Smash Ultimate Tips: How to Stop Challenging Moves Unsafely
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Smash Ultimate Tips: How to Stop Challenging Moves Unsafely

In Smash, one thing that I’ve noticed I made a poor habit out of was challenging moves unsafely. Just because I know my opponent’s going to land with an aerial doesn’t mean I should challenge it with my own. With the plethora of defensive tactics you can use in Smash, charging in head-on is one of the basic mistakes many players make in competition.

As a coach, I also warn my players not to do this. If I’m charging in with Ike’s Nair and they seek to challenge the move, chances are I’ll cut through and punish it anyway. If I’m using Incineroar, why would you purposely give me the chance to hit Revenge or strike me as I’m charging in with Alolan Whip? These are just a few examples of what not to challenge headlong when you can guard, whiff punish, or pick other options instead.

What Defines Challenging Attacks

To challenge a move means to throw out hitboxes willy-nilly and expect to beat an opponent’s own move out. For instance, you might know that Falco can drop ledge and airhop into Fair if you attempt to ledgetrap him. Yet something inside tells you to throw out an attack so he can whiff-punish you anyway. You might also dash in against a Captain Falcon on the ledge who’s just waiting for an excuse to Falcon Kick you. When you challenge an attack, you aren’t applying proper defense or reads into your game.

Wide, large, and fast hitboxes, like those from Joker’s Arsene, should almost never be challenged. Arsene’s aerials can win nearly any exchange and will likely send you flying if challenged with your own moves. Even without Arsene, Joker still has a large disjoint from his dagger allowing him to cut through slower, shorter-ranged moves safely and rarely with punishment.

Joker’s Arsene attack. Source: GamesRadar.

Another classic example would be Ike’s Eruption. I’ve fought my share of players who attempt to ledge attack only to get hit by the charged attack and lose a stock anyway. They either forget the super armor is active or attempt to attack before it activates. Sometimes they might mixup into Counter instead to reverse the damage onto me. Yet in doing so, I might read them out and ensure their demise. In other words, to attempt to throw out your own move might be suicide.

Why Players Challenge Attacks

Players don’t want to hold shield or spend the match dodging. In the case of the former, this can open them up for free grabs or shield-breaks. In the case of the latter, this might be from a lack of patience. It may also be from poor learning. No one told them the viability of whiff-punishing in a game like Smash could make the difference in how they turn a match around. They’re going to dive in head-first and expect to beat out their opponent’s attack.

But in reality, your opponent is reading out your positioning. They’re doing more than throwing out a larger hitbox to beat your own. They’re whiff-punishing your failed attempt or stuffing you out before your own move even comes out. It’s not about trying to beat their attack with your own. It’s about wisely reading out your opponent by evading, blocking, and whiff-punishing your foe for making their own careless mistake.

What You Can Do Instead

The best thing to do is to sort your options. Dash back and whiff punish. If an opponent is landing, sort their options. Are they landing towards you? They might be going for an attack or a fast-fall airdodge into a quick landing. You can either block or dodge the incoming move and reset neutral, punish them, or even intercept them just before they throw out the attack.

Just because Bowser’s Dair has a fairly predictable hitbox doesn’t mean it’s smart to challenge it. He can trade the move and you can lose the stock just because you wanted to hit the Counter or Uair at KO percent.

These are just a few examples to keep in mind. All in all, if you catch yourself constantly running into an opponent’s attacks, take a second to reconsider this while you play the match. Ask yourself why are you constantly getting hit? Are you going in and letting Link Nair, Fair, and Boomerang you? If so, remember your shield, dodges, whiff punishes, and how an opponent has to pick an option after they commit to an attack. Sort your options and go from there.

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