Tips on analyzing opponents during fights

[pumakendo]

i was wondering if you guys have a way to analyze opponents. let’s say you have 1 game: best out of 3 rounds. since there is only the FIRST ROUND to learn something, if you do learn something, what is the MOST important thing to learn?

now let’s say you have first to 5 games so now you have a little more leeway, and each game still best out of 3 rounds. what kind of analysis do you do on your opponent in this case?

my guess is that since there are so many things happening at once, you take a mental note of a “constant” that you always do in a certain situation and note the “variable” what your opponent does in return and try to adjust. but it’s tough to do this with so many situations that arise in one game.

[BlueCloud]

I always look for what the opponent wants to do. Everyone wants to do something. Maybe it’s jump in and land a combo. Maybe it’s turtle and throw fireballs. Maybe it’s block and punish. Whatever. Look for what they want to do. Expect it and counter it. When you play decent players continuously, they will be doing the same analysis on you and both of you simultaneously adjust your games over the course of the matches.

[pherai]

You kind of have an idea. I don’t think the length of the game really changes how you approach analyzing your opponent, you can just get more information about them. Really though, its hard to have a static approach. Some players like to use that first round to feel out their opponent, and test their defenses, and once they feel a bit more informed, they begin to make more commitments. The natural consequence of this is if your opponent knows this, they can take advantage of you playing timid and safe in that first round.

[Riot_Guard]

I always look for what the opponent wants to do. Everyone wants to do something. Maybe it’s jump in and land a combo. Maybe it’s turtle and throw fireballs. Maybe it’s block and punish. Whatever. Look for what they want to do. Expect it and counter it. When you play decent players continuously, they will be doing the same analysis on you and both of you simultaneously adjust your games over the course of the matches.

This pretty much sums it up. That’s what I always try to do. Everyone plays with patterns, good players just know how to switch to counter another’s.

[Exvaris]

In a one-game scenario, i.e. Online Ranked play, where it’s one best-of-3 set, the thinking goes like this:

Round 1, find a counter.
Round 2, utilize the counter.

If using the counter got you a win, keep using it. If it didn’t, go back to what you were doing in Round 1.

[pattybenpatty]

I came to the realization awhile back that I have several different play styles and that I was only switching them up after each round, it was subconscious but I was switching thing up using the start of a new round as my cue to either to keep them guessing or due to what I was trying just not working. Now I’m trying to purposely adjust and adapt on the fly. Much better results that way.

[sektr]

I always look for what the opponent wants to do. Everyone wants to do something. Maybe it’s jump in and land a combo. Maybe it’s turtle and throw fireballs. Maybe it’s block and punish. Whatever. Look for what they want to do. Expect it and counter it. When you play decent players continuously, they will be doing the same analysis on you and both of you simultaneously adjust your games over the course of the matches.

This, with experience you learn to quickly read what your opponent wants to do by the movements their making ingame, and with more experience you learn to quickly read when your opponent decides to change their gameplan and adapt.