If you’ve ever picked up a controller and played a round of Smash Bros. against your friend, you’d find that sometimes, you can actually get away with mashing random buttons. This, my friends, is called the beautiful art of spamming.

 

And I wanted to put it to the test.

 

To carry out this experiment, I needed to set some ground rules:

 

1. Each player will have 3 stocks (lives)

2. No items/power ups are involved in order to really showcase the spam potential

3. All rounds are on the battlefield map

4. I will only use the character Ness, and his moves, PK fire and back throw

 

To those of you unaware, Smash works a bit differently compared to other fighting games. Characters don’t have a set health bar—when you receive damage, you rack up percentage instead. Essentially, a higher percentage means it’s easier for you to get launched off the map and die. 

 

Anyway, PK fire is regarded to be one of, if not the most annoying move once you’re trapped in it. Your opponents are left to do nothing but watch and cry at the screen while their poor character is burned to a crisp— all before another PK fire is thrown their way and the cycle painfully repeats for however long as you can manage to. The only issue with this move is that it doesn’t launch characters and as mentioned above, is how you’re able to kill opponents. So, Ness’ back throw is another easy move to kill with, making this spam combo ideal.

 

Trial #1: vs. E

E decided to “wing it” and chose Fox as their character, who is a relatively good counter to Ness, as Fox has a move that could reflect my PK fire back at me. While this was a minor setback in the initial moments of the fight, I began to time my attacks to find opportune moments to unleash my button mashing upon them.

 

“What the hell is that?!” exclaimed E at one point of the match as I laughed at their struggle. At one point in the match, I also accidentally launched myself off the map. 

 

[Researcher’s note: Ness’ recovery is hard, ok :( ]

 

Spamming won in this trial.

 

Trial #2: vs. V

V chose Kirby as their character. Continuing my onslaught of spamming, I was able to get them up to 200% for one of their stocks. A small gust of wind would’ve sent that pink ball with arms and legs flying into orbit at that percent, but alas, I had to stick to my experiment rules of only using PK fire and back throw. 

 

After that traumatizing experience, V tried to avoid me as much as possible for the rest of the match while telling me to jump off the map and “commit to the bit” to make it fair, just as I had in the previous match with E. However, I did not appreciate them telling me to kill myself (in-game) and so, as a true coldhearted researcher that doesn’t let emotions sway them, I stated that the previous accident was merely an experimental error and those are natural in these sorts of situations.

 

[Researcher’s note: I ended up launching myself by accident again anyway…]

 

Despite all this, another win for spamming was claimed.

 

Trial #3: vs. Team EV

For this trial, E and V teamed up together against me, picking the same characters as they did previously. It wasn’t looking good at first. With two opponents, they were able to surround me without much room for opening, but all it took was one PK fire for it to start rolling downhill for them. In some moments in the match, I was able to trap both of them with one fire pillar, proving just how effective this move is. Combining this with Ness’ back throw, I was able to turn the tides in my favor.

 

[Researcher’s note: It did also tremendously help that E kinda sucks as Fox and died on their own for all 3 of their lives, but that’s merely a ‘skill issue’ on their part and will be labeled as an experimental error.]

 

Spamming is now 3-0.

 

Trial #4: vs. M

Unlike the previous two, M isn’t just a casual player. They’re actually able to perform combos and give me a run for my money if I wasn’t careful. They chose King K. Rool as their character, who has a mechanic in which he could shield against projectile attacks automatically, which, similar to Fox, proved to be a slight setback. There was, however, one upside in this matchup. King K. Rool does not seem to watch his weight much, and is regarded as one of the heavier characters in the game’s roster. I will not fat shame him, but this extra weight makes it just a bit harder for him to get out of the PK fire pillar. 

 

With the unbeatable combo of PK fire to PK fire, followed by another PK fire, this match seemed to be another win for spamming. That was, until the experimental error of ‘skill issue’, fell upon me. I accidentally launched myself offstage once more and that evened out whatever advantage I had. The final moments of the match were nerve wracking, to say the least. Any wrong move could’ve ended either of us, but in the end, M had managed to best the spamming. 

 

While I lost, we both agreed that it was likely the spamming would’ve won had I not accidentally launched myself this round. 

 

Trial #5: (unplanned rematch against team EV)

Unhappy with the previous trials, team EV both demanded a rematch. They stated that I can only use one move. Using PK fire and back throw “doesn’t count as spamming”, which, totally doesn’t make sense because using the same move/combo over and over is literally the definition of spamming. But whatever, I am a good friend, so I let it slide. The issue now was that although PK fire quickly racks up damage, it can’t launch opponents, so winning would be impossible using just this move. On the other hand, the inverse is true for Ness’ back throw.

 

Realizing I couldn’t use Ness for this round, I chose Ike and his relatively spammy move, Aether. It isn’t on the same level of broken as PK fire, yet it could deal good damage and launch opponents, and this was all I needed. 

 

Despite me being ready to start the match, these two still had further demands. V wanted to change the controller set up for their style of play (why didn’t they say anything sooner???), and E took the time to make a customized mii of their preference.

 

Finally, the match was able to start. 

 

Even when meeting their demands and having a less than ideal spamming move to use, I was able to hold my ground for the most part. E was screaming, “How?!” at me while V was hyperfocused on the screen. E even made me switch places with them because “you’re cheating. You get to sit closer to the screen and whoever sits there wins.” I took one of their stocks after switching places.

 

But spamming could only take one so far. 

 

With all the setbacks, I’m afraid to say there was just no way I could’ve overpowered them. Team EV shared a high-five once I was launched on my final stock and the match was over. 

 

Conclusions:

 

• Spamming works—for the most part. You still need to find openings to unleash the button mashing for optimal results.

 

• It can induce rage in opponents, so you must be prepared for the outcomes. With great power comes great responsibility.

 

• I need better friends to play Smash Bros with.