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We are getting an onslaught of new players with every new DLC, and a lot of returning players. Additionally, there is also a large amount of players who are having trouble seeing improvement, or that think they suck just because they lose a lot. This is a handy guide that is aimed at all of the above. For the true TL;DR type of person, the titles of each section should be a short version of the explanation that follows.
People who start playing a new game need to understand a few basic concepts. They will make perfect sense, and you'll think "this is very obvious", but somehow when we're playing our minds are too focused on the game and we push ourselves into training mode grinding without putting these concepts in your head. Because I'm a teacher at heart and in my profession, I will show you these concepts and hopefully it will help whoever needs it to get that boost in confidence and experience to advance.
You might not have heard it said the same way, but the truth is that every loss you take still makes you a better player. During the match you can see your mistakes. You can see how your opponent reacts. You get to see what works in what ways, what works in specific setups and what doesn't work. While during the match you might be upset that you are losing (and after the match you might feel like throwing your stick out the window), the truth is that your brain is processing everything that is happening (even if it's too late to react to it) and you will slowly begin to make adjustments. You'll learn the matchup mostly by losing. Losing is actually your best tool to see what you are doing wrong, what the opponent is doing right and what is keeping you from winning.
When players play a FT5 (first to 5 wins), FT7, FT10, FT25 or something even crazier, something magical happens. Both players have the ability to win, but also if they lose they get to try to adjust their gameplay, team composition, assist choices, neutral game etc. in order to overcome that last loss and come out the victor. You might not remember how the last match went exactly, but playing a long set and LOSING is the best way to see how to overcome the opponent. After all, if you win all you're thinking of is to keep the momentum but you tend to not want to change strategies because what you did worked. It's more of a learning experience when you lose, because you are forced to rethink your options, and since you did fall for certain setups you already know those setups exist and you get to come up with ways to get over them (Did he go for throw resets too often? Lows? Did he have a certain zoning pattern? Will pushblocking at certain points help?). When you win, you get the benefit of confirming what you already know. But when you win after a loss, you prove that you've learned, adjusted your gameplay and adapted. This is why it's beneficial to go long sets against someone as opposed to a single fight: win or lose, you know that you've learned something and become better.
There are only two things preventing you from winning: your opponent and you. The matchup itself is not as relevant as these two factors, so keeping a positive attitude about the match (both during and after) is the first step toward improvement. Losing a defeatist attitude is difficult but crucial, so the mere act of changing your perspective on a tough match will reduce stress and improve your performance.
This is seen usually as a time sink because you'll lose a lot, but see Concept #1. I'm not the best player in the world, but I make an effort to play as every character in the game. Many people think I might be trolling, but there's a method to the madness: by playing other characters I get to see specific weaknesses of certain characters in certain matchups. I can try the mirror matches and learn from my opponent. If they do something cool, I get a new toy. If they fall for something, I begin to think if the character has a weakness for that setup. If I play with a solo DLC character when it's first released, I'm testing the limits of the character against established teams. I might play something awkward like Parasoul (HP Napalm Shot)/Valentine (HK Bypass) when Valentine is usually a point character and Parasoul usually uses Napalm Pillar in order to test specific strengths. That team allows Parasoul to do some zoning, and Valentine gets a Napalm Shot to help her approach and keep her safe with the shot's explosion. Is it viable? Is it strong? Does Valentine really need an invincible assist? The answer to all these questions might be yes, but we would never know unless you tried.
Have trouble against Peacocks that only spam projectiles? Try to play as Peacock and use only projectiles to try to win. Slowly you'll see people get around your patterns and you'll see not only weaknesses in the patterns, but the true difficulty of the zoning playstyle. You have to control the space well enough and menacingly enough that the opponent moves in the directions you want them to move (or not move at all!). She benefits greatly from a lockdown assist but armored assists also help. When you try that out you'll see the weaknesses and strengths and you'll learn. But you would not know that unless you tried. You will never know the true difficulties of playing a character, or the true reasons for team/assist choices unless you try it yourself.
Yes indeed, that was Alanis Morissette back in 1995 schooling your ass.
If at all possible, record yourself playing other people. The quality does not matter, so even if you have to prop up your Nokia 521 against a book and fill out your internal memory (seriously, get a micro SD card), then do it. Get OBS if you have the PC version and record some videos. Then watch the match with fresh eyes, even waiting until the next day if possible. See what you did right, see if you happened to do something awesome or bad and you'll learn how or how to not recreate it. Seeing yourself play with fresh eyes is a great way to see where you can improve.
Don't be afraid to post your match in Youtube or stream your gameplay sessions. Doing so, you will not only have access to the match videos later, but you'll become a valuable resource yourself.
This part is mostly to those who go to tournaments and do not perform well. I've seen players from @Kit Ballard to @Negus Eyoel get bummed out. Hell, when I lost at EVO I was bummed out too. But much like @Kit Ballard found that apparently she has a really good knack for blackjack and won enough money to buy a PS4, find something else to do. When you go to big tournaments, consider that only a handful of people will win everything. Everyone else will watch finals because not only is it hype, but also because Concept #3 is a good one.
It doesn't have to be gambling (seriously, makes me nervous). But it's important to know that while losing in a big tournament sucks, you are not a loser. It's really hard to make that distinction because of the whole definition of the word loser, but in reality video games are designed to be fun. Being good at them is just an added bonus. Go have fun with all the other "losers" who are still having fun watching others play or trying weird stuff in casuals or making enough money to buy a kickass Zero Suit Samus figurine with your blackjack money (seriously @Kit Ballard teach me the ways).
If you're here in Skullheart we can conclude one of many things: you love Skullgirls, you love playing Skullgirls and/or you want to support Skullgirls. This is excellent. Join groups, show the game to others, ask for help. Oh, why the hell not... draw fanart, write fanfics, cosplay, write awful music in combo videos. I HAVE DONE ALL OF THESE, and I'm not completely ashamed. Do whatever! The important part is to surround yourself with positive attitudes and people with those attitudes have a better chance at winning. Obviously, Skullfanning it up isn't going to make your training better. But again, the whole point of this whole post is to change your mindset so that you do think and feel positive and relieve stress about your perceived lack of improvement. Keep a great attitude and work will not seem like work.
My great attitude comes from my wife's support. If she wasn't the literal pillar of support in my life, and wasn't so supportive of the community I would've quit this game. I'm sure @Swiftfox-Dash is glad his family was there the last two EVO's to support him too! Support from an online community is nice, but support from family and friends is best.
This is a tricky one to swallow. Even when you do know people around your skill level, it helps to occasionally play against some top ranked players. Yes, Alanis Morissette doles out some more knowledge. Instead of closing the window or turning off the game when the likes of @Duckator @WingZero @konkrete @winnie @keninblack or many more show up, bite the bullet and please remember Concept #1 and Concept #3. I've seen numerous Youtube videos that say "Here's a video of me getting my ass kicked by @dekillsage " or the like. But the truth is that not only is this resource matchup experience and all the wonderful benefits explained in Concept #1 but you also get an insight on how well you could do with more experience.
You might be happy that Duckator didn't get a perfect on you and you might even do a little dance at first. You might be able to beat Duckator's Valentine and you can celebrate after his Filia destroys you. But you're one step closer. Having a goal in reach keeps you motivated, and keeps you on your toes.
Along that same line, this needs to be said. Go to tournaments. Many times people don't enter because they think they will lose (or "know", as they've convinced themselves), but we've covered a few concepts that should help turn that mindset into one willing to learn from the experiences. Tournaments don't just happen and then everyone involved is sucked into the vacuum of space; they will be there for casuals. You will play people. Not online. The experience of playing someone offline is unlike anything experienced online, regardless of how great GGPO has the potential of being. You can find out if setups that work online don't work normally, or you might realize you can block Filia a little better, or that you can get around Peacock's zoning more consistently. You can also see firsthand if your strategies do work, and you can also make adjustments to whatever doesn't.
-o-o-o-o-
So, we've seen the current concepts that will help psyche you up and become a better player.
CONCEPT #1: EVEN WHEN YOU LOSE, YOU WIN
CONCEPT #2: TO KNOW A CHARACTER'S WEAKNESSES, PLAY THE CHARACTER
CONCEPT #3: SPECTATE, RECORD, PLAY BETTER
CONCEPT #4: SEPARATE LIFE AND GAME
CONCEPT #5: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORT
CONCEPT #6: DON'T BE AFRAID... PLAY WITH THE BIG GUNS
I will likely add more if I think of anything else, but I hope that this helps any of our players overcome their thoughts of being unable to get better. Mind you, this is all about mind games. This is to get into the proper mindset, but you'll need proper training as well. Check out our other resources at Skullheart and see what you can find!
People who start playing a new game need to understand a few basic concepts. They will make perfect sense, and you'll think "this is very obvious", but somehow when we're playing our minds are too focused on the game and we push ourselves into training mode grinding without putting these concepts in your head. Because I'm a teacher at heart and in my profession, I will show you these concepts and hopefully it will help whoever needs it to get that boost in confidence and experience to advance.
CONCEPT #1: EVEN WHEN YOU LOSE, YOU WIN
You might not have heard it said the same way, but the truth is that every loss you take still makes you a better player. During the match you can see your mistakes. You can see how your opponent reacts. You get to see what works in what ways, what works in specific setups and what doesn't work. While during the match you might be upset that you are losing (and after the match you might feel like throwing your stick out the window), the truth is that your brain is processing everything that is happening (even if it's too late to react to it) and you will slowly begin to make adjustments. You'll learn the matchup mostly by losing. Losing is actually your best tool to see what you are doing wrong, what the opponent is doing right and what is keeping you from winning.
When players play a FT5 (first to 5 wins), FT7, FT10, FT25 or something even crazier, something magical happens. Both players have the ability to win, but also if they lose they get to try to adjust their gameplay, team composition, assist choices, neutral game etc. in order to overcome that last loss and come out the victor. You might not remember how the last match went exactly, but playing a long set and LOSING is the best way to see how to overcome the opponent. After all, if you win all you're thinking of is to keep the momentum but you tend to not want to change strategies because what you did worked. It's more of a learning experience when you lose, because you are forced to rethink your options, and since you did fall for certain setups you already know those setups exist and you get to come up with ways to get over them (Did he go for throw resets too often? Lows? Did he have a certain zoning pattern? Will pushblocking at certain points help?). When you win, you get the benefit of confirming what you already know. But when you win after a loss, you prove that you've learned, adjusted your gameplay and adapted. This is why it's beneficial to go long sets against someone as opposed to a single fight: win or lose, you know that you've learned something and become better.
There are only two things preventing you from winning: your opponent and you. The matchup itself is not as relevant as these two factors, so keeping a positive attitude about the match (both during and after) is the first step toward improvement. Losing a defeatist attitude is difficult but crucial, so the mere act of changing your perspective on a tough match will reduce stress and improve your performance.
CONCEPT #2: TO KNOW A CHARACTER'S WEAKNESSES, PLAY THE CHARACTER
This is seen usually as a time sink because you'll lose a lot, but see Concept #1. I'm not the best player in the world, but I make an effort to play as every character in the game. Many people think I might be trolling, but there's a method to the madness: by playing other characters I get to see specific weaknesses of certain characters in certain matchups. I can try the mirror matches and learn from my opponent. If they do something cool, I get a new toy. If they fall for something, I begin to think if the character has a weakness for that setup. If I play with a solo DLC character when it's first released, I'm testing the limits of the character against established teams. I might play something awkward like Parasoul (HP Napalm Shot)/Valentine (HK Bypass) when Valentine is usually a point character and Parasoul usually uses Napalm Pillar in order to test specific strengths. That team allows Parasoul to do some zoning, and Valentine gets a Napalm Shot to help her approach and keep her safe with the shot's explosion. Is it viable? Is it strong? Does Valentine really need an invincible assist? The answer to all these questions might be yes, but we would never know unless you tried.
Have trouble against Peacocks that only spam projectiles? Try to play as Peacock and use only projectiles to try to win. Slowly you'll see people get around your patterns and you'll see not only weaknesses in the patterns, but the true difficulty of the zoning playstyle. You have to control the space well enough and menacingly enough that the opponent moves in the directions you want them to move (or not move at all!). She benefits greatly from a lockdown assist but armored assists also help. When you try that out you'll see the weaknesses and strengths and you'll learn. But you would not know that unless you tried. You will never know the true difficulties of playing a character, or the true reasons for team/assist choices unless you try it yourself.
CONCEPT #3: SPECTATE, RECORD, PLAY BETTER
Youtube, Twitch, Niconico, Hitbox... They all have one thing in common: they are all resources with immediate access to match videos. I am well aware that watching videos of gameplay isn't exactly the most fun (it's more fun to play, obviously). But watching videos of your characters or even other characters is 100% a learning experience (and since there is no stress, it can even be more enjoyable in a leisurely time). You get to see what the options for each player were and how each reacted. You get to see new tech you haven't seen before and your brain will start to make associations. Just like watching a teacher explain a complex math problem, you might get lost. But like a teacher breaking down the problem into easy chunks, you can pause, rewind and watch it again. Your fingers will start to twitch as you see the inputs and you might even be compelled to launch the game and try it out. Your mind might even start to race with new possibilities. You will jump online to try them, and you might still probably fail. But hey, Concept #1 states that when you lose, you learn. That, and this as well.
Yes indeed, that was Alanis Morissette back in 1995 schooling your ass.
If at all possible, record yourself playing other people. The quality does not matter, so even if you have to prop up your Nokia 521 against a book and fill out your internal memory (seriously, get a micro SD card), then do it. Get OBS if you have the PC version and record some videos. Then watch the match with fresh eyes, even waiting until the next day if possible. See what you did right, see if you happened to do something awesome or bad and you'll learn how or how to not recreate it. Seeing yourself play with fresh eyes is a great way to see where you can improve.
Don't be afraid to post your match in Youtube or stream your gameplay sessions. Doing so, you will not only have access to the match videos later, but you'll become a valuable resource yourself.
CONCEPT #4: SEPARATE LIFE AND GAME
This part is mostly to those who go to tournaments and do not perform well. I've seen players from @Kit Ballard to @Negus Eyoel get bummed out. Hell, when I lost at EVO I was bummed out too. But much like @Kit Ballard found that apparently she has a really good knack for blackjack and won enough money to buy a PS4, find something else to do. When you go to big tournaments, consider that only a handful of people will win everything. Everyone else will watch finals because not only is it hype, but also because Concept #3 is a good one.
It doesn't have to be gambling (seriously, makes me nervous). But it's important to know that while losing in a big tournament sucks, you are not a loser. It's really hard to make that distinction because of the whole definition of the word loser, but in reality video games are designed to be fun. Being good at them is just an added bonus. Go have fun with all the other "losers" who are still having fun watching others play or trying weird stuff in casuals or making enough money to buy a kickass Zero Suit Samus figurine with your blackjack money (seriously @Kit Ballard teach me the ways).
CONCEPT #5: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORT
If you're here in Skullheart we can conclude one of many things: you love Skullgirls, you love playing Skullgirls and/or you want to support Skullgirls. This is excellent. Join groups, show the game to others, ask for help. Oh, why the hell not... draw fanart, write fanfics, cosplay, write awful music in combo videos. I HAVE DONE ALL OF THESE, and I'm not completely ashamed. Do whatever! The important part is to surround yourself with positive attitudes and people with those attitudes have a better chance at winning. Obviously, Skullfanning it up isn't going to make your training better. But again, the whole point of this whole post is to change your mindset so that you do think and feel positive and relieve stress about your perceived lack of improvement. Keep a great attitude and work will not seem like work.
My great attitude comes from my wife's support. If she wasn't the literal pillar of support in my life, and wasn't so supportive of the community I would've quit this game. I'm sure @Swiftfox-Dash is glad his family was there the last two EVO's to support him too! Support from an online community is nice, but support from family and friends is best.
CONCEPT #6: DON'T BE AFRAID... PLAY WITH THE BIG GUNS
This is a tricky one to swallow. Even when you do know people around your skill level, it helps to occasionally play against some top ranked players. Yes, Alanis Morissette doles out some more knowledge. Instead of closing the window or turning off the game when the likes of @Duckator @WingZero @konkrete @winnie @keninblack or many more show up, bite the bullet and please remember Concept #1 and Concept #3. I've seen numerous Youtube videos that say "Here's a video of me getting my ass kicked by @dekillsage " or the like. But the truth is that not only is this resource matchup experience and all the wonderful benefits explained in Concept #1 but you also get an insight on how well you could do with more experience.
You might be happy that Duckator didn't get a perfect on you and you might even do a little dance at first. You might be able to beat Duckator's Valentine and you can celebrate after his Filia destroys you. But you're one step closer. Having a goal in reach keeps you motivated, and keeps you on your toes.
Along that same line, this needs to be said. Go to tournaments. Many times people don't enter because they think they will lose (or "know", as they've convinced themselves), but we've covered a few concepts that should help turn that mindset into one willing to learn from the experiences. Tournaments don't just happen and then everyone involved is sucked into the vacuum of space; they will be there for casuals. You will play people. Not online. The experience of playing someone offline is unlike anything experienced online, regardless of how great GGPO has the potential of being. You can find out if setups that work online don't work normally, or you might realize you can block Filia a little better, or that you can get around Peacock's zoning more consistently. You can also see firsthand if your strategies do work, and you can also make adjustments to whatever doesn't.
-o-o-o-o-
So, we've seen the current concepts that will help psyche you up and become a better player.
CONCEPT #1: EVEN WHEN YOU LOSE, YOU WIN
CONCEPT #2: TO KNOW A CHARACTER'S WEAKNESSES, PLAY THE CHARACTER
CONCEPT #3: SPECTATE, RECORD, PLAY BETTER
CONCEPT #4: SEPARATE LIFE AND GAME
CONCEPT #5: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORT
CONCEPT #6: DON'T BE AFRAID... PLAY WITH THE BIG GUNS
I will likely add more if I think of anything else, but I hope that this helps any of our players overcome their thoughts of being unable to get better. Mind you, this is all about mind games. This is to get into the proper mindset, but you'll need proper training as well. Check out our other resources at Skullheart and see what you can find!
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