List of semi-spikes (SSBM)

This is a list of semi-spikes in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

List

Bowser

• Neutral attack 1st hit - A small portion of the first claw swipe has an angle of 30. Unreliable due to having very weak knockback and low range.
• Down smash - Spins in his shell on the ground. The first 6 hits are semi-spikes, though they cannot really be used as such because of the follow-up hits.
• Back aerial - Thrusts himself backwards, attacking with the spikes on his shell. Has semi-spike properties, but its high ending lag combined with Bowser's poor vertical recovery make it a very risky edge-guarding maneuver. Less effectively semi-spikes in Brawl (its angle was changed to 35), though it became more powerful and less risky to use.
• Down aerial (landing hit)

Giga Bowser

• Down smash (first 7 hits)
• Back aerial

Captain Falcon

• Up aerial - Does an aerial flip kick. The hitbox at his foot at the end of the animation semi-spikes opponents. Much less effective than in Smash 64; the semi-spike part of the move is rarely used in Melee and Brawl, as not only is it much weaker, but hitting with the main part of the attack doesn't produce vertical knockback like in Smash 64, but also sends opponents on a decent angle for edgeguarding, along with having more knockback than the semi-spike part of the move.

Dr. Mario

• Back aerial - Does a backwards drop kick. A great move for edgeguarding, having high base knockback (43). Sends opponents at 28. It is also a useful combo and spacing tool.
• Down tilt - Does a weak kick that sends opponents toward Dr. Mario.

Donkey Kong

• Cargo down throw - Throws opponent forward like a bowling ball. Useful for stage spiking foes.

Falco

• Down smash - Does a split kick. Same as Fox's down smash, but has slightly less power and ending lag.

Fox

• Down smash - Does a split kick. 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. Less effective in Melee than it is in Smash 64.
• Reflector - Has set knockback. Using the move to gimp is known as the shine spike. Much more effective on characters with poor recoveries.

Ganondorf

• Up aerial - Does an aerial flip kick. The hitbox at his foot at the end of the animation semi-spikes opponents. Compared to Captain Falcon's up aerial, it is stronger and produces more hitstun, and is overall more useful. It is one of the best and most known semi-spikes in both Melee and Brawl, and it complements Ganondorf's already deadly edgeguarding game.

Jigglypuff

• Down smash - Does a spinning split kick. 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 aerials and WoP for edgeguarding.
• Down aerial - Does a drill kick. If it is sourspotted, the move can semi-spike. However, it is terrible for edgeguarding due to its extreme lack of power and its exceptionally small hitboxes.

Kirby

• Down smash - Does a spinning split kick. 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 decent for edgeguarding.

Link

• Neutral attack 3rd hit - A very weak stab forward. Overall unuseful for edgeguarding.
• Up throw - Slashes the opponent upwards. If it hits any bystanders, they will be semi-spiked.
• Spin Attack (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 is especially effective and is considered one of the best semi-spikes in Melee.

Luigi

• Luigi Cyclone 1st hit - Weak and impractical, but still a semi-spike. It is very hard to land as well, as most of the hitboxes send opponents vertically.

Marth

• Down tilt - Thrusts his sword forward across the ground. Fast, good reach, and decent power makes this a effective edgeguarder, especially against those who try sweetspotting the edge.

Mewtwo

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

Mr. Game & Watch

• Down smash (sourspotted) - Swings two hammers on both sides. The sourspot is located at the handles. With fast speed and good reach, it isn't too hard to land, and has decent power.
• Chef - The frying pan semi-spikes with low power. It is not effective as a edgeguarder due to its short reach and slow start-up lag.
• Judge number 6 - Semi-spikes opponents with high base knockback, accompanied by flame 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, but the random nature makes it difficult to land.

Ness

• Dash attack - Pushes forward with PK sparkles in front of his hands. The first hitbox send opponents on a extremely powerful horizontal angle.

Peach

• Down smash - It is the strongest semi-spike in Melee, and its high base knockback can allow for very early KOs near the ledge, being especially deadly against characters with poor recoveries.
• Forward smash (tennis racket) - When sweetspotted, it has decent power for a semi-spike. Otherwise, it is weak. It is difficult to use for edgeguarding, due to its short reach and the random nature of Peach's forward smash.
• Vegetables

Pichu

• Down tilt - Does a tail whip along the ground. Has fast startup, but its very low reach limits its edgeguarding capabilities.
• Down smash - Spins on the ground. Semi-spikes the opponent in the opposite direction Pichu is facing.

Pikachu

• Up aerial - Semi-spikes somewhat weakly during the third and fourth frames (when the tail is directly above Pikachu), but the attack is fast and can be useful for gimping.

Samus

• Bomb - The explosion produces a very weak and impractical semi-spike. However, the hitstun can be used to pull off gimps on characters with poor recoveries.

Sheik

• Forward aerial - Quickly swipes her hand in front of her, semi-spiking the opponent. Extremely fast with good power, it is one of the most well-known and feared semi-spikes in Melee, despite its short reach and duration.

Yoshi

• Down tilt - Sweeps his tail along the ground. Has set knockback. It is fast with decent reach, and can be useful for edgeguarding despite its set knockback.
• Down smash - Does a tail smack in front of himself, then behind. Much more powerful in Melee than it is in Smash 64 and Brawl, along with sending opponents on an arguably more favourable angle. It also has extremely low startup lag. Can be used after an onstage forward aerial.

Zelda

• Forward smash - Like the up smash, parts of the first hits act as semi-spikes to keep targets trapped in the attack.
• 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.
• Neutral aerial - Works in the same way as the up and forward smashes.
• Nayru's Love - Functions like the previous moves (excluding down smash).

Other

• Hitting someone with a thrown Star Rod.
• Porygon 2's attack launches opponents on a semi-spike trajectory with extreme power. It is by far the strongest semi-spike in Melee, KOing anybody with at least 25% damage.
• 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

• List of semi-spikes (SSB)
• List of semi-spikes (SSBB)
• List of semi-spikes (SSB4)
• List of semi-spikes (SSBU)