Smash Bros 4 has been out for quite a long time now and with the recent closing of the biggest Smash Bros tournament in history, frostbite 2018, I decided to analyze some of the matches. As such, I only will do select ones, please forgive me if you don't see a match you found interesting touched on as every match this tournament was thrilling and I do ask you watch them if you haven't already.
A certain match caught my eye as I was scrolling through the rounds. It was Morpheus against Sinji, Megaman against Pacman. The two most technical characters in the game, I decided not only to analyze the fight but also talk about the two of them as well.
Technical play is a term in smash used to describe characters that need a very high amount of skill and coordination to use correctly. As such, they tend to receive very low amount of play but when someone does show up with one of these characters, it's amazing to see how they play. Everything seems to happen so fast it's as if a robot is playing the game.
In the case of Pacman, his play revolves around positioning his hydrant and uses his fruit to his advantage. When charging, Pacman can cancel with a dodge or shield and press B again to throw the fruit, however as the fruit are classified as items they are not technically in Pacman’s hand. Basically, this means that Pacman cannot Z drop them or chooses a direction to throw them in, this is where the technical play comes in. Galaga, Bell, and melon are the “easiest” “fruit” to grab after you throw them due to them being relatively slow or easy to... grab. The key however is what matters the most, being the strongest and fastest fruit it can be hard to grab it. However, by throwing the key at the stage and grabbing it as it rebounds off it you can, and when Pacman holds a key, “ he becomes a top tier character” says Rubber, the best Dedede main on amino and former pac-main. The hydrant compliments the key as creating an impenetrable wall by z dropping it onto the hydrant. I could go on but I'd rather go onto Megaman.
Megaman revolves around the ability to, “use your lemons”, while running, walking, and jumping to space your opponent. When not doing so, Megaman typically uses metal blade, his neutral B, to throw onto the ground and grab it in his hand. Doing so allows for many set ups such as z drop to up tilt, which if done on a shield breaks it, or simply throws it and combos off of it with whatever move is necessary. With almost every move of his being a projectile, it takes very safe gameplay in order to win a match.
The match itself is very interesting, with mega man having an advantage due to him being able to attack and not wait for his item to be “in his hand” like Pacman does. However, Pacman does take a lead due to the hydrant clashing with metal blade and sealing the stock. Due to the overall campy playstyle of the characters, the timer eventually runs out as Pacman snags the first stock and the first game. However, the games to follow is a rollercoaster ride. Megaman takes the second game through a strong lead via a spike, and the third game is a game changer. As Megaman gimps Pacman's recovery and leaves it unable to help him back on stage, it does not seem to good for Pacman. However, after a quick bell kill and an even quicker 0-68% combo he takes the game and the set.
Overall, I'd say Pacman wins the match-up against Megaman due to Pac forcing Megaman to approach often and him posing a bigger threat with his items. Though Megaman may be the better character due to him not being taken advantage of when attempting to set up, Pacman wins the battle of the technical warriors.
Article written by Ashkid848