Good response. This is the kinda content I wanna see more of on the sub. Gfycats are nice, but I feel that solid disscusion helps me level up my game more, and also appreciate the game as more than just pressing buttons.

I've noticed a definite trend of Lucario players lacking fundamentals while having exceptional tech skill and only working on fundamentals after many months playing; this can be likened to the new Melee Fox main that can multishine and pull off Thunder's combo flawlessly, yet is consistently beat by Marth's infamous wavedash->F-smash. Even in my brief stint playing Lucario, I felt the temptation: why try to learn the intangible neutral game and possibly get better when I can learn the punish game and definitely get better? Why try to force more openings if I can always kill off the first one? Why bother with what feels like a tedious guessing game over flashy stylish combos?

I think every player that attempts to play a high-APM character feels this temptation at some point - to favor a few extra percent over good stage positioning, 50/50s for kills over edgeguard situations, and, in general, instant gratification and momentary victories over planning and smart play. This manifests itself in these player prioritizing punish over neutral - punish is flashy and fun, but you'll never win if you can never use it. Which is why that tech skill prodigy will end up going 0-2 in bracket, even if they win the casual game of tech skill H.O.R.S.E. after.

Eventually, every player of this type gets to the point where they realize that neutral is what's holding them back, but it can take longer if they win games over others relying solely on the punish game they've developed. Which is why I strongly support Orange's Melee Roy theory - if you don't have a punish game, you will eventually learn neutral, however long it takes, and you'll be a complete player when you come back to your main and truly be able to push the limits of what you can do.