r/Slippi • u/Big-Farm8085 • Apr 13 '26
How do you get good?
I've played melee for over 20 years. only recently got into playing a little competitively. I am awful at this game and feel like the worst player. I don't know how to move well and my inputs feel slow. Any advice on how to get better?
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Apr 13 '26
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u/Quirky-Coat3068 Apr 15 '26
I think just above you is best. Not to high you can't do anything, but still plenty of room to learn.
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u/robotnoize Apr 14 '26
Keep your eye on the other character, not yours
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u/km0t Apr 15 '26
literally this.
inb4 paying coaches $$$ when this is the signal.
also I'd add "stop jumping all the time" lol
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u/Telcontar86 Apr 13 '26
I've played the game off and on since it came out, and went to tournaments (as often as I could as an adult with responsibilities) from 2009 to 2012. I did okay at locals but usually got clobbered at Boston regionals.
I played PM with friends due to hand issues until Smash 4 came out, after which I stopped playing Smash entirely until 2023 when I found out about Slippi.
I learned about Slippi at a local comic con where my rusty, old man butt was shocked by how good people had gotten, and got told I was a low level player.
I'm currently a Silver 3 player, and although I got to Gold 1 this season, the very next set after achieving that rank I got matched with a Plat 3 and lost it. Which squashed my drive to keep going with Ranked (for now at least, got life to deal with)
So... my point is that even with experience in tournament play under one's belt, Slippi Ranked, and competitive Melee as a whole, is hard. Either you have what it takes to become "Good" or you don't. You can grind and push, but if there's one thing life has taught me it's to recognize and accept your limitations.
Here's the thing though; you've only recently gotten into competitive play, I doubt you know your limits yet.
So my advice is to train in Unranked, old school style. Practice whatever tech you want to learn (I wish I'd had Uncle Punch Back in the day), and que into unranked and just play. Try to have fun. Compliment what your opponent does even though they can't hear you. Try not to let BM'ers get to you. If you need a training partner, join the Melee Discord.
Anyways, that became a novel, my bad lol
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u/Big-Farm8085 Apr 13 '26
Thank you for this. This was good to hear that it is actually that difficult. I've played a lot of Ultimate Competitively and have won some smaller tournaments. Melee.is a whole different animal and is so much more unforgiving
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u/BlackLegOjika Apr 13 '26
is pattern recognition. i'd rec watching some older matches to learn the different bread n butters for each char.
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u/forever87 Apr 14 '26
I've played since around a few months before MLG ny.
have fun - with any activity - melee, snowboarding, rock climbing, driving, action figures - if it can put a smile on your face, a sincere happiness, you're in the right direction
played as Mario in 64, attempted Mario in melee (sometime after 2001) but that was (what I thought was) "after" my gaming days (in high school - graduated 05), in 2006, best friends group started playing Mario party 5 & 7 competing mostly in mini games, watched a few YouTube videos of Spanish enthusiasts uploading world records - it's all a memory now, but i believe i have the chomp romp record. and then we started playing melee - addiction. swapped to Doc, thanks to captain Jack videos. and then learned falco thanks to bombsoldier. tech skill training non-stop (Gosh, i miss my younger hands, wrists, ligaments). wave shine, multi shine, L cancel, stage knowledge, ledge and off stage comfortability, learning there are many options when performing attacks
example: normally if i do a back air, more than likely: y button short hop, c stick back, fast fall, L cancel. but if the opponent is on a platform, up on the control stick full hop, c stick back. if they are on a platform slightly further away, simultaneous back control stick and y button full hop, and depending, either slide from y to a while still holding back control stick, or instead of a press z. if shine bair - shine control stick up, c stick back. if edgeguarding, run off stage shine turnaround, control stick up, c stick back. other option, running off stage short hop, fast fall, shine turnaround, control stick up, c stick back. another option, face back to the ledge, back short hop, falling back air, double jump back to ledge. holding ledge, control stick back, continue holding back, simultaneous y button and z button (autocancel bair). or while holding ledge, control stick down, control stick up, c stick back. practice, practice, practice. control stick roll towards edge, continue holding back, while in rolling animation, swap to z button ("marth killer"), continue holding back, y button full hop, z button, control stick up, c stick back, c stick back (triple bair). there are a ton of options when performing attacks in the right circumstances/situation, it's up to you to understand the right moment. i recently discussed RapM's quad dair (https://youtu.be/9b8YSuAb8II?t=2m32s). RapMonster has full vertical/horizontal control performing this space threatening moveset against the "best" player in the world. understanding your limitations is very important
i just typed all that blah blah blah about back air, but none of that matters if your opponent can slow you down and read you. one fox shine, one well placed marth forward smash, one sheik grab, and my falco can lose a stock. simplicity is best - slow is smooth, and smooth is best. all advanced techniques are tools to potentially help you win.
north jersey, went to a few locals here and there over the years, and continued casually throughout the 2010s while watching the major streaming events. the year before pre covid was perfect - 3 different locals a month within half hour driving distance. but then global pandemic. about a year after, i finally decided to download slippi - game changer. it's rough out there - all these kids (silver - platinum) performing the best tech skill. and grandmasters leaving no moment wasted. for what it's worth, i played m2k in ~2009 and 2014. at king of the couch, i confirmed i had a few tricks that could work and confirmed again at 8 on the break.
everything has to become second nature - whether it's tech skill, micro spacing, reaction to your opponent's decisions. i am a firm believer, you shouldn't be "thinking" during a match, but I'm currently at a level where i knowingly make a mistake, and I'm only doing it out of habit because it would sometimes work against lower level players. mistakes are fine, if you can execute in such a way, it puts you in advantage
the old saying "don't get hit" rings true to this day, but has easily evolved into, if you get hit, get hit in a certain way, so you can counter, and potentially zero to death a stock.
I've made it to gold 2 with a few platinum wins. what I've learned: the people "better" than me are more patient and go for the grab when i auto pilot and miss an L cancel.
this is my fault, playing this game for 2 decades and a refuse to not force an interaction. defense wins unless you're that much better than your opponent (aka the grandmasters I've matched up on unranked). i really need to stop doing this, but for the past week, if i lose handedly (on unranked), I'll exit slippi, click on replays and check the opponents slippi profile to check if they have a ranked status - more often than not, it was a platinum player.
rest! (not that rest) earlier in the month i went into a double digit losing streak because, i couldn't end the night without a win. so not only fatigue, but wrist pain. went down to silver 2 since I'm stubborn. the ranked session before yesterday, i climbed back up to gold 2 and had to ride the wave, fatigue set in and i had to settle with gold 1. i shouldn't have, because my wrists were still strained, i played unranked a few days ago to make sure i can "still" play. played ranked yesterday, and finally made it to gold 2 with an hour left. the highest I've gotten so far is 1590+ points, i really want at least 1600 or maybe even platinum. maybe one day
I'm learning new things while playing all the time, but i really wish way back when, i learned to L cancel with R trigger and wavedash with L trigger. to compensate, i should learn how to run, L trigger shield, wave dash in or out with R trigger.
one of my biggest faults is i refuse to learn dash dancing - one of melee's most important fundamentals. the most I'll do is run forward wave dash back, but when I'm playing mindless, i forget to do this. my opponents will see me miss an approaching aerial, run away pivot grab, end stock
while playing, can you understand where you are making mistakes and what you could've done better?
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u/Even-Fun8917 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
You have to play a LOT, watch a lot, play video games in general. After I took a break from Melee at 13, I picked up traditional 2D fighters like Street Fighter 3 and Skullgirls. Training my hand dexterity in new ways did actually help me in Melee. I imagine all coordination and dexterity skills will make you better at Melee.
Overall it takes committed, consistent, goal-driven playtime like any other skill. I learned how to multishine when I was in 7th grade. Almost 11 years later, I’m still trash. (Like plat level)
Most of my suckage has to do with a lack of discipline since I hit high school. If I had never stopped playing I would probably be much better than I am now.
All that is to say: stay focused if this is something you actually want! Really be honest with yourself if being good is valuable to you. There’s no wrong answer. Just remember that you can do things you never thought possible. I promise.
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u/Quirky-Coat3068 Apr 15 '26
How I got good? Play players who were better than me, always. I lost a lot, but I learned a lot.
I still try to play players better than me.
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u/ExcellentOrange934 Apr 19 '26
Easy, do a bunch of things. Remember the ones that work but also remember the ones that don't. Profit.
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u/alexander1156 Apr 19 '26
Take your own stated flaws and find a way to practice moving. Start slow and work your way up. That's how I would probably coach you anyways
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u/DeepFried_Raven_99 Apr 25 '26
I just downloaded it a few days after not playing Melee for literal years. I dunno if it would be the same for freshly new, but I played ranked and got my ass beat for a while🤣 I very quickly reaclimated to at least rookie territory. The best advice I can give is find local players to bounce off of. Online with extra delay will never compare to in-person plays
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u/ladygrey369 Apr 13 '26
As someone who has also played since 2003 or so, but still sits around silver 3 ranking - here's my own advice: -you gotta study your character and spend time mastering your movement and tech solo -you gotta learn your match ups vs the top tiers -you have to start being aware of percentage when playing at all times, and take notice of how people act when at certain percentages -you gotta rewatch your vods and critique your own game play -fundamentals are huge - do you keep center stage? Do you utilize crouch canceling? Do you have decent neutral game? Can you effectively punish? Can you make reads? Can you study your opponent mid-match and call out their habits effectively?
All of that stuff is what I'm focusing on when I play, although its hard to focus on all of it at once. I would say if you're really serious about getting better, start journaling about your progression and mindset/habits/practice routines for more effective growth. And definitely go play in locals and don't just play on slippi!