Home-Run Contest
The Home-Run Contest (ホームランコンテスト, Home-Run Contest) is a Stadium minigame introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee and returning in all games since then, although it was initially absent from Ultimate until the 5.0.0 update. The player(s) must knock a Sandbag as far as possible, usually with the Home-Run Bat given. The player has ten seconds to rack up damage to lengthen the home-run. The most effective technique for dealing high damage very quickly is known as bat dropping.
The minigame takes place in the Home-Run Stadium, a unique stage otherwise inaccessible in other game modes without hacking.
Overview[edit]
The player starts on a platform with a Sandbag in the center, and the character about 1/3 of the way from the left of the platform facing right. On the left edge is a Home-Run Bat, which can be used to hit the bag extremely far. Hitting with the very end of the bat, known as a "tipper", makes Sandbag go farther than hitting with the middle of the bat, which goes farther than a close hit. Every game has a ten-second time limit. During that time, the player is expected to deal as much damage to the Sandbag as possible. After five seconds, a countdown will occur just like in a standard timed match with only five seconds remaining before the player hits the bag with the bat or an attack. When the Sandbag lands on the field after being launched, that will be the player's total distance for the game. If the player chooses not to launch the Sandbag, or the Sandbag is launched to the wrong side, the game automatically ends and a distance of zero is recorded.
In Melee, it is also possible for some characters to hit the Sandbag with the handle of the bat, causing what is known as a no-ping hit, which sends the Sandbag at a much sharper angle. A no-ping hit only does 8% damage rather than 20%, but the change in angle causes the Sandbag to fly much farther when its damage is relatively low (lower than about 120%). For example, using a no-ping hit when Sandbag is only at 35% damage sends the Sandbag over 1000 feet (304.8 meters). Pichu, Pikachu, and Mr. Game & Watch can take advantage of their unique swing animations to perform a no-ping hit simply by walking next to the bag, facing away, and swinging. Most other characters require the bag to be in the air to perform a no-ping hit. The characters that cannot do a no-ping hit or it does not go farther than their normal Home-Run swing at any percent are Dr. Mario, Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon, and Ganondorf. While the technique is possible in Brawl onwards, it is unconfirmed whether they have similar uses as in Melee; the fact that most characters' Home-Run swings have been standardized to a single unique animation may be relevant.
Changes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
- 2-player Co-Op is now supported, both in simultaneous and alternating modes and could also be played online with a friend.
- There is a shield around the platform which prevents Sandbag from being knocked out without sufficient force. The shield is breakable after being struck enough times (usually up to five times) or with sufficient force, but it greatly lowers the difficulty of bringing Sandbag's damage up. The shield automatically disappears when time is up.
- Bat drops are generally more difficult to do because A and the C-Stick grab items.
- Knocking Sandbag to the platform's left will automatically result in no distance.
- Sandbag cannot be grabbed.
- A small, original tune is now played for the duration of the game, rather than being shared with Target Smash! like in Melee; this tune is an extract from the credits music from the original Smash Bros. game with an exclusive ending added after the announcer's countdown.
- The Home-Run Stadium is endless; the measuring counter, however, cannot exceed 999999.9 ft.
- At 10000 ft, the number on the sign will wrap around to 0.
Additionally, the Home-Run Bat sports its own unique Smash attack animations, allowing Captain Falcon and Sheik to properly use it for the contest.
Changes in Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]
- The barrier is no longer breakable by being hit with multiple weak attacks. It can now only be broken with sufficient knockback.
- In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U only, the Home-Run Contest is now playable with up to four players by taking turns. The playing order is random.
- Hitting the Sandbag far enough will cause the gameplay to fast-forward until it becomes visible again.
- The Sandbag has more traction.
- The total distance is now shown along with Global Smash Power.
- Major sources of randomness are removed:
- Luigi's Green Missile can never misfire.
- Peach can only pluck the dot-eyes Vegetable.
- Mr. Game & Watch always gets a 6 with Judge.
- Villager's up and down aerials always throw three turnips.
- Duck Hunt's Wild Gunman always summons the leader.
- Timber always spawns a woodchip.
- The player's damage meter is no longer shown, though fighters still start at 0% and accumulate damage normally.
Changes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
- As with Mob Smash, Home-Run Contest is no longer a Stadium mode, instead located directly in the Games & More menu along with Mob Smash, Classic Mode, Training mode, Stage Builder, and others.
- The setting has been changed to a runway in the middle of a lake. The background stadium is replaced with a lavish Smash themed fortress. The lake eventually turns into a series of waterfalls that lead into a canyon, where the runway turns into an isolated bridge to keep a level surface.
- The Sandbag has infinite knockback resistance when the first hit connects.
- The Sandbag's launch physics now change when certain horizontal launch speed thresholds are exceeded, becoming easier to launch further.
- The final threshold appears to cap the launch speed of the Sandbag, meaning that moves with higher launch angles have higher absolute limits.
- When the Sandbag is launched, a dynamic camera effect similar to those used in certain Final Smashes occurs. Particularly strong swings are shown from a different angle, behind the player character. (The angled camera effect does not occur if Sandbag is launched while to the right of the stadium, however.)
- The Sandbag has a much higher top falling speed when launched.
- While flying, the camera now attempts to follow Sandbag rather than letting it disappear off the top of the screen; however, if Sandbag is launched hard enough, it will still be launched above where the camera is allowed to follow. As Sandbag flies, it may be launched out of the atmosphere into a starlit night sky in outer space, and launching Sandbag particularly hard will show it flying in front of the moon, before eventually plummeting below the cloud layer again. Rosalina's Comet Observatory is visible in the background if Sandbag is launched this high.
- While Sandbag is in flight, the player can toggle fast-forward on and off by pressing and holding the B button.
- Distance is now measured in kilometers regardless of language or regional settings, rather than feet in American English and meters in all other languages of previous games.
- Distance markers have been changed from signposts to drones.
- The bat only appears after six seconds have passed, removing opportunities for early bat drop combos. It is still possible to do bat drop combos, but it only allows for a maximum of 25-45 drops before disallowing anymore (as the time runs out).
- Major sources of randomness are removed:
- All randomness-related changes from Smash 4 return.
- Like Peach, Daisy can only pluck the dot-eyes Vegetable.
- Hero's Command Selection will always show Sizzle, Kaboom, Flame Slash, and Hatchet Man in that order.
- Hero's smash attacks can never have a critical hit.
- Some characters' moves work differently against the Sandbag:
- Unlike the regular Sandbag, this one cannot be grabbed.
- Sandbag is completely immune to windboxes from certain moves such as Inhale, Blunderbuss, F.L.U.D.D., and Palutena's forward smash.
- Ridley's Skewer cannot connect with its 50% sweetspot.
- Joker's Rebellion Gauge immediately starts out full and never drains, causing Arsène to always be active.
- Min Min immediately starts out with her left ARM always in powered-up state.
- Steve lacks a crafting table, but starts out with a full set of diamond equipment.
- In addition to the new "happy" expression added to the Sandbag in Ultimate, during Home-Run Contest only, it will blush at high damage.
Moves that can hit farther than a Home-Run swing[edit]
Due to differences in knockback scaling, certain moves can send the Sandbag farther than a Home-Run swing once the Sandbag's accumulated damage has become high enough.
Exact damage thresholds for some moves are unknown and are only given as bounded ranges. For example, if a move is listed as outperforming the Home-Run swing after "100% - 200%", the Home-Run swing is confirmed to be better at 99% or lower, and the other move is confirmed to be better at 200% or higher, but it is not known which move is better between these two numbers and the actual threshold may be as low as 100% or as high as 200%.
Moves that would require an unreachably high damage to outperform the Home-Run Bat are not listed.
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This article or section is incomplete. You can help SmashWiki by expanding or finishing it. The editor who added this tag elaborates: Cleanup; imprecise data. Also, Ultimate data |
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
| Character | Attack | Outperforms after | Damage Dealt | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Captain Falcon |
Falcon Punch (used right next to Sandbag) | Always | 27% | |
 Roy |
Flare Blade (fully charged) | 18% | 50% | |
| Flare Blade (1 frame before becoming fully charged) | 120% | 41% | ||
 Jigglypuff |
Rest | 69% | 28% | |
 Ganondorf |
Warlock Punch (sweetspotted) | 76% | 34% | The very top of Warlock Punch's hitbox (near Ganondorf's head) does more damage and significantly more knockback. Usually performed by jumping and throwing the bat upwards above Sandbag, then pressing B while landing on the opposite side of Sandbag. When timed properly, the falling bat should knock Sandbag into the top of the punch's hitbox. Generally called the "Reverse Warlock Punch" in the HRC community since Ganondorf faces away from the Sandbag as the move is performed (predating the maneuver introduced in Brawl where Ganondorf actually turns around in the middle of the windup). Without the sweetspot, the regular Warlock Punch does 30% damage and only outperforms the Home-Run Bat at 154%. |
| Up tilt | 450% | 27% | ||
| Forward smash (fully charged) | 400% | 30% | ||
 Peach |
Vegetable: Bob-omb (1/300 chance; smash thrown down) | 90% | 38% | Peach should face left and away from the Sandbag while smash throwing the Bob-omb down. |
 Pichu |
Skull Bash (fully charged) | 95% | 39% | |
 Bowser |
Forward smash (fully charged) | 120% | 32-33% | |
 Mr. Game & Watch |
Judgment #9 | 138% | 32% | |
 Donkey Kong |
Giant Punch (fully charged) | 175% | 30% | |
| Forward smash (fully charged) | 300% | 27% | ||
 Luigi |
Green Missile (misfire, 1/8 chance) | 269% - 310% | 25% | Luigi can only inflict this much damage to the Sandbag through TAS. |
 Marth |
Shield Breaker (fully charged) | 189% | 28% | |
| Any | Smash throwing the bat down | 345% - 406% | 12-13% | The only character legitimately able to do this much damage to the Sandbag before the final hit is the Ice Climbers through the freeze glitch. |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
| Character | Attack | Outperforms after | Damage Dealt | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Link |
Down smash hit 2 (fully charged) | 440% | 23% | |
 Kirby |
Up smash (fully charged) | 415% | ||
| Forward smash (angled up, fully charged) | 500% | |||
| Down smash (fully charged, inner hitbox) | 510% | |||
 Fox |
Up smash (fully charged) | 465% | ||
 Marth |
Down smash (hit 1 tipper, fully charged) | 405% | ||
| Shield Breaker (tipper, fully charged) | 965% | Caused by the knockback cap, and the bat's low launch angle | ||
 Ganondorf |
Reverse Warlock Punch | ~110% | 36% | |
| Forward smash (fully charged, angled up) | 180% | |||
| Up smash (sweetspot, fully charged) | 550% | |||
 King Dedede |
Forward smash (fully charged) | ~144% | 35% | |
| Jet Hammer (1 frame before fully charged) | 275% | |||
 Ike |
Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) | 180% | 31-32% | The sweetspot is on the clean hit, or at the center of the blade on the late hit (as opposed to the tip or the hilt). |
| Up smash (fully charged, shockwave) | 245% | |||
| Down smash (fully charged, hit 2 clean hit) | 275% | |||
| Eruption (Stage 8) | 208% upper bound | 39.5% | Ike's Eruption reaches Stage 8 when released 1 frame before becoming fully charged. | |
 Mr. Game & Watch |
Judge #9 | 410% | 32-34% | |
| Forward smash (fully charged) | ~250% - 399% | 26% | Reaching this much damage requires a co-op partner or TAS. | |
| Up smash (fully charged) | 515% | 26% | Reaching this much damage requires TAS. | |
| Down smash (sweetspot, fully charged) | 540% | |||
| Oil Panic (capped) | [citation needed] | 63% | This requires a co-op partner. | |
 Luigi |
Forward smash (angled up, fully charged) | ~180% | 22-23% | |
| Down smash (hit 2, fully charged) | 490% | |||
| Up smash (fully charged) | 370% | |||
| Green Missile (misfire) | 945% | |||
 Ivysaur |
Up smash (fully charged) | 550% | ||
 Charizard |
Forward smash (fully charged) | 475% | ||
 Donkey Kong |
Forward smash (fully charged) | ~190% | 29-31% | |
| Down smash (sweetspot, fully charged) | 203% - 246% | 25% | The move's knockback hits the target upwards and towards Donkey Kong, so it must be performed while standing to the right of the Sandbag to hit it to the right. The move has a sweetspot on Donkey Kong's hands/fists and a sourspot on his arms. | |
| Giant Punch (stage 10, sweetspotted) | 392% - 396% | 29-32% | Racking up this much damage to the Sandbag requires a co-op partner. Giant Punch has 11 stages of charging (one for each swing of his arm) with the 11th being fully charged; the 10th stage has the greatest knockback. When not fully charged, the move also has a sweetspot at the body of the punch (approximately at Donkey Kong's elbow) that deals even more knockback and sends the target behind Donkey Kong (therefore Donkey Kong must face left while performing this move). | |
 Bowser |
Forward smash (fully charged) | 155% | 48% (both hits) | Connecting both hits with the Sandbag at heavy damage rarely works. |
| Down smash (fully charged) | 350% | |||
 Ness |
PK Flash (fully charged) | 240% | 39% | |
 Captain Falcon |
Reverse Falcon Punch | 660% | 28-30% | |
| Forward smash (angled up, fully charged) | 390% | |||
 Peach |
Vegetable: Bob-omb (1/384 chance; smash thrown up) | 192% - 234% | 38-39% | |
| Forward smash (fully charged, pan) | 940% | |||
 Yoshi |
Up smash (fully charged) | 625% | ||
 Olimar |
Forward smash (fully charged, Purple Pikmin) | 251% - 273% | 27% | |
| Multiple | Smash throwing the bat up | 359% - 371% | 25-26% | The only solo character able to deal this much damage to the Sandbag in real time is the Ice Climbers. Other characters can pull this off in co-op mode or by using TAS. Not all characters can hit a grounded Sandbag with an up throw while standing next to it. |
Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]
| Character | Attack | Outperforms after | Damage Dealt | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Roy |
Flare Blade (1 frame before becoming fully charged) | 76% upper bound | 47-48% | |
 Bowser |
Forward smash (fully charged) | 157% upper bound | 34% | |
 King Dedede |
Forward smash (fully charged) | 168% - 172% | 35-36% | |
 Ganondorf |
Reverse Warlock Punch | 179% upper bound | 39% |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
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This article or section may require a cleanup. The editor who added this tag believes this page should be cleaned up for the following reason: A lot of the "citations" on these do not properly demonstrate that the claimed move actually outperforms the bat. You can discuss this issue on the talk page or edit this page to improve it. |
In Ultimate, the Home-Run Bat's launch power is nerfed in the Home-Run Contest. This makes it easier for moves to outperform the bat, thereby leading to a much greater diversity of moves that outperform the bat than in Smash 4.
| Character | Attack | Outperforms after | Damage dealt | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mario |
Forward smash (fully charged, angled up, sweetspotted) [1] | 272% upper bound | 31.3% | |
 Donkey Kong |
Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) [2] | 237% upper bound | 38.8% | |
 Kirby |
Hammer Flip (fully charged) [3] | 230% upper bound | 44.1% | |
 Luigi |
Forward smash (fully charged, angled up) [4] | 238% upper bound | 26.4% | |
 Ness |
PK Thunder 2 (strong hit) [5] | 360% upper bound | 31.5% | |
| Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) [6] | 333% lower bound | 38.8% | Ness's forward smash is actually stronger than PK Thunder 2, though this is impractical because it takes longer to use and even then is only slightly stronger. [7] | |
 Captain Falcon |
Forward smash (fully charged, angled up) [8] | 260% upper bound | 35.2% | |
 Bowser |
Forward smash (fully charged) [9] | 190% upper bound | 40.5% | |
 Dr. Mario |
Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) [10] | 234% lower bound | 36.9% | |
| Up smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) [11] | 279% upper bound | 29.0% | The actual value is likely around 267% | |
 Ganondorf |
Reverse Warlock Punch [12] | 28.4% | 46.6% | |
| Forward smash (fully charged) [13] | 261% upper bound | 42.3% | ||
 Mewtwo |
Down smash (fully charged) [14] | 230% lower bound | 28.2% | |
 Roy Chrom |
Flare Blade (critical charge) Flare Blade (fully charged) |
Always Always |
60.2% 63.0% |
Critical charge deals more knockback than the fully charged variant at higher percentages due to differences in knockback scaling |
 Mr. Game & Watch |
Oil Panic (sufficient damage) [15] | 250% upper bound | varies | The actual value is much less than 250%, likely around 150%. Can only be done in Co-op mode with absorbable friendly-fire attacks such as Snake's Hand Grenades |
| Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) [16] | 280% upper bound | 31.7% | ||
 Wario |
Forward smash (fully charged) [17] | 265% upper bound | 35.2% | |
 Ike |
Down smash (fully charged, 2nd hit) [18] | 245% upper bound | 33.5% | |
 Charizard |
Forward smash (fully charged) [19] | 258% upper bound | 33.5% | |
 King Dedede |
Jet Hammer (critical charge) [20] | 212% upper bound | 37.6% | |
| Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) [21] | 214% upper bound | 44.1% | ||
 Wii Fit Trainer |
Forward smash (fully charged, with Deep Breathing) [22] | 240% lower bound | 34.1% | A Home-Run Bat swing with Deep Breathing is still stronger than this at currently achievable percents. |
 Little Mac |
Straight Lunge (fully charged) [23] | 300% upper bound | 37.8% | |
 Mii Brawler |
Forward smash (fully charged) [24] | 270% upper bound | 31.7% | |
 Shulk |
Forward smash (fully charged, angled up, with Smash Monado Art active) [25] | 265% upper bound | 9.7% (both hits) 6.0% (2nd hit only) |
A Home-Run Bat swing with the Smash Monado Art active is still stronger than this at currently achievable percents |
| Vision (dash, with Smash Monado Art active) [26] | 300% upper bound | varies | Can only be done in Co-op mode with absorbable friendly-fire attacks such as Snake's Hand Grenades | |
 King K. Rool |
Forward smash (fully charged, angled up) [27] | 250% upper bound | 35.1% | |
 Incineroar |
Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) [28] | 220% upper bound | 35.2% | |
| Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted, with max Revenge) [29] | 183% upper bound | 105.8% | The actual damage output is less than this, since it can only be done in Co-op mode with absorbable friendly-fire attacks such as Snake's Hand Grenades | |
 Piranha Plant |
Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) [30] | 280% upper bound | 33.5% | |
 Hero |
Kazap [31] | 280% lower bound | 47.8% | |
 Byleth |
Aymr [32] | 240% lower bound [33] | 37.8% | |
 Min Min |
Punch (fully charged, middle hit, with Megawatt) [34] | 280% upper bound | 42.6% | |
 Steve |
Forward smash (fully charged) [35] | 260% upper bound | 35.7% | |
 Kazuya |
Forward smash (fully charged, sweetspotted) [36] | 224% upper bound | 45.8% |
Note: in theory, any move with a higher launch angle than 30˚ would eventually outperform the bat due to maximum horizontal launch speed being restricted; however, in practice, the 999% damage cap prevents this from being a reality.
Rewards[edit]
In Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
- 300 meters/984.3 feet: Sandbag trophy
- 400 meters/1,312.4 feet: Yoshi's Island N64 stage
- 450 meters/1,476.4 feet: Paper Mario trophy
- 5,000 meters/16,404.2 feet total: Unown trophy
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
- 300 meters/990 feet: Boo (Mario Tennis) sticker
- 400 meters/1,200 feet: Clu Clu Land music track
- 500 meters/1,500 feet: Home-Run Bat trophy
- 5,000 meters/15,000 feet total: Bumper trophy
- 8,000 meters/24,000 feet total: Xananab trophy
- 10,000 meters/30,000 feet total: Shy Guy trophy
- 12,500 meters/37,500 feet total: Ai no Uta (French Version) music track - if not obtained, nothing appears.
- 15,000 meters/45,000 feet total: Golden Hammer trophy
- Use every character in Home-Run Contest: Sandbag trophy
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[edit]
- Play Home-Run Contest for the first time: Home-Run Bat trophy
- Play Home-Run Contest with 15 or more fighters: Quick Batter Brawn Badge (equipment)
- 300 meters/984 feet: Bonkers trophy
- 600 meters/1,968 feet: Home-Run Bat Agility Badge (equipment)
- 1,000 meters/3,280 feet: Lv. 3 Ore Club (power)
- 15,000 meters/49,212 feet total: Sandbag trophy
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]
- 100 meters/328 feet as solo Charizard with no bat: Rock Hurl (custom move)
- 320 meters/1,049 feet as solo Peach: Title/Ending (Super Mario World) music
- Between 500 and 505 meters/1,640 and 1,656 feet: Wonder-Green trophy
- Between 500 and 505 meters/1,640 and 1,656 feet as solo R.O.B.: Dr. Light trophy
- 600 meters/1,968 feet: EarthBound masterpiece
- 1,000 meters/3,280 feet: Daisy (Baseball) trophy
- 1,000 meters/3,280 feet as solo Ganondorf: King K.Rool trophy
In competitive play[edit]
Since the release of Melee, a niche of competitive Smash player have created a community around playing Home-Run Contest competitively. During the rise of the internet and the unprecedented streamlining of communicating internationally, players in North America and Japan would compete against each other by posting their highest Home-Run Contest scores with various characters on message boards like SmashBoards. This community grew to include Europe when the game was released in PAL regions. In-person tournaments also began holding side events based o