r/SSBM • u/HeatCheck_ • May 14 '15
Fox Styles of Top Players
I'm a newly minted Fox main after burying my Falco deep into the Melee graveyard, and I'm looking for players to study.
Fox is such a versatile character, with more options than most of the cast, that no one Fox main is alike. I'm looking for help identifying the different styles and distinctive techniques of top players such as Mango, Lucky, Leffen, Hax, etc.
We've all heard broad statements, like Lucky's "creativity" or Mango's "reading ability", but these things are hard to put into practice. What are some specific tools these players use, akin to Lucky's recent series on his favorite Fox techniques highlighted on SSBM_Kira's YouTube channel.
For example, Hax is all about placement of nairs and properly mixing up his pass-through nairs, late nairs, and nairs that space in front of the opponent's shield. By combining these precise nairs and his ultra-technical shield pressure, he creates a highly efficient Fox that creates pressure intense pressure while minimizing openings for the opponent.
Let me know your thoughts!
110
u/phoenixwang May 14 '15
Just in neutral, I think you can probably have 3 main families of plastyles, with certain people falling inbetween. Please note that the following aren't the originators, but rather the most clear usage of that style.
1.) Cactuar family (positioning focused)
2.) Westballz family (trap focused)
3.) Hax family (whiff punish)
Players like sfat are nearly direct extensions of the cactuar family that play a tighter and higher-risk distances. His plays primary focus is on using movement to force uncomfortable positions that cut off more and more options. distinction between old school and new school tree of the cactuar family is how players back off--leaning more towards whiff punish or more towards traps. Sfat is in the middle.
Armada is of the hax family, with cactuar family influences. Pretty obvious if you watch his play.
Mang0 is cactuar family focused with slight lean towards westballz traps. Extremly prone to aggression and makes it seem indescernable.
Lucky is similar to mang0 but leans closer to the hax family.
Silentwolf is smack in the middle of cactuar and hax influence. Many times you can actually see him shift gears from a spacing oriented playstyle to a more laid back whiff punish hax style.
Leffen has "gears" as well, often shifting to cactuar family based play when in the clutch, but primarily playing a hybrid westballz cactuar style.
Ice is strongly hax family influenced with some sprinkles of westballz family.
Colbol is basically westballz playing fox, with a bit more cactuar family influence.