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Bomb (also known as Morph Ball Bomb) are Samus' and Dark SamusDown Special Move. Samus shifts into morph ball mode and lays a bomb, which will explode either after a set time period or upon contact with a character, shield, or a breakable hitbox.

Overview[]

If Samus is on top of a bomb when it explodes, she will shift into morph ball mode and bounce up; thus, if Samus uses Bomb while touching an opponent, she will hit the opponent or their shield with the bomb and be popped up into the air. The mechanics behind the Morph Ball result in the Super Wavedash in Melee. Bombs almost always hit twice, although the two hits are essentially indistinguishable; if a bomb drops onto an opponent from above, it may hit them once and bounce off without exploding. Bombs may do between 2% and 7% damage.

Bombing while in mid-air causes Samus to go into Morph Ball mode, and slows down her fall. Thus, in Super Smash Bros., Samus can repeatedly bomb while holding towards the stage to better her recovery, although this takes away her midair jump if she still has not used it. In Melee, bombing twice consecutively in the air will cause Samus to pop upward from the first bomb, giving her near-infinite horizontal recovery. "Bomb jumping", as this is known, is reputedly possible in Brawl, but is less efficient.

Bomb, has little offensive use because of its small size, though it can be used on the edge to deter opponents from the edge when they are recovering or cause opponents on the edge to do a ledge roll or ledge hop, which can be easily punished with an aerial and grab or smash attack respectively. They are also excellent for extending recovery, suspending Samus in the air for just a moment and allowing her to move a bit closer to the stage while recovering so that she can use Screw Attack when she gets close enough to the stage. It should be mentioned that the Grapple Beam can tether the edge and help with recovery as well.

Samus' Special Moves
64 Melee Brawl 3DS/Wii U Ultimate
Standard Special Charge Shot
Side Special Missile
Up Special Screw Attack
Down Special Bomb
Final Smash Zero Laser
Dark Samus' Special Moves
Ultimate
Standard Special Charge Shot
Side Special Missile
Up Special Screw Attack
Down Special Bomb
Final Smash Phazon Laser

Custom Variations[]

Slip-Bomb-Custom-Move-Thum

Slip Bomb[]

Slip Bomb is one of Samus' Down Special Moves that can be used via customization. Samus drops a bomb which can knock opponents over but does less damage.

Strengths:

  • Kill set-ups
  • Combo starter
  • Larger explosion radius
  • Explodes slightly faster
  • Falls through the air faster

Weaknesses:

  • Poor for assisting in recovery

The Slip Bomb custom variation is useful for setting up kills and starting combos since it causes opponents hit by the explosion to trip. The explosion is larger and the bomb explodes slightly faster than the default variation. When used in the air the bomb falls faster than the default allowing Samus to drop them on opponents from above. However, Samus has very little horizontal movement in Morph Ball form when using the move, making the move poor for assisting in recovery, though she can still stall off-stage for a bit. She also stays in Morph Ball form for longer, and this combined with the poor horizontal movement can make it difficult for Samus to keep from being knocked away by the explosion as well which can make it a bit difficult to set up kills and start combos. When it does successfully land a hit on the opponent Samus can grab them to start a combo or blast them with a Charge Shot to secure a kill.

Mega-Bomb-Custom-Move-Thumb

Mega Bomb[]

Mega Bomb is one of Samus' Down Special Moves that can be used via customization. Samus drops a larger bomb with a longer fuse, but can only drop one at a time.

Strengths:

  • Larger explosion radius/hitbox size
  • Edge-guarding tool
  • Traps
  • More damage and launch power

Weaknesses:

  • Takes longer to explode
  • Can only deposit one bomb at a time
  • Less assistance in recovery

The Mega Bomb custom variation is larger in size, thus dealing more damage and launch power. It has a longer fuse and so takes longer to explode, and only one bomb can be on the stage at a time. Since only one can be present on the stage at a time, it isn't as useful in assisting Samus' recovery as she can only suspend herself in the air with the move once. The explosion is larger, possessing a larger hitbox. Its uses include edge-guarding and trapping opponents. Samus can place the bomb on the edge to force the opponent to execute a ledge hop or ledge roll, both of which can be punished by Samus. Opponents that wait on the edge for the bomb to explode will have their invincibility frames end and will be launched away by the explosion, leaving them with limited options. Samus can set the bomb on stage and then use her extended grab to pull opponents towards the bomb and then pummel them to tack on damage until the bomb explodes; the explosion will then launch the opponent out of Samus' grasp and she can then pursue the opponent and hit them with some aerial attacks.

Samus's Custom Special Moves
Custom 1 Custom 2
Standard Special Dense Charge Shot Melee Charge Shot
Side Special Relentless Missile Turbo Missile
Up Special Screw Rush Apex Screw Attack
Down Special Slip Bomb Mega Bomb

Origin[]

Morph Ball bombs have been standard in all Metroid games, along with the Morph Ball Bomb Jump, a common tool for puzzle solving. The appearance of the Morph Ball in all five Super Smash Bros. games is derived from the original Metroid, due to its lack of spiral patterns. In Brawl, it is also more detailed.

Also, in a number of the Metroid games, there is a more powerful version of the Bomb, aptly called the Power Bomb. It is always obtained very late in the games, and often the last power-up; this is due to it being essentially the most powerful weapon in all of Samus' arsenal, as it is makes a massive explosion capable of penetrating virtually every type of armor/shielding other than Samus and incinerates all living things in its range, as well as obliterating almost everything else (Of course, in the games, this is limited to eliminating/damaging enemies and only destroying extremely select obstacles, despite it being effectively a near-spammable small nuke). Its destructive capabilities as compared to the Zero Laser are unknown, though most likely the Power Bomb is still magnitudes more powerful.

Techniques[]

Approaching[]

Bombs are a large part of Samus's approach in SSBM. Simply running, wavedashing, or SWDing towards the opponent and bombing off of them gives several options. If the bomb hits, a fast-fallen aerial will almost certainly hit as well during the stun, and can lead to easy combos or edgeguards. If the bomb is shielded, Samus can either fast-fall an aerial anyway and go into grounded shield pressure with jabs, tilts, and grabs; bomb again while still on top of the opponent and severely wear down the shield, or simply jump away onto a nearby platform. Wavebombing, a technique found by Co_and_me, consists of Bombing off an opponent followed immediately by a downwards airdodge: this functions as a quick wavedash and allows various continuations.

Spider Ball[]

In Brawl, however, Samus is capable of also using her bombs to perform the Spider Ball technique. To perform, run off the edge of the stage or platform and immediately activate the bomb, then direct Samus back onto solid ground as she hops into the air. This will drop the bomb directly against the ledge of the stage, creating an effective edgeguard in itself as well as a setup for other possible attacks, such as a Down Tilt or Down Aerial Meteor Smash.

Trophy description[]

Morph Ball[]

MorphBallTrophyWiiU

One of the numerous modules integrated into Samus's Power Suit, This one allows her to transform into a compact mobile sphere and explore tight spaces. In the very first Metroid game, it was known as the Maru Mari, which is just Japanese for "roll up", but it was later changed to the much-cooler-sounding Morph Ball.

  • NES - Metroid (08/1987)
  • SNES - Super Metroid (04/1994)
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