Meter Management
How am I going to get a kill bro? Meter Management Part 1
With good reads you can anticipate your opponent’s moves and end a match quickly with Level 1 Supers. Currently every Level 1 Super has ~5 frames of startup invincibility, then they become vulnerable to anything until their hitboxes become active, at which point they stay invincible as long as their hitboxes remain active. Of course there are exceptions, but that’s the general convention.This can vary based on your characters Level 1 startup time but with enough practice can be a viable option. Learning when to throw out or hold on to your Level 1 will come with time and character Match-Up experience.
With utilizing proper patience and pace, you can use your meter to play mind games with your opponent. When nearing Level 1, an opponent has to consider the threat of the comboed (confirmed) into a Level 1 ( most of them being a single hit into a level 1 super). Understanding your opponent’s reaction that potential kill is highly beneficial for reading your opponent in high level play. Once Level 1 is reached, new options are available to you. You have the ability to utilize the level 1 super as a reversal (insert Reversal fighting game term here) by capitalizing on the invincibility of the super, a whiff punish ( insert Whiff punish Fighting game term here), or as a pressure tool just by simply holding that meter.
After reaching Level 2, the game begins to change. Level 2s are more combo friendly than a Level 1 Super. This means that more of your attacks become dangerous as they will lead into long confirms into Level 2. This also means the threat becomes valid a little before Level 2 as you can combo to the point of having enough meter to kill an opponent. Level 2s also are impervious to any type of damage sans getting hit by another super. utilizing this allows a heightened level of the abilities available to a Level 1 character. But be careful! a well placed level 1,2, or 3 can halt a level 2 and turn the tide of the match around.
Once you’re on your way to Level 3; there is a very high chance your opponent will try to throw you. Do your best to evade and punish their throw attempts. You can then decide if you want to spend your meter on a level 2 kill or you can decide whether or not you want to save for level 3.
Not every bar requirement is the same! So you can stock up on multiple Level 1s before reaching level 2 and so forth. If you reach Level 2 you will only have access to that said super unless you are thrown, press on to level 3, or expel your meter by double tapping the Taunt button.
I can only Kill with Super?!? Meter Management part 2
Just as in other modern fighters there is a super bar aka the AP bar. However this game is unique in that there is only an AP bar. This is where it get interesting however because just as in modern fighters, your super meter is comparable to a regenerative life bar for your opponent as the more meter you have in a game such a Street Fighter, the greater damage output you have and more likely you are to cause damage. However there is always a cost of missing the said damage and thus the whiffing of meter based moves removes the threat added to moves that combo into these attacks as well as the threat of the meter based attacks themselves. Thus the opponent’s ‘life bar’ is regenerated.
This type of play allows the better player to win by reading and understanding opponents habits, such as hit confirming, whiff punishing, good oki, trades etc win. This translates in Playstation All Stars with hit confirming, whiff punishing, good oki, trades with level 1 supers to get quicker kills and or comboing an opponent to a point where your reading and meter management is rewarded with a less read based combo ( confirm) into a lvl 2 or a simple lvl3 ( lvl3s do not need confirms).
So other attacks gain their importance not by only comboing into super, but the inherent risk of utilizing a super is reduced as a higher level is reached. These levels are only reached through attacking/grabbing your opponent ( which steals meter). So while sound simple in thought, all moves are important in All Stars. Quick Rundown of the Super System to its sister systems:
In Street Fighter Relation to the Super System in terms of Killing is as follows
Level 1: EX moves
Level 2: Super Moves
Level 3: Stun. ( guaranteed damage from causing a particular amount of damage to your opponent with regular moves.)
In Smash Bros Relation to The Super System in terms of Killing is as follows
Level 1: A Gimp ( curtailing a character from getting back to the stage; requiring reading and tends to dispose of an opponent more quickly than the norm.)
Level 2: Smash attack ( the standard way of killing in Smash games, strong moves that usually kill from 90-130%. Usually rely on less reading than a gimp)
Level 3: Tilt attacks/Aerials ( once an opponent has been damaged enough a kill is virtually guaranteed by the easiest of attacks to land in a Smash game)
So You just combo super? Meter Managementpart 3
Another important aspect is knowing when to confirm into your super. Once an opponent loses a stock the game is reset back into a neutral position. This means that all the pressuring/damaging your opponent ceases and your advantage is lost. While it would seem it is best to take the stock when possible ( especially in a game where only Supers take a stock) that is not actually always the best case. Attacking your opponent builds your resources via meter and theres no better way to do so than when you are on the advantage pressuring your opponent. the meter itself is also a pressure tool; making opponents fret the invincible capabilities of a Super or moves that chain into a super ( depending on character). Utilizing this information, you can continue to pressure an opponent and gain more resources easily because of the threat of losing a stock. This can lead to a favorable situation in which when you finally do take a stock from your opponent you were able to “mine” the positional/meter advantage you had and now have more resources going into your opponents next stock.
Knowing the utility of a super also takes part in meter management. Some characters have utility supers more than others which can be utilized to escape safely or threaten an otherwise weak range(for that character). While the super itself may not achieve its natural function of taking a stock, it can clear up certain spacings and make the threat of your super bar that much more real to your opponent. Some characters either build meter fast enough or have low AP cost for their supers; this allows these characters to use their supers ( predominantly Level 1s) in a more utility based manner.
GigaPunch 