Sandbag (Super Smash Flash 2)

Sandbag is a newcomer unlockable 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 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. Sandbag has fairly average attributes all around, his weight being tied with Mario, Luigi and Waluigi, counting as a middleweight character, his walking speeds are fast, even being tied with Fox, but his running speeds are very slow, since he only hops as opposed of actually running, counted as the second-slowest character in the game, the first character to be the slowest is Jigglypuff.
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 its forward smash and dash attack. It also possesses one of the fastest sidesteps in the game.
Its aerial game is also very prominent. All of its aerials have good startup and can be used as combo starters or extenders, such as its neutral and back aerials, or as finishers, most notably with its down aerial, which is currently the strongest meteor smash in the game and among the fastest.
Sandbag's special moves also reflect its absurdity and unorthodox playstyle. Its neutral special, Capsule Spawn, allows it to spawn a Capsule that can contain any item currently active in the items switch and has a chance to explode instead, dealing high damage and knockback, making it a situational finisher. Its side special, Sandgrab, 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, its 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. This can be remedied by using Soaping and Sanddash, with which 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 moves are also not reliable. 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 it misses, making it open for punishment much like some of its ground moves. Additionally, although Sandbag has a theoretically 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, it may have the risk of stage-spiking itself on the underside or the sides of the stage, completely obliterating its offstage survivability.
Overall, Sandbag is a very powerful fighter who has a very unorthodox playstyle. However, its multiple strengths are drastically outnumbered by its abundance of flaws, preventing it from being a top-tier or high-tier character.
== Moveset ==
=== Ground attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral attack	Performs a headbutt. Great knockback. 	9%
Forward tilt 	Turns around and performs a backwards headbutt. 	13%
Up tilt 	Headbutts upwards. Can string into itself, neutral aerial, or back aerial. 	9%
Down tilt 	Rolls across the ground. Can be used near a ledge for some momentum off-stage. 	10%
Dash attack 	Leaps forward head-first and lands on its back, taking about one second to get back up. Can be used near a ledge for great momentum off-stage.	14%
Forward smash 	Curls up and then low-leaps itself forward. Based on Fox's forward smash from . 	
Up smash 	Jumps high while flipping backwards, hitting two times. 	
Down smash 	Does a ground-pound, hitting two times. Meteor smashes on the first hit and semi-spikes on the second hit. 	
=== Aerial attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral aerial	Spins vertically in the air with extremely low lag, behaving similarly to a sex kick. Can string into itself.	
Neutral aerial	Spins vertically in the air with extremely low lag, behaving similarly to a sex kick. Can string into itself.	
Forward aerial	Does a kick forwards. Great range and high knockback. 	11%
Back aerial 	Does a kick backwards. Great range and low knockback. Can combo into itself. 	9%
Up aerial 	Swings its head upwards. 	9%
Down aerial 	Curls up and then pounds downwards, spiking opponents hit. 	20%
=== Grab and throws ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Grab 	Reaches forward with its head. 	
Pummel 	Headbutts the opponent. 	2%
Forward throw	Falls flat on the ground onto the opponent. The strongest forward throw in the game. 	13%
Back throw 	Spins the opponent many times before throwing them backwards. Can also hit opponents nearby.	9%
Up throw 	Headbutts the opponent upwards. Can also hit opponents nearby. 	11%
Down throw 	Ground pounds the opponent twice. Can connect with its aerial attacks easily. 	
Down throw 	Ground pounds the opponent twice. Can connect with its aerial attacks easily. 	
=== Other attack ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Floor attack	Jumps up and hits both ways.	6%
=== Special moves ===
Special move 	Name 	Description 	Damage
Neutral special move	Capsule Spawn 	Picks a Capsule from inside itself that can contain any items currently active in the items switch. It also has a chance to explode. 	
Neutral special move	Capsule Spawn 	Picks a Capsule from inside itself that can contain any items currently active in the items switch. It also has a chance to explode. 	
Side special move 	Sandgrab 	Leaps forward, then grabs and throws opponents in its path with its head. It will cartwheel on the ground and headbutt if it lands before grabbing an opponent. 	6%
Up special move 	Bob-omb Toss 	Throws a Bob-omb in the air that falls back onto Sandbag and explodes, 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.	
Up special move 	Bob-omb Toss 	Throws a Bob-omb in the air that falls back onto Sandbag and explodes, 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.	
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. 	
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 	Description 	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. 	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. 	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 	Neutral 	Spins vertically while confetti appears and either a Mr. Saturn or a Party Ball sound plays. 	
Taunts 	Side 	Falls flat on the ground, then gets back up. Very similar to Luigi's side taunt. It can also meteor smash the opponents. 	
Taunts 	Down/Up 	Flips onto its head, balancing whatever item is being held on its bottom, and then winks its right eye. 	
Idle poses 	colspan="3" 	 	
Victory theme 	Based on the menu theme from . 	Based on the menu theme from . 	Based on the menu theme from .
Victory pose 	Summons a Capsule and tosses it into the air, then summons a Home-Run Bat and winks before swinging it at the Capsule, causing confetti to come out.	Summons a Capsule and tosses it into the air, then summons a Home-Run Bat and winks before swinging it at the Capsule, causing confetti to come out.	Summons a Capsule and tosses it into the air, then summons a Home-Run Bat and winks before swinging it at the Capsule, causing confetti to come out.
== Changes and revisions ==
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 from Beta 1.0.3.2 to Beta 1.1.
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== In competitive play ==
=== Match ups ===
=== Notable players ===
*CraftGMC
*Sr. Rick
*Vollay
*pHacique
=== Tier placement history ===
== Gallery ==
=== Costumes ===
=== Artwork ===
Sand.png|Sandbag's first early artwork, used in v0.9b.
Sandbag 1.0.png|Sandbag's second early artwork, used from Beta 1.0.0 to Beta 1.1.0.1.
=== Screenshots ===
File:Sandbag meteor smashing Link.png|Sandbag meteor smashing on Fourside.
Sandbag sent to sleep by Jigglypuff.gif|Sandbag affected by 's Sing on Pokémon Colosseum.
Sandbag 1.png|Sandbag jumping next to two Sandbags while uses Palutena's Bow on Lunar Core.
File:Sandbag confusion.png|Sandbag shielding while Ichigo taunts.
Sandbag 2.png|Giant Sandbag taunting while tiny runs away from it on Skull Fortress.
Sandbag 3.png|Four Sandbags holding Home-Run Bats on Waiting Room.
Sandbag 4.png|Sandbag with a Home-Run Bat, next to on Waiting Room.
Ball - Sandbag.png|Sandbag's ball version.
=== Early designs ===
Sb ps.png|Sandbag about to be attacked by a red Sandbag with a Home-Run Bat on Waiting Room. Notice the red Sandbag's bandages.
Pac.png|A green Sandbag lying on the ground next to on Tower of Salvation.
=== Misc. ===
SSF2 - Classic mode - Sandbag.png|Sandbag's congratulations screen on Classic mode.
SSF2 - All-Star mode - Sandbag.png|Sandbag's congratulations screen on All-Star mode.
PreUnlockedSandbag.png|Sandbag's "Challenger Approaching!" screen.
UnlockedSandbag.png|Sandbag's unlock screen.
Splash screen - Sandbag (early).png|Sandbag's splash screen, from his gameplay trailer.
Splash screen - Sandbag.png|Sandbag's second splash screen, from his resprite trailer.
== Trivia ==
*According to the SSF2 Team, Sandbag and are best friends.
*Sandbag, , , , and are currently the only true "silent characters" in the game.
*Sandbag, alongside , , , and Jigglypuff, are the only characters that don't clap for the winner.
*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
Category:Bonus characters
Category:First-party characters
Category:Newcomer characters
Category:Unlockable characters
Category:Super Smash Flash 2
Category:Super Smash Flash series