I need help.

[Ultimastrike]

I can't decide on a character to main, and I've even looked at SP's guide to choosing your main. It just is hard because I've been gone for at least a year from Smash and I'm not as good as I used to be. Anyone help?

 

[Reila]

It took me a long time, but I eventually figured out that the best way to decide on a main is to first understand yourself better and your preferences in general. What do you look for in a character? A fun playstyle? A character who is considered good in tier lists? A character who looks cool, cute, etc? A character that not a lot people play/like? Figure that out, then narrow down your options. After narrowing down your options, then you can apply further filters, until you get to the one character to main. That character might still not be the one for you, after all, understanding oneself takes quite some time and effort.

 

[Crystanium]

Mario and Diddy Kong are easy to pick up and a lot of fun. They're high on the tier list if you care. They play similarly as well, so if you don't care about one for whatever reason, try out the other. If you'd prefer to use a character who is a little more technical, try Zero Suit Samus. Just be aware that she's a glass cannon. Ike is also a fun character, but may rely on grabs. His f-air is excellent for spacing and zoning, and his b-air is probably his fastest aerial and excellent for KO'ing. I find his b-air satisfying.

Another fun Mario character is Bowser. He's faster than his previous incarnations, has strong kill moves, high durability. He just may be prone to being juggled, and his a rather large target. Characters with projectiles are pretty much safe, but from my experience, he is pretty damn fun. If you care more about the tier list, then perhaps Bowser isn't for you. He's ranked what I'd consider mid-tier, which isn't bad.

There are a lot of viable characters to choose from, so if rank isn't your concern, then what I'd suggest is trying out characters you find enjoyable to use. By that, I mean when you play the character and you feel like you're having fun, then go for it. Having fun can play a big role in terms of mental fortitude. All right, I might be bull****ting you on that, but I feel that it does help. Then break down your selection from there. Perhaps there's a character from one of your favorite series. Try that.

The important thing is to have fun with your character. Some people don't play as certain characters, even if they're top-tier, because they just find those characters boring. For me, it was an easy choice. Metroid is my favorite fiction of all fictions. So I decided to choose Samus. I'm trying to learn how to use Zamus, but sometimes if she's not working, I have to bring out the big guns, which can be ironic, since I perform so much better with a low-tier than a top-tier.

 

[Ultimastrike]

I always wondered why there was such an emphasis on tier lists a little since I've been doing my darnedest to stay away from them. Still, I've had no luck today as far as I know.

 

[HerbsnSpices910]

This is the guide I usually follow -

1. Choose a character or characters that you like aesthetically, or whose games/franchise you have thoroughly enjoyed.
2. Does this character feel right? Does the character's motion/reaction feel fluid as per your inputs? If not, repeat step 1.
3. Do you see improvement with the character over time? Has your win rate increased? If not, repeat step 1.
4. Do you still enjoy playing as the character after months of practise? If not, repeat step 1.
5. Congratulations! You have found your main

This might sound a bit gruelling, but as others have mentioned, choosing your main can take some time. I went through about 3 or 4 other characters before settling with Yoshi.

You'll get there though - don't be discouraged!

 

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https://smashboards.com/threads/the-mains-advice-thread.393398/