Bowser Challenge: Difference between revisions

The Ganon challenge was certainly a well-known equivalent in Brawl.
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(The Ganon challenge was certainly a well-known equivalent in Brawl.)
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{{ArticleIcons|melee=yes|competitive=y|unofficial=yes}}
{{ArticleIcons|melee=yes|competitive=y|unofficial=yes}}
The '''Bowser Challenge''' is a challenge in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' issued mostly to advanced players in certain [[tournament]]s, consisting of one player beating a team of three {{SSBM|Bowser}}s on [[Fountain of Dreams]]. The challenge was originally developed by the [[Superfriends]] crew of Southern California, and it was later posted by {{Sm|HugS}} on [[Smashboards]] in February 2005.


There is no well-known equivalent to the Bowser Challenge for other games in the series, though the concept would be simple to carry across: a fight against a team of the heaviest character on one of the smallest legal stages.
The '''Bowser Challenge''' is a challenge in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' occasionally held as a [[side event]] at tournaments, consisting of one player fighting a team of three {{SSBM|Bowser}} players on [[Fountain of Dreams]] with [[team attack]] off. The challenge was originally developed by the [[Superfriends]] crew of Southern California, and it was later posted by {{Sm|HugS}} on [[Smashboards]] in February 2005.
 
The Bowser Challenge spawned an equivalent in ''[[Brawl]]'' called the "Ganon Challenge", where a player fights a team of three {{SSBB|Ganondorf}} players without team attack, and the general idea of fighting a lumbering normally bottom-tier character while stacked against overwhelming odds also spawned the [[Ganon Gauntlet]] in ''Brawl''.


==Rules==
==Rules==
While some variants of the Bowser Challenge might include humorous rules for the Bowser team, such as "doing something of hilarity after KOing the challenger" or "pressing X, Y, X respectively on the [[results screen]]", the Bowser Challenge always features the following core set of rules:
While some variants of the Bowser Challenge might include humorous rules for the Bowser team, such as "doing something of hilarity after KOing the challenger" or "pressing X, Y, X respectively on the [[results screen]]", the Bowser Challenge always features the following core set of rules:
*All players have 4 stocks, with the time limit being disabled.
*All players have 4 stocks, with the time limit being disabled.
*The Bowser team must be composed of three human players on the same team. The players do not have to main Bowser, but they should be of above-average skill; the Bowser team also cannot feature a CPU in it.
*The Bowser team must be composed of three human players on the same team. The players do not have to main Bowser, but they should be competitively competent with Bowser; the Bowser team also cannot feature a CPU in it.
*[[Team attack]] is turned off.
*[[Team attack]] is turned off.
*The challenger, on their own team, may use any character.
*The challenger, on their own team, may use any character.
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==Difficulty==
==Difficulty==
While the match can seem to be in favor of the challenger, due to Bowser's poor mobility and low attack speed (especially against faster characters such as {{SSBM|Sheik}} and {{SSBM|Fox}}), the three Bowsers can easily cover most of the stage in hitboxes due to its relatively small size, thus giving the challenger very little opportunity to safely attack; as team attack is also turned off, the Bowsers can take on an extremely aggressive fighting style that is not seen in actual tournament matches, further hindering safe approaching by the challenger. As another complication for the challenger, Bowser himself is difficult to KO; while Bowser ordinarily has a lackluster recovery, the presence of two other Bowsers makes edgeguarding almost impossible, and Bowser's high weight also makes him resistant to the upper [[blast line]].
While Bowser is normally a notorious bottom tier character with poor mobility and low attack speed, that renders him easily defeated by faster characters such as {{SSBM|Sheik}} and {{SSBM|Fox}}, the three Bowsers can easily cover most of the stage in hitboxes due to its relatively small size, thus giving the challenger very little opportunity to safely attack. As team attack is also turned off, the Bowsers can take on an extremely aggressive fighting style that will overwhelm the challenger, farther hindering safe approaching by the challenger. As another complication for the challenger, Bowser himself is difficult to KO; while Bowser ordinarily has a lackluster recovery that is very easy to [[edgeguard]] and [[gimp]], the presence of two other Bowsers makes edgeguarding almost impossible, and Bowser's high weight also makes him resistant to the upper [[blast line]].


Provided that the Bowser players are semi-competent, the Bowser Challenge is seen as being effectively impossible to win for the challenger, and its level of difficulty can be seen even amongst top-professional smashers. In one tournament, famed ''Melee'' player {{Sm|Ken Hoang}} was unable to get a single KO in the challenge, and in the same tournament, {{Sm|Captain Jack}}, who successfully defeated Ken's Marth in friendlies, only got 4 KOs, as {{SSBM|Ganondorf}}.
Provided that the Bowser players are semi-competent, the Bowser Challenge is seen as being effectively impossible to win for the challenger, and its level of difficulty can be seen even amongst top-professional smashers. In one tournament, {{Sm|Ken Hoang}} in his prime was unable to get a single KO in the challenge, and in the same tournament, {{Sm|Captain Jack}}, who came the closest to completing the challenge, only managed to get 4 KOs, as {{SSBM|Ganondorf}}.


No official evidence proves that a professional has won a Bowser Challenge. The current, verifiable record for the challenge is 6 KOs out of a potential 12, performed by {{Sm|A Rookie}} with {{SSBM|Mario}} in one of Ken's livestreams on [[Twitch]]; this performance, however, was bolstered by 3 SDs from the Bowsers.
No record exists verifying a player having won a legitimate Bowser Challenge. The current, verifiable record for the challenge is 6 KOs out of a potential 12, performed by {{Sm|A Rookie}} with {{SSBM|Mario}} in one of Ken's livestreams on [[Twitch]]; this performance, however, was bolstered by 3 SDs from the Bowsers.


==External links==
==External links==
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* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAljuzhjqZo Armada's attempt, with 5 KOs]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAljuzhjqZo Armada's attempt, with 5 KOs]
* [http://www.twitch.tv/liquidken/b/515433780 A Rookie's attempt, with 6 KOs (at 8:18:40)]
* [http://www.twitch.tv/liquidken/b/515433780 A Rookie's attempt, with 6 KOs (at 8:18:40)]
[[Category:Competitive play]]
[[Category:Competitive play]]