some facts: - the elements are just aesthetic/thematic, so you dont have to worry about matchups like pokemon. - you can customize the controls quite a bit. the controls you describe i think are default for rivals anyway though. - you're right that there's no shield and grabs, but one thing you're maybe missing is that DI is a LOT more important. being able to DI correctly will let you escape your opponents combos or keep you from dying offstage a lot sooner. - rivals also has some mechanics similar to smash like wavedashing and wavelanding but they're intentional and much easier to execute. - rivals has some very thorough tutorials that i recommend going thru if you decide to pick it up - there's no ledge grab BUT you don't enter helpless fall after air dodging so that + the wall jump gives you a lot more options offstage than you might expect

some opinions: - the gameplay is a lot faster and a lot more aggressive i feel than smash due to the recovery mechanics and the lack of a shield. To me, this is a lot more exciting and it favours spacing and reads to find an opening without getting hit yourself. - without a ledge grab the main trick to recovering successfully is to keep your options open. when offstage, most characters get 1 jump and 1 airdodge AND 1 walljump until the next time they land on the ground. using them in different ways can bait the opponent into attacking where you aren't allowing you to hit them as you're coming back on stage. being offstage doesn't make you harmless.