We've been sucked back into the black hole of fitness that is Pokemon GO. The game has nowhere near the original player base, but the hardcore pokemon trainers and level 30+ players are still here. You would be surprised how active the Pokemon GO community still is. So we thought it would be a great time to kick some of the excitement back up with a brand new Discord channel in our server dedicated to Pokemon GO multiplayer Raiding, which has become difficult with the drop in global players, especially when you're from a place without a ton of raids to do in the first place. Luckily, most of our team resides in New York City, where the Pokemon GO raids are plentiful!

Pokemon GO raid discord server and community for local players

We want Pokemon GO players from all over the world to be able to take advantage of the new multiplayer matchmaking for Pokemon go raids. We think it's a great opportunity to start a new community since we've recently got back into playing ourselves. If you are interested in becoming part of a Pokemon go rating Community with a bunch of other casual players and 30-plus Pokemon trainers who can contribute to Five Star raids like Heatran another new raid bosses, we would be happy to have you as part of our Pokemon go Gaming Community.  Get in touch with us via the direct Discord link or fill out a form on the side and we will review your eligibility and get right back to you as soon as we can.

Thank you for gaming with us!

thank you to all the players in our community who have made playing games like Super Smash Brothers such a fun time in the past. We are getting back into the spirit of community gaming with this new Pokemon go community and I really hope that everybody finds a chance to catch those legendary Pokemon from the raids that can be hard as a solo Trainor. We will see you out there!

Square Enix outdid themselves with their remake of FFVII, albeit more of a reimagining than a straight up recreation. The combat system is a major part of the game that has also been reimagined. If you’re unfamiliar with Square’s more recent FF entries, this real-time action combat system might be a bit difficult to come to grips with. Don’t worry. I’m here to help.

Upgrade Your Weapons Thoughtfully

The weapon upgrading system in this game is basically how you can give assign a character with a particular class or job in combat. The flexibility of this system is fantastic if you use it wisely. For example, if you want Barret to be your tank, dump his SP into Physical Defense and Magic Defense before anything else. Then dump the leftover to buff his attack, or MP so he can use Barrier or Manaward to make himself even tankier. Note that no weapons in this game seem to be any better or worse than others. When a character earns SP, all of their weapons will gain the same amount, regardless of what weapon is equipped. This makes any weapon a viable option throughout the entire game. Though, some weapons will naturally be better for certain roles in the party. And don’t worry about if you don’t like how a weapon came out. You can always visit Chadley to reset the weapon, getting all your hard-earned SP refunded.

Materia, Materia, Materia

The materia system of the original FFVII is one of the few parts of the new combat system that has remained relatively unchanged. If you slot a character’s weapon or armor with a Fire materia, that character will be able to use the Fire spell, and if they continue to use that materia, they will level it up, and eventually gain access to Fira and Firaga. This is another system you have to approach thoughtfully. If the character you’re focusing on is playing the role of a black mage, equip them with the elemental materia, and equip another character with materia that will enhance their physical attack prowess (like Steadfast Block and Deadly Dodge), or materia that they can use to support your other party members (like Barrier and Item Master). There are a huge amount of options to play with here, and some combinations will be more effective in certain battles. Be sure to re-slot materia frequently, to find arrangements that compliment your play style. And don’t forget about Chadley’s Battle Intel Quests. Completing these can net you some of the most useful materia in the game.

Blocking

Blocking is extremely useful in this game. It is important to block incoming attacks. Before an enemy uses a particularly dangerous attack, the name of that spell or ability will appear a

Don’t Forget to Switch Party Members

Now that we have a role for each team member, and finally got out of all those menu screens, we can get to the combat. In the beginning of the game, I was doing fine with the combat. I had one character to control, and a couple bad guys to cut up with my Buster Sword. Easy. But as I progressed in the game, I quickly got control of other party members, and I found myself having to battle multiple enemies, while I was controlling multiple characters.It was overwhelming to me at first, because I was still controlling Cloud nearly all the time, and hoping that my other party members would do their part. They didn’t. If you upgrade your weapons and slot your materia thoughtfully, each character will have an easier time dealing with certain enemy types. For example, if you’re battling against a bunch of robots, using Cloud and mashing the attack button won’t get you too far. Instead, try switching to your mage and blasting that enemy with some Thunder. Once their staggered, switch back to Cloud, go into Punisher Mode and go to town.

Fill Those ATB Gauges

The ATB gauge is another system that returns from the original FFVII. You have to wait for this gauge to fill up before you can use any abilities, spells, items or summons. Knowing how to fill your ATB gauges quickly, can be the difference between success and failure in this game. The flexibility of the weapon and materia systems gives you a lot of different ways to do this. One option I find useful is to equip your support character with a First Strike materia as well as a Time materia. First Strike will give that character an increase in their ATB gauge at the start of battle. I then use that initial ATB bar to cast Haste on another party member, drastically increasing their ATB fill rate. If that character’s weapon is upgraded with Buff Duration boosts, that’ll just make their ATB fill up faster for longer. Switching control to a particular party member will aslo raise their ATB gauge far more quickly than a non-player-controlled character. This can be useful if you want to have a certain ability or spell ready for when the enemy is staggered or under pressure.

Access Materia/ Pressuring and Staggering

Another important part of combat is staggering enemies. This will put the enemy into an extremely vulnerable state, allowing your party to deal massive damage. It’s important to have one of your party member equipped with Access materia. This can be used to scan enemies, revealing a lot of useful information like the enemy’s weaknesses, resistances, as well as an explanation of how to put them under pressure and eventually stagger them. Once your enemy is staggered, your party will deal 160% damage. This is only the starting point and can be increased upon. When the enemy is staggered, if you switch to Tifa, she can increase the damage percentage by using Whirling Uppercut, Omnistrike, and Rise and Fall. To do this most effectively, use her Unbridled Strength ability a couple times to max out her chi before staggering the enemy. Tifa’s weapon ability, True Strike, as well as Aerith’s Ray of Judgment are also valid options to raise the damage percentage of staggered enemies.

In the midst of all the crying and complaining about Warcraft III: Reforged from the community, much of which I think is over-the-top, one thing stuck out to me regarding Blizzard’s choices in editing their terms to make sure they don’t repeat the “mistakes” of the past. It’s come to my knowledge that the terms and conditions of Warcraft III: Reforged (which obviously I didn’t read) make sure that they own all of the maps created by the community in custom games. If you’re familiar with the story of DOTA and the MOBA genre in general, you’ll know that it was spawned as a custom Warcraft III game that blew up into an entire e-sport and new genre the likes of which millions of people have taken part in. Not just DOTA 2, which most closely resembles the archetypes of the hero set forth in WCIII, but other contenders like League of Legends, SMITE, and many, many more. It seems like not only have they released what the community deems to be a lackluster game, which puts it nicely compared to what you might read in the WCIII subreddit, but they’re also discouraging their once beautiful community from innovating and creating new games with their platform. It’s not even just MOBAs, either. Some would say that the entire Tower Defense genre was also created by someone in the WCIII community. Would anyone from Blizzard ever come up with these ideas if they didn’t come from creators in their community? It’s safe to say they come up with the bare minimum once games are launched, judging by the complaints and frequency of patches since the launch of Reforged. So that’d be a no. Creators beware… the once empowering creators of WCIII and many other classics, who enabled new creators and aspiring designers to follow their hearts and create, now own every damn thing you make within their map editor. Are they really hurting that badly from the fact that DOTA was the one that got away? Considering it might exist in the first place today if not for their creators, an argument could be made that they haven’t missed anything. But then again, I’m sure they have plenty of well-crafted PR statements arguing why this was in the best interest of not only themselves but the community at large. I wouldn’t know...  Not cool Blizzard,... not cool.

Ok, so, by know you basically know we're total fanboys and girls of this game, but sincerely, doesn't this box art blow away anything you've seen so far this year? Always been a big fan of the style and art of the game. That is one of the reasons i got into it all those years ago when the original Borderlands game came out. The fact that i was able to play with friends through a split screen grinding experience was also top knotch and not something many other games were doing back then. Do you see all of the little faces in the roses? Pretty cool! Can't wait to get our hands on this one. God willing, we will be able to get an early copy! SPG is on its way up the ladder! We're coming for you IGN! Until next time, Keep it locked in here to Sweatpants Gaming. Peace!

We've been able to get our hands on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for PS4... and so has everyone else. We don't get advance copies of games for PS4 yet ;( But anyway, the game is pretty amazing on all levels that I (Tom) can tell. Let's break it down with a few categories:

Art

First things first, the art of Sekiro. The game takes place in a feudal japan-looking, snowy, mountainous landscape. The buildings are very typical to those you would find in feudal Japan. The ridged rooftops you've seen 100 times in games that take place in this time period - one of my personal favorite historical eras. The graphics go for a very realistic, somewhat gritty feel and i think they nail it right on the head. It looks good. The graphics style kind of reminds me of Metal Gear if you wanted to compare it to something aside from Dark Souls. It's kind of hard to describe. It's stiff and rigid, but in a good way that helps it feel more realistic.

Overall gameplay

If you love getting fuckin absolutely destroyed over and over like the sick sadistic person you are then this game will butter your biscuit for sure. You will fight your way to each checkpoint and when you finally get to it there is no feeling quite as good. The punishing combat and stiff difficulty really make each fight feel like it holds weight. I really enjoy that kind of thing in my games so that works for me. If you're more into the easygoing narrative type of game or like the idea of participation trophies, this game probably isn't your speed.

Combat System

If you've ever played dark souls or any other game by this developer, you pretty much know the deal. Honestly, you can identify this combat system in a way more games than that. Seems every adventure game has pretty much been biting this the style of Japanese and super gangster developers From Software Wielding the razor-sharp katana of a badass shinobi has never felt quite so good. Dodge, roll, jump and slash your way across feudal Japan fighting everything from samurai to some pretty friggin scary monsters if I do say so myself. The last good ninja game we had was that game from like 10 years ago called "ninja" or something like that. Way too lazy to look that up right now but you know what I'm talking about.... That game was fire. The fighting is ruthlessly punishing, as you'd expect from a game made by the guys who brought you dark souls.

Movement

One way that Sekiro is better than Dark Souls lies in the movement system. It's never felt quite so good to jump in one of these kinds of games. You have control of your character in the air and can use aerial attacks and grapple to high places. The stealth of the game is one of the most viable ways to play, which is pretty awesome if you're into stealth kills and sneaking around.

Stealth

The stealth gameplay in Sekiro makes for a pretty awesome change of pace when comparing to dark souls. You can move through bushes while crouched to remain undetected like a real shinobi would do it. You can also pull off some crazy looking kills on the people you pounce on, stabbing your katana through their throat or skull and watching the blood shoot out. Extremely satisfying. The blood gets on you too and splatters on walls, etc. Im a big fan of violent games and movies, so this really did it for me.

More to come

If you're into Sekiro and want to see more, lock in to Sweatpants Gaming and wait patiently for us to drop some new stuff. It's always on the way. We've been making tons of improvements to our platform in preparation for that sweet sweet viral piece of content we have coming pretty much any way now. Stay rocking those sweats my guys. [SPG] Tom

There are many good fighters to choose from but one that I always find myself going back to in Ultimate is Zelda. Why? I'm not quite sure why. I've never had any desire to play her in the previous games, nor am I a huge fan of Zelda in general (other than the breath of the wild) but that's totally beside the point. If I had to say one reason it's because of her potential. Let's just start with nearly every special move she has can kill. There's a good reason for this, they're all skill shots to some degree and can be difficult to pull out in the middle of a crazy fight. In my opinion, she is a high skill, high reward type of fighter. I think she's worth the time to master. Zelda is a nice combination of being quick, strong, and has range. She can tend to seem a little light, but she's not as light as the lightest class of fighters, so she'll typically hang around well into the 100 %s. Her quick dash attack works very well and I'm a fan of her movement. Also, the teleport is amazing in terms of screwing with opponents by bouncing around so quick your opponent won't know what to do with themselves. She can recover really well too, so movement and recovery are hugely good in my opinion.

Attacks and Specials

With Zelda, you want to keep some range between you and your opponent. Most of her specials (B moves) are ranged other than her down B which is nice to have since it reflects, and also can be used to gain some distance if your opponent is right on top of you. Keep that in your bag until you need it. I tend to typically play her similar to Samus. Control a zone and don't let anyone in, and if they get in chances are I'm trying to inflict some damage and then running and holding onto another zone.  Maybe you all play her differently, but that's what works for me. Don't get me wrong she's more than capable of melee fighting I just think her range is what makes her so appealing. Not only does she have a lot of range, but all of her ranged moves can be a kill shot.

Neutral Special (B)

This is the reflect I mentioned before. It can be deadly if reflecting projectiles, but also to give yourself some space. I probably don't use it as much as I should. It's definitely effective in a lot of situations. Sometimes one of my issues with Zelda is that I can't keep people away at times and this is the best to do so with her so you can get back to her projectiles.

Side Special (Right or left + B)

For Zelda, she has a really good projectile. It's easily my favorite projectile in the smash universe. It's hard to see, quick, and explosive. I've ended so many matches with it it's honestly comical at this point. I love when my opponent thinks they have the upperhand only to be blasted off the map by her fire ball. I'm honestly not sure whe the mice stems from, so maybe someone could help me out there. All I do know is how devastating it could be on the battlefield.

Up Special (Up + B)

This is honestly probably about 50% of the reason I use her at this point. Her up B is her teleport. Now when i first used her i honestly thought it was more like Mewtwo's teleport; which is great for mobility, but doesn't do any damage. I can't tell you how wrong I was because this thing is deadly. Once you really master the distance and timing it can become a royal pain in the ass to defend against. How do you defend when you can't see it coming? Some opponents can sense it and hold block,  but if you're any decent that turns into an instant grab or a smash attack. My advice objective with it so much until it really is second nature. It's extremely useful and so satisfying when your opponent thinks the coast is clear only to be blasted off the stage. 

Down Special (Down + B)

One of more unique moves in the game, in my opinion. If you hold it for its full charge it can be a deadly finisher, but if you release earlier the knight won't be fully built and will attack with a quicker move such as a kick rather than a sweeping sword attack. Eeither way it's cool and useful. I use it to keep my zone clear often because many people don't want to charge in when they see the knight. I don't blame them.

Strengths and Weaknesses

She is the skillshot queen. She's tough, crafty, and is highly underrated. I usually give myself a challenge character to get good with and this year it's her no doubt. I've had a lot of fun getting to know her and will continue to get better with her. At the time of writing this she is my current highest GSP character. Good luck getting Global Smash Power aka GSP up! Hit us up on Twitter @gaminginsweats if you want to show off your new found skills.

With so many characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, there are some that get overlooked, unfortunately. One that should definitely not be overlooked is Lucas. We were super excited to hear that Lucas would be back in this latest entry of Super Smash Bros. The good news is not only is he back, but he's even better than he was in his last appearance. There are some slight changes from his past version such as his PK fire being more explosive which in our opinion is a good thing. At times, I do miss the Nes-like PK fire at times which sort of traps you for a few seconds, but on the whole I rather the extra explosion and launch power. It comes in handy, especially on the flat boards. This guide is based on personal experience, so if there are some strategies that go against the current "meta" forgive me, but do let me know what I could change. It's based solely on personal success. Now enough with my disclaimer lets get to the nitty-gritty.

Attacks and Specials

One thing that annoys me about some Lucas players is it seems like, at times, they rely on gimmicky tactics such as spamming the PK thunder, PF fire, or even just playing stay-away and absorbing any and every projectile while conserving damage until being forced to fight. All that is completely whack and gives Lucas unnecessary flack just because of individual's stupid gameplay. Don't get me wrong, those moves are all essential on their own, but nobody should be a one-trick pony. Similarly to Samus, our preference is to play him as a bit of a zoner, but I'm definitely more aggressive hand-to-hand with Lucas than I am Samus. I think Lucas has a great skill set and his smash attacks are some of the best in the game in my opinion. They all have an aggressive launch rate, especially his Up Smash the move is amazing and will launch foes off at a high rate. It's also great for people who use down A or down B dive attacks such as Yoshi, Bowser, or Ridley. They'll think they have the advantage while flying down to deliver a blow, but jokes on them when you pop that up smash and send em flying off the screen. It has a large hitbox too with some good upward range. Honestly, all of his smash attacks are very good but don't sleep on his quick A attacks and dash A attacks. For a little kid, he packs a punch. Whether it be his magic or his fist he can do some good damage quick. He's also on the lighter side, but nowhere near the lightest and in my experience usually doesn't get launched until well over a 100% damage.

Neutral Special (B)

For Lucas, this is his PK Freeze. I'll be honest I don't use this too much only because I feel it leaves the user extremely vulnerable for something that has a low chance of actually hitting the mark. I do like to use it on the edges from time to time because it can be a pain to recover from. This is probably the one thing I wish they didn't change from Nes' moveset. I wish Lucas had the green explosion which is really powerful, but that's up for debate. I've talked to many people who prefer the freeze. Just preference I guess.

Side Special (Right or left + B)

Ah, the fabled PK fire. We touched upon it earlier in the guide, but it is a very important move for all Lucas lovers. There's honestly not a lot to it. It's a horizontal projectile that will slightly burn, and launch your opponent away from you. It's really good if you want to keep distance from your opponent. It's essential for controlling players who overuse their dash. No joke I've played people that attempt to engage using the dash A literally every chance they get. I get it, it's good, but if you're going to do the same thing over and over next time you try against my Lucas expect a fireball to the face. The great thing is it isn't blocked by many moves at all. Even someone like Meta Knight with a great dash move, it is easily beat with a little PF fire. It comes in handy.

Up Special (Up + B)

Lucas' or Nes' Up + B is probably the most unique Up +B's there is in the game. Most characters have a second jump or something, but Lucas has PK Thunder. I think it's the most versatile move in the game. You can direct it anywhere with really good range. Some people only use it for long range, but if you get comfortable enough you can make it into a super annoying short to mid-range move as well. Muscle memory comes into play when you do it enough, but my suggestion is practice with it as much as you can it can really be frustrating to deal with. Also, don't be the guy that just spams it from the corner of the map. No one likes that guy.

Down Special (Down + B)

A good ole' absorb. While it's wildly unimpressive, it does serve a good role. If you're good with it you can eat up projectiles while recovering your health along the way. I don't see a ton of opportunity to throw it out often, but when you get a pesky ranged fighter it definitely comes in handy. The good thing is that it's not a timing type of move you can hold it as long as you want. It's definitely a situational type of move.

Strengths and Weaknesses

He's well rounded for sure, but he definitely has the projectile edge in most fights if not all. Lucas quick and light with enough power to get people off the map. I think his recovery is extremely good too. It might seem daunting at first to get a hang of the Up + B, but once you get it it'll be game-changing. That move can be difficult to pull off and leave you vulnerable. On some maps with holes or drops with walls on both sides, it can be impossible to pull off just an FYI. The nuances of this moves are worthy of your time. Also, some dashers like Cloud or Inkling can be a royal pain but try to rely on the PK fire and a dash move of your own to keep them at bay.

Strategy

• Dash in and out of fighting for the most part, but be ready to let a projectile rip if need be.
• Create some space and control your opponents from a distance until they charge.
• Never forget about the Up smash attack when fighting from beneath.
• Fend off dashers with PK Fire
• Jab!
• Use Up + B to get yourself some finals smashes

Good luck getting Global Smash Power aka GSP up! Hit us up on Twitter @gaminginsweats if you want to show off your new found skills.

 How to Play Samus in Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Super Smash Bros Ultimate brings a huge library of fighters for you to choose from. One of the originals Samus is still a beast when used right. Some tier lists shy away from her on the top tiers, but honestly, I completely disagree. She is easily one of the more well-rounded fighters there is. She has a ton of range, while still being a great fighter up close. This is a guide of how I play her, but feel free to leave comments if you think you have some other strategies with her. Samus is currently my highest Global Smash Power Rating or GSP, with Lucas being right behind her.

Attacks and Specials

Here's the thing about Samus, distance is always preferred even though you can hand out your melee beatings just as well with her. I consider her more of a zoner than anything because if the opponent leaves me be, I can absolutely pick someone apart from distance, and if you charge me the strategy is to deliver a few blows then regroup elsewhere. One nuance to Samus is always trying to have your shot charged. It can be tough sometimes because it does leave you vulnerable, so what I suggest is take advantage of K.O's and other times when your opponent might not be directly on top of you. We'll get into that later, but it's a great weapon to have handy whenever you may need it. With that being said, if you are versing her be sure to be mindful if Samus has her shot locked and loaded or not. It could be the difference in the game. You never run out of power or anything like Inkling , so shoot as much as you please.

Neutral Special (B)

Like I stated earlier make sure the shot is charged whenever you possibly can. It is a great way to finish opponents not only from far away but even up close when they least expect it. I can't tell you how many people I've launched with a shot from feet away. The shot is more about deception than anything. Lull your opponent to sleep, make them forget that you even have it charged and then boom, see you later! The only thing to be careful with this is that some characters have reflects and/or absorb moves that can neutralize this big time. I'm not saying don't use it, but you must use it wisely. A few notables are K. Rool, Mario, Zelda, and many others. I think of it as having an ace up your sleeve.

Side Special (Right or left + B)

Samus' side special is really good IMO. Some people don't care for it as much, but I think they can be so useful when trying to keep up the pressure on someone or trying to keep a distance. There are two types of missiles that get shot randomly. One is a homing missile and the other is a more explosive straight missile. Both have their uses and Samus shoots them quickly, so it is nice to have in a lot of different situations. It's even possible to launch people with the straight shot which is always a plus in my book if you can launch someone from a distance.

Up Special (Up + B)

Samus' Up B is awesome quite frankly. It is a great recovery and has a lot of launch power by itself. It's great to use if your opponent is flying downward because it can keep popping your opponent in the air for a punishing juggle. What is also cool is it's super quick and fairly simple to hit.

Down Special (Down + B)

If anyone says this move is useless they're simply not a Samus player. While this is one more that has no launch ability whatsoever it is one of the most important things you can master as a Samus player. Her Down B or "bloops" as I've heard them called before are essential to controlling your opponent. Got a pesky opponent who keeps spamming the dash attacks? Drop a little "bloop" for them and they'll have to be more cautious the next time. Also, cool sidenote which has been in the game since Melee I believe is they can be extremely useful in getting back on to the board. While in mid-air you can navigate through the air by hitting yourself with these "bloops" to get an extra boost to get back on the stage.

Strengths and Weaknesses

I think her greatest strength is just how well balanced she is. If she didn't shoot anything I'd still use her and that's what I hate about some of the backlash going on with her. Some will disregard her as someone who just shoots stuff, but she's so much more than that. Her dash is great and her grab is one of the best because it has great range. Don't miss or else you're left vulnerable, but needless to say that with most moves in the game. Another helpful hint is to use the hell out of Down + A. It's super quick and has a launch power. It's great when fighting up close. This can even start a combo if you're quick about it because it will pop them in the air. The only weaknesses she may have is the number of projectiles with no other smash specials. This can come back to bite you when you're versing someone with a great dodge or reflect. While she's good hand-to-hand, there are certainly better out there.

Strategy

Pick a zone and hold it down. If they let you sit back torture their life with projectiles, but if they charge you be ready to lay the smack-down and then later regroup back to safety and recharge your shot. Once you charge up, poke the bear until they charge you and repeat the process until the percentage is high enough to launch them off. Don't forget your "bloops" aka Down+B, and use your grab as an offensive weapon to create space for yourself. Good luck out on the battlefield! Hit us up on Twitter @gaminginsweats if you want to show off your new found skills.

Why does she have the same moveset as Peach?

For starters, I'm currently addicted to Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, so don't take this the wrong way, but it really mashes my buttons that Peach has the same moveset as Peach. It got me thinking why? Is it because they're both girls? Or maybe because they wear a similar dress? Or maybe because Nintendo was being lazy? I'm not sure which of those it was or whether it was something totally different, but it really bothers me that Nintendo would choose to do this.

I think my biggest issue is Peach has a moveset that pays homage to her Super Mario 2 days, such as floating or the turnips which are fine in and of themselves however Daisy has them too and she wasn't in the friggin game! Does Daisy just float around because Peach taught her some cool trick? It's just not right. I'm all for her being put in the game, I mean she is the more levelheaded of the two princesses, well, I would think due to getting captured less over the years, but what do I know. I just wish she had her own moves. They could've paid homage to her playable appearances in Mariokart or Mario Tennis, but nope we got the lazy same moveset as Peach.  

I'm not sure about the exact differences, which are incredibly minimal, but they could've made it at least like a Pichu/Pikachu type of thing where one is more robust, but has a flaw. I'd even settle for like one or two moves being different such as Mario and Luigi, or the Villager and Isabelle. Well, all we got with this is essentially 14 Peach skins. You give us this nonsense and no Waluigi Nintendo what gives?

Rant Over. Until next time on "What Mashes My Buttons" (working title comment some suggestions below if you think you have better.)

How to Play Inkling in Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Super Smash Bros Ultimate brings a huge library of fighters for you to choose from. One of the fan favorites from the batch of new fighters in this game is Inkling - a cute little squid looking thing that inks enemies and dips below the ground when dashing, dodging, and reloading (which you have to do).

Here is our first ever Smash Bros character guide for your viewing pleasure. We present our official Inkling guide:

Attacks and Specials

Everything you do, shoot, and splat with inkling revolves around the ink that gets all over the place and on enemies as you perform your smash attacks and specials. They all apply ink in one way or another.

The ink doesn't only annoy your enemies, though. When covered in ink, your enemies will also take more damage from your attacks. Pretty cool!

Your ink tank will deplete as you use the moves that apply ink. Once that runs out, you can refill by pressing B when totally empty. If you want to refill during a pause in the action, you can do so when not empty by shielding (L or R) and pressing B.

Attacks with Inkling are super fast and can lay out the damage pretty fast when you're landing your attacks. Inkling's dash attack is one of the best and they can be hard to see when dashing because of their animations. Landing dash attacks can be pretty easy when done correctly. Their jab combo is also one of the best around. It applies ink and can do tons of damage.

Neutral Special (B)

Inkling fires his/her gun like a machine gun, damaging and inking enemies in the path. You can control the direction of the stream by tilting up and down on the stick. Inked enemies take more damage from attacks.

Overall, we don't use this move a ton. It can be good for some quick damage and ink, but usually, there are better moves to be using!

Side Special (Right or left + B)

Inkling's side special pulls out the paint roller and runs in the direction you activate it. It can be done in the air for a quick way to get across to your opponent, giving them less time to react. When you hit enemies with the roller, they will be dug into the ground and stunned until they shake themselves out.

If you circle back and hit them with the roller for a second time, it will smash them, sending them flying.

It could just be us, but we find it a bit hard to put the roller away for some reason. It could be something that will be getting patched, but as of now, it sometimes takes us 2-3 presses of B before inkling will put the roller away. A bit annoying when fighting good players when every second matters and response times are so short.

Up Special (Up + B)

Inkling goes into squid form and shoots upwards. One of the best recoveries in the game in our opinion and it can do some damage and box enemies out upon landing. It does no damage until landing and isn't a great damage move in general - the usual trade off for being such a good recovery.

Down Special (Down + B)

Inkling throws an ink grenade at a variable distance that will explode after a few seconds, causing damage in a large area around the explosion and applying ink. You can extend the range depending on how long you hold B.

If you just tap the button, Inkling will do a little lob, throwing the grenade right in front of him/her.

This move is variable, unpredictable, and can do some serious damage. Since the splash is large, it is pretty easy to hit with. We love using the short distance throw in close combat with someone. It adds an extra thing for them to have to block and is usually unexpected.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Inkling's greatest strengths are speed and agility. If you're into fast fighters like Greninja or Shiek, Inkling will probably be a good fit for you. You should move around a lot, pull off many dash attacks, and leverage your speed as much as possible when fighting, especially against slower fighters like Ganondorf or Bowser.

Of course, if they do catch you, your going to get launched like a potato out of a rocket launcher, so be careful!

Ink supply is something you have to worry about a lot with Inkling and make sure it is always as full as possible. Putting your shield up and then hitting B will let you refill at any time, so use your speed and get to an open spot to reload or wait for a lull in the action like when you blast someone far away or KO them.

When fighting Inkling, keep them pressured. If you stay on top of them they wont be able to reload and will be weaker without their special abilities like the grenade and roller. Their smash moves also won't be as strong when they are short on ink, so keep that pressure on!

Strategy

Generally, you just want to stay on the move with Inkling to keep yourself safe and get those dash attacks in as much as possible. You can pretty easily combo someone from there with inklings relatively straight forward aerial attacks. The up aerial attack is especially useful when trying to just add that little bit of damage to an already flying enemy. It has some pretty good power to it, too, so you can sometimes get that up smash KO out of it.

Use mobility to your advantage while dodging and dashing around the arena. Keep enemies at bay or disrupt a fight with a well placed grenade, sending 2 or more enemies flying and confused.

Keep your eye on your ink meter and use the best opportunities to refill. The best times are when other enemies are fighting each other, get KOd, or are just far enough away that you can reload. You don't have to fully reload every time!

That's pretty much all you need to know!