Super Smash Brothers Brawl FAQ
By: Chris "Amazing Ampharos" Immele

I. Table of Contents

I. Table of Contents
II. Introduction
III. Character Bios
IV. Classic Mode
V. All Star Mode
VI. Event Battles
VII. Target Smash
VIII. Home-Run Contest
IX. Multi-Man Brawl
X. Boss Battles
XI. Subspace Emissary
XII. Challenge Board
XIII. Trophy List
XIV. Sticker List
XV. Other Unlockables
XVI. Speed Unlocking
XVII. Credits and Conclusion

II. Introduction

Welcome to my FAQ on Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Super Smash Brothers Brawl is, 
as of the writing of this FAQ, the latest entry into Nintendo's wonderful Smash 
Bros fighting series, and the game is a complete joy to play. However, it's 
also a completionist's nightmare; there is a very large amount of unlockable 
content that is sure to drive anyone looking for that "perfect file" mad. The 
game also features a very diverse cast that is sure to prove daunting for all 
but the most dedicated of fans. That's where I come in. This FAQ is meant to 
walk players through unlocking everything in the game. If you just want a 
rundown of the characters and some basic tips on how to use them and unlock 
them, look to section III. If you want a thorough walkthrough on how to do 
everything, sections IV through XI and section XV are for you. If you are 
looking for a list of what there is to get without so many of the details, 
sections XII through XV are ideal. If you just want to get everything you'll 
need to play serious matches with your friends as quickly as possible and don't 
care about any of the smaller things, section XVI is where you'll want to head. 
If you want to read an overly obligatory section with little real content, 
well, sections II and XVII are pretty cool.

III. Character Bios

In this section, I'll be covering the entire cast and giving a summary of how I 
see them. I'm going to be candid about which characters I believe to be good or 
bad; I'd be doing readers a disservice if I tried to give a positive impression 
of the entire cast to avoid offending anyone. I'll also discuss generally how I 
believe each character should be used. I'm not doing character guides, but I 
hope I can provide enough to help players get started with everyone.

Also, I must give an obligatory disclaimer. I don't play the whole cast nor am 
I necessarily the best player out there. I have studied the game in great 
depth, and I have really done my best to fairly show how each character works, 
but if I made mistakes or glaring omissions, don't get upset. Also, the part 
where I discuss character match ups is pretty iffy. I mostly just guessed 
there, and I'm probably frequently wrong. Rather than looking at the characters 
I name, it would be better to look at the reasons I suggest some things might 
be problems as potential holes in that character's style.

Mario

In theory, Mario is supposed to be a balanced character without significant 
strengths or weaknesses. Unfortunately for Mario, theory doesn't always hold. 
Mario definitely has below average range and power, and coupled with his 
average speed and lack of special properties, this puts him in a bad position. 
As things stand, he seems to be one of the worst characters in the game.

This is not to say that Mario is without merit. Mario has a decent set of smash 
attacks that he should be quick to rely on. Of special note is his powerful 
forward smash; this will be his main source of kills. His forward and down 
tilts are mostly just sources of quick damage with little notable about them, 
but his up tilt is a handy move for popping enemies up into the air so keep it 
in mind. His running attack is a decent sliding kick which you should use for 
surprise damage once in a while, but despite the ease of use, it's not good to 
overuse as it gets very predictable. His jab combo is just a typical safety 
move.

In the air, Mario's biggest problem is his slow forward aerial. It has a weak 
hit early in the swing and a nice spike late in the swing, but it's really too 
slow to be practical for general use. If approaching the enemy head on in the 
air, it's generally wise to instead rely on his weak but quick neutral aerial. 
Mario is at least blessed with fast and decently powerful up and back aerials, 
but neither are likely to be getting a whole lot of kills. His down aerial 
might seem appealing at first, but it's generally too slow to be one of his 
most relied upon moves.

Mario's grab game pretty much revolves entirely around his powerful back throw. 
This throw is his second and last reliable source of kills; be sure to exploit 
it heavily. Mario has pretty short arms so getting grabs is generally 
difficult; using his up smash out of a shield will be generally more useful 
until the enemy is near killing percentages.

In terms of his special moves, Mario's only real gem comes in the form of the 
Cape. This move is far worse than it was in Super Smash Brothers Melee, but 
it's still a solid move that new Mario players should try their best to 
integrate into their games. It turns around all attacks that hit it, completely 
reversing the attack's trajectory or the enemy's momentum. It causes enemy 
projectiles to become dangerous to them as well so it can be used to send 
things such as Samus's missiles right back at her. If it hits a standing 
opponent, it will turn them around, but it does not turn around shielded 
opponents which means that it's not a safe option against opponents waiting for 
you to attack. A major use is to ruin recoveries by turning them around and 
causing the momentum to fling the foe away from the stage, but Mario players 
will now have to jump out over the ledge to take full advantage of this as 
clever opponents will be sure to still be within ledge grab range if you do it 
from the ground. The last use of the Cape is for recovery. Using it in the air 
causes Mario to stall and push forward very slightly. Using it consecutively is 
a sure way to die, but using it just once right before the triple jump can be 
useful.

Mario's other three specials are pretty lackluster. His Fireballs are weak with 
poor range so they aren't of use for projectile spamming. The main use of 
Fireballs is to do a short hop, throw one Fireball, and then chase after it. 
This helps Mario approach the enemy as they have to deal with the Fireball 
right as Mario is about to attack them. Mario's Super Jump Punch does poor 
damage and leaves him very vulnerable; only use it to recover. Fludd is 
generally useless, but the one scenario I have found it handy is to ruin Ness's 
and Lucas's recovery. If you blast them with water as they steer Pk Thunder, 
they will be pushed away but not interrupted which almost always leads to their 
death.

Mario is capable of wall jumping but not crawling or wall clinging. Mario can 
only jump once in the air. His roll is fairly slow but covers a lot of ground 
so it can be of use sparingly, and his spot dodge is a very ordinary one.

All in all, Mario doesn't really stack up to the other fighters, but don't take 
that as a sign that he's useless. Mario still has a wide array of tools and can 
be used highly competently to pose a serious threat. His Cape especially is a 
unique tool that in the hands of the right player can cause extreme frustration 
to opponents; it's the main gameplay reason Mario should be considered over 
other characters. It's especially pivotal when battling Marth, Ike, or other 
characters with great range advantages on Mario; he can turn them around even 
if he only hits the tip of their attacks with his cape. However, other than his 
Cape, Mario has few options against such great range characters; they will 
likely be his hardest opponents.

Luigi

How to unlock:

-Play 22 brawls.
-Have Luigi join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear Classic mode without continuing.

Luigi is Mario's oddball brother, and the way he plays makes that very clear. 
His voice, animations, and general style all feel just a bit odd. Specifically, 
Luigi is a really upward oriented character; he has an uncanny number of moves 
that are designed to knock the opponent up into the air. The fact that he 
compliments this with a really solid set of aerials makes him a coherent and 
effective character. I wouldn't call Luigi one of the best characters in the 
game at all, but he's definitely a solid contender.

Luigi's main goal with his grounded attacks is to get the enemy up into the 
air. All three of his smashes do this well, but you should primarily rely on 
his quick and wide-ranged down smash. If you need a really quick move to pop 
them up, his up tilt is a great option as well. His forward tilt sends them at 
a horizontal angle you won't find useful, and his down tilt is a very weak 
close range move with a high likelihood to trip them though it can pop them up 
very usefully if they are at a high percentage. I'm sure many of you find his 
running attack enthralling, but hold off on it. It's not as ridiculously unsafe 
as it was in Super Smash Brothers Melee, but it's still a weak move that 
doesn't lead into anything better.

In the air, Luigi's pride and joy is his great forward aerial. He does a very 
quick and fairly powerful chop that can be a source of kills and a great way to 
rack damage. His up, back, and down aerials are also all fast and decently 
strong so he can throw a good aerial out no matter what his orientation to his 
opponent. His neutral aerial is interesting insofar as it sends the enemy 
straight up with a lot of power; it can be an effective tool to get surprise 
star KOs.

Luigi's grab game is pretty similar to Mario's insofar as he's really concerned 
with his very powerful back throw. However, if Luigi is unable to kill after a 
grab, he should instead use his up throw as that puts opponents up in the air 
which is right where Luigi wants them. Luigi should also occasionally use his 
Super Jump Punch out of his shield for the chance to land a Fire Jump Punch, 
but only do that when the opponent puts himself in just the wrong position.

Luigi's specials are a mixed bag. His Fireball is a pretty horrible projectile; 
it has very poor reach and generally doesn't flow with the rest of his game. 
Throw them out if the opponent tries to stay just out of arm's reach of Luigi, 
but generally Luigi should look to his other moves in combat. The Green Missile 
is a pretty horrible move outside of recovery. It does poor damage unless 
charged up, and while Luigi can charge it as long as he wants, it's super 
predictable and easy to avoid. It will do good damage if he gets a misfire 
which is a 1/8 chance on each use, but Luigi is too good to need to rely on 
something like that. However, in the narrow context of recovery, it is useful 
to Luigi as he gets good horizontal distance from it and can continue doing any 
moves in the air he wants after using it.

Luigi's Super Jump Punch is fairly mediocre for recovery and completely 
pathetic with the weak hit, but if you are right inside of them when you use 
it, Luigi will do a Fire Jump Punch which will deal massive damage. This is one 
of Luigi's most treasured sources of kills; he should always be looking to 
sneak one in once the opponent is hurt enough to succumb. A good trick is to do 
one or two hits of his jab combo and to interrupt it by throwing out the Super 
Jump Punch. This is very hard to impossible for them to avoid once you get the 
hits from the jab, and it's a really easy chance at a Fire Jump Punch. Luigi 
similarly gets a lot of utility out of his Luigi Cyclone. On the ground, he can 
use it to cover distance very quickly; it is a very good way to both get 
surprise attacks and approach enemies. If Luigi has not used Luigi Cyclone 
since the last time he has touched the ground, he is able to rise if the player 
presses B rapidly which makes it a very handy tool in ensuring Luigi always 
makes it back to the ledge.

Luigi cannot wall jump or wall cling, but he can crawl. This is useful as he 
can crawl under Pit's arrows, but he is too tall to crawl under any of the 
projectiles from the Star Fox characters. Luigi only has one midair jump. 
Luigi's roll and spot dodge are pretty much identical to Mario's; his roll is 
slightly slow but covers good ground, and his spot dodge is very ordinary. 
Luigi can get a fixed knock back straight up hit with his down taunt, but it's 
too slow and low range to be useful. It can even spike if it hits a recovering 
opponent, but unless a truly golden opportunity comes along, it's just an 
obscure detail. Additionally, Luigi has unusually low traction which isn't very 
important but should be kept in mind.

Since Luigi's game revolves so much around the air, Luigi's matches revolve 
around how his opponents fare there. Since characters like Kirby, Meta Knight, 
and Jigglypuff frequently enter the air voluntarily, Luigi should be a great 
choice against them. Otherwise his matches don't tend to be particularly 
notable though I would watch out for Marth and Ike whose range will give him 
significant trouble. Luigi is a solid, balanced choice with an interesting and 
unique play style; he's definitely worth considering.

Peach

Peach is a very interesting character mostly because of her ability to float. 
If she holds the jump button in the air she will float once she reaches the 
peak of that jump, and if she holds down she will automatically float without 
needing to reach the peak of her jump or perform her double jump if it is still 
unused. Her floating opens a lot of options for her in the air; she can be 
either stationary or sliding directly horizontally while doing her aerial 
attacks. This mechanic is her main appeal as a character, but all in all, she's 
still probably a bit below average.

Peach's ground game isn't terribly noteworthy, but she does have some good 
stuff. Her up smash is a great killing move if she hits with the sweet spot, 
and her down smash of Super Smash Brothers Melee fame is still useful to 
quickly score a few hits to rack up damage though it has pretty much no hope of 
ever killing anyone. Her forward smash is an odd move that randomly uses either 
a good knock back tennis racket, a weaker knock back but better range golf 
club, or a straight up hitting frying pan. The move as a whole is a decent kill 
move, but the randomness makes it hard to use it for anything else. Her down 
tilt and forward tilt both are handy for knocking the opponent up into the air, 
but her down tilt is generally better. Her up tilt hits with a super explosion 
of hearts and love that knocks the opponent pretty far but doesn't kill until 
higher percentages; it's still good to use frequently. Her running attack is 
above average as well; mix it in.

Peach will usually want to be floating when she does her aerials, and all five 
are useful. Her neutral aerial is her most valued one as it throws out a quick 
and powerful attack that hits on both sides of Peach. Her forward aerial packs 
quite a punch; she should use it mostly as a finisher. Her up aerial sends them 
up further so she can continue juggles and score KOs off the top. Her down 
aerial, on the other hand, is a damage racking move. If the opponent is at low 
percentage and grounded, it's a very handy tool to do a lot of damage to them. 
Her back aerial is a quick smack from her rear end to anyone behind her; use it 
if someone dares go there. With all five of them, remember that you can do them 
while floating very close to the ground, chase them with your float while the 
aerial finishes, and then immediately land and do a move on the ground. This is 
the core of Peach; use it and abuse it.

Peach's grab game is pretty much unremarkable as none of them can kill and she 
has typical grab range, but if she does score a grab, she should use her down 
throw with aspiration to lead into something more potent as it pops them up 
right behind her. Since she gets fairly little out of grabs, she might want to 
consider using her up smash out of a shield, but the extremely vertical 
orientation of the hit on it makes that frequently unsafe.

Peach's specials are mostly pretty average. Well, Toad is excluded there; he's 
just plain useless. If you were curious what he does as it's not immediately 
obvious, he counters attacks, but even for a counter move he's unbelievably 
slow and easy to punish. Her Peach Bomber is a pretty cool move that extremely 
bad Peach players are known to use dozens of times in a row without using any 
other attacks. She winds back for a bit and then hurls herself nearly 
straightly horizontal a little more than a third of the length of Final 
Destination. When it hits, it releases an explosion of hearts and love and does 
solid if not particularly noteworthy damage and knock back. It's fairly 
powerful and mobile if predictable and easy to punish; be sure to mix it in 
once in a while but not too often.

Her Parasol is her nominal recovery move though in practice she usually doesn't 
need it. She shoots up a small distance and begins floating down, and the 
Parasol can be put away by pressing down. The really novel thing is that she 
can bring it out again by tapping up so she can make her return to the stage 
very unpredictable by varying her falling speed; it is the main reason she's 
such a pain to kill. Her Turnips are handy to use to interrupt opponents by 
tossing one at an opponent right before attacking, but their poor range makes 
them bad spam. They can be caught easily as well which can make throwing them 
counterproductive from time to time. Peach also cannot throw them while 
floating unless the player inputs down + B, but this will only do the shorter 
ranged throw. Occasionally, she gets a very powerful turnip that has a face 
like that of an old man; use floating aerials and other special moves to knock 
them off guard so you can kill with it. She also can pull bombs (which aren't 
actually Bob-ombs as she can hold them indefinitely) which are even more 
powerful, Beam Swords which turn her into a huge range machine of death, and 
Mr. Saturn which when thrown with a smash throw devastates shields.

Peach cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl and has only one midair jump. She 
has a somewhat fast roll and spot dodge, but her real special property is 
floating which has already been covered in depth. One last trick with it though 
is that she can cancel her dash with a jump into a float very low to the ground 
which she can automatically end to land and be in a neutral position on the 
ground. It's tricky to do; you need to basically hit forward to do a dash and 
do a quarter circle motion toward down as you hit jump and then release them 
all just as the float starts. This lets her vary the length of her dash however 
she wants and do just about anything she wants out of it; take advantage of it 
if you can get the timing down.

Peach's ability to float lets her glide right over projectile spammers so she 
will match up fairly well against someone like Pit, Falco, or Snake. Characters 
such as Wario, Jigglypuff, and Squirtle who can outmaneuver her in the air will 
prove problematic, and characters with especially high speed or power such as 
Bowser or Fox could be pretty successful at rushing or plowing past her 
shenanigans. In general she will probably find herself having to work a bit 
harder than most other characters to win matches, but she has enough tricks 
that she should still remain on the lower end of viable.

Bowser

Bowser is advertised as the game's biggest and heaviest character, and he fits 
the bill nicely on both counts. Unfortunately, he has the single worst flaw a 
character can have; he is quite slow. Still, Bowser has a combination of solid 
reach, great power, and surprisingly decent mobility that make him a decent if 
flawed character. He doesn't really rise above the problems heavy characters 
tend to have, but he puts up a decent showing.

Bowser's ground game has great power all around so he will mostly be looking 
for speed and safety in his attack selection. His forward tilt is a good attack 
to look to for a starter; it has huge range and is fairly quick so he can feel 
confident in general throwing it out. His up tilt pops them up nicely and has 
the added bonus of hitting behind Bowser as well as above him; it's a great 
move to throw out with your back turned. His down tilt still has a good deal of 
power for how quick it is, but it will be difficult to land hits with it. All 
three of his smashes are beastly. His up smash is only useful as an answer to 
opponents coming straight down on him or on a platform above him, but the 
damage makes it worth it. His down smash is a wonderful way to punish opponents 
for rolling about you rapidly or otherwise staying in your face and playing 
evasively; it racks up really huge damage. His forward smash is the only one 
you should be reserved about; it isn't particularly more powerful than his 
other smashes, and while the way he recoils his head is very useful, it's 
slower and more punishable than his other smashes. If Bowser needs to get an 
opponent away from himself quickly, his jab combo is really his only option.

Bowser's aerial game will mostly revolve around his quick forward aerial, but 
his others still have use. His up aerial does massive damage if he can connect 
with it, but that's easier said than done. His back aerial is generally very 
easy to hit with and pretty powerful, but it's a very unsafe move due to the 
absurdly long landing lag. The best way to use it is to either use it really 
high in the air where it will recover before landing or to hit the edge after 
using it. His neutral and down aerials are just not very good and should only 
be used in obscure circumstances where they seem like they can hit where other 
things cannot.

Bowser's grab game is easily forgotten because he has a special move that is 
basically a better grab, but he still has a few things he can do with them. His 
general best bet is his back throw to try to get the opponent over the ledge, 
but if the opponent is very hurt, his up throw will be more beneficial. His 
down throw seems appealing, but he is so slow after it that he really can't 
follow it up with anything. He may very well want to mostly use Whirling 
Fortress out of his shield; it's a solid option for him.

Bowser's specials are split half and half between great and terrible. Let's 
start with terrible. His Fire Breath really isn't very good. The fire dies down 
relatively quickly, it is difficult to connect, and the damage is all around 
poor. The main use for this will be to use it near the ledge angled downward to 
force the opponent to take many hits from it before they can make it back. His 
Bowser Bomb is also pretty poor; it's incredibly unsafe upon landing so he can 
only plausibly use it if he's going to hit the ledge. Of course, in that 
context, it is handy.

His Whirling Fortress is a wonderful move. It's not only useful for recovery; 
it really shines when used on the ground. Bowser can slide along the ground at 
a good and dangerous pace while using this move; it helps him out for 
approaches and generally scoring quick damage, two things that would be quite 
difficult for him otherwise. The fact that as an up special he can use it 
directly out of a shield only makes it sweeter. Of course, most players are 
simply enamored with his Flying Slam and with good reason. Bowser does a quick 
grab motion and then slams the opponent down. Bowser and his opponent both can 
direct where they land, and being at higher percentage causes either side to 
have a lesser influence. This is a very safe and quick move, it is an aerial 
grab, and it is a wonderful suicide attack should you choose to use it that 
way. Just be smart about suicide; only do it when you are gaining an advantage 
by dying at a higher percentage or are up in stock. Also, if this move doesn't 
hit the opponent and finishes its animation in midair right above the ground, 
Bowser gets his second jump back. He can exploit this to effectively levitate 
over the stage which may throw some opponents off, but it's not a terribly big 
part of Bowser's game.

Bowser cannot wall jump or wall cling which is no surprise at all, but he can 
crawl for some mild humor but no actual gain. He has one midair jump and a 
typical spot dodge, but his roll is fairly quick and should be used a bit more 
than most characters would. His ledge attack at under 100% is also a 
surprisingly good move; be sure to take full advantage of it.

Bowser's great strength will let him get early kills in all matches, but it is 
usually counter balanced by the fact that faster characters will be getting 
more hits. Bowser can definitely handle a character like Jigglypuff who is 
extremely affected by his strength and doesn't have particularly great speed, 
but characters like Sheik and Fox will probably prove too much for Bowser. 
Bowser's massive size also makes him a prime target for projectile spamming 
from characters such as Pit or chain throws from King Dedede or Wario; those 
will be hard matches. At the very least, his great weight can be a boon against 
the lighter power characters so he can approach foes such as Zelda, Lucas, and 
Pikachu with a bit of confidence.

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong has never been a popular character, but he's the original Smash 
Bros. heavy character. He's generally a bit faster than Bowser, but he isn't 
quite as powerful. Donkey Kong is a bit better in the air than Bowser whereas 
Bowser is more of a grounded character. DK's range is also a bit better 
overall. Still, fans of one character will probably find a kindred character in 
the other even if they don't really play alike. Also, much like Bowser, Donkey 
Kong is quite playable but still clocks in at below par.

On the ground, Donkey Kong will want to rely on his greater reach moves which 
also happen to be his generally quicker ones. He has an excellent forward tilt 
that covers a lot of distance in front of him and is quick; it should be 
heavily relied on. His up tilt covers a wide arc over his head and behind him; 
it too should be used frequently. His down tilt is also quick, but it is really 
only useful for occasionally tripping opponents as the knock back on it is 
incredibly unuseful at all percentages. His forward smash is his best smash in 
terms of speed, range, and power; you should rely on it heavily. His up smash 
is good for hitting opponents above him, and his down smash is good for 
sweeping out rolling characters, but neither are particularly good.

In the air, Donkey Kong's main weapons will be his excellent back and up 
aerials. His back aerial is extremely quick and powerful; he can string 
together series of these in rapid short hop approaches for great profit. His up 
aerial hits a large area as he slams with his huge head and is effective at 
scoring kills off the top of the screen and should be used whenever DK managed 
to get beneath an opponent. His biggest problem up here is his horrible forward 
aerial; it's so slow you will never hit anyone with it. When approaching from 
the front, use his neutral aerial instead. His down aerial is a somewhat handy 
spike; mix it in as it's worth the effort.

Donkey Kong's grab game is really defined by his unique cargo carry mechanic. 
When he grabs an opponent, he can hit forward to lift them on his back from 
which he can carry them around. Other than the obvious use for suicides, this 
can let him set up attacks by carrying them to more favorable places. DK should 
usually cargo to up throw to attempt to follow up with an up aerial, but he can 
really mix it up a lot depending on circumstance. He can also use his Spinning 
Kong out of a shield which is generally a good choice.

Donkey Kong's specials are all close range hits and have mixed usefulness. His 
Ground Pound can rack up damage decently if it hits just right, but it is 
incredibly unsafe and pretty hard to hit with so it really should be used very 
seldom if at all. His Headbutt is similarly an interesting move that isn't very 
good. Hitting with it is like hitting with a damaging Pitfall item, but the 
move's range is poor as is its speed so it is mostly just asking to be 
punished.

The Giant Punch is a high quality move. It's a really great killing move, and 
it has super armor that Donkey Kong should exploit to ensure he delivers his 
powerful attacks. However, throwing the punch in midair leaves Donkey Kong 
helpless until he lands so it should mostly be used from the ground. His 
Spinning Kong is a very quick move coming out that deals decent damage; he 
should whip it out from the ground from time to time for easy damage. It is 
also his main recovery move, but it has incredible landing lag when used from 
the air so he should really try to hit the ledge with it.

Donkey Kong cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and he has only one midair 
jump. He has a typical roll and spot dodge as well; his only really special 
property is his cargo throw.

Donkey Kong's matches are mostly in the same vein as Bowser's with the 
difference being that his generally greater speed lets him do much better 
against speedy characters like Fox. Of course, his lower power similarly isn't 
doing him a lot of favors against a character like Jigglypuff or Kirby; it's a 
trade off that Donkey Kong probably wins by a small margin. Donkey Kong may not 
be flashy or popular, but he has his monkey business, and that makes him 
somewhat viable.

Diddy Kong

Diddy Kong was always everyone's favorite when playing the Donkey Kong Country 
games, and he's a favorite here too. He's an all around speedy character in 
both mobility and attacking, and that's an excellent thing to be. He has a lot 
of quirky moves that serve him very well; he's an excellent character all 
around.

On the ground, Diddy Kong really needs to know his good moves from his bad 
ones. The general rule is that tilts are good and smashes are bad. His forward 
smash is weak and fairly easy to punish, but his forward tilt comes out faster 
and with better damage. His up tilt is a good upward hitting move, but it's 
much easier to punish than his up tilt which does the same job but better. The 
big exception is in the downward direction as Diddy Kong has a fast and 
effective down smash while his down tilt is one directional with unuseful knock 
back. Diddy Kong also has an incredible running attack. It's very fast and ends 
so quickly that Diddy Kong can follow it up with other attacks without being 
punished. This means that Diddy Kong should frequently rely on his running 
attack for approaches as he can often flow into another move before a shield 
grab would interrupt him. This is a great contrast to his jab combo which is 
one of the worst in the game; never use his jab combo.

In the air, Diddy Kong's two big assets are his quick and powerful forward and 
back aerials. He can approach from either direction and rely on a quick hit 
that is decently powerful up in the air; his back aerial is the one with a 
little more speed while his forward aerial is the one that packs the power. His 
up and neutral aerials are very weak, but they are quick so he can use them to 
rack damage when the enemy is very near. His down aerial is tricky to use, but 
it's a wonderful spike so try to sneak it in if the opportunity arises.

Diddy's grab game leaves something to be desired, but given that his other 
options out of a shield are also lackluster, he must rely on it. In general he 
should go for his up throw to try to lead into aerials; his back throw sends 
them too far away to do anything, and his other two throws are just generally 
bad.

Diddy's specials aren't great, but he has some cool stuff here. His Peanut 
Popgun is a rather lousy projectile that is extremely slow and easy to avoid; 
only pull it out if the opponent is giving you an ideal chance to projectile 
spam. Even then, be cautious as the peanuts can actually be caught and then 
thrown back at Diddy as items. His Monkey Flip and Rocketbarrel Boost are both 
quality recovery options that make it easy for him to get back to the stage, 
but neither is that great otherwise. His Monkey Flip will spike them if he gets 
the grab hit from it in the air, but it's tricky. Rocketbarrel Boost needs 
practice to recover well with it, and if he gets hit during it, the barrels 
might fly off rendering him helpless. If you want to use Diddy, spend some time 
in training mode getting the timing on this move down.

His one really high quality special is his ability to summon banana peels. He 
can only have two at a time, but he cannot trip on his own banana peels. He can 
toss them at opponents to trip them up, but the main use is to plant them in 
clever places that will severely restrict the foe's movement. When they trip, 
Diddy can move in and punish while his bananas on the ground keep them locked 
down. It's really hard to explain just how to plant them efficiently; the 
general rule is that you should try to put one between you and the opponent and 
the other in the place you figure the opponent most wants to go.

Diddy Kong can wall jump, wall cling, and crawl. He is short enough to crawl 
under Pit's arrows but not any of the Star Fox characters' lasers. He has one 
midair jump, a fairly quick roll, and an unfortunately slow spot dodge which he 
should generally avoid.

Diddy's speed gives him advantage over the big and slow characters such as 
Bowser, but he will find faster powerhouses such as Pikachu, Lucas, and Zelda a 
real problem. Mr. Game & Watch and Marth's combination of speed and priority 
could also be a big worry. Otherwise Diddy should expect generally even to 
slightly favorable matches as he's not particularly extreme; he can expect to 
perform well in a wide variety of situations.

Yoshi

Everyone is divided over who is good and bad, but few are divided over Yoshi's 
standing. Yoshi is just obviously a pretty bad character, but he's really not 
completely without merit. Yoshi has a slippery control in the air that, 
combined with his very fast running speed, can make him somewhat unpredictable, 
and he has surprising reach on several attacks. He's also surprisingly heavy. 
Even if he isn't very good, he can at least be full of surprises.

A good general rule with Yoshi's ground attacks is to watch whether they use 
his tail. All of his tail based attacks are good whereas his head and feet 
based ones are lackluster. All three of his tilts are good and will be his 
primary attacks on the ground. His up tilt pops them up into the air which is 
fairly useful for Yoshi; use it whenever you have an opening. His forward tilt 
and down tilt serve similar purposes; both are great moves to get the opponent 
away and score a little damage. Yoshi also uses his down smash like a "fourth 
tilt" since it covers a wide area quickly so it's great for racking up damage. 
Unfortunately, he has to rely on his slow, poorly ranged forward and up smashes 
for kills; Yoshi has trouble in this department.

In the air, Yoshi's two best moves are his up and back aerials. His back aerial 
covers a huge range and racks up damage very nicely; use this move as often as 
possible as it's one of Yoshi's best. Yoshi's up aerial will probably be his 
most important killing move as it comes out quickly and hits opponents straight 
up. Don't allow this move to be worn down by stale move negation as Yoshi has 
very few other good killing options. Yoshi's neutral aerial is a decent option 
for a quick hit, but it's very weak so it should be used sparingly. Speaking of 
using moves sparingly, only use his forward aerial when you're sure you can hit 
the spike as it is extremely slow and easy to punish. His down aerial is a very 
difficult move to hit with, but it should be used anyways due to its great 
ability to rack up damage on a clean hit.

Yoshi's out of shield game is just pathetic. His grab has big range, but it is 
incredibly slow which makes it hard to use effectively. His up and down throws 
both pop opponents up nicely and can be good options to attempt to follow up 
with an up aerial, but he lacks direct killing power in grabs. His saddest 
problem, however, is that he cannot jump out of his shield. This means that he 
must roll, grab, or drop his shield after blocking an attack; he cannot do an 
aerial or an up smash or special. His roll is also a very slow roll so it 
really leaves him pretty helpless after blocking.

Yoshi's specials are mostly bad. His Egg Roll leaves him very open if your 
opponent has a decent sense of timing; only use it for quick retreats and 
surprise attacks. His Ground Pound is generally a bad move due to how unsafe on 
landing it is; it should mostly just be used when Yoshi will hit the ledge 
after using it. It is also somewhat useful if you can hit the opponent on the 
way up as it forms a small combo, but given the risk, it usually isn't worth 
it. Yoshi's Egg Lay is handy; he can use it to somewhat replace his slow grab 
with the bonus of being able to use it in the air. He really can't follow up 
turning an opponent into an egg with anything; just try to get a back or down 
aerial on them quickly before they break out.

Yoshi's Egg Toss is his primary special. With careful aim, Yoshi can bombard 
opponents anywhere from right next to him to about two thirds of Final 
Destination away; good Yoshi players absolutely must master subtle aiming with 
this move as solid projectile spam is one of the few things Yoshi can really do 
well. In the air, it gains Yoshi a bit of height, but the returns diminish so 
much after each use that it should only be used once. It's the closest thing to 
a triple jump Yoshi has by the way; his recovery is pretty easy to mess up. 
Additionally, this move can be used for a pretty clever edge stall. Yoshi can 
let go of a ledge by hitting back and then immediately throw an egg. The height 
he gains should be just right to grab the ledge again if done right. With 
practice, Yoshi can snipe at the opponent with eggs while enjoying a lot of 
invincibility from constant ledge grabbing.

Yoshi cannot wall jump or wall cling, but he can crawl. Yoshi is short enough 
to duck under Pit's arrows, but while crawling he gains a bit of height so he 
gets hit which means he can only use crawling to very slowly approach Pit. Of 
course, he cannot duck under any of the team Star Fox projectiles at all. Yoshi 
has a very slow roll which he should seldom use, and his spot dodge seems 
slightly slower than average. Yoshi's inability to jump out of a shield is a 
huge handicap which severely limits his game, but he does have the minor 
benefit of having a shield that never shrinks. It will break like every other 
character's shield, but it changes colors instead of growing smaller and always 
covers his whole body. Yoshi also has a tremendous weight gain when he is 
starting his double jump which allows him to take many attacks without 
flinching, but this only helps him in recovery. Yoshi can continue following 
the path of his double jump while attacking as well which allows him to very 
quickly gain height during an attack; I suggest using up aerials out of his 
double jump to catch opponents coming down.

All in all, Yoshi is just a character with a lot of problems. He has a lot of 
special properties which are good, but then his inability to jump out of a 
shield takes it all away. His shield game as a whole turns out to just be awful 
as he is cursed with a bad grab and roll; he really doesn't have much he can do 
after blocking. Yoshi also is a poor character at racking up kills which just 
does him no favors. I really can't say much about specific matches as Yoshi 
will have trouble with most characters for the same reasons, but he should have 
a somewhat palatable match with Wario due to his ability to outrange Wario and 
control space. He also can have a generally good time against characters such 
as Bowser and Ganondorf with very poor mobility thanks mostly to eggs, but I'm 
really just struggling to find anything to help out poor Yoshi.

Wario

Wario is from the start an obviously unusual character, but his play style is 
even more off the wall than you would at first expect. While he does have high 
weight, he doesn't play like the heavy characters at all; he is actually most 
similar to Jigglypuff! Wario uses his amazing aerial mobility and an array of 
attacks with surprising speed and power to make himself into a large threat on 
the battlefield, but his absolutely horrible range really limits him. He seems 
above average, but his inability to threaten from afar seems like it keeps him 
from the upper echelons of play.

On the ground, Wario should definitely mostly rely on his tilts. Wario has a 
powerful and medium speed forward tilt that will be his main source of grounded 
kills. His forward smash is a more powerful option, but it has a range so awful 
that it is usually really impractical to connect with. Still, it's actually 
quick so he can be tricky by comboing into it after a weak aerial such as his 
forward aerial. His upward attacks are similar except his up smash is just a 
damage racking move; it's a move to generally refrain from using. Wario's down 
tilt is a fairly slow option, but it is still a better choice than his super 
slow down smash.

In the air is where Wario really shines. Wario's forward aerial will be his 
most used and relied upon move as he can jump in, attack with it, and weave 
back out to land out of range of retaliation. This is the central Wario 
strategy so be sure to use it frequently. Wario's neutral aerial and up aerial 
can be difficult to connect with, but they are his two main killing options in 
the air. His up aerial kills off the top pretty easily, and his neutral aerial 
sends them much farther away. His down aerial is just a damage dealer, but it's 
pretty potent with little landing lag so use it whenever the chance arises. His 
one aerial to generally avoid is his back aerial since it has so much landing 
lag when he hits the ground during it. It's pretty powerful though so you can 
mix it in; just be sure to use it after full hops or from higher up in general 
so Wario completes the move before landing.

Wario's grab game is as quirky as you have come to expect from this character. 
His main killing throw is his forward throw while his back throw generally gets 
poor distance which is the exact opposite of nearly every other character. 
However, when you aren't going for a kill, you should look to his up and down 
throws. Wario's up throw sets the opponent up for aerials, but Wario has a 
chain grab out of his down throw against Bowser and Donkey Kong. After the 
throw, the opponent is knocked right behind Wario so he can turn around and 
grab again. While those two are the only ones against which he can pull off 
long forced grab combos, he can frequently get several in a row with the 
others. If they don't directionally influence, he doesn't even have to move to 
continue against Ganondorf, Captain Falcon, Wolf, or Falco. Pick whatever 
throws best suit the situation to make sure Wario is maintaining maximum 
pressure.

Wario's special moves are pretty odd and for the most part pretty limited. His 
Bite is a very short range move, but it can be used as an aerial grab and can 
interrupt many low priority attacks, especially from Sonic. For the most part 
this move shouldn't be used much, but it can be viable defensively. If the 
opponent gets into Wario's mouth, the Wario player should press B rapidly to do 
as much damage as possible. Wario can also eat various projectiles, but 
explosives still hurt him so this is pretty limited. The useful things he can 
eat are R.O.B.'s gyro, Peach's turnips, Wario's bike and bike fragments, Diddy 
Kong's peanuts and banana peels, and Zero Suit Samus's suit parts. He can also 
eat King Dedede's Waddle Dees while they walk around on the ground, but he 
can't eat them as they are being thrown. Speaking of Wario's bike, it's a 
pretty poor attack in general since he is very vulnerable unless he is doing a 
wheelie which makes him very slow, but he can use it in the air and then leap 
from it for recovery. Only one bike can be out at a time so Wario players 
should try to keep the bike ready to use for this purpose.

Wario's Corkscrew is a pretty bad recovery move and has such poor range that it 
can seldom be used as an attack, but, if the opponent is caught in the entire 
thing, it will do good damage. It should be used very sparingly save when the 
height is truly needed to make a recovery, but it can be a good surprise attack 
if a golden opportunity arises. Wario's Wario Waft has some use for recovery if 
it is really needed, but the best use of the move is to wait for it to fully 
charge and then use it as a finishing blow. It takes approximately 1 minute and 
51 seconds for the move to fully charge, but the charge is retained between 
stock.

Wario cannot wall jump or wall cling, but he can crawl for little practical 
benefit. Wario has but one midair jump, and he is unfortunate to have both a 
slow roll and a slow spot dodge.

Wario's only big handicap in most matches is his horrible range so characters 
with huge range are going to make this problem most apparent. Marth and Ike 
just completely outdistance Wario, and even characters like Olimar and Mr. Game 
& Watch could prove problematic. However, Wario's superb aerial control means 
that characters such as Jigglypuff and Squirtle who were relying on superior 
aerial control to win could be in trouble. Wario also tends to do well against 
very low priority characters such as Sonic and characters who try to attack 
from very close range such as Captain Falcon.

Link

This is another case where being candid won't earn me many friends, but it must 
be done. Link is really bad in this game for the sole reason that Toon Link 
exists and is way better at using what's essentially the same move set. The 
only real reason to use Link is to be stubborn; those who want to use Link and 
win should just pick Toon Link. Okay, that's out of the way. I'm going to 
assume everyone from this point on is stubborn and wants to use Link to his 
potential even if he's an obviously inferior character. Link has some good 
stuff; he can play a solid keep away game with his three projectiles, and his 
melee attacks have solid range and power thanks to his sword.

Link has a lot of good moves on the ground so he'll be spending a lot of time 
here. His forward and up tilts both swing over his head and hit in front of 
him, but they hit in different directions. His up tilt hits up, and his forward 
tilt hits forward. Use whichever one fits your specific needs, but both are 
great, quick, high range moves Link should use a lot. His down tilt is a bit 
slower, but it tends to poke under shields and is nice for popping the enemy 
into the air. Link's down smash is a typical one that clears out opponents 
rolling around too much, and his up smash is a great damage dealer that tends 
to set the opponents up in the air nicely. However, Link's real gem on the 
ground is his forward smash. He does one fairly low knock back but decently 
damaging swing, and if A or any direction on the c-stick is pressed somewhat 
within the timing of the attack, he'll do a very powerful follow up swing. He 
can vary the timing to be very unpredictable which makes this move very 
dangerous. If you just want to do a double attack as quickly as possible, 
simply mashing A will make it happen. Link's jab combo and running attack are 
also both decent, but neither is anything special.

Link in the air is also pretty solid as he has six pretty good aerials. Yes, I 
meant six. His forward aerial is a nice range and speed double sword hit; he 
should be sure to throw it out at every opportunity. His back aerial is a 
double quick kick of pretty average strength that he should also use a lot. His 
neutral aerial is also a kick, but it is so weak that it's less useful by 
comparison to the back version. His up aerial is pretty slow and has a lot of 
landing lag, but it has very high priority and decent power so Link can throw 
it out with confidence to approach enemies coming at him from below. Link's 
down aerial is a fan favorite for its great power, but the move is very slow 
thanks to huge landing lag. Only use it when you are sure to hit. If it hits 
twice, all landing lag is canceled so it's a somewhat more viable move against 
the Ice Climbers than normal. Link also has a sixth aerial he can use by 
hitting Z in midair to fire his Clawshot. This move has literally no landing 
lag, and despite how weak it is, it has solid range. Short hop approaching with 
the Clawshot is a great tactic that Link should be sure to exploit, but this 
move has a very long recovery time in the air so when Link is not able to 
quickly land during the move he should only use it to tether the ledge as per 
the move's original purpose.

Link's grab game is pretty hampered by his relatively slow grab, but for his 
absolutely huge range, it's at least of a tolerable speed. None of his throws 
are particularly good unfortunately, but his down throw does leave them close 
enough to follow up with a quick attack if they are at low percentages. His up 
smash out of a shield will be useful, but his Spin Attack should generally not 
be used like that.

Link's special moves mostly revolve around the concept of spamming projectiles. 
If he needs to quickly apply pressure in a nearly straight line in front of 
him, he should shoot his Bow. His Gale Boomerang can be angled to hit at a wide 
variety of locations, and it should be used to control space and force the 
opponent to not go where he most wants to go. Unfortunately, the gale effect is 
really bad; pulling the enemy in if the enemy is prepared is actually to Link's 
disadvantage as he was using his projectiles to keep them out in the first 
place. Be ready for it to happen, but in general, don't try to hit with the 
returning Gale Boomerang. Link's last fun tool is his ability to throw bombs. 
Link should always try to be tossing these just where the opponent wants to go, 
and given their high power, they will be very effective at keeping the enemy at 
bay. Link will especially profit from throwing a bomb right as he's running at 
an opponent to force the opponent to answer the bomb just moments before Link's 
attack. If the opponent gets clever and starts catching many bombs, delay 
tossing them so they explode as they reach their target. It's an easy mistake 
for Link players to make to not use enough projectiles, but they are really 
what make Link the character he is. At almost all times in a match, Link should 
either have at least one projectile out or should be following up on the 
immediate advantage gained from his projectiles that were there shortly before.

Link's Spin Attack is his recovery option, and this is getting its own 
paragraph so I can make it a very clear point. The Spin Attack should only be 
used for recovery. On the ground, it is slow, predictable, and fairly weak. 
Charging it only makes Link even more slow and predictable, and it really can't 
be used to spike like it could in Super Smash Brothers Melee. The "combo" down 
throw to Spin Attack does not work. Seriously, only use this move for recovery, 
and you'll be a much better Link player.

Link cannot crawl, wall jump, or wall cling, and he has only one midair jump. 
His roll is a little on the slow side which limits its use, but he does have a 
pretty typical spot dodge. Link can use his Clawshot as a tether in the air 
both as an attack and as a way to automatically grab ledges if he is within 
range. Link's shield (the one he is holding, not the one he gets by pressing a 
shield button) can also be used to block projectiles. If Link is in an idle or 
crouching pose and a projectile hits his shield, Link will be pushed slightly 
back and take no damage. If he hasn't moved at all for a while, he sometimes 
moves his shield slightly to his side which leaves him open, but crouching 
prevents this from happening. Also, just in case you were wondering, Link's 
shield does not block the recoil from the main cannons on the Great Fox at 
Corneria.

Due to the whole outclassed factor, Link will obviously not enjoy a match 
against Toon Link. His shield and wide array of versatile projectiles makes him 
a great choice against other projectile abusers such as Pit, but against the 
faster and stronger swordsmanship of Marth, he'll be in trouble. Small 
characters that can hurt him very badly once they get inside such as Olimar and 
Ness could also be issues. However, in general, Link shouldn't expect too 
extreme of advantages or disadvantages in battle. He has a wide array of decent 
but not spectacular options that should keep his head just above water against 
most foes.

Zelda

Before talking about Zelda or Sheik, I'm going to spend a bit of time talking 
about their ability to transform back and forth with their down special. In 
general, this is a really bad strategy. The transformation is very slow, and 
the opponent can usually hit them with a powerful attack when it ends. They are 
fully invincible while changing, and since the change time lasts the duration 
of the time it takes for the game to load the data on the other character, it 
is not a consistent duration which makes predicting when to smash them 
difficult. The transformation will happen faster if your opponent is the 
character you are turning into, and pausing in the middle of the transformation 
can also speed it up. However, unless you are really having trouble in the 
match and feel like you could use a new character to turn things around, you 
should start as the one you want to use and stick it out until the end.

Anyway, Zelda is pretty much just a powerhouse of a character. She's light and 
has some speed issues, but her ability to consistently score low percent kills 
is second to none. That's right, even such powerhouses as Ike and Bowser can't 
kill as easily as Zelda can. Zelda is definitely an above average character who 
can compete with the best though she's not really one of the best herself, and 
she's a great choice if you are looking for someone with power.

On the ground, Zelda has a lot of decent, high damage options. Her forward 
smash is a good move to hit opponents approaching from the front as the magical 
burst is far out in front of her, and the move hits hard. Her up smash is of 
similar use against aerial foes as it catches them in the magic ring doing big 
damage. Her down smash has no magic and only a small hit area; reserve it for 
those who like to roll too much. Of her tilts, her best is easily her forward 
tilt as it pops the enemy right above her in a really useful way. At low 
percentages, she can lead into an up smash for massive damage, and at higher 
percentages, she can attempt an up aerial for a finisher. Her up tilt covers a 
huge area so it's a nice safety move; use it when you just want to get the 
enemy away. Her down tilt is just a tripping move at lower percentages that 
should only be used to get a quick hit and maybe stab under a shield, but at 
higher percentages, it pops the enemy up and can lead into an up smash the same 
way the forward tilt could at lower percentages. Her jab and running attack 
aren't particularly special, but both are good ways to push an enemy away due 
to the magic burst in front of them.

In the air is where Zelda makes it clear that she is absolutely deadly. Her 
forward and back aerials are pretty much identical in all but direction, and 
both are ridiculously dangerous. If she hits with the tip of her foot where 
there's the magic burst, the game will pause for a bit to let everyone see that 
a big hit has just been landed, and then the foe will be electrocuted and fly 
away with incredible knock back. This kills ridiculously early, and since Zelda 
has two moves here, she doesn't have to worry about stale move negation very 
much. This is how she gets kills; abuse this very heavily. Her up aerial isn't 
quite as notable of a killer, but it is still great. On a weaker character, it 
would probably be a main kill move. She creates an explosion above her with 
good knock back; you can use this to easily score star KOs on opponents who 
dare try to approach from above. Her neutral aerial isn't strong like the 
others, but it hits over a wide area so it's a good option if you need a safe 
move in the air. Her down aerial is a third lightning kick, but it sends foes 
straight down. Use it for spikes, but the small hit area means you will 
probably use it the least of Zelda's aerials.

Zelda has some prospects of killing with her back throw so it should be her 
option if the opponent is very hurt, but her best trick with grabs in general 
is to do a down throw followed up by a lightning kick. Her up throw is a good 
choice for those middling percentages where the down throw isn't as effective 
but the back can't kill; she can put them up in the air and try to threaten 
them with her up aerial. You probably could have guessed that up smash out of 
shield is useful for Zelda; it's a great way to rack damage against foes that 
try to land behind you to avoid a shield grab.

Zelda only has three real special moves due to her transformation, but they do 
their jobs. Farore's Wind is a wonderful recovery with hits in just the right 
places to make it hard to punish. It should be used mostly for recovery, but 
Zelda should try to be unpredictable with it and end in unexpected places. 
She's covering a huge distance with it so the question is really more one of 
where you want to recover to instead of one of if you can recover at all. If 
she's in an unfavorable position on the course, Farore's Wind can also be an 
effective way to relocate. Be sure to practice this move and the nuances of 
positioning if you are serious about Zelda; it's important. Nayru's Love can 
act as a reflector, but it has too much delay between uses to be effective at 
that. In general, it's a pretty bad move; Zelda should only use it if she needs 
a quick hit all around her body which is pretty seldom.

Zelda's really important special move is Din's Fire. She can direct this to a 
large extent, and she can choose when to detonate it so she can effectively use 
it to harass opponents over a huge area in front of her. It is an effective 
keep away move and at higher percentages can be used to lead opponents off the 
top of the screen; abuse this frequently and force opponents to come to you. 
However, watch out as if she uses it in the air, she'll be helpless until she 
lands. This is a bad move to use in the air in general; use it from the ground 
when you think you have found a good defensive position.

Zelda cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and she has only one midair jump. 
Her roll is somewhat above average speed wise, but her spot dodge seems a 
little slow. Both are still within the range at which she can use them like 
most characters do.

Zelda's power in the air means that the lightweights who try to approach her 
from the air are going to have a hard time. That means Jigglypuff, Kirby, and 
Meta Knight mostly. She can even do pretty well against such characters as Toon 
Link and Mr. Game & Watch thanks to her ability to so easily score kills, but 
it might be unfair to say she has an advantage. Against the heavier slow 
characters, she might struggle a bit since they can actually kill her easier 
than she can kill them, but in general, she shouldn't expect to find any foes 
terrible problems. Ness and Lucas can answer her projectile better than she can 
answer theirs and also kill really easily; she'll have some of her more intense 
fights against them.

Sheik

Sheik is what happens when Zelda wonders what it would be like to be a ninja. 
Much unlike Zelda, Sheik is a pure speed character. Be it attacking or just 
running around, everything Sheik does is very, very fast. However, in just as 
much of a contrast to Zelda, Sheik is weak and has trouble getting kills. Sheik 
is overall probably a worse character than Zelda, but Sheik is not without 
merit and appeals to an entirely different sort of player. If you're a big fan 
of a character who is proficient at rush downs and has a surprisingly good edge 
guarding game, Sheik just might be your character.

On the ground, Sheiks will mostly be relying on her very quick tilts. Her 
forward tilt is easily her best; it is ridiculously fast, covers a large area, 
and moves Sheik slightly forward. She can oftentimes string several of these 
together on opponents to rack up solid damage. Her up tilt hits over a narrow 
area but hits very high up making a great move to answer opponents from above, 
and her down tilt is a quick way to poke under a shield and leads into aerials 
at higher percentages. Her running attack is also very quick and pops opponents 
right up into the air; it's a good choice. Her forward smash is really limited 
since it has pretty much no killing potential and has a long animation, but she 
should go for it when she is fairly sure she can hit since it racks damage 
nicely. Her down smash is not only great for clearing out those who roll too 
much but is also her best option to do right after landing from an aerial; it 
just lets her keep up her constant string of attacks. Her up smash is hard to 
hit with, but it's her only move from the ground that has any hope of killing 
so go for it if the chance arises or a shield should break.

In the air, Sheik has a few killing options and a few damage dealers, but most 
of her stuff is still quick. Her forward aerial is a quick swat that is handy 
for racking up damage, but it has almost no killing potential. Her back and up 
aerials can kill in their respective directions at higher percentages, and both 
also come out very quickly. Her neutral aerial is just a standard weak but 
quick neutral aerial that she won't be using too much, but it's not a bad move 
so there's no harm in mixing it in. Her down aerial plunges her downward in a 
predictable fashion with more landing lag than Sheik usually has; use this move 
when you want to be generally ineffective and give your opponent a free grab. 
Other than her down aerial, you will notice that none of Sheik's aerials have 
noticeable landing lag; abuse this and flow from air to ground in a constant 
flurry of attacks.

Sheik's grabs don't give her any kill options, but her down throw is a 
wonderful throw to lead into other attacks. Depending on how the opponent 
directionally influences, she will get different aerials out of it, but she can 
usually hit with an aerial after a down throw. At lower percentages, she 
sometimes will want to up throw to follow up with an up aerial, but that's a 
nice case. If she is being shield pressured and is looking to turn things 
around with a kill, she could always up smash out of a shield. It will surely 
catch the opponent off guard.

Sheik's three special moves are not particularly noteworthy but are worth some 
attention. Her Chain is more or less entirely useless as an attack, but it can 
be used as a tether recovery over the ledge. Vanish is a teleport she can 
recover with much like Zelda can, but she has a small hop before she disappears 
and doesn't get a second hit after she appears again. Master teleporting around 
with Sheik to make recoveries as unpredictable as possible. Her last special, 
Needle Storm, is easily her most useful. Pressing B causes her to begin 
charging needles, and pressing it again causes her to release. The more she has 
charged, the more needles she shoots. In general, she should just double tap B 
to throw one needle quickly. From the ground, it's a great way to interrupt an 
opponent before rushing in to attack, and in the air, it goes at a downward 
angle that can really mess with opponents trying to recover.

Sheik can wall jump, wall cling, and crawl. She is short enough to crawl under 
both Pit's arrows and Fox and Falco's lasers, but Wolf's laser will still nail 
her. She can even crawl under Samus's Super Missiles and Charge Shot as long as 
it is not near to a full charge. Sheik has a quick roll and a typical spot 
dodge as well.

Sheik's blinding speed makes her more than a match for the big slow characters 
such as Bowser or King Dedede, but the characters who are not so slow but have 
a lot of power and priority could be concerns. This means Olimar, Marth, and 
Mr. Game & Watch could be hard matches for her. She will also do well against 
characters like Pit and Snake as her speed lets her maneuver around projectiles 
better than most, and she is so much faster than them up close that she can do 
great damage.

Ganondorf

How to unlock:

-Play 200 brawls.
-Have Ganondorf join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear Classic on Hard or greater with Link or Zelda.

Well, here comes Ganondorf. Ganondorf, like all characters from the Zelda 
series, has a lot of fans, but he is just a catastrophe of a character. The 
idea is that he's slow but has enough strength to make up for it. Ganondorf 
certainly does have absolutely phenomenal strength, but slow only begins to 
describe. Ganondorf is so slow that he has pretty much no ability to follow up 
any attacks with any other attacks and gets punished time and time again every 
time he misses anything. Ganondorf has easily the game's worst attack speed and 
mobility so everyone can just take turns abusing his flagrant and nearly 
insurmountable weaknesses. Ganondorf does still have a few high points that 
dedicated players can focus on, but only use him if you are willing to accept 
being at a disadvantage from the word go in pretty much every match.

Ganondorf has no trouble doing damage if he can hit so his main goal on the 
ground is to find attacks with which he can hit. It's a pretty hopeless goal, 
but let's see what he has. Ganondorf's fastest attack is unsurprisingly his 
jab. He has no jab combo; it's just a single quick sucker punch. Use it to keep 
enemies on their toes and to score easy damage. Ganondorf also has a pretty 
quick running attack, but it leaves him open to shield grab so watch out. Of 
his tilts and smashes, his somewhat decent forward tilt should be what he 
primarily falls back on, but his down tilt, despite the poor hit and only 
average speed, is still useful. Never, ever use his up tilt; even with the 
vacuum effect that pulls them into the huge hit, it is way too slow to ever be 
useful. All three of his smashes are slow but very strong; use them when the 
opponent gives you a golden opportunity and is in the appropriate direction 
(rolling around in the case of the down one).

In the air, Ganondorf's best bet by far is his quick and fairly powerful up 
aerial. This move does a flip all around him, and it has very little landing 
lag. Abuse it heavily. Ganondorf also has a good option in his back aerial as 
it is quick and has almost no landing lag as well, but the hit area is very 
small. Try in general to rack up damage with the up aerial and finish with the 
back aerial. The forward aerial is very strong, but it's very easy to punish if 
you miss so only use it occasionally. The neutral aerial is a just plain bad 
move, and the down aerial is a very interesting choice. It sends the enemy 
straight down and have a very nice bounce when they hit the ground. The move is 
really slow with somewhat poor and awkward range, but it's often a good idea 
for Ganondorf to try to position himself for this move. If he gets really 
lucky, a hit from this might even lead into his up aerial, but you shouldn't 
expect one move to lead into another in general with Ganondorf.

Since Ganondorf can't follow up on anything, his best option out of a grab is 
to just throw them up so he can try to hit with an up aerial as they come down. 
Grabbing is pretty much all he should do out of a shield as his grab is 
actually a pretty quick one.

Ganondorf has exactly one good special, but let's cover the other three first. 
His Wizard's Punch is exceedingly strong, but it's so laughably slow that he 
should never expect to hit with it. He can tap and hold the opposite direction 
while starting it up to reverse it, but that's a rare trick he should only try 
to pull if he really needs to land a huge hit to come back from the opponent's 
lead. Dark Dive is a below average recovery, but due to the awkward way he 
throws himself up, it's very hard to hit as an attack and leaves him very open 
to punishment. It's quite hilarious when he hits someone with the grab portion 
of this move, but the move should really be saved for just recovery. His 
Wizard's Foot seems like a fast option at first, but it is very predictable and 
easy to punish even more so than most of Ganondorf's other moves. Due to the 
relatively great speed at which Ganondorf flies across the course, it can be 
good as a surprise attack, but leave it at that. In the air, it is a somewhat 
reasonable option to get down quickly though it has enormous landing lag. Use 
it just once in a while just like on the ground. Especially don't use it over 
the edge; it's a suicide move all the way.

Ganondorf's one real point of pride is his excellent "Flame Choke" which is his 
forward special. This move lets him cover ground quickly, but it has enough lag 
afterward that he can't immediately follow up with an attack. However, if he 
can hit with it which isn't that hard, he'll do some damage and plant the enemy 
right on the ground. He really has nothing to follow this up with, but it's a 
good way to deal damage. Your best bet is probably to try to predict the 
enemy's movement and time well to follow up with this move again, but don't 
expect to pull off long strings. Used in the air, this move slams opponents to 
the ground and leaves them there so it's pretty much the same thing and handy 
to escape juggles. If you slam them down over a pit, the predictable happens 
and Ganondorf does a "suicide throw" to both of your demises. However, if you 
miss, Ganondorf is left in a helpless state and will probably die alone so only 
use this over a pit if you're sure to hit. Speaking of pits, watch out as 
Ganondorf can kill himself if he goes over the edge with this move.

Ganondorf cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and he has only one midair 
jump. His roll is just a tiny bit slow, and his spot dodge is very ordinary.

Ganondorf really has trouble against the entire rest of the cast, but due to 
the extreme nature of the differences, his greatest problems will come from 
speed characters such as Fox and Sonic. Ganondorf is at his best against very 
light and floaty characters such as Jigglypuff and Kirby who he can kill with a 
very small number of attacks and against whom he can more easily exploit his 
few quick aerials.

Toon Link

How to unlock:

-Play 400 brawls.
-Have Toon Link join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear Classic mode after clearing The Subspace Emissary.

Those unfamiliar with Toon Link might not be sure about what makes him better 
than Link. The main thing is speed; Toon Link is ridiculously fast. He has one 
of the highest running speeds in the game, all of his attacks are quick, and he 
has a combination of floatiness and solid aerial control that lets him do what 
he needs to do in the air. Factor in the fact that his projectile game is even 
better than Link's and you have what is rightly considered by many to be one of 
the best characters in the game.

Toon Link's ground game is essentially just a faster, lower range version of 
Link's. Toon Link's forward and up tilts both swing overhead and in front of 
him, and each one sends the enemy in the direction its name indicates. Toon 
Link has a down tilt that just sends the enemy away weakly, but his down tilt 
is very quick so he can easily use it to get the enemy away if he gets in 
trouble. Toon Link's down smash is a really great move; it can not only clear 
out rolling foes but generally does big damage to everyone it hits. He hits 
enemies toward him instead of away with his down smash so he can frequently hit 
with both hits, and the knock back on it is pretty high. Toon Link's up smash 
is a quite powerful single hit that not only hits above him but in front of 
him; he should use this to go for kills off the top as it is quite effective. 
Toon Link has the same double forward smash Link has, but due to his small 
size, it's far more deceptive. Toon Link should delay the second hit as long as 
possible to sucker opponents into trying to approach, and then he can use it to 
hit way out in front of him with an exceedingly powerful strike. Toon Link also 
has fast and useable options in his running attack and jab combo; nothing he 
has on the ground is bad.

Much like Link, Toon Link also has six solid aerials. However, Toon Link mostly 
gets single sword strikes instead of multiple hits. Toon Link's forward and 
back aerials are both quick slashes in the appropriate direction, and he should 
use both to generally attack foes on either side. His neutral aerial is weak 
but hits all around him so it's a good defensive move, and his up aerial, much 
like Link's, is a high priority option to hit above him. However, unlike with 
Link, Toon Link doesn't have a terribly large amount of landing lag on his up 
aerial so he can use it more frequently with confidence. Toon Link's down 
aerial is a very interesting move; he plunges down on his opponent with great 
speed, but if he hits, he bounces upward. After a second hit, the move 
automatically ends and he can do another move. With good timing and spacing, 
Toon Link can bounce from opponents many times in a row to rapidly rack up 
large damage, but watch out as the move has a substantial recovery time upon 
landing. Toon Link can also use his Hookshot as a decent attack in the air by 
pressing Z to try to exploit a move with literally zero landing lag, but the 
range is a bit too short to rely on it very often. However, it recovers much 
faster than Link's in the air so he can use it from higher up without as much 
risk.

Toon Link's grab game mostly comes down to his down throw while being mindful 
of his slower than average grab. None of his throws are likely to kill, but his 
down throw puts opponents in the best position for Toon Link to follow up with 
his powerful arsenal of dangerous attacks. Toon Link should also use his up 
smash out of a shield somewhat often; it's a powerful option that lets him do 
big damage all around himself.

Toon Link's projectile game is essentially the same thing as Link's so I'm 
going to save the repetition and only point out how it is different. Toon 
Link's Boomerang has a weak hit on the return instead of a gale effect so he 
can use it to control space much more effectively. The hit on the way back is 
weak, but it stuns the enemy. Toon Link can approach from the front and his 
Boomerang comes back to hit them from behind, and the combined attack will be 
very hard to answer. Toon Link's bombs are also slightly weaker but with a much 
better blast radius; he can use this fact to control space even better with 
them. His arrows are also a bit slower, but due to his better Boomerang, he 
doesn't lose out on his ability to control the space in a line right in front 
of him. The arrows are still useful if the Boomerang is out on another mission; 
be sure not to neglect them.

His Spin Attack is still a strictly recovery move. He gets a ton of air from it 
much unlike Link, but on the ground, it sucks the opponent in to rack up damage 
instead of knocking them away. The damage really isn't that great, and the move 
is dangerous. Seriously, I repeat again, only use the Spin Attack to recover.

Toon Link can wall jump, but he cannot wall cling or crawl. He has only one 
midair jump, a slightly slow roll, and a slightly quick spot dodge. His shield 
has the same properties Link's does right down to the trouble during idle 
animations; read Link's section for more information.

Toon Link doesn't have trouble against any characters really. He's just a 
ridiculously powerful character who has an answer for everything. Marth can 
give him some trouble if he gets past the wall of projectiles, and characters 
who are very quick in the air such as Meta Knight or Jigglypuff have more hope 
than most of getting past the flurry of projectiles and then catching the 
speedy Toon Link behind them. Toon Link is clearly one of the game's best 
characters so he can go into any match with confidence that he has the tools he 
needs to win. Play Toon Link like the champ that he is and strike fear into 
your enemies' hearts.

Samus

Samus has historically been a big projectile spammer, but she's less effective 
at it in this game. She's actually just a not very effective character all 
around. She's slow and overly floaty with a move set that doesn't really 
benefit from her floatiness, and despite being a 6'6" tall woman in a giant 
robotic suit of armor, she frequently has trouble getting kills.

Samus's ground game is largely a lead in to her air game; her down tilt is a 
quick blast to knock opponents into the air, and her up tilt is a slow but wide 
range kick that does the same thing. Her down smash also sends opponents up and 
is fast so she can use it for that as well as the usual punishment of overly 
zealous roll abusers. Her forward tilt is quick but has poor and unuseful knock 
back so it's just a move to get opponents away, but her forward smash is one of 
her main killing moves. Her up smash creates several blasts over her head that 
are great for racking up damage on an opponent coming down on her; perhaps this 
move would work well with another that knocks the opponent into the air? She 
also has a pretty standard fare jab combo and running attack that she can mix 
in.

In the air, Samus has a few quality options. Her back aerial is very quick with 
just enough knock back so it can be quite dangerous if she attempts to chase 
with it. Her up aerial has very poor knock back, but if she can catch an 
opponent in it, it racks up damage nicely. Her forward aerial works on the same 
principle but hits over a pretty huge area; she should use it when she needs to 
just cause damage. Her neutral aerial is pretty standard fare with a quick but 
weak hit, but the knock back is enough so that she could throw it out, land, 
turn around, and then edge guard with the back aerial in hope of a kill. Her 
down aerial is actually a pretty good move. It hits over a small area, but it's 
a high damage spike. Don't use it a whole lot since it's not a move you can 
expect to hit with often, but it will always be rewarding when it does hit. 
Samus also has her great "sixth aerial" in her Grapple Beam. By pressing Z in 
the air, Samus shoot out her very long Grapple Beam which has absolutely no lag 
upon landing. She mostly will make approaches by doing this move after a short 
hop over and over again to rack up damage from a very safe distance.

Samus is a character with very few options out of a shield as her roll is 
awful, and her grab is very slow. If she does get a grab, her two main choices 
are to either do a down throw followed up by a forward aerial or an up throw 
followed up by an up aerial. Her up smash probably won't be very handy out of a 
shield, but she can use the Screw Attack out of her shield for some decent 
results.

Samus's special moves are all useful to her. Her Charge Shot and Missiles 
should both be used to constantly harass opponents. She should rain Super 
Missiles on opponents to rack up damage and even kill the more weakened ones 
and use free moments to charge up the Charge Shot which is a great finisher for 
when an opening arises. If the opponent has made himself difficult to approach, 
standard homing Missiles can be used to make the position indefensible. For the 
unaware, she does a "smash" motion to fire a Super Missile while a "tilt" 
motion fires a standard Missile. Additionally, Samus cancels her Missile firing 
animation if she hits the ground while doing it so firing one just at the right 
height so it will come out as she lands is a great way to shoot a bit more 
quickly or to do any attack or even rush at the opponent right after a shot.

Samus's Bombs are useful to let her get down without opponents harassing her 
from above, and she can lay a bomb between herself and her opponent to 
effectively control space for a short period of time. In the air, she can bomb 
jump by laying a bomb, not pressing anything else, and then laying a second 
bomb to stall her in the air just as the first bomb would hit her. This is 
handy in recovery; serious Samus players should definitely practice it. Her 
Screw Attack is a handy recovery move and also is effective at racking up 
damage. It leaves Samus pretty open if she misses, but it's a good move to mix 
in every once in a while.

Samus can wall jump but not wall cling or crawl. Samus has the single slowest 
roll in the game that she should almost never use, but her spot dodge is 
decent. If a Samus user inputs up taunt, down taunt, up taunt extremely 
quickly, Samus will do a one way transformation into Zero Suit Samus.

Samus won't like Snake as he accomplishes what she does with her projectiles 
with his much better. Pretty much all other characters with solid projectile 
games such as Link, Pit, or Falco will cause her trouble. Very fast characters 
such as Fox, Sonic, or the mildly ironic Zero Suit Samus can rush her down 
pretty effectively as well. Being a projectile user, she will like fighting 
slower targets such as Bowser, and she should be able to handle herself against 
even quicker power characters such as Lucas and Zelda.

Zero Suit Samus

Zero Suit Samus may be a fan favorite for all the wrong reasons, but as an 
actual character, she's pretty interesting. She's very fast with good range and 
a few moves that have a handy "stun" effect. She generally lacks power and has 
what is probably the single worst grab in the game, but otherwise she's a solid 
contender worth serious consideration.

On the ground, Zero Suit Samus has fast tilts and wide range smashes that 
compliment each other nicely. Her forward tilts and jab combo both have very 
little knock back but great speed and are essentially just tools to knock the 
opponent away. Her up and down tilts both pop opponents into the air, and her 
down tilt sends low percent opponents low enough that she can sometimes follow 
up with a running attack. Her running attack is actually pretty decent; she can 
use it once in a while. Her forward smash isn't very powerful, but it hits an 
absolutely huge range in front of her and is decently quick so she should be 
sure to use it. Her up smash racks up decent damage and sends the opponent back 
up into the air so it's a great move for juggles. Her down smash is her most 
interesting move; it stuns the opponent which gives her time to do whatever she 
wants. She can go for loops with her Plasma Wire or try for a finisher with the 
Plasma Whip; she has choices. Yes, her down smash does suspend aerial foes in 
midair; it's quite cool.

In the air, Zero Suit Samus has a bit of an odd problem. She has a delay after 
jumping during which she cannot attack that means she can't do aerials until 
the peak of her jumps. That makes her aerials far less useful to her than they 
would be to other characters. Her forward aerial is a weak double kick in front 
of her that is only good for damage racking, and her neutral aerial causes her 
to spin her whip around her for weak but safe damage. Her up aerial starts off 
with horrible knock back, but the damage scaling is nice so it can be a source 
of off the top kills for her. Her back aerial also has some decent power and 
speed so it's useful. Her down aerial is a horrible diving move that just 
leaves her open; I suggest against ever using it. Despite having her 
prominently featured whip, she actually doesn't have a "z" aerial attack so 
this is all she has to work with.

Her grab game has a lot of problems. Her only good throw is her down throw 
which she can lead into a Plasma Wire which is generally a pretty productive 
choice; if the opponent really messes up, she can do loops like this. However, 
getting that grab will be hard. She has what you will notice is the slowest 
grab in the game so despite its bad reach it's pretty bad. However, that's only 
the beginning of her woes. If the opponent is too far away and sufficiently 
short, he can duck under her grab! Even big opponents like Charizard can duck 
under it at the right ranges so in effect it's just very unreliable. She might 
consider using her up smash and Plasma Wire out of a shield instead, but both 
only hit right on top of her and above her.

Zero Suit Samus has some interesting specials. Her most useful one is her 
forward special, Plasma Whip. This move has one and only one use, and that is 
as a fantastic kill move. It hits far in front of her and has great knock back. 
She could also use it to tether ledges, but that's not really practical. Her 
Paralyzer is also an interesting move since it's a ranged stun attack, but the 
way she has to charge it to get any respectable distance or stun time makes it 
very limited so she should not use it very often. Her Flip Jump has no 
attacking properties when used normally, but if she hits a wall during it, she 
will automatically do a wall jump. It's useful for recovery. She can press B 
after using it to do a kick that is surprisingly powerful, but it's not an 
attack that can be used very often due to the way this move repositions her.

Her Plasma Wire is a very interesting move. It hits above her like her up smash 
racking up good damage, but the hit at the tip is a spike. She can use this on 
opponents near a ledge for great profit, but more commonly she uses it to plant 
the opponent right back on the ground in front of her. This can set them up for 
a down smash which lets her try to make this into a loop. She really can't keep 
that up for very long since they can use directional influence to escape, but 
it's a nice attempt that she should go for. This is also her main recovery 
move, but watch out when dangling from the tether and not grabbing the ledge as 
this does not restore her double jump. If she has used three tethers within 
range of a ledge since actually standing on solid ground, this move won't come 
out quite right so be careful.

Zero Suit Samus can wall jump and crawl but not wall cling. While crouching she 
gets hit by Pit's arrows, but while crawling she moves lower to the ground and 
can avoid them. She is even low enough to the ground while crawling to avoid 
the lasers of Fox and Falco as well as Samus's Super Missiles and uncharged 
Charge Shot. Just remember to keep moving if using this tactic. Zero Suit Samus 
has a fairly ordinary roll and spot dodge she uses like most characters can use 
them. If you were wondering how to start a match as her, you just hold a shield 
button during the transition to the character select screen. Assuming you 
picked Samus as your character, you will start as Zero Suit Samus. When she 
enters battle, Zero Suit Samus drops several armor fragments she or other 
characters can pick up and throw as weapons. They stick around for quite a 
while and are pretty dangerous; take advantage of them at the start of a match.

Zero Suit Samus's speed makes her more than a match for the slowest of 
characters, and her range could make her a problem for the very poor range 
Wario and Sonic. Her difficulties in the air, however, will make her easy prey 
for characters such as Jigglypuff, Kirby, and Meta Knight, and the great 
priority Olimar, Marth, and Mr. Game & Watch have little to fear from her.

Pit

Despite being from an almost literally unknown game from well over a decade 
ago, Pit has quickly become a fan favorite in brawl. Pit has multiple jumps, an 
up special that lets him literally fly, a weapon which causes most of his 
attacks to have disjointed hit boxes, a very spammable projectile, and two 
different moves that reflect projectiles. However, I'm going to burst some 
bubbles. Pit is wildly overrated. He's definitely a good character, but he's 
not really one of the best. Pit is surprisingly slow, and that means his game 
largely degenerates into arrow spamming. He's still potent, and there's still a 
lot to learn, but don't see his list of strengths at a glance and assume too 
much of him.

Pit's better moves for the most part are actually on the ground; he has some 
good stuff here. His forward smash comes out and goes away quickly, but the 
hitting part of it sticks around for a long time in front of Pit which makes it 
a wonderful move to use if the opponent has broken through your wall of arrows. 
The best part is that it knocks them away in just such a way that you could 
resume shooting arrows! His up smash is like a faster version of Link's and is 
a solid option to nail opponents coming down on him, and his down smash is 
mostly just a punishment for those who like to roll around him which is pretty 
common if they've started using rolling to get past arrow spam. His forward 
tilt is really horrible; don't use it. His down tilt is a really good move to 
knock opponents in the air which is not something you typically want to do, but 
if you find it something you suddenly need to do, remember the move. His up 
tilt is a double flip kick that is used in pretty much the same circumstances 
as the up smash but only when you need a bit of a faster move. It won't see 
much play, but it's not a bad move. Pit's jab combo is also good for knocking 
opponents away, but his running attack is poor and should be avoided.

Pit's aerials are shockingly disappointing. His best one is probably his down 
aerial which is a wide slash beneath him. The move is fairly slow, but it hits 
a wide area. Pit's forward and back aerials are quick, and his back aerial has 
decent power, but they both have pretty horrible range so they are of limited 
use. Pit's neutral aerial is extremely weak, but it hits all around him so it's 
a good move to throw out when you need to get them away from you. His up aerial 
has some power and damage racking potential, but it's very slow and hits over 
an awkward area so it won't see a lot of use. Also, Pit may have multiple 
jumps, but his aerial mobility is surprisingly poor. He really can't chase 
opponents in the air nearly as well as one would think.

Pit's grab game is fairly poor, but if he does get them grabbed, he'll mostly 
just be using it to throw them forward or backward so he can continue with the 
arrows. If they are at a very high percentage, his up throw will be the first 
throw to kill. Pit's up smash hits to his sides so up smash out of shield is 
also a viable option for him.

Pit has some interesting and very useful special moves that Pit players should 
learn well. Let's start with the most important one in his arrow. Pit can press 
B to shoot an arrow in a straight line. If he presses up or down while it is in 
flight, he can arc it. He can vary this quite a bit so he can really hit over a 
much bigger area than it would at first seem. If he holds B instead of just 
tapping, he can charge the arrows to do more damage, and he can aim the bow up 
or behind him. When he fires up, he obviously hits left or right to arc it 
instead of up or down. Pit can fire arrows in rapid succession so he can really 
use them to shut people down. I'm not going to beat around the bush; the best 
way to play Pit is to stay away from them and rain arrows. A few characters 
have easy ways to reflect or absorb them, but those few aside, Pit can just 
abuse arrows all day. If they jump in at you to interrupt the arrows, just use 
a smash to knock them away and continue. Eventually the smash will just kill. 
Pit also uses these while recovering as he can fire one after each jump without 
really losing recovery ability, and it makes attacking him while recovering 
much more difficult.

Pit's Wings of Icarus are his recovery move, and they literally let him fly. 
After bringing them out, simply direct Pit with the control stick to fly 
wherever you want. These last for a super long time; Pit can use them to fly 
underneath a lot of stages. Stalling by constantly flying under the stage will 
be banned in any reasonable rule set, but Pit can still exploit this to recover 
to the opposite ledge to get past an opponent or other such nonsense. For the 
record, yes, you can fly under Final Destination. Pit can interrupt this by 
attacking, but watch out as if Pit for whatever reason terminates using this 
move, he cannot use it again until he touches the ground. That includes being 
hit; make sure using this is the last thing you do before hitting the ground or 
the ledge. Pit's forward special is a spinning blade attack that is nearly 
useless, but it does reflect projectiles at least. The main use for it is to 
use it while on ice to slide forward very quickly while having a constant whirl 
of death before you. Pit's last special is his Mirror Shield which is actually 
very useful to him. It's an unbreakable shield in one direction that he can 
keep out as long as he wants, and in practice, it works similarly to Mario's 
Cape. If they attack it, they will just be pushed back, but moves such as Fox 
and Falco's Illusion or Meta Knight's Drill Rush will be reflected causing them 
to fly in the opposite direction. This also reflects projectiles so Pit is sure 
to always have an answer to obnoxious projectile spammers other than himself. A 
lot of Pit players neglect this move, and it's a huge mistake as it's a very 
valuable part of Pit's arsenal that he needs to integrate into his game for 
maximum effectiveness.

Pit cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, but he can glide and has three 
midair jumps. Pit's roll and spot dodge are both decently quick and will be of 
good use to him.

Pit's matches pretty much go by how well he can spam arrows. Ness, Lucas, Fox, 
Falco, and Mr. Game & Watch instantly say no to his arrows so they will be big 
problems. Characters like Jigglypuff and Meta Knight who can easily float over 
the spam and then outperform Pit up close will be hard matches, and Snake will 
be a very hard match as he can not only do far more damage than Pit with the 
stuff he's tossing out, but Snake can easily duck and crawl under Pit's arrows. 
Pit should expect to do very well against all the big and heavy characters, 
especially Ganondorf with his poor mobility.

Ice Climbers

The Ice Climbers are not a very popular character, but given how exceedingly 
good they are, they sure should be. Having two characters at once is a huge 
advantage, and the fact that they are both very strong with disjointed hit 
boxes from many attacks thanks to the hammers only helps. Due to the 
difficulties of using two characters in unison, the Ice Climbers are the 
hardest character to master, but the rewards are well worth it. I must caution 
that, more than with most characters, I will only be scratching the surface of 
the Ice Climbers here. They are too deep of a character for me to do adequate 
justice, and either way, I'm not an especially skilled user of them.

The Ice Climbers more than any other character really like to keep their feet 
on the ground, and this is largely due to their great ground based attacks. All 
three of their smashes are quick and powerful, especially if they both hit. 
Their up smash hits both in front of them and above them, and it is effective 
at scoring kills off the top. Their forward smash delivers good knock back to 
anyone in its way in front of them, and it has solid speed and range. Their 
real pride is their amazing down smash. It's very fast, deals loads of damage, 
and has great knock back. It even sweeps all around them to not only punish 
roll abusers but generally anyone near them. They can seriously use this move 
over and over again as it does everything a smash should ever be expected to 
do. Their jab combo, forward tilt, and down tilt are all slightly different 
ways of simply knocking the opponent away weakly, and each can be used in the 
subtly different circumstances that would call for them. The up tilt is a 
hammer spin that does great damage; mix it and the up smash up to deal with 
enemies from above. Their running attack pops enemies up into the air, and it's 
their quickest way to do that.

In the air, they have four decent options and one horrible option. Their back 
aerial is really quit and does a lot of damage if both climbers hit; use it 
frequently. Their up aerial is somewhat powerful and quick; it's a good way to 
kill very weakened foes off the top. The forward aerial is slow, but unlike 
most slow forward aerials, the speed makes up for it. Additionally, this move 
has the odd quirk that Popo's hits horizontally while Nana's hits straight 
down. The neutral aerial is a standard weak knock the foe away attack that's 
good for some breathing move, and the down aerial is a standard down plunging 
move that's really horrible and really shouldn't be used.

Grabs are definitely what define higher level Ice Climbers play. I'll start 
easy and get more complicated. The simplest thing to try with the Ice Climbers 
is to abuse Nana's ability to attack independently out of a grab. Try tapping 
different directions on the c-stick while the opponent is grabbed (don't hold 
Z). Popo will do his grab attack, and Nana will hit them with smashes! Next try 
hitting down and B. Popo will do a down throw while Nana hits them with 
Blizzard if you do it right, and this is a very nice way to rack up some 
damage. The extra bit of delay from Blizzard also makes it easier for the Ice 
Climbers to follow up with other attacks. With subtle motions, you can easily 
make Nana do a Hammer Squall or forward tilt to a grabbed opponent, but notice 
that the second attack Nana hits with always launches the opponent. This is to 
prevent the infinites from Super Smash Brothers Melee from existing again, but 
you can exploit this to have Nana hit with a forward tilt and then a forward 
smash. You can also press X or Y to jump with Nana while you have an opponent 
grabbed; this is handy to do a powerful down throw to forward aerial combo. The 
Ice Climbers can chain grab with their down throw, and in fact Popo alone can 
do it. Just do a down throw and then do a running grab forward. You should be 
able to get another grab. This only works at lower percentages, and some 
characters break out sooner than others. It's still a great trick you should 
learn. The last trick I have to share is the forward throw infinite. I cannot 
do this consistently, but the general premise is to do a forward throw and then 
as Popo is throwing input a dash grab. If you do it just right, Nana will run 
up and grab the opponent. You can repeat this alternating between Popo and Nana 
for an infinite combo. It may seem like this was a huge section on grabs, but 
this is really only the surface. If you're serious about the Ice Climbers, you 
will find that what I've written here is a minimal introduction to their grab 
game.

The Ice Climbers have some really handy specials as well. Their Ice Block is a 
rather handy projectile that accelerates logically based on the slant of the 
ground it is on. They can use this to harass foes at a distance, and if they 
can desynchronize, they can fire these in an alternating pattern that makes 
them very difficult to deal with. Their Hammer Squall is useful for recovery 
and grab combos, but otherwise it shouldn't be used much. Do note that mashing 
B very quickly while recovering with it improves the air you can get. Belay is 
their other recovery move, and it's pretty handy. They jump up connected by a 
rope, and if Nana grabs the ledge, she will pull Popo to it. A lone Ice Climber 
can still get a little air from using this move so it's still worth trying 
right below the edge even without Nana. Their Blizzard is a handy damage 
racking move. It hits on both sides if used on the ground, but if used in the 
air, both Ice Climbers shoot forward. That being said, the best use is to do a 
short hop before using Blizzard. It is also very useful in grab combos, but 
then again, everything is.

The Ice Climbers cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and they have only one 
midair jump. Their roll and spot dodge are very average as well. They only 
count as dead if Popo dies, but Nana has her own invisible damage counter. 
Nana's shield also depletes separately, and I believe but am not sure that they 
have independent stale move negation. They can be desynchronized, but both 
still accept inputs which can have different impacts on them. The two easiest 
ways to do this are to either get a grab which leaves the other one free to do 
whatever or to hit a shield button and a direction simultaneously. For some odd 
reason, Nana will roll the wrong direction which puts them out of synch. The 
Ice Climbers are able to share a ledge which is very handy, but either climber 
occupying the ledge will prevent any enemy from grabbing it. Lastly, the Ice 
Climbers ignore the slippery effect of icy surfaces. They don't slide on them, 
and they don't trip more often on them.

The Ice Climbers tend to do well against most characters, but their greatest 
fear are light characters who can make safe attacks on them from the air. Light 
characters break out of grab combos easier, and the Ice Climbers are less 
powerful in an aerial contest so that's no good. Mr. Game & Watch and Meta 
Knight are two characters that come quickly to mind, but even someone like 
Jigglypuff or Kirby could do somewhat well against the Ice Climbers. Bowser and 
Donkey Kong in particular can expect a very hard match as their combination of 
size, weight, and falling speed makes them the easiest characters for anyone to 
do grab combos against. Being that the Ice Climbers are grabbing experts, 
that's no good for them.

R.O.B.

How to unlock:

-Play 160 brawls.
-Have R.O.B. join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Collect 250 different trophies.

R.O.B. is a character that seems to have few fans; being an obscure NES 
accessory probably isn't helping him. However, being unpopular does not make 
him bad. R.O.B.'s ability to fly even better than Pit, solid projectile game, 
array of surprisingly quick and powerful attacks, and unique momentum based 
attacks make him a solid contender. He has in some respects inherited the 
spirit of Peach from Super Smash Brothers Melee, but that comparison breaks 
down if analyzed too deeply.

On the ground, R.O.B.'s game mostly revolves around his down smash. This is a 
very fast and very powerful move with almost no delay after it finishes so 
R.O.B. can just throw out another one. R.O.B. should be using his down smash at 
every opportunity as it really is his best choice in most grounded 
circumstances. It's especially effective against rolling opponents or right 
after R.O.B. lands from an aerial, but don't hesitate to use it in a variety of 
situations. His forward smash is also a solid choice, and it has more killing 
power than his down smash. It's slow enough that he has to show some degree of 
caution using it, but it's a solid move to throw out as a finisher thanks to 
its incredible range. His up smash is probably his single best killing move, 
but he should use it seldom as the hit area on it is very small. If you can get 
a clean hit, it's a pretty likely star KO, but recognize that isn't terribly 
likely. R.O.B.'s up tilt is a great move to pop enemies up in the air, and his 
forward tilt and trip inclined down tilt are both great ways to knock enemies 
away. All three tilts are very quick so R.O.B. shouldn't hesitate to throw them 
out. His tilts largely obsolete his jab combo, but it's not bad, and he has a 
good enough running attack that he should mix it in.

In the air, the general rule with R.O.B. is to mostly try to attack with his 
arms. His forward aerial is not a move that will get many kills unless he can 
string several of them together, but it's very fast and safe. It should be 
R.O.B.'s main option for approaching opponents. His up aerial is a wonderful 
damage racking move that's also very safe, and it gives R.O.B. great incentive 
to try to put enemies up in the air. R.O.B.'s other three aerials utilize his 
jets which makes them pretty interesting but difficult to use. His neutral 
aerial is quite hard to hit with due to the slow way R.O.B. spins, but it is 
actually quite powerful so it is R.O.B.'s main way to look for KOs in the air. 
The back aerial is a jet burst that pushes R.O.B. forward which requires a lot 
of practice to be able to integrate. The momentum shenanigan makes R.O.B. very 
hard to punish after this move, but it also makes it easy to dodge. The plus 
side is that the hit area on this move is deceptive; it covers R.O.B.'s whole 
body. Try to mix it in against opponents you have under pressure; used well it 
can make their situation far worse. His down aerial is a jet burst that knocks 
him upward, and it's a great spike. This move should can be used while falling 
to make R.O.B.'s decent unpredictable, and over pits it's a great way to get 
easy kills. Those are about the only two contexts in which it is useful; 
refrain from using it otherwise.

R.O.B. has a very speedy grab with a solid array of throws. His up and down 
throws both pop opponents up nicely, and both his forward and back throws have 
quite a bit of power. His forward and back throws also have very quick 
animations so they can be effective to keep enemies off base; they will be 
flying before they realize they were even grabbed. Use whichever one fits the 
specific need.

R.O.B. has two good projectiles, the ability to fly, and a totally useless move 
as the sum of his specials. Arm Rotor is the useless one; never use it. 
Seriously, this move has absolutely no redeeming qualities and only leaves 
R.O.B. open; it's a candidate for least useful attack in the game. His laser 
and gyro are his two main projectile options, and he mixes both up to apply 
great pressure. His laser is constantly charging, and the current degree of 
charge is indicated by the LED on R.O.B.'s head. In general this move should be 
fired at full charge when the enemy is off guard to score a quick amount of 
solid damage after which R.O.B. can charge in, but don't hesitate to use a 
weaker version at need. However, since his laser has charging issues, his main 
weapon is his gyro. He can press down + B to begin charging and again to fire 
prematurely. If he has a full charge, he'll blink and can fire by pressing down 
+ B just once. Once fired, the gyro flies along a low arc until it skids to a 
halt on the ground. It then spins on the ground hurting everyone except R.O.B. 
who comes in contact with it. Anyone can grab it and toss it around as well; 
R.O.B.'s ability to run up to it without getting hurt makes that easier for 
him. It flies farther if it is more charged, does more damage, and also lasts 
longer on the ground. The uses for this move are nearly infinite. R.O.B. should 
be charging his gyro if he has free time during which he would do nothing else, 
and he can fire it safely as most grounded opponents. If they shield, the gyro 
just disappears which is no loss. If it hits, it knocks them off base and lands 
on the ground to control valuable space. He can fire this from the air for 
great surprise attacks, and the threat of him doing this really multiplies the 
amount of space he can control at any time. It's a great anti-recovery move 
even as it falls along a nice path that can be an unstoppable wall that 
prevents an opponent's ascent. The only downside is that only one gyro can be 
on the screen at once; be sure if one is out that you are somehow using its 
presence to your advantage. If it is not being helpful, just toss it off screen 
to destroy it.

R.O.B.'s recovery option comes in the form of his incredible jet engines. By 
pressing up + B, R.O.B. can literally fly around. He will be firing the jet if 
he holds up or B, and otherwise after using this move he will be in a "ready to 
fly" state that limits his options. He can attack right out of it with any 
aerial, but he cannot air dodge or use special moves. After attacking, he 
leaves the flying state. He can use this move infinitely in the air, but he has 
a fixed time for which his jets can be firing. Once it is exhausted, he must 
stand on the ground to recharge it over time. The recharge time is actually 
very quick, but be careful as clinging to a ledge does not count. He not only 
can use this move to make pretty much any recovery he wants, but he can chase 
opponents way over ledges with confidence that he'll make it back. He can also 
jet to reach opponents super high in the air to follow up with up aerials for 
star KOs. If he finds himself needing to cancel his flight mode to air dodge or 
fire a projectile, his quickest option is to use his forward aerial due to the 
very fast animation though his down aerial's ability to stall him in the air 
makes it sometimes a better choice.

R.O.B. cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and he has only one midair jump. 
He has a fast roll with tons of invincibility frames that may be the best roll 
in the game so he should abuse it heavily, but his spot dodge is a bit slow. 
R.O.B. also has a very rigid body that doesn't change size much when he 
crouches or performs attacks so watch out for that.

R.O.B.'s combination of keep away tactics, a clear out down smash, and unique 
aerial options give him odd matches. He tends to struggle against very fast 
characters who can dance around his game and harass him; Sonic is an unusually 
hard match for R.O.B.. However, his supreme over the edge abilities make him 
very dangerous to characters such as Ike, Captain Falcon, Olimar, Ganondorf, 
and Ivysaur who have few options to alter their trajectories in the air. 
R.O.B.'s great down smash and projectile game also mean that characters who 
have a lot of difficulty approaching from the air will have some trouble with 
him; this mostly applies to the Ice Climbers.

Kirby

Kirby used to be a fan favorite back in the days of the first Super Smash 
Brothers, but ever since his atrocious showing in the sequel Super Smash 
Brothers Melee, Kirby has been a character few are willing to use. In this 
game, Kirby is a somewhat decent character, but he lives in the shadow of his 
fellow Dreamland denizen Meta Knight. Kirby actually has some decent priority 
on his attacks, and he has generally more power than Meta Knight. In some ways 
Kirby manages to be a middle ground between Meta Knight's hyper fast version of 
floaty and Jigglypuff's slow but strong version so pick Kirby if you want a 
floaty character but the others just aren't working for you.

Kirby's ground game is mostly a source of KOs and lead ins to aerials as you 
would expect from a floaty character. His up tilt, down smash, and up smash all 
knock opponents into the air, and all three have somewhat different uses. His 
up tilt is an extremely fast close range move that Kirby should go for if he 
wants to try to lead into something else. His up smash is a slower and more 
powerful and widely ranged option that is also an occasional source of star 
KOs. His down smash is fairly unreliable for popping them into the air since it 
only does that near the base of Kirby's feet whereas the tips send them 
horizontally, but the move is quick and sweeps around Kirby so it can both 
punish those who roll too much and generally sweep out if Kirby does not know 
where they will be. Kirby also has an excellent forward smash that is quick and 
powerful; it will be one of his main KO moves. His down and forward tilts are 
mostly just safety moves with his down tilt having the added bonus of being the 
natural move from his very safe crouching position; use them as such. Kirby's 
jab combo is rather bad unless he can pin an enemy against a wall, but his 
running attack can be a decent damage dealer and will tend to poke through 
weakened shields.

Kirby's aerials give him a wide array of good options in all directions, but 
his best is probably his simple back aerial. It's just a quick kick to his rear 
that he can frequently hit with and then chase to apply pressure. His forward 
aerial is also good and racks up damage quickly, but it's slow enough so that 
it should mostly be used when you know it's the last hit you are going to get 
before letting them away. His up aerial is a quick flip that knocks the enemy 
right back up. Kirby can also chase with this move, and it keeps the enemy in 
the air where Kirby wants them. Kirby's down aerial is a solid air to ground 
attack as it racks up damage nicely if all the hits connect, but it also has a 
spike at the end so Kirby can use it over the ledge for great profit. 
Unfortunately, Kirby's neutral aerial is just too weak and slow to be worth it; 
only mix it in when you absolutely need to get them away in the air.

Kirby's grab game is mostly about down throws against low percent foes and up 
throws against more injured ones. The down throw pops the enemy up fairly near 
Kirby so Kirby can keep up the pressure, and the up throw does the same with a 
bit more height and the added bonus of ending with Kirby actually in the air. 
Kirby's up smash out of a shield is also handy so be sure to use it once in a 
while.

Kirby has an array of interesting but mostly bad specials. His Hammer is quite 
strong but also very slow; only use it once in a while to keep opponents 
guessing. It's somewhat safer in the air and gives Kirby KO power in the air 
where he otherwise would have lacked it and cancels somewhat quickly when 
hitting the ground, but it's still a very slow move. Kirby can exploit a glitch 
with this move actually; if the move ends in the air right above the ground, 
Kirby will regain all of his midair jumps. It's seldom useful, but if Kirby 
masters the timing, he could theoretically never actually touch the ground. 
However, if Kirby wants to hit the ground very quickly, the Rock is a good 
option. Actually, descending quickly to outrace an opponent is about all the 
Rock is good for, and it should usually be canceled before actually hitting the 
ground as the move is pretty much begging to be grabbed.

Kirby's Final Cutter is handy for recovery if you somehow need help there, and 
it can be a generally good surprise move once in a great while. The shockwave 
it sends out is a projectile that is sometimes useful, but it's more of a 
novelty than a serious combat weapon. Kirby's Inhale is certainly very cool, 
but don't overlook the move's use when not eating foes. Once a foe is in 
Kirby's mouth, he can press down or B to eat the foe while pressing A or Z will 
spit the foe out. If the foe is someone like Peach who has a very bad power, 
spitting for some damage is usually better. Kirby can also walk around with 
them in his mouth and jump from the ground, and this is the source of his great 
suicide game. Kirby uses Inhale either over or very close to a pit and falls 
into the abyss with them. Kirby can even sometimes spit opponents out very low 
and toward the stage from which they cannot recover, but Kirby can. However, in 
terms of stealing powers, Kirby just has to look at what's useful. Taking the 
great projectiles from the Star Fox characters, Pit, or Snake will certainly be 
a great choice, and the powers he gets from Mario, Donkey Kong, Ice Climbers, 
Samus, R.O.B., Ivysaur, Lucario, and Ike can be handy from time to time. 
Otherwise, stealing powers is probably not worth the effort, but you might want 
to note anyway that Kirby has somewhat different properties on several moves. 
Don't worry though; he can still do reverse Falcon Punch! Also, if you have a 
change of heart about a power, Kirby can taunt to drop them. Kirby's down taunt 
is the quickest choice by a large margin.

Kirby cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, but he has five midair jumps. 
Kirby has a nice, quick roll but a somewhat slow spot dodge. Kirby's crouch is 
also super low so he can use it to duck under a lot of attacks.

Kirby does well where floatiest usually do well and poorly where they usually 
do poorly. He can float above the problems that projectile spammers bring, but 
powerful opponents such as Ike or Bowser could be an issue. Kirby's poor range 
could make Marth a concern as well, and his general trouble scoring kills in 
the air will make Jigglypuff a hard match.

Meta Knight

Everyone loves Meta Knight, and it's not just because he looks cool. Meta 
Knight's attack speed is unparalleled, and his floatiness lets him pressure 
foes in a way that most other characters can only dream of. He does have 
serious issues with securing kills, but all in all, he's still a very dangerous 
character who can hold his own against the best.

On the ground, Meta Knight will either be looking for kills or looking to send 
the opponent into the air. His forward tilt is actually a three move combo that 
pops enemies up, but his main tool will be his up tilt which is very quick move 
that sends the target straight up. His down tilt isn't useful knock back wise, 
but it's so ridiculously fast that he can use it to poke under shields very 
safely. All three of his smashes have killing potential and are quick enough to 
be relatively safe, but they slow down Meta Knight's pressure game so he should 
only use them for finishers. Obviously his up smash goes for off the top kills 
which his forward smash aims for the side. His down smash is a kill move mostly 
for foes to the back and that are rolling; the back swing seems generally more 
powerful. His jab combo is fun, but it shouldn't be used in a serious match, 
and his running attack is mediocre.

In the air, the general plan is to just do an aerial in whatever direction the 
enemy is. All of them are quick damage dealers with little KO power so they're 
pretty interchangeable. The forward and back aerials are multi-hit attacks that 
should be used when the enemy is already in trouble more than the up and down 
aerials which are single hits that cover a wide area. For approaching the down 
aerial is a generally solid option due to the wide hit and the general ease 
with which Meta Knight can maneuver to the high ground. The neutral aerial, 
however, is simply bad. Don't use it often.

Meta Knight doesn't get a lot out of his grab game, but his best seems to be 
his forward throw. This pops them into a perfect position to chase with a 
forward aerial. His down throw can somewhat accomplish the same thing as well, 
and his back throw scales up to be somewhat powerful against high percent foes 
so remember them. His Shuttle Loop out of shield is a big thing he can do; 
expect to get many kills this way.

Meta Knight's specials all have utility in recovery, but most are pretty 
limited otherwise. The Tornado is a surprisingly hard move to punish, but the 
damage is weak on it so Meta Knight shouldn't use it much for his pressure 
game. Drill Rush can rack up damage very nicely with a clean hit, but it often 
leaves Meta Knight vulnerable so use it sparingly. His Dimension Cape lets him 
do a short range teleport to get out of trouble, and he can hold B to do a weak 
attack right afterward. It's another one of those moves that you should use 
sparingly, but it's a great move to keep in mind for a tight spot. His main 
special is his Shuttle Loop. This move does a slicing loop and then puts Meta 
Knight into a glide which robs him of all of his jumps once complete. The 
initial swing from it is very powerful; it's Meta Knight's main kill move. Use 
it and abuse it, especially out of a shield which allows Meta Knight to score 
kills when he seems to be at a disadvantage.

Meta Knight cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, but he has five midair 
jumps and can glide. His roll and spot dodge are very typical ones that he can 
use like most characters would.

Meta Knight's aggressive swordsmanship and floatiness put together make him the 
worst nightmare of characters like Pit and Snake that like to keep enemies at 
bay. Speed characters such as the Star Fox characters will also likely find 
Meta Knight difficult as his attack speed is every bit as good as their and he 
has a sort of aerial movement they can only envy. Of course, powerhouses like 
Ness and Donkey Kong will relish Meta Knight's relative difficulty scoring 
kills, and characters like Ike, Marth, and Mr. Game & Watch will give him a run 
for his money by outranging and out prioritizing him.

King Dedede

King Dedede is a very silly character. He's not only silly in the sense that 
he's a floating self proclaimed penguin king with a giant hammer either. King 
Dedede is big, heavy, and slow, but he has multiple jumps and a generally great 
recovery along with a solid projectile. That's a very non-traditional 
combination, and it is pretty effective. I would hardly put King Dedede as a 
top class character, but he's solid and very useable.

King Dedede has quick, useful tilts and very powerful smashes that form the 
core of his ground game. His down tilt is very quick so even if the knock back 
is bad, he can use it as a nice safety move. His forward tilt, on the other 
hand, just has huge range for its speed. He can use it to harass foes from 
safety, and due to the range he can easily form a combo with it out of his down 
throw. His up tilt pops foes up nicely with solid damage scaling that actually 
lets it kill at very high percentages. His up smash is another great source of 
star KOs, and for the speed, it's generally a great move. His forward smash is 
actually very slow, but it does massive damage. King Dedede should use it 
seldom, but when he finds an opening, it's the perfect move to punish an unwary 
opponent. His down smash also sends opponents upward which lets him lead into 
aerials, and it clears out pesky rolling foes as an added bonus. King Dedede 
also has a quick and damaging jab combo, but don't use his slow running attack 
even if you really love the Kirby nostalgia.

In the air, King Dedede's main claim to fame is his amazing back aerial. It's 
quick with good enough knock back to eventually kill but not enough so that he 
couldn't chain them together. King Dedede's multiple jumps also move him fairly 
little in the air so he can use them with the back aerial in rapid succession 
to lead opponents across stages; it's wonderful. His forward aerial is somewhat 
outclassed because of this, but it's still useful due to the large hit area and 
the way it scales up to pretty high power as the opponent takes damage. 
Dedede's up and down aerials have no real killing power, but both are great at 
racking up damage so they should be used against lower percent foes. His 
neutral aerial is just a typical "knock them away" move so use it as such.

King Dedede's grab game revolves almost entirely around his chain grabbing down 
throw though it should be noted that his back throw has some KO potential. In 
general, King Dedede should do a down throw and then do a running grab to 
regrab his opponent. This isn't really forced very often, but it's a pretty 
powerful tactic anyway. Do note that it won't work at all against lighter 
characters such as Mr. Game & Watch and Jigglypuff. Against Donkey Kong, Mario, 
Luigi, and Samus, he can quickly regrab them before they complete bouncing 
away, but he must use his grab attack to slow the stale move negation if he 
wants to continue indefinitely. Bowser can almost be caught in an infinite 
combo the same way, but King Dedede must move forward slightly if he wants to 
do that.

King Dedede really only has one good special so let's cover the others first. 
His Inhale is pretty much the same thing as Kirby's except it's slower, 
stronger, and can't take powers. Of course, since it can't steal powers, 
pressing down does nothing and either A or B eject the foe. Read Kirby's 
section for more in depth about this move, but it's generally not that great. 
His Jet Hammer seems cool and does big damage, but it's just too slow to be 
practical. If his opponent has a broken shield, he can use it by charging to 
the point where he starts taking damage by holding the charge too long as a 
great KO move, but it's really not even better there than King Dedede's forward 
smash. His Super Dedede Jump is pretty interesting; he can direct which way he 
moves as he begins his ascent and then follows a set path until he crashes into 
the ground, creating stars like Yoshi does with his ground pound. King Dedede 
cannot grab a ledge during this either, but he can cancel the move by hitting 
down on either the control stick or the c-stick which lets him directionally 
influence and grab ledges. If he cancels too low to the ground, he'll suffer a 
funny but highly disadvantageous animation as he struggles to get up.

Waddle Dee Toss is really King Dedede's main and best special attack. He 
randomly throws Waddle Dees, Waddle Doos, and Gordos with a ratio of 35:10:4 
respectively. Waddle Dees are a quick projectile that can be used to harass 
opponents well; they're like a better version of Peach's turnips as they can't 
be caught even if they are attackable. Waddle Doos are pretty much the same as 
Waddle Dees, but when they wander on the ground, they occasionally shoot 
lasers. Gordos simply fly off the screen after being thrown, but they do much 
better damage and knock back than the other two. King Dedede can only have two 
minions on the screen at once, and they can be eaten by his or Kirby's Inhale 
or Wario's Bite. He can rethrow ones on the ground even if they once belonged 
to an enemy as well. Generally, they are just a wonderful space controlling 
projectile; use them as such.

King Dedede cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, but he has four midair 
jumps. His roll is quick and useful, but his spot dodge is simply average.

King Dedede largely does well against other heavy characters due to his ability 
to more easily grab combo and projectile spam them as well as survive to high 
percentages with his great weight and recovery. On the other end of the 
spectrum, characters with serious priority problems like Sonic may find Dedede 
a bit tough to handle. However, most very quick characters and characters with 
great aerial control such as Wario will be able to outmaneuver King Dedede and 
generally make the game hard for him.

Olimar

Olimar is a very misunderstood character. Notably, he's far less unusual and 
hard to master than everyone thinks. His big claim to fame is that he uses his 
Pikmin to do all of his smashes, grabs, and special moves as well as his 
aerials other than the neutral air. Olimar can have up to six Pikmin following 
him at once, and each color has different properties. Red Pikmin are fire 
Pikmin, and yellow Pikmin are electric Pikmin. Each have some resistance to 
attacks of those elements but are mostly normal. White Pikmin are poison and do 
more damage when they are latched onto foes, but they have poor vitality. Blue 
Pikmin tend to have greater range on attacks and are the only Pikmin not 
automatically killed when submerged in water. Purple Pikmin do more damage and 
knock back with worse range. This may seem bizarre, but the fact of the matter 
is that Olimar can pluck Pikmin so quickly that he should never, ever run out. 
Adding to the nature of this is the fact that Pikmin are invincible when 
closely following Olimar and not being used in attacks. Of course, mastering 
the Pikmin and carefully selecting colors will be of great use to a master 
Olimar player, but it isn't really that big of a deal if Olimar players don't 
worry about which Pikmin they are using and just take advantage of Olimar's 
small size combined with his incredible range and power that make him such a 
potent character.

Olimar's tilts are all quick but weak attacks that don't utilize the Pikmin. 
His down tilt is a short range quick move that very nicely pops opponents up 
into the air. Olimar is very powerful in the air so this move should be used 
frequently to work with that. His forward tilt is a quick move to knock 
opponents away, but due to Olimar's wide range of better options, it shouldn't 
see much play. His up tilt is a somewhat decent damage racking move that pops 
opponents up into the air; Olimar can exploit this for decent profit though his 
excellent up smash tends to outshine it. His jab combo and running attack also 
don't use Pikmin and both are pretty average, but his running attack at least 
pops opponents up into the air. However, his smashes do use Pikmin, and that's 
where things get interesting. His forward smash just causes him to hurl a 
Pikmin a set distance ahead of him depending on color. It's not particularly 
powerful and is pretty slow, but the ridiculously huge range makes it a viable 
and useful move for Olimar, especially when used with blue Pikmin. His up smash 
is a quick Pikmin toss upward which does good damage, sets up for aerials, and 
can kill at higher percentages. Use the up smash frequently. His down smash 
sends his next Pikmin in line forward along the ground and the one after that 
behind him; it's a useful move if the opponent is unpredictably moving around 
and has good power; also use it frequently. However, with the down and forward 
smashes, take caution. These can cause Pikmin to be hurled to an early end if 
used near a pit.

Olimar's power on the ground was nice, but his aerials are just top notch. His 
neutral aerial is a fairly decent damage racking move that hits all around him, 
but it's not a Pikmin using move so it has poor range and generally isn't all 
that great. Olimar's forward aerial, on the other hand, is a quick swing with a 
Pikmin that does great damage with really good priority. His back aerial is 
also a quick swing with a Pikmin that does great damage with really good 
priority. Both swings are about a Pikmin's length wide regardless of color so 
they are especially effective with the powerful purple Pikmin. His down aerial 
is also a short range swing like his forward and back aerials, but it swings 
straight down and is a very effective spike; it's a great way to abuse 
opponents over ledges. His up aerial is more of a damage racking move with less 
KO power than his other aerials even when used with a purple Pikmin, but being 
a Pikmin move, it still has pretty good range and great priority. It's not one 
of his better aerials, but when chasing opponents upward, sometimes it is the 
only viable option, and the damage return is nothing to snuff at.

Olimar's grab game is incredible. His throws aren't anything special, but his 
grab is just a Pikmin toss that pulls them in. It has the speed of a standard 
grab with the range of a tether grab; it's all around spectacular and gives 
Olimar a great out of shield game. The range is especially good with blue 
Pikmin, and with those long range grabs he can use his down throw to set up for 
aerials. Blue Pikmin also do more damage than other Pikmin with throws; they're 
really a great choice even at high percentages when you are looking for a kill 
with a back throw. I really can't stress enough how much this helps Olimar and 
opens doors to him. He should use his shield more liberally than other 
characters, and even if his opponents try to pull back after hitting his shield 
with an aerial, he can still get a grab in. Even if his grab misses, it is fast 
so it's safe. Olimar can and should use his up smash out of his shield as well; 
given the way most opponents tower over him, he'll have a pretty easy time 
hitting with it.

Olimar's specials all revolve around utilizing the Pikmin in unique ways. His 
Pikmin Pluck is his source of new Pikmin and should generally be used at any 
safe moment on the ground to get him right back up to six Pikmin. His Pikmin 
Throw is a somewhat useful projectile that causes his next Pikmin in line to be 
thrown. If it is a color other than purple, it will latch onto opponents upon 
contact and cause residual damage until killed or knocked off. The damage is 
much greater if the Pikmin is white; white Pikmin should be thrown liberally. 
Purple Pikmin simply do fairly poor knock back when thrown, but they are the 
only ones that cause the opponent to stagger on hit so this is still useful to 
clear off ledges as Olimar goes for his dangerous recovery. Olimar's Pikmin 
Order simply summons his Pikmin to him. The first time it is used in a match, 
it arranges his Pikmin in the order red, yellow, blue, white, and purple. Each 
subsequent use it queues the type of Pikmin that was last in front to the back 
while retaining the previous order otherwise. If Olimar does not have any of 
the type of Pikmin that are next to be in front when he uses it, the next color 
in the new queue is taken as the front color and he can skip ahead in the 
rotation. Dying or using Pikmin Order when Olimar has no Pikmin does not affect 
the order. This causes all Pikmin to leap in line, grants short invincibility, 
and can be used in the air so it's very handy while recovering to summon your 
allies together.

Olimar's Pikmin Chain is his unfortunately poor recovery move. It's a tether 
recovery which strings all of his closely following Pikmin together to reach 
for the ledge, but even though it's just a tether, it leaves Olimar helpless 
after use. If the opponent is on the ledge when he uses this move, he can knock 
them off but won't be able to grab the ledge anyway which causes Olimar to die 
in most cases. The danger here means that Olimar should quickly attempt to 
recover before his opponent can prepare any defense; if he rushes for the 
ledge, he can frequently save himself from a horrible death. If he is being 
edge hogged and can't make it to solid ground, he shouldn't give up hope. He 
can use Pikmin Order to cycle Pikmin until a purple is next and then should use 
Pikmin Throw to knock opponents off the ledge, allowing him to latch on with 
his remaining five Pikmin in Pikmin Chain. If he does not have any purple 
Pikmin, he will be forced to rely on his forward aerial which probably will not 
work as he very well may not be able to reach, but he should at least try 
something. Pikmin Chain does not alter the order of Olimar's Pikmin following 
him since it uses every Pikmin. It can also be used as an attack on the ground 
for its great reach, but it's slow and weak so it should be used sparingly.

Olimar cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and he has only one midair jump. 
His roll is fairly slow, but he has an average spot dodge. Olimar spawns with 
three random Pikmin on his first stock or in Sudden Death, but after respawning 
from a death, he will have no Pikmin. Each Pikmin has its own properties as 
described in fair detail earlier and a short independent amount of HP which 
determines how long it can survive. Blue and purple have the most, red and 
yellow have a medium amount, and white have the least. Overall, blue Pikmin are 
probably the best Pikmin, but all of them are useful.

Olimar does well against most characters, but he does especially well against 
characters who typically rely on being able to avoid shield grabs such as Mr. 
Game & Watch, Wario, and Jigglypuff. On the other hand, he will have the most 
trouble against characters with great reach such as Marth or characters like 
Pikachu who can take the fight up into the air and quickly murder most of his 
Pikmin. Unfortunately, despite what that scene in The Subspace Emissary would 
suggest, Captain Falcon has no special Pikmin murdering skills and is actually 
one of the easiest opponents for Olimar.

Fox

Fox is the character who has always insisted upon being good. Notably, of the 
twelve characters who originally appeared in the original Super Smash Brothers, 
Fox is the only one who has been clearly above average in all three games. 
Super Smash Brothers Melee fans will especially recognize the overwhelming 
dominance of Fox as he was the best character in the game there. He's not the 
best character in the game anymore, but he's still very good as he has high 
speed in both attacking and mobility, a projectile reflecting move that's also 
one of the fastest techniques in the game, a good projectile in his laser, and 
really great vertical killing power. If it sounds like Fox doesn't really have 
any downsides, it sounds right. He's pretty much just all around good. He is 
one of the game's lighter characters, but that is seriously almost completely 
unimportant.

Fox's attacks on the ground are all around solid. His up tilt is his best tilt 
as it pops enemies nicely up into the air close to Fox. The down tilt also 
knocks enemies into the air, but it also sends enemies away from Fox a bit too 
much to be useful. His forward tilt is a pretty standard quick knock away move 
that he won't be using much at all thanks to his great reflector. His smashes, 
on the other hand, are all great kill moves. His up smash in particular is just 
beastly; it's both quick and extremely powerful and will score Fox many, many 
star KOs. His forward smash is also a good quick killer, and his down smash not 
only clears foes out but has KO potential. He has a fairly quick running attack 
and jab combo, but given his other great options, he shouldn't use either very 
much.

Fox is one of those characters who is blessed with five good aerials. His 
forward air is a multiple hitting combo that is really incredible for racking 
up damage; against low percent foes, it's Fox's best option for transforming 
them into high percent foes. Fox's back aerial, on the other hand, is insanely 
fast with good knock back. Fox can do a short hop back aerial, land, and then 
follow up with another short hop back aerial in quick succession to apply 
really great pressure. His up aerial is a great move for star KOs; a clean hit 
has incredible knock back. The move, like pretty much everything Fox has, is 
also quick so it's even a safe move to throw out. Fox's down aerial seems bad 
at first as just a weak drill, but like his forward aerial, it's a very quick 
move. It is easier to hit grounded opponents with than the forward aerial so 
it's the damage racking move of choice there. It's also a classic Fox tactic to 
follow up his drill with his Reflector to keep up a constant flurry of 
pressure. This isn't as effective in Brawl as it was in past games, but it's 
still a good trick to try. The drill also weakly sends opponents downward in 
the air so it can be used to get surprise kills off the bottom, but it's not 
particularly good for that. Fox's neutral aerial is a pretty average safety 
move at first glance, but it has classic Fox speed and especially low landing 
lag even for Fox. This is the aerial of choice if Fox wishes to leap in with an 
aerial and immediately follow up with an attack after he lands. That's a very 
dangerous game to be playing, and Fox is very good at it.

Fox's grab game is merely average with him not having anything particularly 
great out of it, but his up throw is probably his generally best attempt as it 
sends enemies straight up to be ready to take a hit from Fox's up aerial. Fox 
should also be up smashing out of his shield a lot; his up smash is too good to 
waste.

Fox gains a lot from his specials in both recovery options, melee combat 
options, and projectile spamming options. The Fox Illusion is a fairly quick 
recovery option for straight horizontal recoveries which makes it adequate for 
most scenarios. Fox can even press B partway through the move to prematurely 
terminate it to fake out opponents. It may be tempting to try to use this move 
frequently as an offensive option, but it has a clear auditory telegraph that 
makes it easy to predict and counter. It's great once in a while (as in once or 
twice a match) as a surprise, but in general, this move should be used mostly 
for recovery. The Fire Fox, on the other hand, should be used pretty much 
entirely for recovery and even then fairly rarely. It's a solid recovery move 
even if a bit slow, but the fact that the Fox Illusion exists means Fire Fox is 
limited to the cases in which Fox finds himself below the stage or needs to 
slow down his recovery to elude an edge guard. On the stage, Fire Fox is slow 
and predictable so it shouldn't be used offensively, but if you must, the best 
plan is to use it in the air and slam into the ground which gives Fox a large 
bounce effect that can make him somewhat difficult to punish.

Fox's Blaster is just a quick move that is a source of free damage. He can use 
it in either the air or the ground, and he only has to mash B quickly to keep 
up a stream of continual linear damage. It has no stun so it should only be 
used from a range, but whenever the foe gives you a free shot, take it. Fox 
uses this to force the opponent to stay on the offense as sitting back and 
playing defensively will only result in Fox firing hundreds of lasers. Fox's 
Reflector is his pride and joy of a special, and it's so beloved by the 
competitive community that it has a special nickname, the shine. His Reflector 
can reflect projectiles, and if the opponent dares spam projectiles at Fox, he 
can use it to counter them very efficiently. While his Reflector is in the 
reflecting animation, he can even do anything he can do out of a shield. That 
means he can instantly cancel his Reflector for no lag into a grab, roll, spot 
dodge, or jump as long as he times it just as a projectile hits. The Reflector 
can also be used in the air to greatly slow Fox's descent which makes him 
highly unpredictable and can be a stalling tactic against a foe with a 
dangerous temporary advantage or just a trick to turn Fox around as he can turn 
freely as long as the Reflector is up. It's also a great attack that comes out 
very, very quickly (it was 4 frames in Super Smash Brothers Melee, and I think 
but am not sure that it's the same in this game) and knocks opponents at a 
downward angle which means he can use it to spike opponents. Do note that the 
move recovers faster in the air than on the ground; try to use this move after 
a short hop. Really, this is probably Fox's most important offensive move. 
Abuse it constantly.

Fox can wall jump, but he cannot wall cling or crawl. He has only one midair 
jump, a slightly below average roll, and a good spot dodge.

Fox's myriad advantages make him a dangerous foe to any opponent, and his lack 
of real weaknesses means that he can only find himself at a disadvantage 
against opponents who simply have more advantages. Marth, Mr. Game & Watch, and 
Olimar have a combination of range and priority that could cause Fox some 
issues, but he has his own tools to deal with them so they are at worst soft 
counters. Fox can look forward to having strong advantages against the slower 
characters such as Bowser as well as the projectile abusing characters such as 
Pit, and even if his opponent is someone like Luigi against whom he has no 
special favor, he's still a scary and dangerous foe as he has some many great, 
threatening options. Fox is here to stay, and he's likely to continue to be a 
force for the rest of the history of the Smash Brothers franchise.

Falco

How to unlock:

-Play 50 brawls.
-Have Falco join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear 100-Man Brawl.

Falco will remind many of you of Fox, but he's quite different from Fox. He has 
a lot of spinning moves, and generally his average move is less potent. 
However, he makes up for it by having a few moves which are way better than 
Fox's versions. So, while Fox is the character with something good in 
everything, Falco is the character with a few very good things and then mainly 
average things. Falco will especially appeal to you if you like abusing a 
linear projectile like your life depended on it; Falco is very good at that.

Falco's tilts are pretty similar to Fox's function wise but with different 
practicality. His up tilt pops enemies up still, but it's slower so it's less 
useful. He makes up for this with his down tilt not sending enemies at as 
extreme of an angle; he can use his down tilt to pop the enemy up for an 
aerial. Since his Reflector isn't as quick as Fox's at all, he will actually 
find the quick, safe nature of the forward tilt to be handy though it still is 
far from one of his staple moves. His up smash is mostly just a weaker version 
of Fox's move, and his down smash has pretty much no killing potential. His 
forward smash is somewhat unwieldy, but it's a good killing move so Falco will 
be making extensive use of it. His running attack is also a decent move to pop 
enemies up, but his jab combo is awful and should be avoided.

In the air, Falco has the best of times and the worst of times thanks to his 
huge jump off the ground. Falco can chase opponents up better than just about 
anyone, but he has trouble applying pressure to the ground because of it. He 
can still be technical with low short hops; it just takes effort. His big moves 
over Fox are his forward and down aerials. His forward aerial is a spinning 
attack that is similar to Sonic's forward aerial. It's a generally harder way 
to rack up damage than Fox's forward aerial, but the way it turns Falco himself 
into a spinning attack gives it some utility and maneuverability that Fox's 
version didn't have. His down aerial racks damage a little worse than Fox's, 
but a clean hit from it delivers a very powerful spike. Falco will be using 
this a whole lot, especially near ledges, to claim kills. Falco also has a back 
aerial that is very quick and can be chained together just like Fox's, and his 
up aerial is like Fox's except missing the clean hit requirement in exchange 
for a good deal of power. His neutral aerial is actually a big improvement. 
It's a spinning attack that racks damage nicely, but it has almost no landing 
lag just like Fox's so he can still follow it up with a grounded move just as 
he lands.

Falco's grab came has one basic premise, and that's the fact that he has a 
chain grab with his down throw. He just does a down throw, runs forward, and 
grabs the opponent before he can recover. It won't work on light and floaty or 
heavily damaged characters, but it's one of Falco's main big advantages that he 
should really be exploiting. Do be sure to mix in grab attacks while chain 
throwing since you're limited by the length of the stage. Milk that combo for 
every percent it is worth.

Falco's recovery options are overall arguably better than Fox's, but they're a 
bit different. His Falco Phantasm is impossible to cancel with B in midair, but 
it spikes opponents. This really makes Falco dangerous to edge guard as chasing 
him out could very well end with the attacker becoming the fallen. Falco can 
even use this to edge guard his foes by jumping out after them and just using 
the Falco Phantasm to a ledge. Much like the Fox Illusion, Falco Phantasm is 
fairly predictable so don't use it much at all as a standard attack over the 
platform. Fire Falco gets much less distance than Fire Fox did so it's even 
less useful. It deals more damage with less knock back on contact with enemies, 
and the bounce effect when he slams into the ground with it is a bit better. 
It's still not worth using save when really needed for recovery.

Falco's Reflector is a thrown object almost like a projectile, but it's not 
really a projectile as it can't be reflected. He can't use it to reflect 
projectiles well himself since it has that long cool down time, but he can use 
it effective as an attack. It comes out quickly and pushes the enemy nicely 
away; Falco uses that to keep foes out of his face. Down throw to Reflector is 
also a combo against many characters so he has that utility as well. Of course, 
keeping foes out is very handy for Falco because of his last special move, the 
Blaster. Falco's version of this move is just too good. It fires slower than 
Fox's, though still very fast, and it travels such a large distance that it 
might as well be infinite. It also stuns enemies, and it does a fine job of it. 
Falco should be shooting his Blaster constantly as though it were going out of 
style. He can do a short hop and fire two of them to retard aerial approaches, 
and on the ground he can just make a wall of interruption that many characters 
will be hard pressed to get past. In the air, he can also use his Blaster to 
turn around by tapping the control stick slightly right before he fires or by 
tapping it more strongly at the very moment he's shooting. That means he can 
run away, jump immediately, and then send some fire back to where he used to 
be. I'm sure some people think the idea of centering a game style around 
constant interruption from a projectile is lame. I might even be one of them. 
However, if you are one of those people, don't look for alternate tactics here. 
Just don't use Falco.

Falco can wall jump, but he cannot wall cling or crawl. He has one midair jump 
and very nice and quick options in both his roll and spot dodge that will let 
him play as defensively as possible to keep firing that lovely Blaster.

Being one of the heavy duty projectile characters, Falco will naturally not 
like to see Fox, Wolf, Ness, Lucas, or Mr. Game & Watch and will naturally tear 
Bowser and friends apart. That aside, Falco is fairly diverse and should do 
well against most of the cast, but R.O.B. and Pit are two notable points of 
possible trouble as both can recover from Falco's spikes easily, have their own 
spam options that can cause Falco trouble, and each have one extra thing that 
gives Falco problems. R.O.B.'s down smash will be a real pain for Falco to 
overcome, and Pit's Mirror Shield is just a further refutation of Falco's 
Blaster strategy.

Wolf

How to unlock:

-Play 450 brawls.
-Have Wolf join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear Boss Battles with Fox or Falco.

Wolf is quite the unusual character in how he moves. He tends to lunge around a 
lot which makes him quite unpredictable. If you like Fox and Falco's vague feel 
but want a character with far less rigid movements, Wolf is the character for 
you. He is also quite good with an excellent blend of speed and power that 
keeps him a notch above the competition.

Wolf's style is showed nicely by his jab combo which is not just a standard 
move to knock the foe away as it also moves Wolf forward a good amount. He has 
a fairly good forward tilt that knocks the opponent pretty far, but it doesn't 
scale up in damage very well so it is relegated mostly to a pressure move to 
force the opponent over the ledge. His up tilt, on the other hand, is a nice 
quick move to pop opponents up that he will use frequently. His down tilt 
probably won't see a lot of play as it's pretty much just a worse range but 
lower hitting version of his forward tilt, but he can use it to poke under 
shields. Wolf's forward smash is one of his greatest points of pride; it has 
good power and throws him forward to a large degree. Use this move frequently 
to punish unsuspecting foes. Wolf's up smash is like a stronger version of his 
up tilt. It is slower, but it does more damage and knock back so use it when 
you need to pop more vulnerable opponents up. Wolf also has a quick, powerful 
down smash that is good for sweeping out rolling opponents or generally anyone 
near him. Wolf also has a really interesting and useful running attack; it 
stops him and pops the opponents right up so he can run in, send his foes into 
the air, and then immediately chase with an aerial of his own.

Much like Fox and Falco, Wolf has a very quick back aerial he should use 
frequently. He can do a short hop, attack with his back aerial, and then land 
in time to be able to jump right back up and continue. Wolf's forward and up 
aerial both send the opponents straight up fairly weakly, but both are good to 
quickly keep the opponent up so Wolf can juggle them. At over 150%, the forward 
aerial also gets some KO power so that's handy. Wolf's neutral aerial is a 
quick safety move that doubles as a solid damage dealer; Wolf can use it when 
he's being chased into the air to turn the tides quickly. Wolf's down aerial is 
a fairly slow spike that he won't be using very much, but if he catches the foe 
unaware over a pit, he has this tool to end it quickly.

Wolf's main two throws are his up and down throws, and both are pretty handy. 
His up throw simply sends the opponent straight up; it should be used to set up 
for Wolf's generally good juggling game. Wolf's down throw is an odd move that 
pushes the opponents into the ground; he can really exploit this near ledges to 
place opponents in a dangerous position, and he can try to follow up a down 
throw with a running grab for a semi-chain throw that will probably only last 
for a few tosses but is a good thing to try. Wolf also has a very quick attack 
against grabbed opponents; be sure to use it frequently to score that little 
bit of extra damage. Wolf's up smash is also a solid choice out of his shield; 
it allows him to continue working toward his excellent juggle game.

Wolf's specials are very similar to Fox and Falco's, but the differences are 
important. His Wolf Flash is his main recovery tool, but it has even less 
utility on the ground than the Fox Illusion and Falco Phantasm due to the 
upward angle. It does have a spike in it just like Falco's move so he should 
try to exploit that, and much as with Falco's move, he can only cancel it with 
B from the ground. His Fire Wolf, which amazingly has no fire effect, is 
actually a nice improvement over team Star Fox's version as it comes out much 
faster, gets good distance, and has a very quick bounce when it hits the 
ground. Don't feel bad about using this frequently as a recovery option over 
the Wolf Flash; it's a solid choice. His Reflector is very similar to Fox's, 
and he has most of the same tricks out of it. The only differences are that it 
has a bigger hit area, does not knock foes downward, and does not stall Wolf in 
the air. He should still use it frequently for quick damage.

Wolf's Blaster is used in much the same was as Falco's Blaster; it's an 
excellent move to keep opponents locked down, to control space, and to 
generally force the opponent to come to you. However, Wolf's Blaster has 
limited range and does more damage closer to him so Wolf will want to position 
himself closer to his foe. It even has a hit as he swings the actual gun. While 
Falco used his Blaster mostly to stall, Wolf uses his to move in, force 
approaches, and then punish mistakes with his forward smash or juggling 
abilities.

Wolf can wall jump but not wall cling or crawl. Wolf has but one midair jump, 
an average roll, and a very quick spot dodge that he should abuse frequently.

Wolf's matches are largely similar to Fox's in terms of who he does well 
against, but the way he lunges forward and can stun with projectiles will make 
him a better match against a well ranged foe such as Marth. At the same time, 
the generally greater commitment his attacks entail will give him trouble 
against Fox himself no matter how much he can't let Star Fox do that. Other 
very quick attackers such as Meta Knight and Sonic will also likely be 
proficient at messing up Wolf's game.

Captain Falcon

How to unlock:

-Play 70 brawls.
-Have Captain Falcon join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear Classic on Normal or higher in under 12 minutes.

Before the fight has even started, Captain Falcon has already won the contest 
to be the most awesome and manly character not only in Super Smash Brothers 
Brawl but most likely in the entire world. Being contented with his victory 
there, he must not have concerned himself too much with actually winning 
standard fights as he is quite bad at that. Captain Falcon's super fast 
movements are canceled by long delays after his attacks, and the extreme 
tightness of his motions just doesn't work very well for him in the floaty 
world that is Super Smash Brothers Brawl. He's really a very weak character who 
will require extreme dedication to play decently, but at the very least, he's 
still super cool.

Captain Falcon has nice tilts; he can get a lot of use out of them. His up tilt 
is a fairly slow kick that sweeps over his head and has a good deal of power; 
it's a quick way to score kills on highly wounded foes and generally sends 
opponents far. His forward tilt knocks opponents away in a generally 
uninteresting way, but his down tilt is a very weak move that pops the 
opponents upward. This is actually just what Captain Falcon needs; he can leap 
after his opponents and attempt to connect with his knee. Captain Falcon has 
powerful but fairly standard options in all of his smashes as well. His forward 
smash is slow but a good kill move, his up smash is slow but a good damage 
dealer and way to knock foes into the air, and his down smash is almost quick 
but mostly just useful to sweep out rolling opponents. He also has a really 
terrible jab combo and a fairly average running attack; don't use either very 
often.

Captain Falcon's air game is largely centered around his knee. The knee is his 
forward aerial, and it stands out for having a very powerful sweet spot. It's 
very hard to hit with, but Captain Falcon players absolutely must be adept at 
hitting with it. He should do this out of a short hop at opponents who he has 
knocked upward a small distance in the air, and it serves as one of his primary 
sources of kills. After scoring a fatal hit with this move, it is imperative 
that Captain Falcon do his down taunt. It may seem useless, but it helps him 
establish his manly aura on the battlefield. Captain Falcon also has a very 
good back aerial that he can throw out. It's quick and strong and can transform 
into his main aerial attack if the knee isn't working out which it often will 
not. Captain Falcon also has a good up aerial that hits all around him and can 
score star KOs at higher percentages; use it whenever you find yourself beneath 
an opponent. His neutral aerial really isn't very good, and his down aerial is 
pretty much just a standard slow spike with limited use.

Captain Falcon should pretty much always down throw out of a grab so he can 
attempt to follow it up with a knee. That's about all there is to say for his 
out of shield game.

Captain Falcon's specials look amazing, but they aren't really very good for 
the most part. His Falcon Punch is very powerful and can be reversed by tapping 
and holding the opposite direction as he uses it, but it's not very useful in 
general. If he does manage to get a hit, it's absolutely mandatory that he use 
his down taunt afterward, but that's about all there is to say about it. Falcon 
Kick is pretty much useless save as a rare surprise attack on the ground; it's 
nothing but a suicide attack in the air. Falcon Dive causes Captain Falcon to 
latch onto foes, explode, and proclaim "Yes!". Interpreting this is an exercise 
left up to the reader, but as per using it, it's a very unsafe move so it's 
pretty much strictly limited to recovery. Raptor Boost pops opponents up nicely 
and can be a pretty nice way to move in and get some action going, but it 
should not be used all that often since it's fairly predictable. It's also a 
bad option near ledges; Captain Falcon will happily lunge out to his own death.

Captain Falcon can wall jump but not wall cling or crawl. He has only one 
midair jump, a somewhat quick roll, and a somewhat slow spot dodge. His 
amazingly awesome down taunt finishes faster and can be used more frequently if 
he is facing to the left while doing it.

Captain Falcon will find most opponents difficult, but small targets who can 
quickly harass him such as Pikachu and Olimar will especially decimate him. On 
the other side of the coin, big slow opponents such as Bowser and Donkey Kong 
are just big knee targets; Captain Falcon should do well there. Captain Falcon 
may be a generally poor fighter, but he at least looks awesome doing it.

Pikachu

Pikachu has had a rough ride through the series. He was the best character in 
the game in the first Super Smash Brothers, but he was pretty awful in the 
sequel Super Smash Brothers Melee. So where does that leave him in this game? 
Well, he gained a lot back he lost and has some more cool stuff to boot. He 
can't hope to claim the title of best character in this game by any means, but 
he has a desirable combination of quick movements, small size, and great power 
that make him a great force.

Pikachu has three very good and powerful smashes. His up smash has decent power 
and sets up nicely for Thunder, his forward smash is an amazing and long range 
killer, and his down smash is just crazy. His down smash racks up massive 
damage, can kill, tends to hit through shields, and sets up for Thunder. It's 
even quick so he can do it soon after landing from an aerial to cause massive 
damage. Pikachu also has a nice and quick up tilt which pops the enemy up into 
the air and sets them up for Thunder. The forward tilt and down tilt just knock 
the enemies away and aren't too useful, but his jab combo is ridiculously fast 
and racks up damage very nicely. His running attack is bad; don't use it.

Pikachu has a pretty nice array of aerials he mostly uses to rack up damage; it 
compliments his very fatal ground game nicely. His back aerial just racks up 
damage very nicely; he should use it to say no to opponents that dare approach 
from behind. His forward aerial doesn't rack damage quite as well, but it has a 
bit more priority and some knock back so it's a safer option. His down aerial 
isn't quite as useful, but if he hits the ground during it, he sends out a 
second shock wave so it's a great way to rack up damage on grounded opponents. 
Pikachu's up aerial is just a very quick but safe move that should only be used 
when you need the safety, and his neutral aerial is a slower but more reliable 
version of the same concept.

Pikachu's grab game mostly centers around hitting opponents into Thunder, and 
to that end, his up throw is king. His ability to up smash out of his shield 
will also set up for Thunder. His down throw on low percent opponents can also 
sometimes become a chain throw so it might be worth the effort to try that. His 
back throw is also an easy killer on stages with walk off ledges, but otherwise 
stick to the up and down throws.

Pikachu has some pretty useful specials that really help him out. Well, his 
Headbutt is useless; don't use it ever. Thunder Jolt is a decent projectile 
that Pikachu should throw out to control space along the ground and force 
opponents to approach from the air. Pikachu can also use this like Mario uses 
his fireballs by throwing it out and chasing it to make his approaches more 
powerful. Quick Attack is a great recovery move that Pikachu players must 
practice with. Pikachu can tap another direction after the first jump to do a 
second one, but he must move at a sufficiently far angle from his first 
movement to get the boost. The minimum is 38 degrees if you were curious. 
Thunder is also amazing; it's powerful and fairly safe due to how it protects 
Pikachu. It can hit opponents above him with ease, and he can jump out of the 
way by using it while moving to create barriers in front of him. He can combo 
into it with a number of things, and this is one of his most important tactics, 
but the specifics have already been covered in great detail.

Pikachu can wall jump and crawl but not wall cling. He is sufficiently short to 
duck under Pit's arrows and Samus's stuff easily, but he can only duck under 
Falco's lasers while not moving which makes crawling under them tricky but 
possible. Pikachu has only one midair jump and very average options in his roll 
and spot dodge.

Pikachu's comboing ability makes him very dangerous in general, but speed 
characters will especially find their main edge stolen away. Expect Pikachu to 
do well against team Star Fox and Sonic. Pikachu's electric attacks fry most 
colors of Pikmin very easily so he's a dangerous match for Olimar as well. 
However, Pikachu has really serious issues against Ness, Lucas, and Mr. Game & 
Watch due to their total ability to absorb Thunder and Thunder Jolt. They rob 
Pikachu of a lot of his most important options, and that's just a big problem 
for him.

Pokemon Trainer

Pokemon Trainer is interesting insofar as he is simultaneously three characters 
and one. By clicking on the portraits, a player can choose to start with any of 
the three Pokemon or can choose Pokemon Trainer himself to start with a random 
Pokemon. Pokemon Trainer can use Pokemon Switch at any time to cycle to his 
next Pokemon in the order Squirtle then Ivysaur then Charizard. If a Pokemon 
falls in battle, he will automatically switch to the next Pokemon on respawn. 
Each Pokemon comes out with two minutes of "stamina" which depletes constantly 
while the Pokemon is out. An additional second is removed every time a Pokemon 
does an attack other than a grab. Once a Pokemon is out of stamina, it does 
significantly less damage and knock back but will continue to move at the same 
speed. It will droop down low during idle animations to indicate its 
exhaustion, and if it is swapped out, it will recover stamina at a rate of two 
seconds recovered for every one second out of battle. Since switching Pokemon 
forces the game to load the next Pokemon, the time it takes depends on the 
loading times and will be shortened if your opponent is using the Pokemon you 
are switching to. The general best strategy to take advantage of this is to 
decide ahead of time if you want to use two or three Pokemon. If you want to 
use just two, lead with the one that comes right after the one you aren't using 
in the rotation. For instance, if you aren't using Charizard, lead with 
Squirtle. If you are using all three, you should pick the Pokemon Trainer 
himself to be unpredictable. Don't switch during battle in general; let the 
switches after death take care of you unless you have a good opportunity. Do 
try to switch ASAP if you find yourself in battle with a Pokemon you have 
decided not to use, but be sure to do it at the safest possible time.

Squirtle

Squirtle is the speedy member of Pokemon Trainer's team, and analyzed as an 
independent character, he is probably the best. Squirtle has a high attack 
speed and incredible aerial mobility that allow him to press grand offensives, 
but he has poor range and priority coupled with what is easily the worst set of 
special moves in the entire cast. Still, he's a solid option that almost all 
Pokemon Trainer players will want to be using.

Squirtle's ground game pretty much revolves around his upward options. His up 
tilt is a quick move that pops opponents up into the air which is very handy 
for Squirtle, and his up smash is just a really good kill move that hits all 
around him. It isn't terribly fast so it can't be overly abused, but it's still 
a really key move to Squirtle that should be always kept in mind. That being 
the case, his down smash is nearly useless since his up smash has the clear out 
properties to punish rolling foes. His down tilt is a solid damage dealer to 
hit under shields, but given the poor range, Squirtle won't be using it much. 
His forward tilt is a standard safe move to knock opponents away which is just 
occasionally useful like all moves like it, and his forward smash is a somewhat 
decent kill move he won't be using much just because of how amazing his up 
smash is. His jab combo lunges him forward a decent amount so it's a good 
surprise move, and he has a highly abuseable running attack that ends with him 
behind a shielding opponent and pops foes into the air. Use the running attack 
frequently.

Squirtle's real claim to fame comes in the air. The primary tactic is to short 
hop at the opponent, do a forward or back aerial, and then pull back. Squirtle 
has the aerial mobility to do this and harass shielding foes. If he gets a hit, 
he should press toward them instead of pulling back, land, and leap up to 
repeat the assault. Squirtle also has a good up aerial that knocks the 
opponents straight up. It won't be scoring any kills until quite high 
percentages, but if you can't get in a forward or back aerial, it's a good 
option to send the opponent upward to keep them up in the air. Squirtle's 
neutral aerial is a good safety move to knock opponents away in the air, but 
his down aerial is just mostly bad. It could be useful to try to hit through a 
shield if you have committed too much to an attack to pull back, but that's 
about it.

Squirtle's most useful throw is his up throw since it pops opponents straight 
up, but his down throw can sometimes have the same sort of utility. At higher 
percentages his down throw is actually a kill move as well; keep that in mind. 
His up smash out of a shield will be ridiculously useful as up smash is his 
only real kill move; he should abuse that whenever appropriate.

Squirtle's special moves are nearly useless. His Water Gun is just like Mario's 
Fludd, and it's about as useful. He can charge it whenever he has a spare 
moment, but even fully charged, it won't be doing much of anything except 
occasionally ruining a Ness or Lucas recovery. Withdraw seems handy at first 
since it has surprisingly high priority, but it does almost no damage even on 
hit so Squirtle should use the move very seldom. Waterfall is his recovery 
option and his best special, but the set path makes it awkward. The long 
landing lag also makes it unsafe. Only use Waterfall as an attack if the 
opponent makes the mistake of jumping right into the set path; it does rack up 
damage nicely.

Squirtle can crawl and wall cling but not wall jump. Of course, he might as 
well be able to wall jump since he merely has to cling to the wall for a moment 
to be able to leap off of it. Either way, Squirtle sticks very low to the 
ground while crawling and can easily crawl under every projectile but a nearly 
fully charged Charge Shot from Fox, Falco, Pit, and Samus. Squirtle has only 
one midair jump, a quick roll, and a quick spot dodge.

Squirtle's poor range and priority are his biggest problem, and they will prove 
a substantial handicap as he attempts to take on foes such as Marth, Mr. Game & 
Watch, and Olimar. However, his great aerial control allows him to easily 
harass slower foes such as Ganondorf or Donkey Kong. His size and speed 
combined also make him more than a match for the projectile spammers such as 
Pit and Falco.

Ivysaur

Ivysaur's main use on the Pokemon Trainer's team is to be the Pokemon with good 
range, and he does that well. Ivysaur also is decently fast and has great 
power. He is in many ways similar to Olimar, and this includes his abysmal 
recovery. Ivysaur relies on a bad tether move for his triple jump, and that 
tends to leave him doomed over the ledge. Ivysaur is still a really good 
Pokemon who is probably Pokemon Trainer's second best Pokemon, but those who 
can't resolve themselves to his recovery might prefer Charizard.

Ivysaur's ground options have the nice benefit of all having great range. His 
forward tilt is a spinning leaf attack that is quite safe and racks up good 
damage if the enemy is in Ivysaur's face so it's a good move to use if the 
enemy has managed to penetrate your range. His up tilt sends him up a decent 
amount and pops enemies up into the air; he can frequently follow it up with 
his great up aerial. His down tilt is a very long range move that knocks 
enemies away and pokes under shields; use it for general harassment. His down 
smash hits with the range of his down tilt on both sides with a little more 
sloth; use it to give a pretty absolute no to anyone daring to roll around you. 
His forward smash has some KO potential, but it runs into the same problems 
Squirtle's forward smash did. Ivysaur has a ridiculously powerful up smash that 
will be his main kill move; abuse it heavily. His running attack also pops 
enemies up and can lead into his up aerial, but it has poor range and is easy 
to punish so don't use it often. His jab combo is bad due to the commitment, 
but the first hit of it is a nice way to get in a quick hit at a range.

Ivysaur is really incredible in the air; he has both amazing killing power and 
range depending on his choice of aerials. His back aerial hits over a huge area 
behind him, is fast, and has little landing lag. Ivysaur can easily and safely 
approach by just doing short hop back aerials over and over. He doesn't even 
need to get too close and move in for real attacks; he can just sit at the tip 
of his back aerial's range and use it over and over again. His forward aerial 
is also a nice range move, but it is slow and awkward so it should only be used 
if the opponent has gotten right in front of Ivysaur in the air. The up and 
down aerials both have ridiculous power that rivals the up smash and are 
incredible KO moves. They hit in their respective directions and should be used 
for KOing in the air depending on the orientation of the opponent, but watch 
out as they are about as slow as the up smash with substantial landing lag. 
Still, both come out a bit faster than the up smash so a short hopped up aerial 
can be a substitute option for a KO in the proper circumstance. His neutral 
aerial is a safety move that is usually pointless thanks to his great back 
aerial, but at very close range and very low to the ground, it can lead into an 
air to ground combo.

Ivysaur's grab is slow, but he has really solid range. Both his up and down 
throws can lead into his up aerial, and his back throw has KO power. Ivysaur 
also has the perpetual threat of up smash out of his shield; a shielding 
Ivysaur is at no want for dangerous options.

Ivysaur's special moves of use are essentially projectiles. His Razor Leaf is a 
handy projectile that controls space in front of him nicely and will travel 
through destructible terrain. He should use it frequently to generally lock 
opponents down; it's a wonderful move. Bullet Seed is nearly impossible to hit 
with, but it is worth remembering anyway. If Ivysaur can catch the opponent in 
Bullet Seed, it does insane damage. The best way to exploit it is to not try to 
combo opponents into it but instead just wait. See if you can run under them as 
they fall, and if they are foolish enough to come straight down, let loose with 
Bullet Seed. Against a skilled opponent this will pretty much never work, but 
the mere threat that it could happen means that Ivysaur will never, ever be 
attacked from straight above. Vine Whip is useless as an attack and should be 
strictly used for recovery though it can be ruined just like Olimar's Pikmin 
Chain. Do your best to get onto that ledge ASAP as if the opponent gets on 
first, you have no hope of recovery save the remote hope of knocking them off 
with a Razor Leaf with time left to recover.

Ivysaur cannot wall jump or wall cling but can crawl. He has the odd property 
of being short enough to crouch under Pit's arrows but might sometimes get hit 
while crawling due to the way he bobs upward slightly. He can't avoid any other 
notable projectiles by crawling. Ivysaur has one midair jump and pretty 
ordinary options in his roll and spot dodge.

Ivysaur's range will allow him to easily harass opponents such as Wario and 
Sonic, but speedy attackers with more priority such as the Star Fox characters 
or Meta Knight will be able to dance around him and punish him more heavily. 
Otherwise Ivysaur has generally neutral looking match ups, but it should be 
noted that the stage Castle Siege is excellent for him due to the relatively 
low ceiling and especially the second area which not only negates his problems 
with tether recovery but also lets him abuse his projectile when no other 
character can.

Charizard

Squirtle is the aerial specialist for Pokemon Trainer, and Ivysaur is the 
ranged specialist? Where does that leave Charizard? Well, he's supposed to be 
the team tank. He is much bigger and heavier than the other Pokemon, and his 
average power is bigger. However, he doesn't quite measure up in several areas 
he seems like he should. He actually has less KO scoring ability than Ivysaur, 
and his recovery, while the best of Pokemon Trainer's Pokemon, is so slow that 
it is below average among the whole cast. Charizard is not really a bad 
Pokemon; he has several quick, useful moves as well as a general heavyweight 
feel that some players will find desirable. He's probably the most ignorable of 
Pokemon Trainer's Pokemon, but he's not really a bad character.

Charizard's one nice thing on the ground is that he has pretty good tilts that 
should form the core of his ground game. His up tilt pops the enemy up in a 
very quick and useful way; Charizard will rely on this move a lot. His forward 
tilt is not terribly strong or dangerous, but it's a very quick and safe move 
so he will want to use it a lot anyway. His down tilt is similar to his forward 
tilt in application, but it's a bit slower with a chance to hit below a shield. 
Charizard's forward smash is as slow as a typical heavyweight smash attack, but 
it has great KO power so he can rely on it fairly frequently. His up smash is 
more of a damage dealing move, but it hits over a large area so he can use it 
to generally deflect enemies that try to approach him from any upward 
direction. His down smash is his best smash easily; it is quick and powerful 
with a penchant for sending the opponent straight up. His jab combo is a very 
ordinary one, and his running attack is yet another move of his that sends the 
opponents straight up.

Charizard's aerials are very important to him just because he has so many moves 
that send the opponents upward, but he doesn't really have a whole lot of great 
stuff here. His best aerial is easily his forward aerial; it's very safe and 
quick and generally great for racking up damage. His back aerial is a double 
hit move that has a fiery sweet spot on the second hit. It's generally poorly 
ranged and weak even when it hits the sweet spot, but be aware that the sweet 
spot is there. In general when Charizard needs to protect his back, his 
sweeping neutral aerial will be best. It's not exactly quick, but due to the 
way he swings in a circle, it's pretty safe. His up aerial is also a quick 
move, but like his back aerial, it has poor range and little KO power. It is 
what Charizard is forced to rely on as a follow up to a lot of his juggles, but 
it's really somewhat lacking which holds Charizard back a lot. His one aerial 
with some power is his somewhat slow down aerial. It's a solid spiking move 
that, much like Ganondorf's spike, is very handy for popping opponents right up 
off the ground. It also has a bit of KO potential, but expect to have to rack 
up a lot of damage first.

Charizard doesn't really have much of anything notable in his grab game. His up 
throw is yet another option to send opponents upward which is good if you have 
nothing else to do, and his short range back throw is a good option if he wants 
to dash in and keep up pressure. Don't expect to get a chain grab or anything, 
but it's worth a try. Charizard can also kill with his down throw at high 
percentages, but don't expect it to come into play often. Charizard's poor grab 
game might make up smash out of a shield seem really tantalizing, but it's less 
rewarding than it might seem.

Charizard has a set of three special moves of limited but worthwhile merit. His 
Flamethrower is a generally poor move, but he can angle it downward near ledges 
to cause some trouble. It's pretty much exactly identical to Bowser's move so 
that might make its extremely limited merit a bit more apparent. Fly is his 
disappointing recovery move, but it actually deals solid damage when it 
connects as an attack. Since Charizard has so many options to get the opponent 
into the air, he can use Fly to rack up damage up there. However, this should 
only be done sparingly and at that in really sure hit situations as Fly is a 
very unsafe move. Rock Smash is his best special by far; it is slow but deals 
obscene damage with a clean hit. It also has KO power so it's really a suitable 
move for opponents at all percentages. The way it works is that it has one big 
strong hit in the middle with several weaker hits that fly out in all 
directions. A good hit connects with the middle hit and several of the fringe 
hits, but at higher percentages, only the middle hit will connect which is a 
good thing as it might KO.

Charizard cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, but he can glide. Charizard 
has two midair jumps, a somewhat slow roll, and a quick spot dodge. Also, 
despite what logic would indicate, Charizard has the fastest running speed of 
the Pokemon.

Charizard will do well against other big and slow characters due to Rock 
Smash's added utility and his added ability to abuse his forward aerial; King 
Dedede and Bowser need to be careful. His multitude of fire based attacks make 
him more dangerous than most characters to Olimar as well. Quick characters who 
can easily outmaneuver him in the air will prove devastating; Meta Knight will 
probably be his hardest match.

Lucario

How to unlock:

-Play 100 brawls.
-Have Lucario join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear every level of Target Smash.

Lucario can be a hard character to pin down. He seems to have quick attacks, 
but he also seems to have trouble approaching. His aura based attacks seem to 
hit way out in front of him, but sometimes they seem like they aren't able to 
hit things they should be able to. Sometimes he seems able to get nice, low 
percent KOs, but other times he seems to really struggle for kills. Lucario 
ultimately plays more like one would expect Regigigas to. He can be really 
devastating once he gets it going, but he can have trouble doing that. Lucario 
also has the unique position of being the "spiritual successor" to Mewtwo from 
Super Smash Brothers Melee; he inherited Mewtwo's solid mobility and generally 
awkward feel, but he is, much unlike Mewtwo, able to be somewhat effective. 
He's probably just about average as a character, but he has enough good stuff 
to be very interesting.

Lucario has a decent array of grounded moves for both combo and KO potential. 
His up tilt is a really fantastic move that quickly hits all around his body 
while popping the opponent straight up. Use this move very liberally, and keep 
in mind that if the opponent is very uninjured, it sometimes combos into 
itself. His forward tilt is also a pretty fast move, but it trades useful knock 
back and sweeping range for a bit more potential in racking up damage due to 
the double hit it has. His down tilt also knocks opponents away quickly, but 
it's at a less useful upward angle that Lucario will struggle to use 
effectively. His forward smash is a powerful killing move that hits way out in 
front of him, but it's somewhat slow and has a very distinctive animation that 
makes it quite predictable. His up smash has some KO potential, but it has 
really awful range and is generally not a good choice. His down smash is his 
safest power option as it sweeps out all around Lucario; rely on it heavily. 
Lucario also has a nice dash attack that knocks the opponents upward and a 
surprisingly well ranged jab combo.

Lucario's real claim to fame in the air is his unique and dangerous down 
aerial. It stalls Lucario in the air as he hits all around his lower side with 
it. It racks up damage very well and can send opponents flying in different 
directions with fairly decent knock back depending on their orientation with 
Lucario. Master using this move for great profit. His up aerial is just a quick 
juggling move which he should throw out if he can't get off a better hit on an 
opponent he has up in the air, and his neutral aerial is a very laggy "safety" 
move he should only throw out if he really needs to knock the opponent away 
from him. His forward and back aerials are both fairly quick with decent range 
so he can chain them together well while chasing opponents with short hops 
across the stage. His back aerial is quicker with a sweet spot right below his 
arm, but his forward aerial hits over a bit wider of an area.

Lucario's grab game mostly centers around his amazing up throw. It places the 
opponents in the air right above Lucario which makes it all too easy for him to 
leap up and follow up with an aerial. His forward and back aerials are also 
decent options if you want to get the opponent over the ledge, but both scale 
pretty poorly so he can't get kills as easily with them as he would like.

Lucario has pretty much just one good special, and that's Aura Sphere. Aura 
Sphere is a very abuseable projectile that gets way stronger as Lucario's 
damage increases. He can charge Aura Sphere by simply pressing B, and he can 
release it again by pressing B. The sphere is damaging while charging, and he 
can cancel the charge partway by shielding, air dodging, or rolling. He doesn't 
even need to throw up his shield to roll out of the charge; it is very nice. 
Generally Lucario should be trying to send large numbers of Aura Spheres at the 
enemy to tie them down and restrict them, and this move will become his staple 
tactic if he can't make an approach otherwise. Force Palm is generally just an 
awful move; it's very slow and punishable. He does have a somewhat decent grab 
attack if he uses it very close to the enemy, but it's mostly not worth it. 
Extremespeed does no damage and pretty much is just a non-dangerous but better 
range version of Fox's Fire Fox which makes it a mediocre recovery move. It 
does have the quirk of causing him to automatically wall cling if he hits a 
wall while doing it, but he cannot do another Extremespeed after leaping from 
the wall. Double Team is a pretty generic countering move that has surprising 
range but otherwise is pretty awful as it's very, very slow and easy to punish. 
Use it very sparingly just to keep the enemy guessing.

Lucario can wall jump, wall cling, and crawl. He can crawl under Pit's arrows, 
but he cannot crawl under Falco's laser. He has one midair jump, a quick spot 
dodge, and a ridiculously large range, high invincibility, fast roll that he 
should be abusing very heavily.

Lucario's continual problems with approaches are going to make characters like 
Marth and Mr. Game & Watch who were pretty good at keeping foes at bay already 
really hard matches for Lucario, and it also means that Lucario is going to be 
one of Snake's dream opponents. However, seeing as Lucario can be so effective 
once his attack begins, characters who need to get up close and personal to 
fight him such as Wario, Jigglypuff, or Sheik might find Lucario a difficult 
match.

Jigglypuff

How to unlock:

-Play 350 brawls.
-Have Jigglypuff join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear 20 single player events after clearing The Subspace Emissary.

Jigglypuff is an often misunderstood character. She seems like a joke character 
to a lot of new players who are quite apt to make statements about how she's 
obviously the worst character in the game. This is simply a wrong outlook; 
Jigglypuff is a serious character who is far from the worst character in the 
game. She has far more power than it initially seems, and her superb aerial 
mobility combined with her five midair jumps lets her apply pressure with a 
barrage of aerials in a way no other character can. She does have several 
problems that will ultimately doom her to being below average, but she's less 
far below than one would think.

Jigglypuff's ground game has two purposes: KOs and set up. Her only really 
useful tilt is her up tilt as it pops enemies upward in a nice and quick way; 
she can quickly follow this up with up aerials or even Rest if she's bold. Her 
forward smash is a great kill move, but it's not a very safe move. Jigglypuff 
needs to use her aerial mobility to confound opponents into making incorrect 
responses such that Jigglypuff will get an opening to use this smash as a 
finisher. Her up smash is like the middle ground between her up tilt and 
forward smash. It has some of the safety and upward set up potential of the up 
tilt, and it has some of the KO power of the forward smash. Use it when that 
middle ground is desirable. She also has a decent running attack that should be 
mixed in once in a while as a surprise move. Jigglypuff's constant jumping 
tends to set a baseline expectation about what she will do next so just running 
right at the foe with an attack can be very surprising and effective. None of 
her other ground attacks are really worth mentioning; all of them are just 
"safety" moves she uses to knock opponents away and earn some breathing room.

Jigglypuff's aerial game is really the only reason anyone should use her. Her 
forward and back aerials are the jewels of her aerial game; they have both 
solid power and great speed. Jigglypuff has two main tactics that stem from 
these moves; she can "push" forward to lead opponents off the edge or "pull" 
backward to make the attacks ridiculously safe. The "push" tactic stems from 
hitting the opponent with either aerial, jumping again immediately after the 
hit, and then moving straight at the opponent to hit with another aerial. If 
she is quick and precise, Jigglypuff can connect with many aerials in a row and 
potentially even combo the opponent right into the blast zone. However, this 
can be risky as, if the opponent blocks Jigglypuff's assault, she can be 
punished. Her "pull" tactic is just throwing out one of these two aerials, most 
likely hitting a shield, and then jumping again while immediately moving 
directly away from the opponent. She should usually land after doing this right 
before she repeats it again so she can retain all five jumps. This lets her 
easily wear down shields, and it ensures that she will at all times have 
control over the match. It does require solid timing and spacing to make 
Jigglypuff truly unpunishable, but it's still a great tactic. As per 
Jigglypuff's other aerials, her up aerial is great for juggling opponents 
straight above her and should be used heavily, but her other two are more 
limited. Her neutral aerial has a lot of recovery time when used in the air so 
it's really only good as a move to knock opponents away as quickly as possible 
without concern about being able to follow up. Her down aerial is just all 
around poor; it racks up some damage but leaves Jigglypuff vulnerable.

Jigglypuff's grab game centers around her down throw and back throw. Her back 
throw is a high percent killer and can also be useful to put opponents over the 
ledge which is exactly where Jigglypuff wants them. Her down throw is pretty 
similar to her up throw which could be used as a substitute, but the down throw 
is slightly weaker knock back wise so it is preferred. Jigglypuff is just 
knocking the enemy up into the air where she can harass them with up aerials.

Jigglypuff only has one good special, but new Jigglypuff players sometimes 
think otherwise. Rollout is flashy and fun, but it really is a pretty bad move. 
Jigglypuff can charge it a bit to make it a powerful attack, but it leaves her 
ridiculously vulnerable. It can occasionally be useful when the opponent has so 
few options that Jigglypuff can pull this off, but for the most part, 
Jigglypuff can just forget this move. Speaking of forgetting moves, Jigglypuff 
players should just forget Sing. It is just about the least safe move in the 
game, and it doesn't even offer a huge reward for a hit. The only nice part is 
that Jigglypuff can cancel Sing by hitting a ledge. Rest is an improvement over 
these two as, if Jigglypuff's body is directly on top of the opponent's body as 
she uses Rest, she will plant a flower on the enemy's head and send him 
straight up with great force. It tends to kill at around 50% which is a little 
too high for how dangerous the move is, but if Jigglypuff has a chance to hit 
with a fatal Rest, she should definitely take it.

That just leaves Pound which is easily Jigglypuff's least inspiring special 
move. I guess it's fitting that a move so uninspiring would be a staple move in 
Jigglypuff's game. Pound just smacks opponents straight up a fairly weak 
distance with a hit, but Jigglypuff's way of reeling back and then quickly 
pushing forward makes it unusually hard to punish and a great mix up with her 
forward and back aerials due to the different timing needed to counter it. 
Pound can also be used repeatedly for recovery, and Jigglypuff can even 
influence the direction of Pound by shifting the control stick up or down 
during the initial animation of the move. Doing the more useful upward input 
lets her perform a rising Pound which, when alternated with her regular jumps, 
lets her make spectacular vertical recoveries. Be sure to master this move; 
it's an important one.

Jigglypuff cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, but she does have five 
midair jumps. Jigglypuff has fairly quick options in both her roll and spot 
dodge as well. If Jigglypuff's shield gets broken in battle, she will be 
propelled upward helplessly. This is almost always fatal to Jigglypuff, but, if 
she hits a ceiling on her way up, she can survive. It should also be noted that 
Jigglypuff's statistics are very extreme. She is the game's slowest runner, 
lightest character, and slowest faller in terms of both regular and fast 
falling speed.

Jigglypuff's extreme lightness combined with her reliance on fairly short 
ranged aerials means that she won't like fighting powerhouses such as Ike or 
Bowser. On the other hand, her ridiculous floatiness lets her easily bypass any 
volume of projectiles, and her amazing aerial control makes her a formidable 
opponent to any who would challenge her in the skies. Pit will certainly meet 
his match in Jigglypuff, and characters such as Wario, Snake, and Meta Knight 
won't like her either.

Marth

How to unlock:

-Play 10 brawls.
-Have Marth join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear Classic mode.

Marth is a character that everyone should come to understand well for the sole 
reason that he's obviously one of the best character in the game. Marth has 
speed, range, and power in a pretty much perfect combination; it's easy to 
predict that Marth is going to be one of the characters that everyone will have 
to be ready to defeat if there is to be any hope of long term victory. A Marth 
player should certainly feel great confidence in his choice for a character; 
Marth more than almost all the rest of the characters is a guarantee to 
experience many situations of strength and few of weakness. Also, in the 
interest of not having to repeat this constantly, I am going to point out now 
that almost all of Marth's attacks have a sweet spot right at the tip of his 
sword that deals great damage. Always be sure to hit with the tip of his sword; 
learning that spacing is pivotal to Marth.

Marth's ground game is mostly centered around his moves that hit over a huge 
area. His famous forward smash swings in a huge arc from slightly behind his 
head to down to his feet. This move is slow enough to be punished, but, when it 
connects with the sweet spot, it kills very easily. Given the huge area this 
move hits over, Marth can easily rely on it to score many kills. Marth also has 
a sweeping up tilt that covers the entire top half of his body. It usually pops 
opponents straight up so it's a great set up for aerials. Marth's down smash 
also sweeps around him, but it is more like a typical down smash and just 
sweeps around his feet. It's quite quick and dangerous; it will easily prevent 
opponents from abusing rolls against Marth. Marth's forward tilt sweeps in the 
opposite direction of most of his moves as it travels from his feet up to his 
head, but it has the benefit of being very safe and hitting over a large area. 
Marth can use this to frustrate opposing approaches very well; abuse it. His 
jab combo is mostly just a worse version of his forward tilt, but given that it 
is slightly faster than the forward tilt, it still has some use. His down tilt 
is just a poke, but it also has great speed. Marth should throw out his down 
tilt from time to time to poke under shields. His up smash is mostly outclassed 
by his up tilt and up aerial, but a clean hit from it is quite powerful so it 
should be used sparingly. His running attack is actually pretty fast too, but 
since Marth has all these other great moves, he really shouldn't use it.

Marth may be good on the ground, but he's even better in the air. Marth's 
forward aerial is ridiculously fast, cover a large area, has somewhat decent 
power, and is quite safe. Marth can do a short hop and follow up with two 
forward aerials before landing; Marth will want to abuse this frequently to 
rack up large amounts of damage and to chase opponents off the ledge. Marth's 
back aerial is slower, but it also has substantial killing power with a sweet 
spotted hit so Marth can rely on it as a finisher. Marth's down aerial hits 
over his entire lower body, and it is a spike. Marth should use this liberally 
when over the ledge for spikes on top of his already great usage just to punish 
everyone below him. Marth's up aerial is pretty much the opposite as hit hits 
all over Marth's upper body and knocks opponents straight up. Marth can chase 
opponents into the skies and get easy juggles with this great move. Lastly, 
Marth's neutral aerial is a wonderful safety move that hits on both sides of 
him quickly. Marth can't really use it aggressively, but if the opponent gets 
too close, this move will send them away and do great damage to boot.

Marth cannot do a whole lot out of his grabs, but his general best attempt is 
to do an up throw and follow up with aerials. Marth does have one other very 
odd trick that works on Ness and Lucas very well but can be generally effective 
on the whole cast. Do a grab and beat up on the opponent until an escape. 
Regrab immediately and repeat. He will have to very quickly do a dashing grab 
for most character, but he can snag Ness and Lucas without moving so he can 
just hold shield and mash attack to do a very long combo on them. It can be 
escaped if they use a jump to break out of the grab, but Marth gets a free 
aerial out of that which is definitely to his advantage.

Marth's specials mostly just serve to give him even more great sword based 
attacks. His Shield Breaker is the ultimate shield punishment move as even 
uncharged it will take a full shield down to nearly empty. Marth should throw 
this out once in a while to greatly soften the enemy defenses; it's a solid 
move. Fully charged it can also be used for recovery, but due to the long 
charging time, it is not useful at all in that context. His Dolphin Slash is 
his recovery move first, but it's also a good attacking option second. Marth 
flies up very quickly and does good damage with Dolphin Slash; use it against 
high percentage opponents to get kills or just generally as a surprise move. 
Dancing Blade is just a ridiculously good move as it racks up damage very well 
and can be used to kill. Marth can hold up or down once the move has started to 
do variations on the combo. The first hit is always a red slash, the second hit 
can either be an upward blue slash or a red slash, and the third hit can be a 
red slash, an upward blue slash, or a downward green thrust. The final hit is 
the big one as it's either a potent upward blue slash, a quick red slash, or a 
very damaging rain of green downward thrusts. Marth should pretty much always 
use the red attacks for his first two moves, and he can mix up between the 
slightly faster red third move and the low hitting green third move depending 
on situation. The real choice comes with the fourth move. The blue hit should 
be used as a finisher, the red hit should be used if Marth needs to terminate 
the combo quickly, and the green hit should be used to rack up great damage. 
This move also stalls Marth in the air which can be useful and make him 
unpredictable; learn to love the Dancing Blade. Marth also has a Counter which 
is fairly useful as a surprise move to force the opponent to be more cautious 
in attacking, but it's generally not very good.

Marth cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and he has only one midair jump. 
Marth's roll and spot dodge are completely ordinary as well.

Marth can expect to do well in almost every match for the most part, but he can 
expect to be especially potent against opponents with range problems such as 
Mario, Wario, or Captain Falcon. Marth does have to fear Toon Link to some 
extent; Toon Link is only a slightly less potent swordsman, and Toon Link's 
projectiles will give Marth a lot of trouble. It probably seems after this 
description that Marth is just ridiculously overpowered and can use nearly his 
entire move set to create fluid styles that have the potential to tear apart 
nearly any opponent. It seems that way for a very good reason; Marth is just 
like that.

Ike

Ike is supposed to be the super slow character with huge power and range, and 
he accomplishes that wonderfully. Of course, being an extreme character, Ike 
will find himself at extreme advantages and disadvantages more often than most 
characters so aspiring Ike players should be ready for a roller coaster ride. 
All in all, Ike is probably slightly above average, but due to his skewed 
nature, he is going to have uneven matches across the board.

On the ground, Ike's main tool is his really nice jab combo. Simply tapping A 
three times causes Ike to send out a nice punch, kick, and slash combination 
that racks up damage very well and is surprisingly quick. However, Ike won't be 
killing with this so he needs other tools. All of Ike's tilts and smashes have 
killing potential so I suggest relying primarily on the two fastest options in 
his up tilt and forward tilt. His down tilt can pop them into the air, but it 
is too slow to be one of his important moves. In terms of smashes, his up smash 
should be the move he generally goes for when he sees an opening as it kills at 
ridiculously low percentages and hits over a huge area like all of Ike's 
smashes, but it leaves him less vulnerable than the others. His forward smash 
should only be used when you see the opponent making a big mistake; it's way 
too slow and risky. Seriously, I know the move is cool, but good Ike players 
should not use their forward smash very often. As per the down smash, it can 
answer those who try to roll around Ike nicely but is quite risky against those 
who know what to expect from it so only use it often enough to keep the enemy 
on guard for it.

In the air, Ike really boils down to his neutral and back aerials. Ike's 
neutral aerial hits in a huge arc covering nearly his entire body which makes 
it a very safe option to get them away from you while doing good damage if they 
try to come at you from any angle in the air. Ike's back aerial should be his 
main aggressive option as it's his fastest move and has solid killing power. 
The other three aerials are very strong, but they should be used sparingly as 
they are very easy to punish due to a combination of extreme sloth and awkward 
swing patterns.

Ike's best throw is easily his down throw. At low percentages it pops the enemy 
up into the air which gives Ike a few options to follow up on an attack, and as 
the enemy takes damage, it transforms into Ike's best killing throw. Ike's huge 
arms make getting grabs easy so use them frequently as tools to rack up damage, 
but if you shield a really slow attack, Ike can really profit from using his 
beastly up smash out of the shield.

In terms of specials, Ike has a set of four useful but niche moves. Eruption 
seems pretty bad at first, and it is bad on the ground save for its general 
effectiveness in stopping opponents coming off the ledge. However, in the air, 
it shines. The reason is that it has super armor while Ike is doing the 
downward swing so Ike can jump at or fall on opponents while doing this move 
with complete impunity. This move also hits extremely hard so the opponent 
really can't afford to gamble on hitting the narrow timing windows outside of 
the super armor; it puts Ike at a complete advantage while above an opponent 
which is a situation only Ike is likely to find himself in. Ike's Counter, on 
the other hand, is not so handy. Counter can occasionally be used to force an 
opponent to prematurely end an attack, but the problem is that it has a 
somewhat lengthy animation, and Ike only is actually able to counter-attack 
during the middle of it. That means if they attack too quickly Ike can't 
retaliate, and they can punish Ike if he misses.

Aether is a favorite move of many new Ike players and with good reason. This 
move has super armor for nearly the entire attack which makes Ike nearly 
uninterruptible as he recovers. It also allows Ike to fairly safely leap up and 
get some free damage on opponents who put themselves in range. However, outside 
of recovery, Aether should be used sparingly. It is very hard to interrupt, but 
it has a long cool down time after Ike slams into the ground which leaves him 
wide open. If they shield Aether, they have a very easy free grab. One last 
note about Aether which can be either fun or annoying is that it makes a great 
ledge stall. If Ike hits down to drop from the ledge and immediately uses 
Aether, his sword will hit all those too close to the ledge, and then he'll 
leap up and grab the ledge. If they pull off a well timed edge hog, Ike is 
dead, but if Ike finds himself in trouble, this can be a good tactic to fall 
back on to give them a chance to mess things up.

Quick Draw is a great move as well, but Ike uses it in an odd way. Quick Draw 
lunges Ike forward and, if the enemy is in range, Ike does a fairly slow strike 
at them. The secret is to not be in range but just barely outside of range; Ike 
uses this to cover ground quickly and can attack immediately out of it with a 
move such as his jab combo. Three uncharged Quick Draws cover most of the 
length of Final Destination, and charging Quick Draw approximately doubles the 
distance it gains. When separated from the foe with Ike, try to carefully 
position yourself so Quick Draw can close the distance just right. Quick Draw 
is also of some use in recovery, but it leaves Ike helpless so only use it when 
you need pure horizontal distance at all costs. One last note is that Quick 
Draw stops at the edges of platforms when used on the ground; Ike need not fear 
killing himself with this move.

Ike cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and Ike can only jump once in the 
air. Ike has a quick roll that covers a fairly large amount of distance so he 
can rely on it relatively frequently, and his spot dodge is nothing out of the 
ordinary.

All in all, Ike has a lot of interesting tools that give him some unique 
advantages. Other characters that rely on range and priority tend to find Ike a 
very difficult match; Ike can approach such foes as Mr. Game & Watch, Olimar, 
and Marth with confidence. Ike should also find himself in a favorable 
situation against other characters who primarily focus on power so Ike would be 
a great choice against an opponent such as Donkey Kong, Pikachu, or Ness. 
However, Ike has serious trouble with very fast characters such as Sonic or the 
Star Fox characters. Ike also has huge problems dealing with characters with 
quick, spammable projectiles such as Pit and the Star Fox characters. Notice 
the repetition here; Ike will have a very hard match against the Star Fox team.

Ness

How to unlock:

-Play 5 brawls.
-Have Ness join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Reflect 10 projectiles in brawls.

Ness is treated by smash fans much like Earthbound is treated by video game 
fans in general. He has a cult following that really loves him, and everyone 
else has a great aversity to him. Many players also believe Ness to be totally 
outclassed by Lucas, but this is quite false as Ness and Lucas play very 
differently from each other. While Lucas is about little more than power, Ness 
focuses more on racking up damage and general aerial control though, like 
Lucas, he is also very strong. At the end of the day, it's hard to say just how 
good Ness is. He seems pretty average, but he has several unique tools that let 
him compete with the best.

Ness's ground game is mostly just a lead in to his aerial game. His up tilt is 
very quick and effective at popping opponents into the air, and his sweeping up 
smash can fulfill a similar role. His down smash is just a rather poor clear 
out move around Ness's feet that is nearly totally outclassed his up smash, but 
I mention it now as it shares a unique property with the up smash. Both yoyos 
can hit opponents while Ness is charging the smash. The up smash starts in 
front of Ness, and the down smash starts behind him so by cleverly charging 
either of them, Ness can create a barrier between himself and his opponent. 
Ness also has a great running attack that racks up damage easily and pops 
opponents up into the air; use it frequently while watching out for shield 
grabs. Ness's forward smash is a very powerful baseball bat that reflects 
projectiles if it strikes them, has deceptively huge range, and has a sweet 
spot at the tip. Ness should use this move to secure kills, but it is quite 
slow and punishable so Ness must be prudent with it. Ness's down tilt is 
ridiculously weak, but it is also ridiculously fast so he can throw out a large 
number of down tilts quickly to get in some easy damage. Ness just has to be 
careful to stop doing it before he gets punished, but given how fast the move 
is, that's solely an issue of player timing. Ness's forward tilt is 
surprisingly powerful and fairly quick; Ness can use this to kill very high 
percentage foes and otherwise as a safe option to knock the enemy away. Ness's 
jab is mostly standard, but Ness has a trick. If his opponent misses a tech, 
Ness can jab once, step forward, jab again, and repeat. If executed with 
perfect time, this is an inescapable combo that only ends when Ness has led the 
opponent off the edge of the stage.

Ness's true power is in the air; he is one of the most dangerous characters up 
there. His main finisher in the air and in general is his amazingly powerful 
back aerial. This hits all over Ness's body, but will score a very weak hit if 
the opponent is not somewhere on the horizontal line with Ness's feet. Ness 
also has a great damage dealing forward aerial. It creates fun sparkles in 
front of Ness that often entrap opponents, rack up damage, and then push them 
just far enough way so that they can't do anything to Ness in retaliation. Ness 
uses this to control the space in front of him very effectively, and it has 
some use for approaching grounded opponents due to the multiple hits being able 
to stab through shields. Just be careful as connecting with the edge of the 
range of this move will only hit once or twice weakly and will leave Ness open 
to be punished. Ness's up aerial is also pretty powerful, and in general it's 
just a great move to use for juggles. Combined with Pk Thunder, Ness can use 
his up aerial to keep foes up in the air and taking constant hits for quite a 
long time. Ness also has a quick and safe neutral aerial to knock opponents 
away, and he has a somewhat slow spike in his down aerial. The hit on this is 
exceedingly powerful so it's nearly a sure thing kill over a pit, and the hit 
on it sticks out for quite a while after Ness uses it which makes it fairly 
dangerous. Still, the move is quite slow so Ness players need to be careful to 
regulate the use of it.

Ness's grab game mostly comes down to the fact that his back throw is overall 
the best killing throw in the game. Ness should always be mindful of his 
ability to score kills this way, but if the opponent is not in killing range, 
he should use his other throws to avoid weakening his back throw. His down 
throw is best at very low percentages to set the opponent up for a forward 
aerial, and his up aerial works better at the middling percentages where he can 
try to go for juggles.

Ness's specials give him both great projectile options and great defensive 
options. His Pk Fire is slow and punishable, but it racks up damage very well 
when it hits and controls space in front of him very well. If should ideally be 
used when the opponent is right at the tip of the range of Pk Fire as a 
pressure move; the only real response to Pk Fire is to jump at Ness so Ness can 
use Pk Fire and then follow up with his forward aerial. Ness can also gain 
great profit by shooting Pk Fire at course obstacles or Olimar's Pikmin to 
create pillars of fire that inhibit the enemy's movement but not Ness's. Pk 
Flash is another move that Ness mostly uses to control space. If the enemy is 
approaching from above, Ness can actually profit from throwing out a completely 
uncharged Pk Flash to protect his upper body and then rushing to attack 
wherever the opponent chose to flee to. Fully charged it can have some use as a 
ledge guard, but it is generally pretty ineffective.

Ness's Pk Magnet is a staple defensive move. It can absorb "energy" projectiles 
which means that when they hit Ness will heal for the damage they would have 
done. The full list of energy projectiles that can happen in a match without 
items is as follows: Mario and Luigi's Fireballs, Bowser's Fire Breath, Yoshi's 
stars from the Ground Pound, Zelda's Din's Fire, Samus's Charge Shot, Zero Suit 
Samus's Paralyzer, Pit's Arrows, Ice Climbers' Blizzard, R.O.B.'s Laser, 
Kirby's energy blast from Final Cutter, King Dedede's stars from Super Dedede 
Jump, the laser from Waddle Doos thrown by King Dedede, the lasers from Fox, 
Falco, and Wolf, Pikachu's Thunder Jolt and Thunder, Charizard's Fire Breath, 
Lucario's Aura Sphere and non-grab version of Force Palm, Ness's and Lucas's Pk 
Fire, Pk Flash, and projectile version of Pk Thunder, and the lasers fired from 
the ships on Corneria, including the main cannons from the Great Fox but not 
the recoil they create when they are stood on. If Ness acts while the absorbing 
animation is active while he is on the ground, he can do anything he can do out 
of a shield out of Pk Magnet. This means he can instantly roll, spot dodge, or 
jump which makes it a great move to use while approaching foes such as Pit and 
Falco. A final minor note is that Ness's Pk Magnet weakly pushes opponents when 
he puts it away. This has no real strategic use but is good to know.

Pk Thunder is Ness's final special, and it is probably the most interesting. It 
creates a steerable projectile that Ness can direct wherever he wants. Ness is 
helpless while using this for the most part, but opponents who get very close 
to Ness will be shocked. The hit from Pk Thunder is mostly weak, but it knocks 
opponents upward so Ness can attempt to juggle with it. If it is avoided, 
sometimes the tail from the move will hit and do weak damage while not 
canceling the Pk Thunder itself. It ends after being out for a set time or 
hitting any object, including an opponent. If Ness is in trouble while using 
this move, ramming it into the ground is frequently wise. Ness can also hit 
himself with this move as a recovery technique and a very powerful killing move 
that is roughly equivalent to Jigglypuff's Rest. Using it as an attack can be 
very predictable and easy to punish, but fooling the opponent into thinking you 
will use the projectile and then striking yourself can be effective. If Ness 
wishes to move directly horizontal on the ground, the easiest way is to steer 
forward briefly before hooking back behind Ness. Mastering this move is 
essential to playing Ness; it is simultaneously his main recovery move, a great 
projectile, and a potential KO move.

Ness cannot wall jump, wall cling or crawl, and he has but one midair jump. The 
jump follows an unusual path that hooks Ness backward a bit; he can use his in 
conjunction with aerial attacks to control space in unusual ways. Ness also has 
a very average roll and a quick spot dodge.

Being a light power character, Ness could have some trouble against heavy power 
characters such as Ike. On the other hand, Ness's Pk Magnet makes him a 
ridiculously good answer to energy projectile spammers such as Pit and Falco. 
Ness can also use his generally solid ability to control space to greatly 
harass Olimar and to frustrate the quick actions of speed characters such as 
Fox and Sonic. Ness, however, needs to really watch out for Marth. Marth can 
consistently outrange Ness, dance around Ness's projectiles, and has a really 
nasty grab combo on him. Toon Link can be a similar problem. He may not have 
the grab combo Marth has, but his projectiles are very difficult to handle and 
are not absorbed by Pk Magnet.

Lucas

Lucas stole Ness's thunder when he was thrust into the smash scene, but he 
really shouldn't be considered in the same vein as Ness. While Ness chains hits 
together with clever aerials to deal potent damage, Lucas is more apt to keep 
his feet on the ground and generally centers his game around powerful single 
hits. Lucas also has a ton of shenanigans that evolve from his substantially 
different version of Pk Fire; he really should be looked at as a completely 
separate character who is potent in his own right though probably about 
equivalent to Ness in overall ability.

Lucas has some extremely powerful moves on the ground that will be the core of 
his game. His up smash is a very slow, ridiculously powerful psychic explosion 
that hits a huge area over Lucas's head. This is one of the most powerful 
attacks in the game and kills absurdly easily, but Lucas is very easy to punish 
if he misses it. His forward smash is also very powerful and can reflect 
projectiles like Ness's, but it's far less easy to punish than either Ness's 
forward smash or Lucas's up smash so it should be Lucas's main source of KOs. 
Lucas's down smash, on the other hand, is slow and one directional with less KO 
power than his other smashes; it should be avoided. Lucas has an up tilt that 
has a nice double hit and pops the opponent up right above him, and his forward 
tilt is a very quick "safety" move that has surprising KO power at higher 
percentages. His down tilt is just silly; it has almost no knock back but is 
one of the fastest ground attacks in the game so he can spam it until right 
before he will be punished at which point he can shield. Lucas also has a 
pretty typical jab combo and a rather unsafe running attack whose only virtue 
is popping opponents up into the air.

Lucas has some interesting options in the air for racking up damage, but he has 
some trouble getting kills up here. His down aerial is a devastating barrage of 
psychic blasts beneath Lucas that will probably be his main option for fighting 
in the air at close range. His forward aerial is his closest thing to a kill 
move in the air; it's a quick single hit that has some decent knock back. Lucas 
can use this while approaching and attempt to pursue damaged opponents with 
strings of these to secure kills. Lucas's back aerial is, despite how it looks, 
a spike. It's really not very good, but if the opponent gets caught over a pit, 
it's nice to have. Lucas's neutral aerial is a somewhat slow but rather potent 
damage racking move. The range is pretty awful, but if the opponent makes the 
mistake of getting too close to Lucas in the air, this is the move to use. 
Lucas's up aerial is a fairly powerful upward smack that's great for juggles; 
this is what Lucas follows moves like his up tilt up with.

Lucas's grab game is hampered by his slow grab, but once he has ensnared a foe, 
he can follow up with either his down throw to attempt to set up a juggle or 
his back throw to try to get a kill. Lucas might also consider doing his up 
smash out of a shield. It's going to be too slow to punish most things he will 
shield, but the surprise factor could let him score some unexpected KOs.

Lucas's specials are pretty easy to compare to Ness's so Ness's section will be 
heavily referenced. Pk Freeze is just an awful move that shouldn't be used; it 
is very risky and has a very low reward if it hits. Pk Thunder is similar to 
Ness's in mechanics, but it does not stop when it hits other players, travels 
more slowly, and is able to make sharper turns. Lucas also scores multiple weak 
hits when he rams himself into an opponent with Pk Thunder. All in all, Lucas's 
version is worse since he cannot use it as a kill move or as an effective 
projectile, but as a recovery he can at least benefit from it being harder for 
him to die by his Pk Thunder being blocked. Lucas's Pk Magnet, despite what it 
might seem, is just a larger version of Ness's and hence completely superior. 
It also has a damaging hit when put away as opposed to just a push effect, but 
that's again a strict advantage.

Lucas's Pk Fire is where things get interesting for him. It's a single hit that 
sends him back a good amount. Lucas can spam this move as an effective 
projectile, and he should use it to control space, lock down the opponent, and 
generally rack up damage. It can even kill near the edge of walk off ledges. 
However, Lucas also has more tricks with Pk Fire. If he does his double jump 
and Pk Fire on the exact same frame, he will fly up a huge distance which is 
very good for recovery; Lucas actually has the best vertical recovery in the 
game if this technique, commonly called "zap jumping", is mastered. Lucas can 
also assign special moves to the c-stick and hit back on the c-stick while 
holding forward on the control stick to launch himself backward very far while 
using this move. Actually any character can do this with any of their specials 
that alter their momentum, but with most specials, the effect is so small that 
it doesn't matter. Lucas flies ridiculously far so he can use this both to 
recover and to attack with complete impunity. Throwing up Pk Magnet in the air 
after doing this also extends the distance he gets, but it can be dangerous if 
he won't make it back to the ledge.

Lucas cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and he has one midair jump that 
follows the same odd arc that Ness's does. He has a very ordinary roll and spot 
dodge as well.

Lucas, much like Ness, will find the heavier slow characters such as Ike and 
Bowser to be problems. Ness himself will also be a problem as Lucas's Pk Fire 
assaults get negated, and Ness can generally cause him great trouble with the 
higher speed. Lucas like Ness can use Pk Magnet to just say no to energy 
projectile spam, especially from Pit and Falco. His lack of aerial control 
means he has less solid, though still decent, matches against characters such 
as Wario and Meta Knight, but at the same time, his power gives him more of an 
answer to Toon Link. Marth's nonsense still completely destroys him just like 
it destroys Ness, of course.

Mr. Game & Watch

How to unlock:

-Play 250 brawls.
-Have Mr. Game & Watch join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Clear Target Smash on any difficulty level with 30 characters.

Mr. Game & Watch is a character who has been slow to get attention. He is 
pretty obscure, and he was pretty awful in Super Smash Brothers Melee. However, 
as time goes on, he's causing some heads to turn. The reason is obvious; Mr. 
Game & Watch is a shoe in for top tier and, if not the best character in the 
game, is in close contention for best. Mr. Game & Watch is very fast and very 
powerful, has great range, can easily counter most projectiles, has an amazing 
recovery, and has a move that can easily devastate shields. His only semblance 
of a weakness is his very light weight, but that really doesn't matter much at 
all. 

Mr. Game & Watch has a wide array of extremely effective attacks on the ground. 
His down smash is the greatest gem here; it is probably the single best killing 
move in the game. Mr. Game & Watch hits on both sides of himself very quickly 
so this move is very safe and can be used multiple times in quick succession 
just in case Mr. Game & Watch misses. It has great reach as Mr. Game & Watch 
stretches his arms far for the hammers. If it hits, it either gets a sweet 
spotted hit which tends to kill off the top at below 100% or a sideways hit 
that is still a really good kill move itself. Don't let this move get worn down 
by stale move negation, but rely on it for kills as it's very good at securing 
them. His forward smash is also a great killing move even if somewhat less 
powerful and safe. The great attribute it has is that it sticks around for a 
very long time so opponents who attempt to spot dodge or shield grab it 
frequently get hit anyway. His up smash is actually more powerful than even his 
down smash, but the hit area is small. It's not something he should use often, 
but if the opportunity comes along, he should throw it out. His down tilt is a 
faster ground option; he can throw out barrages of this move to poke under 
shields and get quick hits. It is especially effective at shutting down the 
approaches of the speed characters; Sonic has very few moves that can get past 
this. His forward tilt is also a fairly quick hit, but it has substantial lag 
after it is used to balance the fact that it has solid knock back. His running 
attack is also good as a follow up to his down throw but is otherwise a bit 
risky. His up tilt hits all over his head and is good but hard to find a good 
use for just because he has so many other good moves. His jab combo is his only 
really bad move here; it's completely terrible.

Mr. Game & Watch is actually even better in the air than he is on the ground. 
His turtle he calls forth with his back aerial could very well be the single 
best move in the game. This is quick and safe, does massive damage, and plows 
through shields. It's almost a sure thing to hit through a shield; Mr. Game & 
Watch can use this move to approach with utter impunity if his spacing is good. 
Use it and abuse it. His forward aerial has substantial lag upon landing so it 
must be used carefully, but it's a fairly powerful kill move if it hits right 
as it comes out. His down aerial is a very handy key plunge. He hurls himself 
downward while stabbing with the key. This move has very high priority so it's 
pretty safe if your opponent is attacking from beneath, and Mr. Game & Watch 
can directionally influence himself as he plunges. He can land behind shielding 
foes with this technique to avoid shield grabs and generally be unpredictable. 
This move does have substantial landing lag so be sure to not overuse it. His 
neutral aerial is a quick fishbowl that racks up damage above him very well and 
should be his go to move when juggling foes. His last aerial is his up aerial 
which has a very small hit area with somewhat decent knock back, but the best 
thing about it is that it has a push effect upward over a rather huge area 
above Mr. Game & Watch. This means he can throw this out to keep enemies in the 
air, and since it's not actually hitting, it doesn't grant their jumps back. 
It's a great way to reposition them for a more favorable attack later.

Mr. Game & Watch's only remotely good throw is his down throw. With this move 
he plants the opponent on the ground right in front of himself. The opponent 
can directionally influence the planting to end up behind Mr. Game & Watch, and 
the actual planting can be teched. If the opponent tech rolls away from Mr. 
Game & Watch and then spot dodges immediately, Mr. Game & Watch gets nothing 
out of this throw. However, the timing on this is very hard, and even many 
skilled opponents don't see to realize that all of this is possible yet. If the 
opponent doesn't tech at all and lands in front of Mr. Game & Watch, he can 
follow up with a lot of different moves. The easiest to hit with move here is 
his down tilt, but as slow of a move as Oil Panic's release can work. If the 
opponent doesn't tech but does roll immediately after being planted on the 
ground, Mr. Game & Watch can chase and follow up with another grab. He could 
also do this for opponents who just stand right up or do get up attacks, but 
it's somewhat harder in that case. If the opponent actually does tech, the best 
option is usually to do a running attack or a running grab. If they shield, 
they will be grabbed again. If they do literally any non-shielding option that 
is not a spot dodge, the running attack will hit them. Mr. Game & Watch can 
also use his up smash out of a shield when the opponent is pressing too close 
for a nice chance at a low percent kill; it's a useful tactic Mr. Game & Watch 
players need to master.

Mr. Game & Watch's specials are a mixed bag. Judgment Hammer is in the bottom 
five specials in the game easily; it's truly a worthless move. It seems good 
because one of the nine possible numbers is a nearly instant kill move, but 
consider the risk reward. Hammers 2-6 are very weak hits that accomplish very 
little. The number 7 hammer is also weak, but it spawns some food which seems 
handy until you realize that the opponent could grab it almost as easily as Mr. 
Game & Watch. The number 8 hammer is more powerful than 2-7, but it is still 
very weak compared to how slow Judgment Hammer is. The worst part by far though 
is the number 1 hammer. It does 12% damage to Mr. Game & Watch even if he does 
not connect with the move, and if he does hit, it does only 1% and fails to 
stun which is pretty much a guarantee that the opponent will hit with a very 
powerful attack. Judgment Hammer is also a very slow move with mediocre range; 
it's very easy to punish Mr. Game & Watch for attempting it. Given that Mr. 
Game & Watch has some of the best kill moves in the game in his smashes, why 
would a Mr. Game & Watch player ever use this worthless, unreliable move? Chef 
is also pretty bad; it's a completely mediocre projectile that should only be 
used if the opponent is simply refusing to come near you.

Oil Panic is the first move that makes things interesting. Mr. Game & Watch can 
store up to three energy projectiles with this and then return them powered up 
to a maximum of 60% in a slow bucket dumping move. Two things make this a 
really good move. The first is that the absorb area around Mr. Game & Watch is 
ridiculously huge; if a projectile hits anywhere near him while the bucket is 
out, he will get it. That means he can really use it to shut down all forms of 
energy projectile spam as it is completely reliable. Secondly, the move is 
ridiculously strong. Stuff like Zelda's Din's Fire or Ness's Pk Thunder can 
actually fully charge the bucket, and when at that power, it kills even at 0%. 
Even slightly weaker things such as Pit's arrows produce great power; the only 
energy projectiles that aren't going to produce great results are the fire 
breaths of Bowser and Charizard. Mr. Game & Watch can even quickly turn around 
while the absorption part of this move is out; rely on it heavily in the 
appropriate matches to just say no to energy projectiles.

Fire is Mr. Game & Watch's recovery move, and it is truly incredible. It's 
invincible on most of its very quick journey up, and then at the peak, Mr. Game 
& Watch deploys a parachute which lets him drift slowly downward. He can drift 
left and right, and he can cancel the parachute with any aerial attack or 
special move. He can also simply tap up or down to put the parachute away. He 
cannot air dodge or jump directly out of the parachute, and doing a grab input 
will result in an attack. After he has used this move in the air, he cannot do 
it again without landing, but he can do anything else he could ordinarily do in 
the air, even use his double jump if he still has it. This is a safe move to 
use as an attack in nearly all contexts and is especially great to chase 
opponents upward. When coming down with the parachute. Mr. Game & Watch should 
cleverly vary doing back aerials and down aerials at various points in his 
descent to keep his opponent guessing about just when he is going to come down.

Mr. Game & Watch cannot wall jump, wall cling, or crawl, and he has only one 
midair jump. He has a fairly slow roll and fairly quick spot dodge, is the 
second lightest character in the game, and has a very low crouch despite being 
such a human looking character.

Mr. Game & Watch can mostly expect to do well in all matches; the only 
opponents to which he must give pause are Marth, Ike, Olimar, and Toon Link 
with somewhat of an honorable mention to Link. Marth and Ike are dangerous 
because they actually have the range to compete with Mr. Game & Watch, but in 
either case, the match is pretty close to even as Mr. Game & Watch also has 
huge range and even better priority. Toon Link and his worse version Link are 
just obnoxious because really well spaced attacks from the Bow and Boomerang 
are really difficult for Mr. Game & Watch to answer due to the way they prevent 
his favorite turtle approach. Olimar is probably the worst as his small size 
makes hitting him difficult, and his ridiculous range and priority, especially 
on grabs, just matches up in all the wrong ways with Mr. Game & Watch. Mr. Game 
& Watch still can put up a great fight; his spacing on the turtle just has to 
be nearly perfect. He really doesn't need to worry about anyone else, but Mr. 
Game & Watch especially enjoys fighting Pit and Sonic. Between Oil Panic and 
Mr. Game & Watch's great priority, he totally shuts the two of them down.

Snake

How to unlock:

-Play 130 brawls.
-Have Snake join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Play 15 brawls on the Shadow Moses Island stage.

Snake is a character that doesn't really seem to fit in with the smash 
universe, and he exemplifies that in his completely novel fighting style. Snake 
has a lot of explosive attacks that are universally very powerful but often 
slow and that generally enable him to create the most deadly form of projectile 
spam this game has to offer. Snake all around is a ridiculously powerful 
character, but his aerial abilities manage to out snail even Ike and Bowser. He 
counters this by having tilts with such speed, range, and priority that you 
might almost confuse him for Marth. Snake even has multiple advanced techniques 
that either only apply to him or matter for him more than they matter for every 
other character. Snake's actual quality as a character is somewhat hard to 
evaluate. Many see him as a shoe in for top tier, but in some ways he seems 
like he might be just awful. The real answer is that it's just too early to say 
anything remotely sure about him.

Snake's ground game revolves around his jab combo and tilts. If the opponent 
deigns get anywhere near Snake's front, he should unleash his jab combo. This 
is fast and has good range, and most of all it racks up loads of damage. If the 
opponent ends up in front of Snake at higher percentages, he should instead do 
his two hit forward tilt. This is a kill move, and it has just about as much 
speed as the jab combo. It also has really ridiculous range that hits way out 
in front of Snake's actual animations so don't be discouraged by how 
uninspiring the move looks when it doesn't hit. Snake's up tilt is another move 
that has a hit area that looks nothing like the actual animation. He hits way 
above and in front of himself, and this move also has solid KO potential and 
speed. His down tilt is less exceptional, but it's still a handy move to throw 
out to poke under shields and pop opponents into the air. Snake's forward smash 
is an insanely powerful but slow killing move. It should only be used 
sparingly, but it's so dangerous that it's always the best option if it can 
connect. Snake also has a great, quick running attack that will end with him on 
the other side of the opponent even if his foe shields. He can also cancel it 
into his up smash which causes him to do a sliding version of the up smash that 
can be quite dangerous and generally hard to punish. His up smash is a mortar 
shot upward that can be charged to vary the height and is generally a great 
option to control space above Snake; combining it with the dash attack cancel 
lets Snake control huge amounts of space. The easiest input to cancel the dash 
attack is to use down on the c-stick to do the attack and then up + grab to do 
the up smash, but anything works so long as it is early in the dash attack 
animation. Be sure to master it as it is quite important.

Snake's aerial game can only be described as lackluster. He has some serious 
power up here, but his sloth is pretty unbelievable. His back and up aerials 
are quick attacks in those directions that he should mostly rely on in the air, 
but the landing lag on the back aerial is pretty large so be sure to be hitting 
with the tip of Snake's feet if you are going to have to land while doing it. 
His neutral aerial is very powerful with the multiple kicks, but it takes an 
eternity to finish in the air so it is a move Snake should use lower to the 
ground with the intent of landing during it. It racks up great damage so it's a 
good option for Snake to use to mix things up with some short hop aerials. 
Snake's down aerial also racks up great damage but has a little more landing 
lag; it's best used over the neutral aerial in situations where hitting is 
nearly guaranteed. The forward aerial does have a nice spiking sweet spot at 
the tip of the foot, but it's pretty ridiculously slow and unsafe so it should 
be used very seldom.

Snake's grab game mostly centers around his unique down throw. He simply sets 
the opponent on the ground in front of him, and unlike Mr. Game & Watch's 
ground planting move, this action cannot be teched or directionally influenced. 
The opponent can only do a get up attack, stand up normally, roll left, or roll 
right. Snake should do a dashing grab to regrab in the case of either roll, and 
he should shield grab in the case of a get up attack or simple standing. Snake 
must predict the opponent, but if he is accurate, he can chain his down throw 
together many times in a row. Snake also has a solid up throw that can lead 
into his up tilt easily so he should use that against very low percent 
opponents.

Snake's special moves are all about controlling space. His Nikita missile is a 
pretty bad projectile in most cases as it is very slow and easy to punish, but 
his ability to steer it gives it niche use. The main trick is to use it to edge 
guard or to dislodge extremely well fortified opponents. Be sure when steering 
it to try to go in straight lines as much as possible as it flies faster that 
way, and remember that it can be canceled at any time by shielding. This also 
causes the missile to drop straight down and explode on contact with the 
ground. Snake also has mines he can plant with his down smash and down special. 
The down smash version is a proximity mine that can be charged to be powered 
up. It is pretty slow to plant so Snake can't use it often, but if he's given a 
chance, he should plant one just out of range of his forward tilt and jab combo 
in front of himself. That will make his opponent's job of doing well spaced 
attacks much harder. The down special version is a remote mine that can be 
planted very quickly so Snake can try to always have one on the ground, and it 
can even be used in the air to create a dropping remote explosive. Snake should 
keep these a little farther away than the down smash mines so he will have time 
to detonate them, but the same principle applies. They are tools for 
controlling space. In the air, Snake can use them to recover by dropping one 
and then blasting himself with it; this will give him back his Cipher. Snake 
can even stick these on his opponents by using the move very close to them; 
that's pretty much a guaranteed solid hit that Snake can easily follow up on by 
positioning himself just right before detonating.

Snake's Cipher is his recovery technique, and it's really not too great. Snake 
very predictably and slowly ascends a good distance, but the good news is that 
he can attack after it. That lets him do a neutral aerial as he is landing for 
defensive purposes, and it lets him alternate the Cipher with his down special 
mine to make ridiculous recoveries. Snake also can use grenades, and they give 
him a lot of options. By either tapping forward, nothing, or back while 
throwing a grenade, Snake can vary the distance he throws it, but this is not a 
useful way to use them. A better trick is to hit shield while holding a grenade 
to drop it on the ground from which it can be picked up as a standard item. 
Snake should try to time the throws so they arrive at his opponents just before 
they are about to explode, but even if he is too early, he can force flying 
grenades to instantly drop to the ground by using his shield to drop a second 
grenade. This will knock grenades out of enemy hands even; it's very useful. 
Snake should generally always be sending a volley of grenades at the enemy if 
he is not being forced to fight in close quarters; they are a solid projectile 
that can actually kill.

Snake cannot wall jump or wall cling, but he can crawl. He ducks extremely low 
while crawling and can pass under Pit's arrows, Fox and Falco's Blasters, and 
Samus's Super Missiles and uncharged Charge Shot. Snake has one midair jump and 
completely ordinary options in his roll and spot dodge. All three of Snake's 
taunts summon a box that he can stop hiding under early by tapping A, Z, or the 
c-stick. As Snake removes the box, it becomes a very weak attack. The opponent 
can also strip the box from Snake while he is under it and throw it as a 
projectile. This has little practical use, but it exists.

Snake's matches are as hard to predict as his overall quality, but his ability 
to create explosions right on top of opponents does have the positive result of 
letting him not worry about Fox, Falco, and Wolf's Reflectors like other 
characters must. Big and slow characters such as King Dedede and Ike who cannot 
easily avoid Snake's nonsense will find him difficult, and characters such as 
Wario who must get very close to Snake to attack him will find his close range 
game extremely difficult to handle. Snake's only true fear is of characters who 
have both the speed to evade him and the range to not be punished by his close 
range game. That pretty much means just Toon Link, Olimar, Marth, and Mr. Game 
& Watch.

Sonic

How to unlock:

-Play 300 brawls.
-Have Sonic join your party in The Subspace Emissary.
-Accumulate 10 hours of total time in brawls.
-Clear Classic with 10 characters.

Sonic is pretty easy to sum up as he pretty much has only one real strength. 
Sonic has insanely high mobility which makes him all around very fast. 
Everything else about him is pretty mediocre. He has low power, and his range 
and priority can only be described as awful. Even his attacking speed isn't 
really all that great, but it's at least average which is good enough to work 
with his mobility. All around, Sonic is not really terrible, but his extreme 
nature means that his matchups are extreme. Against some characters he can do 
really well, but against others there is just about nothing he can do. All 
around he seems somewhat average, but expect a rollercoaster ride with him 
either way. Also, I will mention this now since this is far more important of a 
technique to Sonic than to any other character. The fastest way to end a run so 
that a standard attack can be used is to crouch.

Sonic should spend most of the match with his feet glued to the ground so he 
can take advantage of his ridiculous running speed. Luckily his running attack 
is quick and ends with him behind the opponent. That makes it hard to punish 
and generally a good option to mix in while running all over the place to rack 
up minor damage. His up smash is the other easy move he can do out of a dash, 
and it is a bit more punishing as it racks up nice damage and pops the opponent 
up. Unfortunately this leaves Sonic open to a shield grab so only use it when 
you are sure to hit. Sonic's forward smash is his only real kill move on the 
ground, but it requires him to stop moving, is somewhat slow, and only has 
nominally better range than Sonic's other options. It should be used sparingly 
as a surprise KO move, but in general it's not a safe bet. Sonic's down smash 
is a great clear out move that will stop anyone who tries to counter his 
running with rolling, but like most moves, it requires Sonic to stop moving to 
use. Still, it's a good attempt and usually pretty safe. Sonic actually has a 
great up tilt as it is fairly quick, racks up damage nicely, and pops the 
opponent straight up. His down tilt also pops opponents straight up, and it has 
the added benefit of hitting low under shields so it's a good move to use to 
set up juggles as well. Sonic's jab combo is a nice safety move in a tight 
spot, and his forward tilt is pretty much just a worse version of his jab 
combo.

Sonic has some good options in the air, but he has to be careful as he is not 
anywhere near as mobile in the air as he is on the ground. In general the best 
option is to hit the opponent up into the air and use an aerial as a chase for 
some damage and maybe a KO but to otherwise let your opponents come down to 
you. Sonic's up aerial will see a lot of play given this strategy, and it is 
pretty quick and safe. Unfortunately, it has almost no KO power so Sonic needs 
to look for other options. Sonic's back aerial is the closest thing he'll get 
to a KO move in the air, but unfortunately, it's still not strong and has a 
very small hit area. Sonic will have to aim carefully, but it's worth the 
effort. Sonic's forward aerial is a solid damage dealer that has a reasonably 
powerful hit at the end, but it's not really useful when the opponent is coming 
down. If Sonic finds himself wanting to do short hop aerial approaches, the 
forward aerial is his best bet, but he should only do this as a secondary 
approach plan to his running game. The neutral aerial is generally pretty awful 
given the total lack of range, but it does at least have knock back that is 
good for Sonic. The down aerial is a favorite of new players, but it's really a 
bad move due to how unsafe it is. Sonic can use it to stall on his spring on 
the ground or once in a great while as a surprise, but in general, this move 
should be avoided.

Sonic gets a lot out of his grab game as running grabs are one of the main 
things he can do while approaching. Unfortunately, his grabs don't really help 
him get kills with the exception of his back throw's silly efficiency on walk 
off ledges, but they are all useful for repositioning opponents. His back throw 
sends opponents at a very horizontal trajectory which makes Sonic's pursuit 
really easy so it should be a staple, and as a mix up, the down throw can be a 
worse version of the same plan. The forward and up throws both send the 
opponents up into the air so if Sonic feels like mixing in some juggles, they 
are good choices. Sonic also has a pretty good up smash so if he's caught 
shielding, up smash out of the shield is a good choice. Sonic's Spring Jump out 
of a shield is also a solid choice if he just needs to get out of there.

Sonic's specials mostly look the same at first, but they're quite different. In 
any case, Sonic players should be smart about how much they abuse their 
spinning attacks as all of them are somewhat easy to punish. His Homing Attack 
is a great move to edge guard and to generally make aerial approaches that 
would otherwise not be possible, but if this move is used more than once in a 
while, it becomes extremely predictable. Do be sure to always mash B while 
using it to make it execute as quickly as possible; Sonic cannot afford any 
delays. The Spin Dash is nearly useless; only use it for rare recoveries. The 
Spin Charge is probably Sonic's best spinning move as the mechanics are nearly 
identical to Sonic's classic Genesis technique. Just mash B very quickly for a 
short time after beginning the charge and then release down to spin at the 
opponent pretty quickly. It has poor knock back and can be punished if 
overused, but it's a great thing to mix in to other running attack styles as it 
moves as quickly as Sonic's run and can be leapt out of at any time.

The Spring Jump is Sonic's recovery move, and it's pretty useful to him on a 
lot of levels. Sonic can attack right out of it so he can easily make great and 
safe recoveries. The extremely quick vertical ascent also allows Sonic to chase 
foes up into the air with this move, and it is something he should do 
frequently to keep up pressure. If Sonic uses this move in the air, the spring 
itself falls beneath him; this can be used as a very effective edge guarding 
trick. On the other hand, if he uses the spring on the ground, the spring will 
stick around on the ground for a while and will be a standard course hazard. 
Sonic can stall on this with his down aerial, and in general, he should be 
quick to use his down aerial to land on the spring which will cancel all the 
landing lag. One last note is that Sonic's height gain is greatly altered by 
the gravity setting at the time. During the Flying form of Pokemon Stadium 2 or 
the sliding portion of the Summit, Sonic will gain great height, but during the 
ascending portion of the Summit, Sonic will get almost no height.

Sonic can wall jump, but he cannot wall cling or crawl. Sonic has but one 
midair jump and quick options in his roll and spot dodge. He will still seldom 
want to roll as his ridiculously fast run should be used for pretty much all 
movement.

Sonic's biggest problem in the long run is his horrible priority so characters 
that have tricks to exploit it will be huge problems. Mr. Game & Watch's down 
tilt shuts down nearly all of Sonic's moves on the ground, and Marth's sword in 
general will prove the end of Sonic. Wario's Bite beats out nearly all of 
Sonic's moves which makes Wario a hard counter, and foes such as Link, Toon 
Link, Olimar, Meta Knight, Ivysaur, and Jigglypuff all have ways of changing 
the nature of the fight to one in which Sonic will not do well. However, 
Sonic's great speed makes him ridiculously efficient at taking down slow 
characters; Bowser, Donkey Kong, King Dedede, and Ike have much to fear. Even 
the slower projectile spammers such as Pit and Samus really don't have much on 
Sonic; he can run up to them before they can start to keep him out. Sonic will 
also like fighting R.O.B. and the Ice Climbers. The former just finds Sonic a 
little too fast to handle, and the latter have issues with Sonic picking on 
Nana.

IV. Classic Mode

In this mode, you must defeat much of the cast in a series of variously 
gimmicked battles. In the first ten battles, you might have to randomly fight a 
single opponent, metal opponent, giant opponent (sometimes with an ally or two 
on your side), team of two opponents (sometimes with an ally on your side), or 
a team of ten of the same character with that character being very weak. You 
always fight on stages affiliated with the characters, never on melee stages, 
and R.O.B. steals the Mario Bros stage from the Mario series. There are two 
target tests you do as minigames in the middle. The first corresponds to the 
difficulty level of Classic you are playing, and the second is the next 
difficulty step up. If you are playing on Intense, you play the fifth target 
test twice. On the eleventh battle, you just fight against a team of three 
opponents with team attack on, and for the final battle, you fight Master Hand. 
If you got that far on hard or higher fairly quickly without continuing, Master 
Hand will be accompanied by Crazy Hand. Which characters you battle depends on 
the stage number; random characters from the options for that stage are picked, 
but you'll never see teams of characters from different series against you. The 
progression is as follows:

Stage 1: Zelda series
Stage 2: Donkey Kong and Yoshi series
Stage 3: Pokemon series
Stage 4: Mother and Fire Emblem series
Break the Targets 1
Stage 5: Kirby series
Stage 6: Pikmin and Metroid series
Stage 7: Star Fox and F-Zero series
Stage 8: Mario series
Stage 9: Kid Icarus, Game and Watch, and Ice Climber series and R.O.B.
Stage 10: Metal Gear, Wario, and Sonic series
Break the Targets 2
Stage 11: Three random characters not in previous levels
Stage 12: Master Hand

As per tips, well, just fight normally. Use Multi-Man Brawl style strategies 
against teams of ten characters, try to keep metal characters over edges as 
they frequently fail to recover, and have fun pummeling the very easy giant 
opponents. Tips for the hands can be found in the Boss Battles section, but be 
warned that they have a few combination attacks that aren't in boss battles. 
Also, if you game over against the hands, Crazy Hand will be gone when you 
continue. You are healed between every match, but your stock count carries 
over. Just don't die, and it's pretty simple.

V. All Star Mode

All Star mode is pretty cool. You fight against the enemies in order of their 
series release. If a series has multiple characters, you fight against all of 
those characters on a team two at a time with substitutions whenever you defeat 
one of them. The game randomly decides between Zelda and Sheik and Samus and 
Zero Suit Samus, but you must fight all three of Pokemon Trainer's Pokemon. You 
fight on a random stage from the series the characters are from, but no melee 
stages will appear. Additionally, R.O.B. steals the Mario Bros. stage from the 
Mario series to have his own stage; he always appears there, and team Mario 
never appears there. And for the curious, yes, Final Destination, Battlefield, 
Smashville, Pictochat, and Hanenbow never appear in All Star mode. After each 
match, you go to a waiting area where there are three hearts you can use to 
heal at any time. Since you don't restore health between matches, you have to 
use these wisely.

For those who don't know the order of the series, it is this:

Game and Watch -> Mario -> Donkey Kong -> Ice Climber -> R.O.B. -> Zelda -> 
Metroid -> Kid Icarus -> Metal Gear -> Mother -> Fire Emblem -> Yoshi -> F-Zero 
-> Sonic -> Kirby -> Star Fox -> Wario -> Pokemon -> Pikmin

Completing this mode scores you the final smash trophy for the character you 
are using. You must beat it separately with Sheik and Zero Suit Samus for their 
trophies, but you only have to beat it once with the Pokemon Trainer. If you 
play with a teammate, you have five hearts instead of three and get both final 
smash trophies. However, you must defeat two Olimar at the end instead of just 
one, and the run does not count toward the challenges that require you to beat 
All Star with a certain number of characters. You also get a game over if 
either of you dies.

In terms of tactics, All Star mode is pretty simple. It's normal fighting so 
just do that. You are allowed to continue if you fall so beating it even on 
Intense isn't that difficult. As per when to use hearts, your needs will vary, 
but I find good target places to use them are before the Mother team, before 
the Kirby team, and before the Pokemon team. It gets harder as it goes on so 
using them mostly toward the end makes sense. However, do use them as you need 
them. It would be foolish to enter team Zelda with over 100% and die because of 
it.

VI. Event Battles

Event Battles are a series of gimmick battles in which you must participate to 
unlock a few CDs and stages and to generally get completion. Each event has 
three difficulty settings; this FAQ will only be concerned with the hard mode 
which really isn't that hard on most of them. If you do find it hard, just play 
on a lower setting and odds are it will not matter. CD prizes are listed in the 
challenge board section if you're curious, but I'll be sure to mention unlocked 
stages alongside the events. There are also co-op events which are overall more 
difficult than the single player events, but they have no reward. You're going 
to have to unlock the secret characters first if you want to play single events 
21 and higher or cooperative events 9 or higher.

Single Events

Event 1: Two Trouble Kings
Character: Mario
Strategy: Just kill them both; this is really easy. If you have no idea how to 
use Mario, well, try spamming his running attack, neutral aerial, forward 
smash, and back throw. Things should go smoothly.

Event 2: Landmaster Ignition
Character: Fox
Strategy: Hit B to use your final smash which you always have access to. Have 
fun with the Landmaster, and don't commit suicide. This is a freebie.

Event 3: Pink Ball Repulsion
Character: Meta Knight
Strategy: You have to kill Kirby before the platform lands on the Halberd which 
isn't too hard. Just rush him down with a barrage of aerials, and use either 
your forward smash or up special as a finisher.

Event 4: Cleaning House in Skyworld
Character: Pit
Strategy: You just have to break all of the terrain, and it doesn't respawn. 
Just don't get killed by Wario (kill him if he gets in the way) and abuse Pit's 
down smash to quickly shatter all of the terrain. No, that occasional platform 
way near the bottom doesn't count.

Event 5: Become the Champion
Character: Pokemon Trainer
Strategy: This is just a standard three stock match against another Pokemon 
Trainer. The battle is really easy if you're proficient with any one of Pokemon 
Trainer's Pokemon, and they're diverse so you should be able to find one that 
can easily let you win this.

Event 6: Super Bowser Bros.
Character: Bowser
Strategy: Haha, this is an awesome event. You have to keep up with a very 
quickly scrolling Mushroomy Kingdom 1-1 as three AI Mario attack you. Just run 
away; there's no reason to ever attack here. Stay near the front of the 
scrolling to avoid the Mario, and you should be through with this pretty 
easily.

Event 7: Diddy Kong Panic
Character: Donkey Kong
Strategy: Hmm, it's an event against a large number of weak characters, and 
they were so generous as to give you Donkey Kong. Well, use your down special 
to kill them all easily, and be sure to thank the game makers for giving you 
the character who can most easily do this. Be sure to stay under the side 
platforms for maximum safety, and mix in some up aerials if they give you a 
chance.

Event 8: Go! Triple Finish!
Character: Pikachu
Strategy: It's a three versus one, but you have two stocks so it�s not so bad. 
They are pretty weak and low leveled AI so you can just get away with spamming 
Thunder and his down smash (as well as any good items that come your way) to 
easily clear this.

Event 9: The Monster beneath the Earth
Character: Ike
Strategy: You start off fighting two Diddy Kong, and once the fight progresses 
to the underground portion of Castle Siege, a giant Donkey Kong appears. The 
easiest way to win is to just rush down and kill the two Diddy Kong before 
Donkey Kong arrives, ending the event, but if you can't manage that, just be 
sure to fight Donkey Kong with Ike's safer moves. Those would be Aether and his 
neutral A combo; this shouldn't be too bad.

Event 10: All-Star Battle Regulars
Character: Choose
Strategy: Just have to beat the eight starting characters from smash 64 who 
appear in the picture if you forgot who they were. Pick whoever your best 
character is and just go all out fighting; you only fight two at any given time 
so it's not too bad. Be warned; the events start getting a lot harder after 
this one.

Event 11: Yoshi's Rainbow
Character: Ice Climbers
Strategy: Okay, this is a very obnoxious event. You have to kill all the Yoshi 
in rainbow order. If they kill themselves out of order which is pretty common 
given that you're fighting on Rainbow Cruise, you lose. They also seem to avoid 
attacking you if they're next in order for some reason. Either way, the 
strategy is to rush them as quickly as possible to avoid the suicide 
possibility. The Ice Climbers have three powerful smashes and a solid back air 
to help you out; good luck.

Event 12: Sleeping in the Eggs
Character: Yoshi
Strategy: This is a very easy event. Just use your neutral B to turn both of 
them into eggs. If you find it too hard to get the second one quickly, rack up 
some damage so they'll stay in the eggs longer.

Event 13: Dragoon Strike
Character: Kirby
Strategy: The goal here is to kill all three Wario with the Dragoon. This can 
be tricky. Basically, you want to spam Kirby's down special rock move to rack 
up a lot of damage on them so they drop Dragoon parts easily, and then only go 
for "safe" Dragoon parts. Don't worry; you can recollect the Dragoon if you 
don't kill all of them on the first pass.

Event 14: Sproutage of the Flower Pikmin
Character: Olimar
Strategy: Pull six Pikmin and then just spend the whole match running away. 
Eventually they'll all bloom and you'll win. Always be sure to have six Pikmin 
out, and don't sacrifice them. You win when all six of your Pikmin have flowers 
so just play conservatively.

Event 15: The Hammer of the King
Character: King Dedede
Strategy: Okay, you have to kill the giant metal Dedede, but at least you have 
two allies. First and foremost, stay on the ground. His up smash will kill you 
instantly, and he likes to use it if you are above him. Secondly, just play 
conservatively, Throw Waddle Dees frequently, rely on items, and generally only 
go for the safe hits as you rack up damage on him. Eventually you'll get him 
over the ledge where, like all metal AI, he'll kill himself.

Event 16: Power Suit ON!
Character: Zero Suit Samus
Strategy: Just get a Smash Ball that appears and use your final smash. That's 
all there is to it.

Event 17: Super Waterfall Climb
Character: Zelda
Strategy: Ugh, this event is hard. Just rush upward as quickly as you can, and 
ignore the Ice Climbers. If you get ahead of the screen a good amount, switch 
to Sheik for an easy win. The reason this is hard is because Zelda falls very 
slowly; be sure to aim every jump so you are not far above the ground as you 
come to each platform. That way you get another chance to jump again.

Event 18: Dark Link Duel
Character: Link
Strategy: You have two choices. You can either try to wear down his stamina or 
try to kill him. If you want to try the former, just abuse Link's projectiles 
to do 200 HP of damage fairly easily. If you want to do the latter, go near the 
edge and try to grab and back throw him off the edge of the screen. Either way, 
this is a pretty easy event.

Event 19: Wario Bros.
Character: Wario
Strategy: Okay, this event is the one in which you unlock the Mario Bros. stage 
so it's worth your hassle. This is actually a pretty easy 2v1 against Mario and 
Luigi. If you are having trouble, just hit the various creates roaming the 
stage from underneath and throw them at your opponents. They're pretty 
effective, and they make winning this pretty simple.

Event 20: All-Star Battle x 1
Character: Choose
Strategy: It's just like the last All Star battle except with all the 
characters new to brawl and initially available except Ike and King Dedede. Go 
about it the exact same way too.

Event 21: Visit to Onett
Character: Lucas
Strategy: It's just a 1v1 against Ness on Onett. It's a straight up and simple 
fight, and if you're having trouble, I recommend sticking near the middle of 
the stage and relying on Lucas's excellent up smash for kills. In that area, 
only very vertical attacks tend to kill which puts you at a solid advantage 
over Ness.

Event 22: Monkeys Unite
Character: Diddy Kong
Strategy: Hey, Donkey Kong isn't a monkey; he's an ape! Anyway, this is just a 
straight up 2v2 fight on Rumble Falls, and your ally Donkey Kong is huge. He's 
actually mostly just a distraction, but you can win this event pretty easily by 
focusing on using back throws to kill Lucario and Sheik off the side of the 
stage and outrunning the stage so they get killed by the scrolling.

Event 23: Molten Norfair
Character: Samus
Strategy: This is really just a survival test until the capsule arrives. Focus 
on using Samus's missiles and bombs to keep them at bay until it does, and then 
get in and abuse down smashes to keep them out. You automatically win if you 
are inside the capsule as the lava wave passes. One more tip is to stay in the 
respawn bubble after losing your first stock to stall for as long as possible 
waiting for the capsule to appear.

Event 24: Come On, Blue Falcon
Character: Captain Falcon
Strategy: You have to kill the two R.O.B. before the track crosses the finish 
line, and you must do it with your final smash. Just focus on racking up damage 
until a smash ball appears, and then when you get your Final Smash, use it 
remotely close to them to get the cool cut scene of Captain Falcon running them 
down with his car.

Event 25: The Aura Is With Me
Character: Lucario
Strategy: You unlock Spear Pillar from clearing this event so stay sharp. You 
must beat Sheik and Ness in a 2v1, and you start at 182%. The bad news is that 
you are at a massive disadvantage. The good news is that Lucario hits very hard 
when he's that injured. Abuse your Aura Sphere to keep them at bay and if 
necessary just run circles around the course thanks to that lovely lower area. 
Spear Pillar is such a silly stage that it will kill them if you can just last 
long enough.

Event 26: The Slow and Easy Life
Character: Ness
Strategy: You have two minutes and fourteen seconds to kill the three tiny 
Olimar; this is really easy. Just abuse Ness's running attack and forward smash 
for an easy win.

Event 27: Three-Beast Carnage
Character: R.O.B.
Strategy: Just run away; you have no hope of winning in a straight up fight. 
There are two factors that make this event possible. First of all, they can and 
frequently do attack each other. The longer you run, the more likely one of 
them is to die to the random fury of his allies. Second, the Ultimate Chimera 
will instantly kill anyone who is foolish enough to get hit by him, and they 
are foolish enough to get hit by him. When he appears, rush toward him to lure 
them nearby and then move to the other side of the Ultimate Chimera. More often 
than you would think, they'll just kill themselves by jumping into the Ultimate 
Chimera. In the worst case scenario, you can just abuse items to win.

Event 28: Flower Blooms in the Echoes
Character: Peach
Strategy: Okay, you unlock Hanenbow for beating this event. This is also a very 
obnoxious event. You just have to turn the six leaves on the right plant red. 
For starters, feel free to kill Olimar if he's annoying you; he just gets in 
the way for the most part. For two, the only move you really should be using to 
do this is Peach's down smash. This quickly racks up "damage" on the leaves and 
moves them toward their most red color. On the upper two layers, if you stand 
close the edge of the leaves facing the middle of the plant, you can hit two at 
once with your down smash to make this go much more smoothly.

Event 29: All-Star Semifinal Regulars
Character: Choose
Strategy: It's just like the last two All-Star matches except you only have to 
beat half as many characters (the unlockables from Smash 64 this time), and you 
do it on Yoshi's Island (melee). This isn't too bad; just fight as hard as you 
can, and you should win easily. Abuse back throws off the right ledge if you 
can't win any other way.

Event 30: Sonic Boom
Character: Sonic
Strategy: Just abuse Sonic's down aerial to quickly kill the fifteen other 
Sonic.

Event 31: The Ultimate Bodyguard
Character: Marth
Strategy: You can't let Zelda die, but all she does is sit there crouching. 
Luckily, you only have to win a Marth versus two Ganondorf who each have two 
stock fight in the process so that's not too bad. Really, this fight is pretty 
much won by the fact that Marth is too good. Just abuse your forward B and try 
to keep the Ganondorf coming at you instead of at Zelda by staying in between 
them. It should be a pretty easy win.

Event 32: Bird in Darkest Night
Character: Falco
Strategy: You just have to win a two stock match against Mr. Game & Watch on 
Brinstar. The stage randomly goes dark, but you can still see both characters 
so it ends up still being really easy. The acid will kill him for you if you 
can't so just play defensively if you can't fight with Falco at all.

Event 33: Advent of the Evil King
Character: Ganondorf
Strategy: You have to win a 3v1 against Pit, Link, and Zelda on everyone's 
favorite level, Hyrule Temple. This level actually does help you out quite a 
bit; just go to the little island in the lower area and abuse throws and 
Ganondorf's powerful up and forward smashes as well as his quick neutral A jab 
to win without too much trouble. If you get to a high percentage, go to the 
passage that leads to the lower part of the course and hang out there; you live 
to absurd percentages if you stay in there. This really shouldn't be hard even 
as a 3v1; just fight it out!

Event 34: All-Star Battle Melee
Character: Choose
Strategy: It's another All-Star match, this time against the characters who 
debuted in Super Smash Brothers Melee, and this time it's on Pokemon Stadium. 
Like the others, just fight as hard as you can. I personally just used Mr. Game 
& Watch and abused his powerful down smash and aerials, but this will be 
easiest with whoever your personal best character is.

Event 35: The Visitor to Flat Zone
Character: Mr. Game & Watch
Strategy: You have to win a 3v1 against Toon Link, Peach, and Jigglypuff, but 
all three of them look like Game and Watch characters which is incredibly cool. 
I only wish those were alternate costumes available in the multiplayer. Anyway, 
this is pretty easy as long as you have some level of skill with Mr. Game & 
Watch, but maybe you don't. The only thing you really need to do is abuse his 
aerials and down smash; the AI will walk right into all of it and die really 
easily.

Event 36: High-Tech Special Forces
Character: Snake
Strategy: This could either be easy or hard depending on whether you have any 
aptitude with Snake at all. You have to win a 3v1 against Samus, Captain 
Falcon, and Wolf which is hard for those new to Snake even if you do get two 
stocks to do it with. Really, just abuse his neutral A combo and his tilts to 
rack up damage at first, and when their damage is high, destroy a wall and 
finish them off with either his forward smash or his back throw.

Event 37: The Pirate Airship
Character: Toon Link
Strategy: You have to win a 2v1 against two Yoshi, but the catch is that they 
will come back unless you kill them while the ship is in the clouds. Ugh, that 
makes things harder. You should start off by just trying to rack up damage; 
Toon Link's projectiles and spin attack should help with this. Once you are up 
in the clouds, rely on Toon Link's great smashes as well as any helpful killing 
items that come your way to score those needed kills.

Event 38: The Wolf Hunts the Fox
Character: Wolf
Strategy: It's just a 2v1 against Fox and Falco. If you are new to Wolf, this 
might be difficult, but you should be able to win just by abusing items and his 
wonderful reflector. If you just stand in one place and hit down + B as quickly 
as possible, you tend to rack up good damage on them. Use any of Wolf's smashes 
as finishers.

Event 39: All-Star Battle x 2
Character: Choose
Strategy: It's the last one of these, and you fight all the characters you 
hadn't already fought. This really is the exact same as all of the others with 
the rather unimportant fact that they're slightly harder and use different 
characters so I'll leave the tactics up to you.

Event 40: The Final Battle
Character: Choose
Strategy: This is just a 3v1 against Bowser, King Dedede, and Ganondorf, and 
you get two stock. It's actually pretty easy since all three of them are very 
slow; just pick a character who can move or attack quickly and rush them down. 
I prefer Mr. Game & Watch, but any of the Star Fox characters, Sheik, Captain 
Falcon, Sonic, Diddy Kong, Pikachu, or anyone else you feel like you can fight 
effectively with could work great.

Event 41: The FINAL Final Battle
Character: Choose
Strategy: It's the same thing as the last one except against Snake, Sonic, and 
giant Mario, and they have two stocks just like you do which makes it much 
harder. If you can't win through ordinary tactics, just pick Ike and keep 
dropping from either ledge and using Aether to grab it again. Sometimes they'll 
kill themselves going after you, and you should rack up great damage either 
way. If you just need to finish an injured one of them as Ike, jump at them and 
use his neutral B for a pretty reliable finisher on them.

Co-op Events

Note: Player 1 is always the first character listed, and Player 2 is always the 
second character listed.

Event 1: Two Trouble Kings
Characters: Mario and Kirby
Strategy: Just kill them; this event is really easy.

Event 2: Master the Pokemon Tag Battle
Characters: Pokemon Trainer and Pikachu
Strategy: Okay, Pikachu gets only one stock while the Pokemon Trainer gets 
three. Focus first on the enemy Pikachu to make it into a 2v1, and if your 
Pikachu dies, he can use A + B to borrow a stock from Pokemon Trainer to 
maintain your advantage.

Event 3: Fastest, Shortest, Sudden Death
Characters: Yoshi and King Dedede
Strategy: You only have to survive for ten seconds with kills being a bonus. 
Just put one of you under each platform and abuse up smashes until the time 
ends.

Event 4: The DK Tag Calamity
Characters: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong
Strategy: Okay, this event is hard. Both of you need to play defensively until 
you can get lightning at which point you are safe to move in and attack if it 
shrinks them down to your size or smaller. Try to kill the enemy Donkey Kong 
first as he's better at getting kills than the Diddy Kong, and try to abuse 
your Diddy's banana peels to keep tripping them so you can have many easy 
chances to get hits. Their AI is really low leveled so you can just stand 
between two banana peels and be fairly safe.

Event 5: The Yoshi Team of 50
Characters: Meta Knight and Pit
Strategy: This event is nearly impossible on hard. Both of you should be 
abusing your up tilts to kill them as quickly as possible, but even if you 
perform absolutely perfectly, you barely have time to kill them all before 
Rainbow Cruise completes one cycle. Don't feel bad about turning the difficulty 
down if you have to; this event is just stupid.

Event 6: Unwanted Suitors
Characters: Zelda and Zero Suit Samus
Strategy: The invisible enemies are Luigi and Captain Falcon is you were 
curious. Even though you can't see them, they aren't too hard to fight. Zero 
Suit Samus should abuse her forward smash and forward B to attack from a safe 
distance, and Zelda can just around abusing her forward and back aerials for 
very quick kills. You can see where they are every time they move by the dust 
they kick up; this shouldn't be too bad. In the worst case scenario, you can 
play defensively until the cars on Port Town Aero Dive kill them for you.

Event 7: Battle of the Dark Sides
Characters: Link and Samus
Strategy: This is very similar to a single event, and the same strategies 
apply. If you want to run them out of stamina, just abuse projectiles. If you 
want to quickly kill them, go near the edges and try to back throw them.

Event 8: ALL MINE!
Characters: Wario and Bowser
Strategy: This is a really each coin battle; you could just abuse running 
attacks back and forth and easily win.

Event 9: Those Who Wait in Onett
Characters: Lucas and Ness
Strategy: It's just a standard 2v2 against Luigi and Yoshi. Just like with the 
similar single event, stick to the middle on the ground to have a defensively 
solid position from which Lucas can easily kill with his up smash. Ness can try 
to get similar gains from his up aerial, but he would be better just attacking 
them normally to build up damage so Lucas can finish.

Event 10: The R.O.B.'s of Tomorrow
Characters: Lucario and Ice Climbers
Strategy: Just kill all of the R.O.B. as they appear. They get progressively 
bigger, but that doesn't really make it harder. The Ice Climbers will probably 
lead the way here with their superb down smash, but Lucario's Aura Sphere can 
really be handy too.

Event 11: The Great Remodeling Battle
Characters: Luigi and Peach
Strategy: Okay, stick to either the lower center of the stage or the roof. You 
absolutely cannot let the battle drift toward the upper two pillars or else 
they'll break them. That will make you lose. Just collect coins as quickly as 
possible while keeping them away from the two upper pillars and this should be 
pretty easy.

Event 12: Come Back, Falcon Flyer!
Characters: Captain Falcon and Olimar
Strategy: You need to just rush down the two Samus. Pretty much all of Olimar's 
moves are effective at dealing quick damage, and when you need to finish, 
Olimar can just grab them while Captain Falcon delivers an epic Falcon Punch. 
This shouldn't be too bad.

Event 13: Blades of the Quick and Mighty
Characters: Marth and Ike
Strategy: Much like all battles on the Temple against the AI, you can easily 
win by going to the lower right island and abusing throws and smashes. Marth 
and Ike have it especially easy as both of them have great range and power so 
they can make that little island an island of death.

Event 14: The Dark Guardians
Characters: Ganondorf and Wolf
Strategy: Just run away and play defensively until the Ultimate Chimera shows 
up. Lure Donkey Kong and Charizard into it for easy kills and an easy win.

Event 15: Four Swords Brawl
Characters: Toon Link and Toon Link
Strategy: It's just a basic coin battle; it should be pretty easy. Just keep 
moving and abusing running attacks to easily win.

Event 16: Jigglypuff's Great Comeback
Characters: Jigglypuff and Mr. Game & Watch
Strategy: Just stall at first with Mr. Game & Watch trying to keep them 
distracted; you will find it very hard to win as the event starts. However, 
each time Castle Siege transforms, Ness and Lucas shrink while Jigglypuff 
grows. If you can only last, you can win easily.

Event 17: Sonic & Mario
Characters: Sonic and Mario
Strategy: Just stay near the edges and abuse back throws to easily clear this 
event.

Event 18: The New Weapon of Shadow Moses
Characters: Snake and R.O.B.
Strategy: You just have to kill the enemy R.O.B., but each of them has two 
stocks to your one. If you aren't good with these characters, just try to abuse 
projectiles to rack up damage. If they get close in, Snake's tilts and neutral 
A combo are effective, and R.O.B. has an incredible down smash you should 
heavily rely on. When you need kills, either use up smashes or destroy a wall 
to abuse back throws.

Event 19: Shadow of Andross
Characters: Fox and Falco
Strategy: This is a 2v1 against Wolf, but the downside is that he has a 
permanent Andross assist trophy. Andross shoots at you so if you just keep 
moving, he will not do much damage, and you can gang up on Wolf easily.

Event 20: The Final Battle for Two
Characters: Choose
Strategy: You just have to kill six enemies; it's not too bad. Pick whoever 
your best characters are and go to town. If you're having a lot of trouble, 
both of you should pick R.O.B. and abuse his down smash and projectiles for an 
easy win.

Event 21: The True All-Star Battle
Characters: Choose
Strategy: This might be hard or interesting, but there's an easy gimmick 
strategy to win. Have one player pick Pikachu and the other one pick Ice 
Climbers. Have Pikachu stand right in the middle of the stage on the main 
platform while the Ice Climbers should stand directly above Pikachu on the 
platform. Have Pikachu constantly use Thunder while the Ice Climbers do the 
same with their up smash. This will instantly kill most of them, but 
occasionally one will get through. If that happens, have the Ice Climbers chase 
them down and quickly hit the escapee with a powerful smash and then resume the 
strategy. This should be simple and quick.

VII. Target Smash

The goal of Target Smash is simple; you need to break 10 targets as quickly as 
possible. This is by far the most fun event in the Stadium though it gets 
tedious as you must clear all five courses with all 35 characters to complete 
all the challenges. Just beating the courses at all is really easy so I'll 
leave that strategy up to you, but getting the "target times" which are 
required to clear five specific challenges is interesting enough to write about 
and also use to give a general overview of how to approach each course. Lastly, 
one note, you play two rounds of Target Smash in Classic mode so, if you are 
going to beat Classic mode with the entire cast on easy, you can use those runs 
to avoid doing the runs of Target Smash for the first two courses.

Target Smash level 1
Target time: 15 seconds
Recommended character: Fox
Strategy: This is really easy. From the start, turn around and jump, firing 
your laser at the peak of your jump. This will hit the only hard to reach 
target. From there run to the right and then back to the left on the bottom 
breaking all the targets as quickly as you can with any of Fox's many quick 
aerials and his laser. My time was 12.5 seconds; you have a huge margin of 
error if you hit the first target without a hitch.

Target Smash level 2
Target time: 19 seconds
Recommended character: Sonic
Strategy: This is another easy one as long as you know the right sequence. 
Start by turning around and hitting the visible target with your up aerial, and 
then use your double jump and up special to make a great leap upward on the 
left side of the block. You should be able to hit another target and land on a 
platform to your left. Run over and jump to the platform with the box, smacking 
a third target on the way with an aerial. Hit the box; this will knock it down 
into the lower area where it will slide through two targets. Jump up to the 
platform with the bat and throw it upward to hit another target, and then run 
to the right and use quick aerials (or the Cracker Launcher, if you have good 
aim) to take out the remaining four targets.

Target Smash level 3
Target time: 20 seconds
Recommended character: Jigglypuff
Strategy: This one is a good deal harder than the previous two. Start by 
jumping off the initial platform to the left and floating under it to hit the 
target. Then use your remaining jumps to move far to the left and hit the two 
targets that are close to each other with quick aerials. Now head left a bit 
more where you'll see a way down with two targets in plain sight. Hit the upper 
one and then the lower one with aerials and continue to fall to the left to hit 
a third target off to the side. Now jump upward to hit a target at the top of a 
tall, narrow sliver of land with an aerial and fall on the right side o the 
land, carefully avoiding the spikes, to hit another target over a pit (be sure 
not to run out of jumps!). Now jump up and hit the closest remaining target and 
then quickly move to the lower right corner to smack the last target.

Target Smash level 4
Target time: 32 seconds
Recommended character: Fox
Strategy: This is pretty easy if you don't get messed up by the ice. Start off 
by running right and hitting the visible target with an upward aerial. Then run 
left and hit the moving target with a laser, jump down, and run left and smack 
the third target with a quick aerial of your choice. Now run back where you 
dropped, and in short order, a moving target should come up here (on that note, 
don't worry about how fast you do the previous three targets as long as you are 
here to hit this one). Hit it and then run to the right and down and use Fox's 
forward tilt to hit another moving target through the wall. Now run left and 
hit the two moving targets quickly with aerials, continue left and down and 
then head to the right. Use the Fire Fox as crossing the gap with the target in 
it to easily break that target, and then run to the right and jump up through 
the opening. You'll need to get a feel for the timing here, but there's a 
moving target that moves through that hole in the ice to the up-right of you. 
Hit it however you can most quickly and then drop back to the bottom level, 
jump out over the void, and use a Fire Fox to hit the last target.

Target Smash level 5
Target time: 30 seconds
Recommended character: Ness
Strategy: Ness may seem like an odd choice for a great target run, but Pk 
Thunder is a huge help here. Lucas is not a good substitute; Ness's thunder 
stops when it hits a target. Start off by jumping up and hitting the target 
above you, and then use Pk Thunder to hit the target out to the left (it will 
be off screen so you'll have to memorize where it is). Next jump over to the 
platform with the Cracker Launcher on it, and grab the launcher. Shoot the 
target to the up-right, jump down to the next lowest platform, and hit Z to 
discard the Cracker Launcher. This will make Ness toss it over his shoulder, 
hitting the target between the two platforms. Now jump down to the even lower 
area, grab the beam sword, and jump up and hit the highly elevated target with 
Pk Thunder. Land from this on that small platform in the lower right. Throw the 
beam sword at the two targets you can see to your left; it will bounce nicely 
and break both. Now jump up and hit the target to your right through the wall 
with an aerial. Quickly make your way over to the left side toward the target 
in that upper nook. Don't bother actually getting to it; get to where you can 
land on the ground to the left of the spikes and just break the upper target 
with Pk Thunder. Once you land, use Pk Thunder to break the last target out 
over the pit. If you do it right, you should shatter the target time.

VIII. Home-Run Contest

I am not a professional Home-Run Contest player. I won't be able to help you 
hit the Sandbag tens of thousands of feet, but I can help you clear all the 
challenges related to Home-Run Contest. You need 45000 feet total and at least 
1500 with one character. If you get 1500 with one character, you need an 
average of about 1280 feet with every other character. I suggest using Yoshi to 
get the 1500 feet easily, though every character with a good strategy could do 
it. The basic premise with everyone the whole time is to rack up damage on 
Sandbag and then hit with either the Home-Run Bat or an exceedingly powerful 
attack at the last possible moment. I'll give my strategies with the whole cast 
to clear the challenges, but be warned these aren't very competitive 
strategies. They'll just get you through this mode, but you could try omitting 
attacks if you find some of them too difficult. I will greatly exceed the 
requirements in my strategies.

Mario: Turn around and grab the bat and then just spam up smashes on sandbag 
until the last moment when you hit him with the bat. You should be able to get 
over 1300 this way.

Luigi: Grab the bat and immediately do a running attack at the Sandbag. Then 
move to the right side of the platform and hit it with a slightly charged up 
smash. Nail him on the back side of the platform with another running attack, 
and then walk forward a few steps to hit him with a forward tilt. Up smash 
sandbag one more time and then walk to the front of the platform and swing the 
bat. I was able to exceed 1500 feet with this strategy.

Peach: Grab the bat, run over the Sandbag, and start spamming up smashes. 
Charge a new one as he's on his way down from the last one. Hit with the bat at 
the last moment. You should be able to easily get over 1300 ft with this 
method.

Bowser: Grab the bat and hit Sandbag with the down smash followed by a down 
tilt and then two more down smashes ending with the bat. You can just barely 
squeak over 1500 ft with this strategy.

Donkey Kong: Grab the bat and then up smash to up air to up smash to up air to 
charged up smash to a bat smash. This should exceed 1400 ft.

Diddy Kong: Grab the bat and then hit the Sandbag with a series of up smashes. 
As time runs low, throw in a quick up air and then smash with the bat. You can 
get just about 1400 ft with this method.

Yoshi: Hit the sandbag with four down aerials and then smash with the bat. You 
will have to pull back from one of the down aerials early to avoid running out 
of time. Pulled off just right, you should be able to get 1800 ft. Even played 
sloppily, over 1500 is easy.

Wario: Grab the bat and then hit with a barrage of alternating up smashes and 
up aerials until time is low and then smash with the bat. You should be able to 
get well over 1300 ft this way.

Link: Use an up smash to up air to up smash to up air to bat smash to get 
between 1200 and 1300 ft.

Sheik: Yes, use Sheik and not Zelda. Grab the bat and use up smashes until near 
the end when you can get off a tipper with the bat. Sheik's bat hit is just 
crazy and you can pass 1600 ft.

Ganondorf: Ignore the bat, run up, spam down aerials, and then use your neutral 
special to smack the bat a good distance.

Toon Link: Spam up smashes with an up air thrown in if you can get away with 
it. You can get over 1400 ft if it goes just right.

Zero Suit Samus: Hold R to start as her; he's far better than her clothed 
counterpart. Just grab the bat, move up to the sandbag, and spam her up special 
until time is rather low. Then smash with the bat to get over 1300 ft.

Pit: Grab the bat and then use an up smash followed by an up aerial and then a 
series of up smashes until the end where you end with a bat smash. You should 
be able to pass 1200 ft, and yes, Pit is very bad at Home-Run Contest.

Ice Climbers: Grab the bat with Popo, up smash once, and then use up tilts to 
rack up damage until a smash with the bat. You should be able to pass 1500 ft 
easily.

R.O.B.: Grab the bat and use up tilts and up aerials in alteration until the 
final moment when you can finish it with a bat smash to get over 1400 ft.

Kirby: Grab the bat and use a series of down aerials on the sandbag. This might 
smack him around if you hit with the last hit, but throwing in a quick down 
smash might let the sandbag slide into a good position. Kirby is pretty bad at 
this, but you should be able to get over 1200 ft.

Meta Knight: He is easily the single worst character at this. Start with an up 
smash and then leap up for an up air. Continue a barrage of up smashes and up 
airs to try to rack damage however sandbag flies, and finish it off with a bat 
swing. If you pull it off just right, you can exceed 1100 ft.

King Dedede: Grab the bat and then use a down aerial on sandbag. Follow up with 
a series of these with maybe a back aerial for some cheap damage thrown in if 
you're bold. You can get nearly 1400 ft with this strategy.

Olimar: For some reason, only purple Pikmin are allowed here. That really hurts 
Olimar. I suggest grabbing the bat and spamming neutral aerials until you get 
in a bat swing to break 1200 ft.

Fox: Grab the bat and use a rapid series of down aerials to rack up massive 
damage and then bat smash. If you don't like that, just use the laser. In 
either case, you should handily break 1400 ft.

Falco: Grab the bat and smash up smashes and then the bat swing for an easy 
time to break 1400 ft.

Wolf: Grab the bat and alternate up smashes and up aerials until a bat smash 
for a chance to break 1400 ft.

Captain Falcon: Grab the bat and spam up smashes to finish with a bat smash for 
over 1400 ft.

Pikachu: Use a barrage of up smashes and up aerials to end with a bat swing for 
around 1300 ft.

Pokemon Trainer: Pick Ivysaur, grab the bat, and then walk into sandbag to use 
Bullet Seed. After knocking him into the air with it, let off a bit so he'll 
fall right on top of you at which point you should use Bullet Seed again to 
rack up massive damage. Desist right before time ends and smash with the bat 
for an easy time exceeding 1500 ft.

Lucario: Grab the bat and then start pinging the sandbag off the walls with 
your down air. You should knock him right beneath you so you can use another 
down air. Smash with the bat at the end to exceed 1200 ft.

Jigglypuff: Grab the bat and use drill kicks (down aerials) to rack up damage 
before a bat swing. It's hard to avoid breaking the glass while you do this, 
but if you do it just right you can break 1400 ft.

Marth: Grab the bat and start with a running attack followed by a barrage of up 
smashes and then a bat smash. If you hit the sandbag as often as possible, you 
can break 1600 ft.

Ike: Start with a running attack and spam up smashes. Ending with a bat smash 
lets you break 1300 ft.

Ness: Open with a down air followed up an up air and then a lot of back airs 
until the last moment in which you hit with the bat. Breaking 1300 ft is pretty 
easy.

Lucas: Grab the bat and then hit with four down aerials followed by a bat 
smash. If every hit of every down aerial connects, you should be able to get 
over 1500 ft.

Mr. Game & Watch: Open with a running attack with the bat followed up with an 
up smash and then a fishbowl. Try to link in another iteration of this combo 
before swinging with the bat. You should be able to break 1400 ft.

Snake: Grab the bat and then do a down tilt followed by an up tilt and then an 
up aerial. Try to link in a few more up tilts and up aerials before swinging 
with the bat. If things go just right, you can break 1300 ft.

Sonic: Grab the bat and then do an up smash followed by a series of up tilts 
and more up smashes with some up aerials if you can manage them. You should be 
able to break 1200 ft with a good run.

My total high score after all of that was 49337 ft which is a safe margin above 
the required 45000 ft. These, I repeat, are hardly champion strategies, but 
they'll be enough for you to get all the challenges in Home-Run Contest clear.

IX. Multi-Man Brawl

Welcome to the least fun section of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I really have 
no idea why this awful mode returned from the previous game; it's absolutely 
zero fun. The premise is that you must kill a large number of weak enemies in 
an endurance style competition. In theory you want to kill a lot of them really 
quickly, but really, the only reason anyone plays this mode is to complete the 
challenges associated with it. There are six game types within this mode, and 
I'll cover how to complete each challenge associated with each one.

First of all, I should run down the types of enemies you'll see. There are red, 
blue, green, and yellow alloys. Each one of these is a carbon copy of a 
playable character minus the special moves. They match up pretty easily.

Red: Captain Falcon
Blue: Zelda
Green: Kirby
Yellow: Mario

It's that easy. Additionally, every 25 kills, a normal character will appear. 
He dies as easily as an alloy, but he's dangerous because unlike the alloys, he 
can and will grab items. It's also possible to star KO the characters whereas 
the alloys simply instantly die when they go off the top of the screen. Be sure 
to kill characters as quickly as possible. In the modes with a limited number 
of enemies, the last enemy is always your character, but that's not a big deal.

10 Man Brawl: There are no challenges associated with this given that its short 
length might have made it fun. I wouldn't even bother playing it.

100 Man Brawl: There are three challenges here. You must clear it in under 4 
minutes, under 3 minutes 30 seconds, and with the whole cast. The last one is 
just plain lame so let's start with the time challenges.

Those familiar with Super Smash Brothers Melee will naturally see the wisdom in 
this plan; the best character choice is Donkey Kong. The time requirement is 
possible with every character and perhaps Donkey Kong isn't even optimal. 
However, he's by far the easiest character to use. His ground pound down 
special kills all enemies in one hit. Just stand under the platforms on either 
side and use his ground pound until you have killed all 100 alloys. They're 
stupid and will walk right into it. If they aren't coming to you, don't be shy 
about running over and smacking them with Donkey Kong's up air attack; that 
should also kill them in one hit. You will often fail when explosives spawn 
inside of you, and near the end, the alloys get smart enough to start knocking 
you out of it. Either way, this basic strategy is best, and with some patience, 
you'll get both rewards for beating this quickly.

Beating it with the whole cast is a bigger problem. It's not really hard, but 
boy is it boring. It's also just difficult enough so that you might fail, 
requiring more attempts. I'm not going to go through strategies for every 
character because they're all the same. Spam quick smash attacks, killing up 
tilts, and quick, powerful aerials. If you are using someone like Ganondorf who 
isn't cut out for this at all, you can just rely on items such as a Beam Sword. 
Good luck.

3 Minute Brawl: There are no rewards for this so save 3 minutes of your life 
and don't bother.

15 Minute Brawl: In theory, the goal is to see how many you can kill in 15 
minutes. Forget that. The alloys get more aggressive as more die, and you only 
get a reward for surviving. All good strategies for beating this are entirely 
about avoiding the alloys and have nothing to do with fighting them.

I am of the opinion that the best choice for this is Pit. Several other 
characters can do this, but with Pit it is easiest. Your basic strategy is to 
spend 15 minutes flying under the stage. If there are only one or two alloys, 
you can save yourself some trouble by going up on the platform and spamming 
arrows at them. The arrows won't kill them until well over 100% so you can use 
this as a nice stalling tactic. Since Pit can die if he is knocked out of his 
upward special, you might think R.O.B. is a better choice. However, this is a 
bad train of thought. R.O.B. has trouble quickly changing his momentum in the 
air, and he must recharge his jets by standing on the ground. Holding onto the 
ledge does not count. This is really boring, and it's easy to get careless and 
accidentally do Pit's forward special or make other such mistakes. Take a break 
by pausing every five minutes if you are having trouble focusing; you do not 
want to have to repeat this after failing with only a minute or two left. I'd 
say have fun, but I know you won't. Good luck.

Endless Brawl: You only need to get 100 kills here. Just use Donkey Kong and 
the same tactics used for 100 Man Brawl.

Cruel Brawl: Okay, they alloys aren't weak any more. In fact, they frequently 
kill you in one hit and are incredibly aggressive. Now there are always five at 
once. Luckily you only need ten kills. Of course, it's not immediately obvious 
how to get even one kill.

Several characters can do this, but Pit has the easiest time. You can last 
indefinitely by flying under the stage to the opposite ledge (don't actually 
stand on the stage; it's suicide). It may seem like this isn't productive, but 
remember, the alloys are stupid. If you hover out near the ledge for a bit, 
they will jump out at you. You can then retreat under the stage to the other 
side. They sometimes kill themselves chasing you; it's quite common if you 
space yourself just right. The green ones are less likely to kill themselves so 
you sometimes get a large concentration of green alloys, but with luck they get 
stuck under the ledge. You also only need ten kills so odds are the match won't 
last long enough for this to be a factor. Beating this is probably possible 
with many other characters, but it is by far easiest with Pit. This isn't fun 
so why not just do it once with the easiest character and then never play it 
again?

X. Boss Battles

Okay, I'm going to take a wild guess and speculate that at least 90% of the 
people reading this right now came to this section looking for help beating 
this mode on the intense difficulty to unlock the Galleom (tank form) trophy. 
Yes, in terms of challenges that require skill as opposed to pure patience, 
that's probably the single hardest one on the board, and golden hammers don't 
work on it. It wouldn't be so bad if you could continue after failing like you 
can in most other one player modes, but for some odd reason, you aren't allowed 
continues here.

The most important choice you have to make for Boss Battles is character 
selection. Some characters are excellent boss killers while others are very bad 
against the bosses. Yes, you have to beat Boss Battles with the entire cast, 
but you can just play on the rightfully named easy difficulty setting with 
everyone to clear that challenge. For the higher difficulties, I strongly 
believe the best character choice is Pokemon Trainer, specifically Charizard. 
Other than his fantastic running speed he may be slow which is very bad, but 
Rock Smash deals incredible damage to every boss but Rayquaza which ultimately 
matters more than anything else. You can literally avoid most bosses all day, 
but people make mistakes, and bosses hit hard. The best plan remains to kill 
them as quickly as possible so long term strategies won't be required, and 
Charizard is excellent at that far beyond the way any other character is. If 
you simply can't make Charizard work, your next best options are the characters 
with four or five jumps. Jigglypuff's powerful forward and back aerials 
combined with her excellent aerial mobility make her a natural choice, but the 
fact that she is not only super light but instantly dies if her shield gets 
broken is going to be very frustrating. You might find Kirby, Meta Knight, King 
Dedede, or Pit better, but you might not. Fox is also an excellent choice; his 
reflector helps against a few bosses, his laser is a great tool, and his 
general great speed and power allow an experienced player to effectively kill 
bosses. If you are very brave, Lucas can steer Pk Thunder in circles inside of 
bosses to rack up massive damage even exceeding what Charizard can do, but it 
doesn't work against all bosses, and it is pretty much asking for the boss to 
smack you with its most fatal attack. In terms of who to especially avoid, I'd 
like to say avoid anyone I haven't already mentioned, but to be more neutral, 
no one is especially awful at boss battles. I'll just say though that I'll be 
very impressed if anyone clears Boss Battles on Intense with Mario, Ganondorf, 
Ike, Ness, or Snake.

If you have a friend who is decently good at the game, you are in great luck. 
You can beat Boss Battles on higher difficulties with two players and have it 
count for the challenge. Do be warned that you fail if either of you die so 
bringing along someone who always dies to Tabuu's instant death attack is a 
really bad idea; you both have to be good players for a team strategy to be 
effective. That being said, the damage output from a second player is 
completely worth the hassle, and don't worry, you get five hearts instead of 
three if you have a friend. As per characters, there's really no dispute when 
there are two of you. The only really viable choice is for you both to use 
Charizard; two constant Rock Smash machines end battles too quickly to justify 
anything else.

As per hearts, be conservative but smart with them. Sometimes you will want to 
go into boss fights at dangerous percentages just to save on hearts. A few good 
rules to remember are that you should generally allow yourself a heart every 
three battles, but you will almost always need a heart before Rayquaza and 
after Duon. On a team game, you have one fewer heart than you might otherwise 
so one of you will have to play a bit better than the other to make up for 
that. Your biggest goal with heart planning is that you really want to enter 
the Tabuu fight with full health; Tabuu is a stupidly random boss that is more 
likely than not to ruin your almost complete run if you enter in poor health.

Of course, this means that all that remains is the actual boss strategies. The 
bosses break into three groups. The super easy bosses are Master Hand, Crazy 
Hand, Petey Piranha, and Ridley. The medium difficulty bosses are Meta Ridley 
and Galleom. The dangerous bosses are Rayquaza, Porky, Duon, and Tabuu. Keep 
that in mind as a general rule of thumb. In terms of order, you really, really 
want to fight Rayquaza early. If Rayquaza is the last boss and at his highest 
possible difficulty, you have almost no hope of winning. You also should really 
hope to see Porky early, but it's okay if Duon shows up pretty late. Duon is 
mostly just a damage dealer, and he doesn't really get harder when you fight 
him later. In fact, it's almost ideal for him to be the ninth boss; that means 
you won't have any regrets using hearts after him.

Master Hand: I really shouldn't even write a strategy for Master Hand; he 
hasn't changed a whole lot since the Nintendo 64 era. Either way, Master Hand 
is pretty much a freebie. All of his attacks have obvious telegraphs that let 
you easily dodge with either an air dodge, a roll, or a spot dodge. Even just 
shielding works against many of them. If you want to be extra sure to not take 
any damage against Master Hand, try to hover slightly behind him as you attack. 
This means his laser finger attack will never surprise you, and you can easily 
go out over the edge to avoid his surprisingly dangerous spinning fingers 
attack. If you are not using a character with multiple jumps, a well timed roll 
is your better bet to avoid the spinning fingers. Really, if you can't 
consistently beat Master Hand without taking damage, you're in trouble. Even 
so, the few quick attacks he has that might sometimes catch you don't tend to 
kill so even if you're a bit careless, he's still not dangerous even to a very 
highly damaged character.

Crazy Hand: Evidently being on the left side of the stage makes him crazy. 
Actually, this boss is pretty awful as the way he twitches around makes it seem 
like he might have a very serious disease, but evidently we have to kill him 
regardless. He's actually pretty much just a very slightly faster version of 
Master Hand, but he has a few new moves that actually make him easier. That is 
because he has more total moves than Master Hand so on any given action he's 
less likely to do something dangerous. Yeah, wrap your mind around that. He 
can't shoot bullets out of his fingers like Master Hand can, but he still has 
the lasers which were more likely to hit you. Sometimes he'll point at you, and 
if you've seen the attack more than once, you can easily avoid it by just 
moving away right before he starts attacking. He can rain bombs on the field; 
just sit and wait it out if he does. Any attempt to attack him while he's doing 
this will end badly; don't bother. His one big surprise is that he sometimes 
lies down on the field and starts flopping around doing good damage. This 
attack is quite rare, and it's a Crazy Hand exclusive. It's not dangerous and 
easily avoided, but I mention it because it's pretty likely to catch an 
unsuspecting player. Much like Master Hand, he's a freebie. You had better be 
able to consistently beat him without taking damage if you hope to clear Boss 
Battles.

Petey Piranha: Some might argue that he's even easier than the hands, but he 
takes a bit of practice. You start off inside of him. Don't attack; instead 
jump up and avoid the first cage swing. Now turn and hit one of the cages with 
a nice Rock Smash (or whatever else does good damage if you aren't using 
Charizard). Only attack once at each opportunity; don't try to get greedy. Keep 
jumping over cage swings and counter attacking. If he leaps into the air and is 
about to come down where you are, jump up and do an air dodge to avoid it. You 
can get in a hit in the time he reels after landing even. If he jumps away from 
you, run up to him after he lands and sneak in an attack if the cage of choice 
is easy to hit. When his health gets low, he'll roar and start using more jumps 
and fewer cage swings. This really isn't a big deal. Much as with the hands, 
you should be able to beat him without taking a hit consistently. He actually 
is dangerous if you don't play conservatively, but he gives you so many free 
attacking opportunities and has no moves that are actually difficult to dodge. 
In fact, he only has slight variations on two simple moves. Don't mess up this 
easy win.

Ridley: Ridley is the most dangerous of the four easy bosses. He has very 
little chance of actually killing you unless you are careless, but he is pretty 
good at sneaking in a quick hit when you weren't expecting it. He spends most 
of the fight hovering on either the left or the right side of the stage waiting 
to take a nice big hit; don't disappoint him. Sometimes he'll do a quick 
somersault and hit those right in front of him, and he's fairly likely to do 
this as his first move. Try to be ready to air dodge this as quickly as 
possible. Other times he'll fly to the other side of the stage low to the 
ground in a quick attack; an air dodge is also the correct way to avoid this. 
If he's in a generous mood, he'll drag his tail along the ground. At high 
health he'll drag a short distance across the stage and return to where he 
started. At low health, he'll go back and forth across the stage and end on the 
opposite side of the stage. This is easy to avoid with a simple jump over the 
tail (none of the rest of his body is dangerous while he's doing this), and you 
can even sneak in a free hit or two. Sometimes he leaps onto the stage and then 
up off the top of the screen. When he does this, you should generally go over 
the pit as he's about to either slam down onto the stage hard (which obviously 
won't hit you if you aren't on the stage) or fly in from the background in a 
very slow but potentially dangerous attack. You can just air dodge the latter 
or land and spot dodge it. If you aren't confident over the edge, you can spot 
dodge everything he does out of this even. His last possibility is the least 
common but also the most dangerous. Sometimes he'll turn around and fly off the 
left or right side of the stage. When he does this, he's about to quickly fly 
across the screen. Your best bet is to jump into the air and fast fall right 
before he comes. That will cause him to miss you by flying too high. If you 
find this hard or otherwise fail to get into the air, a well timed spot dodge 
is your best bet. At worst, a failed attempt at that usually just means a 
broken shield which isn't usually fatal against Ridley. Be sure to get this 
boss's patterns down; he's one of your easy wins.

Meta Ridley: Meta Ridley is what I would call a medium difficulty boss. He's 
generally pretty easy, but he is sometimes uncooperative and can make himself a 
real pain. There is also a very small wind effect slowly pushing you toward the 
left edge of the screen which, while usually not that important, is quite 
obnoxious. He also has an instant kill attack which is always frustrating if 
you mess up and get hit. In general, the big strategy with Meta Ridley is to 
stay in the air on the back of the Falcon Flier. He sometimes slams the Falcon 
Flier, damaging everyone on it (often as his first move in fact), and this will 
easily avoid it. This also easily avoids his move where he drags along the 
surface of the Falcon Flier damaging everyone in his path. If he starts 
shooting small fireballs, try to hover right behind him. Even when he aims at a 
slight backward angle, he still won't be able to hit you if you space it 
correctly, and you can even sneak in a free hit. If he begins to fly high above 
the stage, get in the air absolutely. He is about to slam down on the stage and 
drag the whole platform below the lower blast line, instantly killing you. One 
move you're pretty likely to see just once in the fight is when he latches onto 
the back of the ship. He's about to shoot two or three fireballs diagonally 
upward while dragging the ship down. As he's shooting the third, the ship goes 
below the lower blast line which will kill you if you're standing on it so you 
do have to jump. You can back off and dodge this move easily, but the better 
plan is to just land right in front of him and cause as much damage as 
possible. If he takes too much damage, he backs off from this attack. You can 
usually make that happen before he shoots even one fireball so this move is 
pretty much just free damage for you. Very rarely, he'll fly toward the stage 
with his mouth glowing red. He's about to shoot one strong fireball at you. 
Just jump and air dodge if needed, but you don't have to worry too much because 
I wasn't kidding when I said this move is rare. In my many, many battles 
against Meta Ridley, I've only seen this move a handful of times. Also, 
sometimes he flies farther over the stage than usual. This isn't an attack; 
he's just being nice and giving you free damage (this is also almost always the 
second action he takes in the battle). Take full advantage of it. Meta Ridley 
takes some practice, but you generally should be able to beat him pretty 
easily. Just be careful and stay in the air!

Galleom: Galleom is pretty much entirely random in how he works out. Sometimes 
he's even easier than the hands. Other times, he's a really stupid boss. Just 
like Rock Smash seems to do less damage to Rayquaza, it seems to do more damage 
to Galleom. He dies very quickly so he's really not too big of a worry. That 
being said, he has a lot of stuff he can do that will kill you. Most of his 
attacks target the upper part of his body so staying closer to his feet while 
attacking is best. One move to really watch out for is when he reels back and 
begins a very slow swing. He's doing an uppercut that is quite powerful and 
hits quite low; try to dodge it if you can. Sometimes you'll see his body get 
entirely stiff; he's about to flop down onto the ground which will probably 
kill you if you don't air dodge it. By far his most annoying move is when he 
moves both of his arms really high up and outward; he's about to do a spin 
attack which will rack up a good amount of damage. He also sometimes converts 
into his tank form and either drives toward you in a rush or begins to shoot 
missiles. If he shoots missiles, stay low and pound on him. If he drives at 
you, jump over him. Watch out if he does his driving attack at low health; he 
ends it by slamming down at you from above which is pretty fatal. I didn't 
mention several of his moves, but I did mention all of the dangerous ones. He's 
pretty evenly split between moves that can hurt you and moves that are very 
easy to avoid and let you quickly deplete his weak life bar. Sometimes you get 
unlucky with him, but in general, Galleom shouldn't be ending too many of your 
runs.

Duon: Duon's whole purpose in life is to rack up as much damage on you as 
possible. He seldom kills until a good bit over 100%, but he has a whole lot of 
moves that are very hard to avoid and do a lot of damage. When the blue side is 
facing you, he does "swinging" attacks that are very hard to avoid if you're up 
close, but he has no dangerous things to hit you at a distance so someone like 
Fox can just abuse his laser. When his pink side is facing you, he shoots a 
wide array of projectiles at you. Jumping and air dodging is the strategy to 
avoid most of them (though that's frequently easier said than done), but if he 
shoots seeking missiles at you, jump over him and try to lead them into him. 
They do a lot of damage to him and are your best hope to escape this fight with 
little damage. He also frequently does a spinning attack that is very hard to 
avoid and does a ton of damage. If he starts hitting you with this, try to 
shield and roll away. Actually shielding the move is pretty much a guaranteed 
shield break, but a few random perfect shields along with a roll away if you 
get lucky will substantially reduce the damage you take. If you're using 
someone like Jigglypuff and are very precise, a conservative strategy can work 
out here, but with Charizard and most characters in general, you really should 
be very offensive against Duon. You really won't be very successful at avoiding 
damage for prolonged periods of time, and Duon is at least an easy target. Just 
hope for the best and try to rack damage; this boss is lame no matter how you 
look at it. One last note about him though. You can get on top of him or behind 
him, and it might seem like a good idea. It's not. While he does have more 
trouble hitting you when you do that, when he does hit you, he's way more 
likely to kill you and he's harder to damage from those positions. Don't risk 
it.

Porky: As happy as I am that Earthbound gets some representation in the bosses, 
I really could have done without this guy. I also could have done without the 
random name change; dedicated Earthbound fans all know this guy as the 
wonderfully obnoxious Pokey Minch. Just walking slowly back and forth lets him 
hit you near his bottom; avoiding damage from him is nearly impossible. Right 
at the start, he frequently likes to do this super lame rapid pincer jab 
attack. This will do over 50% to you most of the time, but if you get caught in 
it and aren't pretty much right on top of Porky, directionally influence away 
from him. That will make it pretty unlikely to actually kill you. If you have 
an ally, the best strategy right at the start is for one of you to jump over 
him while the other stays back. If he does his rapid attack, he won't be able 
to reach the one who stayed back while the other can rack up a ton of damage 
from his other side. Porky frequently begins to charge a laser above his head. 
This move is a really stupid move that's nearly impossible to avoid. He sweeps 
it around quickly, and he carefully targets you. If you have a friend along, 
he'll randomly switch which one of you he's targeting in midshot. If you can't 
finish him off before he gets the attack off, your best bet is to run far away 
from him, jump, and try to air dodge through it. It will probably still hit 
you, but you can usually reduce it to just one hit instead of four or five 
hits. He'll also sometimes charge at you quickly; just leap over him. Don't try 
to do anything stupid; he'll drag you right off the side of the arena if you 
let him. He also likes to deploy small robots in his image; these run around 
wildly and explode. Try to stay away from them and jump and air dodge if you 
can't keep away. Like all of his moves, they're hard to avoid. His last attack 
is when he flies up and moves back and forth slowly shooting a laser down onto 
the stage. Just run back and forth and roll out of the way if you have to; this 
is actually really easy to dodge. The bad news is that you have very little 
opportunity to damage him while he's doing this, but at least you can avoid 
taking damage. As with Duon, you should mostly try to kill him quickly. You 
will take a lot of damage if the fight drags on; he's just a stupid boss. And, 
on an even less fun note, Porky is somewhat buggy. If he dies right as he's 
about to fire his laser, it will "shoot" anyway with no graphic but itself 
dragging on the ground for a bit, and it can still hit you. If his little 
robots are deployed when he dies, they don't disappear. They keep running 
around and can still hurt you. Yeah, it's no fair. Then again, that's pretty 
much the status quo with this boss.

Rayquaza: Much unlike Mewtwo in Super Smash Brothers Melee, Rayquaza fights 
about like you would expect a Pokemon with 670 total base stats. Rayquaza might 
not rack up the damage quite as effectively as Porky and Duon, but Rayquaza is 
still highly unpredictable and unlike them is fairly effective at actually 
killing you. Rayquaza also takes a ton of damage; his durability is really what 
pushes him over the edge and makes him the single hardest boss on Intense even 
above Tabuu. His most common attack is a quick spin with which he smacks a wide 
radius around his lower body with his tail. He's pretty much entirely 
unpredictable with this move, and it lasts too long to spot dodge reliably. 
Characters like Jigglypuff can stay in the air to avoid this, but most 
characters, including Charizard, either attack too slowly or fall too quickly 
to be able to spend the entire fight high enough up to avoid this. Rayquaza 
also sometimes quickly darts to the other side of the field, and this too is 
pretty hard to avoid. You can jump over it if you know it is coming, but you 
frequently don't have time. He will sometimes fly up and off the screen. If he 
left the screen off the top, he's about to dive into the ground and will follow 
that up with an "emerging from the ground" attack that hits a small area and is 
easy to avoid with a simple roll. If he leaves off the side of the screen, he's 
about to dart across the lower portion of the screen quickly. Only his head can 
hurt you while he's doing this so a spot dodge or well timed roll can get 
around it. All leaving the screen attacks get repeated three times when he's at 
low health. Emerging from the ground is no big deal, but avoiding three darts 
across the screen is quite difficult. Rayquaza has an attack where he begins 
charging a big blue ball of electricity in his mouth and shoots it along the 
ground. Jumping over it avoids it fairly easy, but be warned that while 
charging it is still deadly. Fox and friends can reflect this for good damage 
as well so if you have the option, exploit it. Sometimes, his eyes will glow. 
That means he's about to make an explosion appear out of nowhere, and this is 
pretty powerful. Quickly moving around so you won't be where it appears is 
best, but an air dodge can sometimes avoid it as well. His last possibility is 
flying up in the air and spinning in a circle to summon lightning to strike 
you. This does a ton of damage and is very hard to avoid, but at least it has 
almost not potential to kill you. If you see this move coming, running quickly 
to avoid it can really help. A roll is another option, but your timing will 
need to be really good. The good news is that the lightning is his least common 
move; you will only see it every few Rayquaza fights. The short version of all 
of this is that Rayquaza is an overly powerful, unfair boss. Keeping up a 
steady stream of Rock Smashes or whatever your favorite character loves to 
abuse eventually brings him down, but it takes too long, and he hits too hard. 
A lot of practice will eventually let you overcome him, but even once you are 
very good at Boss Battles, expect him to remain the biggest hurdle.

Tabuu: Tabuu is just a really random boss in terms of how he goes; he's even 
more random than Galleom. The big premise of the Tabuu fight is that he 
teleports around randomly and then does well telegraphed but very dangerous 
attacks. Sometimes a red explosion appears after each teleport in a series of 
warps; that means you will be hurt fairly badly if you are near him when he 
teleports so watch out. If he chooses to stay low to the ground and chooses to 
give you decently prolonged chances to hit him, he can be really easy. Of 
course, if you actually managed to reach him on Intense, he's probably going to 
be extremely uncooperative and spend a lot of the fight too high for you to 
score clean hits. Anyway, he likes to open the fight with a quick sweep attack 
with a little blade. He flies back next to the stage and then sweeps down over 
the ground. You can easily jump over this; it is his least dangerous attack. He 
has one other move with that weapon in which he throws the blade attached to a 
chain at you, ensnares you, whips you around a bit, and then launches you. This 
is quite hard to avoid and quite possibly fatal, but quickly changing vertical 
position while air dodging can get you out of it. If you have a partner and get 
snagged, the good news is that your friend can score a free hit or two while 
Tabuu hurts you. Of course, Tabuu's most infamous attack is his "red ring of 
death" attack. He flies into the background, spreads his wings, and launches 
three red rings that, on higher difficulties, automatically kill you if they 
hit. I suggest not getting hit. The easiest way to avoid them is to do three 
quick spot dodges. I find them easiest to time from the center of the stage, 
and you get into a bit of a rhythm with two max speed dodges followed by one 
ever so slightly delayed one. Rolls can also avoid them, and if you are super 
bold, you might even be able to get away with air dodging or Marth or Ike's 
counters. Just forget all of that and spot dodge. You absolutely, positively 
must be able to avoid this move if you want to win. If you are doing this with 
a teammate, you both must absolutely, positively be able to avoid this move. I 
don't mean be able to avoid once in a while. You must be able to reliably avoid 
it. Practice in Subspace Emissary if you must, but being able to avoid this 
move is not optional. He will almost always use it at least once during the 
fight.

Anyway, speaking of one hit kills, his "golden cage" move is similarly 
dangerous. He turns himself into this golden box and flies quickly at you. If 
he hits you, he grabs you and slams you which is fatal at all but very low 
percentages. This is tricky to avoid; your best chance is to jump over it or 
fast fall if it comes at you in the air. When he's sitting in place, sometimes 
he will start smacking his hands into the air which traps you and causes 
massive damage. You can usually see when he's starting this up by how he bends, 
but it requires quick action to avoid taking a thorough beating. Don't be too 
excited about hitting him from behind while he's doing this either; the hit 
range on those smacks is much bigger than it seems. Similarly, he sometimes 
starts shooting out sparks. He covers his whole body while doing it, and you 
get rather hurt if you stay close. Once he starts this move, just get away. 
When Tabuu's health is low, I believe this move is replaced by his "body" 
attack. He begins to shoot images of himself out in all directions. They can 
cross the entire stage, they move quickly, and they do a lot of damage and 
knock back. Get as far away as you can and keep moving and dodging when he does 
this. Tabuu can also shoot a massive number of pellets at you. He'll start 
spraying around with them for a pretty large amount of damage if you get caught 
in it, and he finishes it with a big shot that is very likely to kill you. Be 
sure to directionally influence away from him when you get hit by this unless 
you are very close to him; this move is super dangerous. If he flies up off the 
side of the stage and summons a large black mouth beneath him, get up in the 
air and stay there as long as you can. That mouth shoots a very fatal laser. 
His last move is one in which he makes a line of sparkles across the stage 
which explode for big damage a short time later. This move is quite rare, but 
it's easy to dodge. Just put yourself somewhere the sparkles didn't appear 
which is probably up in the air. Wow, that's a whole lot of moves, but I think 
I covered everything Tabuu can do. I know he's daunting, but just learn his 
patterns and respond accordingly. It's luck how long the fight takes and how 
dangerous he is, but every single one of his moves can be reliably dodged if 
you know the telegraphs. Good luck.

If you manage to beat Boss Battle on Intense, give yourself a big pat on the 
back as you've beaten something that even veteran players usually find very 
difficult. Just keep focused, and if playing with a friend, be sure to work 
together and not get mad at each other. Oh, and speaking of team play, I have 
one last obscure caution. While you can't hurt each other directly, you can 
footstool jump on each other. This usually doesn't matter, but it can be 
surprisingly easy to use a footstool jump to knock your ally into the 
teleporter while you both are going to get hearts. Don't do that.

XI. Subspace Emissary

This is the main one player mode; it's a platforming adventure game. You spend 
most of the game running to the right killing various generic enemies, watching 
stylish cut scenes that are theoretically supposed to tell a story but really 
don't, and fighting a few interesting but not particularly special bosses. You 
can also play with a second player who can warp to the first player by pressing 
start whenever the camera isn't locked and the second player isn't in hit stun 
from an enemy attack. I'll be listing where to find everything in each stage 
and which enemies are in each stage; this information should help you collect 
everything out of this mode.

As per difficulty, I really think Hard is the best choice for a first run-
through as it is difficult from time to time but never unreasonable. The choice 
is really up to you, but as I write, that's the difficulty I assume. Sometimes 
a stock ball or a healing item might be a little different mode to mode so if 
you're not playing on Hard, don't freak out if things aren't exactly the same 
as what I've said. Also, when I separate levels into parts, I do that because 
between parts you are given a new choice of characters and have your stock 
reset.

Stage 1: Midair Stadium

Characters available: Mario, Kirby, Peach, Zelda
Enemies: Primid, Boom Primid, Spaak, Sword Primid, Petey Piranha

Part 1:

Pick a character and defeat the other in a 1v1 battle. I prefer Kirby, but it 
really doesn't matter or have any effect on future events. You do get a 
slightly different cut scene depending on who you pick though so be sure to 
pick differently on a second file. Seriously, you get three lives; there's no 
reason to fail.

Part 2:

Oh no, it's some mysterious villains! This time you can choose to use the two 
princesses as well, but don't get too used to them. The fighting is really easy 
here whoever you pick so don't feel too concerned. I think Zelda does the best 
at fighting these sorts of creatures, but it really doesn't matter. Just kill 
them all to proceed.

Part 3:

It's boss time, and you only get to use Kirby. The big question here is how 
those princesses got in those cages; they must have climbed in willingly for 
some reason or another. Anyway, Petey Piranha only has two attacks. He'll swing 
a cage or jump and slam the ground. You can just jump over his cage swing and 
retaliate by smacking either cage. Just jump and do an air dodge to avoid his 
ground slamming attack. Anyway, you kill him by destroying either cage, and you 
can only rescue whichever princess is in the cage you break. This affects 
several cut scenes and which one you have access to in one level, but it's 
really not terribly important. Just like the first choice here, just pick 
whichever you like more and be sure to get the other on a second file. 
Personally, I'd take Zelda.

If you are coming back here later looking to use a Trophy Stand on Petey 
Piranha, things should be easy. Since he has only two attacks, you can avoid 
him forever waiting for one to appear. If you were wondering, yes, you do hit 
the cage with the trophy stand to capture him. Also for the record, when making 
this FAQ I beat him without taking a hit.

The level is now over; watch as Wario zaps whichever princess you didn't save. 
Kirby and the princess you did save join your party of characters you can use 
for replaying levels, and you can go to the next level.


Stage 2: Skyworld

Characters available: Pit, Mario
Enemies: Primid, Spaak, Cymul, Greap, Glunder, Boom Primid, Roturret

Part 1:

Watch the scene, and then you get to play around with Pit. Pit is a really cool 
and useful character that you'll be seeing a lot of during this game so get 
used to him. Just fall down at the start and break the three boxes to get a 
random item, some stickers, and a trophy, Exit through the door for a scene.

Part 2:

Oh my, it's a scene, and now there are enemies in this level. Start off by 
killing all of the enemies nearby, and then run to the right. Climb up the 
clouds to break a yellow box from which you can plunder some contents (yellow 
boxes always contain trophies or CDs, rarely stickers). Be sure to do this; the 
yellow boxes count toward your completion percentage. After running to the 
right a bit more, you'll discover a Cymul with a box containing a valuable 
Heart Container in it. Plunder and then head right to face a dangerous Greap. 
In general, the best way to fight Greaps is to stay behind them and hit them 
with smashes. This will keep knocking them up in the air where they're pretty 
harmless. Don't jump at them; they do a dangerous spinning blade attack if you 
do. Don't get hit by the scythes either; they do big damage and break shields. 
After felling the foe, head through the door for yet another scene.

Part 3:

Pick between Mario and Pit and be on your way. If you want this to be much 
easier, pick Pit. Start by just going down and killing anything in your way. 
After riding the purple cloud, run to the right for a while past nothing of 
significance or difficulty. When you see some moving pillars, look closely as 
one has a door behind it. Enter it and go through a brief auto scrolling 
section so you can break two boxes and get some stickers and a trophy. Exit the 
way you came and continue to the right. You'll have some forced fighting, but 
none of the enemies are terribly challenging. After that, a sunny enemy called 
a Roturret will appear. This guy will tear you apart if you let him, but if you 
just jump at him and keep hitting him, he isn't a threat. Pit can reflect his 
shots with his down special as well, but Roturret is such an awful aim that he 
can't hit you while you have it out so don't bother. After felling him, 
continue to the right to go through the golden door to see a scene and end the 
level. Mario and Pit will join your party.

Stage 3: Sea of Clouds

Characters available: Kirby and Peach/Zelda (depends on who you saved)
Enemies: Boom Primid, Primid, Glunder, Poppant, Feyesh, Towtow, Mite, Greap

Part 1:

Run right on the Halberd. There are no enemies, and it's generally completely 
uneventful until the scene that knocks you off it.

Part 2:

There's a good deal of jumping around here so Kirby is a solid choice, but 
Sheik is also pretty good (use down + B with Zelda). It really doesn't matter 
though. Head right from the start and fight your way through some enemies, and 
then loop around the bottom and head left. At the turning point, be sure to 
break the blue box for a valuable Stock Ball. You'll run into a rather 
intimidating looking monster who rushes at you fiercely upon being awoken, but 
he staggers super easily so just attack him quickly and repeatedly to defeat 
him. After felling the beast, jump up the blocks to a door in which you will 
find two blue boxes containing two heart containers and some stickers. Head 
back out and then continue to the left. You'll loop around and back down to the 
right a bit and find another door. Enter.

Just rush to the right, and when you see a way down, pass it by and jump down 
at the farthest right point to find a blue box with some stickers or a trophy 
in it. After collecting, go down the original path down to discover a generator 
making Mites. Destroy the generator to enable yourself to proceed. When you see 
another way down, neglect it and stick to the high road to find a blue box with 
a Starman in it. Grab it and leap down to find another Mite generator and a few 
Glunders. Destroy them to allow yourself to head right. Just run ahead of the 
boulder or jump over it if you get nervous to make it most of the way through 
the rest of this level. You'll find a Greap at the end; kill him and go through 
the golden door to finish.

Stage 4: The Jungle

Characters available: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong
Enemies: Goomba, Koopa (green), Paratroopa (green), Paratroopa (red), Hammer 
Bro, Bullet Bill, Giant Goomba

Note: This is the best level in the game to harvest stickers as it is super 
easy even on Intense and has a nice place in the middle you can abuse.

Okay, after that awesome scene, you get to pick your character. Almost everyone 
really prefers Diddy Kong, and he really is a lot better for this. However, if 
you really must use Donkey Kong, it will be fine as this is a pretty easy 
level. Start by squashing a few Goombas by simply jumping on them, and break 
the blue box to get either a super mushroom or a poison mushroom. Continue to 
the right, and be sure to smack the Koopas to make them retreat into their 
shells. You can jump on or hit Paratroopas to make them into Koopas, and this 
will also count for trophy standing them. That doesn't matter so much for the 
greens, but walking red Koopa are very rare so this knowledge will come in 
handy. Either way, continue to the right and into a barrel cannon to be blasted 
upward where you will find a blue box with a heart container. Ignore the next 
barrel, but jump in the one after it to blast yourself through the blocks in 
the floor where you can get a yellow box. Go back up and continue to the right 
through a barrel blasting section to reach a door.

Here you'll discover some pink balls on tracks along with the enemies. Smack 
the pink balls to make them move along the track, and the harder you hit, the 
faster they move. They kill enemies along the way as well as breaking open 
boxes and destructible blocks so be sure to take good advantage of them while 
fighting. Either way, just run to the right breaking a few boxes and smashing 
some foes until you reach a ladder. Smack the pink ball to break open some 
destructible terrain which was masking a yellow box, and then climb the two 
ladders to find another pink ball that destroys some more blocks to reveal a 
door. Enter.

In this room, you will just find two boxes with some stickers and Maxim 
Tomatoes. Grab them and exit the way you came and then continue to the right 
(hit the pink ball to hit that switch to make the platform appear). On that 
note, the platform that appears when you hit the switch is the key to sticker 
harvesting. Kill all the Goombas on it and then go back through the earlier 
door to make them respawn. Repeat as desired for maximum profit. Either way, 
you get in a forced fight that ends with you getting a Stock Ball and then get 
to go a little more right to a door.

Just ride the platform up in this room, defeating the enemies as they appear. 
None of them are too hard, and if you just stay low, the Bullet Bills aren't a 
problem. There's a trophy on a ledge on the way up; be sure to grab it. Exit 
through the door at the top.

In the last room, avoid the launcher and fall as far left as you can when you 
drop down. You will hit some Jyk; don't worry about it and use an air dodge to 
keep going right through them. Land on the ledge and enter the door for a 
yellow box and some healing. Go back the way you came and drop down to fight 
some Goombas, including a few giant ones that require you to jump on them many 
times. Slay them all and exit through the door for a tragic scene and to end 
the level. Diddy Kong will join your party afterward.

Stage 5: The Plain

Characters available: Pit, Mario
Enemies: Borboras, Primid, Boom Primid, Feyesh, Ticken, Poppant, Spaak, Fire 
Primid, Glunder

Again, I really suggest picking Pit over Mario as he has a much easier time 
getting around and fighting. Anyway, start off by running to the right as per 
usual to meet a new enemy, Borboras. These guys are pretty easy; they don't 
attack and just blow wind which slows you down. If you hit them with anything 
that doesn't kill them, they start singing and dancing and are pretty much open 
to being finished off. You'll also run into some Ticken which are pretty much 
nothing but big targets. When you reach a big wall of blocks, break them near 
the top and keep breaking upward. On top of the rightmost block off screen 
there's a yellow box with a trophy in it. Be sure to grab it! You will enter a 
more indoors area where you're supposed to outrun a wall, but it's really easy 
to stay ahead of so don't worry. You can hit a box for a trophy on the way, and 
the wall will even push it right to you. Either way, you'll come to a shaft 
that looks like it's too high to ascend. Mario could wall jump up it, but Pit 
can just take all of his jumps and then fly with his up special. Do note that 
you hold B to fly up; that's not immediately obvious but is necessary to make 
it to the top. Enter the door here.

Inside you'll find stickers, a Heart Container, and a yellow box. Plunder them 
all and go back the way you came. Head to the right a little more and exit 
through the door. In this last area, you just ride a platform and fight some 
enemies. After you're done, you will arrive at the end of the level. Enjoy the 
scene I guess.

Stage 6: The Lake

Characters available: Diddy Kong, Fox
Enemies: Rayquaza, Goomba, Paratroopa (green), Hammer Bro, Auroros, Paratroopa 
(red), Borboras, Giant Goomba, Towtow, Mite, Bucculus, Bullet Bill, Koopa 
(green)

Part 1:

Just kill Rayquaza and move on. Wait, you want advice on how? Well, if I 
must...

Rayquaza has a bunch of moves I cover in detail in his write up in the Boss 
Battles section so I won't be redundant. For the purpose of this storyline 
fight, I really suggest picking Fox and just constantly jumping at him using 
forward aerials. If he starts to shoot a blue ball of electricity, throw up 
your reflector to bounce it back. If he does tries to swoop in at you from any 
direction, just rolling around can avoid it. After he is felled, he'll drop a 
nice harvest of stickers you should be sure to collect.

Part 2:

I prefer Diddy Kong here, but it's all apples and oranges. Start off by 
entering the door and going right a bit and then entering the door in plain 
sight. Head left to find a yellow box, and then go back right and down and 
through the door. Jump up and hit the block above you to make some light, and 
then jump up on the left to find a blue box with a Maxim Tomato in it. Climb as 
far as you can go and go through the door to your left.

Proceed right and into a door, and you'll reach a fun little section. Start by 
heading right and taking the door with the up arrow. Once out, head right to 
fight some Goombas and break a bomb block. Go back left and through the door 
with the down arrow and then head right. Jump up at the first opportunity and 
hit the switch to allow you to go onward, but before that head right a bit to 
claim a Stock Ball. After that, go back left and enter the normal looking door 
with no arrow on it and then immediately enter the next door on the ground, 
kill the Towtow, and enter the door that appears then.

The next section just has you riding a raft. Enjoy the ride and kill all who 
stand before you, etc. When you see a door, jump up and enter. In here, you 
find another Stock Ball and a yellow box. Grab both and exit as you came to 
ride the raft some more. Be sure to hit the next yellow box you see floating in 
the air if you don't want to have to replay this whole level later to get 100%. 
After the raft ride ends, head right for a bit while being sure to hit the blue 
box with the two Maxim Tomatoes in it.

After a nice blast through a very odd cannon, you will be in a duel with 
Bowser. Of course, after those two Stock Balls, you would be hard pressed to 
lose. Given that Diddy and Fox are very fast and Bowser is very slow, this 
should be easy anyway. Just beat him like you'd fight an everyday character to 
end this level. After a scene, Fox will join your party.

Stage 7: The Ruined Zoo

Characters available: Lucas, Ness, Pokemon Trainer (Squirtle only)
Enemies: Primid, Buckot, Boom Primid, Auroros, Floow, Bytan, Glunder, Borboras, 
Ticken, Fire Primid, 

Part 1:

In this part, you only have Lucas and must run from the statue. Do not fight 
the statue; you cannot damage it. Just keep running until you get to an epic 
scene and the boss.

Part 2:

Take your pick between Lucas and Ness. Lucas is strictly better for the boss, 
but you won't have Ness again for a long time so you should pick him anyway. 
Porky also has a detailed write up in the Boss Battles section, but for the 
purposes of the story, you should just not stay too near to him but close 
enough to tear him apart with your aerials, back with Ness and down with Lucas. 
Both Lucas and Ness would pretty much be committing suicide on the ground so 
don't bother. If you feel bold, try jumping on top of him and unloading with 
your forward smash. Get the stickers, watch the awful scene that not only robs 
you of one of the coolest characters in the game but causes me to ask some 
questions about Wario I don't want to be asking. Anyway, I guess we have to 
move on to the next part.

Part 3:

I really think Squirtle is better here (Pokemon don't get exhausted in Subspace 
Emissary), but use Lucas if you feel like it. You have a long area here in 
which you must fight your way to the right. The only really notable thing is 
that the Floow enemies make their introduction here; be sure to attack them 
very aggressively to prevent them from causing big damage to you. Yes they 
constantly heal if not at full health, but they only attack if at full health 
so it's a trade off. Enter the building you come across to continue in this 
increasingly lengthy level.

In here, head right and kill a massive number of Bytan to open the path 
forward. Jump up the platforms to a yellow box continue right after that to a 
door which you should enter. Head right here, and just as you reach the end of 
the first building, drop down and enter a door to your left. In here you'll 
find a yellow box and a blue box with two Maxim Tomatoes. Exit the way you came 
and go right through some more fighting to the end of the level though you can 
find a blue box with a trophy if you check under the right side of the platform 
with the forced fight. After this, Lucas and Pokemon Trainer (Squirtle only) 
will join your party, and no, you won't unlock Ness by the Subspace Emissary 
method now. You don't unlock Ness until you see him again much, much later in 
the story.

Stage 8: The Battlefield Fortress

Characters available: Marth, Meta Knight, Ike
Enemies: Primid, Sword Primid, Armight, Borboras, Roader, Spaak, Scope Primid, 
Buckot, Greap, Autolance, Poppant, Feyesh, Fire Primid, Towtow, Nagagog

Part 1:

To start off, this stage is super long. It's the longest stage in the game 
other than the last one. However, you get to use Marth who is a fantastically 
powerful character; even those who were awful with him in the previous game 
should find him a quick and powerful answer to pretty much everything. Start by 
running to the right and along the linear path until you see a key right next 
to a door. Do the sensible thing and run into the door with the key to unlock 
it and continue along that path past the Jyk and into a standard red door. Grab 
the Heart Container and the yellow box and then exit and continue left and down 
until you have a choice to go up or down. Go down to claim a Stock Ball and 
then continue left until you can enter a door. Use any of Marth's long range 
moves to hit the switch on the other side of the barricade and then continue 
left past the swarms of enemies until you see a scene.

Part 2:

I prefer Marth, but feel free to pick Meta Knight if you want. You just have to 
beat a swarm of enemies while a slight wind pushes you left so do that. Late in 
the fight you will see a Greap alongside a bunch of enemies; you can simplify 
fighting the Greap by luring him to the left edge and just knocking him off.

Afterward you get to run to the left some more so do that. After a forced 
fight, you'll come across your first Autolance. Kill it to be rewarded with a 
Stock Ball. Continue left a bit more to an auto scrolling section. You'll see a 
trophy, sticker, or CD under a ledge here so be sure to grab that! After loads 
more of fighting and moving to the left, you'll reach a door you should enter.

Drop down, ride the mine cart (it doesn't matter if you jump out before the 
spikes so don't bother) and enter the door. In here ride yet another mine cart 
to find a yellow box and a blue box with some stickers. Run back left and go 
back through the door and then proceed right. After some more fighting and more 
mine carts (since we all know Fire Emblem was renounced for its mine cart 
segments), you'll reach a door. Speaking of those mine carts though, do have 
the good sense to jump out of them before they go careening into a pit. That 
would be a tragic way to die. Once back outside, run right just a bit to 
trigger another scene.

Part 3:

Ike has joined your merry band of swordsmen, and you have yet more fighting to 
do. I would stick with Marth, but if you crave a new face, feel free to try 
Ike. I warn you now that he's super slow and generally really awful when used 
in Subspace Emissary since slow and powerful doesn't help against swarms of 
weak enemies or in platforming areas. The Nagagog may seem like a serious 
threat, but it really isn't. Just pound on it for an easy kill. Just run a bit 
more to the right for yet another scene and to finally end this long, long 
level. Afterward, Marth, Meta Knight, and Ike join your party, and Marth is 
unlocked for normal play. You'll see a scene with Luigi and King Dedede too, 
but don't get too excited as you don't get either of them for a very long time.

Stage 9: The Forest

Characters available: Link, Yoshi
Enemies: Primid, Sword Primid, Puppit, Bucculus, Boom Primid, Trowlon, Auroros, 
Ticken, Feyesh, Fire Primid, Mite, Shellpod

I prefer Link here, but feel free to use Yoshi if you want. Start off by 
running to the right and then drop down between two trees at the first possible 
point. Head left to a door, and loot the yellow box and Heart Container. Exit 
the room and then continue right, grabbing the blue box near the base of the 
last tree after you reach the ground. More running right and more fighting will 
get you to a door.

In this area, you'll first meet Trowlons who try to drag you off the top of the 
screen but aren't really dangerous at all except on Intense. This is definitely 
the best place to go for a Trowlon trophy if post game you don't have one (and 
you probably won't) so keep it in mind. Either way, fight your way right for 
quite an uneventful while until you reach some blocks you can detonate. Do so 
and continue on the lower path to find a yellow box. The last set of exploding 
blocks reveals a door you should enter.

Just head right here. There are some pink balls on tracks you can use to make 
this really easy, and you can use two in a really obvious ways to pick up a 
Stock Ball and some stickers. When you get to the end of the road, hit the 
switch to make some platforms, head up, and then use a projectile to hit the 
next pink ball to safely break open the path forward. After one more forced 
fight, you'll see a scene and end the level. Link and Yoshi join the party now. 
You also see a scene with a box, but it's such a clever disguise that you could 
never guess that there just might be someone inside.

Stage 10: The Research Facility (left)

Characters available: Zero Suit Samus, Pikachu
Enemies: R.O.B. Sentry, R.O.B Blaster, Roturret, Glunder, Bytan, R.O.B. 
Launcher, Metal Primid

Part 1:

Get acquainted with your new character, and then exit through the door to the 
right. Take the elevator up one level and head right to find a yellow box. Take 
the elevator to the highest floor and exit via the door to the right for a 
scene.

Part 2:

I prefer Pikachu, but it really doesn't matter too much. Just head right to a 
door to find yourself in a rather large room. The first door in here you want 
to take is the lower right one. Head right until a fork and head right to find 
a key. Then go left and up through a locked door and to another fork. The lower 
path is wrong; go up and right to another key, but ignore it and continue right 
over a pit to find a yellow box. Make your way back to the key and then back to 
the locked door at the fork. Go through, hit the switch, and backtrack to the 
large room.

You will probably want to grab the Stock Ball in the upper right corner of the 
room before you go any farther, but you need to exit via the door on the middle 
right. Here just ride the moving platform, hit the switch, and then backtrack 
to the large room. It's pretty simple.

Finally exit the large room via the upper left exit. It's pretty linear for a 
while so just press onward through the enemies and the door. You can wall jump 
up through the vertical shaft for a Heart Container if you want, but otherwise 
you should just press right to the exit. Just be sure to use your projectiles 
to destroy the mines (which aren't enemies and can't be snagged with a Trophy 
Stand), and don't use projectiles on the Metal Primids who reflect them. They 
are generally obnoxious enemies, but powerful multi-hit attacks like Pikachu's 
down smash make quick work of them. After you go through the door, you'll be 
treated to a scene, and Zero Suit Samus and Pikachu will join your party.

Note: Your party will be shaken up quite a bit after the next stage. You will 
lose whichever princess you had, but Mario, Link, and Kirby's groups will be 
consolidated. You probably noted that you had seven different groups at this 
point; consolidation was inevitable.

Stage 11: The Lake Shore

Characters available: Mario, Pit, Link, Yoshi, Kirby
Enemies: Bombed, Mite, Ticken, Greap, Spaak, Bullet Bill, Bucculus, Shaydas, 
Feyesh, 

Part 1:

Things start off by Kirby doing a fine job of ensuring you lose your princess; 
I hardly even blame Bowser as Kirby just made it too easy for him. Regardless, 
before the shadow version of the princess can take out a few characters with 
the trophy gun, the opposite group interrupts her. That is, Zelda gets 
interrupted by Pit and Mario, and Peach gets interrupted by Link and Yoshi. Of 
course, this means a fight. I prefer Pit and Link, but it's just a standard 1v1 
brawl so pick whoever your favorite is. You get two stock for this so it's 
really easy. Also, just to note, in this fight and the next one there is a walk 
off ledge to the left you can abuse with back throws for easy, quick kills.

Part 2:

There's been a bit of a misunderstanding here... Anyway, you now have to fight 
the opposite group, and this scene is way cooler if you just fought Zelda. 
Seriously, Link's attack on Mario was brutal! It's a 2v2 with the AI taking 
whoever you don't pick, and the AI can do most of the work for you even if you 
really suck so don't worry about it. Just win the fight for another scene.

Part 3:

It amazes me how little Mario is concerned about Luigi; he seems only worried 
about Peach. Of course, no one but Lucas cares about Ness at all, and Lucas 
isn't here. Anyway, you have a full group to pick from and then some; you get 
to omit a character. Pit and Kirby's amazing aerial abilities really do make 
subspace levels in general much easier so I'd give them top nods, and Link's 
sword lets him safely tear apart subspace enemies so you should bring him. I 
think Yoshi is a bit better than Mario, but in either case, that should be the 
last character you pick.

In either case, just fight to the right. Watch out for the Bombed as they can 
be pretty tricky; projectiles and careful attacks after they throw their heads 
are best. Either way, after a bunch of fighting and a ride, you'll reach a door 
you should enter. The next area is an auto scrolling area, but watch out as it 
has a yellow box. You'll find it shortly after the area with the falling floor; 
be at the front of the screen when the time comes. Otherwise, just enjoy the 
simple ride and enter the cave for a scene.

Part 3:

Again, I'd suggest Pit and Kirby first, Link second, and either Yoshi or Mario 
last. Just progress along the linear path and through a mine cart to an area 
with water. Break the obvious blue box for some food you probably don't need, 
and then go right a bit and straight up to be presented with a fork. Keep going 
up instead of right and enter the door to your left hidden behind the blocks. 
You'll find a yellow box in here as well as a blue one with some stickers. Go 
back the way you came and then go right at the fork.

Be careful of the hot pillars as you move right, and when you find a key, use 
it on the topmost door. There is nothing but unnecessary pain to get another 
key on the other two paths. When a Shaydas attacks you, be sure to stop and 
kill it instead of running past as its death will make a door appear. Yes, this 
is the only place in the entire game a secret is hidden like this. Either way, 
enter the door to find a room with another yellow box as well as a blue box 
with a heart container. Exit the way you came and continue right.

From here on, the path is linear. Fight your way through to a door, and go in 
to discover a blue box with some stickers and a yellow box right next to the 
golden door. After entering, the stage is complete, the parties are 
consolidated, and you get to see a few scenes.

Level 12: The Path to the Ruins

Characters available: Lucas, Pokemon Trainer (Squirtle only)
Enemies: Shellpod, Boom Primid, Puppit, Primid, Gamyga, Borboras, Fire Primid, 
Armight, Glire, Nagagog, Scope Primid, 

Part 1:

Both Lucas and Squirtle are great so you really can't go wrong here; I'd prefer 
Squirtle, but the choice is yours. In either case, progress right along the 
linear path through some blocks and up an elevator. You'll then encounter two 
Gamyga who are quite possibly the most dangerous common subspace enemy. You can 
pound on the bases to break them and lower them and then beat up the head, but 
a better strategy is to just leap over the one on the right and run onward. 
Jump down the third pit out of four to find a door; the other three lead to 
death.

This room contains four nooks with items in them (trophies or stickers). Be 
sure to loot all four and then exit the way you came. Go back up the pit via 
the platforms and then proceed to the right. There's a yellow box in plain 
sight here; be sure to grab it. Continue right until you find several things 
launching fire from the floor. Just carefully jump past them and use the 
switches to temporarily deactivate them. If you're using Lucas, Pk Thunder 
helps with this a lot. When you see the Armights and the down arrow, do the 
only sensible thing and go up to find a yellow box.

Head down to a fork, and then head left for a stock ball. From here it's 
straight linear to the right with plenty of forced fighting and fixed platform 
riding thrown in but nothing hidden or particularly interesting. After the 
elevator ride up, head left for a blue box with some stickers and then right 
for a door, a small amount of extra running to the right, and a scene.

Part 2:

It's time to beat up Wario for what he did to Ness. I prefer Lucas for the 
effect, but do whatever you want. You actually get four stock just to fight 
Wario; it's nearly impossible to lose. Due to the weird level layout, you'll 
either have to kill off the top with an up smash or lure Wario near the sides 
to kill him that way. The latter isn't as easy as it sounds as Wario's AI is 
stubborn. Either way, victory will remove the threat of Wario for the remainder 
of the game and end the level. Unfortunately, Ness is still gone. This makes 
Lucas sad, but Pokemon Trainer wants him to cheer up and get ready for his 
labor to be exploited a bit more.

Level 13: The Cave

Characters available: Mario, Pit, Link, Yoshi, Kirby
Enemies: Goomba, Paratroopa (red), Hammer Bro, Koopa (green), Paratroopa 
(green), Shellpod, Glire, Bullet Bill, Bucculus, Giant Goomba

Evidently digging through the rubble never occurred to anyone; they could have 
saved Ness, Luigi, and King Dedede right now. Anyway, follow the standard 
course and pick Pit and Kirby first, Link second, and Mario or Yoshi last. 
Progress along the linear path while avoiding various fun obstacles such as 
falling rocks and ceilings until you've just beaten a group of enemies atop a 
ladder. After this you'll have to outrace a bunch of pillars that are just 
waiting to give you a crushing death. Right before you get ready to outrun the 
third one, stop. Bait it to move and back off to the safe area so you can watch 
it pass. This will reveal a path upward to a door. Inside you'll find closing 
in walls, a yellow box, and a blue box with stickers. You can always come back 
in if you can't get both in one pass, but do get that yellow box. Exit the way 
you came and this time race down against the third moving pillar. Do note that 
there's a yellow box on the bottommost platform here; be sure to snag that at 
the safest opportunity.

Continue along the linear path for a while. You'll see some stone walls coming 
at you, but if you just play it safe and jump through the gaps carefully, 
you'll be fine. This leads to a door which sends you to a lovely room where you 
just have to get a key a short distance to another door. Pit and Kirby can just 
fly over, but the other three will have to carefully position themselves to the 
left of the dropping spike platform so they can cross the room safely.

The fog here hurts you so hit the switches to dispel it. Either way, this level 
is so linear it blows my mind. Just go the only way possible for a ways until 
you hit a bit of a fork. Just go low, hit the switch, and then rush through the 
upper path. After a bit more forward progress, you might find yourself stumped 
by a switch in the middle of a fog. You can just take some damage to run over 
and hit it, but a safer plan would be to hit it with a projectile. Yes, the 
beam from Kirby's Final Cutter works. More boring linear progress ensues until 
you find a switch that opens the path to a door above you. Quickly make your 
way into that door as it's a side area.

In here there is a safe yellow box and a dangerous blue box. Grab the yellow 
one, and then hit the blue one from the air. Landing on the platform it is on 
causes it to crumble, but you should be able to collect a few stickers from the 
air if you're precise. Exit the way you came, head right a bit, and go through 
the golden door to end this level. The scene here makes a bit more sense if you 
rescued Zelda in the beginning; Mario stopping his attack for Peach just seems 
far more reasonable.

Level 14: The Ruins

Characters available: Lucas, Pokemon Trainer (Squirtle only at first, Ivysaur 
joins midway)
Enemies: Borboras, Floow, Mite, Glire, Roturret, Fire Primid, Metal Primid, 
Bytan, Autolance, Armight, Shaydas, Towtow

Part 1:

I prefer Squirtle as usual, but it really doesn't matter too much. This is a 
super long level so you'll probably be seeing both before it's over. In either 
case, follow the simple path until you reach an area with expanding and 
retracting ceilings and floors. Progress through here with caution, and be sure 
to carefully grab the trophy off the fleeting ledge next to the Jyk. In either 
case, things are simple and uneventful until you reach a blue box with a Stock 
Ball in it.

Jump onto the platform to the right to ride through an interesting circular 
area where the Roturret in the middle and the Floow try their hardest to make 
things hard. Just stay low and fight off the Floow as best you can until you 
can get off on the right side. Jump down the shaft here, and hit the switch on 
the right. The floor will drop, and you'll discover a door. The other two 
switches only lead to danger; don't hit them.

The next section is auto scrolling so I needn't say much. However, there is a 
yellow box here that's quite easy to miss. It's on top of the second set of 
breakable blocks. Do yourself a favor and break through them near the top to 
make sure you get to it. Even if you die grabbing whatever drops, it is worth 
it. Be sure to enter the first door you see as you go down the shaft with the 
spikes as it's a side area. Grab the two blue boxes for some stickers and a 
Heart Container and then exit back the way you came, fall down, and head to the 
right for a scene in which you acquire Ivysaur. If you're using Pokemon Trainer 
you automatically switch, but you don't get to reselect characters or refresh 
stock.

Continue to the right through more linearity and switch hitting that's actually 
really simple (just hit all of them and keep running right) until you reach a 
Roturret. Kill the Roturret first, and then hit just the right switch to reveal 
a door. Doing this wrong can prevent you from being able to find the door so 
don't experiment. In here you find a simple room with a Heart Container, a 
yellow box, and a blue box with some stickers. Exploit all and go back the way 
you came for some more fun running along a linear path to the right to enter a 
door.

Part 2:

You get your stock refreshed, but you don't get to reselect characters. 
Whatever, just beat Charizard in a 1v1 in which you have four stock. You could 
be brain dead and still do this one. After this, the level is over, and Pokemon 
Trainer now has all three of his Pokemon.

Level 15: The Wilds (left)

Characters available: Marth, Meta Knight, Ike
Enemies: Scope Primid, Primid, Buckot, Gamyga, Trowlon, Bytan, Roader, Armank, 
Auroros, Mite, Towtow, Boom Primid, Big Primid, Bombed, Galleom

Part 1:

I really prefer Marth due to how he's generally good at everything, but Meta 
Knight is also solid. Ike's sloth will only make this hard on you, but at least 
he kills pretty much everything instantly. Either way, the first part is 100% 
linear fighting so just do that until you exit a cave. Climb the ledges to your 
left to find a door you should enter. In here, you find a yellow box and a blue 
box with some stickers. Exit the way you came and just head right through more 
linearity, being sure to grab the incredibly obvious yellow box on the way. 
After much fighting, avoiding mines, wind, and auto scrolling, you'll find a 
door to enter. On the way, you'll find your first Armank. In order to defeat 
these, you must attack the green ball in the center. When the claw comes out, 
attack it to force the Armank to reveal the green ball again.

I'm sure this will shock you, but the path is completely linear for a while 
with nothing you haven't seen before until you reach some barrel cannons. If 
you didn't notice, the level design has been deteriorating for a while. Anyway, 
once in the barrel cannons, you can go for the green box with a heart container 
by generally navigating left and down at every opportunity. It's really not 
hard at all. You need to either make your way to the three barrel junction from 
which you can launch yourself right to the door or just generally launch 
yourself high enough to fly there with Meta Knight. Enter the door to discover 
a yellow box that seems like you need to take a circular path to get to it. Ike 
and Meta Knight can actually just use their full set of jumps and up specials 
to get up there, but Marth has to take the long route. Either way, exit the way 
you came, and avoid the barrel cannons by just hugging the right wall. If you 
miss the timing, you just need to stick to the lower and right barrel cannons 
to make it onward. Enter the door, enter the next immediately obvious door, and 
meet up with a boss.

Part 2:

I again suggest Marth, Meta Knight, and then Ike, but the choice is less big 
now since Ike's great power is a real boon here. Marth and Meta Knight should 
stay relatively low to Galleom's feet and hack away with their aerials. I 
prefer neutral with Marth and forward with Meta Knight, but any will do fine. 
Ike should abuse Aether and his aerials in a similar manner (neutral and back 
are the fast ones), but anything he does will just rack up massive damage. If 
you want to know more about Galleom's attack patterns, read his section in Boss 
Battles. He's a pretty easy boss so have fun with him.

Level 16: The Ruined Hall

Characters Available: Lucas, Pokemon Trainer
Enemies: Galleom

Yep, you get to fight him again, but he's way easier. Pick Pokemon Trainer; he 
always leads with Charizard. Jump at Galleom and use Rock Smash (forward + B). 
Repeat a few times for an easy win. It's your good fortune that Charizard is 
the game's ultimate boss killer, and they just happened to give him to you in 
time! This is also the whole level. If you ever want to Trophy Stand Galleom, 
you know which level to do it in. Also, after this level, Lucas and Pokemon 
Trainer will join up with Meta Knight's group which is handy to know if you're 
in the mood to replay some levels.

Level 17: The Wilds (right)

Characters available: Mario, Pit, Link, Yoshi, Kirby
Enemies: Shellpod, Feyesh, Bucculus, Borboras, Mite, Armight, Puppit, Ticken, 
Nagagog, Trowlon, Scope Primid, Primid, Sword Primid, Greap, Bytan, Spaak, 
Roader

This is a really boring level that really had no reason to be in the game. 
Anyway, you know what my character suggestions are for this group by now so 
keep them in mind. Head right and fight for a while until you reach a moving 
pink ball after a Borboras. Destroy what you will, but be mindful of the second 
moving shortly thereafter. Destroy the left column of blocks to open the way to 
a few stickers which you should quickly grab. Continue to the right until you 
find some elevators. Just move the middle one upward, move off of it, and then 
leap down where it used to be. Watch out for crushing deaths! Enter the door, 
grab the yellow box and blue box with a Maxim Tomato, exit the way you came, 
and take the left elevator this time. Fight right a bit to a door you should 
enter.

Ride a platform and follow a linear path for a while until you are riding a 
moving platform and see another one. Switch platforms as sticking to the first 
one is a fatal mistake. Continue along the linearity until you hit a fork 
(gasp, non-linearity!) and go left to find a yellow box. Then head right to end 
this very dull level. If you think I was overly minimal in my descriptions, try 
not getting hit, avoiding the spikes, and not letting the wind mess you up. 
There are only so many ways I can say "run on one path and don't die".

Level 18: The Swamp

Characters available: Diddy Kong, Fox, Falco
Enemies: Goomba, Koopa (green), Paratroopa (green), Hammer Bro, Puppit, Bullet 
Bill, Poppant, Floow, Paratroopa (red), Borboras, Feyesh, Boom Primid, Giant 
Goomba

Part 1:

Okay, this level is more fun than the last one largely because you get a new 
character here. I suggest leading with Diddy Kong, but it's not all that 
important. Anyway, start off with some linear progression to the right. When 
you see the first leaf in the updraft, jump into the pit and fall to the right 
to find a yellow box. Break to the right and follow a linear path to a door.

Head to the right some more along a linear path until you see a blue box. You 
have to jump down and use either the forward or up special of your character to 
get there; in both cases, I find forward easier and more stylish. It contains a 
Heart Container which you might not need, but will your pride let you pass it 
up?  Continue along the linear path, fight some more, grab the stock ball, 
continue some more, and enter the first door you see. Grab the two obvious 
Maxim Tomatoes in the blue box, and then jump up in the wind to find a yellow 
box in the upper-left corner of the room. Go back the way you came and follow 
the linear path to a door and a scene.

Part 2:

The good news is that Falco has joined your merry band. The bad news is that 
you have a giant shadow Diddy to take down. This thing is HARD. It's probably 
the single hardest fight in the game, and I'm not even joking. I suggest 
leading off with Fox, then Diddy, and then Falco. Fox is the best at killing 
this thing so you'll want him to be the character you use twice. Just stay 
relatively low to the ground and pound on it with aerials. Rely on your shield 
as this thing hits super hard and kills you really easily. Spend your first 
three stock racking up damage, and then when you get Fox back on the last 
stock, try to take it out with an up smash. It had to be at over 400% for me to 
be able to kill it off the top this way, seriously.

Part 3:

I like Diddy Kong more than the space animals, but take who you will as the 
worst is over. The first room is a long, linear, and super easy area so just 
plow through it. In the second area, continue right until you find a Borboras 
and a Paratroopa (red). Use the springs here to launch up high and get a yellow 
box. The blue box you see soon afterward contains a Stock Ball so be sure to 
grab it. After you break through some blocks, drop down to find a door with a 
blue box containing stickers, a Heart Container, and a trophy hidden inside 
some blocks (there's a bomb block underwater). Loot everything, go back, and 
follow the linear path to the right to a door.

In the last area, you just have to move to the right, and there are no secrets. 
However, be careful as sometimes nasty barbed plants will shoot out of the 
water at you. If you watch the water, you can see them coming so avoid them. 
Exit via the golden door to end the level. Falco not only joins your party now, 
but he's unlocked for standard play as well.

Level 19: The Research Facility (right)

Characters available: Zero Suit Samus/Samus, Pikachu
Enemies: R.O.B. Sentry, R.O.B. Blaster, Glice, Sword Primid, Roader, Buckot, 
R.O.B. Launcher, Cymul, Autolance, Roturret, Primid, Scope Primid, Ridley

Part 1:

This level is nothing special, but at least you get to fight another boss at 
the end of it. I suggest picking Pikachu, but Zero Suit Samus is fine as well. 
Anyway, the platforms move away when the lights are off and contract when the 
lights are on so keep the lights off unless you need to move platforms. 
Otherwise just progress to the right until you come to a ladder. Here, hit a 
switch and rush down the ladder to enter a door on your left. If you are too 
slow, the platforms will be in the way, and you won't see the door. The door 
leads to a side area where you find another yellow box and a Heart Container. 
Snag both, leave the way you came, and then take the door to the right to 
progress. Fight your way through another hallway to a door that leads to a 
scene.

Part 2:

Evidently the Shadow Bugs can even copy an empty Power Suit. That's really 
fair. Anyway, I would take Zero Suit Samus just to suit the mood, but it's just 
a 2v1 fight so you should be fine either way. You get a whopping four stock so 
there's no real need to be worried; you can fight like garbage and still win. 
Either way, after you win, Zero Suit Samus puts her clothes back on, and you 
get to move on.

Part 3:

Despite all the effort you went through to get Samus, I still prefer Pikachu. 
Does that make me a bad person? Anyway, progress along the linear path until 
you encounter a large number of blocks you need to break. Break downward on the 
left side to find a trophy hidden in that mess. Either way, other than that 
little easter egg, this room is just linear progress to the right so follow the 
set path to the door. If the moving platforms prove hard for you, I suggest you 
ignore the switches on the side and just jump while they're moving. Stopping 
them by hitting the switches actually makes this harder.

This next room is incredibly obnoxious. Start by hitting the switch and riding 
the platform to the next ledge. Climb up the ladder, hit another switch, and 
ride the platform on the right, but be sure to jump off when the screen locks. 
After winning the fight and claim the Stock Ball, head to the right, jump on 
the platform, and then jump off again at the first ledge on your left. Destroy 
the blocks and walk left to a door. Inside you'll find a nasty side room with a 
yellow box at the far end of it. Use projectiles to stop the blocks and quickly 
move over them. Expect to take some hits, but the yellow box is worth it. Exit 
the way you came, climb the ladder to the right, hit the switch, and get ready 
to jump on that platform again.

Read ahead and understand what's about to come well. Jump on the platform to 
your right, ride it, and jump on the first platform to your left. Now ride it 
until it starts moving upward and then go to the platform on your left. Almost 
immediately after hitting that one, you need to jump to the left to yet another 
platform that will pass under the door you need to enter. If you ever feel the 
need to replay this level (and if you want the boss trophy, you probably will), 
I strongly suggest you use Pit or R.O.B. and just abuse their flight here.

In the next room, enter the lower warp (which is just a fancy looking door when 
you get down to it). Win the fight, continue to the right, go up the next room 
to another warp, and then ride left past the first warp to a second one. Hit 
the switch, and then backtrack to the warp you passed up and take it. You'll 
drop down a shaft and land right next to a yellow box you should plunder. Exit 
via the warp to the left, take the door, grab the Heart Containers from the 
blue box, and get ready for a boss.

Part 4:

That was a pretty cool scene, was it not? We can only speculate that Pikachu 
knows Hidden Power Ice if he's so confident in taking on a draconic foe. 
Anyway, Ridley is really easy with either character. With Pikachu, you just 
hover off the ledge to a bit on either end and hit Ridley in the back with 
aerials, especially the back air which does great damage. With Samus, you can 
do the same, but it's also plausible to sit back and spam Super Missiles which 
will make you think you are playing a Metroid game. The Boss Battles section 
has more tips if you need them, but don't worry, Ridley is a very easy boss. 
After this level, Samus will "join" the party, but she's really just a 
transformation for Zero Suit Samus who you had all along. If you want to start 
levels with Zero Suit Samus, you can use the c-stick while hovering over 
Samus's icon. The same trick can be used to start with Sheik and the Pokemon 
Trainer's different Pokemon when applicable.

Also, as a public service announcement, I'm going to say that if you have a 
heart condition or general aversity to awesomeness, you shouldn't watch the cut 
scene that plays at the start of the next level.

Level 20: Outside the Ancient Ruins

Characters available: Captain Falcon, Olimar, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong
Enemies: R.O.B. Sentry, R.O.B. Launcher, Shellpod, R.O.B. Blaster, Roader, 
Gamyga, Auroros, Primid, Scope Primid, Sword Primid, Trowlon, Bombed, Shaydas, 
Spaak, Metal Primid, 

Part 1:

Okay, after you recover from the sheer joy that scene doubtless brought you, 
you have to pick a character. I strongly recommend Captain Falcon, and it's not 
just because he's awesome and manly (though he is). Olimar just isn't any good 
in Subspace. He has plenty of attacks that are designed to do quick and 
surprisingly powerful damage, but he really has a hard time pushing dangerous 
enemies away from him. In a standard brawl, you might try something like a 
throw, but in Subspace, you need relatively strong, sweeping attacks which 
Olimar simply doesn't have. Also, Captain Falcon's knee is much easier to sweet 
spot in Subspace than in regular play due to the size of so many of the enemies 
so have fun with that.

Anyway, run right a bit, drop through the obvious drop through ledge, and enter 
the door. Grab the falling trophy before it is lost to the pit, but you can 
always just exit and re-enter the room if you need another chance. Anyway, work 
your way back up to the ledge you fell through, go to the right, and break the 
blue box for a trophy that evidently can only be found from that particular 
blue box. I don't get why it's that way either, but just take it and move on. 
When you see some breakable blocks, don't break them and instead climb up for a 
door that leads to a side room with two yellow boxes and a trophy. Either way, 
get back on track and go right just a little bit more for a odor that leads to 
a scene.

Part 2:

This whole circumstance happened because Captain Falcon saw a monkey with a gun 
flying around shooting stuff and wanted to show us his moves. Anyway, character 
choice is largely player preference. Captain Falcon is not only awesome, but 
his speed and knee will let you quickly rack up kills. Diddy Kong should be 
very familiar to players by now which is a plus, and his all around attack 
speed outdoes even Captain Falcon's. Donkey Kong's ground pound and general 
power will also be handy; just don't pick Olimar. Don't worry about killing the 
Trowlon here either; they are counted as dead so long as you avoid them. this 
ends the level; if you want a fun challenge, go back and do it only with Falcon 
Punch.

After clearing this level, Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon, and Olimar join your 
party. As you might have guessed, Captain Falcon is unlocked for standard play 
as well. As you probably didn't guess, you lose access to Fox and Falco. I 
really don't get why, but most people probably won't be replaying stages before 
they get them back so it probably doesn't matter.

Level 21: The Glacial Peak

Characters available: Meta Knight, Ice Climbers, Lucario
Enemies: Primid, Shellpod, Boom Primid, Bucculus, Poppant, Ticken, Floow, Sword 
Primid, Metal Primid, Glice, Shaydas, Towtow, Spaak

Part 1:

Thanks for the distraction Fox. Anyway, I suggest Meta Knight here. I know the 
Ice Climbers are super cool and ridiculously powerful, but they have two big 
problems in this mode. For one, Nana getting separated from Popo is more likely 
and more catastrophic when you are fighting large numbers of enemies at once. 
For two, their triple jump automatically separates them so they move upward at 
a fairly plodding pace. That's pretty awful considering this entire level is 
vertical. Oh, did I mention this entire level is vertical? It's pretty cool and 
refreshing compared to everything before it.

Start off by going up and fighting your way through the dangers. You'll notice 
that at every level with a flag there's a solid line of platform you cannot 
fall back through so don't leave anything behind. When you see a blue box in an 
alcove that looks like a nice, free item, watch out. Spikes come out of the 
wall to the right to crush you when you break the box full of stickers so be 
ready to grab them quickly and then flee. Otherwise, there's nothing notable 
until the door.

In the second room, you mostly ride up a platform at a constant speed. There's 
not much to say other than to watch out for a yellow box near the top. You'll 
see a nook on the right side of the screen that is occasionally crushed by a 
wall of ice. There's a yellow box inside you won't want to miss! Generally 
staying near the top makes this easy, and don't stall around once you reach the 
top with the Metal Primids as a wall of spikes will crush you.

In the third area, hop in the barrel cannon and influence to the right. There's 
a door behind some blocks here with another yellow box. After grabbing that, 
retreat to the barrel cannon and influence left so you can get on a nice, 
linear path up. When things get windy, look out for a door on the right. 
Inside, there's a nice puzzle. You need to get to the right side, but you can't 
sink that far in the water. The trick is to grab one of the metal boxes, jump 
in, and use the extra weight to bob under the icicle. You still float when 
metallic (against all logic) so be quick about it. Also, don't miss the 
stickers in the nook in the icicle here; they're non-obvious. After snagging 
the yellow box at the top of this room, get back outside and climb to the 
summit of the mountain to enter a door for a scene.

Part 2:

Lucario is supposed to be able to tell who is on his side so why does he want 
to fight Meta Knight? Anyway, you get to pick which side you are on, and it 
really doesn't matter too much. However, be warned that this gives you a 
different scene after you win depending on which you pick so if you're on a 
second playthrough, pick whoever you didn't pick the first time. It's just 
another one on one fight in which the game insults your playing ability by 
giving you many stock. In this case, you have three. Win the fight to end the 
level. Afterward, Lucario and the Ice Climbers join your party, and Lucario is 
unlocked for standard play. Also, Meta Knight is a jerk for just abandoning the 
Ice Climbers.

Level 22: The Canyon

Characters available: Mario, Pit, Link, Yoshi, Kirby
Enemies: Primid, Boom Primid, Armight, Feyesh, Big Primid, Fire Primid, Puppit, 
Glire, Roturret

This level doesn't follow my usual suggestions with this team as this is 
nothing but a fight against a bunch of enemies. This is the shortest non-boss 
level in the game so just go to town. I think Link is the best for beating 
subspace enemies in this group, and I'd really suggest leaving Mario behind. 
However, it's all up to you; just win the fight. After this fight, Mario's 
group merges with Marth's group.

Level 23: Battleship Halberd Interior

Characters available: Snake, Meta Knight, Lucario
Enemies: Primid, Scope Primid, Sword Primid, Bytan, Armight, Cymul, Floow, Fire 
Primid, Glire, Mite, Shaydas, Autolance, Buckot, Roader, Bombed, Nagagog, Metal 
Primid, Towtow

Part 1:

Take a moment to get used to Snake as he's a very different character. Notice 
that you are going to have to fight mostly with tilts instead of smashes which 
will be new for you. Once you're done with that, head through the door. The 
next room is linear, but watch out when you see some falling blocks next to a 
ladder. Hidden behind the leftmost of those blocks is a switch that reveals a 
hidden door. Within you'll find a blue box with stickers and a yellow box. Get 
back on track, progress to the right a bit, and go through the door for a 
scene.

Part 2:

I guess Lucario is a genius if he saw through Snake's clever disguise. Anyway, 
I suggest either Lucario or Meta Knight over Snake for their quicker attacks, 
but do whatever you want. You will find yourself in a huge room with many 
paths. The goal is to hit switch in all the side areas to open a ladder down 
below. There are two Maxim Tomatoes in the middle to heal after the fighting in 
the side areas; use them as you need them. I'll cover the areas clockwise 
starting from the upper-right. Just head right and destroy the Bytan generator 
to reveal a switch. Hit it to complete this wing. In the lower-right wing, the 
generator is a Floow generator but otherwise the same story applies. After 
hitting that switch, head right instead of back to the center to find a jump 
through wall behind some breakable blocks that leads to a door. You don't get a 
switch for destroying the Glire generator in here, but there is a yellow box in 
the upper-left corner so you'll want that.

Return to the main room and go to the lower-left alcove. This time the 
generator is Mites so destroy them and hit the switch to open the path forward. 
There's a path off to the left that leads to a blue box with some stickers so 
go there if you feel like it. Either way, head down the ladder from the main 
room to discover another yellow box and a door to the next area. The next room 
is just a fight so win to make the door appear and press forward. The room 
after is a straight linear path so just push through it to another door.

In this fun room, you have to kill all the enemies. There's a Bombed right in 
front of you when you start so be sure to kill it. The next enemy is a Primid 
right up the ladder, and you can head down at the fork to discover a Nagagog. 
Continuing on this lower path leads to a Metal Primid after which you must 
return to the fork. Heading up from the fork reveals a Cymul and a yellow box 
in the upper-right. In the upper-left, there's a Towtow which is the last enemy 
in the room. After killing them all, return near the entrance to discover the 
path to the door open. The door leads to a scene.

Part 3:

It's a 2v1 fight with shadow princesses! I guess the game designers figured 
they'd already made these costumes for the earlier stage so they might as well 
reuse them. Anyway, since it's just a fight, pick whoever you are most 
comfortable with. You get four stock so you will easily win. After the fight, 
the level ends. Snake tells the women to mind their place and stay behind. 
While he's at it, Snake joins your party. He's even unlocked for standard play.

Level 24: Battleship Halberd Exterior

Characters available: Peach, Sheik
Enemies: Mite, Scope Primid, Primid, Greap, Puppit, Feyesh, Buckot

Snake said for Zelda to stay put, but he didn't say anything about Sheik! As 
per Peach, well, no one ever accused her of being a genius; she probably forgot 
what Snake said. Anyway, I suggest picking Peach here. Her floating is 
ridiculously useful for the platforming; she really makes this much easier. The 
very first room is nothing but floating to the right against the wind; have fun 
actually timing jumps with Sheik if you picked her (if you want a real 
challenge, switch to Zelda).

The second room has a ton of mines; watch out. I suggest using turnips or 
needles to break the mines from a safe distance, but don't just go destroying 
every mine. Heading straight right from the start, the fourth mine you see is 
very important. Notice right above it there's a crack. This hides a yellow box 
which is very easy to miss; detonate the mine near the crack to get the prize. 
If you can't manage to hit it with a projectile up there, just jump at it and 
take the hit. Anyway, there are a few blue boxes at the peak of the upward path 
you passed by, but you can just head right though some platforming that 
floating makes much easier to the door that ends the room. The blue box you run 
under has a stock ball so you might want to grab that. The room thereafter is 
just a straight run to the next door. Enjoy seeing non-shadow versions of 
various enemies, but you can't actually interact with them in any way.

The next room is a fight followed by a run to the right. Other than the Greap 
which is very difficult to avoid taking massive damage from (don't spend any 
time at all on those ledges above him), there's nothing really notable to say 
about it. The last room is just like the first room insofar as it's an easy 
float to the right, but watch out as if you stay high you will see a ledge to 
the left with a yellow box on it. Be sure not to miss it; the stage ends 
automatically when you make it to the deck of the Halberd. Peach reveals what 
an airhead she is in a rather amusing scene, both princesses join your party, 
and you regain access to Fox.

Level 25: Battleship Halberd Bridge

Characters available: Peach, Sheik, Fox, Falco, Lucario, Snake
Enemies: Duon

It's just a boss fight, but Duon is no joke. You will definitely want Fox; he's 
a great boss fighter all around. I suggest bringing Sheik as well so you can 
transform into the powerful Zelda; her forward and back aerials do a lot of 
damage to an easy target like Duon. Likewise, I'd really suggest against Snake; 
his array of slow attacks really do nothing for him here. Lucario will probably 
be doing more damage than Peach and Falco so I'd give him a nod, but between 
the remaining three it's largely preference. With Duon, you really have to be 
trying to do damage as quickly as possible as he's very difficult to avoid for 
long periods of time. Try to weave back after striking with aerials so you are 
less likely to get caught in his spin. For more detailed information about 
Duon, check out his section in the Boss Battles section.

After this level, Mr. Game & Watch joins your party and is unlocked in all 
modes of play. As an aside, if you read the trophies pertaining to Subspace 
Emissary, you discover all of the enemies are actually made from the LCD fluid 
extracted from Mr. Game & Watch. Given the obvious mass of all of them and that 
this extraction seems to have had a negligible effect on Mr. Game & Watch, we 
can only wonder why he is so light in battle and why everyone around him 
doesn't get pulled in by his massive gravitational field. Anyway, in terms of 
other gameplay related things, Meta Knight's group is united with Peach's 
group, and you regain access to Falco.

Level 26: The Subspace Bomb Factory (top)

Characters available: Samus, Pikachu
Enemies: R.O.B. Sentry, R.O.B. Blaster, Shaydas, Glunder, Sword Primid, R.O.B. 
Launcher, Borboras, Roturret, Bombed, Big Primid, Armank, Nagagog

This is a really short level if you follow the right path. Of course, I'll tell 
you where to go to get the yellow boxes and such and otherwise guide you 
straight to the end. Start by going down three floors and heading left to a 
door. Enter this door, win the fight, snag the yellow box, and go back to the 
elevator. Take it to the bottom floor and head right to another elevator. Take 
this up two levels and head left. Hit the switch behind the boxes to make a 
door appear. Inside, you'll find an Armank that drops a trophy when beaten. 
Return to the elevator, go to the top floor, and head left. Kill all the R.O.B. 
and enter the door. In here, you must wall jump up the right side to reach a 
yellow box. After that, return to the elevator, go down three floors, and head 
through the door to the right. After a bit more fighting on the path to the 
right, the level will end.

Level 27: The Subspace Bomb Factory (bottom)

Characters available: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, Olimar, Samus, 
Pikachu, R.O.B.
Enemies: R.O.B. Sentry, Cymul, Autolance, R.O.B. Launcher, Metal Primid, 
Buckot, Floow, Armight, Mite, Poppant, R.O.B. Blaster, Bytan, Fire Primid, 
Primid, Auroros, Ticken, Scope Primid, Sword Primid, Nagagog, Armank, Meta 
Ridley

Part 1:

First of all I should warn you that there's a secret area in this part that 
Donkey Kong and Olimar simply can't get to so you should lead with Diddy and 
Captain Falcon. Both are great so which one is up to you. Of course, if you 
plan on dying a lot, you might want to lead with the characters who can't reach 
it...

Start by fighting to the right until the screen begins auto scrolling after a 
forced fight. Now, when you jump to the next set of rotation platforms, watch 
out. The platform behind the one you jump to on this rotation has a door you 
need to enter. Inside you'll find two blue boxes with health and stickers, but 
the real prize is to be had by jumping on the spring and attacking at the peak 
of the jump. This breaks an off-screen yellow box to reveal its precious 
contents. Exit the way you came and continue on the auto scrolling ride until 
you go through another door. In here, proceed to the right until you reach a 
ladder. If you are finding the dropping spikes difficult, shield them as they 
come down on top of you and roll to the right for a cheesy way past.

There are three ways to go here. Just in case you're running low on stock, I'll 
cover the one with the character specific secret first. Head down the ladder 
and go left. Defeat the enemies to make a Stock Ball appear and continue left. 
Hit the blue switch and pay heed to the shaft to your left. Donkey Kong and 
Olimar can't do anything, but Captain Falcon and Diddy can use wall jumps and 
their triple jumps to ascend it to a door. Once inside, use wall jumps to get 
up to the bomb at the top to break all the blocks. This will reveal a blue box 
with a trophy and a yellow box. Exit the way you came and return to the ladder, 
this time heading right. Hit the green switch at the end of this path and then 
return to the top of the ladder. Go up, hit the red switch, quickly retreat 
down past the collapsing spike ceiling, and then go through the door you just 
opened.

Head right along the only path until you reach a ladder. Climb it to hit a 
switch that makes the path forward easy, but don't take it and go left along 
this top route instead. Up here, you will find another yellow box. After 
obtaining it, get back to the ground and head right to where you'll see one of 
those launch pads on the ground. Don't touch it unless you like taking damage; 
carefully hop over it, hit the switch, and run right to an elevator. Head up to 
the top, go left to find a bunch of breakable boxes, break the farthest one to 
unveil a key, and take the key right as far as you can go through a locked door 
to a scene.

Part 2:

This would be more tragic if you didn't just get a ridiculously good party 
member. I might go so far as to say R.O.B. is the best character for the 
Subspace Emissary. Speaking of R.O.B., I strongly recommend picking him to get 
acquainted with him and his awesomeness. I like to bring Captain Falcon, Diddy, 
and Pikachu along for support in this fight, but really it's all about who you 
like fighting with most. For those unfamiliar with R.O.B., he can literally fly 
with his up special (limited time obviously) and kills pretty much everything 
with his amazing down smash. In the air, you can dice up enemies pretty 
efficiently with his forward air and up air, and yes he can attack out of his 
up special. Anyway, win the fight for another scene.

Part 3:

Captain Falcon has a plan evidently. Anyway, you'll mostly be stuck in downward 
auto scrolling here so falling and running quickly are more valuable than 
usual. That means that Captain Falcon, Diddy, and Pikachu are best, but 
R.O.B.'s ability to fly and easily kill everything is still useful. There's 
really not much to say about the auto scrolling other than the obvious advice 
that you should stay near the front of the movement so you don't make any dumb 
mistakes. When freefalling, avoid the purple platforms which will quickly lift 
you upward and make your way to the door at the bottom. In the next room, try 
to avoid the platforms to prevent the mines from hitting you. The bottom 
platform is very difficult to avoid; you probably want to try to roll past that 
mine or just shield it (R.O.B.'s amazing roll makes it easy to get past; 
someone like Samus probably wants to shield). Watch out when the auto scrolling 
continues. After going down the two ladders, there's a trophy on the ground in 
the right corner. This is very easy to miss given the enemies pouring out of 
the generator so be quick about snagging it. After that, it's a straight shot 
to a door which leads to some healing and then a boss.

Part 4:

Don't you love Captain Falcon? Evidently he can summon his ship by yelling for 
it. Anyway, time to pick a party for Meta Ridley. R.O.B. is a great choice due 
to his potent up air, and Captain Falcon can easily land knee after knee on 
Meta Ridley while simultaneously raising questions about who is piloting the 
ship. DK and Olimar will do massive damage to Meta Ridley thanks to their 
power, and Samus and Pikachu have some nice, strong multihitting aerials. Diddy 
at least has good aerial mobility. I guess I just recommended everyone, but you 
know who you want to use anyway. Anyway, just stay in the air next to him and 
hit him over and over again. Don't sit on the ship; that's a foolish choice. 
Whenever he does anything suspicious at all really, just jump as it's pretty 
much always safe. If he latches onto the ship, just pummel him to make him let 
go before he can do anything actually bad. If you need more tips, feel free to 
check out his section in Boss Battles. After the nice scene that concludes the 
level, R.O.B. will join your party and be unlocked in standard play, and all 
groups will unite. Something exciting must be about to happen!

If you come back to trophy stand him, you will probably find him a real pain. 
The trick is to wait until he hovers over the platform for whatever reason 
(usually his rapid bullet attack) and to throw it then. Don't worry about the 
time limit at all; dying and having to redo the fight is way better than 
killing Meta Ridley without turning him into a trophy and having to redo the 
stage.

Level 28: Entrance to Subspace

Characters available: 4 from the party
Enemies: Primid, Boom Primid, Floow, Metal Primid, Borboras, Spaak, Fire 
Primid, Armank, Greap, Big Primid

This level is pretty much all fighting so pick whoever your favorites are. 
However, I should mention that just because this is your first chance to use 
him doesn't mean you should neglect Mr. Game & Watch. He's a great character 
who can easily massacre hordes of subspaces enemies with his amazing down smash 
and aerials. I also should iterate that you can use the c-stick to pick Zero 
Suit Samus, Sheik, and Pokemon Trainer's specific Pokemon if you want to; that 
could be very handy if you want those characters. If you're a really big fan of 
my character suggestions, you might want to know that I picked Mr. Game & 
Watch, R.O.B., Lucas, and Marth. Anyway, this level is just a linear fight to 
the right; there's really nothing to say about it at all other than to note 
that there's a trophy in the auto scrolling section after the Borboras. After 
the level is complete, enjoy the light show that results in you losing your 
entire party.

Level 29: Subspace (left)

Characters available: Ness, Luigi, King Dedede
Enemies: Bombed, Glice, Feyesh, Towtow, Poppant, Trowlon, Big Primid, Bytan, 
Mite, Roader, Puppit

Part 1:

When the A team fails, the B team has to step up. We know this is the B team 
because Luigi is on it, of course. Anyway, Ness's "sparkle" attacks are really 
effective here, but really, all three characters are great choices. Pick 
whoever you feel like exploring and set out to rescue the rest of the party. 
Start by running to the right until you come to a door with the Samus trophy 
above it. Grabbing these trophies is how you get characters back into the party 
so be sure to get them all. Head through the door after reclaiming Samus and 
progress upward to another door which you should enter. Inside you'll find Pit, 
Falco, and a yellow box. Get back on the main path and make your way to the top 
to find Lucas and a door you should enter. Go left at the start of the new room 
to find the commonly missed Ike and your path upward. Donkey Kong is in plain 
sight up here so be sure to grab him. Head left, break the blocks, and enter 
the door.

Grab Pokemon Trainer out of plain sight here and head left. You'll see Pikachu 
in a very precarious position. You need to detonate that block, grab Pikachu, 
and run very quickly back to the door. You will probably just die grabbing 
Pikachu, but it's worth it. Take the death if you have to, but get that trophy. 
Back on the main path, continue along until you see the Marth trophy in plain 
sight. From getting Marth, drop down and head left to a door. Use projectiles 
to destroy the absurd number of mines and snag the Olimar and Fox trophies 
before heading back out of this room. Head right a little more and go through 
the door.

Jump across the falling blocks to another door, but don't go in. Jump down and 
do a running attack to plow through the blocks to open the way to the Mr. Game 
& Watch trophy. Go back up to the previous platform and enter the door for an 
auto scrolling section. Immediately hop up to the platform above you to grab 
the Diddy Kong trophy, run right to the Captain Falcon trophy, and enter the 
door. If you miss either trophy, don't worry as the room loops in circles. From 
here, grab the Mario trophy and continue along the linear path to a door and a 
scene.

Part 2:

Whoever would have figured Bowser wouldn't want to join your party? Anyway, 
it's a 1v1 where you have three stock so this should be easy. Just show him 
that that false king penguins with giant hammers are better than overgrown fire 
breathing idiot turtles. After winning this fight, the stage ends. Ness, Luigi, 
King Dedede, Bowser, and all characters you rescued join your party. 
Additionally, Ness and Luigi are unlocked for standard play.

Level 30: Subspace (right)

Characters available: Kirby, Kirby, and more Kirby
Enemies: Bombed, Scope Feyesh, Feyesh, Sword Primid, Bucculus, Fire Primid, 
Spaak, Armight, Autolance, Primid, Shellpod, Glire, Ticken, Auroros, Bytan, 
Roturret, Gamyga

I don't get why there's a Kirby only stage at this point in the game; haven't 
we had enough of Kirby for one game? Anyway, float up at the start to find the 
Peach trophy. Use Kirby's Final Cutter to detonate the mines, run forward, and 
grab the Zelda trophy. Ahead a bit, the Meta Knight trophy is in plain if 
difficult to get to sight, and down below him is a yellow box. Head right some 
more to a door and enter.

Break through the blocks below you and grab the obvious Link trophy. Break 
through the blocks on the left, fall through, and grab the Yoshi trophy. Break 
through on the left to find the Lucario trophy and continue down. Win a fight 
for a Stock Ball and go through the auto scrolling to the right. After plenty 
of fighting and moving to the right, you'll find the R.O.B. trophy and the 
door. Continue to the right along the top path until you come across the Ice 
Climbers trophy. Smash the blocks, grab the trophy, and drop down to the lower 
path. Run to the right there to a yellow box, grab the contents, and work your 
way up to the path forward. Smash the blocks with the ridiculously circular 
block breaking ball to get the Snake trophy. After a very obnoxious forced 
fight with a Gamyga, run right to grab the Wario trophy, head right, and go 
through the door. Assuming you didn't miss Link or Zelda, Ganondorf joins here. 
Additionally, Kirby and all the characters you rescued join your party, 
including Wario who was new. That means you've gotten everyone you've seen so 
far in the game in your party!

Level 31: The Great Maze

Characters available: the party

Before I list enemies, I'm going to tell you how the Great Maze works. The 
Great Maze is just about what you'd expect from this name. It's a giant maze in 
which you can actually view a map when you pause. The areas are all just 
rehashes of previous areas, and you have to find out of this shadow versions of 
all the characters you have (or don't have if you didn't rescue everyone) as 
well as all of the bosses over again. There are several save rooms you can use 
to save and heal at least. A few of the save rooms are alternate entrances to 
the level as well. I'll be listing enemies by the area they are similar to so 
if you want to use this place for trophy stands, the list will be of some use 
to you.

Enemies (Skyworld): Goomba, Primid, Koopa (green), Glunder, Scope Primid, 
Trowlon, Poppant, Giant Goomba, Greap
Enemies (Forest): Puppit, Shellpod, Primid, Auroros, Boom Primid, Nagagog, 
Armight, Buckot, Roader, Borboras, Gamyga
Enemies (Battleship Halberd): Scope Primid, Buckot, Primid, Sword Primid, 
Bytan, Fire Primid
Enemies (Zoo): Buckot, Ticken, Fire Primid, Roturret, Primid, Feyesh, Scope 
Primid, Bytan, Metal Primid, Towtow, Auroros, Gamyga
Enemies (Jungle): Mite
Enemies (Olimar's level): Ticken, Towtow, Shellpod, Auroros, Gamyga
Enemies (Lake): Cymul, Hammer Bro, Paratroopa (green), Bytan, Bucculus
Enemies (Research Facility): Sword Primid, Primid, Scope Primid, Fire Primid, 
Cymul, Big Primid, Bytan, Feyesh, Buckot, Mite, Borboras
Enemies (Cave): Glire, Goomba, Hammer Bro, Paratroopa (green), Bullet Bill, 
Koopa (green), Bytan
Enemies (Swamp): Puppit, Feyesh, Shellpod, Cymul, Hammer Bro, Buckot, Poppant, 
Autolance
Enemies (Wilds): Big Primid, Buckot, Auroros, Gamyga, Hammer Bro, Bucculus, 
Roturret, Trowlon, Sword Primid, Bombed, Nagagog, Scope Primid, Floow, Armight, 
Borboras
Enemies (Ruins): Floow, Roturret, Mite, Borboras, Shaydas, Roader, Scope 
Primid, Primid
Enemies (Lake Shore): Armank
Enemies (The Path to the Ruins): Roturret, Puppit, Borboras, Mite, Sword 
Primid, Primid, Big Primid
Enemies (Glacial Peak): Scope Primid, Ticken, Glice, Feyesh, Spaak
Enemies (Battlefield Fortress): Mite, Towtow, Fire Primid, Autolance, Borboras, 
Big Primid, Armight, Metal Primid, Glice
Enemies (Center of the Great Maze): Tabuu

Part 1:

Pick whoever your favorites are by this point, but be sure to bring Charizard 
along for the bosses if you get into a tight spot. Go through the door at the 
start to find yourself right in the fight with Petey Piranha. After winning, 
you can head back and heal if you need to, but otherwise head through the door 
and go left. Enter the shadow door to find the shadow Pit. Ascend this area to 
find a yellow box and then go back to the door that leads to the arena. 
Continue to the right and go through the door. Head right to a door with shadow 
Kirby and then left and up to a yellow box. Continue up along a purple cloud to 
a door in which you will fight shadow Link.

Head right a bit to a save point which will heal you which you probably need. 
Head right a bit more to a door, destroy the blocks, and head back the way you 
came. Grab the yellow box and go back through the door yet again and progress 
right. Go in the second door you see, break only the right column of blocks, 
and head back through the door. Head right to another door and enter it. Break 
through two blocks deep where the blocks are thick, head back through the door, 
and then head to the right. Break the bomb block, return back through the door, 
and head right to a shadow door in which you will find shadow Yoshi. After 
this, backtrack to the normal looking door you saw next to the bomb block you 
broke earlier and go through it.

Head right for a ways until you find a yellow box. Continue right to a door 
which contains the shadow Diddy and then to a big junction room. The middle is 
a save point I suggest using. From here, enter the upper right door to fight 
Duon. Run right here to a door which contains the shadow Meta Knight. Head left 
here staying low until you find a yellow box. Go all the way to the left here 
to fight the shadow Ness. Retreat to the right a bit until you find a door 
under a ledge and enter.

Run left and enter the first door for a save point. Continue heading left to a 
door and then farther left to a shadow door with Porky. Defeating him drops you 
back in the forest section from which you should run right back to the save 
point in the junction. Take the top right path again, but this time go down 
instead of right. Go down here and take the left route down a ladder at the 
fork to ultimate reach a shadow door with shadow Snake. Go back to the fork and 
take the right ladder down to an obvious yellow box and a door you need to 
enter. Head right to a save point and then take the elevator down one level, 
drop down the shaft, and grab the key to your left. Take the elevator back up, 
go through the locked door to your left, break some bombable blocks, and enter 
the shadow door to fight shadow Mr. Game & Watch. After winning, backtrack all 
the way to the save point at the big junction.

This time take the lower right door. Drop all the way down to the bottom of 
this area to find the door to shadow Captain Falcon. Head all the way to the 
right here to fight shadow Olimar and then retreat back to the junction room. 
It's time to head the final direction, down-left. Make your way left and up to 
a shadow door with shadow Donkey Kong in it. This leads you to Tabuu�s area. 
Tabuu is the final boss, but you aren't allowed to fight him yet. Go back the 
way you game and go through the door below you to fight shadow Samus.

Go right all the way to a key, and drop down here and enter the door to fight 
shadow Pikachu. Backtrack left to a locked door you inevitably saw on your way, 
and continue down the elevator. Head left for a save point, and then head 
through the door to the right. Hit the red switch and take the left door. Go 
left all the way here for a key that lets you get to the blue switch. Head back 
to the sealed shadow door and take the right available door. Go to the lower 
right corner of this room for a yellow box, and then ascend to find a ladder. 
There's a yellow box deviously hidden in the nook to the left, go up the 
ladder, hit the green switch, and enter the door to fight shadow R.O.B.. 
Backtrack to the previously sealed door and enter to fight Ridley.

Head left for a save point, and then hit the switch to dispel the gas so you 
can take the lower left exit. Immediately check out the area above you to find 
a yellow box, and make your way to the left to find shadow Bowser. Make you way 
to the lower right door and take the mine cart to the far side of the room 
where you get to fight shadow King Dedede. Work your way toward a ledge near 
the top left corner of the room with a yellow box, and drop straight down and 
right just a bit to a door with the shadow Falco behind it. This leads to a 
room with an obvious yellow box and some much needed healing. Just like the 
exact same room in the real Swamp, you can find a trophy by detonating the 
floor. Back in the previous room, head left and enter a door.

Head right all the way to fight shadow Fox. After that, head left all the way 
to fight Meta Ridley and end up back by a familiar save point. Head left and 
enter the upper left door this time to fight shadow Mario. Work to the upper 
left corner, enter the door, and work left through two consecutive rooms to 
reach Galleom. After the fight, you will find the final alternate entrance save 
point, and you should take the lowest exit to the room. Head right here to find 
the door with shadow Zelda. Head right through another room to reach Peach. Go 
left now over new ground and old, being sure to grab the trophy in the section 
with the blocks coming out of the ground that raise and lower, to a door 
containing shadow Pokemon Trainer who always uses Charizard. Continue right 
back to the save room, heal if needed, and begin heading up. Take the upper-
left door to fight shadow Wario.

Head right and take the elevator up. Jump into the third pit just like the last 
time, but this time it leads to shadow Luigi. Now head to the far left of this 
room for a door. Stick to the left side as you ascend the room for the last 
yellow box in the game. Continue ascending to find Rayquaza after which you 
will be back in the stadium. Heal up and take the lower-left warp in this room 
to return to the Ruins area. This time take the upper-right exit through which 
you will fight shadow Lucas.

Ascend to the top of this room to find a door which leads to shadow Lucario. 
You'll find yourself back in the stadium again, but you can just turn around 
and go back down the mountain to the shadow door you passed up to fight the 
shadow Ice Climbers. Work your way to the lower-left corner of the new room to 
fight shadow Ike and then toward the right side. There's a save door near to 
that leads onward. In the next room, work your way left from the fork and go 
along the long path to shadow Marth. Work back to the fork and head right this 
time to the door with shadow Ganondorf. This also leads you to Tabuu's room, 
and all characters and bosses are beaten (finally!). Take the door in the 
middle for a scene in which a certain blue hedgehog introduces himself just in 
time.

Part 2:

You get six characters for the final boss. I heavily recommend Charizard and 
would give a good nod to Yoshi for his powerful down aerial, but otherwise, use 
whoever you are best with (Sonic isn't bad at all if you want to try a new face 
out). As per the actual fight, Tabuu's main trick is teleporting. He warps 
rapidly which makes getting clean hits difficult, and other than being patient 
and watching when he's going to stop moving, you can't do a lot about that. 
Most of you reading this section for help are probably having trouble with 
Tabuu's instant kill move where he shoots circles from his wings. The trick is 
to stand in the middle of the stage (or anywhere, the middle is just easiest to 
time) and spot dodge with quick timing to avoid all three waves. For those 
unaware of what that is, it's the technique you do when you hit down while 
shielding on the ground. Tabuu's number of attacks would be pretty daunting to 
cover here, but I went through it in great detail in his section in Boss 
Battles. Otherwise, enjoy the ending. Afterward, Sonic joins your party and is 
unlocked for standard play. Access to all previous levels is also granted.

Post game:

You will notice you only have 97% and never got three characters. These are 
hidden in the three levels that now have flags. The door to Toon Link is 
extremely early in the Forest. The door for Wolf is in the Ruins at the bottom 
of the elevator that went past the crystal spikes. Jigglypuff's door is in the 
Swamp soon after the shadow Diddy fight. You just have to win a 1v1 fight with 
those characters to unlock them, but if you lose, you have to redo the whole 
stage to get back to them. Now you should have a 100% file in Subspace 
Emissary, and I don't have to write about this ever again.

XII. Challenge Board

This board contains hints about how to unlock many different things in the 
game. This is how you unlock all the non-random, non-trophy stand trophies, 
stages, stage building pieces, non-random stickers, non-random CDs, and 
masterpieces. You get five golden hammers as you progress that you can use to 
break most boxes if you want, but before you get excited, you can't break the 
one for Boss Battles on Intense. I'm going to group these by the modes you 
unlock the items in and then secondarily by the types of items. I'll use a 
letter number coordinate system where letters represent rows while numbers 
represent columns. Anyway, onto the list!

Multiplayer Mode:

75m stage: D4 Use Donkey Kong 20 times in brawls.
Green Greens (Melee) stage: C12 Use Kirby 20 times in brawls.
Luigi's Mansion stage: B3 Use Luigi 3 times in brawls.
Big Blue (Melee) stage: A5 Use Captain Falcon 10 times in brawls.
Jungle Japes (Melee): B19 Play Melee stages 10 times.
Pokemon Stadium (Melee): B13 Brawl on the Pokemon Stadium 2 stage 10 times.

Edit Parts A: B6 Brawl on custom stages 10 times.

Underwater Theme (Super Mario Bros.) CD: C20 Brawl on the Mushroomy Kingdom 
stage 10 times.
Dream Chaser CD: A29 Brawl on the Port Town Aero Dive stage 10 times.
Ending (Metroid) CD: C13 Brawl on the Norfair stage 10 times.
Multiplayer (Metroid Prime 2) CD: B5 Brawl on the Frigate Orpheon stage 10 
times.
Frozen Hillside CD: C28 Brawl on the Halberd stage 10 times.
Power-Hungry Fool CD: D14 Brawl on the Castle Siege stage 10 times.
Snake Eater (Instrumental) CD: B29 Brawl on the Shadow Moses Island stage 15 
times.
HIS WORLD (Instrumental) CD: A8 Brawl on the Green Hill Zone stage 10 times.
Main Theme (Super Mario 64): D29 Play 50 hours of brawls.
O2 Battle CD: D23 Collect more than 5,000 coins in Coin matches.

Super Mario Bros. 2 masterpiece: B21 Have a human controlled Peach win 5 non-
special brawls.
Super Mario World masterpiece: D5 Brawl on the Yoshi's Island (Melee) stage 3 
times.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time masterpiece: A14 Use Toon Link 10 times in brawls.

Smash Coins trophy: A19 Play 10 or more Coin matches.
Tom Nook trophy: D30 Collect 1,000 coins in Coin matches.
Tails trophy: D27 Exceed 30,000 combined walking distance with all characters.
Kapp'n trophy: C8 Exceed 300 ft. combined swim distance with all characters.
Timer trophy: D20 Play 30 hours of brawls.
Ashley Robbins trophy: D10 Play over 100 hours of brawls.
Party Ball trophy: C31 Get 500 or more KOs in brawls.
Cracker Launcher trophy: C7 Get 1,000 or more KOs in brawls.
Gulliver trophy: C1 Get 2,000 or more KOs in brawls.

Subspace Emissary:

Pokemon Center CD: A13 Get 200 different stickers.
Ike's Theme CD: B15 Have Ike join you in The Subspace Emissary.

F-Zero masterpiece: B30 Have Captain Falcon join you in The Subspace Emissary.

Franklin Badge trophy: B14 Have Ness join you in The Subspace Emissary.
Ancient Minister trophy: C17 Clear The Subspace Emissary.
Dr. Eggman trophy: C14 Get 500 different stickers.
Stickers trophy: D1 Get all 700 stickers.

Classic Mode:

Icicle Mountain (Melee) CD: B12 Clear Classic on Normal.
Credits (Super Smash Bros.) CD: B10 Clear Classic on Hard.

Running Chibi-Robo (Chibi-Robo) sticker: B11 Clear Classic on Easy.

Striker Mario trophy: C16 Clear Classic on Very Hard.
Crazy Hand trophy: D2 Clear Classic on Intense.
Master Hand trophy: A31 Clear Classic with 20 characters.
Paper Mario trophy: B2 Clear Classic with all characters.
Creeping Chrysanthemum trophy: A26 Collect all character trophies.

All-Star Mode:

Tal Tal Heights: C9 Clear All-Star on Easy difficulty.

Phyllis sticker: B17 Clear All-Star on Normal.

Birdo trophy: D24 Clear All-Star on Hard.
Dyna Blade trophy: A16 Clear All-Star on Very Hard.
Mewtwo trophy: C25 Clear All-Star on Intense.
Pichu trophy: A12 Clear All-Star with no continues.
Gekko trophy: A7 Clear All-Star with 10 characters.
Kyle Hyde trophy: D7 Clear All-Star with all characters.
Plusle & Minun trophy: D15 Collect Final Smash trophies for all characters.

Event Battles:

Mario Bros. stage: A11 Clear Event 19 "Wario Bros.".
Spear Pillar stage: C30 Clear Event 25 "The Aura Is With Me".
Hanenbow stage: A20 Clear Event 28 "Flower Blooms in the Echoes".

Road to Viridian City (From Pallet Town / Pewter City): C4 Clear Event 8 "Go! 
Triple Finish!".
The Legendary Air Ride Machine CD: B28 Clear Event 13 "Dragoon Strike".
King Dedede's Theme CD: A21 Clear Event 15 "The Hammer of the King".
Hidden Mountain & Forest CD: D18 Clear Event 18 "Dark Link Duel" on Hard.
Fire Field CD: C22 Clear Event 24 "Come On, Blue Falcon".
Great Temple / Temple CD: D11 Clear Event 33 "Advent of the Evil King" on Hard.
Song of Storms CD: B18 Clear Event 37 "The Pirate Airship".
Star Wolf (Star Fox: Assault) CD: C24 Clear Event 38 "The Wolf Hunts the Fox" 
on Hard.

Halberd trophy: C29 Clear Event 3 "Pink Ball Repulsion".
Palutena trophy: D12 Clear Event 4 "Cleaning House in Skyworld".
Red Pikmin trophy: B22 Clear Event 14 "Sproutrage of the Flower Pikmin".

Target Test:

Excite Truck CD: D3 Clear Target Smash level 2 in under 19 seconds.
Title (3D Hot Rally) CD: A27 Clear Target Smash level 5.

Apples trophy: B20 Clear Target Smash level 1.
Stafy trophy: C18 Clear Target Smash level 1 with 10 characters.
Super Scope trophy: C19 Clear Target Smash level 1 with all characters.
Palutena's Bow trophy: A2 Clear Target Smash level 1 in under 15 seconds.
Peanut Popgun trophy: C5 Clear Target Smash level 2.
Pellets trophy: C6 Clear Target Smash level 2 with 10 characters.
Blast Box trophy: C11 Clear Target Smash level 2 with all characters.
Wario Bike trophy: D9 Clear Target Smash level 3.
Ashnard trophy: C15 Clear Target Smash level 3 with 10 characters.
Silver trophy: B25 Clear Target Smash level 3 with all characters.
Ray MK III trophy: A23 Clear Target Smash level 3 in under 20 seconds.
Rocketbarrel Pack trophy: C27 Clear Target Smash level 4.
Musketeer Daltania trophy: A15 Clear Target Smash level 4 with 10 characters.
King K. Rool trophy: D17 Clear Target Smash level 4 with all characters.
Cardboard Box trophy: A3 Clear Target Smash level 4 in under 42 seconds.
Outset Link trophy: B8 Clear Target Smash level 5 with 10 characters.
Gray Fox trophy: D25 Clear Target Smash level 5 with all characters.
Combo Cannon trophy: D8 Clear Target Smash level 5 in under 30 seconds.

Home-Run Contest:

Clu Clu Land CD: A4 Hit 1200 ft. in Home-Run Contest.
Ai no Uta (French Version) CD: D31 Hit 37,500 ft. combined with all characters 
in Home-Run Contest.

Boo (Mario Tennis) sticker: B4 Hit 900 ft. with one character in Home-Run 
Contest.

Home-Run Bat trophy: B27 Hit 1,500 ft. with one character in Home-Run Contest.
Sandbag trophy: C10 Use every character in Home-Run Contest.
Bumper trophy: D19 Hit 15,000 ft. combined with all characters in Home-Run 
Contest.
Xananab trophy: B24 Hit 24,000 ft. combined with all characters in Home-Run 
Contest.
Shy Guy trophy: D22 Hit 30,000 ft. combined with all characters in Home-Run 
Contest.
Golden Hammer trophy: A32 Hit 45,000 ft. combined with all characters in Home-
Run Contest.

Multi-Man Brawl:

Multi-Man Melee 1 (Melee) CD: A25 Clear 100-Man Brawl in under 4 minutes.
Mach Rider (Melee) CD: B31 Defeat 50 enemies in Endless Brawl.

Ryuta Ippongi (Ouendan 2) sticker: A6 Clear 100-Man Brawl in under 3 minutes, 
30 seconds.
Liquid Snake (MGS: The Twin Snakes): D16 Defeat 10 enemies in Cruel Brawl.

Pitfall trophy: C21 Clear 100-Man Brawl.
Blue Alloy trophy: C2 Clear 100-Man Brawl with all characters.
Green Alloy trophy: A22 Endure a 15-Minute Brawl.
Yellow Alloy trophy: A30 Defeat 100 enemies in Endless Brawl.
Red Alloy trophy: A18 Defeat 5 enemies in Cruel Brawl.

Boss Battles:

Subspace Bomb trophy: A10 Clear Boss Battles on Easy.
Shadow Bugs trophy: C23 Clear Boss Battles on Normal.
Dark Cannon trophy: D6 Clear Boss Battles on Hard.
Porky Statue trophy: D26 Clear Boss Battles on Very Hard.
Galleom (Tank Form) trophy: A1 Clear Boss Battles on Intense.
Subspace Gunship trophy: B26 Clear Boss Battles with 10 characters.
Jyk trophy: B16 Clear Boss Battles with 20 characters.
Tabuu (Wings) trophy: D32 Clear Boss Battles with all characters.

Unlock Other Things:

Flat Zone 2: D13 Unlock Mr. Game & Watch.
Green Hill Zone stage: C26 Unlock Sonic.
Pirate Ship stage: A9 Unlock Toon Link.

Menu 2 CD: A17 Unlock all characters.
Princess Peach's Castle (Melee) CD: B7 Unlock all Melee stages.

Excitebikes trophy: A24 Collect all Masterpieces.
Walky trophy: B23 Unlock 50 or more hidden songs.
Ballyhoo & Big Top trophy: B1 Unlock 75 or more hidden songs.
K.K. Slider trophy: C32 Unlock all hidden songs.
Baby Peach trophy: B32 Get 500 different trophies.

Other:

Edit Parts B: D28 Make 5 stages in Stage Builder.
Edit Parts C: C3 Make 15 stages in Stage Builder.

Donkey Kong masterpiece: D21 Exceed 10 hours of powered-on time.

Banana Peel trophy: A28 Get 10 max combos in Training.
Ouendan trophy: B9 Get 400 combined max combos with all characters in Training. 
I recommend having Falco or Kirby combo Bowser against the wall in a CD factory 
stage as described in section XV. Other Unlockables.

XIII. Trophy List

In this section, I will list every trophy grouped by series. All trophies are 
obtained either from the challenge board, trophy stands in The Subspace 
Emissary, completing Classic or All Star mode with a particular character, or 
randomly. The challenge board in its entirety can be viewed in the above 
section. All generic enemies and bosses from The Subspace Emissary can be 
turned into trophies with randomly spawning Trophy Stand items with the 
exception of Jyk who is invincible and thus is a challenge board trophy. 
Clearing Classic mode with a particular character will grant that character's 
trophy, and that is separate for all three of Pokemon Trainer's Pokemon, Sheik, 
and Zero Suit Samus. Clearing All Star Mode unlocks the Final Smash trophy for 
that character and is still separate for Sheik and Zero Suit Samus, but Pokemon 
Trainer must only clear it once as his Pokemon perform a Final Smash in unison. 
Random trophies constitute trophies that don't fit into the other two groups 
and may be obtained from the Coin Launcher, boxes in The Suspace Emissary, the 
rest areas in All Star mode or Boss Battles, the Pokeball Pokemon Celebi, or 
along the ground in Home-Run Contest. The only trophy that is not like this is 
the Hocotate Ship trophy which can only be found in the first blue box in Level 
20: Outside the Ancient Ruins in The Subspace Emissary. Also, as a final note, 
there are 544 total trophies in the game.

Super Smash Bros. series:

Smash Ball
Assist Trophy
Stickers
CDs
Rolling Crates
Blast Box
Sandbag
Food
Timer
Beam Sword
Home-Run Bat
Fan
Ray Gun
Cracker Launcher
Motion-Sensor Bomb
Gooey Bomb
Smoke Ball
Bumper
Team Healer
Crates
Barrels
Capsule
Party Ball
Smash Coins
Red Alloy
Blue Alloy
Yellow Alloy
Green Alloy

The Subspace Emissary series:

Primid
Sword Primid
Boom Primid
Scope Primid
Big Primid
Metal Primid
Fire Primid
Glire
Glice
Glunder
Poppant
Bytan
Roader
Bombed
Greap
Bucculus
Towtow
Floow
Auroros
Buckot
Jyk
Famyga
Feyesh
Trowlon
Roturret
Spaak
Puppit
Shaydas
Mites
Shellpod
Shellpod (No Armor)
Nanagog
Cymul
Ticken
Armight
Borboras
Autolance
Armank
R.O.B. Sentry
R.O.B. Launcher
R.O.B. Blaster
Mizzo
Galleom
Galleom (Tank Form)
Duon
Tabuu
Tabbu (Wings)
Master Hand
Crazy Hand
Dark Cannon
Cargo
Shadow Bugs
Ancient Minister
Subspace Gunship
Subspace Bomb
Trophy Stand
Stock Ball
Key

Super Mario Bros. series:

Mario
Mario Finale
Bowser
Giga Bowser
Peach
Peach Blossom
Luigi
Negative Zone
Striker Mario
Striker Daisy
Paper Mario
Paper Luigi
Paper Bowser
Paper Peach
Wedding Bowser
Wedding Peach
Goomba
Koopa Troopa (Green)
Koopa Troopa (Red)
Koopa Paratroopa (Green)
Koopa Paratroopa (Red)
Bullet Bill
Giant Goomba
Piranha Plant
Lakitu & Spinies
Hammer Bro
Petey Piranha
Buzzy Beetle
Shy Guy
Boo
Cheep Cheep
Blooper
Toad
Toadette
Toadsworth
Goombella
Fracktail
Wiggler
Dry Bones
Chain Chomp
Perry
Bowser Jr.
Birdo
Kritter (Goalie)
Ballyhoo & Big Top
F.L.U.D.D.
Poltergust 3000
Luigi's Mansion
Ghosts
Super Mushroom
Poison Mushroom
Starman
Metal Box
Lightning
Golden Hammer
Fire Flower
Bob-omb
Freezie
Hothead
Green Shell
Banana Peel
Soccer Ball
Waluigi
Shellcreepers
Sidesteppers

Donkey Kong series:

Donkey Kong
Konga Beat
Diddy Kong
Rocketbarrel Barrage
Hammer
Spring
Dixie Kong
Funky Kong
Candy Kong
Lanky Kong
Wrinkly Kong
Rambi
Enguarde
Kritter
Tiny Kong
Cranky Kong
Squitter
Expresso
King K. Rool
Kass
Kip
Kalypso
Kludge
Helibird
Turret Tusk
Xananab
Peanut Popgun
Rocketbarrel Pack

The Legend of Zelda series:

Link
Triforce Slash (Link)
Zelda
Light Arrow (Zelda)
Sheik
Light Arrow (Sheik)
Ganondorf
Beast Ganon
Toon Link
Triforce Slash (Toon Link)
Heart Container
Bunny Hood
Deku Nuts
Tingle
Wolf Link
Robed Zelda (With Hood)
Midna
Ilia
Malo
Zant
King Bulblin
Agitha
Darknut
Bulblin
Ooccoo & Son
Shadow Beast
Yeta
Ashei
Darbus
Ralis
Goron
Zora
Sages
Outset Link
Zelda (Wind Waker)
Ganondorf (Wind Waker)
Medli
Aryll
Tetra
Helmaroc King
Salvatore
Link's Grandma
Valoo
Pigs
Great Fairy
King of Red Lions
Pirate Ship

Metroid series:

Samus
Zero Laser
Zero Suit Samus
Power Suit Samus
Screw Attack
Metroid
Samus (Fusion Suit)
Samus (Power Suit)
Samus (Varia Suit)
Samus (Gravity Suit)
Samus (Dark Suit)
Dark Samus
Ridley
Meta Ridley
Kanden
Spire
Weavel
Noxus
Trace
Sylux
Luminoth
Sheegoth
Space Pirate
Parasite Queen
Metroid Prime (Core)
Metroid Prime (Exo)
Gunship

Yoshi's Island series:

Yoshi
Super Dragon
Baby Mario
Baby Peach

Kirby Super Star series:

Kirby
Cook Kirby
Meta Knight
Galaxia Darkness
King Dedede
Waddle Dee Army
Maxim Tomato
Dragoon
Warpstar
Superspicy Curry
Star Rod
Knuckle Joe
Beam Kirby
Needle Kirby
Sword Kirby
Sleep Kirby
Wing Kirby
Fighter Kirby
Fire Kirby
Ice Kirby
Plasma Kirby
Tornado Kirby
Waddle Dee
Waddle Doo
Gordo
Dyna Blade
Blade Knight
Bonkers
Bronto Burt
Cappy
Golem
Kracko
Scarfies
Sir Kibble
Walky
Wheelie
Hydra
Bomber
Bugzzy
Combo Cannon
Halberd
Apples

Star Fox series:

Fox
Landmaster (Fox)
Falco
Landmaster (Falco)
Wolf
Landmaster (Wolf)
Fox (Assault)
Falco (Assault)
Falco (Command)
Peppy Hare
Slippy Toad
Krystal
Tricky
General Pepper
ROB 64
Panther Caroso
Leon Polwalski
Arwing
Great Fox
Great Fox (Assault)
Wolfen
Smart Bomb
Andross

Pokemon series:

Pikachu
Volt Tackle
Pokemon Trainer
Triple Finish
Charizard
Squirtle
Ivysaur
Lucario
Aura Storm
Jigglypuff
Puff Up
Poke Ball
Piplup
Munchlax
Bonsly
Weavile
Manaphy
Torchic
Gulpin
Metagross
Gardevoir
Latias & Latios
Groudon
Kyogre
Rayquaza
Deoxys
Jirachi
Meowth
Electrode
Goldeen
Staryu
Snorlax
Chikorita
Togepi
Bellossom
Wobbuffet
Moltres
Entei
Suicune
Ho-Oh
Lugia
Mew
Celebi
Turtwig
Chimchar
Bulbasaur
Charmander
Cyndaquil
Totodile
Treecko
Mudkip
Starly
Buneary
Glaceon & Leafeon
Riolu
Gyarados
Pichu
Plusle & Minun
Blaziken
Mewtwo
Darkrai
Dugtrio
Cubone
Hoppip
Skarmory
Drifloon
Snorunt
Snover
Magnezone
Electivire
Uxie
Mesprit
Azelf
Dialga
Palkia
Cresselia

F-Zero series:

Captain Falcon
Blue Falcon
Samurai Goroh
Dr. Stewart
Pico
Jody Summer
Mr. EAD
The Skull
Blood Falcon
Black Shadow
Zoda
Falcon Flyer

Earthbound (Mother) series:

Lucas
Pk Starstorm (Lucas)
Ness
Pk Starstorm (Ness)
Mr. Saturn
Franklin Badge
Jeff
Porky
Porky Statue

Ice Climber series:

Ice Climbers
Iceberg
Vegetables

Fire Emblem series:

Ike
Great Aether
Marth
Critical Hit
Lyn
Ashnard
Elincia
Black Knight
Sothe

Kid Icarus series:

Pit
Palutena's Army
Palutena
Palutena's Bow

WarioWare series:

Wario
Wario-Man
Kat & Ana
Wario Bike

Pikmin series:

Pikmin & Olimar
End of Day
Red Pikmin
Blue Pikmin
Yellow Pikmin
White Pikmin
Purple Pikmin
Louie
The President
Hocotate Ship
Onions
Creeping Chrysanthemum
Red Bulborb
Empress Bulblax
Careening Dirigibug
Fiery Blowhog
Burrowing Snagret
Iridescent Flint Beetle
Wollywog
Swooping Snitchbug
Pellets

Animal Crossing series:

Animal Crossing Boy
Sable & Mabel
Tom Nook
Tortimer
Blathers & Celeste
Polly & Phyllis
Pascal
Brewstar
Dr. Shrunk
Katrina
Blanca
Copper & Booker
Joan
Saharah
K.K. Slider
Crazy Redd
Tommy & Timmy Nook
Katie & Kaitlin
Wendell
Kapp'n
Gulliver
Mr. Resetti (Feet)
Pitfall
Mr. Resetti

Game & Watch series:

Mr. Game & Watch
Octopus

Others:

R.O.B.
Diffusion Beam
Lip's Stick
Super Scope
Unira
Nintendog
Excitebikes
Devil
Dr. Wright
Stafy
Little Mac
Infantry & Tanks
Helirin
Barbara
Ray Mk III
Isaac
Saki
Jill
Stapy
Action Helirins
Mokka
Pyrite
Putty
Warrior Mech Gauss
HM Mech Rosa
Musketeer Daltania
Custom Robos
Jameson & A.I.R.S.
Chibi-Robo
Telly Vision
Boulder
Kyle Hyde
Ashley Robbins
Ouendan
Elite Beat Agents

Metal Gear Solid series:

Snake
Grenade Launcher
Gray Fox
Iroquois Pliskin
Naked Snake
Shagohod
Metal Gear RAY
Metal Gear REX
Gekko
Cypher
Cardboard Box

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG series:

Sonic
Super Sonic
Shadow
Tails
Dr. Eggman
Knuckles
Amy
Blaze
Chao
Cream
Jet
Silver

XIV. Sticker List

This section, sadly, will not be complete in the first release of this FAQ due 
to the fact that I am still missing two stickers on my file. However, this 
section was slated to be the least useful section of the FAQ anyway. Any 
sticker not listed on the challenge board is random. Challenge board stickers 
can be obtained an infinite number of times so long as the challenge is 
repeated, and random stickers can be obtained from both enemies and boxes in 
The Subspace Emissary, as random item spawns in brawls, as rewards for chaining 
the small objects in Coin Launcher, or as prizes dropped by the Poke Ball 
Pokemon Jirachi.

XV. Other Unlockables

This section contains the method for unlocking everything that isn't a 
character, challenge board object, trophy, or sticker.

Events 11-41 and Co-op Events 9-21 are unlocked by completing many events and 
unlocking characters.

Target Test 2-5 can be unlocked by playing on them in Classic Mode.

All Star mode is unlocked by unlocking all characters.

Boss Battles mode is unlocked by clearing both Classic and The Subspace 
Emissary.

The Additional Rules option is unlocked by scoring 200 KOs in brawls. The 
Random Stage switch option within this menu is unlocked by unlocking all 
stages.

Playing 100, 200, and 300 brawls unlocks the Custom Robo, Isaac, and Infantry 
and Tanks assist trophies respectively. The Barbara assist trophy is unlocked 
by unlocking 25 songs, and the Gray Fox and Shadow the Hedgehog assist trophies 
are unlocked by unlocking Snake and Sonic respectively.

Additional songs may be earned by finding random CDs. More random CDs can be 
found if more stages are unlocked. The best way to harvest CDs is to build a 
"CD factory" stage which is a block with a conveyor belt leading into it and a 
conveyor belt running the opposite direction on top of the block and hanging 
over half of the first conveyor belt. Several of these constructions may be 
placed side by side to allow many characters to participate at once, but be 
sure that all the ground in the level is made of conveyors that flow into a 
character pit. On these levels, set Sandbag to the only item on High, and use 
either Yoshi's down tilt or Falco's jab combo repetitively. The Sandbag can 
only drop Stickers and CDs; this is the most efficient way to get all the 
random CDs and stickers.

A few tracks in Sound Test and for custom stages are unlocked by clearing The 
Subspace Emissary, All Star, and Classic modes. Once all tracks are unlocked, 
there are 258 tracks in the Sound Test.

XVI. Speed Unlocking

This is what I believe is the most efficient way to unlock as much as you can 
while unlocking the full cast and stage list as quickly as possible.

Start off by going into vs. mode and setting it to Stamina Flower. Give the AI 
1 HP and yourself more than 1 HP. Pick Donkey Kong and play on Shadow Moses 
Island for 15 matches. After five matches, you'll unlock Ness, after ten you'll 
unlock Marth, and after fifteen you'll unlock Snake and the "Snake Eater 
(Instrumental)" track. Switch the stage to Yoshi's Island (melee) and play 5 
more matches. After three more, you'll unlock the Super Mario World demo, and 
after five more you'll unlock 75m (DK arcade). 20 matches total.

Now switch your character to Kirby and play 5 more matches on Yoshi's Island 
(melee). After two more, you'll unlock Luigi, and after five more you'll unlock 
Jungle Japes. Sticking with Kirby, play the next ten matches on Pokemon Stadium 
2 to unlock Pokemon Stadium. Now switch to the Halberd and play five more 
matches to unlock Green Greens. 40 matches total.

Switch to Luigi and play five more matches still on the Halberd. You'll unlock 
Luigi's Mansion (3 matches) and the "Frozen Hillside" music (5 matches). Next, 
switch your character to Peach and the stage to Mushroomy Kingdom for 10 more 
matches. After 3 matches, you unlock the Super Mario Bros 2 demo, after 5 
matches, you unlock Falco, and after 10 matches, you unlock the underwater 
Mario music. 55 matches total.

Play the next 10 matches on those default stage builder stages (character no 
longer matters) to unlock stage parts A. Play the next five on Frigate Orpheon, 
and then you'll unlock Captain Falcon. Play five more on Frigate Orpheon, using 
Captain Falcon this time, to unlock the Multiplayer (Metroid Prime 2) music. 
Switch to Port Town, and after five matches you'll unlock Big Blue and the 
Peach's Castle (melee) music. Your character doesn't matter anymore, but play 
five more matches on Port Town to unlock the music track "Dream Chaser". 85 
matches total.

Switch to Castle Siege and play 10 matches to unlock the track "Power-Hungry 
Fool". Then switch the stage to Norfair and play 10 more matches to unlock 
Lucario after 5 more matches and the track "Ending (Metroid)" after 10 more. 
105 matches total.

Unfortunately, things slow down a bit here. Character and stage don't matter; 
just play a bunch more matches. After 55 more, you'll unlock R.O.B., and after 
95 more you'll unlock Ganondorf. After unlocking Ganondorf, play 50 more to 
unlock Mr. Game and Watch and Flat Zone 2 and 100 more to unlock Sonic and 
Green Hill Zone. 300 matches total.

Play the next 10 matches on Green Hill Zone to unlock some Sonic music, and 
then continue playing matches on any stage until you unlock Jigglypuff (350 
matches total) and Toon Link and the Great Sea stage (400 matches total). Play 
the next 10 as Toon Link to unlock the Ocarina of Time demo and then 40 more 
with anyone to unlock Wolf, All Star mode, and the Menu 2 music. 450 matches 
total, and you now have all characters.

Now let's get the remaining stages. Head over to the events and beat event 8 to 
unlock the Route 1 Pokemon music and keep playing event matches until you 
unlock the next set. In that set, beat Event 19 to unlock the Mario Bros. 
stage, event 13 for the Legendary Air Ride music, event 15 for King Dedede's 
Theme, and event 18 on the difficult setting for the Dark World Death Mountain 
/ Dark Woods music. Play a few more events to unlock the third set. Beat events 
25 and 28 to unlock Spear Pillar and the Hanenbow stages respectively. 
Congrats, you have all stages!

XVII. Credits and Conclusion

Hopefully this FAQ has covered just about everything you could need to know 
about Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I have done my best to be as thorough and 
useful as I could with this FAQ. If there are any errors or other problems with 
this FAQ, I can be contacted at:

cjixdd@mst.edu

However, please be aware that I'd greatly prefer that address not get flooded 
so only send an e-mail if there's a real purpose.

As per whom to credit, there are relatively few people to mention. Paperlink64 
provided the information needed for the Stickers trophy in the Trophy List 
section, and I have to thank the general Super Smash Brothers community as from 
them I gleaned a great amount of knowledge of the game that was pivotal in the 
making of this FAQ.

As per the detail of whether you want to use this guide on another site in part 
or in whole, I'm really pretty liberal. Feel free to use this guide wherever 
and however you want on three stipulations. You must clearly credit me as the 
author of all that I have written, and you must continue to include a notice 
that this work can be freely distributed. You are free to sell this work in any 
form, but in offering it for sale, you must provide the information that it is 
hosted for free at http://gamefaqs.com.