Switch Smash: A new kind of Team Battle

[Sean Wheeler]

So remember the way Zelda used to transform into Sheik? Or the Pokémon Trainer? Or how Samus changes her suit after a Final Smash? It seemed great until the limitations of the 3DS removed transformations only to show how much better they are on their own. Samus and ZSS players who don't want to change wouldn't be forced into a lose-lose situation whenever a Smash Ball appears. Charizard no longer has the stamina mechanic or forced switching to hold him back. And that Guardian that Zelda summons look very awesome. And you no longer have to worry about the AI changing when you want to fight a specific character. So in hindsight, transformations looked as bad as tripping. But for every cut character, there are fans who want them back. Squirtle and Ivysaur could return as their own characters just fine, but what about the Pokémon Trainer who was always on the sidelines? There are people who like to change between Zelda and Sheik in midbattle. And Samus? Okay, I don't see any reason anyone would want to wait for a Smash Ball to transform. But some people using Samus would be expecting a transformation. There are good and bad things about the transformations. Whether they come back or not could be divisive. But there could be a new mode to compromise: Switch Smash. Transformations wouldn't make it to the main game, but the character switching fun could be its own mode. It would work like those tag team battles in other fighting games like Tekken and Marvel vs. Capcom where you have an active character and a reserve character. You can switch between the two characters you selected by holding the taunt button for a second. Certain characters may have specific animations for these tag switches like Zelda and Sheik having a transformation that resembles their Down B from Brawl, Samus' Power Suit falling off to reveal Zero Suit Samus who could perform her Brawl Final Smash at anytime (without the Smash Ball) to change back. When a team of Pokémon is involved, the Trainer from Brawl would be there to switch them even when it's Pikachu and Mewtwo. And yes, he would be hanging out in the background the whole fight. If multiple teams of Pokémon are fighting, there will be other trainers. And you can even switch between unrelated characters like Sonic and Lucina, Captain Falcon and King Dedede, etc. However, each character has one stock, meaning if one character gets KO'ed, you can't switch for the remainder of the match.

 

[PF9]

I like this idea. But add some Easter eggs. For example, if the team consists of a combination of Pikachu, Greninja and/or Charizard, the Brawl trainer gets replaced by Ash Ketchum, confirming he is the owner of those three.

 

[Crazy Hand 2001]

How about making each character automatically switch after the previous one gets KO’d?

Make it more like Project M?

 

[Dark Dude]

I would prefer a mode where each stock is a different character. I'm surprised that hasn't happened yet (aside from Smash Tour) considering how huge the roster is now.

 

[KEYLIME SSB]

Hey this could actually lead to some of the most astonishing mindgames this century.

 

[Crystanium]

In other words, a tag team mode.

Also, Samus was able to lose the armor by pressing up and down repeatedly on the d-pad. The best way was to place your finger on the d-pad's left or right side and wiggle your finger quickly. The input would be registered as up-down anyway. ZSS wouldn't need a smash ball if all one had to do was the same thing.