I'm tired of the FUD about ASDI-down and boxx. As a decade-long GCC claw player before switching to boxx for accessibility (CMC arthritis in the left thumb), I don't feel like there is an appreciable difference between the two for this tech.
I'll use ASDI-down Peach subfloat since that seems to be the current FUD example people throw around:
- Cstick ASDI down with claw vs boxx both use two fingers. Index+thumb on claw and middle+thumb on boxx.
- Cstick ASDI down is not an especially analog input, so the analog-ness of the Cstick doesn't really matter.
- Cstick ASDI down with claw and an analog Cstick puts less strain on my right hand than on boxx.
- Because 1) it's less of a reach (my gram slim is like 2x the distance between Cdown and jump than a gcc) and 2) you don't have to "press" with the thumb perpendicular to your grip but can instead use a more natural thumb motion parallel to your grip.
- I actually ASDI down DD way less now on boxx than I did in the mid-2010s on GCC claw. Because it is more comfy on GCC claw.
- The actually-hard part of ASDI down with Cstick is not the physical input (assuming you GCC claw) but rather rigging up gamestate so you can lock out Cstick inputs.
- For subfloat ASDI down, you often want to do it while doing an aerial.
- For nair, doing this is equally easy with claw and boxx. Just hit Cstick down after inputting nair with A. This is in some ways harder on boxx because you use the same finger for A and Cdown (although you can use Z for nair if you care that much).
- For other aerials, claw is arguably easier since you can roll the Cstick in one fluid motion. You have to jump your thumb around the C buttons on boxx.
- You can get AC lands out of subfloat without Cstick ASDI down shenanigans! Floating with down-forward or just holding down on grey stick will give you the same result. Because, as we all know, Cstick isn't the only way to ASDI down - it's just an override.
- Of course, hard down is best. But down-forward/back inputs can work depending on percent and what hit you're countering.
- From experience, my subfloat ASDI downs (on boxx and controller) are from reacting to the attack coming at me and moving the stick down. Because (per the previous point), I don't often create the luxury of finagling my Peach's gamestate to set up Cstick ASDI down subfloats.
- Note that because of how ASDI works, you just have to get the stick into a "down" state by the end of hitlag, which makes this reaction pretty doable.
- Polish pointed out that claw GCC Cstick ASDI down has to potentially deal with the travel time of the Cstick and the fact that the way the Cstick gets read can be a bit wonky. Phob Cstick waveshaping can adjust for this.