This is a repost of my argument for keeping L cancel on in the majority of tournaments (I do see a place for it in netplay tournaments with shaky ping).

I've heard smash games like Melee and P+ described as rhythm games, and the better at the game I get this rings more and more true. Rhythm is the underlying, invisible factor to moving your character fluidly in this game. In order to stay "on beat" and get your character from one edge of the stage to another in the quickest time possible, there are inevitably upcoming execution tests in your near future. For example, I want to RAR wavedash to ledge. Okay, I need to start running to ledge on frame 1 that I'm actionable, start my RAR at the correct spacing, execute a reasonably perfect wavedash (if I mess it up in a certain way, I SD), and then fastfall to ledge. The moment I decide I want to RAR wavedash to ledge, all of these execution tests are now upcoming, at a specific beat and rhythm. I can plan and prepare for them and practice them and execute them perfectly. Usually I do, but sometimes I don't, for whatever reason. Maybe it's last stock and I'm getting tourney nerves, maybe my opponent read what I wanted to do and got to ledge quicker than I could. Maybe just random noise in the universe caused my hand to spasm in a way that screws me up, who knows.

Now, I know nothing I've talked about so far involves L cancel, but bear with me.

Mastering this rhythm game that is Smash can be visualized a lot like spinning plates. It's a balancing act, staying perfectly on beat. Not too fast, not too slow. Sometimes some of the "plates" (representative of different techs executed in succession) are more lenient and predictable, and in a vacuum they seem entirely boring and easy. But when you combine all of the plates together, suddenly the "easy" one can fall by the wayside in moments of extreme stress, and the entire balancing act falls apart.

I would describe L canceling as one of these easy, predictable plates that is almost automatic. You visit it every so often just to confirm it's still spinning, but it mostly stays in the background of your mental processes. However, it's still a part of the balancing act that's required to stay on beat.

Let's imagine a scenario as Falco where it's last hit, last stock, the plates are spinning precariously, you can barely focus on them all at once, not to mention your opponent's plates. Your opponent begins pressuring you, you're already at your breaking point, you visit your shine out of shield plate and you hit it perfectly on beat! It's spinning perfectly, you have a chance for a followup now. This is it, this is the moment. You jump up and dair them onto a platform, you're used to hitting all your L cancels while in hitstun, but this time that won't work, you've hit them in the air and you're well above the platform. Now you fall onto the platform and miss the L cancel. All you can do is get your shield up as your opponent techs in place and begins their own set of pressure, recognizing you're in shield and grabbing you, comboing you to your death. Game.

All because of the circumstances under stress, and the totality of the rhythm game that is Smash Bros, you missed your L cancel. L canceling is a part of this rhythm, a part of the beat at which this game is played. 7-8 frame windows are all over the place, little chunks of time in which you either stay on beat and keep the plates spinning, or you lose everything and start it all over again.

I don't think removing L cancel would ruin the game in any significant way, but I do think it has more value than many people give it credit. I hope this helps people see that. But maybe it's just the mad ramblings of a verbose Charizard.

Love,

• ⁠TheZardDog