1) Break the Smashball! Final Smashes are a new aspect in Brawl that can only be acquired
by breaking the Smashball when it appears. They are powerful, momentum-shifting attacks
that are well worth the effort to attain them. Don’t rush blindly toward the Smashball
when it appears, though; instead, focus on your opponent and their efforts to break it. If
they rush for the Smashball they will leave themselves open and your moment to strike will
be at hand. Once you’ve sent your opponent flying you’ll be in a good position to make
your move. 

2) Many of the recovering techniques from Melee have carried over to Brawl. Most
characters will have an extra attack other than their Up B that will aid in extending
recovery range, such as Marth’s Over B. Some characters have particularly difficult
recoveries, such as Snake, who, similar to Melee’s Samus, can bomb jump with his
explosives. With all characters it’s usually best to save your jumps until your
character is below the lowest point of the stage, as this position offers the most
protection from edge guarders. From there, use all your jumps before you use your Up B
recovery and, when you do use your Up B recovery, aim for the edge of the stage, not over
it. It’s easier in Brawl to sweet-spot the edge of the stage so your character goes
straight into invincibility frames. Use this attribute to your advantage. In addition,
edge hogging has become much more difficult, making this approach for recovering even
better.

3) Choose your controller wisely. Not all control schemes are created equal, so make the
best of one of the four different controllers now available for Brawl. Make sure to stay
away from using the inefficient Wiimote if you plan to use one of the three wireless
controllers. Instead, focus on using the Wiimote + Nunchuck or the Classic controller.
Both of these options are solid choices, with the Wiimote + Nunchuck being particularly
interesting if you turn “Shake Smashing” on, which allows Smashes to be performed by
shaking the controller. The Classic controller is a cross between the old SNES controller
and the Gamecube controller. The Classic controller offers two Z buttons so you can choose
which hand you want to use when performing grabs. In addition to this option, the distance
between some of the right-hand face buttons and the right-hand control stick is
significantly reduced when compared with the Gamecube controller. 

The only wired controller available is the Gamecube controller. This controller will
likely be the option of choice for most tournament players who won’t want the risk that
comes with interference and battery life. The main detriment for this controller is that
the L and R triggers have springs in them. In Melee, lightly pressing either of the
triggers made your character light shield. With light shielding removed in Brawl, it is
likely you’ll want to remove the springs from your controller. To take apart your
controller you’ll need a tri-wig screwdriver which can be cheaply purchased online. Keep
in mind this move will probably void any warranties you may have on the controller. If you
don’t already have a Gamecube controller, don’t worry, they are still being made by
Nintendo and can be purchased online. You can also find cheap, used controllers at most
Gamestops. 

Make sure to take advantage of button mapping in Brawl after you’ve figured out which
controller is best for you. For the first time you can choose each button’s function.
Try to split the work load between each hand equally and don’t be afraid to try out
several different settings to figure out which one works best.

4) Brawl has degenerative damage and knock-back, so landing the same attack multiple times
in a row won’t just decrease how much damage that attack does but also how far it will
send the opponent. With this point in mind, don’t spam finishing attacks. Instead, leave
them for when they are both needed and opportune. If you happen to spam an attack
repeatedly, you can replenish its properties by simply using other moves, but make sure to
hit the opponent because only attacks that connect count. Conversely, attacks that miss
won’t degenerate. Aside from being diverse, there are several strategies to keep attacks
fresh. You can get in the habit of landing your neutral attacks whenever the chance
arises, as these attacks usually have low knock-back and damage anyway. Some levels have
destructible environments where attacks that connect with the environment count just the
same as attacks that hit the opponent, so use this to your advantage and refresh attacks
when near a destructible component. Characters die at much higher percentages in Brawl
than in Melee; about 150-180% compared to 90-110%. Understanding which character’s moves
are the most effective for KO’ing the opponent and keeping these attacks fresh will
ensure they are ready when needed most.

5) Several key techniques in Melee have been removed in Brawl, namely wavedashing (though
you can still waveland and psuedo wavedash with some characters) and L-canceling. If you
are in the habit of doing either of these techniques and want to prepare yourself for one
of the midnight launch tournaments at Gamestop, then consider practicing in Melee during
the coming days to force yourself to forget these old habits. Most players who landed
their hands on Brawl early have said the adjustment time between the two games is several
days or more, but you can help dampen the difficulty of the transition if you start early.
Many techniques from Melee are still in Brawl and one of the most important of these will
be shuffling (minus L-canceling). To shuffle an air attack, all you’ll need to do is get
in the habit of short hopping and fast falling. Short hopping is performed by briefly
pressing a jump button; after this move, perform your air attack and then press down to
fast fall. 

6) Drop that shield! Shield dropping is quicker in Brawl, so after defending an oncoming
attack just let go of your shield and attack. No longer are your only options to jump or
to grab in this situation, so making good use of this property will net results quickly.
Practice using one of your quicker attacks just after you drop your shield. It should be
fast enough to connect with the opponent before they recover from their lag.

7) Maneuvering in Brawl will be much different than Melee with wavedashing removed.
Shielding or pressing down on the control stick will stop your character’s run
animation, so use this when the need arises. Dash dancing is making a return in Brawl, so
taking advantage of your quick initial dash animation will be key to maneuvering quickly
and avoiding attacks. However, Brawl has added a little bit of a twist that may hinder
you. Sometimes, without warning, your character will inexplicably trip over him or
herself. The reason for this is still unknown, but it will be something to be mindful of
early on.

8) Brawl is a brand new game and not Melee 2.0. Tons of tricks, glitches, and exploits
have already been discovered that indicate this game may actually be deeper and more
technical than Melee. Make sure to experiment with every character and attack when you
first get the game, as it’s still mostly unknown which characters stand out over others.
Generally speaking, you’ll want to gravitate toward faster characters with low lag
attacks, good recoveries, high weight, and a few strong finishing attacks. It took several
years for moon walking to be discovered in Melee (and it is making a return), so don’t
expect a lot to be known from the get go in Brawl. Who knows, you may be the one to
discover that new, game-changing technique, just make sure to test the game to its limits
when you finally pick up a copy. Happy Smashing.