Rate Their Chances - Smash Ultimate Edition! Day 672: Five Most Likely First and Third Parties for Smash 6, and Final Goodbyes

[GoodGrief741]

I've already written my writeup but what would you consider spoilers? Stuff like sidequests, the name of a required item for Miriam's route, how she interacts with side characters, etc.

I'll leave it up to you, I'm usually extremely adverse to knowing anything specific about a game before playing it but it's RTC and it wouldn't be fair if you couldn't talk about why you love a character/game. If you can avoid mentioning surprises and major plot points that'd be great.

 

[Sari]

Day over.

Rate Miriam from Bloodstained.

Predict Maxwell from Scribblenauts.

Megadoomer

-----

Some songs to get into the Bloodstained mood:

Spoiler: Bloodstained Music

 

[fogbadge]

abstain no idea who this is or what this game is, nom qbby x5

 

[Perkilator]

Abstain.

Maxwell: 20%

Noms:
Crazy Dave x5

 

[Ridrool64]

For example, Chance for both here today is two zeroes. For reference, both were pretty popular games that come from genres that are popular, but not exactly as relevant as they once were. For Hollow Knight, a Metroidvania, and for A Hat in Time collectathon 3D platform games. But the problem here is that I believe they both made the same debut year as, and were nowhere near as popular as Cuphead, and against older titles didn't have the legacy of Touhou, and didn't have the popularity in the Smash fandom of Shantae, Shovel Knight, or even an Undertale character. Not to mention, all of the Fighters Pass characters, though they have individuals from games as young as not even a year old, come from well established series, the youngest of them being Banjo-Kazooie. I expect this trend to continue. If I could rate Mii Costume chance, I'd give the Knight an 80 and Hat Kid a 70. But this is only for Fighters, so I cannot give too high marks.

Hat Kid Want: 40%. While I've never played her game, I've seen moveset concepts that would describe how she'd likely play. In a pre-Banjo world, we wouldn't have a collectathon character and I'd be a lot more down for that, but nowadays I don't feel the need. Also my priorities are indies that have made a huge splash, and while Hat Kid being discussed here at all can be said to be a testament, it's not really one I feel the need to care about. Overall I'm not that convinced, but A Hat in Time is on my gaming bucket list so let's see if that will do much for me.

The Knight Want: 35%. See what I said for Hat Kid, but we've had a Metroidvania rep from day one of Super Smash Bros. 64, let alone Ultimate. So I'm in a bit less urgent of a care. But I imagine that the Knight would at least have a cool moveset and would probably be a fun glass cannon. Hollow Knight is also on my gaming bucket list.

This is what I thought a while ago about the Knight. (And Hat Kid, but she's not relevant to this discussion. Just ignore those parts.)

Today I will raise the chance to 5%. The indie streak of Mii Costumes has been broken, but I still mostly expect the remaining third parties to be double/triple A franchises, from double/triple A companies, that are older than Bayonetta (the youngest third party in Smash, especially at the time of her addition). Bayonetta relative to her inclusion was over 5 years old (as a franchise), which Hollow Knight simply isn't. There are a few cases where a third party indie that's newer than Bayo was could happen, but they're very rare and I doubt the Knight is one of them. I still mostly expect this character to get a Mii Costume, though a Spirit event/nothing seems likelier by the day.

Want is the same as before.

Arle x 25 or 30 if I qualify for x10. The bonus noms are from Friday.

Also one hour ruling here. Miriam is coming later.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

Chance: 1% Just like with Hollow Knight, the odds are stacked against Miriam. She's certainly succesful, having her main game sell over a million copies to the point they're adding even more free DLC that they never promised on the kickstarter and the subseries Curse of the Moon being succesful enough to get a sequel this year, but other than the mythical language barrier issues, Miriam doesn't have much to help her among other indie considerations. I don't see why Nintendo would choose to promote this one specific masterpiece of a game over any other game even if it's shown it's growing strong and steadily. The best thing one can say about her chances is that despite Zangetsu being the more prominent character across the franchise, Miriam's the certified poster girl as RotN's the main thing the franchise focused on, with CotM being a subseries and seen as lower priority.

Want: 100% I'm not hiding the fact Ritual of the Night is my favourite video game even if there's still so much of the game I haven't gone through like Zangetsu and Bloodless' campaigns. The story's quite basic but does acknowledge something most dumbasses who consider themselves experts would call a plot hole with the full voice acting helping immensly, the game's exploration is mostly flawless with the one part I take issue with being finding the Aegis Plate, going through these nice enviroments with a fantastic soundtrack that I can't stop loving even if Yamane proudly announced she's a lunatic, an excellent crafting system that unlike most games that shove in crafting mechanics actually made me want to grind for hours getting new materials and recipes due to how cool crafted items could be and the permanent stat boosts you get by eating food making players actively want to try messing around with what they can, a ludicrous amount of ways to go around beating enemies due to the sheer variety of the Shard system alongside weapons and special moves and much more. For Smash, Miriam's gothic design visually stands out a lot from any other character as not even the Belmonts have a similar style to her so that's something I'd appreciate. For a moveset, as I said, she has such a ludicrously large arsenal to the point she very well may be the most versatile character I've had the joy of playing as in any video game that you'd be able to make like 5 movesets with her before having to reuse any moves, which also means there are loads of different ways to interpret her. In terms of personality, Miriam's got you covered once again as despite what the game's artstyle will tell you, she's got a quite a bit of a cheeky side, be it her occasional snarky demeanor or joking that Zangetsu's horny in CotM2, she's got limits to what she can take mentally as one of RotN's sidequests has her get so frustrated with a single bumbling idiot that she threatens to crack his skull open and a few ditzy moments from being overly defensive when finding out Todd's friendly or replying to an enraged O.D by saying "oops.". I can write so much more but this is already incredibly lengthy, so I feel it's only appropriate to end this by saying that you'd struggle to find a game I could recommend more.

Velvet Crowe x10

 

[BowserKing]

Miriam

Chance: 5%. Chances are, if she gets in, she would be a spirit and/or a Mii Costume, but the same thing can be said for tons for fighters. I don’t think it is impossible, but chances are, she may or may not show up in this game, but there is always the chance for a sequel Smash Bros game to have her be playable.

Want: 50%. I have not heard of this game before I joined here, hence why I don’t much. With that said, Miriam would still be a fun character to play as, and her getting in would promote Bloodstained. Overall, she would make a decent Smash Bros rep.

Prediction: Maxwell (15%)

Noms: 5 for Concept: Second F-Zero Rep

 

[Blankiturayman]

Soma plus Shanoa equals Miriam
Chance: 2%
It's safe to say she's got an uphill battle to go through here. Bloodstained has so far released consistently on Nintendo (especially the Curse of the Moon games, maybe thanks to Inti Creates there) and that helps it a bit, but that's about it; I wouldn't be surprised if it got small content, like a Spirit Event or something like that, but a full character seems really unlikely. For one, she's technically an indie character, so she'd have to go toe-to-toe with some of the bigger ones that have yet to make it in some manner, has little fan demand, and most of all, I don't think Nintendo would choose this character in most circumstances, even from something like an audience standpoint since Bloodstained shares lots of the fanbase with Castlevania for obvious reasons, and Simon/Richter are already in the game. I suppose the Belmonts represent something closer to the classic Castlevanias, so if you wanted someone from the more open world ones you could get her, but even then there is Alucard (who almost made it). All of this plus the series is still relatively new, but hey, it seems to be on its way to do well, with there still being support for the main game and the smaller CotM games. So I think there's a little off-chance Nintendo could want to promote those, but still, even in that aspect there's lots of competition. Shame though.

Want: 80%
Bloodstained is a really fun game; these days I really doubt the mainline Castlevania could return, but from how Bloodstained is, I don't mind that much anymore. With IGA himself at the helm, I think it could do great. I hope the series continues to do well. This all being said, I'd love to see Miriam in the game, as unlikely as I find it to be. Much like her IGAvania predecessors, she's got loads of moves to use, to the point you'd more likely find yourself having a hard time just how many to put in a moveset instead of trying to look for some to use. I'd personally like it if they kept it varied between both weapons and shards; dunno if they'd give her a MP bar, probably would be too gimmicky but I wouldn't mind. Of course, there's also all the music that'd be great. However they do the moveset I think I'd just be really surprised to see her in, and even if I love some of the Castlevania choices they could use, I would not mind at all if Miriam came first, Bloodstained made me like her a lot. Plus CV already has two Belmonts anyway.

Nominations: Worms x10
Maxwell prediction: 8%

 

[ahemtoday]

Abstain. I don't really have an opinion on Bloodstained.

Nominations: Neku x5
Prediction for Maxwell: 10%

 

[Jomosensual]

Miriam

Chance 1 - Not super impossible I suppose but there's some issues here. First, Bloodstained is somewhat of a spiritual successor to Castlevania by some. So that can either be a positive or negative, but I'm thinking negative as we've already had 2 CV characters get added to the game. On top of it she's technically an indie, so thats a major hit as well. In short, can't really see this happening. A lot of the games are on Nintendo titles so that's a small boost but it doesn't really take care of the other problems right now.

Want 10 - Eh, wouldn't be the worst I suppose. There's a lot of indie reps I'd like to get first though. Along with that there's a lot of just regular characters I'd like to see first as well. Maybe if the series really grows and we're in Smash 7 or something but for now I'll lean towards no.

Predictions:
Maxwell - 14%

Noms:
John Marston x 20(assuming the extra game night noms are good to use now)

 

[Megadoomer]

Miriam

Chance: 1%. I'd put her higher if this was about her getting into Smash Ultimate in any form, like a spirit, but as a fighter, I don't see her making it in. Aside from the general lack of playable indie characters (it seems like a stretch to call Steve "indie" - he started out that way, but now he's owned by Microsoft), the series itself is fairly new and small, even compared to something like Bayonetta.

Want: 90%. I had a ton of fun with both Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (moreso the former, but Curse of the Moon is a classic Castlevania game that actually feels accessible, unlike my experiences with Castlevania 1 and Super Castlevania 4), and I wrote up an entire moveset for Miriam if she were to make it into Smash. If she got into the game, I'd have no complaints.

For those who aren't aware of the games that the character comes from, it's a spiritual (and lawyer-friendly) successor to Castlevania (particularly Symphony of the Night), similar to how Bayonetta is a spiritual successor to Devil May Cry, or how Yooka-Laylee is a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie and (in the case of the Impossible Lair) Donkey Kong Country. Ritual of the Night is definitely worth looking into if you're a fan of Metroidvanias. (or 2D platformers in general)

 

[Sari]

Abstaining on Miriam since I'm not too familiar with Bloodstained.

-----

Maxwell chance prediction: 4.50%

Nominations:
Mii Costume: 2B x5

 

[DrifloonEmpire]

Miriam

Chance: 5% - Certainly a possibility, but I wouldn't hold my breath. She's an indie, and while her game has been recognized in its' own right, you're competing with characters like Quote, the Knight, and several others who are among indies' most iconic games. Being Western also presents a language barrier, and Nintendo might not see her as profitable enough to be worth going through the barrier for. However, she does have a couple of advantages, too. She has multiple games up her sleeve and they're both on the Switch, which definitely helps her case (and don't play the Joker card, Nintendo presence DOES still matter). Furthermore, she was a successful example of an indie spiritual successor title in an element where many have failed or didn't really take off (Mighty No. 9 failed horribly and Yooka-Laylee was seen as unimpressive, though it is making a comeback with Mysterious Lair). It showed that such a thing can be done and done well. Though, despite all of this, the choice is up to Nintendo, and with so many bigger games on Nintendo's radar I don't think Miriam would be Nintendo's first choice for an indie rep.

Want: 10% - She seems kinda cool and I admire both the Nintendo representation and the success of its' games. However, with only four slots, she's not a character I'd be interested in seeing. For an indie rep, I heavily prefer Quote, as he's by far one of my most wanted (by contrast, I wasn't even familiar with Bloodstained until this rating). There's also the fact that we just got tons of Castlevania content in the base game, the very franchise Bloodstained is a spiritual successor of. With only four slots left I feel it'd be kinda redundant, and would be retreading a lot of the same territory. So while it's certainly an interesting franchise, I personally would rather have someone else get the slot.


Nominations:
Don-chan x5
4x Strategy Rep x5

Predictions:
Maxwell - 5.33% - Scribblenauts has been a mostly Nintendo-exclusive franchise and got a multiplatform party game a couple of years ago, but with it being a Western franchise with a lot of competition, along with a general lack of fan demand, I don't expect much confidence in him.

 

[Lyncario]

Miriam

Chances: 2.5%

Bloodstained is a popular new metroidvania made by none other than Koji Igarashi and Ayami Kojima, whob both worked on many of the older Castlevania titles, such as Symphony of the Night. Needless to say, she got more of a "pantheon" than most indies by virtue of her creators being such imoprtant figures in the gamig industry due to their work on one of the most genre defining Metroidvania that exist, alongside Super Metroid. She's also pretty popular, with her game having sold over a million and having high critical praise, which was to be expected considering who made her and her game. However, multiple problems also rises against her, such as her being very recent. While Nintendo could go for her as a popular, relevant, and new character pick, I very much doubt that they would have, even despite how her makers are quite famous. There's also how there's just the Knight from Hollow Knight standing in front of her radiating menacing energy with him being more popular, more criticaly aclaimed, and especialy more put on the spotlight by Nintendo themselves. And even beyond the Knight, she also got competition from Quote, arguably Reimu and Shantae, and a bunch of other indies even if a bunch of them are from unlikely to "as if they had a chance to begin with" in term of chance.

Want: 55%

I have yet to play Bloodstained, but I wouldn't be too much against it. She got a great design, she seems to have a great moveset potential from what I saw, could bring very cool tracks, a very cool stage, and it would be cool to see her alongside Simon, Richter, and Alucard. Like, she just seems cool, I don't really have anything else to say. She may rise in my want rating if I play her game tho, since like I said, I did not play Bloodstained, or at least not yet. And like, I just barely started Celeste today, yet I already like Madeline quite a lot.

Predictions

Maxwell: 7.6%

Nominations

Boss rush: x10

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Miriam

Chance: 10%

She's a fairly popular indie, but I think she also has a lot of competition in that regard. I'd say her chances are probably higher as a Mii or a Spirit Event.

Want: 100%

Miriam's a cool character that could bring an interesting moveset. Bloodstained is also an excellent game. It would also be nice to see her alongside Simon and Richter, so she has my support.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Being Western also presents a language barrier, and Nintendo might not see her as profitable enough to be worth going through the barrier for.

I'm pretty sure Bloodstained isn't Western.

 

[DanganZilla5]

Cutie Gwen's profile pic

Chance: 5%

Bloodstained has done well for itself with the series having 3 games, all of which are on the Switch. The first two games in particular sold well for their budget and the series generally has received very good reviews aside from complaints regarding optimization on Switch. But despite that, I don't see Bloodstained getting a playable rep. The first big reason is that Castlevania itself has already stolen Bloodstained's thunder and not only that, but we already have plenty of content from Castlevania. I get that Bloodstained is its own thing, but it is a spiritual successor by Castlevania's former producer so there is a lot of similarities between the two series so it would feel like retreading ground. Plus I feel like we might get Alucard before getting Miriam as he did almost make it to playable status and Castlevania itself is still much more recognizable. I just have a gut feeling that Bloodstained won't be getting a playable character. I could totally see it get a Mii costume or spirit event, but not a challenger pack.

Want: 45%

I played some of Curse of the Moon. It's a really fun game and I've stated a couple times how much I'm a big fan of the classic Castlevania games so this game was a treat. With that said, I'm just not feeling it. Like I said with Alucard, we already got plenty of Castlevania content. Yes, Miriam would bring entirely new content to the game but again it would feel like retreading ground and I'm already completely satisfied with all the Castlevania content we got. I just would rather see other completely different franchises get represented.

Prediction: Maxwell - 15%

Noms: Vectorman x10

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Miriam
0.1% Chance

I have never been high on indie characters, minus Steve. Yes I know Steve being indie is contentious around here, but Minecraft started as an indie. Anywho, Miriam has the same main hurdles most indies have. Her fan demand is relatively small in the grand scheme of things. The competition for smash is fierce. I could see a Mii or a Spirit event, but tbh, I doubt that she will get anything more. Even among indies, which keep in mind, I doubt will make it, you have competition from the Knight, Shantae, and more.

50% Want

I like Bloodstained from what I played so far. Keyword so far. I have basically two hours tops in the game, and plan to play more. I love Miriam's design and the overall level design so far, but it has not grasped me yet. Maybe once I end up playing more of it it will get higher. I like it enough to say I would not be displeased at least. But until I get around to beating it, it isn't getting higher.

Neku x 20 (ten from community night)

 

[3DSNinja]

abstain
nomininations: neku rerate x3, springtrap x2

 

[Lionfranky]

Abstain. I'm not familiar with this series
Nom: characters that don't have their games on Nintendo platform x 5

 

[GoodGrief741]

Miriam

Chance: 2.5%
Bloodstained is an indie series whose claim to fame is that it's basically the closest thing to Castlevania that we can get now that Konami isn't into making games. And, yeah, it helps that Ritual of the Night is made by the people who brought you Symphony of the Night, and that the classicvania inspired Curse of the Moon games are made by the retro maestros at Inti Creates. This combination of name talent + filling an unserved niche (plus quality!) led to some pretty major success, first on its Kickstarter, then critically and sales-wise. Now it's three games strong, with two ongoing subseries, all on the Switch.

Now we rated fellow indie Metroidvania protagonist Hollow Knight just yesterday, and I mentioned my doubt that indie characters are coming and my confidence that Hollow Knight in particular isn't coming. If Hollow Knight, 3 million copy seller, is a no-hoper, how could I be confident in Miriam? I'd be perfectly satisfied with a Mii Costume or a Spirit Event right now. But, to be honest, I hadn't even considered the possibility of Miriam in Smash until Gwen started nominating her and... I kinda see a way?

I feel like its indie status probably doesn't matter this time around. It's the series' Castlevania connection that both helps it and hurts it. Simply put, right now, there's no reason to go for Bloodstained content when there's still tons to pull from Castlevania. The fanbases served are probably the same, and Castlevania is just more iconic. And doubling down is easier with Castlevania because Konami is already involved in Ultimate. Maybe after Alucard gets in, I could see Miriam having a realistic shot, though she'd still have to fend off the likes of Trevor, Shanoa, and Soma, to name a few. But if Bloodstained continues to have success and completes its replacement of Castlevania, then it would make a lot of sense. Simon vs. Miriam would be a very cool match-up, like the fabled Dante vs. Bayonetta or Ryu vs. Scorpion.

Want: 75%
As far as I'm concerned, Bloodstained is Castlevania. I don't need it to be called Castlevania or to have the Belmonts. I loved Curse of the Moon's nailbiting retro action and replayability, and Ritual of the Night is staring at me from my pile of unplayed games. Miriam in Smash would be a very surprising, but very welcome, recognition that sometimes a franchise is kept alive not by the IP holders, but by scrappy underdogs who truly understand it.

Noms: Cooking Mama x10
Maxwell prediction: 18.23%

 

[GoodGrief741]

Spoiler: Nominations post-The Knight pre-Miriam

Vectorman x170
Don-chan x165
T-Rex Runner x150
Carl Johnson x150
Mii Costume: Monika x135
Concept: Second F-Zero rep x134
[Rerate] Monokuma x130
[Rerate] Arle Nadja x130

150 - 101

[Rerate] Concept: Boss Rush x129
D.Va x115
Crazy Dave x115
Qbby x110
Worms x110
[Rerate] Concept: League of Legends rep x110
Cooking Mama x110
Boss: Ender Dragon x103

100 - 51

Zero (Mega Man) x95
John Marston x95
Mii Costume: Alex Kidd x93
Riptor x85
Boss: Rayquaza x85
Stage: Bowser's Castle x81
Concept: Darksiders rep x80
Sackboy x80
Fulgore x79
Concept: More ATs as one new item x75
Dwight Fairfield (Dead by Daylight) x75
Concept: Rocket League rep x75
Concept: A 4X strategy rep x75
Giygas x71
Concept: Characters that don't have games on Nintendo platforms x70
Echo (Olimar) x56
Concept: SNES-era Final Fantasy rep x55
Gooigi x55
Vi (Bug Fables) x55
Echo: Zeraora (Lucario) x55
[Rerate] Jin Kazama x55
Magolor x55
Jin Sakai x55
Ghirahim x55
Velvet Crowe x55

50 - 25

Mii Costume: 2B x50
Beat (Jet Set Radio) x50
Tetra x45
[Rerate] Neku x45
Echo (Bowser) x40
[Rerate] Concept: New Zelda character x30
Ryza (Atelier) x25
Concept: A Challenger Pack with 2 Fighters x25

Under 25

Junpei (Zero Escape) x18
Yarn Yoshi x15
Billy & Jimmy Lee x15
[Rerate] Reimu Hakurei x15
[Rerate] Master Chief x15
Filia (Skullgirls) x11
Tetris x10
Slash Kamei (Snowboard Kids) x10
Estelle Bright x10
Mii Costume: Zagreus x10
Mii Costume: Madeline x10
Concept: Rocket League content x5
[Rerate] Thrall x5
Stage: Tetris x5
[Rerate] Agumon x5
[Rerate] Lara Croft x5
Stage: Tetris 99 x5
[Rerate] Concept: Any new Xenoblade character x5
Concept: Raizing shmup rep x5
[Rerate] Shovel Knight x5

In a shocking turn of events, Vectorman passes Don-chan and becomes number 1. Arle Nadja pops into the top seven, tied with Monokuma for seventh place.

Concept: League of Legends rep and Cooking Mama join the group with over 100 noms.

Velvet Crowe claws to over 50 noms.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Abstain. I know nothing about Ritual of the Night.

Nominations: [Rerate] Monokuma x5

 

[SharkLord]

Funny, I was just wondering who I should do my next writeup for. Sudden essay, go!

First off, an introduction to Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Basically, Konami didn't want to do anything with Castlevania, so IGA decided "Screw it, I'll do my own thing" and asked for funding on Kickstarter. The $500,000 goal was promptly shattered and they ended up making over five times that, to the point that they still had to make up stretch goals on the final day. Bloodstained became the most funded game on Kickstarter, defeating a two-year record holder (And then getting beaten by Shenmue III a month later, but hey, it's still a win).

Bloodstained is, in essence, copyright-friendly Castlevania, being a sidescrolling metroidvania with RPG elements. The gameplay consists of clearing out every nook and cranny in the demon-infested castle. It's basically a greatest hits of the series, as a bone throw for Castlevania fans left suffering from withdrawal by Konami.

Bloodstained stars Miriam, an orphan infused with demonic strength by the Alchemist's Guild. The Alchemists were left without their wealthy patrons by the rise of technology, and so they summoned the demons to scare them straight. To do this, they infused many orphans, Miriam included, with demonic crystals, turning them into Shardbinders. Shardbinders are able to absorb demonic power, and are signified by crystal patches on their body. Eventually, the crystal with overtake them and they will die. At least, that's what would've happened has the Alchemists not sacrificed them in a demonic ritual that ended up ravaging the world.

Thanks a lot, guys.

Miriam's goal is to stop the only other remaining Shardbinder, her close friend Gebel, who has been turned evil by the curse and had become lord of the castle. Beyond him, she also meets the demon-slaying ronin Zangetsu and her father figure, the former alchemist Alfred. These figures are all playable in the retro spinoff Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. Curse of the Moon takes place in an alternate timeline, being more of a side-story that actually has a lot of parallels to Ritual. It later got a sequel, promoting the shopkeeper Dominique, as well as the paranoid sniper Robert and the steampunk mech piloting corgi Hachi. Corgis...

While Zangetsu is the main character of the Curse subseries, Miriam still gets the most promotion for the series overall, as Ritual is what it's all based upon. As such, I have no doubt that she'd be the one chosen, in the hypothetical situation where we get a Bloodstained rep.

Now for moveset potential!

checks massive list

...This may take a while.

Bloodstained has a truly massive amount of content. Miriam's closest equivalent is Soma Cruz from the Sorrow games, using weapons in conjunction with spells gained from slaying demons. There are no less than ten different weapon types: Boots, Knives, Rapiers, Swords, Clubs, Greatswords, Katanas, Polearms, Whips, and Firearms. Out of them, Miriam is most associated with the sword Blue Rose, as well as the greatsword Eternal Blue and the whip Andromeda. Aside from those, other notable weapons include Rhava Velar, basically a bootleg Crissaegrim, and the Swordwhip, a piece of downloadable content that's pretty self-explanditory.

As for the Shards? Well... Let's just say there's a lot. Here's a couple.

• Cerulean Splash - First Shard you get. Simple ball of water.
• Flame Cannon - First directional Shard. Ball of flame that can be angled.
• Riga Storaema - A pillar of fire. After enough upgrades it becomes a lot of pillars and annihilates everything in sight.
• Heretical Grinder - Rotating skewer covered in blades. Can be angled.
• Welcome Company - Rotating ring of paintings. Said paintings are feature portraits of backers. With enough upgrades it becomes pretty overpowered as well.
• Craftwork - A big hand of stained glass. Is just begging to become a grab.
• Thrashing Tentacles - The first boss Shard you get. Summons... Well, it's in the name.
• Invert - Miriam inverts her gravity. Pretty much the Inverted Castle in spell form.

I don't think this is even 10% of all the Shards, there's just that much. Anyways, obligatory music dump:

Spoiler

Is Miriam likely? Not really; Bloodstained only started recently, especially when you consider how Curse of the Moon is still a spin-off, and there's a lot of competition with a lot of indies, such as Shovel Knight and Reimu. At most, I'd give her a 10%. That being said, I'm all for her; Full 100%. Bloodstained was actually around the point that I started playing games more regularly, and kicked off a fascination in metroidvanias. It's still one of my favorite games in recent memory, and I'd flip out at Miriam in Smash.

In fact, I even made a concept for a potential Bloodstained Challenger Pack. It was a while ago; I kinda veered into the territory of unrealistic and I'd probably change up Miriam's moveset a lot, but here you go.

 

[chocolatejr9]

abstain
nomininations: neku rerate x3, springtrap x2

I don't think Springtrap has a support thread.

 

[DanganZilla5]

In a shocking turn of events, Vectorman passes Don-chan and becomes number 1.

All in a day's work thanks to thou who worships the garbage cleaner orb boi. He awaits his day.

 

[waddledeeonredyoshi]

Miriam
Chance: 0.5%
Compared to other indies in Smash, the Bloodstained games just haven't been as impactfull. Ritual of the Knight might've released too late to be considered for vol 2. Curse of the Moon has the better timing but Miriam is not the star of that game and that game wasn't nearly as succesfull as RotN. Not to bring my bias from yesterday forth but Hollow Knight has it beat in about every category. Better timing, higher sales, more fan demand and so on. The Bloodstained games also basically being Castlevania in everything but name to the point where even Nintendo should be aware of that fact, just makes a Bloodstained character pack unnecessary cause we already have the real deal already there.

Want: 0.1%
I've only played the first Curse of the Moon game. Its a fine game but if I want some true attachment to Miriam I have to pick up Ritual of the Night eventually. For now however, my priorities lie with Hollow Knight, which Miriam would have to compete with.

Maxwell: 9.15%
Beat x5

 

[Inue Houji]

Miriam
Chance: 1%
While the game seems cool, it isn't that well known, nor does it have a legacy.

Want: Abstain
I've intentionally avoided looking up anything to do with this game, as I plan to play it eventually. Which means I know jack **** about it other than it being a spiritual successor to the Castlevania metroidvania games with a female protagonist.

Predict Maxwell: 0.9%

Nominations
Beat x5

 

[Ridrool64]

Queen of the new castle. Something something vania.

Chance: 10%. Again, we've had very few likely characters lately and the list gets smaller and smaller and smaller with each passing newcomer. So, does Miriam have what it takes...!? I... doubt it. Miriam is alarmingly new, even by indie standards, when it comes to actual release, the most objective metric to base both how popular/reasonable this character would be and what to do for a moveset. Curse of the Moon came out in 2018, the same year as Ultimate which would be a massive problem for base game inclusions, and that games doesn't even star her. Ritual of the Night came out in 2019, and while its Switch port is the worst version, it's still a game that released to pretty good success... in 2019. We don't know when character picks happened, but I have a very good feeling that Miriam missed the boat on any chance to join. This is a next timer in the making. Aside from that, she has all the same problems as other indies. Not as big/notable as other characters, limited demand outside of fan circles, not super big demand in fan circles... the big reason for the 10% is that at least she's from a Japanese dev team.

Want: 65%. I just sold away my copy (granted, it was to get PPT2 at release, and it was the Switch version so I plan on getting it again later on Steam), but during the short time I had with it it was pretty good! But moreover Metroidvania representatives are generally always good picks. While I'd prefer Alucard to some degree, Miriam is a very good... er, analogue to him. Especially as she has a bunch of interesting ideas I'd enjoy seeing in Smash. Not my first (that'd be Frisk), second (an Innersloth rep, probably Henry), or third (Shovel Knight) choice for an indie, but one I'd love to see fourth. Also she's basically more Castlevania without being from Castlevania. And more of that is good.

CJ x 10. Nothing has changed for Maxwell since last time, IIRC. But for some reason I just can't see it. 2.84%.

 

[fogbadge]

CJ x 10. Nothing has changed for Maxwell since last time, IIRC. But for some reason I just can't see it. 2.84%.

is that the animal crossing cj?

 

[Ridrool64]

No, Carl Johnson from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He often goes by CJ, his street name.

 

[fogbadge]

No, Carl Johnson from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He often goes by CJ, his street name.

ah

 

[Sari]

Day over.

Rate Maxwell from Scribblenauts.

Predict Hajime Hinata from Danganronpa.

Megadoomer

-----

Some songs to get into the Scribblenauts mood:

Spoiler: Scribblenauts Music

 

[Perkilator]

Abstain.

Hajime: 20%

Noms:
Crazy Dave x5

 

[ahemtoday]

Maxwell

Chance: 10%

Honestly, while it's a stretch to call him likely, Scribblenauts has been around for a while and I figured it was a pretty big deal in the DS era. What's a shame is that I don't think the IP's done anything major since Unlimited. I mean, there was Unmasked, but that was a DC crossover so I never really bothered to pay attention to it. There was a party game spinoff released in 2018, so it's possible there's a game around the corner or something.

Whatever. I'm not rating the chance of Scribblenauts 4 here. I've looked this up, and the owner of the Scribblenauts IP appears to be Warner Bros - yes, the same one that owns NetherRealm, which owns Mortal Kombat. Not that I would really ever perceive Maxwell and Scorpion to be in competition with one another. Something just seems silly about the idea of Nintendo looking specifically for a character owned by WB instead of a 5th Cell or NetherRealm character. Frankly, I'm kinda rethinking the idea of "company reps" as we speak...

But I digress. My point is, if Nintendo wants Mortal Kombat, I don't think they're thinking about Scribblenauts, and vice versa. The good news is that the series' pretty solid history on Nintendo consoles means the series might be on their radar. Plus, it's still active, even if not doing much major - like I said, 2018 spinoff. I have no idea how other people are rating Maxwell, but I honestly have a feeling he's gonna be underrated. Maybe I shoulda set my prediction lower...

Want: 100%

Yes. Definitely. Absolutely. Scribblenauts was my childhood on the DS, and I got Super Scribblenauts when it was new, and I got Unlimited when it was new, and I've been sad there hasn't been a mainline game in a while.

I support basically any character I've heard of, but there are few characters that I'll actually give 100%. But Maxwell absolutely ticks that box. Frankly, I think he's my most-wanted reasonable character at this point.

What's more, he actually could have a really interesting moveset. I mean, the guy has a notebook that can create literally anything. I think he might be the character with the most moveset potential, period. I don't think I would want to see him as a Villager-type: I would want at least some of the stuff he creates to actually exist outside of the move rather than just disappearing once he's done with it. That could mean creating items, or even whole enemies or something, using various moves that then... behave like items/enemies.

Finally, I'm very disappointed this wasn't one of the music picks. Most of the Scribblenauts soundtrack has a pretty identifiable, lighthearted style, but then Unlimited decided to go wild on a few songs. So yeah, I guess it falls to me to give you Vowelcano:

Spoiler

Prediction for Hajime: 7.5%
Nine nominations for Junpei, and one for Neku.

 

[warpenguin55]

Maxwell
Chance: Abstain
All I really have to say about Maxwell's chances is that he has the most moveset potential of any potential smash character.


Want: 75%
Scribblenauts is a pretty damn fun game. I used to play it on the bus on the way home from school all the time. In the 2nd game I remember having a fight club in sandbox mode using Maxwells notebook (if you type that in and use it, it would give you random items) where my long time champion was a Frost Breathing China Cabinet. That thing was so OP. It was eventually defeated, but I don't remember by what anymore.

Noms: LoL rep x5

 

[DanganZilla5]

A game where you get to write things into existence like a smelly, cute, scary, laughing monster or a flying toilet

Chance: 10%

I do feel like people are slightly sleeping on Maxwell. Slightly. He comes from a successful series in which most of the games are on one or two Nintendo systems. Maxwell is recognizable and would fit right in with Smash. I will say though that he doesn't get a lot of requests and he is a western character whose company also owns Mortal Kombat. So while I don't think he would be a priority, I do think he is a dark horse pick and I'm sure he is on Nintendo's radar.

Want: 75%

A moveset that literally writes itself? Sign me up. Scribblenauts is a great series, and I have lots of fond memories playing Unlimited. It's a game that is both comedic and allows you to be very creative which is a great mix. The series just fits wonderfully with Smash. And let's talk about the moveset. It could literally be anything. They could implement jetpacks, vehicles, animals, bombs, chains, dinosaurs, etc. I can totally see the Smash team having a blast making a moveset for Maxwell and I would like to see how it could turn out. Maxwell would just be a ridiculous and funny character and I'm down for it.

Prediction: Hajimeme - 15%

Noms: Among Us character x25 (10 for today + 5 bonus noms + 10 from community night)
And yes, Among Us does have a support thread. Its just not been posted in the newcomer directory despite me notifying them about it.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Maxwell

5% Chance

I do feel that this character is a little slept on, but not by much. First off, WB does have competition in terms of a MK character. While both are not that requested in Japan, you see oodles more MK support in the West. The franchise also seems to have had difficulties localizing into Japan, at least for a while. The first few games took a long time to get ports to Japan. While that might not be as big of a hurdle, it still does not help. That being said, Maxwell offers a super unique moveset and is from a franchsie relatively strongly rooted to Nintendo systems. A dark horse, but not one I would bet on.

Abstain want

Look, I see a ton of potential in terms of moveset stuff. I have not played Scribblenauts, but it clearly has some potential to have a spot in smash. I see a franchise that has a ton of charm that would honestly fit into the smash series quite well. I also have fond memories of associating the franchise with Nintendo after seeing it in a ton of Nintendo power articles. I kind of relate it to Nintendo in the same way I would Layton, weird I know. Unlike Layton I have not played Maxwell's games yet, so I do not want to rate him unfairly.

Neku x 10

 

[Lionfranky]

Abstain

Nom: characters that don't have their games on Nintendo platform x 5

 

[Lyncario]

Abstain, I don't know how to rate Maxwell at all. Though I will say that I have fond memories of scribblenauts because of me just screwing stuff up, or to watch streamers/youtubers playing the game in the most wrong way possible that ends up being funny.

Nominations

Hajime: 5.6%

Nominations

Boss rush x5