Multi-Man Brawl Strategies

Well, here’s my first contribution to the site. And it’s about something I doubt many of you actively care about, or haven't figured out already. Tough.

There are quite a few challenges unlocked through Multi-Man Brawl. If you find yourself unable to complete them, here’s a guide to the mode. Hopefully, these strategies help you get all those fabulous trophies. If you came up with better strategies, then I’m mad at you.

For the most part, if you played Multi-Man in Melee, you know what to expect here. There are some major differences, concerning both your enemies and items that you still need to recognize. So, let’s get started:

Know your Alloys
Red Alloy – Based off of Captain Falcon, and pretty much just a recolor of the Male Wireframe in Melee. Despite having access to some powerful moves, like the Knee and the shoulder smash, Red Alloys are one of the least annoying in the group. As long as you keep your distance or get them when they aren’t paying attention, these really are no problem.

Blue Alloy – Based off of Zelda, and somewhat annoying. These ones are prone to grabbing/throwing and using aerial attacks (which is especially unwanted when you are tucked away in a corner facing the ravenous horde, and the thing jumps off the stage and then heads towards you). Try to get them before they get too close, and keep them out of swarms.

Yellow Alloy – Based off of Mario, and teeter back and forth between annoying and not that annoying. Their smash attacks are fairly easy to avoid, but like the Blue Alloys, they like to grab and throw. Like the Blue ones, keep them out of grabbing range, and they shouldn’t be too hard to deal with.

Green Alloy – Based off of Kirby, and the most aggravating of the group. This is for several reasons: (1) like Blue and Yellow, these ones are prone to grabs, (2) they use the most effective moves, including rapid punches and Kirby’s ranged forward smash, (3) they have the easiest time recovering out of all the Alloys. If you see these running around, especially when you have a whole bunch of Alloys out at once, get rid of them first (and since they are fairly large, it’s not terribly difficult to land an attack on them).

Not An Alloy – After about 25 KOs, a normal character will appear in place of an Alloy. They are only slightly less easy to knock off the stage. However, unlike the Alloys, these characters can use items, which make them very dangerous. Try to make sure you pick up and use all the most powerful items on the stage, including things like Poke Balls, Super Scopes, and Smart Bombs.
In 10 or 100-Man Brawls, the last opponent you face will be a copy of your character.

Item Considerations
Items are going to be popping up all over the place, and they can make or break your run. The following are some items you definitely should be on the lookout for.

Bob-Ombs/Smart Bombs – Oh yeah, these are important. If you see any of these, pick them up immediately or stay as far away from them as possible. These can end your game instantaneously if you’re not careful. Bob-Ombs can be useful to take out enemies, but since they’ll constantly try to get in your face, it’s incredibly tricky, and may not be worth the trouble (just throwing it off the stage works). Smart Bombs are a little bit easier to control, as long as you don’t accidentally smack one. Like Bob-Ombs, they are tricky to use offensively because the enemies will be staying close and there’s a chance you’ll get caught in the explosion. Either roll as far away as possible before throwing it, or jump in the air and throw it down. It can catch most of the enemies on the field, so it can be useful.
Make sure normal characters that pop up don’t get their mitts on either of these; they know how to use them.

Poke Balls/Assist Trophies – Incredibly useful for wiping out tons of enemies. If you can get the likes of Snorlax, Weavile, Entei, Groudon, Togepi, Moltres, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Meowth, and Latios/Latias from a Pokeball, or Andross, Saki, Gray Fox, Custom Robo, Jeff, or Samurai Goroh from an Assist Trophy, you’re in the money. But, like explosives, you wanna grab these things before a normal character shows up and takes them first.

Beam Sword – Incredibly useful, especially in 15-minute Brawl. The reach of the sword allows you to keep opponents away, and this can be a godsend when you are using the ‘stay in the corner’ strategy with a character that doesn’t have a potent ranged attack. And if all else fails, you can throw it. You can try using the other smacking items, and while they are good for throwing, none match the utility of the Beam Sword.

Ray Gun – Surprisingly effective. Close to a guaranteed KO with every shot. Grab one and unload, and then toss it for another free KO.

Bumper – Can be both a boon and bother, depending on where you stick it. The Alloys are none too smart, and they’ll walk right into it. But it can also send you flying off the stage, so you must be careful.

Paper Fan – Okay, this one is a bit more useful than some of the other non-Beam Sword clobbering items, if only because when thrown it bounces off of enemies and can cause mass death. It takes a little bit of luck, but it’s sure fun to watch.

Urinas – Very useful to have around. Throw one in front of you, and like the Bumper, watch the idiots walk straight into it.

Motion-Sensor Bomb – Probably not advisable to use, if only because you can lose track of it amidst the chaos.

Super Scope – Not terribly effective here because of its slowness and the weakness of its rapid-fire shots.

Starman – Oh god, grab the star as soon as you see it. Make sure no one else gets it.

Warp Star – Good for both taking out lots of enemies AND avoiding damage, if only for a short period of time.

Superspicy Curry – Keeps enemies away, so it’s very useful, especially in 15-minute Brawl.

Timer – Worth it for all the times it doesn’t turn against you. Allows you to easily kill all enemies on screen, or just let them float around to waste time (the ones that pop up on screen after you grab the Timer are not slowed down). In this way, the Shadow Assist Trophy is also useful, and guaranteed not to backfire.

Bunny Hood – Good for helping you avoid enemies, but not essential when you’re going for the kill.

Metal Box – Makes it hard for you to recover, so not something you want to get all the time.

Cracker Launcher – Fast enough so you can kill plenty with it, but the aiming leaves you open.

Deku Nut – Poses pretty much the same danger as the Bob-Ombs and Smart Bombs, except this is harder to see. Beware.

Hothead – Very useful. Throw it on the bottom floor, and let it go. It’ll cause a bit of ruckus, guaranteed.

Freezie – Good for keeping things off your tail, so worth picking up if you get a chance.

Green Shell – Make sure you grab it and throw it, lest you find it zooming towards you after an enemy accidentally touches it.

Spring – A good item to throw at enemies, but don’t use it to evade, as they are completely willing to follow you.

Pitfall – Useful in the same as the Freezie, but don’t rush to get it all the time.

Banana Peel – A less useful trap than the Urinas or the Bumper. It’s fun to see them trip, but don’t bother getting it most of the time.

Soccer Ball – Hit it off the stage as fast as you can, so that none of the enemies can accidentally smash it themselves.

Screw Attack – Quite useful, actually, as the jump automatically kills the enemies. Grab one and use it to get some easy KOs.

Mode-Specific Tips

100-Man Brawl
If you’re going for the time challenges, you’ll need a character that can kill groups of enemies in a single attack, but an attack with good recovery to boot so you can quickly attack the next group. I was able to do it with Yoshi, mainly using his Yoshi Bomb attack. Characters like Toon Link and Mr. Game & Watch have great down aerial attacks that also work really well. Take advantage of your tilts and aerial attacks overall, as they are among the fastest moves you have that will still KO. Up tilts, especially, are almost always useful.
You also want to take advantage of every item you can – items like Urinas, the Bumper, the Ray Gun, or anything you can throw will help speed up the killing process.
Part of the challenge of this is that while the Alloys seem aggressive, they will also piddle around and waste your time instead of walking right into your killing. This is why a quicker character might be a good choice (see: Toon Link and Mr. Game & Watch): if one or two don’t walk into your attack; you are fast enough to be able to track them down and take them out without wasting too much time.
The closer you get to finishing the Brawl; the enemies will become more and more aggressive. Keep taking out as many as possible to avoid swarming. And remember – the last opponent you face will be a clone of you, so be wary.

15-minute Brawl
There are two ways I’ve discovered that might help you succeed in surviving a 15-minute Brawl, and neither of them involves much killing. Killing may not be advisable during this – if you go out into the open, you are likely to take damage, which you should avoid at all costs. As tedious as these will sound, they are your best chances.
First is a method I’m sure some of you used in Melee - the “Corner Strategy”. Basically, roll your way to farthest side of the bottom part of Battlefield (and make sure you get to the point where you can’t roll any further – that gives the enemies the least possible room to jump behind you), and do whatever you can to keep the enemies away. Usually, this involves a ranged attack, but one with enough potency that it causes the enemies to fall back quite a bit. The quickest and most effective of these belong to Pit and Falco, although Pit’s seem to be more reliable and have the added bonus of being able to curve, allowing slick shooters to take out possibly detrimental items that appear on the ground, like Bob-Ombs. For other characters, the best possible way to go about this is to find a smacking item, especially a Beam Sword, and just swing away. The Beam Sword has the best reach, so make sure you get one when you see it. Other incredibly useful items include the Superspicy Curry, the Urinas, the Warp Star, and of course, Stars, Poke Balls, and Assist Trophies.
The second strategy is simply to outrun the enemies – back and forth across the field, evading them when you need to, and knocking those in front of you out of the way. Of course, the best possible character for this is Sonic, who is not only the fastest character in the game, but also has a decent dashing attack for this. This strategy may work well for a bit, but it’s not as easy as the Corner Strategy, and you may want to alternate between them, especially if you can grab a Beam Sword or Superspicy Curry while you’re doing your laps.
The biggest danger to you in this mode is the normal character that pops up – they have more moves, greater intelligence, and the capacity to use items, making them more likely to cause damage, and a lot of it, too. While keeping your strategy up may work, it’s probably a better idea to take these characters out before they pick up a deadly item and use it against you.
One of the best possible situations you can get into is one of the odd times you need to kill every enemy onscreen before more spawn. If you can whittle it down to one enemy on the screen, things will be a lot easier – you can just evade it and take some time off the clock. This situation generally doesn’t last very long, though – if you don’t kill it, it will probably find a way to kill itself eventually.

Cruel Brawl
The name is wholly accurate, especially in Brawl, where there are far more difficult enemies to deal with. No matter what you do, you’ll probably need to try it a few times before it works the way you want it to.
The most attainable strategy is simply to lure the enemies off the side of the stage, using a character that can float (Peach, Kirby, or Jigglypuff). First, jump off the stage and out of the range of the enemies, who will dutifully wait for you on the very edge of the stage. Then, once your done floating, fall down towards the stage and then under it. Once you get close, some of the enemies will jump after you. Quickly jump to grab the ledge, and repeat the process. It might take a few tries to finally get one who can’t recover. You also have to time your fall just right, as to make sure you get close only when you reach the side of the bottom of the stage, because if they can reach you, you’re as good as dead. Also be careful when you grab the ledge; if you get back on, they’ll swarm and destroy you, and if you stay on too long, they’ll use low attacks to take you out.
More skilful players may be able to use attacks like Kirby’s Final Cutter to speed up the process and spike the enemies into the pit. You could also try floating underneath the stage as Jigglypuff, using the same strategy but possible being a bit safer (if you know how to use the jumps right).

These hints are just general, though. If you’re REALLY good as a certain character, chances are you can beat any of these with ease without resorting to my ideas. If you want more specific and detailed examples, look up videos of speed runs on Youtube.