The 'Shroom:Issue LXV/Brawl Tactics

Brawl Tactics by

What's up, Brawlers? FunkyK38 here with the August edition of BRAWL TACTICS!

When the heat outside is turned up to 11, how do Brawlers stay cool? By taking a cruise on the Legend of Zelda stage Pirate Ship, of course! Here's hoping the surf will be good.

Pirate Ship is a medium sized stage that borders on the small size. Due to the changing conditions of the sea, you will have more or less space depending on which part of the cycle you are in. More on that later.

The ship itself is fair sized. It has two upper platforms attached to the main mast, and it slopes up slightly on the sides. Near the front end is a small cannon that will periodically rise up and launch whoever's standing on it out to sea. It will launch you off the screen, so be careful when you see it. If you can lure your opponents on top of it, they will get launched out to sea and you can fight with them to keep them off the ship. Speaking of being launched out to sea, let's talk about how far you can go without being KO'ed. The sides on this stage are actually pretty deep, so if you need to get back on the ship, you have time before you're carried too far out.

The Pirate Ship will also have Link's small ship, The King of Red Lions, sailing behind it, and you can jump on this boat if you need a little space to recover, or if you need time to change your character, i.e. Zelda to Sheik. This is a good place to lure your opponent, too, as you can KO them more easily since you are closer to the sides. Eventually, the little boat will sail away, and you will have to move back onto the main ship. It will be back, if you're lucky.

Once you've gotten settled in, ready to fight for a while, you will be bombed by towers off the far side of the sea. If you're not expecting it, it's startling, but if you're watching, you will see the bombs coming and you can avoid them. They will launch you pretty far off the screen, and they will do a fair amount of damage, so watch out for them and use them to your advantage to deal damage to your opponent.

There are two routes this ship takes on its journey during your fight. The first involves a hurricane that will take your cruise to new heights, quite literally. A waterspout will pick up the ship up and take it into the air. During the trip up, everything that's in the water will be destroyed and everyone that's in the water will be KO'ed, so make sure you're on the ship before it takes off. During the trip up, gravity will intensify and it will be hard to get decent height on your jump. On the way down, gravity will be lessened, so you will have extended air time.

The second route involves a Titanic-like approach. The ship will crash into a rock and half of it will sink. If you choose to stay on the ship, you will be fighting at an awkward angle, so be warned. You can also hop down onto the rock and fight there. A good place to trap your opponent is right in the corner between the ship and the rock. It will be an instant KO if they can't get out when the ship takes off again, which it will do after a few moments.

That's all for me this month, Brawlers! Hope this seals the deal on where to take your Summer Brawlcation! Tune in next month for the next edition of BRAWL TACTICS!