Out of shield: Difference between revisions

6,849 bytes added ,  4 years ago
Added a lot of detail.
No edit summary
(Added a lot of detail.)
Line 9: Line 9:


==Differences between games==
==Differences between games==
Between the different games in the ''Smash Bros.'' series, the amount of [[shieldstun]] has varied. As shieldstun disables a player's ability to use any of their out of shield options, the more shieldstun a game has, the more difficult it becomes to get out of shield. It is easiest to OoS in ''Brawl'' both because the amount of shieldstun is lower than in the other games, and because it takes only 7 frames for a player to drop a shield, making it viable for a player to drop their shield and then use any move. Conversely, it is the hardest to use OoS techniques in ''Smash 64'' because of its high shieldstun.
Between the different games in the ''Smash Bros.'' series, the amount of [[shieldstun]] has varied. As shieldstun disables a player's ability to use any of their out of shield options, the more shieldstun a game has, the more difficult it becomes to get out of shield. It is easiest to OoS in ''Brawl'' both because the amount of shieldstun is lower than in the other games, and because it takes only 7 frames for a player to drop a shield, making it viable for a player to drop their shield and then use any move. Conversely, it is the hardest to use OoS techniques in ''Smash 64'' because of its high shieldstun. An example of this is that if a move deals 15%, it will have 28 frames of shieldstun in ''Smash 64'' but in ''Brawl'', it will only have 5 frames of shieldstun.  


The amount of time it takes to drop shield without any shieldstun also varies between games. It takes 7 frames to drop shield in ''Smash 64'', ''Brawl'', and ''Smash 4'', 11 frames to drop shield in ''Ultimate'', and 15 frames in ''Melee''. One exception with this however is with [[Yoshi]] prior to ''Smash 4''. His shield drop is 15 frames long in ''Smash 64'' and 16 frames long in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl''.
The amount of time it takes to drop shield without any shieldstun also varies between games. It takes 7 frames to drop shield in ''Smash 64'', ''Brawl'', and ''Smash 4'', 11 frames to drop shield in ''Ultimate'', and 15 frames in ''Melee''. One exception with this however is with [[Yoshi]] prior to ''Smash 4''. His shield drop is 15 frames long in ''Smash 64'' and 16 frames long in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl''.
Line 18: Line 18:


''Ultimate'' also allows players to use their up smash or up special out of shield without dropping shield or inputting a jump first. This particularly benefits up smashes as they can now be performed on the first possible frame rather than the second possible frame. Additionally in ''Ultimate'', if a player drops shield within 5 frames of an attack, the player performs a [[perfect shield]], which can allow for harder punishes.
''Ultimate'' also allows players to use their up smash or up special out of shield without dropping shield or inputting a jump first. This particularly benefits up smashes as they can now be performed on the first possible frame rather than the second possible frame. Additionally in ''Ultimate'', if a player drops shield within 5 frames of an attack, the player performs a [[perfect shield]], which can allow for harder punishes.
==Technical details==
Understanding what the best OoS option to use is requires extensive knowledge of frame data. The player first needs to understand what their fastest options are and how useful they are. The faster a move is, the more moves it can punish. The usefulness of the option depends on its range, strength and reliability. For example, while {{SSBM|Zelda}}'s up smash in ''Melee'' is a frame 6 OoS option (her fastest option by a large margin), it is rather useless due to its abysmal range and reliability; with the move failing to hit multiple characters and even if it does, the opponent can easily escape the move. {{SSBM|Bowser}}'s [[Whirling Fortress]] in ''Melee'' is also a frame 6 OoS option but it is much more useful due to its greater range, ability to KO, its intangibility frames during its startup (which allows him to plow through moves, even if the move is not a guaranteed punish) and the fact that Bowser can move around while using it.
Knowing how fast an option is depends on what kind of option it is. An up special or an up smash simply requires knowing the normal startup frames of the move (in addition to an extra frame prior to ''Ultimate'' for up smashes and up specials prior to ''Brawl''). An aerial requires the jumpsquat frames as well as the startup of the aerial. In ''Ultimate'', all jumpsquats are 3 frames so for every character, the speed of an aerial OoS is 3 + the aerial's startup frames. Jumpsquat lengths in the earlier games however depend on the character, so the player has to memorise their character's jumpsquat frames to make the most out of punishing OoS. A shield drop simply requires the player to add the length of the shield drop (which is 7, 11 or 15 frames depending on the game) to the startup lag of the move. For shields grabs, the player needs to know the startup frames of the grab and in ''Ultimate'', the players needs to additionally add an extra 4 frames onto the startup.
The second important thing needed to understand the best OoS option to use is knowing the frame advantage the opponent's attack has on shield. Frame advantage in this case is the difference (in frames) between when the attacker can perform an option and when the shielding opponent can perform an OoS option. Shield advantage is determined by how much shieldstun the move causes and how much ending lag the move has. If a move has high shieldstun and low ending lag, it will grant a greater frame advantage than a move with lower shieldstun and higher ending lag. If the attacker can act the same frame that the opponent can drop shield or perform an out of shield option, the attack is neutral (or +/-0 frames) on shield. If the shielding opponent can act before the attacker, the move grants frame disadvantage (or - frames) on shield. If the attacker can act before the shielding opponent, the move will grant frame advantage (or + frames) on shield.
Most attacks in the ''Smash Bros.'' series (at least after ''Smash 64''), grant a frame disadvantage on shield. Moves with a greater frame disadvantage on shield can be punished by a wider arrange of OoS options. For example, if [[Mario]] is shielding and he is hit by an attack which is only -4 on shield, his only guaranteed punish is his [[Super Jump Punch]] (as well as [[Mario Tornado]] in ''Smash 64''), as the opponent can shield any other attack he has or they can use a defensive option (such as roll, spotdodge, or an attack with intangibility, invincibility or super armor if the character possesses an attack with one of those properties) to avoid his grab. If a move is -30 however, Mario has enough time to drop his shield and hit his opponent with a forward smash (or almost any other attack he has). The shielding opponent should always go for the strongest punish they can. Using Mario shielding a -30 attack as an example again, while Mario can Super Jump Punch, he shouldn't use it as it will not KO the opponent. If Mario uses a forward smash, it will KO the opponent if their percent is high enough. As a result, Mario should opt to use to forward smash as it will grant him a greater reward. He should only use Super Jump Punch for less punishable moves when it is either his only option or if he has no other more effective practical option.
If an attack cannot be punished out of shield, it is considered to be "safe on shield". If an attack is safe, the attacking opponent can either shield, use a defensive option or use an attack to shield, avoid or even beat any of the shielding opponent's OoS options. Whether a move is safe or not can be character dependent as some characters can punish OoS earlier than others. When a move is universally safe however in all games is when an attack is -2 (so the attacker can only act 2 frames earlier than the shielding opponent) on shield or less. In this case, the shielding opponent should either keep shielding or perform a defensive option. While the shielding opponent can still use an OoS option, it is riskier as it is not guaranteed to hit the attacker (who can then potentially punish the failed OoS option). If a move grants frame advantage (+ frames) on shield, the attacker can act before the shielding opponent can. If the attacker throws out an attack before the shielding opponent can act, it will hit their shield before they can use any of their OoS options. In the most extreme cases, this can lead into a [[shield break combo]].
When frame data resources state the frame advantage a move has on shield, it makes certain assumptions. For grounded moves, they assume that the move is landed on the first possible frame. For aerials, they assume that you land the frame after landing the move (''Smash 64'' and ''Melee'' resources will also take [[L-cancel]]ling into account in this situation). Because of this, an attack may be safer or less safe than what is commonly stated within an actual match. As a result, a move can sometimes be punished, even if it should be safe in theory. Additionally, an unsafe move can go unpunished if the shielding opponent mistimes their OoS option (which is especially easy to do in earlier ''Smash'' title) or if the attack is landed during its later active frames, giving the shielding opponent less time to punish.
This concept is not exclusive to the ''Smash Bros.'' series as it also applies to any other traditional fighting game. The main difference between ''Smash Bros.'' and other fighting games however is that in other fighting games, the player has access to their entire moveset immediately after blocking while in ''Smash'', the player has restrictions on what they can do due to how shields work (except after [[perfect shield]]ing).


==Examples of OoS moves==
==Examples of OoS moves==
6,610

edits