Samus (SSBB): Difference between revisions

Samus is ranked 32nd out of 38 on the [[tier list]], placing her in the F Tier, a significant drop from her position in the Melee tier list, where she was ranked 10th out of 26th. Her ranking in ''Brawl'' is also her worst placement in the series. Samus has relatively fast attacks such as her [[tilt]]s and her smash attacks, as well as [[aerial]]s with nearly no landing lag. Along with this, Samus has her trademark bevy of [[projectile]]s, far [[reach]] in most of her attacks, and great horizontal survivability (possessing both strong [[Momentum canceling#Horizontal momentum canceling|horizontal endurance]] and a good [[recovery]]). However, Samus's KO potential has been significantly [[nerf]]ed in almost every area from ''Melee''; Samus' strongest finishers don't start reliably KOing until beyond 125%, and none of her potential finishers are especially effective. Her KOing problems are exacerbated by her difficulty in racking up damage on opponents; despite having a decent combo game thanks to the low knockback of her aerials, most of her attacks deal low to mediocre damage, and she has rather slow attacking speed (combination of slow movement and her attacks being ending lag heavy). Her projectiles were also nerfed; her Super Missiles take longer to fire as well as travel slower and being unable to KO until near [[sudden death]] percentages, her bombs no longer explode on contact, and a fully charged Charge Shot cannot KO reliably until 124% fresh (and it is rarely fresh as Samus players must often use it to keep opponents at bay). This has resulted in terrible [[matchup]]s against characters beyond low tier, and terrible [[tournament]] results.

Samus has a wide array of both projectiles and physical attacks, which can be used in promising combinations. She is a heavyweight and possesses average dashing speed. Her tall height, however, is both a blessing and a curse: while this grants her more range in some of her moves, this also makes Samus easier to hit (a common problem amongst most heavyweights). For a heavyweight, she has very low KO power and high floatiness. This also applies to her falling speed, which is the third-slowest in the game, behind {{SSBB|Peach}} and {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}}. On the upside, her floatiness can be used to bolster her aerial game. Staying in the air longer allows Samus to follow-up with other aerials; given that many of her moves have low knockback, she can create a versatile amount of low-to-moderate percentage attacks while bolstering her above-average recovery. On the downside, her slow fall speed also makes her recovery predictable and fairly easily edgeguarded, while also being vulnerable to being juggled. Her floatiness additionally renders her [[momentum canceling]] to be poor and makes her survivability merely above average vertically despite being one of the heaviest characters in the game.

Her ground moves, while weak in terms of knockback, can deal decent damage. Her jab is quite fast and can lock on opponents, which can enable follow ups. Her forward tilt is a flexible move, especially at higher percentages, which can be angled to suit how she can approach the opponent. Up tilt can juggle certain opponents and be a threatening KO move at higher percentages, capable of KOing heavyweights at around 120%. Down tilt is her slowest but strongest tilt, being threatening against floaty characters while still offering decent setup opportunities against heavyweights.  

Samus works best when transitioning well from the air to the ground.  None of Samus's aerials have landing lag, with her [[forward aerial|forward]] and [[up aerial]]s having no knockback except at the final hit. Samus can capitalize on this by canceling into more powerful moves like her [[forward smash]] and [[down tilt]], or by using a fully charged Charge Shot in the event the opponent is a bit too far away. Missiles also factor into the air to ground transition; landing immediately after the missile has been fired negates the significant firing lag, so one can immediately follow up with another missile (of either kind). This lag negation allows for a "double missile" effect where Samus can fire one missile, land, and almost immediately fire another. These missiles can also stop opponents' recoveries, such as {{SSBB|Pikachu}}'s [[Skull Bash]], {{SSBB|Luigi}}'s [[Green Missile]], {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}}'s [[Rollout]], {{SSBB|Ike}}'s [[Quick Draw]] or {{SSBB|Wolf}}, {{SSBB|Fox}}, or {{SSBB|Falco}}'s side special recovery, setting them up for an immediate [[meteor smash]]. A Missile Charge Shot combination is an excellent combo, but can sometimes be predictable, so Samus mains must learn to launch them unexpectedly.  Her aerial Grapple Beam ("[[Grab aerial|zair]]") actually acts as a move to complement this strategy, stunning opponents from far away with high speed; the move also [[Grapple canceling|cancels immediately upon landing]], which can combo into a down tilt or smash. Coupled with the Charge Shot's potency, Samus has no problem frustrating opponents from a safe distance, chipping away at her opponent's approach to best suit her. Although Samus has three different projectiles, she still lacks a reliable way to deal with opponents' projectiles especially since her shield roll is very slow (slowest in the game).  

Samus' major problem lies in her extreme lack of finishing abilities. Her quickest KO move is her down tilt, though with its small hitbox and lack of stronger KO options, she has trouble KOing opponents before around 130% and is recommended to not be used until the right time as to not devalue it with [[stale-move negation]]. Her forward smash is quick and deals high damage, but doesn't KO properly before around 130%. Her only way to KO at lower damage percentages is through [[edgeguarding]]. Unfortunately, her primary options,  back aerial telegraphs itself, has a tiny [[sweet spot (hitbox)|sweet spot]], and requires good setup, while the down aerial is rather slow and has a sweeping hitbox that also needs good placement, despite its fairly large hitbox. Even a fully-charged Charge Shot doesn't tend to KO until at least 124%, making it one of the least KO-capable charged specials in the game, however it is still a good move for edgeguarding. While her weight and height aids in her staying power and reach in her attacks, this also means that she is very susceptible to being [[chain grab]]bed, which is especially problematic given how popular characters like {{SSBB|Falco}} and {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}} are in executing this technique. Finally, given Samus' problem with KOing and opponents' difficulty in KOing her, high-level matches involving Samus tend to last longer, making time limitations a detriment with her difficulty in approaching mixed with her lack of viable and fast options to turn matches around.

However, she has received some significant nerfs to both her overall damage output and knockback. Her projectiles, such as her Super Missles, are significantly weaker, making her overall zoning game less effective. Many of her other moves, such as her neutral aerial, have been nerfed to the point where they are largely unviable KOing tools outside of extremely high percents. One of Samus' strongest KO options is her back aerial (and even it is weaker than in ''Melee'' and it still requires the sweetspot to hit in order to reliably KO). Samus' frame data has been toned down, with many of her useful [[advanced technique]]s such as her [[Super Wavedash]] being no longer applicable in ''Brawl''.  

*{{change|Samus's design is more detailed due to the game's graphical improvements. It still based how she appears in ''Super Metroid'', but with embellishments taken from the Legendary Power Suit from ''Zero Mission'' and her design in Metroid Prime.}}

*{{buff|Samus' [[air speed]] has been improved (0.89 → 0.987), going from 15th out of 26 characters in ''Melee'' to being tied for 14th out of 39 characters in ''Brawl''.}}

**{{buff|Grapple Beam has more range, and now has almost no landing lag, making it an extremely strong spacing tool. It also deals more knockback (15 (base), 40 (scaling) → 60/30) and it now has a sweetspot which deals more damage (4% → 7%) and knockback (15 (base), 40 (scaling) → 60/60) further improving its spacing and edgeguarding potential. Additionally, it no longer renders Samus helpless.}}  

*[[Charge Shot]]:  

***{{nerf|50 (base), 72 (scaling) → 30/56 (fully charged).}}  

**{{nerf|Super Missiles have greater start-up and ending lag, travel slower, deal 2% (12% → 10%) and  have significantly decreased knockback (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → 40/65), making it incapable of KO'ing at realistic percentages. They could KO under 150% in ''Melee'', but can't KO at 300% in ''Brawl''.}}

**{{nerf|Screw Attack has more startup lag (frame 4 → 5) and has decreased [[intangibility]] (frames 1-5 → 3-6 (grounded), 1-3 → 3-4 (aerial)). It also has increased landing lag.}}  

**{{change|Screw Attack makes a different sound effect.}}  

|neutralname=Straight and Cannon Hammer

|usmashname=Cover Fire

|dairdesc=Samus swings her cannon downwards. Can [[meteor smash]] opponents.  

|zairname= 

|grabname= 

|bthrowdesc=Samus flings the opponent behind her.  

:''See also: [[:Category:Samus professionals (SSBB)]]''

*{{Sm|quiKsilver|Germany}} - Although much better known in ''[[Ultimate]]'', quiKsilver was considered the best Samus player in Europe there.

Despite this, Samus's competitive prospects are slightly better than other low tier characters. Unlike them, she can camp to some degree and keep opponents zoned away, which has favored her as ''Brawl'' has turned more defensively based. She also has better survivability compared other low tier characters, being a heavyweight with a good and hard to intercept recovery. However, while this will secure Samus from dropping further in placements, it's very unlikely she will rise out of low tier, as while she competes well with other low tier characters and many lower middle tier characters, she still fares poorly against any characters above said point, and it is extremely unlikely that there will ever be a breakthrough that would allow her to viably compete with such characters thanks to Brawl's metagame becoming highly stagnant.

[[File:Subspace samus.PNG|thumb|250px|Samus in ''[[SSE]]'']]

Samus begins the [[Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary|Subspace Emissary]] in her [[Zero Suit Samus (SSBB)|Zero Suit]], infiltrating a [[Research Facility (Part I)|trap-riddled laboratory]]. After making her way through it, she encounters {{SSBB|Pikachu}} trapped within a strange device that harnesses its electrical energy to provide power to the complex. Seeing that the device causes Pikachu pain, Samus breaks the machine. In thanks, Pikachu helps Samus continue through the lab. The pair eventually find Samus' Power Suit within a tank, guarded by two [[False character|clones]] of Samus, wearing the purple Gravity Suit, prompting Samus and Pikachu to battle. When they are defeated, an alarm begins to wail, and the [[R.O.B. Squad]] approaches. Samus regains her Power Suit and blasts her way through them along with Pikachu.

As they attempt to escape the complex, [[Ridley]] strikes without warning, snatching up Samus and grinding her viciously against the wall. Pikachu [[Thunder (Pokémon)|electrocutes]] Ridley to free Samus and the two face off against Ridley.

Samus and posse meet up with the rest of the Smash Bros. heroes aboard the [[Halberd]]. The Halberd is destroyed by the [[Subspace Gunship]], but Samus boards her own [[Gunship]] and continues the assault on Subspace. [[Entrance to Subspace|Upon entry to the Subspace]], Samus and friends are unfortunately reduced to [[trophy]] form by [[Tabuu|Tabuu's]] [[Off Waves]].

*[[The Subspace Bomb Factory (Part II)]]  

==In [[Event Match]]es==

===Solo Events===

===Co-op Events===

==Trophies==

Samus's main and [[Final Smash]] trophies can be obtained by clearing {{SSBB|Classic Mode}} and [[All-Star]] mode respectively with Samus.

 

 

{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=[[Metroid (game)|Metroid]]|console2=SNES|game2=[[Super Metroid]]}}

 

 

{{Trophy games|console1=Wii|game1=Super Smash Bros. Brawl}}

 

Samus - Brawl Trophy.png|Classic Mode trophy

Zero Laser - Brawl Trophy.png|{{b|Zero Laser|Samus}} trophy

==[[Alternate costume (SSBB)#Samus|Alternate costumes]]==

<gallery>  

FULLYchargedshot.jpg|Samus shooting a fully charged Charged Shot

ChargebeamSamusSSBb.jpg|Fox being hit by Samus's fully charged Charged Shot.

Power missile.jpg|Samus using her Super Missile

Aether.jpg|Ike starting to use [[Aether]] against Samus.

File:MarthForwardSmashSSBB.jpg|Marth attacking Samus.

 

* Samus (along with {{SSBB|Olimar}}, {{SSBB|R.O.B.}}, and {{SSBB|Mr. Game and Watch}}) never talks or makes any verbal noises. The only sounds she makes are those of her attacks and [[Star KO]] cry. However, she has a voice as {{SSBB|Zero Suit Samus}}.

* In ''[[Brawl]]'', if a player selects Samus using a Wii remote or classic controller, her midair jump sound from ''[[Melee]]'' will sound in the Wii Remote's speaker despite the fact that she makes completely different noises in ''Brawl''. She shares this trait with {{SSBB|Kirby}}, {{SSBB|Peach}}, {{SSBB|Bowser}}, and {{SSBB|Ganondorf}}.

* Throughout normal game play, Samus' visor is opaque. The only time the player can see her face from behind her visor is in the [[Subspace Emissary]], where she looks at [[Pikachu]] after retrieving her [[Power Suit]].

* In the Subspace Emissary, even though Ridley damages Samus before battling her with Pikachu, Samus' damage is at 0% when the battle actually begins.

* Despite wearing her default color during a Team Battle while on the red team in the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and ''[[Melee]]'', in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', her red team color is switched to be her pink and red suit. This is likely to avoid confusion as Samus' default color is orange while {{SSBB|Zero Suit Samus}} wears light blue in her default color.

** ''Brawl'' marks the only installment where Samus cannot use her default costume in Team Battles, and also the only installment where Samus and Zero Suit Samus are transformation characters.

* Samus, {{SSBB|Pikachu}}, {{SSBB|Diddy Kong}}, {{SSBB|Fox}}, and {{SSBB|Lucas}} are the only characters in the Subspace Emissary to fight more than 2 bosses (excluding boss re-creations in the Great Maze). Samus can be chosen to fight [[Ridley]] in [[The Research Facility Part II]], [[Meta Ridley]] in [[The Subspace Bomb Factory (Part II)]], and [[Tabuu]] in the final battle at Tabuu's Residence.

* Whenever Samus uses her red costume, her battle portrait will have her face zoomed in a little closer compared to the rest of her costumes.

* This is the only game where Samus has a unique design that is not reused in a later game.

** The director later would claim that this design were based on [[metroidwiki:Super Metroid|Super Metroid]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQD1yJinzeQ&t=127s |title=Wii U & Nintendo 3DS Developer Direct |accessdate=2021-07-09 |date=2014-07-11 |publisher=Official Nintendo YouTube channel |quote=Until now Samus was based off the design from Super Metroid, but she's been given a major makeover. Her design is now closer to that of Metroid: Other M. }}</ref> although it bears more similarity with to the one shown in ending screens of [[metroidwiki:Metroid: Zero Mission|Metroid: Zero Mission]], which in turn is very similar to ''Super Metroid''.

* Samus' render pose resembles her "Smash Red" trophy pose in ''Melee'', but with her left foot forward instead of her right foot, and with her free hand in a fist instead of on her Arm Cannon. Both poses resemble a shot from the end of Super Metroid.

* Samus teaming up with Pikachu in the SSE might be a reference to Pyonchi, her pet in the manga.

* Samus, the {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}}, {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}, {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}}, and {{SSBB|Ganondorf}} are only characters whose icon in the Subspace Emissary and the Sticker menu is not based on their renders.

 

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZnDCwIkFlg&playnext_from=TL&videos=MMQL8xvQIzY&feature=sub Samus' hitbox size of each of her moves]