Team Attack, named Friendly Fire in Super Smash Bros. Melee, is an optional feature for Team Battles appearing in the Smash Bros. games. Normally, teammates are incapable of attacking or damaging each other, with attacks simply passing through them with no effect. Activating Team Attack disables this immunity, allowing teammates to hit or even KO each other.
On the surface, Team Attack has no advantages and is simply a hindrance (for example, teammates must get out of the way of projectiles). However, it does give rise to some new strategies:
- Teammates can be healed by using an energy projectile and PSI Magnet, or can use Oil Panic to capture friendly projectiles.
- Teammates can be used as ammunition when thrown or spit, and their neutral special can be copied by a friendly Kirby.
- Teammates can attack recovering friendlies to allow the re-use of a triple jump or even knock them towards the stage.
- Teammates can attack each other to replenish their attacks or knock them out of ending lag (for example, jabbing a Jigglypuff that has used Rest in order to let them act much earlier).
Official tournaments for all three games require that Team Attack be turned on in doubles. This forces extra co-ordination and makes it much more difficult to do two-on-one combos.
In most one-player modes, Team Attack is turned off so enemies such as the Alloys cannot hit each other. This also applies to the player team in co-op Target Tests and the like.
Galaxia Darkness, Puff Up, Landmaster, and End of Day are Final Smashes that can harm teammates regardless of whether team attack is on or off. Attacks that can damage the user such as item explosions will also damage teammates regardless.
Team Attack does not affect the operation of the Team Healer. Leaving it turned off does not affect the bonuses Bully, Predator, and Stalker; even though teammates are immune to one's attacks and so the only viable target is the opponent, these single-target-penalizing bonuses still activate in 2-on-1 or 3-on-1 matches.