up with nearly anyone. He is mobile enough to safely move around the stage and can deal a lot of damage by landing only a few attacks (his side b for example). He has a decent recovery and does not have to many bad match ups (except ZSS)

How much experience do you have with official Smash titles? (SSB64, Melee, Brawl. Include in this answer which characters you play/played.):

When I was really young I played a lot of Smash 64, but seeing as I was like 6 it wasn't competitive just button mashing

I love melee and that is when I started to understand the more intricate details of the game. I learned more about competition, learned to master certain characters, learned many combos and even started looking at tier lists (Fox was a God)

Brawl is when I too smash seriously. I always stuck with Link do to him being my all time fav video game character, but I picked up Meta Knight and ZSS in order to compete in a few local tournaments.

Smash 4 is probably one of my favorite games right now, competed in a few tournaments and I seem to be better then ever at SSB in this game

Have you ever attended any Smash tournaments? If so, give some details about the tournament (number of participants, which games, etc). How well did you place?

I have attended a few at my old high school (every other Thursday there was a "gamers club", 15-30 participants depending on the week)

Attended a few other local tournaments.

Won three tournaments at gamers club, best finish in a local was top 16 losers

When did you start playing SSF2?

I jumped to SFF2 after discovering SFF1 a few years ago, I believe it was at demo 0.4. It was which ever demo preceded MegaMan entering the game iirc

What is your favorite stage in SSF2? Explain.

Battlefield. It is fairly neutral and allows for many characters to have a chance to shine.

Who, in your opinion, should be placed first on the SSF2 tier list? Under competitive settings why would this character perform on a higher level than all others?

As mentioned earlier, Marth. He does not have many bad matchups (DK and ZSS being the only ones that have big advantages over him imo) and he has a good matchup against Meta Knight, who is currently top in the tier list. If you can space correctly and use mobility to your advantage, then you can take on any character. He has great range, can rack up damage and has many KO moves at his disposal.

Who, in your opinion, should be placed last on the SSF2 tier list? Under competitive settings why would this character perform on a lower level than all others?

Chibi Robo. He can easily be juggled and upon entering the game seems to be heavily under powered. He does not have many KO moves and has trouble punishing opposing mistakes.

If you could make only one change to SSF2 as it currently is, what would it be and why?

Chibi Robo and Sora need to be reworked (I believe Sora will be for Beta). Neither of them have many good matchups and get dominated by top tier characters, except Chibi v MK. They both need to tweaked to adapt better to the game. Jigglypuff could also use minor buffs but nothing to serious needs to be done for puff

What is your view on items in competitive play?

I believe they are unfair. Certain items can have major effects on the game without anything required from the one using the item. Some Assist Trophys and Pokeballs can cause serious damage/KO a player and change a match entirely. They spawn randomly and that may allow one player a huge advantage to getting to the item first and possibly taking over the game.

Do you have or can you download Skype? You don't need a mic or webcam.

Yes

Why do you want to join the Smash Flash Back Room? What will you contribute? Why are you an exceptional applicant? Be as detailed as possible.

The best way to grow as a player would be able to associate myself with and learn from the best. In the backroom I will be able to join a group of top players and add my own input. I believe I can bring a new viewpoint to the backroom, as does everyone who joins. We all have different mains and different levels of experience with Smash in general and the more knowledgeable people the better for everyone.

Additional information (Include in this section anything relevant to your application. This could include links to videos of yourself playing.)

Use the following stagelist for your questions:

Neutral
Battlefield
Final Destination/3DS (can be struck with one strike)
Smashville
Pokemon Stadium 3
Yoshi's Story

Counterpick
Jungle Hijinx
Castle Siege
Dreamland
Dracula's Castle
WarioWare
Sky Sanctuary Zone
Tower of Salvation



1. You're playing Marth in tournament, playing against a player who you know only plays Sheik. How do you think you will strike stages, assuming you strike first, and what stage do you think you'll end up playing on in the first game?

2. You win your first game on Smashville (note that this is not in any way my estimation of where you'll end up, so don't use it to answer the first question). What are you going to ban? What do you think your opponent will counterpick based on your bans?

3. Analyze the Marth v Sheik matchup in detail, exploring and analyzing the neutral game, punish game, offstage game, etc. Conclude your analysis with a matchup ratio characterizing the advantage or disadvantage that the characters experience. For example, a ratio of 90-10 would mean Sheik has an incredible disadvantage, while 40-60 would mean that Sheik has an appreciable but small advantage.

As always, be detailed in all your answers.

1. My first strike would be Final D. The lack of a platforms hurts Marth in this case as he can be abused by Shieks needles, and does not have many tools to deal with it outside of his shield and hugging the edge. As long as Sheik can space themselves from Marth they have an advantage. Shiek would most likely ban Yoshi's story first, as the placement of the ledge allows Marth safer recoveries and forces Sheik to the edge of the stage in order to Needle spam him as he tries to get to the ledge. She also bans Battlefield. This is due to Marth's strength when he attacks from beneath a platform. Marth can Up-B then Up-Tilt /Up-Smash whenever Sheik is caught above him and Shiek does not have many tools to deal with this. I would ban Smashville due to the still mostly flat nature of the stage, and we would end up on Pokemon Stadium.

2. I would ban Draculas Castle and Dreamland. Those two stages allow Sheik to space herself safely from Marth, and the flat portion of the stage allows Sheik to abuse Marth on his recoveries. Sheik then chooses WarioWare.

3. The Neutral game is about even and is all about spacing. Marth wants to be as close to Sheik as possible at all times. Marth can suffocate Sheik and as log as he can keep the presure can shut her down. Sheik will want to space herself out. Sheik out ranges Marth, and that is her best tool. If she can avoid Marth and force him to chase then punish.

The Punish game is interesting. Marth will try to capitalize on Sheiks mistakes. A bad Up-B can leave Sheik extremely vulnerable.

Sheik has the advantage offstage and for recoveries though. Marth has a hard time finding the ledge as Needles will kill his momentum ruining his Up-B, and can easily get back to the stage herself leaving Marth with nothing to do.

In the air the advantage goes to Marth. He can use his counter while falling to punish Sheik's physical attacks, and if Sheik gets caught above him he can Up-B her into the air. On stages like Battlefield or Sky Sanctuary with a high top platform, Marth can safely land then continue to juggle Sheik. Sheik will be forced to DI in the right direction or Up-B to safety.

Overall both characters have their own strength in the matchup. Marth wants to stay close to Sheik, and keep Sheik above him in order to juggle her and rack up damage. Sheik will want to space herself from Marth and use her Needle to punish him. Marth will have a hard time recovering on flat stages as the needles kill his recoveries. Overall the Matchup is 55-45 in Sheiks favor.

Use the stagelist that Code helpfully provided for the next set of questions (aka this post):

1.) Imagine you are in a tourney again. You decided to go Link only because he is your all time favourite. In one round, you meet someone who you know that he will only go Marth. Which stages would you strike and what stages would your opponent strike for Game 1 and why?

2.) What do you think is Links best/worst stage in the Marth MU? Why?

3.) Discuss the Link/Marth MU from both sides. Explain neutral game, aprroaches, punishes, combo game, offstage game etc. Conclude with a ratio in the same system as before; meaning that a 85/15 ratio would result that Link has a huge advantage and a 45/55 having Marth a small advantage.

As usual, be detailed in your responses.

1. My goal would be the end up on a flat stage. Links main tools are his arrow and boomerang (B and Side-B). If you can keep you opponent on the same level as you then these tools are more effective then ever. I first stroke BF, this is not only due to the three platforms, but because of the fact that at high enough % Marth can juggle you by jumping from platform to platform if he can predict which direction you will DI. He will strike FD/3DS because of no platforms, and PS2 as the stationary platforms are not as effective as the moving one on smashville for him to juggle or play his offstage game while in the air. I ban Yoshis Story as the small ramp into the ledge will make his recoveries easier and make it harder for me to use my arrows to edge guard and renders the boomerang near useless while trying to punish the ledge from distance. We play on Smashville.

2. Before I answer, is this only the Neutrals or including the counterpicks?

3. The matchup favors Marth. Link can not match Marth blow for blow, and has to stay far away to be effective. Marth can use platforms or other terrain to catch Link and force him to fight up close suffocating Link. Marth can dodge Links projectiles, and up close can use Counter to parry Links attacks. The main problem with Link is that he can only really fight what is right in front of him. Against a character like Marth that can out-maneuver him and outdamage him up close he will have a hard time. 70-30 Marth

Question No. 2 is for any legal stage. This involves Starters and Counterpicks

The best pick for Link is Final D. He can space himself from Marth, and Marth is forced to play at the same level as Link. If Link can use his Arrow to distance, and his boomerangs to successfully approach it will be hard for Marth to get in on him. If Marth gets hit by the backend of the boomerang it give Link and opportunity to safely bring Marth close, punish, then dash away and use projectiles to keep distance. The lack of platforms hurts Marths approach as he will be forced to perfectly time jumps and dodges to stay away.

The worst for Link is Sky Sanctuary. The long platforms serve two purposes for Marth. First, it allows him to stay above Link, and if Link wants to approach he has to come to Marth, where Marth is in favor. Also, if Marth catches himself beneath Link, then he can use his Up-Smash/Up-B to knock Link into the air. Even if Link is able to DI away, the length of the platforms allow Marth to continue his juggle at nearly every angle. Links best chance is to DI off the stage then recover to the ledge. If Link is on the ledge then Marth can either catch him and edgeguard or wait for Link to come up then hit him with either and F-Smash or Side-B.

Sorry for the double post but is my application still being reviewed?

Yes, your application is being reviewed. We won't forget you!

So its been over a month...

You have been accepted into the BR! However, in order to grant you access to the subforum we require a more privileged user to add you. This request has already been sent, but I'll try again since it must have been lost in their clutter.

I apologize for not informing you earlier, I didn't feel like it would have been necessary if you had gotten the access sooner like I intended.

Thank-you!

I was just wondering but its fine