Notes on earning trophies with Brawl’s Coin launcher

If you want to get your hands on the plethora of trophies and stickers in Super Smash Brothers Brawl you need some shmup skills. The coin launcher essentially replaces the capsule machine as the primary source for virtual collectibles. All of the coins collected in Super Smash Brothers Brawl are used as ammo to shoot the generic looking spaceships and occasional trophy that floats by.

The ships float in set patterns like horizontal/vertical Vs and a wriggling snake. If you manage to shoot all of the ships in a wave you might get a sticker or a coin bonus. Good news is you definitely bump the meter underneath the coin counter up by one bar. Once the meter fills up, three trophies float on the screen and you temporarily gain rapid fire to shoot them down. However, it takes ten bars to fill up the meter. If you have less than fifty coins and an empty meter, it’s best to avoid shooting the ships. Your coins are better saved to hit the occasional trophy that flies by.

If you have a healthy supply of coins the stingy strategy still works, but it’s mundane. Blasting ships sometimes unlocks stickers and an occasional three trophy burst. Conservation is still important because you only boost the meter if you shoot all of the ships in a wave. If one ship passes by the coin launcher’s radius, it is better to skip the entire wave instead of wasting coins and shooting ships without getting a reward. Ships don’t shoot back so they aren’t a threat. The only hazard you have to worry about is orange missiles that leech coins if they hit the launcher. Shoot these down first to protect the launcher and collect those trophies!