What I Wish I Knew Before I Started Playing Fighting Games | Fighting Games Beginner Guide

Made in response to a lot of common questions I get on YT comments/etc. Hope this helps if you are new to fighting games! (Also no shade to BBTAG or Tekken, both great games you should play 😀)
Links:
Forgot to mention Fighting game wikis - excellent resource: fgwikis.carrd.co/
/ discord
/ discord (WASD Gaming)
Link to original twitter thread: / 1485694523745443844
Glossary: glossary.infil.net/
00:00 Intro
00:26 Controller preference
00:52 What games/characters should I play?
01:53 Do tier lists matter?
02:15 Combos don't win games / Learning your character
02:50 Just play the game
03:17 Numpad notation
03:56 Terminology
04:31 Join a community
05:47 Frame data
06:27 Mentality
07:25 Trust yourself
07:41 Outro
Edited by Caste - / castehappy | Twitter: / castehappy
My goal is to grow a positive community with a focus at improving at fighting games If this is something that resonates with you - please consider following me on my social media links and subscribing:
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⭐⭐I also do replay review + coaching: metafy.gg/@diaphone
New To Fighting Games? Start Here. | Fighting Game Beginner Starter Guide
#FGC #FGBeginner #Diaphone

[@HateSonneillon]

The combo thing is absolutely true. I've told my friends this before as I had friends that would practice combos four hours and still lose because their neutral game sucked. On the other hand, one friend now has gotten strong fundamentals and neutral game but they refuse to lab combos because its boring to them. Even though they can get turns, their turn ends rather quickly so they struggle to get just enough damage to win. That said, strong neutral > combos, as they still win more often than the person with bad neutral.

[@V2ULTRAKill]

Not necessarily Learning a bnb early allows you to focus on learning any given games neutral and footsies while having an actual toolkit for when you get your turn This is especially true of anime fighters

[@HateSonneillon]

@@V2ULTRAKill I agree. I don't think a bnb is the same as super long impractical combos though which is what some people expect when they hear "combos".

[@V2ULTRAKill]

@@HateSonneillon fair I just wanted to make that known because a good bnb can turn a 10 touch neutral game to a 4 or 5 touch Which is why bnbs are significantly more inportant than optimals even at high level

[@emiliovanilla6833]

That friend who won't lab combos would probably prosper with a set up character then. Like Millia in Guilty Gear.

[@amiasg9305]

This was my mentality when starting out with my first serious game, DNF Duel. I'm working on diaphone's combo guide and it's super hard, but I have to go through with this pain. I have good neutral compared to others in silver rank but I keep losing to people he hit me twice since I suck at even the most basic combos

[@alvin_row]

Something that's important and many people outside the FGC don't know is that people who play fighting games are just regular human beings. We don't have extreme reaction times, we also struggled with basic combos at some point, we don't always choose right and even pro players ask themselves "why did I do that?" constantly. If you can't block an overhead every time, or tech a throw, well that's how it is for everyone! If you could just block everything all the time nobody would hit each other right? The most important thing to get good at fighting games after learning the basics is to get exposure. You'll start to block more consistently because you'll remember when certain moves come out in strings, you'll land combos more consistently because you'll notice when you can and can't do certain combos. So if you ever say "how could anyone do this?" the answer is "they've spent a lot of time trying to do that thing, and they might even be cheating with option selects... And even then they probably don't get it right 100% of the time".

[@charliericker274]

And we mean you no harm. Sometimes I worry that my hyper aggressive playstyle makes me come off as angry or mean, especially with players who are worse than me. But it's just how I play by default. If they don't stop my aggression, I will just keep running my game until it's over. But it's not personal, or mean spirited. I just play fast and aggro.

[@MarquisLeary34]

I saw the inputs of people like Justin Wong and SonicFox. I don't buy it. My eyes can barely track it.

[@Edinburghdreams]

Yeah, this applies to pretty much all areas of life. People get really good at stuff by doing it lots. Once you realise it's incredibly empowering and liberating.

[@AngelsandWolves1]

Glad to see this, even though I've been playing fighting games for years

[@iggykidd]

I spent all my life thinking that fighting games weren't my thing, too hard, I could never do them. Today, I spent a few hours on a livestream playing Guilty Gear seriously for the first time ever and it suddenly clicked, I could see through the matrix into the strategic, turn-based side. I was able to land a couple (super sloppy) combos in mission mode and now I'm hooked. This genre is absolutely incredible and, while I'm gonna need to practice a LOT before I even understand why I keep losing, I'm excited for every bit of it.

[@deathcare]

I was new relatively recently and my biggest piece of advice is if you want to improve at the game you are playing, do not pay any attention at all to whether or not you win or lose. That does not matter. You should pick one thing and have the goal of your matches be to do that one thing right as much as possible. It could be anti-airing when they jump, it could be hitting them with a long range move when they whiff. Even if you lose 100 matches in a row, by the end of those 100 matches you will be 50x better than you were when you started. I still have some recordings of my first games in any fighting game ever. My very first fighting game was Street Fighter 4 on launch, and the way I learned the game was playing against a friend who was a SF vet. We played 100 matches in a row (literally) and he would always pick Zangief or Guile or Akuma and do the lamest stuff he could while telling me that there was a way to beat it, I just had to be creative and think about it a little. I didn't win a single match, I think I only won a total of like 5 or 6 rounds, but by the end of it I knew I got better because he had to change what he was doing to win.

[@MarquisLeary34]

If it doesn't matter, why is ranking a thing at all?

[@TwilightWolf285]

@@MarquisLeary34 It's not that it doesn't matter at all; rather, it doesn't matter at a beginner level.

[@MarquisLeary34]

@@TwilightWolf285 Then when does it matter?

[@Beanpolr]

​@@MarquisLeary34Ranked modes are just for fun to see hoe high you can climb, but also a good way to measure your personal abilities against others. It still doesn't matter whether you win or lose. Think of it this way. The better you play, the more you will win. Winning is a byproduct of playing well. You should not focus on winning when you're trying to improve, because winning does not help you improve. You should focus on your actual gameplay, and winning will happen naturally as you do that.

[@BiggieCrescent]

Thank you for the guide! As a new fighting game player this gives me the confidence to try to break into the genre more

[@slyfox4374]

Good for you man, welcome to the community. 👍

[@MarquisLeary34]

And then when your confidence gets bent over a table and ran a train on?

[@zenjen3328]

Thanks for making this. I'm not exactly new to fighting games, but I'm pretty new in comparison to a lot of other people who have been playing fighting games for a while. The point you made about mentality is what got to me - I'm finding myself getting more mad when I'm playing fighting games now, but mad at myself rather than my opponent, and I end up criticizing myself a lot over things I do that I view as dumb. Hearing that directed towards beginners makes me want to start working on viewing myself more positively since I think that's really my biggest roadblock for progress right now

[@ecclecticsayonce5131]

FINALLY A GUIDE THAT IS ACTUALLY FOR BEGINNERS. Everyone out here talking like I’m just a bit rusty or something

[@Neogears1312]

Combos are a beginners trap. I wish I learned early on that Justin wong totally plays a character that just punches you who’s most complicated combo is crouch medium kick into super.

[@ralphwarom2514]

Combos are actually a really good way to get into a game. Neutral game is good. But combos are fun. Always working towards that touch that leads to 30% damage.

[@user-wl2xl5hm7k]

One of the best intro video guides for fighting games of the many I’ve seen. Thanks Diaphone.

[@davidsburningdumpster8728]

More awesome guides hell yeah! 5:50 this transition is so good

[@MultiVaeVictus]

Awesome subject, nicely done. Thanks!

[@setdamn]

For me right now, the most important aspect of getting into new fighting game is the game still feels fun even when i lost. It really motivate me to replaying the game eventhough i lost all of my online matches.

[@naztnaz123]

What a great video for beginners! Keep up the content grind dude!

[@MonkeyBiznessFGC]

Diaphone is so efficient with it here. Other players have actually made entire videos about any one of these chapter subjects, but I'm really impressed with the concision of this edit typing all the ideas.

[@Cerealwinz]

The Emiru clip in the beginning💀lol

[@fynnkling961]

Yo love your vids help me alot

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

I have subbed to your channel!

[@karayi7239]

I just started ggst. I can imagine how rewarding it would be once you're somewhat competent, but so far my experience is roleplaying a punching bag that I can't even begin to learn from. my guess is that this is largely a function of the small population where you can't find players at your skill level as a beginner. That said, I've come across some players who realize that I'm new and they would go easy so I can actually play, those people have their seats booked in heaven im pretty sure.

[@PkOrPvp]

Thinking of frame data like turn based games was very helpful !

[@MechaManDan]

You touched on it when talking about joining Discords and the like but just to add more emphasis to it: Ask as many questions as you can think of, and not just about your matches, about anything. I don't see many people asking about the more nebulous concepts like identifying your win condition, knowing whether you should push forward or disengage from a situation, and the like, and those are really the hardest parts of the genre.

[@4nickjay]

In terms of combos it should never be a priority BUT learning the very basics of your characters combos is very helpful to know what moves flow into what other moves but when your learning at the start it's really not important beyond quick 3 hit strings and knowing whether you should block or not after

[@ryanbutler1709]

As someone who went from an avid watcher to player this was helpful. Thanks

[@Bangarang341]

Awesome and wholesome, appreciate ya

[@Daikuro1]

I'm an 09er so this isn't really a video for me, but I'd definitely send it to a friend interested in FGs! Thanks for uploading.

[@AutoTunaFish]

Save a replay of your first win, it's a good reminder of your first big milestone (and will probably be hilarious later). I punished every unsafe move with throw cause I couldn't do any combos with higher damage in my first win.

[@whatcookgoodlook]

Great content

[@freshprinceofnightcity]

This will be very helpful for me once i start with Street Fighter 6.

[@flamingaroow59]

Worst thing you can do is spend 10 hours in training mode, get bored, and never play a match. I've done this myself when trying new games and have had friends do it when I was trying to get them into fighting games before. Play some matches even if you don't feel like you're "ready."

[@charliericker274]

Yas, I have done this too. And I honestly regret it now. I bought a game, tried training mode for a bit, felt kinda meh and then had buyers remorse so I returned it. The game was BBCF, so obviously the fault is on my end, people love that game. But it's still there, maybe I will grab it on sale and try again, this time skip training mode until I have played a couple matches at least.

[@misplaydave]

Mobility, movement is so important. Practice moving around the screen with your character. It’s how you get a hit and avoid being hit. My neutral game is what I need to work on the most. And I wish people told me earlier how hard it would be to get better at.

[@withoutthejuice7193]

I think what finally helped me the most was accepting that sometimes you’re just gonna lose 10 matches in a row and that’s okay. Taking a day or two break does wonders as well.

[@superajsfighting]

Good stuff! Spread the word out there for fighting games! Help build the community!

[@wes4565]

Some might laugh at me but I don't mind. After all these years, I got burnt out on one game and slowly started getting back into my roots such as single player games and developed a burning desire to get back into fighting games. I first started at the age of around 5 and now at 37 I'm back at it again. I'm glad you said to use what's comfortable. I've been trying to use a controller but my hands hurt, I don't suffer this problem playing MnK though so I've been ordering parts to build and all button fightstick. I know I'm going to take a beating but practice makes better and I want to be able to get good, not just a 30 hit combo good in some games but more importantly knowing when to cut a combo short, really play the neutral game, not jump randomly, play mind games to bait my opponent to hit a button etc Anyways, thanks for a great video that help to boost my desires. Keep safe out there.

[@SCOOBYDOO-fw5oj]

Long needed bro

[@pian-0g445]

Choosing a fighting game is also heavily based on its tone, the aesthetic, or basically. The VIBE. Didn’t really get into fgc till strive. Seen Xrd and thought it looked sick, but the design choice in strive just clicked. Still maiming my boy Ky since I started because of his design.

[@speenta4879]

I swear to god the guilty gear ost Is a gateway drug to buying it

[@SadToffee]

bro gets into strive only to choose sword-ryu as his main 💀

[@user-wl2xl5hm7k]

Exactly. The aesthetics and mood of the Killer Instinct series is my favorite

[@user-wl2xl5hm7k]

@@SadToffeeAesthetics are _always_ to each their own bro

[@sonnysumo8172]

Really good video, I’m glad you pointed out that combos aren’t necessary to develop DAY 1. I think there is an intimidation factor that comes with having a visual skill gap and combined with loss anxiety it can be a mental barrier for some. But in reality, it’s more important to feel a characters moves out and understand their properties before optimizing combos. I also like the point you made about playing with someone you know. Although not necessary for everyone (I for instance, prefer to lab solo for about an hour before hitting up ranked), having someone knowledgeable about the game and willing demonstrate certain concepts is a valuable resource for anybody playing anything and helps make the learning curve less steep.

[@henrydimanlig7052]

Cool video, man. I've been playing mainly Tekken for the better part of the last decade, but I've been trying to get into other FGs. From what I've seen, the vast majority of the FGC is like "Hey man welcome to the FGC it's good to have you here" and I'm like "Yeah man, good to be here"

[@pepsy3085]

Was learning my first "fighting game" earlier this week (i put quotes because i technically have played other games like brawlhalla,) but this time its a typical classic fighting game. Learning it has been a blast and losing doenst really bother me that much. I technically have an advantage over the actual newcomers because a tiny bit of the skills from brawlhalla cross over into other fighting games, but it doesnt really mean much because its not the same genre. Anyways, heres to my journey to playing fighting games!

[@AlociJo]

I think a good suggestion for new players is that when you play online you don't have to play ranked you never have to play ranked.

[@perotekku]

"Hard Games are hard for everyone" Probably the best advice for a lot of games. Getting really good at Dark Souls, Shin Megami, Gran Turismo doesn't happen overnight. Before these games came out, nobody was good at them. Even the best players had to start from the beginning. Most important thing is to find a game you're passionate about, and in fighting games, a character you vibe with.

[@conofthedead2360]

Dude I almost spit my food out when you said you were from Pittsburgh, that’s where I’m from!

[@micahonline_]

only FGC dude to talk about terminology and the glossary lol, I remember when I first started learning I was so frustrated that guides often assume you know things like that

[@sloesty]

Sf6 world tour is incredibly good at teaching you how to play.

[@dababy7400]

numpad notation gets me sometimes the bigger the combo is makes me wish ppl would use emojis

[@lotalentueux]

What's the ost/musics in background in the beginning and at 5:56?? Great video otherwise!

[@MoluskToeCheese]

Question for all: Practicing and labbing combos seems pretty straight forward But how would you lab and practice 'neutral?' PS great vid dia

[@Azure9577]

Play the game and have fun Without thinking about tech and combos (outside of very simple ones) After a while it will come to you naturally

[@MoluskToeCheese]

​@@Azure9577 Hey thanks for the advice. I took it into account the last few days and been having a blast

[@ChrisC-ui1re]

I can't believe you included Scrubquotes in the beginners guide LOL

[@codyeakinsbradley]

Emiru being a great Honda player is nice

[@toromisher]

I knew all about frame data but never considered using that info for knowing went to press what when stuck in the corner

[@ripswf]

You forgot the most important question that all new players face! What the hell is a kusoge?

[@Diaphone]

But I did answer it, click on the glossary link 😂

[@HildrTV]

I think I want to learn strive. Baiken looks cool she has a parry and looks cool. But is she hard to play?

[@jpVari]

I've started writing my mortal kombat notation as ie "236.1" lol. It's just for me anyway but I think numpad notation is so good, no reason it can't be used in any game.

[@PrisonMike196]

Hey, isn't your background from Neo Geo Battle Coliseum?

[@lasselen9448]

I tried GBFVR a few days ago and couldn't even beat the tutorial. I've never played a fighting game before (SSBM with items and terrain on ten years ago doesn't count). I'm at the level (or lack thereof) where I can't even do basic button presses (for instance, I accidentally jump when trying to move, or somehow can't dodge anymore even though I passed the dodge tutorial). The game looks really cool though so I want to give it another try at some point. For now I'll just watch videos and think of what I could do (remapping inputs being the main idea). I had zero intention of ever playing against other players, and this video and the comments below somewhat changed my mind, but... There's no point if I can't even input the action I want to do, is it?

[@stayt2dg]

The more you like a game/character the more time and energy you'll put into said game....so PLAY WHAT YOU LIKE. That's the golden rule of Fighting Games for me.

[@seescethething]

I feel like just starting off on pvp games like this very hard. People don't seem to like noobs and I personally have no idea how I'm going to learn with that stress myself.

[@Hennesg]

Whats your age? when did you get into fighting games?

[@silfes3036]

2:50 in my first fighting game when I did this I got flamed hard so Ive been scared to do this, but I'll try

[@Diaphone]

That’s so wack, I’m guessing you just got unlucky. Best to just ignore people like that

[@silfes3036]

@@Diaphone ya it was dbfz I even refunded the game but then learned that most people in the fgc pretty chill 😎 (Now I kinda regret refunding the game)

[@MTH062K.O]

Good Mindset/Mentality by good quality sleep (which matters the most,which less people do,sadly )

[@DrgoFx]

A friend of mine got me into fighting games, he was a much stronger player overall for quite some time and eventually I developed a really strong neutral game and just couldn't do well on the offense with limited combo routes and damage output. One day we played Footsies, the game, and despite maybe going 20 - 3 against me in most FGC titles, I went 20 - 1 against him and he straight turned to me and went "Go lab your gd combos my guy, what are you doing??"

[@Chimbamsex]

Thx for the Video, really Motivating in my Eyes 😊😮

[@PlatinPark1992]

If i play online vs randoms guys, i can get rly salty as well. But if i play someone from discord for example and maybe with voice chat, and they do the same like the "randoms" i don't get salty at all. I also say they should keep doing what they do, so I can learn about it. So playing fighting game with a person i have a little bit connection to him, is way different for me than just playing online with random.

[@DiscoJoseph]

Good video for those hesitant to learn fighting games.

[@MarquisLeary34]

But not near enough for those who tried it and got destroyed.

[@blazingbattlehawk9626]

I feel when people say "just pick someone fun" is a really lousy way to learn. You can always choose someone later but when you're starting out in fighting games it's more important to learn how the game flows with a simpler character and through that you can transition later. Granted this charecter should still be fun to play but learn the game then the main

[@pradlark]

Looking for a local FGC - its so violent where i live that all the came up for multiple pages was stabbings and street fights, recently from football riots too omfg 😅

[@headbreakable]

but can you enter with a keyboard?

[@Res-5000]

i willllll forget an ethernet cable, because my laptop doesn't have an ethernet port and although i did buy an adaptor thingy, iii can't get it to work :P

[@SH4D0WBattousai]

The issue with me right now is I just don't like any games that are playable online lol. ST finals at Evo bored me to death; I never thought the day would come when even SFV would look more appealing. As for the games I've liked so far ergo Melty/GBVS one is barely playable and the other is not. I've even tried to put up with delay in GBVS but then I just get turned down everytime in S+ because of my connection. And whenever I try to play melty I'm stuck waiting forever even with a low rank only to be matched vs some wifi exploiter 20 times in a row man. And then my offline friends are only playing stuff such as Xrd and even SFIII.3. I've always liked offline play more so I might end up maining those games as well at this time.

[@SkytheFatalis]

Remember when [Daigo played using wineglass grip]

[@philovermyer6166]

Doing link combos hurts my brain, how do i make them not hurt my brain?

[@whizthesugoi]

This made me realize I'm not a beginner anymore I'm just bad

[@mikeoakeshart3823]

First time hearing Fighting game commentator be like: "The speak the language of Gods."

[@mimbomimbo]

I thought you were Brian_f for a second

[@nekopath2879]

There is a thing why I'm not in a local community I live in Germany I'm probably the only one in a 20 kilometer radius that knows what a fighting game is

[@Diaphone]

yea i feel you, im online almost always now too ahhh

[@emiliovanilla6833]

I don't know if people count For Honor as a fighting game, but I bought it when it first came out and I legit quit very early on because I could not figure out how to deal with grabs despite the game telling me how to. Fast forward 6 years later after playing some SF, Guilty Gear, KOF, DBFZ, I finally learned how to tech grabs and all it was was just timing it properly. Was that easy? No. But DBFZ had a slow enough start up that I was able to practice it. And then GGS with those quick grabs conditioned me for basically any fighting game grab. So now I can play For Honor 😂

[@ezraho8449]

For Honor is like a fighting game for people who think they don’t like fighting games.

[@squishy1970]

Yeet

[@TheEr910]

comment for the comment gods

[@Doktor_Jones]

"Trust yourself" HAHAHAHAHA. Funny that you say that.

[@stupdbucket]

What’s fhe game at 1:40?

[@neon-lake]

Dnf duel

[@Zinksk8er]

Been playing fighting games for 4 years PLAY THE GAME YOU LIKE THE MOST even if it's considered a very difficult game. If you dont stick with a game you like you'll drop it. You might need to pick a basic character to learn in the begining but then you should stick with the character you like.

[@bryantguevara183]

"WiFi is okay if you're next to the router"- Nanaya Shiki

[@TeacherLegendary]

Y u no join Evo22?

[@Diaphone]

I have a full time career outside of FGs, so just due to that

[@Rinkerbro]

Lmao chat wildin

[@sirtrixx]

Commenting in the hopes that more people see this and watch it and decide to play FG

[@ApolloSol]

This is really barebones....

[@danujus77]

I think what keeps me away from fighting games is that they sorta look like a second job. You get home from work, finish your chores, and then when you are free. You go to your second job and practice, spend rest of the day in practice mode. I know it's an integral part, i guess that for me, fighting games are boring to learn. Since you can't learn much by playing.

[@MarquisLeary34]

Best thing to do before getting into fighting games? Spchincter loosening excercises. Because you're going to get to have your ass turned into a World War 1 no man's land. You're gonna get the experience a maximum security inmate has in the bathroom at 3AM when the guy he just stiffed on a bag of Doritos on commissary day catches up with you and decides to play plumber with your insides. And join a community. After years of watching Darksydephil and Low Tier God, yea, I want nothing to do with the "community".

[@dangbruhskyy]

Bro wtf is this comment

[@MarquisLeary34]

@@dangbruhskyy It's reality. You are not a player in fighting games, you are meat for the butchers to slice and grind.

[@blues4509]

My biggest problem is the games I like have almost no playerbase. So I'm just like welp guess I'm going to scrounge around for a couple games within the span of an hour then go back to some single player game lol

[@charliericker274]

You have to go where the players are really. Also, check out Fightcade, there are lots of older games on there with pretty steady playersbases going up the over 500 for some games like third strike and KOF '02 (you probably already know about this).

[@blues4509]

@@charliericker274 I have heard about fightcade but haven't given it a try yet. I'll really have to try it out.

[@Diaphone]

@@charliericker274 this is actually a really good point (play where the players are at)

[@CheddarGetter]

Ok, I'm not throwing shade, I promise. Just wondering why you don't really look into the camera? Are you reading a script or notes? Or do you just not like looking at the camera? Promise I'm not talking smack.

[@SaucedUpStinkyGrandpa]

The ps5 controller mutilates my thumb

[@rasavarg4316]

Yeah I would love to play dbfighterz but 1 I very much dislike how complex the controls are working the sticks like that I can just never get down and 2 most people's answer too hey I will help you get better then just beat over and over again and talk trash or will not even tell you want your doing wrong or do what you said be cheap and then say your trash bc your new and dont know what your doing but no I'm not supposed to get upset

[@Bigbean2999]

Only reason I play stick is cause my hands hurt with pad

[@DevTheRay]

I'm upstairs and my internet is downstairs so I cant use ethernet unfortunately

[@rainer9931]

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING GAME GUIDE, EVER: 8 mins.

[@catalyst6264]

0:51 what in the holy hell is that

[@randomtv9820]

If music and sports had children that would be fighting games.

[@dtalg]

If you got big hands like me i reccomend hitbox or stick. You are gonna get fuckin upset doing half cricles with your big ass fingers.

[@goodie2shoes874]

Learning is winning. The actual winning win come eventually.

[@MarquisLeary34]

So if I get into a fistfight with Mike Tyson and suffer massive concussions and possibly brain death, I'm winning?

[@DragynFyre12]

The one thing I would also mention that stops most newcomers is that execution isn't as scary as it seems! Most things are totally doable with a bit of practice. it can even be fun to learn and its super rewarding when you can consistently execute what you've been practicing. Also, mistakes will happen and its not the end of the world. The best players in the world drop combos in the biggest tournaments in the world.

[@MaxAngor]

I have fibromyalgia. I have fibro fingers. I can't do many combos. But I've been playing fighting games since I was a kid so the psychology is down pat. I can out psychology anyone. I can't take advantage of it but I've made an actual pro surprised at how good I am with my psychology. I mean I still lost but, eventually, I did win a round. Fuckin' goddamn combos. They're not necessary as such but they sure do turn your pinto into a ferrari.