Home-Run Contest

Mario, hitting Sandbag with a Home-Run Bat.

File:Sand in homerun contest melee.jpg

In Melee.

The Home-Run Contest is a minigame in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl in which the player(s) must knock Sandbag as far as possible, usually with the Home-Run Bat given. The player has 10 seconds to rack up damage to lengthen the home-run. The most effective technique for dealing much damage very quickly is known as bat dropping.

Overview

The player starts on a platform with a Sandbag in the center, and the character about 1/3 of the way from the left of the platform facing right. Slightly to the left is a bat, which can be used to hit the bag extremely far. Hitting with the end of the bat, known as a tipper, makes Sandbag go farther than a mid hit, which goes farther than a close hit.

Hitting with the handle of the bat can cause what is known as a no-ping hit. A no-ping hit is used to hit Sandbag much farther than a regular bat hit at damage percentages lower than about 120%. Using a no-ping hit when Sandbag is only at 35% damage sends Sandbag over 1000 feet (304.8 meters). It will always do 8% damage. Pichu, Pikachu, and Mr. Game & Watch can do a no-ping hit by walking next to the bag, turning away from the bag, and swinging. The rest of the characters need the bag to be in the air to perform a no-ping hit. The characters that cannot do a no-ping hit or it does not go farther than their normal Home Run swing at any percent are Dr.Mario, Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon, and Ganondorf.

Prizes

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

• 350 meters/984 feet: Sandbag trophy
• 400 meters/1,350 feet: Yoshi's Island N64 stage
• 450 meters/1,476 feet: Paper Mario trophy
• 5,000 meters/16,404 feet total: Unown trophy

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• 300 meters/990 feet: Boo (Mario Tennis) sticker
• 400 meters/1,200 feet: Clu Clu Land music track
• 500 meters/1,500 feet: Home-Run Bat trophy
• 5,000 meters/15,000 feet total: Bumper trophy
• 8,000 meters/24,000 feet total: Xananab trophy
• 10,000 meters/30,000 feet total: Shy Guy trophy
• 12,500 meters/37,500 feet total: Ai no Uta (French Version) music track
• 15,000 meters/45,000 feet total: Golden Hammer trophy
• Use every character in Home-Run Contest to unlock the Sandbag trophy

Changes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• 2-player Co-Op is now supported, both in simultaneous and alternating modes and can also be played online with a friend.
• There is a shield around the platform which prevents Sandbag from being knocked out without sufficient force. The shield is breakable, but it greatly lowers the difficulty of bringing Sandbag's damage up. This disappears after the time. To counter this, if a attack is started before time ends, it finishes anyway.
• Bat drops are generally more difficult to do because A and C-Stick grab items.
• Knocking Sandbag to the platform's left will automatically result in zero distance.
• Sandbag cannot be grabbed.
• The home run contest stage is endless; the measuring counter, however, cannot exceed 999999.9 m.
• At 10000 m, the number on the sign will reset to 0.

Additionally, the Home-Run Bat sports its own unique Smash attack animations, allowing Captain Falcon and Sheik to properly use it for the contest.

Moves that can hit farther than the Home-Run Bat

Super Smash Bros. Melee

• Bowser's fully-charged forward smash

Hits farther than the bat at 120% or more damage.

Does 32 or 33%

• Peach's bob-omb (down special move)

Peach can harvest a bob-omb approximately every 1/300 times she uses Vegetable.

Hits farther than the bat at about 90% or more

Does 38%

• Captain Falcon 's Falcon Punch (neutral special move)

Hits farther than the bat at any % for Captain Falcon (due to his Home-Run swing sending Sandbag up.)

Does 27% if right next to Sandbag

• Donkey Kong 's Giant Punch (neutral special)

Hits farther than the bat when Sandbag is at 175% or more.

Does 30%

• Ganondorf 's Warlock Punch (neutral special)

Hits farther than the bat when Sandbag is at 154% or more.

Does 30%

• Ganondorf's Reverse Warlock Punch

Performed by jumping and throwing bat above Sandbag, and landing of the opposite side of Sandbag and punching while facing left or while facing right while Sandbag is in the left (this is not reverse Warlock Punch but has the same knockback of the reverse Warlock Punch). Hits further because Ganondorf's Warlock Punch does more damage and knockback the hitbox by the head is hit.

Hits farther than the bat when Sandbag is at 56% or more.

Does 32 or 34%

• Pichu 's fully-charged Skull Bash (side special move)

Hits farther than the bat when Sandbag is at 95% or more.

Does 39%

• Jigglypuff's Rest (down special)

Hits farther than the bat when Sandbag is at 69% or more.

Does 28%

• Mr. Game & Watch 's #9 Judgment (side special)

Hits farther than the bat when Sandbag is at 138% or more.

Does 32%

• Roy's fully charged Flare Blade (neutral special)

Hits farther than the bat when Sandbag is at 18% or more.

Does 50%

• Roy's Flare Blade at 41% damage

Hits farther than the bat when Sandbag is at 28% or more. Hits farther than the full Flare Blade at 120% or more.

Does 41%

Super Smash Bros Brawl

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• Mr. Game and Watch's #9 Judgement Hammer

Hits further than the bat at (?) %

Does 32%

This is somewhat ironic, as #9 Judgement was intended to emulate a swing from the bat

• Mr. Game and Watch's fully-charged forward smash

Hits further than the bat at (?) %

Hits further than the #9 Judgement Hammer at ~200%

Does 25%

• Ike's fully-charged forward smash

Hits further than the bat at around 150%

Does 32%

Generally performed after smash-throwing the bat upwards then charging the smash facing AWAY from Sandbag

• Ike's almost fully charged eruption (released in the exact frame)

Hits farther than the bat at (?) %

Does 39.5 %

• Donkey Kong's fully charged forward smash (with optimal hitbox connection)

Hits further than the bat at (?) %

Does 29%

Generally performed after smash-throwing the bat upwards, waiting a little, then charging the smash

• Donkey Kong's fully charged down smash (from hands, not arms)

Hits further than the bat at (?) %

Hits farther than his forward smash at ~267%

Does 25 %

Generally performed on the ground since it has almost the same knockback in the air and on the ground.

• Donkey Kong's fully charged Giant Punch.

Hits further around 200+%

Does 29 %

Goes farther when hit with the body of the punch, facing left

• Luigi's fully charged forward smash, aimed upward

Hits further than the bat at ~180%

Does 23%

Generally performed after lightly throwing the bat upwards then charging the smash, but has same knockback in the air and on the ground

• King Dedede's fully-charged forward smash

Hits further than the bat at (?) %

Does 35%

Generally performed after smash-throwing the bat upwards then charging the smash facing AWAY from Sandbag

• King Dedede's 29% Jet Hammer (down special)

Hits further at 195 %

Does 29%

Aerial hit [1]

• Ganondorf's Reverse Warlock Punch

Hits further than the bat at about 110%

Does 36%

Generally performed after smash-throwing the bat upwards then performing the Reverse Warlock Punch

• Captain Falcon's Reverse Falcon Punch

Hits further than the bat at (?) %

Does 28%

Generally performed after lightly throwing the bat upwards then performing the Reverse Falcon Punch

• Bowser's fully charged forward smash

Hits farther than the bat at (?) %

Generally smashing the bat up, then charging the smash

Does 48%

• Marth's Fully charged Shield Breaker

Stronger at 270%

Does 25%

• Peach's Bob-omb

Hits further than the bat at (?) %

Does 38%

• Mario's Cape multiplies the distance by about 1.5x

Only used in Co-op and BMO

Equal to +30% w/ regular hit

Subcategories

In competitive Home-Run Contest, there are several subcategories, which use unique playing styles. The most popular two (which have been around the longest, since the start of competitive HRC) are:

• NBA: No Bat Allowed. The bat cannot be used to attack in any way. The bat can be picked up, as long as it is not used. NBA strategies are usually unique, as it requires a completely different playing style. Bat swing cannot be used.
• NBD: No Bat Drops. Players can do everything except aerial bat drops. Grounded bat drops are allowed, as it is considered a bat discard. Bat swing may be used.

Two other modes that were created in Super Smash Bros. Melee's lifetime were BMO and NJA:

• BMO: B Moves Only. Only B Moves are allowed, and the last attack to hit Sandbag must be a B move. The bat can be used, so somewhat unique bat drops are utilized. Bat swing can not be used, as it counts as a forward smash. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl this mode has turned into mostly multiple bat drops with one B move used to finish, which some argue is against the original purpose of the category.
• NJA: No Jump Allowed. Players may not jump at any time.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl's lifetime three modes have since been created and become quite popular, in chronological order:

• NSA: No Shield Allowed. Originally called "No Barrier Allowed". Players cannot use the barrier) and only applies to Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• 3SS: Three Smash Strategy. Players must use all three of the character's smashes (Forward, Up and Down) in the run.
• AAA: All Aerial Moves. A mode created in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Players must use all five aerial A attacks of the character, other than that anything goes. Only regularly done in Super Smash Bros. Brawl due to the barrier and aerial moves knocking the bag off the stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, but could be possible with the back wall.

Competitive Home-Run Contest

Since almost the beginning of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Home-Run Contest has been played competitively. Originally, before the game's release in Europe, North America and Japan had a competition between each other for the highest Home-Run Contest scores. This then moved out to include Europe when the game was released in its PAL version. This competitive nature has continued and grown onto Super Smash Bros. Brawl, especially due to the replay function (thus making video production easier) and video streaming sites such as YouTube. However, due to the large technique changes from Super Smash Bros. Melee to Super Smash Bros. Brawl and the introduction of the barrier and multiple bat drops in one jump, many Super Smash Bros. Melee Professional (90,000 ft+ / 27,432m+ THS) Home-Run Contest players have played little Super Smash Bros. Brawl Home-Run Contest competitively, leading to a rise in a "new generation" of Home-Run Contest players.

The Home-Run Contest world record's list is maintained on the smash site AllIsBrawl currently but with members of the stadium community questioning the site's support for stadium, the location might change to a more stadium based site. A history of Home-Run Contest and its milestones up until about 2005 can be found on the site Folderol, but note that the Home-Run Contest record's list is out of date.

World Records

Melee

• Ganondorf and the Ice Climbers are tied for the world record of 11,347.2 feet (3458.63 meters)

• Ganondorf's record was set by YouTube user Sin2324, as seen here: [2]

• Ice Climbers record was set by Joe Bushman, as seen here:[3]

• Ganondorf is the only character that can exceed the 9,999.9 foot mark on the Home-Run counter without using a glitch. The Ice Climbers utilized the freeze glitch to get their score.

Brawl

• The solo world record is held by Ganondorf, at 11,727.7 feet (3574.6 meters), by YouTube user Pokitaru2681 [4]. Ganon is also the only character to exceed 10,000 feet without exploiting off stage mechanics.

• The co-operative world record is held by Ike and the Ice Climbers at 37,430.45 feet (11,408.8 meters), by YouTube user yy1032 [5]

Notes

• In Super Smash Bros. Melee, there is a wall approximately 50 feet to the left of the platform (off screen) that Sandbag can bounce off of.

A common rumour claims that the platform changes size depending on the Language of the game.

• Contrary to popular belief, the main platform in Super Smash Bros. Melee's Home-Run Contest does not change size depending on what language the game is set to in the North American release; when set to Japanese, the platform only looks larger due to a slight change of angle that the camera looks at the stage with.
• The stage is composed of a unique terrain type designed so that Olimar can only get Purple Pikmin. This is likely so that Olimar players would not constantly restart to get a Purple at an opportune moment, as the mechanics of the mode cause Purples to be the most useful Pikmin almost without question.

External links

• GameFAQs: Home-Run Contest guide by SSKeeto
• Updated high scores
• Examples of Subcategories by SSBMstuff:
  • BMO ROB [6]
  • NBA Samus [7]