Why is "easy" an insult?

I think it's helpful to think about every move in terms of risk reward ratios.

You talked about moves that remove options from the game making the game easier. I agree, but lets think about what it means to remove options.

If I do move X that projects a hitbox at my opponent then my opponent has several counter-plays, the more counter-plays they have generally implies that they have more time/positions that they can use to effectively punish me. The amount of time he gets is a matter of how much endlag my move X puts me into before I can react, and the amount of positions he can utilize in his counter-play is dependent of the coverage of my hitbox as well as my fighter's ending position coming out of Move X.

Large + Fast (actionable sooner) moves = less options for counter-play

Moves that remove large amounts of the opponent's options from the game while having a large amount of reward, say the move combos or hits hard (kill or offstage), are moves that make the game for whoever is using them easier. Therefore they are "easy" moves.

I was just discussing G&W up-B and I got a lot of criticism for calling it an easy move. Here is my reasoning.

If you avoid getting hit by the up-B (effectively baiting it) you have to cover a large vertical distance before G&W can act (32 frames) in order to hit G&W. After 32 frames you have to go even higher (assuming G&W jumps) and it's now very risky because G&W has large disjoint in the air. Most characters cannot punish G&W up-B and instead have to wait for him to descend and punish if he's out of position you hit him. Unfortunately he has very large disjoint downwards with Dair and can wall with a fadeback using Bair/Fair or Bacon.

So assuming you bait this move the possible options for punishment are very few, ergo G&W has small risk on this option. Now let's look at reward.

The move's hitbox comes out Frame 1 (instant) and also very quickly shoots G&W upwards from which he can jump and act.

If you are hit by the move you get sent at an 80 degree angle right along with G&W, you can only DI up to 18 degrees either direction and G&W can cover all the possible trajectories especially because he'll get a big window to read your DI before he jumps.

This is an auto-combo, the defending player has no options after taking knockback to avoid a followup.

There are lots of these in the game with varying ratios of risk/reward (falco's shine, squirtle's withdraw, luigi's aerial down-B), however because the risk is so low and the reward is so high for Fire (G&W up-B) I hold that it is an Easy move

/r/SSBPM Thread