Stalker Sonic - How do you prevent it?

[Blaze The Cat]

We all know, that eventually, a player will use Sonic's phenomenal speed to run circles around Tails or Knuckles and pin them to an area where they cannot escape, scoring multiple points in match

I usually grab the weapons that Sonic probably won't grab quick enough (Like the Rail panel, or the bombs) I also use Knuckles' ability to reach an important shield quickly. That way, I quickly have an air advantage and something to rain down on the player below. I also make sure to grab the auto, bounce, and grenade, so I can trap a Sonic player as soon as he/she gets into a room. If I'm going to be low on rings at some point, I go and grab the infinity ring so I can reserve weapon usage. I always make use of my ability to grab things Sonic cannot reach quickly. I find that being on upper surfaces gives me a large advantage in match, so I try my best to climb when I see nobody around. That way I can prevent Sonic rolling in the dough in the first place, while maintaining a vantage point that works on Sonic's lack of aerial skills. Sonic players really like grabbing the bomb and rail together, so as soon as I see one of them missing, I break path to the scatter, auto, or bounce, since they make good cover weapons once Sonic gives chase.

Now how do you, Tails and Knuckles players, retaliate to this event? How do you prevent it from happening?

 

[MrBreada]

I do it by playing as Sonic instead.

 

[Chengi]

Finding an effective counter for Sonic (or at least at his core) is difficult, because by nature, Sonic's playstyle in match modes tends to be very frantic and aggressive. It could quite honestly boil down to how the player takes advantage of the map. Granted, each map is structured differently, so that there are plenty of different areas that could work to a Tails/Knuckles player's advantage; most of which are--like you said--the higher ground. Conversely, a lot of flat, unobstructed ground needs to be present in the map in order to maintain a fair pace for all characters. In many cases, Sonic's mobility itself isn't to blame; but in turn, there exist a substantial amount of segments in match maps that are built around Sonic's mobility.

Avoiding the obvious offenders (Meadow Match, Desolate Twilight), plenty of SRB2's match maps are still home to a lot of "dead space". For instance, the big lake in the west area of Jade Valley has that large, level area where it's easy to thok over the body of water and catch a Tails/Knuckles player attempting to get the higher ground off guard because the only real thing obstructing them is the pillar in the middle, and maybe the one or two FOFs connecting it to the upper portion of the map. Despite the large body of water and large pillar in the center of the room, anything below the upper platform of the pillar remains completely exposed.

In circumstances where exposure isn't the problem, there are plenty of maps built around narrow hallways and large, square rooms that give Sonic an unhealthy amount of room to thok in and corner a player with a well-timed attack--the likes of which Orbital Hangar and Thunder Citadel contain several of.

One could argue that those are all instances where the map is the problem, not the player. Changing up segments of the maps and reworking them to give all players more of an even playing field would bog down the pace tremendously. To put it bluntly, a Tails/Knuckles player really has to find those instances where it's far easier to keep the aerial advantage, and firmly attempt to maintain it. It's not an easy task, but it's crucial if you're to hold up against a good Sonic.

 

[Nintensis]

For me, for the occasional times I use Tails, I just spin dash and fly. The height I fly at depends on the stage or area within the stage. And lastly quickly find a ring weapon.

I also like playing with Project Ringslinger (for the Tails buff) where Tails and Knuckles have more a chance. (Still not much)

 

[Volkatrace]

I used to play as Knuckles, taking adventage in his shooting speed and using bounce ring spam when playing in halls and corners.