Post by The Big Daddy C-Master on Jan 31, 2015 4:37:10 GMT -5
www.eventhubs.com/news/2015/jan/30/ssbm-perfect-fighting-game-we-deserve-new-heights-weve-reached-hungrybox-talks-apex-character-dedication-ssbms-resurgence-and-more/
"Since Apex 2015 is happening this weekend, we here at EventHubs decided to catch up with some of the best Super Smash Bros. Melee has to offer, and will be publishing a series of interviews every weekday. Today, we're covering the man who keeps Jigglypuff in the public eye, Liquid|Hungrybox.
This is our final interview leading up to Apex 2015, and we hope you've enjoyed hearing from these top players.
Below is a snippet from the interview with Liquid|Hungrybox to get you started.
MajinTenshinhan: Last year, you had some placings that were a bit below what fans have come to expect from you. In light of this, I personally saw some calls for Leffen to be ranked above you in Melee rankings, and in the seeding for Paragon 2015, he was indeed seeded higher based on recent results.
However, you showed everyone that you're the same Hungrybox we all know and love at Paragon 2015, taking the whole tournament, and never falling from the winner's bracket. With this strong start, do you feel that we'll see full power Hungrybox all the time?
Liquid|Hungrybox: Full power Hungrybox is something that can happen at any tournament, depending on my mindset. Big House was a large flub to be honest, because I just felt demoralized the entire time. My will to compete was shoddy. I was still having these superstitious ideas of why I was losing.
Then, when I started actually putting in work and practicing, I was able to play a lot more fluidly. I discovered like 4 new tactics that I previously hadn't used, and they were in important matches. And, when I was able to play in my home town, it also definitely helped. However, it really does depend the most on mindset. Getting rest and warming up are just as important. As long as I can take care of my preparation for the tournament, and not just wing it as I usually do, I should be set.
Hit the jump to read the rest of the interview.
MajinTenshinhan: You've seen massive success with Jigglypuff over the years. While Jigglypuff is considered one of the stronger characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee, very few people have seen the level of success with her that you have. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that seeing another Jigglypuff in top 8, or even top 16, is fairly rare.
Why do you think that other players are having difficulty using this character at a high level?
Liquid|Hungrybox: I think that people play her in a backwards way. They're far too defensive in general, and afraid to approach. That tactic will get you fairly far in local tournaments, but when you go against pros you're going to get destroyed. This is one of the main reasons that I stopped spamming Bair so much and instead made grabbing and Rest setups my priority.
You need to use Rest in order to win at the top level, and you have to take risks. It's the split second risk analysis that seems to body everyone... And I think that my reflexes from playing a lot of platformers back in the day definitely help.
The other big thing is my controller style. I just up to jump, Z and C Stick for aerials, Z to L cancel and up R down for wavedashing. I firmly believe that playing Jigglypuff in any other way is extremely difficult to use at top level. She feels much more fluid and is easier to understand if you use up to jump.
MajinTenshinhan: While Jigglypuff is certainly strong in Super Smash Bros. Melee, there are still characters who might give her trouble. While other top players such as C9|Mango, EMP|Mew2King and EG|PPMD pride themselves on using multiple characters at a top level throughout tournaments, you generally tend to stick with Jiggs, though we have seen a glimpse of Hungryfox.
Do you ever feel like picking up a different character, and try to play them in tournament at the same level you do Jigglypuff?
Liquid|Hungrybox: I used to mess around with a bunch of secondaries. Fox and Falco are the most recent ones, with Ness being a little longer ago. Using other characters makes the game a lot more fun, but when it comes to winning tournaments you have to always stick to your guns. Even if I played only Fox for the next year, it would still barely amount to a fraction of the time I've put into Jigglypuff.
It's not just understanding a secondary. Anyone can do that. It's being fully aware of all options in every matchup. That, in my opinion, is true mastery of a character. Let's face it - That's difficult to do with multiple characters... and I don't think it's a surprise that I'm the only top player apart from Leffen sticking to only one character. Jigglypuff is unique in that sense. It can be done with Fox as well, because he has winning matchups against all characters.
MajinTenshinhan: One thing me and a few friends have reacted to, notably at MLG, is that sometimes when you're having an intense match, you will opt to remove your chair and stand up to play instead. I have to say, this seems a bit unnatural to me, when playing a console game, but it seems to help you during difficult matches. Why do you stand up, and why do you think that it has a positive effect?
Liquid|Hungrybox: I no longer choose to stand up because my back is starting to have problems similar to my mother's. But basically, I read that scientists and workers will use standing desks to perform their duties because it helps them think better. So, I tried it, and after a while I was able to land many more of my reads and get kills.
It was slightly superstitious as well, but it gave me a lot more results. Fun fact was that I lost to Leffen at Big House, and that might have been because I was too tired to stand up during the game. But as for now, it shouldn't make me play better or worse. Truly playing well means putting in the time and practice to achieve victory.
MajinTenshinhan: Despite currently being a 14-year old game, Smash is now bigger than ever, which is unprecedented for a fighting game in tournament. Even Nintendo themselves have begun to get involved with the tournament scene, which they largely ignored before. How do you feel about Smash reaching such new heights, and what do you think it will mean for the community in the long run?
Liquid|Hungrybox: It's the greatest thing we could have ever asked for, and we deserve it. I believe it was only a matter of time before it happened. There's this magic in the Smash community that is hard to describe.
It might be because we are all people with really good taste in video games. It might be because Melee is the perfect fighting game. Or, it might just be because everyone who is in the community has a chance to be someone. Or perhaps, all of the above. All I know is that I'm glad to be here.
MajinTenshinhan: Which player do you think will be your biggest challenge to overcome at Apex 2015?
Liquid|Hungrybox: My biggest challenge to overcome at Apex will be my mindset. If I'm happy, I do believe I can take the whole thing.
And if I play like I was playing at Paragon, I'm pretty sure that I will finally win game 5 against C9|Mango, instead of always getting to his last stock and then losing. It's gonna happen."
"Since Apex 2015 is happening this weekend, we here at EventHubs decided to catch up with some of the best Super Smash Bros. Melee has to offer, and will be publishing a series of interviews every weekday. Today, we're covering the man who keeps Jigglypuff in the public eye, Liquid|Hungrybox.
This is our final interview leading up to Apex 2015, and we hope you've enjoyed hearing from these top players.
Below is a snippet from the interview with Liquid|Hungrybox to get you started.
MajinTenshinhan: Last year, you had some placings that were a bit below what fans have come to expect from you. In light of this, I personally saw some calls for Leffen to be ranked above you in Melee rankings, and in the seeding for Paragon 2015, he was indeed seeded higher based on recent results.
However, you showed everyone that you're the same Hungrybox we all know and love at Paragon 2015, taking the whole tournament, and never falling from the winner's bracket. With this strong start, do you feel that we'll see full power Hungrybox all the time?
Liquid|Hungrybox: Full power Hungrybox is something that can happen at any tournament, depending on my mindset. Big House was a large flub to be honest, because I just felt demoralized the entire time. My will to compete was shoddy. I was still having these superstitious ideas of why I was losing.
Then, when I started actually putting in work and practicing, I was able to play a lot more fluidly. I discovered like 4 new tactics that I previously hadn't used, and they were in important matches. And, when I was able to play in my home town, it also definitely helped. However, it really does depend the most on mindset. Getting rest and warming up are just as important. As long as I can take care of my preparation for the tournament, and not just wing it as I usually do, I should be set.
Hit the jump to read the rest of the interview.
MajinTenshinhan: You've seen massive success with Jigglypuff over the years. While Jigglypuff is considered one of the stronger characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee, very few people have seen the level of success with her that you have. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that seeing another Jigglypuff in top 8, or even top 16, is fairly rare.
Why do you think that other players are having difficulty using this character at a high level?
Liquid|Hungrybox: I think that people play her in a backwards way. They're far too defensive in general, and afraid to approach. That tactic will get you fairly far in local tournaments, but when you go against pros you're going to get destroyed. This is one of the main reasons that I stopped spamming Bair so much and instead made grabbing and Rest setups my priority.
You need to use Rest in order to win at the top level, and you have to take risks. It's the split second risk analysis that seems to body everyone... And I think that my reflexes from playing a lot of platformers back in the day definitely help.
The other big thing is my controller style. I just up to jump, Z and C Stick for aerials, Z to L cancel and up R down for wavedashing. I firmly believe that playing Jigglypuff in any other way is extremely difficult to use at top level. She feels much more fluid and is easier to understand if you use up to jump.
MajinTenshinhan: While Jigglypuff is certainly strong in Super Smash Bros. Melee, there are still characters who might give her trouble. While other top players such as C9|Mango, EMP|Mew2King and EG|PPMD pride themselves on using multiple characters at a top level throughout tournaments, you generally tend to stick with Jiggs, though we have seen a glimpse of Hungryfox.
Do you ever feel like picking up a different character, and try to play them in tournament at the same level you do Jigglypuff?
Liquid|Hungrybox: I used to mess around with a bunch of secondaries. Fox and Falco are the most recent ones, with Ness being a little longer ago. Using other characters makes the game a lot more fun, but when it comes to winning tournaments you have to always stick to your guns. Even if I played only Fox for the next year, it would still barely amount to a fraction of the time I've put into Jigglypuff.
It's not just understanding a secondary. Anyone can do that. It's being fully aware of all options in every matchup. That, in my opinion, is true mastery of a character. Let's face it - That's difficult to do with multiple characters... and I don't think it's a surprise that I'm the only top player apart from Leffen sticking to only one character. Jigglypuff is unique in that sense. It can be done with Fox as well, because he has winning matchups against all characters.
MajinTenshinhan: One thing me and a few friends have reacted to, notably at MLG, is that sometimes when you're having an intense match, you will opt to remove your chair and stand up to play instead. I have to say, this seems a bit unnatural to me, when playing a console game, but it seems to help you during difficult matches. Why do you stand up, and why do you think that it has a positive effect?
Liquid|Hungrybox: I no longer choose to stand up because my back is starting to have problems similar to my mother's. But basically, I read that scientists and workers will use standing desks to perform their duties because it helps them think better. So, I tried it, and after a while I was able to land many more of my reads and get kills.
It was slightly superstitious as well, but it gave me a lot more results. Fun fact was that I lost to Leffen at Big House, and that might have been because I was too tired to stand up during the game. But as for now, it shouldn't make me play better or worse. Truly playing well means putting in the time and practice to achieve victory.
MajinTenshinhan: Despite currently being a 14-year old game, Smash is now bigger than ever, which is unprecedented for a fighting game in tournament. Even Nintendo themselves have begun to get involved with the tournament scene, which they largely ignored before. How do you feel about Smash reaching such new heights, and what do you think it will mean for the community in the long run?
Liquid|Hungrybox: It's the greatest thing we could have ever asked for, and we deserve it. I believe it was only a matter of time before it happened. There's this magic in the Smash community that is hard to describe.
It might be because we are all people with really good taste in video games. It might be because Melee is the perfect fighting game. Or, it might just be because everyone who is in the community has a chance to be someone. Or perhaps, all of the above. All I know is that I'm glad to be here.
MajinTenshinhan: Which player do you think will be your biggest challenge to overcome at Apex 2015?
Liquid|Hungrybox: My biggest challenge to overcome at Apex will be my mindset. If I'm happy, I do believe I can take the whole thing.
And if I play like I was playing at Paragon, I'm pretty sure that I will finally win game 5 against C9|Mango, instead of always getting to his last stock and then losing. It's gonna happen."
