The old adage “knowledge is power” is definitely applicable to Smash Supreme. There are numerous easy tricks that can be used to gain slight edges over your opponent. This is a blog post mainly for beginners, so if you are an advanced player, you will more than likely know about all of these slight advantages. This is nebulously ranked from easier to harder.

Block Duration – This is an easy advantage to understand. You can gain increased block duration from equipment, but this block duration also has a slight drawback. The way that block duration works is that it makes your block meter larger. More time to block, but once you lose your ability to block, it will take longer to recharge. Therefore, if you play with gear increasing block duration, be sure to be careful. Your block can take more punishment, but it will take longer to charge once used.

OTG – OTG stands for on the ground. Simply put, whichever character is on the ground cannot block. At all. If you accidentally touch the block icon while OTG, you will lose your block for no effect whatsoever. So don’t do it! Now, if you aren’t OTG, but your opponent is, attack with as many low hitting moves as possible. Don’t waste an opportunity for a lot of free damage!

Combo Moves – These moves will always hit three times in a row. There is no very easy way to cancel them besides blocking. Unless you are more advanced, don’t try to weave in attacks between the opponent’s combo move. Also, your opponent can block during the move. Another thing to be careful for. Triple Kick is in particular very good because of how fast it is, how it can dodge high moves, and, with excellent timing, can even cause projectiles to miss.

Throw/Grab Suplex – Biggest thing to learn about these moves are that they will punish you for blocking. If you block, you will still be hit by the move, and you will lose your block at the same time. Now, Throw is very, very slow. Odds are, you can beat Throw with almost every single one of your own moves. Grab Suplex is very fast, so don’t attempt to beat Grab Suplex with one of your own moves. However, the most important thing is to not block these attacks.

Slide Kick – Remember when I said not to use any move in the middle of combo moves? This and the next move are the only exceptions. Slide Kick is crazy fast. It can beat most moves in the game, and requires near instantaneous reaction time to block. Slide Kick also dodges under projectiles. For these two reasons, always, always include Slide Kick in your beginner decks. It can save you from a lot of punishment when learning the game.

Mirror Kick – Basically a better version of Slide Kick. Mirror Kick is super crazy fast, beating even Grab Suplex. It deals reliable damage, and scales nicely. Mirror Kick is trickier to use though. It requires good timing because it activates in place, meaning that you have to be aware of where you and your opponent are on screen. Also, if you use Reflect, throw that card out of your deck and put in Mirror Kick. It bounces back projectiles, meaning that instead of just dodging them, you can actually damage your opponent with the Fireball he just sent your way. Timing is very tricky against Jumping Fireball, Grenade, and Mortarbot projectiles though, so generally only attempt easy reflects until you get the hang of it.

Movement – Well, how do you get in range, you might ask? Why movement of course! Though it was only briefly touched upon in the tutorial, movement is key to this game. You want to try and find where you are most comfortable on the stage, and attempt to stay there at all costs. Pressure your opponent by walking towards them, and they may waste their block. Movement allows you to use major mindgames and gives you a large edge if you know what you are doing.

Parry – All melee moves can be parried. By blocking at the precise moment the opponent hits you, you make them stunned for a brief second, allowing an easy counterattack! The timing is different for each move, so be sure to learn the different timings that parry requires.

Waiting – Simply put, if you have limited options when your opponent is stunned, wait for as long as you can (before they lose stun) before attacking them. It gives your cards time to recharge. Despite Smash Supreme being fast-paced, it is always good to slow down once in a while.

Projectiles – All projectiles are countered by other projectiles. By using a Hook, you can block a Grenade, despite the major difference in power. You have probably seen this happen before, but it becomes trickier when you decide to do the following.

Taking Damage vs. Blocking – So, when do you do this? Let’s use a scenario with the tip above. Your opponent just used Fireball. You only have Jumping Fireball and block available. Should you attempt to cancel their Fireball, shoot a Jumping Fireball over their Fireball, or simply block? I would say to damage them if they are low on health, cancel if you are about equal and you have some quick-cycling moves, and only block if you have lower health and need to save your Jumping Fireball for a different opportunity. But the problem is, you don’t know what they are thinking. What if they have better cards to use that can negate your strategy?

Card Counting – That’s where card counting comes into play. Keep track of your opponent’s moves and have a general idea of what comes next. Is it a projectile, melee move, or a throw? How can you play optimally to ensure that you always have an answer for their next move? That is something that you generally only learn through many, many games, but keep at it. It gives massive advantages on the battlefield.

Equipment – The final piece of advice is very tough to do. Learn all the equipment in the game. Know the bonuses, the boosts, and the drawbacks. Once you know these, pay attention to the decks used by wearers of the different pieces. You will find certain decks generally are associated with certain pieces of equipment, which gives you a massive boost if you realize your opponent’s probable deck just by the starting animation. Now, how do you do this you may ask? Well, there is a gear spreadsheet on this website for THIS VERY REASON!

Alright, those are most of the basic tips and tricks for Smash Supreme. See you on the battlefield! I’ll clean your clock!

–Butler