This may sound daunting at first, but this is not to say that there isn’t fun to be had prior to this – you will still enjoy playing it’s more like your training weights have been lifted off or you can see potential you couldn’t before. I hold this opinion with a few others in my scene who began playing roughly the same time as me, that you truly don’t feel in control of your actions or that you’re ‘playing the game’ until 2-3 years into playing. Melee holds a niche in the scene due to it’s unique movement options and surprisingly intricate technical requirement. The curve is steep and this is commonplace with any other serious fighting game. One of the things you have to be prepared for when you start playing this game competitively is the amount of learning you will have to do. I will go further into this topic in another section, I just wanted to let you know what you’re in for. Trust me though when I say this, when you try really hard at something and you succeed, it’s significantly eclipses all the failures it took to reach that point. That’s not to say everyone’s journey isn’t different, it absolutely is – however, latching onto something as fragile as a ‘secret’ will get you nowhere hard work is required unfortunately. There is no secret, I practiced and I learned, because I wanted to get really good. I tell mostly everyone who comes to me wanting to get better and asking “How did you get good so quickly, what’s your secret?”. How far you go depends on how well you pick up the information and what you decide to do with it, and most importantly your passion for improving. This resource should be able to teach you everything you need to know from a complete beginners level to potentially somewhat advanced. Melee from the ground up - you have come to the right place. You have most likely came to this guide because you want to either get better at or learn Super Smash Bros. So you want to play Melee?: An Introduction Some sections may be familiar for more experienced players and others interesting for new ones – regardless, you should be able to pick and choose between categories which feel suited to what you want to learn. I’m hoping this guide will comprehensively cover all categories I feel are relevant and to the extent of the knowledge I have available. I decided instead of wasting my knowledge/experience, I would attempt to work on the most informative guide I can on improving at Melee. However, my passion has eventually dwindled and I no longer feel this way. I cherish the experiences I’ve had with the game and wouldn’t think about changing them – it helped me improve to become who I am now. I improved steadily over time to peaks I didn’t imagine I would ever achieve – becoming best in my region and highly acclaimed in Europe (42nd in European Heir Rankings). Competing at tournaments frequently, starting from a local level to eventually national. I have played competitive Melee for slightly over 3 years. I’m going to keep my history brief because that’s not what I’m here to do. Sorry for the dramatics, but improving at Melee was something I was once extremely passionate about. It’s a battle of the mind a reflection of oneself – you will fail many times, but you will appear from the other side if you learn from them. This sort of thing can light a fire in people and bring out both the best and worst in them. It’s the act of pushing your boundaries past ‘just the video game’ and then further introspectively. The satisfaction and self-reflection that comes with achieving goals along with doing something you enjoy is a rare feeling. Improvement in any hobby or skill in life I believe is one of the most fulfilling things you can do. The Art Of Improvement: Super Smash Bros.