Official Smash for Switch 2 - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[NintenRob]

I know so little about Pizza Tower despite it being referenced. I kinda just assume it's a weird Pizza making simulator with a dark twist like doki doki literature club

 

[Borskaboska]

I know so little about Pizza Tower despite it being referenced. I kinda just assume it's a weird Pizza making simulator with a dark twist like doki doki literature club

not even close. Its more like wario land 4, but you play as a middle aged italian with an anxiety disorder.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Majima time.

Majima Assist Trophy = Majima Everywhere System

 

[Dukefire]

From my outsider's perspective, those people are so funny. Like, a AAA studio would take a while to make Hollow Knight. How long do you expect three people making their second ever commercial product to take?

Cuphead's development was years due to being an indie company and all assets being Hand Drawn from scratch to mimic the 40s rubberhose animation style. People just tend to forget the struggles of others as time progresses....

 

[jamesster445]

This brings up a potential question.

When do you think the Switch successor will be revealed?

Remember how Nintendo just revealed the "NX" on a random Wednesday in November?
I think lightning is gonna strike twice.

 

[Noipoi]

This brings up a potential question.

When do you think the Switch successor will be revealed?

If not next month or October, then early next year. The fall feels good to me though.

 

[BritishGuy54]

This brings up a potential question.

When do you think the Switch successor will be revealed?

Probably October.

 

[Deleted member]

This brings up a potential question.

When do you think the Switch successor will be revealed?

Most likely by April 2025, 2024 seems a bit too early.

What new stages do you guys expect in a Smash 6? Is stuff like Princess Peach Showtime and Mario & Luigi Brothership too late to get a stage?

 

[Noipoi]

Most likely by April 2025, 2024 seems a bit too early.

Well they have to announce it by March 2025 at the absolute latest, but I think they'd do it a little earlier than that. If not this fall, the around next January/February.

What new stages do you guys expect in a Smash 6? Is stuff like Princess Peach Showtime and Mario & Luigi Brothership too late to get a stage?

Brothership may be too late. A Showtime stage feels like one of those things they may have planned in advance, but I could be wrong.

Mario Wonder is definitely getting a stage with Wonder effects. Kirby and the Forgotten Land could get something cool. I'm betting on Area Zero from Pokemon S/V. I also expect another Splatoon stage, maybe Scorch Gorge from 3.

I don't know if Tears of the Kingdom would get a stage. They could definitely come up with something cool, like the Depths, but it may look too similar to BOTW. Then again we have two Pokemon Stadiums so I guess it doesn't matter.

 

[BritishGuy54]

What new stages do you guys expect in a Smash 6? Is stuff like Princess Peach Showtime and Mario & Luigi Brothership too late to get a stage?

I think for the following games, we’ll get new stages in a new Smash.

• Pokémon Sword & Shield
• Luigi’s Mansion 3
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Metroid Dread
• Kirby & The Forgotten Land
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3
• Splatoon 3
• Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
• Fire Emblem: Engage
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Pikmin 4
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
• A stage from a new 3D Mario
• Sonic Frontiers
• Street Fighter 6

There are also a few games I’m divided on, as they may want to keep an older stage, or have alternate choices for a newer stage.

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Super Mario Maker 2
• WarioWare: Move It!

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

There are also a few games I’m divided on, as they may want to keep an older stage, or have alternate choices for a newer stage.

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Super Mario Maker 2
• WarioWare: Move It!

I feel like I'd almost prefer a new WarioWare stage come from Get it Together since it takes place inside Wario's new game system, rather than Move It which takes place on an island and will almost certainly be done already by New Horizons, just for the sake of stage variety.

 

[Gorgonzales]

You guys remember Sakurai’s video on the limited skeletons he has to work with?

That’s why I feel like may be difficult to translate Peppino’s art style and animations to Smash’s 3D style.

It's a complete non-issue. NASB2 Ren & Stimpy exist.

If Ludosity was able to pull this off with a fraction of Smash's budget, then I have no doubt that the Smash devs would be able to make a 3D Peppino work. It wouldn't be easy, but I'm confident it'd be possible. Overwatch uses bendy bones and model breaking in its models and that game released almost a decade ago, so the tech is there to make an insane cartoony fighter actually function in Smash.

Not to mention a lot of the weirdness of Pizza Tower's animations include limbs stretching and/or growing in size. We have that already. Funnily enough, it's most notable on the character Peppino was inspired by.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

The most prudent path might be splitting the difference with Peppino via an assist trophy; something that can stay close to the art style while still being a practical inclusion.

 

[SharkLord]

Hollow Knight is not bigger than Undertale my man. Neither is Hades but I will say I think Zagreus is kind of an underrated pick too. Nintendo has surprisingly shown a good deal of investment in it. Was also in the GOTY conversation a few years ago, it definitely has clout.

And for the record, much of that discussion is stemming from the notorious absence of a Hollow Knight game right now. Undertale is also getting a highly anticipated sequel and will be the talk of the town again once the next chapter drops.

Adding to this, Hades also has a sequel partially released that's gotten a lot of acclaim and attention. It's hard to top Undertale's level of notorieity, especially given it's relative recency. Still, Hades is HUGE for an indie, and it's starting to develop into a series in it's own right, so I definitely agree it's a frontrunner for potential indie reps.

 

[Deleted member]

I think for the following games, we’ll get new stages in a new Smash.

• Pokémon Sword & Shield
• Luigi’s Mansion 3
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Metroid Dread
• Kirby & The Forgotten Land
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3
• Splatoon 3
• Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
• Fire Emblem: Engage
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Pikmin 4
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
• A stage from a new 3D Mario
• Sonic Frontiers
• Street Fighter 6

There are also a few games I’m divided on, as they may want to keep an older stage, or have alternate choices for a newer stage.

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Super Mario Maker 2
• WarioWare: Move It!

You think we'll get both a SWSH and SV stage? interesting

 

[Swamp Sensei]

You think we'll get both a SWSH and SV stage? interesting

Well, both Unova AND Kalos got stages in Smash 4.

 

[Opossum]

Well, both Unova AND Kalos got stages in Smash 4.

In fairness to this, everything for 4 was decided pretty early on...at a time where Black and White were very recent, even. Meanwhile, assuming the next Smash is getting planned this year at the latest, Sword and Shield are almost five years old.

So there's definitely a larger gap. It could get Hoenn'd.

 

[Louie G.]

I’m pretty curious how the Pokemon content gets handled assuming Smash rolls out around the same time as Gen 10. I don’t think a Smash game has needed to account to three missed generations of Pokemon yet. I’m gonna assume newest Gen gets dibs on the new character but I wonder how much love the other two get in the nonplayable field.

 

[Idon]

With the extended period between the next Smash and Ultimate, you could argue that SV hit the "dead zone" but honestly, I kinda doubt that Smash 6's drop after a relatively recent release of the Switch 2 would be enough time to cultivate some pokemon locale both popular enough and less recent enough for them to just choose that over just having an already popular SV stage.

Character though, youknow, anyone's guess.

 

[HyperSomari64]

So there's definitely a larger gap. It could get Hoenn'd.

It happened in Pokémon Go with all Galar mons that aren't regional forms.

 

[Noipoi]

I’m pretty curious how the Pokemon content gets handled assuming Smash rolls out around the same time as Gen 10. I don’t think a Smash game has needed to account to three missed generations of Pokemon yet. I’m gonna assume newest Gen gets dibs on the new character but I wonder how much love the other two get in the nonplayable field.

A lot of new Pokeball summons, maybe a couple stages, and obviously a new character. Who exactly it’ll be depends on the timing of Gen 10 and Smash 6.

 

[HyperSomari64]

What if Diddy's new Final Smash was the Castle Crush glitch?

 

[Noipoi]

One of these days I’m gonna make a big prediction post about new Pokeball Pokemon and what they’ll do. Pulling from Sw/Sh, PLA, and S/V.

 

[smashkirby]

Speaking as someone who still thinks Min Min should have been Spring Man, I wonder how it would have gone down if he gotten in instead.

I think a few things might have gone differently if he were chosen...

• Spring Man radiates more "Protagonist" energy, if that makes sense, and thus would be seen as a less "weird" pick for Smash. Why'd they pick Spring Stadium instead of the Ramen Bowl as a stage? It just makes her feel even more out-of-place than she should be.
• Min Min's ability to kick, I think, let them more lean into the uniqueness of ARMS use in the game, which I think lead her over the edge in terms of her gimmick. Plus, it gives her both good close and long-range options, which means that overall it feels like she has less weaknesses than she should. Using Spring Man would have made the developers have to think harder on how to differentiate his moves instead of just trying to port over as many mechanics of ARMS as possible.
• Lastly, being able to break out of AT hell might have given Spring Man some honor that couldn't easily be replicated.

Sometimes I wonder if they might even judge Min Min's current gameplay unsalvageable and replace her with Spring Man. I could see it if they radically redesign Smash Bros next game. Then again, I'm biased for him, as I said, and mostly just think of it as a pipe dream. I wonder how people would react to that...

My thoughts exactly. Ngl, the fact that we got Spring Stadium as Min Min's home stage truly implies to me that Spring Man was, at the very least, AN option (if not, the FIRST option). Like, Sakurai (at the very least) didn't TOTALLY rule him out.

For that matter, I feel the same way in terms of Spring Man giving off the vibe that he'd seem more 'hyped' over the idea of getting to fight folks like Mario and whatnot than Min Min (not that I dislike the latter's inclusion).

With all of that being said, I don't know if Spring Man can (or SHOULD) replace Min Min next Smash game, but I do still feel like Sakurai and the devs should give him another look-see, since it really does feel like timing was what edged him out of a playable appearance...

While we're talking about ARMS, I've decided to continue my write-up on how I think other ARMS characters would work. So far I've gone through Spring Man, Ribbon Girl, and Ninjara. I wanted to get to Master Mummy, but I'm not sure I'll have time to before work. Let me know if there's a change to the formatting that would help make things clearer, or if there's something I didn't explain well enough. Here's what I've got so far:

Spoiler: Min Min (baseline ARMS explanation)

Spoiler: Spring Man

Spoiler: Ribbon Girl

Spoiler: Ninjara

Wow! No joke, I think your ideas truly help legitimize the idea of us getting MORE ARMS reps into Smash. Like, I think these differences are about as justifiable as the differences the clones of Melee had that allowed players to prefer one over the other.

All in all, I truly think your ideas for Spring Man, Ribbon Girl, and Ninjara differentiate them from Min Min JUST enough that it wouldn't come off as simply "Min Min x4", and at the same time, the workload would be lessened on them just enough.

Since we're talking about it, I figure I should get into an idea that I've had bouncing around in my head for a bit. My preferred angle with BWD has evolved into one that emphasizes his unassuming nature as a Waddle Dee, allowing them to explore the inherent silliness of effectively a playable mook but still giving him the credibility and abilities that we've come to associate with him over the last decade.

In effect, if you've played Samurai Shodown, there is a mechanic where some attacks (either dealt by you or toward you) will force you to drop your weapon and grant you a number of physical attacks to fend off the opponent while you scramble to grab it. We've explored this somewhat, with attacks like K. Rool's Crown Boomerang, but it got me thinking about ways we can elaborate on it further in Smash Bros. And Bandana Dee, with his ability to represent both the character himself and the adorable species he is a part of, as well as the fact that he will often toss his spear, felt like a great fit for this dichotomy.

With his spear in hand, Bandana Dee possesses great range and power. He can attack swiftly, he has a number of strong KO options and likely some sort of subtle tipper mechanic. But certain attacks would provide a risk reward factor, such as his signature spear throw, which has BWD commit fully to letting the spear leave his hands and hoping he's made the smartest decision / given him enough time to grab it back after the fact. Without the spear, BWD will appear nervous and erratic. He is regulated to a few simple attacks with his stubby limbs, not unlike Olimar or SoPo, although perhaps a bit more capable. In this form we kind of get to play as a "normal" Waddle Dee, humorously tripping into opponents but still giving it his all until he can grab that spear once more.

That's kind of the mentality I've developed to give him an interesting hook, allow him to convey quite a unique range of personality and humor and I feel still stay true to the roots of the character and his role within the Kirby series. Alongside his Waddle Dee compatriots... without getting too far into the whole like, props that other Waddle Dees use thing. I'm open to the parasol but my initial instinct would be to try and make him spear exclusive.

Honestly, this is probably a good deal more interesting than my idea for B.W.D. where, in addition to his usual spear attacks + Megaton Punch, I was just going to have him serve as Smash Bros.'s answer to Servbot in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, where some of his attacks would allow the other Waddle Dees of King Dedede's army to assist him in certain attacks, such as a more streamlined version of Waddle Dee Army that acts more like Yoshi's 'Stampede!' F.S. in Ultimate.

Heck, between Swamp Sensei mentioning how a normal Waddle Dee (like, the ACTUAL Kirby mook) got a relatively notable amount of votes in their poll and the Kirby franchise itself pushing the heck out of the idea of the Waddle Dee species serving as a "co-mascot" of the Kirby franchise alongside the pink puffball himself, perhaps your idea really WOULD be a fascinating compromise to add a normal Waddle Dee into Smash Bros.

If you don't mind me asking this though, would your concept of B.W.D. here have Megaton Punch in his moveset anywhere? Because I was thinking that, in the event that B.W.D. loses his spear and needs to retrieve it, Megaton Punch would be the ONLY reliable attack he'd have in his arsenal without his spear, among the various 'wimpy jabs' and whatnot.

I would like to inform you all that the Japanese Direct revealed a port of the original Tokimeki Memorial bundled with optional remake visuals.

Shiori gang, our time will come. We will win. All 5 of us.

Am I in that gang, by any chance?

Rival Schools and Power Stone got ports.

Wait... does this mean Batsu Ichimonji and Akira Kazama just got a stronger shot for Smash Bros.??

Don't get me wrong, I know 3rd parties being on a Nintendo console isn't a requirement, per se. But given how this is their first NOTABLE debuts on Nintendo consoles (Batsu WAS in Capcom vs. SNK 2, which was on Gamecube after all...)....

 

[Wonder Smash]

But given how this is their first NOTABLE debuts on Nintendo consoles (Batsu WAS in Capcom vs. SNK 2, which was on Gamecube after all...)....

He was also in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom on the Wii and Project X Zone game on the 3DS.

 

[Louie G.]

If you don't mind me asking this though, would your concept of B.W.D. here have Megaton Punch in his moveset anywhere? Because I was thinking that, in the event that B.W.D. loses his spear and needs to retrieve it, Megaton Punch would be the ONLY reliable attack he'd have in his arsenal without his spear, among the various 'wimpy jabs' and whatnot.

That’s a good question… maybe as a super committal last ditch effort? Alternatively I think Megaton Punch is is a no-brainer Final Smash prospect, but I guess thst begs the question “why didn’t he just do that before?”

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

View attachment 393786


Majima time.

Majima everywhere

If Ludosity was able to pull this off with a fraction of Smash's budget, then I have no doubt that the Smash devs would be able to make a 3D Peppino work. It wouldn't be easy, but I'm confident it'd be possible. Overwatch uses bendy bones and model breaking in its models and that game released almost a decade ago, so the tech is there to make an insane cartoony fighter actually function in Smash.

Not to mention a lot of the weirdness of Pizza Tower's animations include limbs stretching and/or growing in size. We have that already. Funnily enough, it's most notable on the character Peppino was inspired by.

On one hand, you're correct.

On the other, Peppino literally has over 5000 sprites of animation. And the animations are far more exaggerated than Smash usually does, with Pizza Tower practically living off of squashing and stretching in cartoony ways.

It wouldn't be impossible, but trying to make Peppino feel right would certainly be the most daunting task that Smash's animators have ever had to do for the series. And with how smooth and fluid it all is in Pizza Tower, people would immediately notice if Smash were to cut corners so Peppino truly needs thousands of model alterations to feel like he's been done justice which is probably more than Ultimate's entire roster combined.

It's far saner for the devs to do a Mii outfit and please add a song from it, it'd be so cool.

 

[ninjahmos]

So it seems quite a few Capcom (and possibly SNK) franchises may yet have a chance for Smash.

Batsu and Akira (Rival Schools) would be pretty cool, but as unlikely as it may be…I kind of would like to see Hayato Kanzaki (Star Gladiator) and Edward Falcon (Power Stone) in Smash too.

 

[Perkilator]

So it seems quite a few Capcom (and possibly SNK) franchises may yet have a chance for Smash.

I’m mostly fixated on the idea of more SNK characters, since we know Sakurai is such a big fanboy. Maybe Iori and Nakoruru?

 

[ninjahmos]

I’m mostly fixated on the idea of more SNK characters, since we know Sakurai is such a big fanboy. Maybe Iori and Nakoruru?

Yeah, and maybe either Marco/Tarma/Eri/Fio or Metal Slug itself with the former driving it?

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I have managed to get the poll on R/Pokemon.

I don't actually have much faith for it there. I feel it may be forgotten in the sheer amount of content there, but we're trying.

 

[Sucumbio]

I have managed to get the poll on R/Pokemon.

I don't actually have much faith for it there. I feel it may be forgotten in the sheer amount of content there, but we're trying.

How many voters are you at? If you get another milestone I can rt but honestly unless other also rt it will get nowhere lol Twitter is garbage

 

[Swamp Sensei]

How many voters are you at? If you get another milestone I can rt but honestly unless other also rt it will get nowhere lol Twitter is garbage

We're almost at 850.

 

[Sucumbio]

We're almost at 850.

Heck yeah! If it gets to 1000 I'll make a post and try to get some traction

 

[JCKirbs]

Since we're talking about it, I figure I should get into an idea that I've had bouncing around in my head for a bit. My preferred angle with BWD has evolved into one that emphasizes his unassuming nature as a Waddle Dee, allowing them to explore the inherent silliness of effectively a playable mook but still giving him the credibility and abilities that we've come to associate with him over the last decade.

In effect, if you've played Samurai Shodown, there is a mechanic where some attacks (either dealt by you or toward you) will force you to drop your weapon and grant you a number of physical attacks to fend off the opponent while you scramble to grab it. We've explored this somewhat, with attacks like K. Rool's Crown Boomerang, but it got me thinking about ways we can elaborate on it further in Smash Bros. And Bandana Dee, with his ability to represent both the character himself and the adorable species he is a part of, as well as the fact that he will often toss his spear, felt like a great fit for this dichotomy.

With his spear in hand, Bandana Dee possesses great range and power. He can attack swiftly, he has a number of strong KO options and likely some sort of subtle tipper mechanic. But certain attacks would provide a risk reward factor, such as his signature spear throw, which has BWD commit fully to letting the spear leave his hands and hoping he's made the smartest decision / given him enough time to grab it back after the fact. Without the spear, BWD will appear nervous and erratic. He is regulated to a few simple attacks with his stubby limbs, not unlike Olimar or SoPo, although perhaps a bit more capable. In this form we kind of get to play as a "normal" Waddle Dee, humorously tripping into opponents but still giving it his all until he can grab that spear once more.

That's kind of the mentality I've developed to give him an interesting hook, allow him to convey quite a unique range of personality and humor and I feel still stay true to the roots of the character and his role within the Kirby series. Alongside his Waddle Dee compatriots... without getting too far into the whole like, props that other Waddle Dees use thing. I'm open to the parasol but my initial instinct would be to try and make him spear exclusive.



I don't think anyone is saying this, thankfully.

This is an utterly terrifying idea for someone who can be punted at 60%.. and yet I'm not entirely opposed to it.

It's basically like whenever Steve doesn't return to his workbench block in a little while, his pickaxe tool will inevitably break from overuse, and he'll be left with mostly puny punches or nothing at all. The funny thing is that Bandana Dee has more than one move that makes him let go of his spear. His regular Waddle Throw, and the vaulting feature of his Ground Thrust move (introduced in Star Allies) which pins his spear into the ground as he launches high into the air. Along with this being one of the more versatile options for his potential moveset, in the context of your idea, he could use this move to bail in a treacherous situation at the cost of leaving his spear behind.

Of course, to help with players guarding the spear, I thought that his Side Special could him involve using a parasol.
This move in particular would be weaker than his spear, but with its signature splash effect, drill feature, and Aqua Shot mechanic (launching a ball of liquid from the parasol), he could at the very least push opponents away long enough to reach his spear while doing adequate amounts of damage in the meantime. He could also float while using his Up-Air move (which would open the parasol above him briefly unless the button is held), functioning similar to Peach/Daisy's parasol move so he could find a safe space to land if needed.

Other than that, he'd be on his own without standard spear moves, Spear Throw, Ground Thrust, or Waddle Copter to help him.

Also, might I add that this is exactly the reason why I've come to actively dislike surface-level thinking when it comes to people assuming Bandana Dee with a 'lack of moveset' potential... because there's quite a lot of potential with a character like him. I mean here, I'll even shamelessly plug the admittedly low-quality video I made regarding just that if you're interested (you can ignore the fanfare at the beginning, though)

Also, an accompanying Doc with extra details.

Bandana Waddle Dee - Moveset Concept

Bandana Waddle DeeSuper Smash Bros. Character Concept Jab / Rapid JabDescription:Bandana Dee delivers a simple, straight-forward poke with his spear. Details / Additional Suggestions: - I like how PMEX Remix and Smash Flash 2 handled his normal jabs, with them being a set of three stabs tha...

docs.google.com

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I have exhausted pretty much all of Reddit that I can.

In the effort of being as transparent as possible, here are the subreddits that have the poll, subreddits you won't find the poll on, and maybe some that could appear in the future.

Spoiler: Subreddits

I have no clue if there are any other subreddits to even take this thing to. I don't want to post the poll without permission. There were some other possibilities like Starfy, Sin and Punishment and Wonderful 101, but those subreddits are so small or inactive. Some of them haven't seen posts in years.

I think Reddit is done for the most part. Unless some of the subreddits who haven't answered yet answer, I think its time to move on to a new website.

 

[HyperSomari64]

I have exhausted pretty much all of Reddit that I can.

In the effort of being as transparent as possible, here are the subreddits that have the poll, subreddits you won't find the poll on, and maybe some that could appear in the future.

Spoiler: Subreddits

I have no clue if there are any other subreddits to even take this thing to. I don't want to post the poll without permission. There were some other possibilities like Starfy, Sin and Punishment and Wonderful 101, but those subreddits are so small or inactive. Some of them haven't seen posts in years.

I think Reddit is done for the most part. Unless some of the subreddits who haven't answered yet answer, I think its time to move on to a new website.

Did r/CasualNintendo rejected it too?

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Did r/CasualNintendo rejected it too?

Well no, the post is there.

Casual Nintendo and Pokemon haven't really gotten any real votes, but the posts are there, It didn't get rejected at all.

 

[HyperSomari64]

Well no, the post is there.

Casual Nintendo and Pokemon haven't really gotten any real votes, but the posts are there, It didn't get rejected at all.

Ohisee

 

[Louie G.]

This is an utterly terrifying idea for someone who can be punted at 60%.. and yet I'm not entirely opposed to it.

I feel like they'd just have to be able to make up for it with Bandana Dee's strong distancing options otherwise. Just kind of making him a beast from a safe distance, having some of the most lethal poke attacks in the game, so this way if you leave yourself vulnerable it's kinda just your fault.

Also, might I add that this is exactly the reason why I've come to actively dislike surface-level thinking when it comes to people assuming Bandana Dee with a 'lack of moveset' potential... because there's quite a lot of potential with a character like him. I mean here, I'll even shamelessly plug the admittedly low-quality video I made regarding just that if you're interested (you can ignore the fanfare at the beginning, though)

This moveset is pretty good! Seeing the mod in action helped convince me that the parasol can seamlessly work into his kit and not feel too out of place. Admittedly, I'm a bit unsure of the Aqua Shot because I would like to avoid giving Bandana Dee additional projectile options. Even though this one wouldn't be the most powerful or anything, I'd rather incentivize the player to keep their distance using the spear and avoid giving them an option for camping out. Using the parasol to rush forward on its own is fine by me, though.

But yeah, if Dee loses the spear, he should be forced to approach. Which means the parasol lunge would be sort of a risk in its own right, putting him closer toward his opponent with the knowledge that he doesn't have many other strong options to follow through with. I think that gels nicely with the general philosophy and avoids giving BWD an out that renders the risk / reward factor less relevant.