He’s flat. He’s two-dimensional. He’s basically a walking LCD screen from the 1980s that somehow ended up in a high-octane fighting game. If you’ve spent any time at a local tournament or grinding Elite Smash, you know exactly who I’m talking about. Mr. Game and Watch in Smash is arguably the most polarizing character in the history of the franchise. Some players love his chaotic, RNG-heavy kit, while others want to throw their GameCube controllers across the room the second they see that pixelated silhouette on the loading screen.
Honestly, it’s hilarious when you think about it. You have legendary icons like Mario, Link, and Sephiroth—characters with complex backstories and massive legacies—getting absolutely bodied by a guy who looks like he was drawn in MS Paint by a toddler. But don’t let the simple aesthetic fool you. Beneath that flickering exterior lies a frame-data monster that defies the traditional laws of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Why Everyone Hates (and Secretly Loves) the Bucket
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Oil Panic. Most people just call it "The Bucket." In the hands of a professional like Maister, who is widely considered the best Mr. Game and Watch in the world, the bucket is a psychological weapon. It’s not just a move; it’s a threat that lingers over the entire match. If you’re playing a character with projectiles—looking at you, Samus and Snake—you’re basically playing a different game.
The bucket absorbs energy-based projectiles and fills up three slots. Once it’s full? Good luck. You’re looking at an instant-kill move that comes out incredibly fast and can delete stocks at 20%. It forces opponents to play "scared," which is exactly where a Game and Watch player wants them. They want you hesitant. They want you overthinking every single fireball or charge shot.
But it’s not just the bucket. It’s the "Up-B." Fire (his recovery move) is arguably the best out-of-shield option in the entire game. It’s frame three. Three! That means if you touch Game and Watch’s shield with anything that isn't perfectly spaced, he’s going to hit you, reset the stage, and probably start a juggle combo that ends with you losing a stock to a random Judge 9.
The Absolute Chaos of the Judge Hammer
Speaking of Judge, let's get into the RNG. Most competitive fighting games try to minimize luck. They want the better player to win 100% of the time. Then there’s Mr. Game and Watch in Smash with his Side-B. He swings a hammer, and a number from 1 to 9 pops up.
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- A 1 hurts Game and Watch himself.
- A 6 sends you flying at a nasty horizontal angle.
- An 8 freezes you solid.
- A 9? Well, a 9 is essentially the "Game Over" screen.
It shouldn’t work in a competitive setting. It’s goofy. It’s unreliable. Yet, it creates these high-tension moments that define Smash. You’ll see a pro player fishing for a Judge when they’re down two stocks because, hey, one lucky number can shift the entire momentum of a Major. It’s the ultimate "disrespect" move, and honestly, the psychological damage of getting hit by a 9 is way worse than the actual percentage damage.
The character thrives on being unpredictable. One second he's floating around with his turtle (back-air), and the next he's burying you in the ground with a down-tilt. It’s a rhythmic, stuttering playstyle that’s hard to time. Because he lacks traditional animations and moves frame-by-frame like an old handheld, it’s genuinely harder to read his "tells" compared to a character like Captain Falcon or Lucina.
Breaking Down the Frame Data Nightmare
If we look at the technical side, Game and Watch is a statistical anomaly. His down-smash is a nightmare. He buries you if you're grounded. If he lands that bury, he follows it up with a side-smash (the fire torch) and you're gone. It’s a simple, effective, and incredibly frustrating flow chart.
His aerials are just as oppressive. The neutral-air (the fishbowl) has a massive hitbox that stays active for what feels like an eternity. It’s great for dragging people down or starting combos. Then there’s the Chef (Neutral-B). He flings sausages at you. It sounds stupid. It looks stupid. But as an edge-guarding tool? It’s lethal. Trying to recover against a Game and Watch who is perfectly timing his bacon tosses is a special kind of hell.
The trade-off, of course, is that he’s light. Extremely light. He’s one of the lightest characters in the game. If you can actually land a solid hit on him, he dies early. The problem is landing that hit. Between his tiny hurtbox, his incredible air mobility, and that frame-three escape tool, catching him is like trying to grab smoke with your bare hands.
How to Actually Beat Mr. Game and Watch in Smash
If you're tired of getting three-stocked by a 2D shadow, you need to change your approach. You cannot play the "aggro" game against him. If you run in and mash buttons on his shield, you will lose. Period.
- Respect the Up-B. Stop trying to pressure his shield with unsafe moves. You have to bait out the Fire and then punish the landing. He’s vulnerable as he falls, though he can use his key (down-air) to come down fast.
- Space your aerials. Characters with swords—the "FE boys" like Roy, Ike, or Chrom—have a better time here. If you can hit his shield from a distance where his Up-B can't reach you, you win the neutral.
- Don't feed the bucket. If you’re playing a zoner, you have to be disciplined. Use your projectiles sparingly. If he’s sitting there waiting to absorb your energy, run up and grab him.
- Watch the down-smash. Stay airborne. If you’re on the ground, you’re asking to be buried. Game and Watch players love to fish for that bury near the ledge.
The biggest mistake players make is getting tilted. Game and Watch is designed to be annoying. He’s a "gimmick" character that evolved into a top-tier threat. When you get hit by the sausages or the hammer, just take a breath. If you lose your cool, you’ll start making the desperate plays that he feeds on.
The Evolution of the Flat Man
Back in Melee, Game and Watch was kind of a joke. He couldn't even L-cancel all of his moves because he was unfinished. He was a bottom-tier curiosity. In Brawl, he got better. In Smash 4, he had some niche "ding-dong" style combos. But in Ultimate? He became a legitimate powerhouse.
The developers took everything that made him unique and dialed it up to eleven. They made his animations even more faithful to the original Game & Watch systems, which ironically made him harder to fight. They gave him a kit that covers almost every situation.
Even with the various patches and balance shifts in the 2020s, he has remained remarkably consistent. While other top tiers like Joker or Palutena have seen their share of tweaks, Game and Watch stays relevant because his core design is so fundamentally different from anyone else on the roster.
Final Insights for the Matchup
Playing against Mr. Game and Watch in Smash is a test of patience more than a test of skill. You have to be okay with the game feeling a bit "janky."
Actionable Next Steps:
- Lab the Punishes: Go into training mode and set the CPU Game and Watch to "Shield." Practice hitting the shield with your main's moves and see which ones get you hit by his Up-B. If a move is unsafe, stop using it in the matchup.
- Study Maister: Watch VODs of Maister. Don't just watch him win; watch how he handles pressure. Notice how he uses the "Chef" to ledge-trap. Understanding the Game and Watch's goals will help you intercept them.
- Focus on Drift: When you get hit by his neutral-air, work on your DI (Directional Influence). Most players just hold away, but sometimes DI-ing "in" can ruin his follow-up timing.
- Check the Bucket List: If you play a character with projectiles, memorize exactly which ones he can absorb and which ones he can't. For example, he can't bucket physical objects like Link's arrows, but he can eat the explosion from the bomb.
He might be flat, but the depth of strategy required to beat a good Game and Watch is immense. Stop complaining about the "bacon" and start timing your parries. The character isn't going anywhere, and in the current meta, he's only getting more refined. Accept the 2D chaos, or get used to seeing that number 9 over your head.