Semi-spike

The shaded angles considered to be semi-spikes.

An example of a semi-spike; the opponent is sent at an angle that is almost parallel to the ground.

A semi-spike or pseudo-spike is a type of attack that does not send the opponent directly downward, but instead in a mostly horizontal trajectory which (due to gravity) will quickly turn into a vertical trajectory. This is distinct from a meteor smash, which sends the enemy downwards without a prior horizontal trajectory. Semi-spikes are dangerous as they often leave targets below and away from the edge, one of the worst positions to recover from. When landing semi-spikes on inclines, the victim will not utter an "ow!" noise even at ludicrous damages, and the crowd's excitement is middling. This is because, like a meteor smash/spike landing on a grounded opponent, the character being hit cannot travel at an angle due to the incline.

Characters who can semi-spike

The following is a list of moves that are considered semi-spikes in that they send targets at an angle 30 degrees away from horizontal. Moves with the Sakurai angle can also be considered semi-spikes at low knockbacks, but this is generally impractical and only useful at low damages.

Bowser

• Neutral attack - A small portion of the first claw swipe has an angle of 30.
• Down smash - The first 6 hits are semi-spikes, though they cannot really be used as such because of the follow-up hits.
• Back aerial (Melee only) - Has semi-spike properties, but high ending lag combined with Bowser's poor vertical recovery make it a very risky edge-guarding manoeuvre. His back aerial gained more power and became less risky in Brawl, but lost its semi-spike properties (now having an angle of 35).
• Down aerial (landing hit)

Captain Falcon

• Up aerial - The hitbox at his foot at the end of the animation semi-spikes opponents. It is less effective then Ganondorf's up aerial.

Diddy Kong

• Forward smash (first hit in close)
• Monkey Flip - using the move against enemies in the Subspace Emissary makes it a semi-spike.
• Rocketbarrel Barrage - ramming into opponents is a semi-spike.

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong can use his cargo throw in all three games, but gained a semi-spike in Brawl with his Final Smash.

• Cargo down throw
• Konga Beat (weak waves)

Dr. Mario

• Back aerial - Dr. Mario can attack with this twice and still recover, despite his poor horizontal recovery.

Fox

• Down smash - It is very fast with good power and decent reach. It can be very effective if landed near the edge. It has noticeable ending lag however, and its edgeguarding capabilities are rather limited.
• Reflector - Has set knockback in Melee. It was given knockback scaling in Brawl, though it's extremely low and not noticeable until high percents. Much more effective on characters with poor recoveries.

Falco

• Down smash - Similar to Fox's down smash, except Falco's down smash has slightly less power with slightly less ending lag.

Ganondorf

• Up aerial - The hitbox at his foot at the end of the animation semi-spikes opponents. It is stronger and produces more hitstun than Captain Falcon's up aerial. It is one of the best and most known semi-spikes in both Melee and Brawl, it complements Ganondorf's already deadly edgeguard game.
• Forward tilt (Brawl only) - It is the second strongest semi-spike in Brawl at high percents due to its high knockback scaling, but its poor vertical reach limits its edgeguard capabilities. However its power makes it effective at KOing near ledges.

Giga Bowser

• Down smash (first 7 hits)
• Back air - Retains its semi-spike angle in Brawl.

Jigglypuff

• Down smash - Low start-up lag and good power for a semi-spike. It has noticeable ending lag though, and with its very short reach, Jigglypuff is better off using its Wall of Pain for edgeguarding.
• Down aerial - If it is sourspotted, the move can semi-spike.
• Final Smash - When shrinking down to its normal size, if opponents hit it while it's shrinking, it's a OHKO semi-spike.

Kirby

• Down smash - When sourspotted, it semi-spikes the opponent with decent knockback. To sourspot, Kirby has to hit the opponent with tips of his feet. It has decent reach and fast startup, so it is usable for edgeguarding.
• Aerial Hammer (Brawl Only/second swing) - A very powerful semi-spike, it is the second strongest semi-spike at low percentages and the third strongest at high percentages. However, landing it is very difficult since Kirby has to the land the second hit, not the first hit (which will knock the opponent out of reach for the second hit) and both strikes have noticeable start-up lag. If Kirby does land the second hit on a recovering opponent, it usually results in a KO.
• Stone (Brawl only) - Side hitboxes upon landing semi-spike with decent power. Very slow start-up and very limited reach make it near impractical for edge-guarding with however.

Link

• Neutral attack (third hit).
• Up throw (only to bystanders).
• Spin Attack (Melee NTSC versions only) - Hitting someone with it after the initial hitbox semi-spikes the opponent. With very high base knockback, fast startup, and good reach, it was especially effective and was considered one of the best semi-spikes in Melee.

Lucas

• Down tilt - Similar to Ness's down tilt, but is slightly stronger (still can't KO at 999%, however). It is near impratical for edgeguarding, as it has very short reach and produces no noticeable knockback at realistic percentages.

Luigi

• Luigi Cyclone (first hit) - Weak and impractical, but still a semi-spike.

Mario

• Forward aerial (SSB64 only) - Does a forward drill kick. Last few hitboxes can semi-spike.

Marth

• Down tilt - When tipped, it semi-spikes the opponent. Fast, good reach, and decent power makes this a effective edgeguarder, especially against those who try sweetspotting the edge. It is even faster in Brawl, and does not need to tipped, but shorter reach and Brawl's physics make it less effective.

Meta Knight

• Down aerial - Extremely fast and low ending lag, Meta Knight can WoP opponents with his down aerial. This, combined with its decent power and Meta Knight's multiple jumps, make it arguably the best semi-spike in Brawl, if not, the most versatile. The sourspot of the attack is not a semi-spike however (its angle is 35).
• Aerial Shuttle Loop - Has very high base knockback but very low knockback scaling. Almost no start-up lag and very strong initial knockback makes it arguably the deadliest semi-spike in Brawl, as it is a near invariable KO if landed offstage or near the ledge. It's also great for stage-spiking. Additionally, it's an excellent anti-edgeguard maneuver, as characters risk being semi-spiked away from the stage in attempting to edgeguard Meta Knight. It is a very effective edgeguarder, but is risky since it leaves Meta Knight in a helpless state after the move is finished. Most effective at edgeguarding opponents recovering from above, due to the nature of the attack and being less risky.

Mewtwo

• Disable -On airborne opponents and on those already in a daze, this move weakly semi-spikes.

Mr. Game & Watch

• Down tilt (Brawl only) - Has high base knockback, but very low knockback scaling. It is effective at edgeguarding, as it is fast, has good disjointed reach, and has a long-lasting hitbox.
• Down smash (sourspotted) - Being fast, powerful (in Brawl), and has good reach, it is effective at edgeguarding. Even though its sweetspot sends opponents vertically, it can still be effective at edgeguarding given how powerful it is.
• Chef - Semi-spikes opponents who make contact with the frying pan with low power. It is not effective as a edgeguarder due to its short reach and slow start-up lag.
• A 6 with Judge - Semi-spikes opponents with high base knockback accompanied by fire damage. It is noticeable for being the only other Judge other than #9 that can be useful over other options. It is deadly to recovering opponents.

Ness

• Down tilt (Brawl only) - It is a semi-spike but an extremely weak one. Only noticeable at extreme percentages. It is impractical for edgeguarding, as it has very short reach and produces no noticeable knockback at realistic percentages.
• Dash attack - Hitboxes before the final hitbox send opponents on a weak horizontal trajectory.

Peach

• Forward smash (tennis racket) - When sweetspotted in Brawl, it is the strongest semi-spike in the game. Otherwise, it is weak. It is unreliable for edgeguarding, due to its short reach and the random nature of Peach's f-smash, but is potentially deadly.
• Down smash - It is the strongest semi-spike in Melee (though it was weakened drastically in Brawl). In Melee, its high base knockback can allow for really early KOs near the ledge.
• Peach Bomber
• Turnips

Pichu

• Down smash - Hits opponents in the opposite direction with its head.
• Down tilt - Hits opponents with its tail with fast startup, but its very low reach limits its edgeguarding capabilities.

Pikachu

• Up aerial (Melee only) - It semi-spikes somewhat weakly if the player connects the tip of Pikachu's tail, but it is fast and can be useful for gimping.

Samus

• Bomb - A weak semi-spike. However, the hitstun can be used to pull off gimps on characters with poor recoveries in Melee.

Sheik

• Forward aerial - Sheik quickly swipes her hand in front of her, semi-spiking the opponent. Extremely fast with good power, it was one of the most well-known and feared semi-spike in Melee, despite its short reach and short-lasting hitbox. It still semi-spikes effectively in Brawl, but was noticeably weakened.
• Final Smash - This attack semi-spikes opponents, while Zelda's version sends opponents diagonally.

Toon Link

• Forward tilt
• Dash attack - Fast and good reach, but it is very weak and the semi-spike is only noticeable at very high percentages.
• Down smash - The first strike is a semi-spike with high base knockback but the second strike is often landed afterward which has vertical knockback instead. At very low percentages, the much higher base knockback of the first strike can override the knockback of the second strike and results in a surprisingly powerful semi-spike, that may even KO depending on the location and character it was landed on.
• Forward smash - A small amount of the first swing has an angle of 10 degrees.
• Down air (landing) - Both the wind and the impact of landing are semi-spikes.
• Back throw
• Up throw (only to bystanders)
• Spin Attack - The multi-hits are semi-spikes, though they exist only to suck in targets for the rest of the attack.

Wario

• Down smash
• Back throw (only to bystanders)
• Slow edge attack
• Wario Bike (wheelie)

Wario-Man

• Down tilt - Very fast and powerful.
• Down smash
• Forward throw
• Back throw (only to bystanders)
• Slow edge attack
• Wario Bike (wheelie)
• Wario Waft (fully charged)

Wolf

• Down throw - A throw that semi-spikes opponents with surprisingly high knockback scaling for a throw. It can be very deadly if Wolf grabs the opponent on the edge as the throw has bizarre properties that negates the opponent's momentum, thus making it very difficult for some characters to recover.
• Forward smash - First hit only, it is extremely weak and only noticeable at extreme percentages.
• Blaster (melee portion only) - The melee hitbox of the blaster produces a weak semi-spike but the opponent is almost always hit with the projectile afterward, thus cancelling out the knockback of the first hit.
• Reflector - Semi-spikes with extremely low set knockback. Despite 1 frame startup lag and intangibility, it's too weak to be effective against most characters in most situations. However, it can be especially effective at gimping characters with very poor or slow recoveries (most notably Falco).

Yoshi

• Down tilt - It has set knockback in Melee, with very low knockback scaling in Brawl. It is fast with decent reach, and can be useful for edgeguarding. More useful in Melee than it is in Brawl.
• Down smash - More powerful in Melee than it is in Brawl.
• Egg Lay - Using the move against enemies in the Subspace Emissary makes it a semi-spike.

Zelda

• Up smash - Parts of the first hits act as semi-spikes, though the minimal SDI capacity makes it difficult for it to be a deciding blow.
• Down smash - Very fast and it has good power for a semi-spike. It's short reach limits its edgeguard capabilities but can still be effective. Much stronger in Brawl than it is in Melee.
• Forward smash - Like the up smash, parts of the first hits act as semi-spikes to keep targets trapped in the attack.
• Neutral air - Same as the up and forward smashes.
• Nayru's Love (first five hits)

Other

• Hitting someone with a thrown Star Rod.
• Porygon 2's attack launches opponents on a semi-spike trajectory with extreme power. It was by far the strongest semi-spike in Melee, KOing anybody with at least 25% damage.
• Suicune's Aurora Beam (Brawl only) is a semi-spike that OHKOs any opponent. When considering items, this is by far the most powerful semi-spike in Brawl.
• In Melee and Brawl, Master Hand's open hand crush has two hitboxes; if the player is hit by his palm, they will be sent horizontally on a semi-spike trajectory with powerful knockback. If the player is just outside his palm, it instead results in considerable vertical knockback. Crazy Hand has a similar attack, though it is weaker and deals 10% less damage.
• If the opponent is grabbed by the player and another opponent attacks the player that grabs the opponent, the opponent that was being grabbed will be sent horizontally on a semi-spike trajectory.

See also

• Spike
• Stage spike