This simple item is most recognizable from the Mario Kart series, in which it is a weapon used to trip up an opponent’s kart. In Brawl, its function is no different. It can be picked up and thrown, and any opponent hapless enough to stand on it will slip and fall to the ground, stunned for a split second.

This is a new item to the Smash Bros. series, so it will take some getting used to. Place it in a high-traffic location and be ready to run in with a smash attack when your opponent slips. However, the recovery time for the Banana Peel slip is not long, so a less-experienced player may find it more useful as a distraction.

Making a return from the original Super Smash Bros., the Bumper is a surprisingly strong and effective item. It can be thrown into the air where it will stop, defying gravity, or placed on the ground. Even the slightest touch from a Bumper will send opponents (and the thrower) flying back a considerable distance, one depending on their percentage.

It can be easy to underestimate the value of the Bumper, and simply throw it any which way, but the hardened brawler will know this is a lethal weapon. Throw the bumper near the recovery ledge of the stage. Anyone trying to return to the brawl will find themselves flying, quite quickly, in the opposite direction. Handle with extreme care.

Making an appearance from Ocarina of Time, the Deku Nut is a stunning addition to the item roster of Brawl. This weapon can be hurled at or near an enemy to temporarily stun them. When it connects in mid-air, it can result in quite a smash.

The Deku Nut is small and dark, and so it is often overlooked in the mayhem of a brawl. However, the Deku Nut is potentially a guaranteed KO if used well. The recovery time from a direct hit is long enough that the thrower can fully charge a smash attack before the opponent recovers. Just make sure you’re not near your enemy when you throw it!

The Freezie is a veteran item from Melee, and originally appeared in Mario Bros. This block of ice sports two eyes and a frown, and slips around the stage at will. When thrown at an opponent, it will immediately encase them in a miniature iceberg that restricts movement. When it misses it will simply shatter.

There is little to offer in the ways of strategy; simply throw it and hope it connects, then run in for a series of attacks or a smash. Remember: Your opponent can escape by frantically smashing buttons and the analogue stick.

An exploding item that is covered in a purple adhesive. The Gooey Bomb not only sticks to any part of the stage, but also to characters. There is a five-second fuse, but you or your opponent can escape from their doom by running past another character, thereby transferring the bomb.

Remember to stay well away from your opponent after you stick it to ‘em, as it will be their top priority to stick it back onto the first person they find. Also, explosions hurt.

Another veteran item, the Green Shell made its first appearance in the Super Mario Bros. Series, but is possibly more well known from the Mario Kart series. In Brawl, it slides along the ground after being hit or thrown, and will bounce off walls. It mauls through players, causing moderate damage and throwback.

Fire into large groups of people to maximize damage. Try to throw so that it will stay on screen as long as possible, such as from the edge of stage or into a wall. Remember that the Green Shell will injure its thrower, so don’t assume it’ll pass right through you.

An orb of fire that made its first appearance in Super Mario World. In Brawl, they will swiftly roll around and under the stage, damaging opponents as they go. When hit with a fire or electrical-based attack, Hot Heads grow larger.

Hot Heads work best in small stages or large ones with multiple, solid platforms. Drop it in the smallest platform with the most traffic.

Somewhat similar to the Gooey Bomb in that it can stick to the stage. The Motion-Sensitive Bomb is small and inconspicuous, and so is the perfect candidate for traps. As its name suggests, the MSB activates when a character is close by, and packs quite a punch.

Like the Banana Peel, try setting this baby up where it won’t be noticed, although this shouldn’t be difficult considering its size. Don’t bother placing it near the edge; it’s strong enough to almost guarantee a KO from any location.

This pig-like creature hails from outer space, and is featured in Earthbound. Another recurring item., Mr. Saturn is essentially a useless item, however, it is distracting, moves items around, and is known to disrupt shields.

It’s best to avoid Mr. Saturn.

An annoying item originally from Animal Crossing. The Pitfall Seed immediately creates an invisible hole in the ground when it falls. Anyone unlucky enough to stumble upon this invisible hole will be stuck and stunned for several seconds.

Place it in any location and remember where it is. Make sure you’re nearby when your opponent falls, as you’ll have more than enough time for a fully-charged smash.

This devastating item comes from Lylat Wars. When the Smart Bomb is thrown, it will detonate a slowly-expanding ball of fiery energy that engulfs a large portion of the screen and paralyses players as it inflicts up to 50% of damage onto them, before disappearing and delivering quite a significant throwback. However, on rare occasions, it will turn out a dud – anti-climactic, if it stays that way. Watch out, though, because those dud bombs may still detonate after a few seconds.

Never hold onto a Smart Bomb for very long, as an enemy’s punch will detonate it, and the holder is not immune to its effects. Throw it a group of opponents from a distance, and run underneath when the carnage is over, ready to attack the falling victims.

A simple white ball that expels clouds of colourful smoke when thrown. It causes no damage to your opponent or yourself and otherwise has no effect on the in-game characters. The Smoke Ball can be attached to yourself, an opponent, or simply onto the ground.

There is a choice to make after you pick up a smoke ball. You can either throw it up and have it land on your character, thereby making your attacks less visible, or you can throw it onto an enemy in order to confuse him. Just try not to become distracted by the pretty colours…

A blue ball from Clu Clu Land. When thrown, it extends a number of short spines in all directions. The Unira will knock foes back and cause some damage. A player can be subjected to extreme knockback if he has a high percentage. When hit, the Unira’s spikes retract.

This item is best utilized near the edge of a stage.

This familiar weapon has been strengthened even further in this Smash Bros. installment. The Beam Sword can be carried and is used in place of all forward attacks. It deals a significant amount of damage and throwback, and has an impressive range. The Beam Sword will stretch when a charged smash attack is let loose.

The Beam Sword is often undervalued. Many people do not realise it is one of the stronger regularly-appearing items. Keep your distance from an opponent wielding this, as it is nigh-on impossible to get in close enough to attack if your opponent knows what he is doing. Remember that the Beam Sword can be thrown at an enemy and picked up again.

This traditional paper fan is the weakest Melee item. That said, it is also the quickest; You can swing the Fan as fast as you can bash a button. Because of this, you can pin down your opponent for long periods of time with the fan simply because they don’t have time to react. Oddly, the Fan has great throwback when it is thrown at an opponent in mid-air.

The Fan has a short reach and so is not recommended against characters with range. However, get in close enough and any opponent is rendered helpless for as long as you can keep the attacks up. Don’t expect to do a huge amount of damage, though, the Fan is used mainly as a way of slowing down the Brawl and getting your bearings.

The Home-Run is another extremely powerful, but sometimes overlooked item. A charged forward smash with a bat is almost a guaranteed KO. The Home-Run Bat is just as, if not more effective when thrown at an opponent, and is another easy KO.

Because of the almost impeccable timing needed to forward-smash an opponent with the Home-Run Bat, your time is better utilized trying to throw it at your enemy. Use this technique when your opponent is recovering or playing cat and mouse, but remember that accuracy is crucial, because a thrown item can be picked up again.

This quirky item stems from the little-known SNES game, Panel de Pon. Lip’s Stick is a flower that replaces normal attacks. Hit someone with Lip’s Stick and a flower will bloom from their head, causing them to slowly accumulate damage. The more you beat your opponent with this item, the more the flower will grow, and so they accumulate more damage.

The most effective means of shaking off this parasitic flower is by dashing left and right repeatedly. To get the most out of Lip’s Stick, engage your opponent to impede their mobility.

The all-powerful item from Kirby’s Adventure returns for a second Smash Bros. outing. The Star Rod doubles as both a melee and projectile item. A smash attack will release a short-range golden star that does a fair amount of damage. As always, the Star Rod can be thrown.

While the melee side of the Star Rod is acceptable the projectile aspect is much better. Ideally, you should keep away from your opponent and let loose a few stars, and if they come too close for comfort, throw it at them for another significant throwback, run over and pick it back up again.

This extremely powerful item made its first appearance in the original Donkey Kong. Its function in Brawl is no different than what Jumpman used it for: To cause some serious damage. Picking the Hammer up transforms even the most reserved character in a manically swinging powerhouse. The Hammer does excellent damage and throwback and the user is almost guaranteed a KO while using it.

The Hammer does not come without a downside: You are unable to perform a mid-air jump while using it. This makes it a dangerous item to use on scrolling and other dynamic levels. It really shines on small, flat stages. When on a big stage with many high platforms, simply wait by the Hammer until someone else comes for it, and then spring into action. Occasionally you might be unlucky and the head of the hammer will fall off, leaving just the harmless handle. If this happens, the head can be picked up and thrown, dishing out unprecedented damage and throwback.

This precious item is even rarer and more powerful than the Hammer. It also comes with much funkier music. The Golden Hammer can attack much faster than the original and while a mid-air jump is still out of reach, there is a new technique which allows the bearer to float in the air by repeatedly pressing jump or attack.

Much of the strategy for the Hammer stands for the Golden Hammer. Remember that it comes with a possible defect of its own; The Golden Squeaky Hammer. They look exactly the same, but the latter does no damage.

The mortar of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Cracker Launcher is a highly dangerous weapon certainly capable of a KO if in the right hands. This large and cumbersome firing tube can be aimed up and down and allows the user to move and jump while using it. It releases several low-arc, colourful explosives that cause a considerable amount of damage and throwback.

Many players immediately aim horizontally when they get the Cracker Launcher. While this is a somewhat effective strategy, it is often a wiser course of action to aim upwards, especially when in a Brawl of more than two players. Let the crackers rain down upon your opponents, and then you’ll be ready to shoot them while they are in the air, helpless.

The classic power-up from the Super Mario Bros. series returns for another Smash Bros. outing. In Brawl, the Fire Flower is not a transformation item. Instead, you hold it front of the character and release a swath of fire. This item has a very limited range, and below-average damage infliction, but is nevertheless effective at pinning down your opponent.

Get your opponent against a wall and keep them there with the Fire Flower. You can also block an opponent’s attempted recovery by bathing the edge of the stage in fire. Otherwise, you won’t find much use for the Fire Flower.

This is a futuristic laser blaster capable of loosing twelve glowing, green laser bullets at high speed. The Ray Gun is small and light, so your character is capable of all the mobility and speed he normally is while he uses it.

The Ray Gun has very little damage or throwback capabilities, and so many people consider it a lower-tier item. But when used correctly and on the right stages, the Ray Gun becomes a lethal weapon. Fire all twelve shots in quick succession at an opponent and they will be helplessly pushed off screen like a rag doll.

First a real-life peripheral for the SNES, and now an in-game item in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Any veterans to the series will fondly remember the manic firing action of the Super Scope. This light gun can fire 48 tiny bolts of energy or up to three fully-charged blasts.

At close range, the small bolts are an effective way to combo your opponent. Against multiple opponents, remember that you can jump while firing, so try to spread your bullets. From a distance, your enemy is powerless to stop you from charging a shot, so… Do that under those circumstances.

This hat is a useful item first found in The Ocarina of Time and now as a transformation item in Brawl. When worn, the Bunny Hood increases your character’s speed and jump ability. It can be knocked off when you are hit with a strong attack.

Obviously, this is very useful for the likes of Ganondorf and Bowser. As for Sonic and Captain Falcon, some less experienced players may find the extra speed too much to handle. Even for hardened players, the Bunny Hood’s value when donned by an already-quick player are minimal at best, and you should go out of your way to get it.

Often hailed as the second-most annoying item of Mario Kart (The most annoying being the blue shell), the Lightning is among the more deadly items of Brawl. After spawning, it will slowly descend to the ground and wait to be activated, at which time all other characters are shrunk to half their normal height. Occasionally, Lightning backfires and only the activator is affected, and on the rarest of occasions, all other characters may grow in size.

After grabbing the Lightning, and if all goes smoothly, immediately rush for your opponents and attempt to smash them off the screen, regardless of percentage. If the worst happens, and you are at a disadvantage, simply keep away from your enemies until the effects wear off.

A power-up from Super Mario 64, this green, exclaiming box transforms the user into pure metal. While metal, an enemy’s attacks deal the same damage, but do not result in any knock back. However, should you find yourself off the stage, you will discover that you fall twice as fast, often making recovery impossible.

Obviously, when you use the Metal Box, you must ensure you stay in the middle of the stage. Granted, it is unlikely you will go flying while metal, even when on a high percentage; but the slightest nudge off-stage can potentially be fatal.

The Poison Mushroom has only made an appearance in the ill-fated Super Mario Bros. 2, the Lost Levels. This Super Mushroom look-alike shrinks the unlucky user into half their normal size. In this state, the player is much easier to smash off-screen and is slower. The effects last for between six and ten seconds.

The strategy for a poison mushroom is the same for that of the backfired-Lightning. The only visible difference between the Poison and Super Mushroom is a slightly deeper shade of red and a frown on the stalk.

One of the more recognisable items from the Super Mario series and the namesake of Princess Peach’s kingdom. The Super Mushroom has the opposite effects of the Poison variety, that is, it’ll make you larger as opposed to smaller, aha, see?

When imbued with the powers of the Super Mushroom, you will pack a larger punch but will present a larger target. Keep attacking to get the most out of your inertial advantage and to keep your enemies at bay.

The Starman cameos from the Super Mario series, and its function in Brawl is little different than its original role. The Starman will aimlessly bounce around the stage until someone grabs it or until it falls into the pit. When under the influence of the Starman, your character will become temporarily invincible.

Make the most of this item while you have it. You have only ten seconds to essentially go berserk and attack as many people as you can. Remember that you may be impervious to all attacks, but you are still susceptible to a suicide if you’re not careful.

This taste-bud binding stew dish is too much for the average brawler. When your character picks up the Superspicy Curry, flames will begin to shoot out of his mouth. The effects of the Superspicy Curry are similar to that of the Fire Flower except for that your character can double-jump and is incapable of switching off the flames. Again, the fire does little damage, but it adds up.

The strategy for the Superspicy Curry is all but the same as the Fire Flower. But continuous flames mean that your character is much better protected from an enemy’s attacks. Get right in the middle of a brawl and attack wildly.

The Timer is a stopwatch-like item that has one of three effects when activated. Either everyone except the activator will slow down to less than half of their normal speed, only the activator will slow down, or everyone including the user will be slowed down.

Obviously, if you find yourself moving faster than everyone else, you must quickly take advantage of your situation. Try to get fully-charged smash attacks in before your opponents can react. If you are slowed down, you are susceptible to all of your opponents smashing you, but all is not lost. You can kill the time while you’re at this speed by either jumping up and away from the stage for as long as you can, or holding your shield until it is expended.

A great variety of food that restores between 1 and 8% of your health. Food often comes in abundance from Party Balls, but can also spawn by itself. It is usually the case that when lots of Food appears, everyone rushes to that spot and end up taking more damage than they restore, so be sensible about rushing off to a large spawn of food. Even if you’re on 0% damage, and if you get the opportunity, eat the food regardless, if only to deny it to your opponent.

The Heart Container will spawn in the air and slowly drift to the ground. This much-sought after item is usually taken before it completes its descent. The Heart Container restores 100% health and doing so can take several seconds.

This distinctive item restores 50% damage when eaten.

Barrels come in three different design varieties. A barrel can be either wooden, metal or wrapped as a present. While carrying the heavy barrel, your character will walk slowly and be unable to jump. After being thrown, it will roll along the stage. Each barrel typically contains 3 or 4 random items that issue out upon hitting a wall or a player.

Throw the Barrel at an opponent and get in quickly for the items that burst out. If the Barrel is surrounded by ramps on both sides it will continue to roll, somehow rolling higher and higher each time.

This pink and white pill is a common item on the Brawl battlefield. Inside is one random item. Throwing or attacking the Capsule will reveal this hidden item. 12.5% of the time, the Capsule will only yield an explosion. Because of this, you should take the precaution of throwing it far away in order to open it. Why not throw it at your opponent? Just remember to get in quickly for the item (or to reap the benefits of the explosion!).

Similar to the Barrel. The Crate is a simple cube-shaped storage device that also comes in three kinds of designs and can contain up to four items. Occasionally a Crate will be on wheels, meaning it will behave in the same way as a Barrel does.

This poorly-rendered sphere will activate upon being thrown or hit. It will slowly rise a small distance into the air and utter a short and beguiling jingle before opening and releasing a multitude of random items. Sometimes a banquet of food will fall, other times, five Bob-Ombs. In any case, wait underneath the Party Ball for your chance to grab all the items.

A heavily reinforced crate containing volatile explosives. After sustaining a certain amount of damage, the Blast Box will explode. This often results in KOs regardless of an opponent’s percentage. Explosives and fire-based attacks will instantly detonate the Blast Box.

Obviously, you don’t want to be near the Blast Box for any longer than you absolutely need to be. Ideally, you should place it in a high traffic area and attack it from a distance when an opponent comes near it. If you lack the time, simply throw it at your enemy and hope he accidentally attacks it.

Bob-Ombs originally appeared in Super Mario Bros. 2. Back for their second appearance in a Smash Bros. title, Bob-Ombs prove just as deadly as ever. A Bob-Omb is an explosive package that can move about the stage thanks to clockwork. Until this clockwork activates, a Bob-Omb will sit quite still, waiting to be picked up.

An inanimate Bob-Omb can be picked up and thrown, and will explode upon impact. Do not hold one for too long, as it will eventually awaken and explode. Leave a Bob-Omb alone and it will start walking around of its own accord, exploding upon contact with a player or when its fuse runs too low. An explosion from one of these babies is another easy KO.

Grabbing this item during a Brawl will unlock a track in your game. Be quick about it, as they only stick around for a few seconds.

Making an appearance from Kirby Air Ride, the Legendary Air Ride Machine is an important addition to the Super Smash Bros. series. The Dragoon is divided into three parts, the Nosecone, Hull and Tail. They always appear together in a Brawl and assembling all three creates the most devastating weapon in Smash Bros. history. Using a highly-sensitive crosshair, you fire yourself on the Dragoon at any opponent of your choosing.

Collecting the pieces can be a chore. Not only must you grab all three before anyone else, but they can beat out of you and are automatically lost when you are KOd. Unless you already have two pieces, you really shouldn’t make it your prerogative to locate the Dragoon pieces. After you assemble the Dragoon, your opponents will go into evasive action; Running this way and that, jumping all over the shop. It takes a steady hand to catch out an experienced player. If you have the opportunity, try to aim for more than one enemy; That is, where they are grouped together. Finally, the Legendary Dragoon doesn’t do exactly what is says on the tin. It’s strong enough to bounce a player off walls three times, but no more. So it isn’t a guaranteed KO, but the nearest you’re going to get.

A small badge that automatically sticks to the user’s body and renders them invincible to projectile attacks. The Franklin Badge will reflect all ranged attacks right back in the opposite direction.

The Franklin Badge is useful as a defensive item, but so much more as an offensive item. It is essentially impossible to know if a player is equipped with one, so surprise your enemy by throwing their Super Scope bullets right back at them.

Everyone’s favourite Home-Run Contest punching-bag makes his first appearance in a Brawl. The Sandbag appears for the purpose of being hit. Attacking the Sandbag will yield random items. Just like a regular player, the Sandbag will fly further after each hit. If all items are off, the Sandbag will give only CDs and Stickers.

This is worn like a badge, just like the Franklin Badge. While equipped with this, your character will replace his jumps with an upwardly-spinning attack. This damages opponents and is great for starting combos.

The Smash Ball is a freely-floating rainbow-coloured ball that allows a player to unleash their most powerful move in the game: The Final Smash. In order to use the Smash Ball, you must break it open with a number of attacks. If you put in the final attack, you will get the chance to use your Final Smash.

This simple bouncing device can propel a player to windy heights. It can be picked up and tossed in any direction, sometimes landing on its side. When it is positioned horizontally, it will propel opponents off the stage. This can be utilized well at the edge of a stage, where you recover.

Or Football, to those of us who speak English properly. The Soccer Ball cannot be picked up; Instead, an attack will shoot it forward at high speeds, leaving a trail of fire behind it. Getting hit by a Soccer Ball is not recommended, as it often results in a KO. Wait for an opponent to draw close before unleashing its power.

These pieces of paper gently float to the ground and unlock one sticker when collected. They often appear in Brawls and stick around for a fair amount of time.

This item only appears in Team matches. Throwing it at your ally will restore some of his damage depending on how much he already has. Be careful not to through it at an enemy, as it will heal him, too.

A large, slowly revolving star from the Kirby series. Grabbing this item will send a player rocketing far into the sky and crashing back down again, severely smashing your opponents. A Warp Star can often result in a KO if a head-on hit is achieved. To assist in this, you can somewhat control where the Warp Star lands by tilting the control stick in that direction.

Bellossom

Bonsly

Celebi

Chikorita

Deoxys

Electrode

Entei

Gardevoir

Goldeen

Groudon

Ho-Oh

Latios

Lugia

Jirachi

Kyogre

Manaphy

Meowth

Metagross

Mew

Munchlax

Piplup

Regigigas

Shaymin

Snorlax

Staryu

Suicune

Togepi

Torchic

Weavile

Wobbuffet

Andross

Barbara

Devil

Dr. Wright

ExciteBike

Grey Fox

Hammer Bro.

Helirin

Isaac

Jeff

Jill Hozer

Kat and Ana

Knuckle Joe

Little Mac

Lyn

Metroid

Mr. Resetti

Nintendog

Ray

Saki Amamiya

Samurai Goroh

Shadow the Hedgehog

Stafy

Tanks and Infantry

Tingle

Waluigi