The 'Shroom:Issue LXII/Brawl Tactics

Brawl Tactics by

Welcome, Brawlers, to BRAWL TACTICS! This month I will be looking at the Brawl stage Castle Siege!

Castle Siege is a four-part small to medium sized stage. Whether you are playing with Marth or Ike, it's Fire Emblem all the way.

You will start outside the Castle on the main walls. This is the smallest part of the stage, and it can get pretty crowded if you're playing with more than two players, especially if you're using bigger characters. My advice? knock away your opponents then use long range attacks such as Fireballs and Blasters to keep them from catching the edge. This stage has pretty deep sides, and on this part of the castle, you can really take advantage of them. Assist Trophies and Pokemon really work well here, too, so use them to your advantage.

Once you've gotten used to the first part of the stage, you will be fighting on the in-between part. This really isn't of much significance, it's just where you are while traveling through the castle. You can take a few knocks on your opponent here, but if you want to take them out, you will have to knock them to the sides this time.

You will finally arrive in the throne room. There are two tarps on either side of the stage that are fall-through, and there are two statues holding up platforms in the middle of the room. You can destroy these statues pretty easily and take down the platforms, it isn't hard. The tarps tend to catch a lot of items, so if you've got all the items turned on, be sure to check up there often. The sides are still deep here, so you can walk around on either side without too much worry about being KO'ed. This is also a good place to activate your Final Smash. If you are packing a lot of launch power, like Ike, swing for the fences. If you need a lot of room, like Marth, make sure your target is in range before going after them, because Marth will be KO'ed if you're too close to the edge.

After another quick trip, you will find yourself on a precariously perched platform atop a pool of molten magma. It won't collapse on you, don't worry, but make good use of the fall that you can force your opponent into by knocking them off the sides, which are still pretty deep. Like the first part of the stage, this platform is pretty small, so Assist Trophies and Pokemon can be your best friends here. Most of your KO's will be sent straight upwards if you are packing a big hit with plenty of launch, so take advantage of that and have a teammate get up there to finish the job if your opponent does manage to survive you.

That's all for me this month, Brawlers! Hope this inspires you to take a stand and fight you battles at Castle Siege! See you next month on BRAWL TACTICS!