Beyond the Metagame: A Smash Bros. Podcast

Today, Sports Psych Steve returns to share his wisdom regarding how to bring your "A" game even when the pressure is at its highest. The hosts and Steve also explain the benefits of applying Sports Psychology to gaming, and reframe the importance of motivation.

Terry Bogard has entered the building, and with him arrive a slew of low tier buffs. AV and Peon give their initial feedback on the character roster's newest addition, while also reacting to the buffs that came packaged with 6.0.

AV and Peon open their minds up to new perspectives as they are joined by famed Melee player, commentator, and smash icon Toph! Through the episode, the hosts leverage Toph's vast culmination of smash knowledge to build out dialogue around crossing between different smash games, writing compelling narratives around smash players, and understanding how different individuals approach the game in unique ways.

AV and Peon discuss the upcoming Smash Ultimate Summit tournament, diving into their expectations of each event and reigniting their old gambling habits.

AV and Peon explore the idea of taking responsibility for one's own gameplay, strolling down memory lane to find the memories that evolved their perspective on owning up to their mistakes. The BTM duo dive into what it takes to accept loss, how we can re-frame our poor experiences, and why caring about things is not just for tryhards.

For once, AV and Peon get the chance to fire off their many hot takes with reckless abandon as they get together to decide what's hot and what's not. Watch the duo square off in a few rounds of debate around some relevant and controversial topics in the Smash scene such as Doubles vs. Squad Strike, Lylat Cruise, Mr. Game & Watch, and much more.

In a classic BTM adventure, AV and Peon take a trip to the spirit world to classify the many different types of "bracket demons." In doing so, they look into their past, present, and future to formulate battle plans for the different challenging players that may come your way.

This week, Peon dives into analyzing his long break from Smash; it's not pretty. In turn, AV helps Peon form a plan of action to shake off the rust, spawning a discussion about the benefits from breaks in your play and how to best return to form.

This week, AV and Peon are joined by none other than the Phenomenal EE, famed Super Smash Bros. caster known for his enthralling performances on the mic. The BTM duo uncovers EE's thoughts about his own commentary style, the state of esports, and the path he took to the top.

In the Season 4 opener, AV and Peon are blessed with a content-filled Nintendo Direct, a brand new patch, and a new addition to the roster! The BTM boys unpack the release of Banjo and react to the reveal of the latest character in development, Terry Bogard!

In the Season 3 finale, AV and Peon recall some of their favorite experiences in the Smash community, talk about what brings us all together, and play back some wholesome stories from listeners like you.

In the inevitable sequel to Peon's character dilemma, AV starts to question his loyalty to Donkey Kong. On this episode, Peon talks AV through his quest to find a notable replacement or companion to the king of the jungle.

On this week's episode, the BTM squad analyzes Hero, the brand new Smash Ultimate DLC character! The two go over their initial thoughts of the character, his general viability, and whether or not he's a healthy addition to the competitive metagame.

AV and Peon catch up with their fellow podcast creators, N64Josh and Nightcrawlr, hosts of the Smash Bros Cast. In a wonderful fireside chat, the BTM co-hosts find out what Josh and Crawlr have been doing lately, their reasons for ending the show, and their best tips for improving as a new player.

With recent events displaying unbecoming behavior from members of the Smash community, AV and Peon stop to reflect on the values that they stand for, the true nature of the Smash community, and the things you can do to make the ecosystem a more positive place.