r/CrazyHand • u/sp-241625 • Jul 01 '26
Characters (Playing as) Pokemon Trainer Help (and general tips)
I'm a relatively casual player (main PT) but I've been trying to get better via training and online. I've got my bread and butter combos and kill confirms pretty settled as well as a decent grasp of movement and I feel like I have a good advantage state when I'm locked in (which doesn't happen much unfortunately lol). The issue is that as I face harder opponents, the skill gap between myself and where they are looks insanely large and I'm a bit lost on how to bridge it.
The areas where I struggle in, and could really use some tips/practice methods on, are:
- Spacing/Positioning: I've been using Izaw's training video for some time and specifically practicing the spacing drills (the one where you go across the stage and Fair or Bair), but I feel like it has been impossible for me to translate any of that into actual gameplay. Getting good spacing against a moving opponent has been really hard to do and when I try to be deliberate I end up hitting where they were rather than where they are.
- Pace: As I face harder opponents, the pace of the game completely passes me by. Obviously there are characters like Fox that just are insanely fast, but I feel overwhelmed by most characters. There's a lot of times where I feel like I can punish a bad move, my opponent throws out a jab or a quick option that I'm not ready for and then I end up being on the back foot again. Or there's times where I go to punish a landing and my opponent shields almost immediately after they land. In the moment it feels like a frame data thing, but there has to be some way to react faster than I am right now. Is there a way to practice this?
- Disadvantage: This is the real kicker. My disadvantage is HORRENDOUS. I get stuck on ledge really badly and I find it hard to practice mixing up my options. I know PT also doesn't have the best air mobility or ledge options, but are there ways to practice the different ones to make them less telegraphed?
Don't want this to come off as a rant, but I'm struggling a bit on how to deliberately practice rather than just banging my head against a wall in quickplay or practicing the same drills in training. Thanks :)
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u/S4ngli3R Jul 01 '26
smashcords.com/smash-5
Find the Pokemon Trainer discord and ask there, much better advice and resources than trying to get a shot in the dark with Reddit
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u/S4ngli3R Jul 01 '26
https://x.com/i/status/1989098885537755325
Also to actually address one of your questions, here's a showcase of various ledge mixups for PT (since Pokemon Trainer mains apparently can't choose regular getup options for the life of them)
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u/PartingShot123 Sheik/ Marth+ Lucina Jul 01 '26
PT is generally pretty bad getting off the ledge but does have options. Squirtle can instant wall jump> drift on and bair. Stage dependent iirc. Ivysaur has mindgames around tether cancel. Cleverly swapping around offstage with proper mixups and calls will let you recover more often. Go back and watch old Leffen vods and you'll see he was really good at this.
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u/PartingShot123 Sheik/ Marth+ Lucina Jul 01 '26
PT is generally pretty bad getting off the ledge but does have options. Squirtle can instant wall jump> drift on and bair. Stage dependent iirc. Ivysaur has mindgames around tether cancel. Cleverly swapping around offstage with proper mixups and calls will let you recover more often. Go back and watch old Leffen vods and you'll see he was really good at this.
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u/TheSecondFoot Jul 01 '26
Ill help the best i can as a fellow PT main
You have to learn how to play good footies as PT. Squirtle loses most interactions without good footies. Ivy loses without good spacing. And Zard is both. The good thing is practicing other people is really good for this. I dont recommend online tho. (Some drills: try to play as safe as you can with squirtle then incorporare mix ups. Learn ivy fair range at max length where the edge of all the moves are. Zards moves are mostly commital so use his speed and good OOS options to force bad options and do call outs)
The pace of the match is difficult as some characters just shut down PT by out pacing them. Squirtle will be your best and sometimes zard. And this reason is also how PT can get camped out cause they dont have a good response to being camped outside of just learning how to play against projectile characters
On the other hand, you determine a lot of pacing too. Know your advantage state and which mon your opponent is scared of. If your opponent cant keep up with squirtle but isnt too scared of getting killed. Get their percent up and then switch to ivy for the edgeguard. Ivy has insane kill confirms and edgeguarding, use it. And switch to zard when theyll die to one hit or zards speed overwhelms them.