Choosing Your Main

Choosing your main is one of the most important decisions you'll make in a fighting game, and it's important to pick one that fits your style.
Are you playing the right character?
Special thanks to:
twitch.tv/vgbootcamp
twitch.tv/btssmash
Smash Ultimate Tier Grid: imgur.com/EmQ0txx
'analog': / analogcast
Want to learn more about how lloD approaches smash? Check out lloD's Guide to Improvement: docs.google.co...
Thanks for watching!

[@ChristianTheChicken]

This was all just an elaborate roast of Palutena players.

[@romansrevengethethirdstrik8086]

I’m sorry but I cant like it

[@romansrevengethethirdstrik8086]

I was referring to the like number being at a *Nice* number

[@chiliandcornbread09]

Random Person you watch nairo playing palu and tell me she doesn’t require creativity.

[@chiliandcornbread09]

Random Person you could say that about most top tiers in ultimate and smash 4

[@OrchardFox]

@@chiliandcornbread09 show literally one clip of him doing something unique with palu that other palus don't do. And i really disagree. The only relatively deep characters in ultimate are joker, snake, shulk and maybe a few more

[@AsumSaus]

This was fantastically structured, Rishi. You’ve got a great voice for these types of videos, too.

[@jorgenbluered2151]

Awesome sauce or Asoom sauce?

[@seanathan1]

@@jorgenbluered2151 awesome sauce

[@freddiekruger3339]

I always pronounced it as "ayyyyy some sauce" in my head. Like someone was really happy to see guacamole at a party or something.

[@justawaterbottle9414]

@@jorgenbluered2151 Amsa Sauce

[@justawaterbottle9414]

@Braxton Is it not pronounced Ay-sam-sauce?

[@MapleMilk]

This makes choosing a main look like an artistic direction and I like it

[@VenatorXVenator]

It is!

[@nottobay6768]

@@VenatorXVenator Imagine finding a character you like the idea behind but just get get the inputs for, that's basically me trying Ice Climbers. :(

[@ronnylightyear7150]

Honestly, I knew it was Mang0 from the double laser off the ledge lol

[@LANBobYonson]

thou shalt double laser from the ledge

[@Stop.Arguing]

It's not safe meme

[@warguy6474]

same

[@arabmunny]

Double lasers are gangster as fuck your get so much off it when it lands

[@BurTahPur666]

@@LANBobYonson "Unless you got a big ol' dick"

[@jazaniac]

Llod is Yin, Trif is Yang, and Armada is the Buddha

[@ariesomega2487]

Such an underrated comment.

[@leaffinite2001]

Armadas meditation 4 stock lol, he just had to tap into nirvana for a second

[@E-Brightvoid]

Armada should be gamer of the year every fucking year, except this one. This one was Mang0s year

[@indigoroger1473]

@@E-Brightvoid so was 2009 2010 2012 2013 2014 but sure

[@s0so328]

jazaniac lol I thought you meant Andrew Yang at first

[@TheTechnopider]

One thing I found interesting getting into melee, was that at first I was sure I was gonna be a fox main. I knew I wanted to get in peoples face. I wanted to put people on the back foot. I wanted to be aggressively dominant. But it didn't click. I decided maybe I wanted to focus on spacing and punish game, so I tried marth. Nope. Sure Falco will be that sweet spot then. I love grinding tech skill, and I loved seeing how top players used laser. Nope. Then one day I tried out samus. Turns out, my brain is better on the back foot. Turns out I am far better at reading my enemies approach than I am at reading their defense. After 2 and a half years of playing fox, I was getting better results with samus after 2 weeks. Sometimes you never really know which style is meant for you, until you experience it for yourself, rather than trying to replicate what you think you should be.

[@El_guapo_123]

I wanna main bowser in melee

[@ariesomega2487]

This is so true. I thought I could be an agressive player to but after a few months I just realized Im much better at defense and being safe

[@averagejoessb3110]

It's weird cause I wanted to be aggressive and cool but decided to main sheik. Little did I know. I still main her though but she's lowkey pretty dumb.

[@Soda_kill]

I played Captain Falcon for years and did pretty decent, and then I tried Marth out and just did so much better. It’s a good idea to try stretching your legs with character selection every now and then.

[@thugtearsofficial1337]

who did you end up maining?

[@AG-ss1ec]

He really telling KJH to main puff instead lol

[@albinofroggy]

“For players without personality or originality, Palutena is perfect” Truer words have never been spoken

[@RationalFunction]

I'd say Ness

[@xXcoolperson567Xx]

Seriously great video. My only issue is that I wish it was an hour long. I would love a series going into how different characters top players differ in style. The way you talk about the game is both complex but accessible. Seriously great stuff man :)

[@naptec6311]

8:49 Damn, the roast to Palu mains was real

[@Kason76]

Palutena is literally a Karen type character

[@ohDJ_]

Felt that in my soul, I have so many palutenas in my region that are clearly carried by a braindead character

[@chiliandcornbread09]

Random Person you didn’t even have the creativity to think of a different reply LMFAO

[@ImmaFarmerInMalaysia]

To be fair, down throw > back air is an extremely important kill confirm for her that has to be attack cancelled in order to be true, so Palutena isn't 100% braindead.

[@wavy_kate]

Luigi Linguine bro just nair

[@Faulheit]

this man can throw they spiciest of meatballs and still get away with making a great video analysis

[@nazukah2861]

6:07 "Seperate fact from Fiction" I see what you did there hehe

[@benk6153]

Rishi and llod are siblings? What the hell did your parents put in the water that made you guys so damn good at melee?

[@pIayingwithmahwii]

heroin

[@The_SOB_II]

melee

[@tjtribble.]

Or they just practiced together a lot

[@spd419]

Lmao they’ve been going to tourneys since brawl

[@thegamingguy1]

Brown

[@SynSynError]

Doing the slipperiest man in melee luigi dirty smh

[@jmarvins]

he used to be a weeg main too

[@AfterAttackTV]

all luigi players are the same wavedash around throwing out downsmash until you get something nair out of every combo act hype when you get that RNG

[@mrbobtehbuildah]

@@AfterAttackTV as a looge, yeah lmao

[@NaJk93]

@@AfterAttackTV Not wrong. But god damn is it a noob stomper lol.

[@sp1nda]

Damn some of y'all never heard of Abate and it breaks my small, fragile heart

[@smith_und]

This is a great video and I'm glad we aren't using the language of "style" anymore to talk about choosing a character. Who you are is what you want to do in smash, so you have to pick characters that let you do what you want to do.

[@phatandsassy1356]

ive been in the melee scene for like a year and a half and I just learned rishi and llod are brothers

[@benk6153]

Phat and Sassy same

[@NaJk93]

Dude i have been following since 2013. Had no idea.

[@PickyMcCritical]

Dude I've been following since mid-2000's, and I had no idea.

[@davelabonte7806]

Android is my brudder.

[@squingywingy]

I think the aesthetic of a character matters too. The sound effects, animations, and concepts behind the moves of certain characters are just so sick IMO.

[@E-Brightvoid]

Harrison Atlas WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO -Luigi mains

[@Lenno94]

@@E-Brightvoid yuh-yuh-yuh Yipee!

[@linkXness]

To quote franz: "lol mario looks sick in a doctors costume, thats why im playing him"

[@therealwhite]

"Haaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiii"

[@Trailmix69]

You know rishi, after watching this video, I might need to rethink a lot of the competetive things I do. After hitting walls in the majority of games, digital or physical, I might need to go back to the basics. Maybe a refresher is what I need. Thanks for being the motivator to bettering myself as a player.

[@filthycasul1804]

how to pick a melee main: like tech skill? main fox don't like tech skill? main fox's lasers

[@dddmemaybe]

bruh. try doing a short hop b-turn-around double laser out of a retreating dash 10+ times a stock without SDing.

[@filthycasul1804]

@@dddmemaybe it was a joke lmao

[@dddmemaybe]

@@filthycasul1804 *o o f*

[@lofy1263]

@@dddmemaybe Saying r/wooosh to you would be dumb and unoriginal and would contribute absolutely nothing to the conversation, but you just said oof to someone. so... r/wooosh

[@Delightfully_Witchy]

I thought he was saying oof to himself for missing such an obviously tongue in cheek comment. If not, yeah that was pretty embarrassing.

[@XInfetuousX]

Rishi's rock steady tone through the Fox Propaganda and Palutena segments is everything I wanted

[@Imbored182182]

really thought you'd say "main DK" on the black screen at the end

[@RoseyMapleGoth]

"You don't know what you're going to see or hear..but you know you're going to feel something." Literally couldn't be said any better. God I love this game.

[@danielvermontlopez8640]

This is the type of content melee needs more of, loved the video.

[@mousemousemoose]

Since starting Smash competitively I've been in constant character crisis. I'm gonna have a hard look at who I've played and why, and what aspects of their play I want to keep in the future. Thanks for the video! Good stuff!

[@HuSH_cptfalcon]

not that's it's been three uears, I'm curious who you settled on

[@spoonkniforklife3532]

This video helped me write the intro for my final essay this semester. Thanks, rishi!

[@starbutter2730]

Being a newcomer to melee this makes me excited for the journey of learning in this game. Its going to be a ton of fun. Nice video btw, the things you pointed out were super in depth and really helped my mindset

[@jorgenbluered2151]

Captain falcon for life. If he doesnt have F-zero Atleast he has me.

[@brandon-cs7fw]

almost haiku

[@jorgenbluered2151]

@@brandon-cs7fw cap falcon for life If he doesnt have F-ZERO Atleast he has me.

[@austinsroche]

@@jorgenbluered2151 *snap snap snap snap snap*

[@coolcool5181]

@@jorgenbluered2151 I think your 2nd line 8 syllables, not 7.

[@jorgenbluered2151]

@@coolcool5181 im pretty sure its 5 7 5 grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/rules-for-writing-haiku.html

[@Eval999]

Adore the video and the shade sprinkled throughout. Can't wait for more uploads.

[@cb3256]

Can we get a video discussing those tier graph placements? I've got some serious questions about this high complexity Lucina and low complexity shulk.

[@Kaz999998]

I'm also confused on how Ness is more complex than Lucas. Ness has almost been completely figured out but Lucas is largely left untapped.

[@anormalstopsign74]

the complexity was about ideas psure sheik is incredibly complex but her game plan is relatively the same each match, inverse for palu who has a simple set of options that string together but can switch up her game plan easily

[@dddmemaybe]

The complexity I think he means, is about how many different types of gameplay can they use. Shulk has no projectile game and he only has rushdown when in speed- and maybe jump monados. other than that he is _only_ a spacing character who has bursts of high threat. Lucina being more complex doesn't make any sense because she also doesn't have a projectile nor many special gameplans outside of effectiveness of her spacing game being strong. I think his list is very rushed.

[@drewkg14]

all shulk mains are angry.....I PLAYED HIM BECAUSE HES SUPPOSED TO BE THE MOST COMPLICATED IM SMUURRRTTT.

[@ABronyNamedBurnie]

I'm literally watching this on a break from writing and it's making me want to go back to my book. Very motivating!

[@thaane]

llod beat Hbox in a set recently, too. Crazy stuff, big respect to your brother.

[@skibble7444]

"separating fact from fiction" lol I see you there

[@JustAaron94]

is that a spooky's house of jumpscares avatar?

[@skibble7444]

@@JustAaron94 yes

[@skibble7444]

it's one of the paintings in game

[@benull100]

Lmao the palutena shade. Great video and ty for an great explanation on approaching a character.

[@peterabdou8317]

Dude this was incredible! I'd totally love to see more like this!

[@mrlucius57]

This vid went way above and beyond what I expected from the title, nice!

[@drewkg14]

This is a great video. Best of its kind for any competitive game with fixed avatar choices. You're an intelligent beast.

[@mtb1392]

Phenomenal video. I love hearing your insight on the game.

[@Swagner17]

This actually makes so much sense. Well written and nice analysis.

[@maxkreh1285]

the trumpet in the background music is right between annoying and perfect, thank you!

[@twointheshoe9978]

Always excited to see a new Rishi video, cause I know no matter what the tone is hes gonna kill it

[@EriCKtheGeneric]

Man. This is such an in-depth video and attention grabbing video, that when I went to check the time stamp for the first time, the video only needed 20 seconds to finish. Your voice is superb for analyzing/in-depth type videos and you had my attention the whole way. This video really puts maining a character into perspective, and now has me second-guessing my main. Thanks for this video, you got yourself a subscriber!

[@jromesyt]

I like this idea, I genuinely think this would be cool to see other smash content creators use a template like this to show their opinions on where the meta stands. Change my mind recommended in 2020 btw

[@spooke_e6679]

Lmao, I was kind of doubting whether you could recognise players just by their playstyle and only realised there wasn’t a playercam of Mang0 when it came up. You win this round, Rishi

[@therepeat]

I could watch you talk about playstyle comparisons all goddamn day. I'll be watching this video pretty often I bet

[@YotsuTaiga]

I'm an ult player but love melee too, I've been making fox for a bit but he is just kinda boring for me, I've learned most of foxes tech and it just isnt my style, after watching you video I thought of who I love to watch, plup is my favorite player so I decided I'm gonna put time into sheik, it completely made me want to play the game again, I was really close to quitting, so thank you, I'll send this to all of my smash friends lol

[@GodComplex98]

I'm going to sub with the expectation of more videos like this. Really interesting stuff

[@mtndewprettygud6416]

The Ultimate tier list comparison felt so right. It feels so awkward looking at the characters in a normal tier list because there's so many and there's so many divided opinions. That graph you put up could work nicely

[@DrZaiusDrZaius-xp5fw]

I didn't expect to get an art lesson from a video about melee characters lmfao. Incredible work dude, this is amazing

[@dauzen2310]

This video really helped reaffirm who I main across the platform fighters I play, so big thanks. Been in & out of a character crisis that started in Smash 4, but I’ve finally settled on who I play/what exactly it is I want out of the characters I play in terms of options & personal expression (Sheik in Ultimate, Maypul/Sylvanos in Rivals, Lucario in PM/P+, & while I don’t play Melee much I’ve been trying to get into it with Fox/Sheik). The complexity/implementation chart for the Ult cast is also super helpful, and does a great job of putting into perspective exactly what it is a player may want to get out of their characters. Everyone’s exact needs/wants are different, but speaking for myself I need good movement and combo/reset potential with most characters I play

[@valen9850]

Great video, keep in mind the balance between music and your voice dad

[@harronator-2670]

I would 100% say that duck hunt is the most complex character in ultimate. He has the same thing with links bomb, but with a more flexible projectile, he can utilise three projectiles and a massive smash attack at the same time. You can literally cover every option for some characters with duck hunt if you are good enough. Every combo is off a set up, but you can do up to 70% in one combo off a back throw if you do it right. Everyone sleeps on duck hunt, but he’s only going to get better and better as the game goes on while characters like zero suit and Lucina fall off.

[@El_guapo_123]

12:13 Has Hbox never lost to Armada's peach ever during that time? I know armada went fox against him but I thought he probably used peach at some point as well

[@TheStrangeBloke]

yeah, they've only ever played 8 times. Armada has said that he hates the matchup, and personally doesn't think he's good at it. Llod farms Michael, another top puff, at locals, so its clear he has way better MU experience.

[@ygypt]

never heard of llod but the clips you showed were so siick, hes easily one of the most creative players ive seen and im definitely rooting for him from now on

[@jarroddobben]

Rish I love this content, I am so excited to see every new vid that you put out.

[@Glorious_Mane]

When I first saw smash 64, 20 years ago as a little kid, the first thing I did was turn to my friend who owned it and asked him "How do you unlock Banjo?" And that's how I picked my main in Smash Ultimate.

[@MattMascolo.]

What a well made video. This is some seriously good content. Your ability to articulate the complex concepts that you hold is amazing.

[@125conman]

Great video. Keep up this essay style. Could listen to you talk about melee for hours.

[@JV-uq9cf]

6:22 H*ck yeah he circled Young Link

[@gloriousraccoon76895]

And Donkey

[@Swagner17]

My friend in Colorado told me to say that he appreciates this video sooo much!

[@Maggotbone]

Loved the Palutena trash talk. Very elegant

[@Blazingangel12]

I know this is late, but what song starts playing at minute 2:01? Would really appreciate it.

[@ryank09]

that trif being his brother thing was the twist of the century

[@shadenym5094]

There aren’t a lot of people that make content that I’ll stop whatever I’m doing in order to watch but Rishi is definitely one.

[@archlordXd0]

You make such wonderful content Rishi, you’re a hell of a thinker! I think I’d honestly enjoy your analysis/video essay of any topic.

[@StrawberryDreemurr]

I could see a screen from 20 meters away with Mango playing and still recognize him. He’s so weirdly good.

[@unapologeticasshat9214]

lmao that shade thrown at Palutena tho

[@irelicym]

The joke at 11:00 for some reason caught me off guard and I spit my drink out. Rishi has these oddly well timed and lowkey jokes spread out through these video essays and they’re freaking hilarious to me, like the Palutena dig that’s said so nonchalantly it blends in with the other examples and you almost take it seriously.

[@SynergyFX.]

This is an extremely well made video and you earned yourself a sub!

[@frewtlewps1152]

That chart you made for Ultimate is super accurate

[@flags4595]

When you showed Ultimate's graph I immediately thought I'd like to main a character in the upper left corner... And sure enough my current Ultimate main was there (gotta love the Palu). Would you say melee Sheik hovers around the same area in the graph?

[@loveliescrushing]

bro he just roasted you

[@flags4595]

@@loveliescrushing I feed off Palu and Sheik induced salt

[@ohDJ_]

All melee characters are a lot more complex than most ultimate characters. If you’re looking for someone as braindead as Palutena in Melee you’re SOL. Maybe a downsmash spamming Peach comes a little close

[@pokisal]

@ohDJ Don’t forget about down smash crouch cancel spamming Samus

[@flags4595]

@@ohDJ_ ty but bby I been playing comp melee for 6 years now, I was just playing into the dead "sheik is a 1 button character" joke (dead cuz my boy plup killed it)

[@speckwii]

that brother combat made my heart happy

[@timetaker7816]

Roys my extremely ineffectual boy

[@timetaker7816]

In melee

[@queuedjar4578]

roy mains rejoice

[@tomiathisflex7706]

LOL That Palu diss. I love it

[@tomiathisflex7706]

I love the analytical smash video essays

[@thatguy6674]

Came for the advice stayed for the documentary

[@kennethzheng3735]

ouch. I kind of agree with you on Palutena, but still, ouch lmaooo You are just like, perfect for this. Easy to listen to, insightful and concise, and the way you roast people in the most subtle of ways is hilarious. Thank you Rishi

[@felixantoinearpin-plante1574]

I could watch these kind of videos all day. Good job Rishi keep up the good work.

[@willlauzon3744]

So I used to play link all the time in the white garb. Started with him in smash 64 and all through melee. Much much later I picked up peach. It's difficult getting into the character but the float mechanic is so much fun I can't stop.

[@remy1452]

Great video. I thought the way you explained the different Peach player's styles was beautiful.

[@noved15]

I can never nail down who I'm main in melee. I have 1000s hours with adult Link but I don't play him as much. I've rotated through all the top tiers and at those times I thought they were my main. Your video has giving me a new way to look at this but I'm still lost. If anything I think I feel most comfortable with marth, peach, puff, falco and falcon. All of which I don't know what I prefer. Regardless, thank you for the awesome videos.

[@jekrixlokan4507]

The tier grid shoukd be stabdardized, it's genius. This video was so much more than I expected, I enjoyed it very much and made me rethink things about my personal playstyle

[@thefangster7]

dude holy shit, you make melee sound even cooler than it already is. thiws game is so dope

[@anthonypicciano7934]

Hell yea! This video was awesome and I’m excited to start listening to your podcast.

[@zachmcnamara4376]

the "stick and sand/pen and paper" example is actually really smart.

[@NightmareSnake]

I would love to see a similar breakdown on Axe.

[@thisistheglace]

That casual palu shade tho 😂😂

[@shieldlesscap6124]

I main Falcon and Ken, and my playstyle consists of a combination of super free flow and aggressive movement and reads (represented more in my Falcon), and a patient, disciplined but still aggressive neutral (represented more in my Ken)

[@Josuh]

3:00 absolute legend using Terry town theme

[@Thomas10292]

Wow! What a great video I’ve never seen smash compared to an art form before but it makes sense and I feel like I have a better understanding of the game in general now thanks!

[@ImmaFarmerInMalaysia]

As a lifelong Melee DK main, thank you for acknowledging his exceptional strengths and considering him a tournament viable threat. I've always believed in his potential, but for years, people would simply disregard him as just "hairy Bowser", so it's nice to see someone finally understand what he's capable of.

[@granthiggins8827]

This needs more views. This was fantastic

[@E-Brightvoid]

Luigi in Melee. The plan is to nair them into blind fury, then WAHOO. Basically, I try to utilize Luigi’s horizontal speed to close space in unconventional ways, while always having a “get out of jail” free card with nair. I personally use down b as a way to get back to the ground, slightly negating his slow fall speed. To me, Luigi’s ability to reverse combo’s is second only to Yoshi, and Luigi’s misfire forces the Fear into your opponent, whereas Yoshi is like a Falco, controlling space with projectiles. I want to control space with speed and the fear of being misfired.

[@latte-carnival9964]

Even Ganon, Luigi, Doc, and G&W can make waves in Melee

[@myboy_]

Good lord iBDW has improved so much

[@Cristeve]

As a "low tier with bad reputation" main it infuriates me that many people think I only choose it to troll and not because I actually like it and fits my fighting style What kind of person mains a character to troll? It makes no sense

[@on_certainty]

this was like a great melee thesis on art analysis that intro was gorgeous!

[@taymc5150]

Llod vs triple r is the match I need to see as soon as possible

[@sirtykai3821]

Asked my friend for the tierlist. God i love kirby

[@soberika]

struggling since weeks in deciding or rather finding a character that feels "natural" for me to play ur video convinced me in maybe giving several thought on different ones simply by trying to set them up in a different waya

[@thishandleisntakenyethaha]

Really really really amazing video.

[@senormarket3984]

I’ve been trying to main Captain Falcon but honestly this video made me think about how much I enjoy playing Roy. I felt obligated to play CF because he just seems like such a cool character and I used to play as him when I was younger but Roy is just so much more fun to play. Thanks for opening up my options.