Smash Bros. Ultimate was rocked by its own breakwater moment

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fans have become obsessed with ranking the game’s extensive crossover cast of video game characters. Leaderboards are constantly changing to reflect changes to the game’s meta caused by balance updates released by Nintendo, but also players finding new techniques. That smashed The community recently discovered a new technique that has the potential to drastically change the game’s meta: the slingshot.

Nintendo has released its latest character balance patch for Ultimate last December and finished the game’s run with the regular updates that helped keep the competitive scene dynamic and responsive to issues with certain characters. But that hasn’t stopped players from discovering new techniques of their own, discoveries that are constantly changing the game’s meta – a term used to describe the best techniques used by top players in a competitive game . The latest to rewrite how people approach games is the slingshot.

On the surface, the slingshot is a simple mechanic. to hurl smashed Players push the analog stick all the way left or right to sprint, then down-back or up-back in the opposite direction. Then players usually use a jump. This can be used to quickly slide across the ground and can be followed by an attack or other movement options.

For example, players can attack while also quickly moving backwards while still looking ahead, making it safer to use certain moves against an opponent. This technique gives players more movement options and an extra layer of complexity that reminds them of rushing in a wave Super Smash Bros. Melee, something that clearly set top players apart from the rest. earlier the Ultimate According to the player who discovered the slingshot and coined the term, the community only knew about these mechanics at a very basic level and didn’t realize how much depth and complexity there was if you pursued them further.

This player is GimR, President and Co-Founder of VG BootCamp, the largest source for Twitch streaming and YouTube uploads of competitions smash bros tournaments. He revealed the technique to the public in a YouTube video from May 6thbut not without some preamble hype in the form of a Teaser trailer from April 24th and a video from May 3rd with contextless reactions from professional players to the new technology. GimR said he found the technique by accident while messing around in the game’s training mode. “It was all kind of right there, but it wasn’t obvious,” GimR said in its May 6 video.

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“I really think this can change the meta,” GimR continued. “But Ultimate Players, you must be willing to have patience with something that you cannot implement into your game in one sitting. It’s not a 1:1 comparison, but it took time melee It took players quite a while to be able to wave consistently, and they rolled their shots until they got it right.

But is GimR right about how much this could change the way top players compete? Professional players and fans have been playing around with the technique, uploading their findings and thoughts to YouTube and other social media platforms. GimR itself has commented on compilations of slingshot combos and responded to the opinions of professional players on this technique, such as: B. ESAM, the world’s best Ultimate player the Pokemon Character Pikachu.

In the initial of ESAM Video from May 11th Of Pikachu Fling, he said the new mechanic is only “relatively useful” for Pikachu and pointed to new tricks, like a new, quick way to throw electric projectiles called Thunder Jolts while quickly backing away from your opponent. GimR uploaded one answer video four days later that showed more Pikachu techniques and in an answer to this answer, ESAM admitted that he missed or underestimated certain Pikachu slingshot moves. A slingshot technique from GimR that allows Pikachu to quickly avoid and punish a really fast move, like Squirtle Shield and then quickly charge forward, particularly impressed ESAM.

Above all, the slingshot mechanism convinced the world’s best Ultimate Player, MKLeo to pick these up persona character joker again. MKLeo went on a dominant win streak with Joker shortly after the character’s release as DLC in April 2019 and was the most convincing Ultimate community that he is one of the top characters. It’s known that he’s been playing mostly that for the past year or two fire sign Character Byleth, but this new method lured him back.

“Started playing Joker after the release of Slingshot, enjoyed the character again and decided I’ll play him again.” MKLeo wrote in the description for a May 23 YouTube compilation of new Joker gameplay.

It’s unclear if this will lead to regular tournament use of wild cards by MKLeo, but the video delighted fans, including GimR.

Players have noticed that the zelda Character Sheik seems to have benefited particularly from the early Slingshot implementation. The best Ultimate Sheik player VoiD has uploaded a few YouTube videos showing the gameplay implementing the slingshot mechanic, including the Videos from May 10th “THIS SLINGSHOT MOVE IS NOT OKAY.” Watching VoiD play Sheik, an elegant and complex character who requires finesse to do everything at a high level, is a delight and, now with the slingshot, a sight to behold .

“Sheik shouldn’t be able to move like that,” VoiD wrote in the video’s description.

It may take a long time Ultimate Fans can’t imagine how much impact the Slingshot mechanic will have, but while it’s hard to say just how significant it will be, it definitely seems like it’s going to change the meta to some extent.

smashed After all, meta is constantly changing. During the week of May 9th popular streamer and smashed Player Hungrybox has released his latest Ultimate Ranking in five parts, published once a day. He called this his “final” ranking due to the end of Nintendo’s character balance patches, but the video series began just three days after GimR revealed the slingshotting, and four days after that too wonderful performance with the Minecraft Character Steve from player Acola, which has nothing to do with slingshots.

Hungrybox commented on the last videoin response to those who wonder if his “final” ranking already seems out of date,

“With the recent changes in the meta, it’s worth knowing that Steve’s placement on my personal list has changed as of this week. However, this series of videos was recorded about a month ago, before presenting Acola’s recent results and skidding. Regardless, Steve is certainly a top notch character in my eyes! Even though this is the LAST patch… It doesn’t mean the meta is over.”

And then for his next YouTube uploadHe responded to slingshot clips. They blew him away. “Since GIMR, pros have had their hands on slingshots for a while [gave] his breakdown of how to do it and we’re seeing BIG things!” he wrote in the Videos from May 14th Designation. “Safe aerials, insane mix-ups and WAVEDASHING IN Smash Ultimate!!! That’s right, and it’s all here.”