How to improve Practice Mode in Champion Ascension

Are you ready to climb the League? Champions Ascension has just released its MMR Rating update, and it's time to prove who the best of the best is!

Improving the Practice Mode

Grinding PvP in the Arena can help you improve, although it may be a slow process. You would be trying out new things while fighting a real opponent. The solution would be to train in Practice Mode instead. However, comes another problem, the Practice Mode does not come with enough features to help you train.

To have a more effective way to practice, here are 3 features I’d like to suggest to the Game Dev team to consider:

Feature #1: Grid Map

The Grid map is an essential element in fighting games. It provides us with an invaluable tool for understanding the range of our attacks. This knowledge is especially important for the "footsies" game. Small adjustments in spacing can be the difference between success and failure.

The Grid map not only helps us understand the opponent's attack range but enables us to make more informed decisions in terms of spacing. It is used to predict our opponent's movements and strategize accordingly. It can also be used to identify potential weak spots in an opponent's defense, allowing us to gain an upper hand in the fight.

An example I have is after taking a look at my replay from a top-down perspective. I read that I had been too far away from the opponent, which cost me the round. With a bit of practice using a Grid map, I'd be able to get a better sense of just how close I could get. This allows me to whiff punish that attack when the time was right.

Feature #2: Recording CPU Action

You currently can test out attacks in the practice mode, but they are limited to only the action data of button inputs. The CPU dummy just stays in place waiting to be attacked.

This leads to us experimenting via trial-and-error during PvP matches against human players. It will make it seem that we are throwing our matches if the experiments are unsuccessful. Especially when dealing with spam attacks by opponents.

Having recorded moves help us learn to deal with attacks that opponents are spamming. This way, we can get a better idea of how to counter the attack patterns our opponents may use, and be better equipped to deal with them in a real match. We will be able to do all this without losing MMR at all!

Here’s an example of something I discovered using the trial-and-error method:

• Whisperer blocking Karkadon’s L>L attack is plus on block.
• You’re safe to punish the attack with an L>L>H attack right after.

Feature #3: Frame Data Display

Champions Ascension did a great job of explaining that an attack is broken into 3 parts; Wind Up, Active, and Recovery. However, it can be difficult for us to identify which part of the animation we are currently at.

This is why having frame data displayed in practice mode can be extremely helpful. This data can help us ensure they are not committing to overly-risky attacks that might leave us open to attack. Frame data can also be used to identify potential openings and counter-attack opportunities during a game. By making use of this data, We can become more informed and improve our performance overall.

Final Thoughts

I sincerely hope that these suggested changes and improvements will be considered by the Game Dev team. I’m confident that the Fighting Game Community would be happy to have these features in the game.

If you have any other ideas that could be implemented, please don't hesitate to share them in the comments below.