A Taunt Match is a term used in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where players in a match aren't fighting each other, but instead decide to fool around and/or taunt for the entire match. Taunt Matches begin when one player taunts for the whole match, and other players decide to follow. In a taunt match, players are also known to crouch or duck continuously to reach an agreement (however, Kirby and King Dedede players often use this as an alternative to Taunting). They will often then follow to have continuous Taunt Matches or simply proceed to showing each other glitches. The most used stage for taunt matches is Hyrule Temple as its size allows the taunter completely evade serious players with the addition of abusing glitches in the stage.
"You're too slow...!" "You're too slow...!"
When one player takes the match seriously, where other players are having a taunt match, they may often team up against the serious player. This can be achieved though many tactics, the easiest being intentional SDs to rack up a taunter's score. Another example would be Mr. Game & Watch using Oil Panic, charged by a strong energy projectile, usually for a One-Hit KO.
Common Taunt Match behavior
- Constantly Taunting.
- Trying to be the same character so they can match up their taunts.
- Camping.
- Teaming up on other players that are serious.
- Chain grabbing serious players, even infinitely such as King Dedede's wall infinite chain grab.
- Playing with the many items.
- Attacking any player just when the match is about to end.
- Showing off their skills. (going under the stage)
- Showing off advanced techniques (such as DACUS)
- Suicides when they accidentally killed their friends.
- Ducks when they hit another taunter. (Trying to say "sorry")
- Pushing other players but not attacking.
- Wario, Kirby and King Dedede players eating items, even their own Bikes, or Waddle Dees/Waddle Doos.
- Footstool Jumping.
- Ditching your Pikmin when playing as Olimar and attempting to use Pikmin-required moves without them.
- Crawling around (Crawling isn't used very often in a match).
- Gliding around the stage.
- Spamming Projectiles without even aiming them at anyone.
- Sandbagging.
- Making as much noise as possible.
- Intentionally breaking his/her own shield, even with Jigglypuff. (Jigglypuff flies off the top of the screen when it breaks it's shield, causing a SD)
- Showing off Glitches (Like using the Stone Glitch on Pictochat or even Gigalypuff).
- Abusing Transform or Pokémon Change.
- Utilizing the Smash Taunt when playing as Solid Snake or the Star Fox Team on their respective stages (Wolf can't use the Smash Taunt on Corneria). Whilst other taunters protect the Smash taunter from being interrupted by serious players and/or items.
- Grabbing other players or using grab attacks like Monkey Flip, but not doing any damage.
- Abusing loud or annoying attacks.
- Ducking repeatably.
- Jumping around.
- Running around the stage.
- Intentionally SDing.
- Dash Dancing.
- Absorbing or Reflecting others projectiles.
- Jabbing other taunters if they accidentally KO and then suiciding the jabbed character to tie the match.
- Wasting Final Smashes or keep without using Final Smashes until the time is up.
- Standing there doing nothing
- Using Sacrifical KO moves like Bowsercide or Kirbycide
- As Kirby or King Dedede use inhale on nothing
There are also arranged Taunt Matches over friends. The goal in these is to annoy the other player without attacking until one gets so bored or annoyed that they leave, stop, or attack the other player. The first player to do so loses. Sometimes people arranging a taunt match only set Food, Maxim Tomatoes and Containers on and on High and use Snake for his unique sounds he makes when eating food. Players often find alternatives to taunting for characters that do not have loud or annoying taunts. Some players spam D.K.'s or Ganon's up-smash for their loudness, Some who use Pikachu spams Thunder for loudness from Pikachu saying "PIKAAAAA!!!" as well as the Thunder sound effect, others use Olimar when there is a serious player and spam his whistle for the high-pitched annoying sound and Super Armor, while some even use Kirby's crouch.
Commonly used characters with annoying and/or humorous taunts are often Mr. Game & Watch and his Up, Side Taunt, his Crouch and Judge, Kirby's down taunt and Crouch, The Ice Climbers Crouch (When they are both together) and the Squall Hammer, Peach's Side Taunt, Luigi's Up Taunt, Wario's taunts or his Wario Waft, King Dedede's side taunt and his Crouching Position, Captain Falcon's side and down taunt (and sometimes even his Falcon Punch), Fox's Up and Down taunt, Falco's taunts (mainly his Down Taunt) due to his Brooklyn-like accent, Wolf's side taunt Toon Link's Down Taunt, Meta Knight's down taunt and sometimes his Standard A Combo, Olimar's Pikmin Order, Pit's side or up taunts, and Sonic's Down and Side taunts. When Sonic activates a timer, it's a great opportunity to use his side taunt as the opponents are slowed down.
Costumes can sometimes come into play too - Captain Falcon's pink-and-white outfit, often dubbed 'Captain Fabulous' by Brawl players, is often chosen for more light hearted matches, along with Meta Knight's jester-like pink and yellow attire, and Luigi's pink and red outfit.
"Serious" taunters will sometimes use the same character as a serious player and taunt as them as if to mock the serious player. Some are even known to spam the same moves as the serious player, if he or she is spamming themselves.