Sandbag (Super Smash Flash 2)

This article is about Sandbag's appearance in Super Smash Flash 2. For general information about the character, see Sandbag.

Sandbagin Super Smash Flash 2
Sandbag's official artwork.
Universe	Super Smash Bros.
Stock icon	File:SSF2 Sandbag head.png
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Home-Run Combo
Tier	D (38)

Sandbag is a newcomer starter character in Super Smash Flash 2. It was first revealed in SSF2 Dev Blog #5 on April 1, 2016 and initially thought to be an April Fools' Day joke. However, a special blog, SSF2 Dev Blog #5.1, was released two days later confirming Sandbag's inclusion as the game's "joke" character. Sandbag was a pet project by SSF2 developer, James Hadden, and its development was completed in a week's time thanks to the character using only three sprites in all of its animations which were then rotated, stretched, and distorted in Flash to create over 70 unique animations.

Attributes

Sandbag, true to its playstyle, is a highly unorthodox character in function, utilizing moves that normally would not be seen on any other fighter in the series.

One of Sandbag's biggest strengths is its damage racking capability. Most of its moves deal good amounts of damage and have very fast startup, letting Sandbag increase its opponents' damage quickly and efficiently. Because of this, it also boasts good setups into many different finishers, such as his forward smash and dash attack. He also possesses one of the fastest dodges in the game.

Its aerial game is also very prominent. All of his aerials have good startup and can be used as combo starters or extenders, such as his neutral and back aerials, or as finishers, most notably with his down aerial, which is the strongest meteor smash in the game to date.

Sandbag's special moveset also reflects its absurdity and unorthodox playstyle. His neutral special, Capsule Spawn, allows it to use any item currently active in the item switch, and has a chance to explode, dealing high damage and knockback, making it a situational finisher. Sandgrab, its side special, is a command grab, allowing it to bypass shields, and it can also provide good horizontal recovery in midair. Its down special, Sanddash, is a controllable burst of movement that can be directed anywhere, and it can cancel into any of his attacks. Lastly, his up special, Bomb-omb Toss, can potentially turn the tide of battle if a player touches the Bomb-omb first.

However, as Sandbag is a joke character, its useful qualities are overwhelmed by an abundance of weak points, especially concerning its mobility, as it possesses some of the slowest raw mobility in the game, although by using Soaping and Sanddash, it can then move extremely fast; covering the entire Waiting Room in about two thirds of a second. Most of its ground moves, even though they have a fast startup, also have medium to heavy ending lag, making Sandbag open to attacks if it misses said moves.

Most of its special moveset isn't as reliable either. Though Capsule Spawn has a chance to spawn an explosive capsule, the chances of this happening are very rare; additionally, the move only has use as a "get-off-me" option if all items are turned off. Despite Sandgrab being a command grab, Sandbag will undergo heavy ending lag if he misses, making him open for punishment much like some of his ground moves. Additionally, though Sandbag has an infinite recovery in Bomb-omb Toss, it requires Sandbag to damage itself to actually gain any height at all, making the move risky at high percentages, which is further exacerbated though Sandbag's inability to grab ledges, and if Sandbag is under the stage, he may have the risk of stage-spiking himself on the underside or the sides of the stage, completely obliterating his offstage survivability.

Overall, Sandbag is a very powerful fighter who has a very unorthodox playstyle. However, his multiple strengths are drastically outnumbered by his abundance of flaws, preventing him from being a top-tier or high-tier character.

Moveset

Ground attacks

Attack	Description	Damage
Standard attack	Headbutts opponent. Great knockback.	9%
Down tilt	Rolls across the ground.	10%
Down smash	Does a ground-pound. 2 hits.	10% 9% 19%
Forward tilt	Leaps itself forward and afterwards, performs a headbutt.	13%
Forward smash	Low-leaps itself forward.	15%
Up tilt	Headbutts upwards. Can string into itself, neutral aerial and/or back aerial.	7%
Up smash	Jumps high, while contortioning itself. 2 hits	9% 8% 17%
Dash attack	Leaps forward, taking seconds to get back up. Can be used near a ledge for great momentum off-stage.	14%

Aerial attacks

Attack	Description	Damage
Neutral aerial	Spins vertically in the air, with extremely low lag. Can string into itself.	11%
Forward aerial	Does a kick forwards. Great range and knockback.	11%
Back aerial	Does a kick backwards. Great range, low knockback. Can combo into itself.	9%
Up aerial	Swings head upwards.	9%
Down aerial	Curls up, then kicks downwards. Strongest meteor smash in the game.	19%

Grab and throws

Attack	Description	Damage
Grab	Grabs opponent with its head.	N/A
Pummel	Headbutts opponent.	2%
Forward throw	Falls flat on the ground, damaging opponents. The strongest forward throw in the game.	13%
Back throw	Spins the opponent many times, then throws it backwards.	9%
Up throw	Headbutts opponent upwards.	11%
Down throw	Ground pounds the opponent twice. Can connect with its up aerial, forward aerial, back aerial and neutral aerial very easily	4% 13% 17%

Other attack

Attack	Description	Damage
Floor attack	Jumps up and hits both ways.	6%

Special moves

Special move	Name	Description	Damage
Standard special move	Capsule Spawn	Picks a capsule from inside itself that can contain any items currently active in the item switch. It also has a chance to explode.	9% 32%
Side special move	Sandgrab	Leaps itself forward, then grabs and throws opponents in its path with its head. It will cartwheel on the ground if it misses the grab	6%
Up special move	Bob-omb Toss	Throws a Bob-omb in the air, exploding itself, dealing massive damage and strong upward knockback on both itself and opponents. If it hits the opponent first, it does increased damage and much more knockback.	18% 27%
Down special move	Sanddash	A controllable burst of momentum in any direction that can be cancelled into any other attack, including itself when used on the ground.	N/A
Final Smash	Home-Run Combo	Carries opponent to Home-Run Stadium, stops time to attack them, then smashes them with a Home-Run Bat.	55%

Misc.

Misc.	Description
On-screen appearance	A part of the Home-Run Contest roadway will briefly appear. Sandbag comes flying and lands on it, then gets up as the road disappears.
Taunts	Standard	Falls flat on the ground, then goes back up. Very similar to Luigi's side taunt.
	Side	Very quickly squishes itself. Can be used as a niche faster endlag/startup for its dash.
	Down/Up	Spin once vertically while a random comical sound effect, such as those emitted by Mr. Saturn or when a Party Ball opens, plays.
Idle poses	N/A
Victory theme	Based on the menu theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Victory pose	Tilts to the side and winks at the camera.
Lose	Winks for the player with a bandage on its right side.

Changes and revisions

Main article: Sandbag (Super Smash Flash 2)/Changelog

Sandbag had his combo game and KO power nerfed, and his neutral game buffed, as patches passed. Below are the major changes done to him in the latest demo.

• Jab's startup increased by one frame.
• Sanddash sideways movement greatly increased.
• Down aerial's hitstun modifier removed, angle also heavily decreased (300 → 285).

Gallery

Costumes

Artwork

Sandbag's first early artwork, used in v0.9b.

Sandbag's second early artwork, used from Beta 1.0.0 to Beta 1.1.0.1.

Screenshots

Sandbag meteor smashingLink</nowiki> on Fourside.

Sandbag affected by Jigglypuff's Sing on Pokémon Colosseum.

Sandbag jumping next to two Sandbags while Pit uses Palutena's Bow on Lunar Core.

Giant Sandbag taunting while tiny Bomberman runs away from it on Skull Fortress.

Four Sandbags holding a Home-Run Stadium on Waiting Room.

Sandbag with a Home-Run Bat, next to Kirby, on Waiting Room.

Sandbag's ball version.

Early designs

Sandbag about to be attacked by Sandbag with a Home-Run Bat on Waiting Room. Notice Sandbag's bandages.

A green Sandbag lying on the ground next to PAC-MAN on Tower of Salvation.

Misc.

Sandbag's congratulations screen on Classic mode.

Sandbag's congratulations screen on All-Star mode.

Sandbag's "Challenger Approaching!" screen.

Sandbag's unlock screen.

Splash screen - Sandbag.jpg

Sandbag's splash screen, from his gameplay trailer.

Trivia

• Sandbag, Bandana Dee, Chibi-Robo, Mega Man, PAC-MAN, and Bomberman are currently the only true "silent characters" in the game.
• Sandbag's reveal trailer highlighted the revamped item sprites that would later be shown in Dev Blog #7.
• Sandbag cannot grab the ledge and can only move in hops instead of full sprint. It is the only character with these traits.
  • Despite this, Sandbag actually has seemingly unfinished move data for a tether, despite having no ledge data or animations, as seen here in this image. The move has no animation and no actual hitbox, only being able to grab the ledge.
• Sandbag is currently the only character in the game to have a unique forward tilt and dash attack when using battering items.
• In v0.9b, a glitch in the early online made it possible for Sandbag to win against a player if they self-destructed. Because Sandbag was not playable at the time, at the results screen, the announcer and victory theme remained silent, and Sandbag itself stood still.

External link

• Sandbag's reveal video