AJ056

Disclaimer:
*I'm making the assumption that all actions taken over the course of the game are intentional and deliberate. If I criticize a missed input, then feel free to ignore it and move on.
*Additionally, many of the suggestions or criticisms are of things that should become more habitual, as actively considering everything I mention would be near impossible.
*In a game like smash, there will always be exceptions. When I advise "play safer here," it should be noted that there will be situations in which playing aggressively in that position is beneficial.


General Notes:
*Respect when the opponent has advantage. If a move whiffs, then the opponent gets to move first, and respecting their ability to act first is important.
*Go in with a plan regarding goals in neutral, how to get percent, and how to kill.
*Try to ensure attacks hit something, unless deliberately trying to bait, otherwise the attacks create no pressure. Barely touching a shield with NAir is infinitely more effective than landing with NAir right outside the opponent's range.
*Pick 2 or three scenarios where you want to get your kills and actively create those scenarios and take note of the opponents response. For example, if trying to kill off a juggle, set up an early juggle to see how the opponent lands, such as snake landing with b-reverse grenade. Don't try to punish, just observe. Bait this option later to get a stock or come back in percent.

Pre-Match Game Plan:

(You actually did most of this anyways, but it doesn't hurt to formalize it and make it easier to think about.)


Snake is a long range, projectile-based zoner. He has decent boxing options, but has trouble getting down from juggles without using grenades.

Wolf's advantages against a character like this are:
-His reflector, which minimizes the effectiveness of Snake's zoning.
-His aerials, which have good size and speed. This allows wolf to juggle snake fairly well.

Thinking of that, the step by step should be something like:
1) Bring snake into mid-range. This can be done either by approaching him, or using reflector to force him to approach.
*Snake has weak mid-range options, so see what the opponent likes to do with an opponent in that range, take note of what option it is, and use it to get in later.
2) Start a juggle on snake. Best to do this with grab, but FAir works well too.
3) Repeat the juggles until he is at 70% or more, then start looking to push him to ledge and kill with tipper BAir.


Game 1:
Stock 1:
0:01 - Wolf, can't open a match against Snake with lasers. Especially on long stages. I would recommend shielding the first grenade, and watching to see if he pulls another. If he does pull another, then reflect it if the range is long, or dash in if the range is shorter.
*In a projectile fight between snake and Wolf, the range on Snake's grenades give snake Priority(1). Because of this, Wolf cannot start the game with laser. In order to use laser safely, wolf must first do something to establish his own priority. This can be anything from jumping over a grenade and using laser to simply reflecting the grenade to force snake to shield.
0:03 - Great job getting in. Good roll behind to avoid the Dash Attack. Make note of the dash attack and try to catch it later.
0:07 - Great job getting into mid range again. Even baited the dash attack. Unfortunate on the whiffed grab, as that would've been the perfect opening.
0:09 - After whiffing a move, it's generally better to use a retreating/defensive option, rather than moving aggressively. Overcommiting to correct a mistake is risky.
0:10 - Be prepared to hit snake out of any further DAirs out of shield. It lasts a long time, but it gets outranged by most of wolf's aerials. Fairing it can also start a juggle, which is the current goal of the match.
0:12 - Try to be mindful of picking up grenades. When holding one, it is best to move away from the opponent before throwing it, as the throw has decent lag. Alternately, jumping and throwing it down is good.
0:16 - The grab connects, which is good, but using it to start a juggle here would be ideal.
0:18 - Everything here through 0:30 is just fluff. Good job getting down from the platform. Unfortunate laser shot.
0:30 - Another solid grab. DThrow is fine here, as it moves snake towards ledge and set up the tech chase. Need to respect that if the tech chase whiff, it is no longer safe to play aggressively.
*Snake was pushed all the way to ledge, so giving up a little stage control to correct for the DSmash whiff doesn't really lose anything.


Stock 2:
0:42 - Use invincibility to force the opponent to ledge. They have to respect that they can't attack, so run forward, stop, and let them pick a defensive option. Then chase that option and try to get a stock/put them at ledge.
0:50 - Since Snake lacks a way to quickly hit in front of him in the air, it is fairly safe to use aeirals to the right of him to pressure him on the platform. I like trying to hit where he's going though.
0:55 - Cross-up NAir or FAir would be really solid here as safe reaction based options. Alternately, he has been run-up shielding to approach almost everytime he gets Wolf airborne. This opens up Tomahawk grabbing him as a decent option.
0:58 - There's no real need to go for grab over any other hit at this point, since any hit will send snake to ledge. So hitting snake out of an aerial with NAir would have been easier.
1:00 - Unfortunate that Dash Atatck crosses up this time, as that would've been a really solid punish.
1:10 - Hits leading up to this are really solid. Good pressure and good move choices. To Catch Snake's up-B however, I would recommend going for down angled FTilt, as it has the potential to catch a snake going past ledge as well as a snake that air-dodges to ledge.
1:22 - Same as before. FTilt can hit Snake as he is recovering.
1:23 - FThrow has the same result as BThrow here, and using it keeps BThrow fresh for kills.
1:30 - Snake gets up for free here. Running up to NAir or spacing BAirs is ideal here. Also, whiffing at this range requires a roll or shield to be safe. It looks like a dash back was started, which is good, as that is respecting his advantage after the whiff, but it's too slow from that range.
1:33 - Snake uses Dash Attack at mid range whenever he sees the opportunity. Shielding this next one could have been a kill.
1:37 - USmashing here looks like it's impatience coming out. UTilt would have covered the same space while eing faster, safer, and just as threatening. This is true for the second USmash too.
1:40 - The move whiffs, and the roll is a good recognition of the disadvantage.
1:48 - Solid way to close the stock.
1:54 - Snake got opened up really well, but the lead could have been extended so much more by doing a low percent juggle.
1:59 - Not hitting snake with an aerial after he pulls grenade is good. Once he does pull grenade, however, he is stuck. Snake cannot contest an opponent grabbing his landing if he pulls grenade, which allows wolf to grab and put him in the air again.
2:01 - Since rolling twice increases the endlag, the second roll puts snake in advantage. Resetting to neutral or NAir/FAir to pressure shield are ideal, as neither option is punishable by whatever defensive option he chooses. Reset is the best though, as it avoids a possible trade that might occur if he tries to BAir out of shiel.
2:06 - Recognizes the whiff and rolls at close range. Good defensive option.
2:11 - Got in and converted well. Need to respect that Snake uses C4. Running towards center stage after landing from the BAir would have done this, while also maintaining stage control and moving to a position to catch Snake's landing.


Stock 3:
2:22 - Great job getting Snake to ledge. From here he has to land without his double jump, and has no way to quickly cover the space in front of him. Instead of UAir, looking to close out the stock by the ledge by catching his landing with BAir would be fairly safe.
2:26 - Landing the blaster hitbox put Snake in an awful position. It is important, however, to figure out what the opponent is doing before trying to follow up. Run-up shield after the hit protects from a landing aerial, and if he double jumps, it is possible to drop shield and chase with BAir or bait a BReverse grenade.
2:36 - Landing the grab is good, but throwing Snake off-stage sets up a kill better than throwing him up.
2:50 - Solid kill. Same set up as before with the blaster hit, but the Rar BAir covered the ground needed to pressure the correct space.
2:58 - Low percent juggle off the grab with UThrow FAir or UThrow UAir sets up for a lot more than the DThrow Dash Attack.
3:05 - Since it's too early to kill Snake, priority should be given to maintaining stage control after the Jab. Doing a single foxtrot towards center stage forces Snake to eith land on top of wolf or retreat back towards ledge, both of which can be reactable by which way Snake starts drifting after the foxtrot. Works out anyway, since he B-Reversed a grenade and put himself back in the corner.
3:11 - A great example of the projectile Priority I was talking about at the beginning. Snake can't really pull grenade, and just starts taking chip because he doesn't respect that wolf has projectile priority.
3:12 - Continuing to shoot lasers would have been fairly safe, as Snake had lower percent and would eventually be forced to approach. Once he approaches, he will likely Dash Attack, which can be shielded and punished.
3:16 - Too much space between Wolf and snake. Since it nothing safe can be thrown off a single jump, the best play is to use double jump to bait an option and punish it. Or land and camp lasers/shine.
3:24 - Going for the tech chase is alright, but the chances that a campy character are going to tech roll in are slim. Works out though.
3:35 - Avoided the C4 by standing to the left of it. Once it whiffs, stay in that spot. If Snake BReverses a grenade to stay on the other side of the explosion, then Side-B to close the distance and maybe kill.
3:40 - Hard to tell what's going on here, but Snake has his back to the ledge. Catching the landing with grab, or hitting Snake before he can touch the ground with BAir are both good options with risks on either side. Since Snake hasn't landed with FAir once in the whole match, I'd say going for grab is preferred. NAir could also work.
3:47 - With Snake at 170%, it's safe to say he wants to play fairy safe. The only way he can play safe while running forward is by cancelling the run into a shield. When a player gets defensive like this, they show defensive habits, and snake did a run-up shield 3 times in a row before this exchange. Snake opened himself up by playing too defensive. Watch for these at high percents.
3:56 - This roll in is kinda whack.
3:58 - Here, since Snake has a lot of percent on him, it would be reasonable to land with a hitbox aiming to trade. Either that, or play safe by drifting back towards ledge. Drifting in doesn't respect Snake's advantage, and almost lost the entire game.
4:10 - The sequence leading up to this had a ton of unnecessary defensive options on both sides, but finishing it with BAir on shield was smart. I think spacing BAir on shield was a tactic that would have done well to come out earlier.


Game 5:


Stock 1:
0:00 - This game actually starts the characters out at mid-range, so unless Snake has changed the game plan in games 2-4, it is reasonable to expect Dash Attack.
0:02 - Gets the grab, but DThrow > Dash Attack doesn't work at those percents. Use UThrow > FAir, as it frame traps into another grab if they air-dodge.
0:04 - Snake gets advantage by blocking Dash Attack, which makes the aggressive BAir a very risky choice. A Retreating NAir would have been a safe way to cover the blocked attack.
0:08 - If Snake notices this aggressive trend, he could definitely BAir out of shield and take a stock later.
0:10 - I've said it a lot, but I'd recommend UThrow here.
0:11 - Solid bait. Got Snake to Dash Attack, but using FSmash here dose less damage than a FAir or throw combo, while also removing the freshness bonus from FSmash.
*Need to check if first-time freshness bonus still exists in Ultimate.
0:15 - Snake immediately double jumps almost every time he is put in disadvantage. A good way to capitalize on this is by being there when he jumps. No need to throw a hitbox, just stand where he's going and it is likely to fluster him and make it possible to punish his defensive option on reaction. Empty hopping is a great way to bait these defensive options.
0:16 - BAir has trouble hitting those weird 45 degree angles. Use NAir to chase after Jab.
0:17 - FTilt is -19 on shield, and Snake BAir is frame 11 out of shield, making FTilt unsafe when too close to the back of Snake's shield. Taking a step back before using FTilt would be a good idea.
0:24 - FAir requires some reactions to do correct follow-ups. Here, the correct follow-up requires Wolf to run further forward before using the next FAir/UAir. This is a good thing to practice with a buddy or in friendlies. This requires practice to get used to, but it's definitely possible to react to the DI and get a guaranteed follow-up here.
0:26 - Personally, I dislike B-Reverse blaster from platform, but it's been working so hey have at it. Follow u BAir was really solid too.
0:30 - When Snake burns double jump and is forced to recover low, Wolf can grab ledge > ledge drop > double jump NAir to try for a kill. Timing can be a little tricky, so it's worth dedicating a few firendlies to watching out for the situation and trying to practice.
0:34 - Need to drift back after NAir on shield, or it is unsafe.
0:46 - Snake has been using run-up shield in neutral frequently, so Dash Attack is generally ill-advised. Either space BAir on shield, or dash grab.
0:51 - Snake got a solid read on the double jump. In general, the best option is to try and airdodge to ledge, though in this situation there was only a tiny window for it immediately after the double jump.


Stock 2:
1:07 - Snake uses B-Revers grenade almost every time he goes high. Play close to the ground and try to grab the landing if Snake pulls a grenade.
1:13 - NAir is a consistent way to catch these ambiguous cross-ups that grab keeps whiffing.
1:16 - Wolf has a safe kit, so it's ok to mount a comeback slowly. NAir out of shield is guaranteed damage and gets snake closer to an FTilt/BThrow kill.
1:32 - Did solid damage before this, but pressure fails here. None of the aerials thrown connect with Snake's shield, which means he feels no pressure from Wolf to let go of shield or pick a defensive option. Ideally, space BAir on shield or use retreating NAir on shield to bait a roll in or spot dodge. Keeping track of what the opponent does when pressured at ledge like this is an important part of the whole set. Also, Jab 1 on shield is an ok bait, but using all 3 hit of jab on shield makes it easy to punish.
1:40 - Close, but smart.
1:46 - Pretty risky, but a good read on his over-use of mortar.
1:56 - Snake does DAir in the air, which is out for a long time. Great time to start using lasers, if he's too far away to hit with NAir or something.
2:14 - Make sure to be in front of Snake when pressuring underneath him. His only quick option is drop-down bair, which he can't use on an opponent in front of him.
2:30 - Wolf can't DSmash a roll on reaction with the back hit. Short hop NAir would have caught this roll with the same timing as the DSmash.
2:34 - No need to recover high with wolf unless it is necessary. Otherwise go to ledge.


Stock 3:
2:57 - Finally got a jab to get in. The angle on Jab sets up for NAir really well. Additionally, running forward is likely to bait a double-jump, which sts up a juggle.
3:00 - Snake is off-stage, so move forward to ledge trap. Stopping here cause the NAir at 3:03 to be late.
3:27 - Play after Snake respawns is very solid. Getting chip with lasers, avoiding grenades, etc. Here, however, a laser is thrown way too close. Lasers can't be used within most character's short-hop aerial range, as that will eat a punish. Could have been a big issue here, but it wasn't.
3:30 - Snake has center stage, and has room to retreat to. His ability to retreat needs to be respected with patient play. A couple empty-hops would probably get snake to roll away, without requiring a big commitment.
3:34 - Run off B-Reverse laser is a good tool, but it looks like a habit here.
3:37 - NAir hits, but snake gets to roll away. It can be hard to hit-confirm when it's tense, but the grab afterward looks like auto-pilot.
3:43 - Really solid grab. I would recommend going for a juggle, but I understand going for stage control.



Notes:

(1)Projectile Priority:
- Projectile priority is is a state in neutral in which one character can use their projectile again before their opponent. Having priority effectively denies the opponent from using their projectile, as ther person with priority will have their projectile in the air as their opponent is starting to use theirs. This concept is far more applicable to traditional 2D fighters, such as street fighter, but the logic can be applied to smash.