Official Smash Ultimate Discussion

[Imadethistoseealeak]

I have my full thoughts on transformations here:

https://smashboards.com/threads/thoughts-on-transformation-mechanics.453408/#post-22044645


For Celica as last-minute clone material, I think it is as simple as:

-Switching Elwind, Elfire, and Elthunder to a more powerful, but time consuming Seraphim, Fire, and Thunder.
-Switching the durability mechanic to a recoil mechanic, at least for specials.
-Switching most standard/air attacks to match her swordplay style in Echoes, making her more 'Wolfified.'
-Switching the Levin Sword to the Beloved Zofia.
-Making her overall running speed slightly faster than Robin, but lighter in knockback to compensate for her quicker/riskier/powerful playstyle.
-Making her Final Smash be similar to Robin's Pair Up, but with Alm fighting alongside Celica, comboing the opponent, ending the FS with an explosion.

I played enough of Echoes to get a good idea of how she could be a semi-clone of Robin. It is not ideal for Celica, but I personally think this is the best case scenario for her to get in Smash Switch. I think an FE newcomer's best chances are that of last-minute kind due to the overrepresentation of FE. Although, there could be a situation where Sakurai notes theme similarities of her and Robin with Sword and Magic, putting Celica in a position where Sakurai can add her as a last-minute semi-clone, for the main reason being her fan-popularity (for reference, here is the FE:Heroes character poll), being included for the same reason as Lucina. That is what I am currently banking on for Celica at the moment, though I have been having more doubts about her recently.

Right I remember reading this. I agree that we can't guarantee they are out, but your logic was basically that because we can't guarntee it, it means it's back. I don't think there's enough to say that either.

However there is this. Ice Climbers were cut because their gimmick could not work on both systems. Sakurai could have made the character Ice Climber but the design was too important and he didn't want to lose that. However he did rework Zelda,Shiek,Samus and Zss to be seperate. Charizard is an even better example, as the switching of Pokemon was the main feature of Pokemon Trainer but he still brought in Charizard as a reworked character.

Sakurai also knows how well received cutting the transformation gimmick was. Basically he wasn't fond enough to not work around it last time (like he was with ice Climbers) and so I don't see him bringing it back after spending time reworking those characters to be better without their transformation.

(I could POSSIBLY see a new character being added that had a transformation mechanic. Although unlikely. I'm just saying that he's not going to rework those veterans a third time when they are fine the way they are. Thanks for reading the long read lol)

(ALSO I totally agree with your concept behind Celica. Lucina is a good example imo, minus the fact that I don't think Celica would start as a costume. But clones have always been added and I think Celica is a good contender for a semi-clone)

 

[MopedOfJustice]

What would you call Wolf's addition in Brawl then, since he was the last character decided for development?

His animations are mostly from other characters, it's just not as obvious as someone like Lucas because he has multiple sources. Hence my question of if you think other sword users would be able to cover everything you'd have changed.

 

[Murlough]

It has been a while since I shared a roster, but I have a new prediction roster to share:

Tell me your thoughts.

If this actually happened I'd be pretty annoyed.

Dixie Kong, Dr. Mario, Pokemon Trainer, the return of the transformations, two new animal crossing reps that could easily just be palette swaps, ....lycanrock...., and like 3-4 characters I have genuinely never seen nor heard of before kinda ruin it for me. Honestly, if this was it I'd be dissappointed.

Heihachi, the inclusion of Roy, Wolf, and ICs, the Inklings and Octolings, and Celica just don't make up for it. I'd be like 10% hyped but 90% horribly upset at the direction the game took.

 

[Bradli Wartooth]

Whille I guess we shouldn't rule out transformations, Sakurai did state that, although they were initially removed due to 3DS limitations, he believed removing transformations was "the right direction" because it removed "ambiguous tactics and such".

https://nintendoeverything.com/saku...formations-in-smash-bros-wii-u3ds-online-lag/

Unless he thinks it isn't the right direction anymore, which I wouldn't quite understand, I would assume they're still going to be gone.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

It has been a while since I shared a roster, but I have a new prediction roster to share:

Tell me your thoughts.

As far as predicitions go I feel like Lycanroc, the card guy, dr. kawashima and 2 AC reps seems like a reach. But my bigger issue is honestly the layout, I'm honestly quite confused, like it's obviously by series release date but not in the way smash 4 handled that where series with multiple reps go first and then the single rep franchises are tacked onto the ends of the rows where there's space. And the clone section is weird, I feel like it shouldn't be there for starters, Lucina, Dark Pit and Doc were tacked on at the end of development so that's why they're there and characters like Wolf, Lucas and Roy are no more clones than falco or tink, they should be with their own franchises. Also rex's weird placement.

 

[Sauced]

I think they will add Shovel Knight because he is an amiibo and he has a good move set opportunity.

 

[BluePikmin11]

His animations are mostly from other characters, it's just not as obvious as someone like Lucas because he has multiple sources. Hence my question of if you think other sword users would be able to cover everything you'd have changed.

Really? What would those characters be exactly? I never heard about him borrowing moves from other characters. I just assume Sakurai took some moves from Fox/Falco and modified it greatly to fit Wolf's character.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

Really? What would those characters be exactly? I never heard about him borrowing moves from other characters. I just assume Sakurai took some moves from Fox/Falco and modified it greatly to fit Wolf's character.

Sonic's up air is his up smash, him and sonic share a neutral air, wolf and diddy share a dair, ZSS's bair, and then obviously fox's specials

but dash attack, fair, uair, fsmash, dsmash, and his tilts are all original I think

But Wolf still had 70% (I think?) of an original character so I don't think he counts as a last minute clone at all

 

[MasterOfKnees]

Whille I guess we shouldn't rule out transformations, Sakurai did state that, although they were initially removed due to 3DS limitations, he believed removing transformations was "the right direction" because it removed "ambiguous tactics and such".

https://nintendoeverything.com/saku...formations-in-smash-bros-wii-u3ds-online-lag/

Unless he thinks it isn't the right direction anymore, which I wouldn't quite understand, I would assume they're still going to be gone.

It's also worth noting that the removal of transformations was very well received, and Sakurai isn't oblivious to his fanbase, he knows putting Charizard behind the Pokémon Trainer and intertwining Zelda and Sheik again will be met with criticism.

 

[Bradli Wartooth]

It's also worth noting that the removal of transformations was very well received, and Sakurai isn't oblivious to his fanbase, he knows putting Charizard behind the Pokémon Trainer and intertwining Zelda and Sheik again will be met with criticism.

Great points. Personally I'll be both shocked and disappointed should transformations return. I also don't want them to have any justification to leave Zelda in her current polar-opposite-of-Sheik state, because that state is total garbage.

 

[BluePikmin11]

It's also worth noting that the removal of transformations was very well received, and Sakurai isn't oblivious to his fanbase, he knows putting Charizard behind the Pokémon Trainer and intertwining Zelda and Sheik again will be met with criticism.

Although if transformations are integrated into those characters and improved to the point where transforming serves a benefit, I do not think he will be met with harsh criticism. I think would be aware of such criticism and try to find ways to improve the transformation concept since he did not get that chance earlier due to 3DS limitations, instead of getting rid of the concept entirely for good.

 

[Bradli Wartooth]

Although if transformations are integrated into those characters and improved to the point where transforming serves a benefit, I do not think he will be met with harsh criticism. I think would be aware of such criticism and try to find ways to improve the transformation concept since he did not get that chance earlier due to 3DS limitations, instead of getting rid of the concept entirely for good.

But you're brushing over the fact that Sakurai actually stated that losing transformations was the right direction. You can say that he could improve them to the point that its a benefit, but that judgement is entirely subjective and it will still bear the complication of ambiguous tactics, which Sakurai listed as a good reason to not have them.

 

[Roberk]

It has been a while since I shared a roster, but I have a new prediction roster to share:

Tell me your thoughts.

I wish the clones and newcomers were with their respective franchises. I know this is the style of Smash 4, but having some series' be in 3-4 different spots on the roster is confusing.

 

[Chandeelure]

Blue, your rosters always make me sad.

But you predicted Bayonetta last time, so who knows lol.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

Although if transformations are integrated into those characters and improved to the point where transforming serves a benefit, I do not think he will be met with harsh criticism. I think would be aware of such criticism and try to find ways to improve the transformation concept since he did not get that chance earlier due to 3DS limitations, instead of getting rid of the concept entirely for good.

I don't think transformations will ever really be accepted by fans, and the reason is pretty simple really: we all just want to play as our favorite characters. If I pick Charizard then I just want to play as Charizard, don't force me to play as Squirtle and Ivysaur, don't take away a special attack from me, and stop dragging my character down because you have to balance it accordingly. Even a more simple transformation character like Zelda has always been hampered by having to share the spotlight with Sheik, even in Smash 4 she's still feeling the effects of having originally been designed to be a two-in-one deal, which really sucks for the people who just want to play Zelda.

Furthermore, reintroducing transformations now would commit one of the ultimate sins in game design, which is giving the player an option and then taking it away again. Removing transformations only allowed the player more freedom, the only drawback it had was that it meant Squirtle and Ivysaur were cut, but everyone who played all the other characters previously affected by it were only affected in a positive way. By reverting this players would just feel like they're being limited even more than before as they've seen the other side of it now, and even Squirtle and Ivysaur fans wouldn't be fully satisfied as those characters are still going to be dragged down by the overall concept.

Of course you could change the transformation concept to make it less restrictive, but I see absolutely no way that it could ever be better than just continuing to have them as seperate characters, because that's exactly what people have always wanted.

 

[J0eyboi]

I think they will add Shovel Knight because he is an amiibo and he has a good move set opportunity.

Both of those things apply equally to Solaire, who also has the advantage of being from a AAA Japanese game instead of a western indie title.

 

[BluePikmin11]

But you're brushing over the fact that Sakurai actually stated that losing transformations was the right direction. You can say that he could improve them to the point that its a benefit, but that judgement is entirely subjective and it will still bear the complication of ambiguous tactics, which Sakurai listed as a good reason to not have them.

I mean, he will surely think about the "complication of ambiguous tactics", but I do not think that reason alone would be a giant wall that would prevent the potentially likely thought of improving transformation for this new game. Fans might have positive reception, but with a new Smash game comes new opportunities to improve gameplay aspects that did not get the chance to shine like the broken chain-grabbing duo characters, execution of transformations, etc.

 

[ColietheGoalie]

By reverting this players would just feel like they're being limited even more than before as they've seen the other side of it now, and even Squirtle and Ivysaur fans wouldn't be fully satisfied as those characters are still going to be dragged down by the overall concept.

Just interjecting to say I'd gladly take Pokemon Trainer back if it mean these two returned. They were both arguably better than Charizard. I get what you're saying but the way I see it:

All three Pokemon as solo characters > Pokemon Trainer back > No transformations/Charizard

 

[J0eyboi]

I mean, he will surely think about the "complication of ambiguous tactics", but I do not think that reason alone would be a giant wall that would prevent the potentially likely thought of improving transformation for this new game. With a new Smash game comes new opportunities to improve gameplay aspects that did not get the chance to shine like the broken chain-grabbing duo characters, execution of transformations, etc.

But why would he recombine characters that were already decoupled? I can see Sakurai bringing back transformation with Rex or something, but he's not going to recouple Zelda and Shiek, and especially not Samus and ZSS.

 

[Depressed Gengar]

What would your reaction be in the hypothetical scenario where there was 3 characters announced for E3 via a trailer but they were the Ice Climbers, Rex and Isaac (from Golden Sun)?

I won't lie, that'd be a really boring E3.

One newcomer I want out of Smash, plus a newcomer and a vet I don't care for would not excite me much. Hell, if it weren't for the fact that the hypothetical trailer would most likely be our first proper look at the game, I'd consider it to be little more than a waste of time for me to watch.

 

[BluePikmin11]

But why would he recombine characters that were already decoupled? I can see Sakurai bringing back transformation with Rex or something, but he's not going to recouple Zelda and Shiek, and especially not Samus and ZSS.

Interesting thought, the idea of others like Rex having transformation while ZSS/Sheik remain seperate is something I never really thought about. Why would you think that way? I am curious.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

Interesting thought, the idea of others like Rex having transformation while ZSS/Sheik remain seperate is something I never really thought about. Why would you think that way? I am curious.

I mean if they were to reintroduce and reinvent the transformation concept I feel like it'd make more sense to do that with a brand new character and properly design them around the mechanic tbh

 

[Imadethistoseealeak]

Interesting thought, the idea of others like Rex having transformation while ZSS/Sheik remain seperate is something I never really thought about. Why would you think that way? I am curious.

I think Sakurai is happy with the reworked characters and so are players (well maybe not Zelda but the solution wouldn't be to tie Shiek with her again). However you can't exactly "mess up" a character that hasn't been playable yet so it makes more sense for him to reinvent transformations with new characters.

I still don't think it's likely but it's definitely more of a possibility than tieing together veterans.

 

[92MilesPrower]

If you wanna get people hyped up for Smash Bros. at E3, you gotta include a 3rd Party. Snake, Mega Man, Pac-Man were all E3 reveals, and people went crazy about them. But as long as the character is a very notable one that won't make plenty of people wonder who they are. The other character(s) thats revealed as well doesn't really matter too much. We got the likes of Wii Fit Trainer at E3 2013, for crying out loud.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

Although if transformations are integrated into those characters and improved to the point where transforming serves a benefit, I do not think he will be met with harsh criticism. I think would be aware of such criticism and try to find ways to improve the transformation concept since he did not get that chance earlier due to 3DS limitations, instead of getting rid of the concept entirely for good.

There. Is. No. Reason. To. Bring. Back. Transformations.

At this point, it seems like you’re reading what Sakurai says and then cramming it into whatever roster you want to see.

After giving players freedom to freely pick Charizard, Sheik, or Zero Suit Samus, you believe there is reason to believe that they would go back on this and make it so it literally reduces options for the player. No longer can Charizard fans just play Charizard. They now have a 3-part moveset that didn’t work the first time and are now forced to play.

What about Zelda? If Zelda changes art style like Link (which has been consistent since Melee) why would it make ANY sense for Zelda to turn into Sheik? That’s rhetorical. She wouldn’t. The base concept of transformations for Sheik/Zelda falls flat and was removed/altered because it didn’t work.

You aren’t going to make this believable to me at least, because every time you suggest that “Sakurai could make transformations work” you don’t suggest how he would go about doing that. This makes it seem as if you’re simply adding them in there to go against the grain.

In this case, as I believe you mentioned something to the effect that, "there's no evidence to believe transformations wouldn't come back"...that's not how this works though. The burden of proof is on you to show WHY it would need to be changed, and how eliminating them made things objectively worse. The burden of proof is not on people to show why it wouldn't go back.

It has been a while since I shared a roster, but I have a new prediction roster to share:

Tell me your thoughts.

As far as the roster in its entirety, here are my thoughts. I will say, it might be helpful to post your roster with some suggestions as to why you chose certain characters.

I like the prospect of Spring Man and Rex, though I'm not sure about their placement. Are they there because of DLC?

I'm sure Tom Nook and Isabelle would both be fun newcomers. I wouldn't have a problem with it, though I'm not sure that we'll see 2 newcomers from Animal Crossing.

Rockruff is an interesting choice. I won't say whether it would be a bad choice or not (mainly because I'm neutral), but I would still personally like to see Decidueye.

I have a hard time seeing Dr. Kawashima happening, and again, that's because Dr. Kawashima is a real person. You'd be putting a real person (granted a fictional version) against other characters and getting beat up. I myself do not see that happening.

As far as 3rd parties. I'm not sure whether you're basing it entirely on the ballot, but even if Sakurai wanted Sora, he'd be dealing with Disney as well as Square Enix. Getting Disney's approval would be an interesting endeavor, and I'm not entirely sure about the likelihood of that happening.

Based on the rest of the roster, and this isn't meant as an insult to the character, but Layton just...doesn't stack up I guess. Pac-Man, Mega Man, Sonic, Ryu, Cloud, Bayonetta...Layton? I feel like part of the purpose of 3rd parties is to draw in fans of series that aren't as closely associated to Nintendo. Layton fans are typically already Nintendo fans.

That difference there is why Sora, despite being a difficult choice, is one I support. That would be groundbreaking and he'd probably be fun. I can already say that a few friends of mine who don't have a Switch would probably crap themselves. Layton? Not so much. He doesn't have that same cross-platform ground breaking existence that the other characters have.

Last comments- I don't think Celica would be done justice through being a semi-clone, and I'm not even sure anymore if we're getting anything for Fire Emblem until DLC. They have most of the mainstream characters covered at this point, so I'm beginning to think they'd be safe until then.

 

[Imadethistoseealeak]

On the topic of clones, new clones were only included in smash as alternate costumes that got upgraded. This means that we could have had a new smash installment with no new clones had they stayed costumes.

How do you guys thinks this effects anything? I've been planning my prediction roster with the thought that clones were added every game, but we almost didn't get any last game.

 

[Bionichute]

haha heres my bad prediction thats mostly wishful thinking with a few reasonable guesses

Notes:
-Link and Dark Pit have new sets, Link's old set is kept on Toon Link
-Tingle represents any new Zelda character
-If you can think up a better recent Pokemon to be in Smash other than Mimikyu be my guest
-Labo Man
-Due to fundamental changes in Nintendo's business, with them forming new relationships with third parties, and the massive success of the Switch AND with the Smash Bros. series as a whole, its actually incredibly likely that more third party characters will be included in the game in order to advertise other upcoming game titles that are most likely going to show up on the Switch (EG. Doom, Crash and Spyro remakes, new Yokai Watch game that was announced as being on switch and also Nintendo has great relations with Level-5 already).
-Labo Man

 

[Chandeelure]

Why are all the believable leaks so crappy?

First, here is Battlefield and obvious characters like Duck hunt and Shulk.
And now, Namco Bandai is working in the game.

Wow, I never expected that.

The only cool kinda believable leak is the Ridley one from the ResetEra guys.

Someone leak the entire game already.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Wolf's Dash Attack is pretty much Fox's Up Smash as well, so it's not really a "unique" move.

Anyway, I don't think Transformations are coming back either, outside of maybe a specific gimmick for one character. The others work better separated.

I also doubt they'll have Lycanroc change forms, since that's not possible in the games. That would work fine for someone like Deoxys, but not Lycanroc. Plus, they are not much different from Transformations and are harder to make work than people think. It's the reason why Shulk's gimmick barely was doable, since it still took more memory than certain kinds of gimmicks(like Cloud's or Bayonetta's).

 

[CroonerMike]

Why are all the believable leaks so crappy?

First, here is Battlefield and obvious characters like Duck hunt and Shulk.
And now, Namco Bandai is working in the game.

Wow, I never expected that.

The only cool kinda believable leak is the Ridley one from the ResetEra guys.

Someone leak the entire game already.

I'm just glad everyone's not talking about that godawful crash spryo fake leak.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Why are all the believable leaks so crappy?

First, here is Battlefield and obvious characters like Duck hunt and Shulk.
And now, Namco Bandai is working in the game.

Wow, I never expected that.

The only cool kinda believable leak is the Ridley one from the ResetEra guys.

Someone leak the entire game already.

Because fake leaks try to get you invested by having all your favorites in it where as reality is disappointing when compared to fantasy.

Compare the 50+character fake rosters of Brawl times to the 35 we got.

 

[J0eyboi]

It's the reason why Shulk's gimmick barely was doable, since it still took more memory than certain kinds of gimmicks(like Cloud's or Bayonetta's).

Oh, is that why Shulk's a pile of spaghetti masquerading as a character?

 

[MopedOfJustice]

If there is somehow black magic that causes there to be three new Kirby reps and then two of them are Magolor and Hyness, I almost wouldn't get a Switch out of spite.* Seriously, that's abominable.
Gooey, Galacta Knight, Marx, Animal Friends, almost literally any Helper, hell, even Dark Meta Knight or Masked Dedede as low-effort clones would be better than those two.

*Unfortunately there are too many other good games for such a gesture to be worth it.

 

[Antimatter042]

Honestly I don't think Dusk Lycanroc holding items is a serious detriment. Most items he can hold in his mouth, and where that can't be done, keeping the larger items like the crate or Daybreak on his back - notched between the rocks on his mane where necessary - will suffice. As for throwing large items, it could adopt a low stance on its front legs, get a boost by straightening its hind legs and launch the item by hitting it with its tail (disclaimer: I know nothing about canine anatomy but it's a Pokemon and Lycanroc is agile enough that it wouldn't be too jarring). The only exception is really the hammer, which is purpose-built to look stupid no matter who's using it so Lycanroc flailing a hammer around in its mouth could be at least funny. Aside from some possibly slightly awkward - but not impossible - animations for a handful of items, Lycanroc has basically everything going for it. It's very popular, iconic and has a variety of new moveset offerings Smash lacks.

 

[SuperMii3D]

It has been a while since I shared a roster, but I have a new prediction roster to share:

Tell me your thoughts.

I like Takamaru as a retro rep, Chorus Kids would definitely be fun, Springman is pretty good.

Celica as a clone would be weird, 2 Animal Crossing reps seems unlikely. I can see one Xenoblade rep, but 2 might be pushing it. While I'm not against Lycanroc, there are other Gen 7 Pokemon that I'd think would make the cut, or at the very least, Dusk form over Midday.

Hiehachi would be kinda weird considering Ryu already someone fills the role of a classic fighter. Layton, while I think is unlikely, would be a cool character as he resonates well with Nintendo fans. Sora as well, but I'm also on the "He's gonna be a licensing nightmare" boat. Rayman is an excellent choice and one that I find very easy to obtain.

Transformations I heavily dislike, they're a huge drawback to any character and take away from their moveset. I think that anything Hanafuda related should be kept to a trophy or multiple trophies, as they do the best of explaining the history of anything. I would hope that Dixie would not be a clone, I'm sure there's enough potential in order for her to be unique. Also, I'd find it weird that Octolings would immediately come in as clone characters. I don't think any other series has immediately jumped in with 2 newcomers and have both characters be clones, besides Fire Emblem, but that was due to Roy being used as advertising.

 

[Bionichute]

If there is somehow black magic that causes there to be three new Kirby reps and then two of them are Magolor and Hyness, I almost wouldn't get a Switch out of spite.* Seriously, that's abominable.
Gooey, Galacta Knight, Marx, Animal Friends, almost literally any Helper, hell, even Dark Meta Knight or Masked Dedede as low-effort clones would be better than those two.

*Unfortunately there are too many other good games for such a gesture to be worth it.

Congrats you and I have completely opposite tastes in kirby characters

 

[Deleted member]

I am very anti-transformations. I would not want transformations back in the game at all.
Sheik, Zelda, Samus and Zero Suit Samus are all much better separated.
Plus the developers said that they were more fresh separated.

 

[Opossum]

I have my full thoughts on transformations here:

https://smashboards.com/threads/thoughts-on-transformation-mechanics.453408/#post-22044645


For Celica as last-minute clone material, I think it is as simple as:

-Switching Elwind, Elfire, and Elthunder to a more powerful, but time consuming Seraphim, Fire, and Thunder.
-Switching the durability mechanic to a recoil mechanic, at least for specials.
-Switching most standard/air attacks to match her swordplay style in Echoes, making her more 'Wolfified.'
-Switching the Levin Sword to the Beloved Zofia.
-Making her overall running speed slightly faster than Robin, but lighter in knockback to compensate for her quicker/riskier/powerful playstyle.
-Making her Final Smash be similar to Robin's Pair Up, but with Alm fighting alongside Celica, comboing the opponent, ending the FS with an explosion.

I played enough of Echoes to get a good idea of how she could be a semi-clone of Robin. It is not ideal for Celica, but I personally think this is the best case scenario for her to get in Smash Switch. I think an FE newcomer's best chances are that of last-minute kind due to the overrepresentation of FE. Although, there could be a situation where Sakurai notes theme similarities of her and Robin with Sword and Magic, putting Celica in a position where Sakurai can add her as a last-minute semi-clone, for the main reason being her fan-popularity (for reference, here is the FE:Heroes character poll), being included for the same reason as Lucina. That is what I am currently banking on for Celica at the moment, though I have been having more doubts about her recently.

Celica would make as much sense as a Robin clone as Ike would as a Marth clone. Their styles are completely different and there's no logical reason to make her a Robin clone. "They both use magic and a sword" isn't a viable reason considering both Mega Man and Samus use arm cannons, but aren't clones.

Blue, your rosters always make me sad.

But you predicted Bayonetta last time, so who knows lol.

He also "predicted" some twenty other characters. Cast a wide enough net and you're bound to catch a fish.

 

[Bionichute]

Honestly I don't think Dusk Lycanroc holding items is a serious detriment. Most items he can hold in his mouth, and where that can't be done, keeping the larger items like the crate or Daybreak on his back - notched between the rocks on his mane where necessary - will suffice. As for throwing large items, it could adopt a low stance on its front legs, get a boost by straightening its hind legs and launch the item by hitting it with its tail (disclaimer: I know nothing about canine anatomy but it's a Pokemon and Lycanroc is agile enough that it wouldn't be too jarring). The only exception is really the hammer, which is purpose-built to look stupid no matter who's using it so Lycanroc flailing a hammer around in its mouth could be at least funny. Aside from some possibly slightly awkward - but not impossible - animations for a handful of items, Lycanroc has basically everything going for it. It's very popular, iconic and has a variety of new moveset offerings Smash lacks.

We already have a dog character who uses his mouth to pick things up my dude, theres more reasons why Lycanroc shouldn't be playable other than that

 

[Deleted member]

Honestly, expect a bunch of patches and dominate characters that were nerfed down like in Smash 4.
Also it is going to be a bit hard to keep the balancing with more newcomers, but sadly cuts would make it a bit easier. I would not like cuts at all though.

He also "predicted" some twenty other characters. Cast a wide enough net and you're bound to catch a fish.

I know this is not as good as what Blue did, but I predicted and . This is also exactly my thoughts.