Some players may be the reigning champions of Super Smash Bros in their own living rooms, but taking their talents online introduces a whole new reality that comes with many headaches and off-stage dunks gamers probably weren't expecting. Both playing against friends and random opponents, Super Smash Brothers online play isn't for the faint of heart or the easily agitated.

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Going online, players' skills and patience will be put to the test. Followed by possible thrown Joy Cons and Nintendo switches that might become collateral damage in the process as they try to climb into the "elite" ranks. Gamers seeking a challenge may enjoy putting their best characters on the front lines of battle, but online play may have some fans taking long walks outside to enjoy the sun instead.

10 You Think You're Good? There's Someone Better!

Nintendo characters with Mario in the foreground in Super Smash Bros.

Coming off of a winning streak among your friends on local play would boost anyone's ego. Some players have unlocked every character, beat the story mode a few times, and gotten all of the alternate endings. They can even take on the level nine computer in regular brawl mode and win almost with ease. Then these same players decide to show off their skills to the world and get utterly destroyed by a Jigglypuff.

They were just getting warmed up, so they challenge the same opponent again and get the same results. Totally "slept on" by Jigglypuff. As their character flies away in the distance, the opponent floats away singing on their screen. Welcome to Super Smash Bros online.

9 The Ranking System Is Confusing

The Ultimate Incineroar  from Nintendo's Super Smash Bros

What drives players to take their talents to online is Super Smash Bros ranking system. As they battle and win, gamers will earn "GSP" that will reflect their overall ranking in the game's player base. However, the ranking system isn't completely clear. Gamers may be at ten million GSP with their favorite character, but their overall character roster ranking could be in the low nine millions.

What makes matters even more confusing is how easily rankings drop. Gamers may gain a lot of points from one match, then barely any in the next match. But when they are defeated by someone from a lower rank, their GSP might drop dramatically.

8 Everyone Wants To Be In Elite Smash

Super Smash Brothers' Captain Falcon executes a Falcon Punch.

After a while, players can climb the ranks and enter a different realm of online play called "Elite Smash." This is where many players may decide to retire their characters altogether just to keep their status. Elite Smash is home to the most skilled, and sometimes toxic, players in the game and this is where Smash Brothers's meta comes into play. At this point, it's easy for a player to find out their favorite character just can't compete.

Related: The 10 Best Stages In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Ranked

The stakes are even higher here because, even though they had to grind to make it to this level, it's just as easily taken away. At the time of this writing, the GSP level to reach Elite Smash is above 10.4 million. And when opponents are losing, they will try any dirty trick in the book to keep their precious GSP points.

7 Lag Is Also An Opponent

Super Smash Brothers' Sonic The Hedgehog, a crossover with Sega.

Most gamers are familiar with the problems lag causes in online gaming. In Smash Brothers, lag makes gamers slower, time out early in matches, or lags button inputs, so it's harder for gamers to input combos correctly. However, lag works in favor of certain characters who rely on speed (looking at you, Sonic and Pikachu). Many times players will be in the middle of trying to recover and then lag joins the battle to help make sure their button commands aren't submitted, thus falling to their demise.

Related: 8 Smash Bros. Tricks That Aren't Allowed Competitively

The worst part about lag is that it shows up whenever the match is getting down to the last hit or the last few seconds. It can easily hand a challenging opponent a victory. On top of this, gamers may be disconnected from a match and the game will penalize them for disconnecting, thus losing precious GSP.

6 The Meta Matters Online

Super Smash Bros Ultimate Dragon Quest Hero Fire Magic Attack

If gamers plan on tackling online opponents, it may be a good idea to study up on the meta. Certain characters have advantages and disadvantages against one another that opponents will inevitably exploit. A player who loves playing Mario might be shocked to learn that the Nintendo icon isn't one of Smash Brothers' strongest characters and it will be up to the player to compensate for this disadvantage.

Many players realize that elite gamers seem to play the same top 15 characters because their gimmicks are hard to counter. With frequent patch updates, too, it's best to stay up on who's been buffed and nerfed recently. Many people don't play online to have fun, they play for victory and bragging rights.

5 Online Players Are Toxic

One of the unspoken rules of Smash Brothers online is that the players aren't going to behave themselves. Nintendo's online gaming platform lacks a voice chat function and for good reason.

Super Smash Bros is meant to be played by all ages, but there are a few players who make it their sole mission to try and ruin other gamers' experiences. Constant teabagging, dash dancing, or simply spamming moves will dominate many matches online.

4 DLC Characters Are Overpowered

Sephiroth with his signature black wing, as seen in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Part of the fun of Super Smash Brothers is in seeing favorite video game characters fighting against opponents from other universes. Fans rejoiced when characters like Sephiroth and Kingdom Heart's Sora became playable

Related: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 10 Best Fighters, Ranked By Competitive PlayAs exciting as this news was, running into opponents who play these characters is a huge headache because the DLC characters are very strong compared to the rest of the roster. Paying $5.99 for a character can make a huge difference in Smash Brothers, and players had best believe their opponents will be getting their money's worth.

3 Matches Can Be Unpredictable

Super Smash Brothers Captain Falcon vs Mario, Kirby, and Donkey Kong

When queuing up to play online, players are able to set preferred rules on their matches. The usual rules would be three stock, no items, no smash meter and a stage with no platforms. Don't expect online play to go that way.

Some online matches won't even faintly resemble what some gamers are looking for. From players copying "For Glory" rules from Super Smash Bros 4, to suddenly being in a match where Pokémon balls and assist trophies are allowed. If that isn't bad enough, players may be in a free-for-all 4 player match suddenly and just get bullied by the other players for picking the great Donkey Kong.

2 Don't Expect A Rematch

A Mii In The Doom Guy Costume Attacks Mario In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In fighting games, the unspoken rule is to play the best out of three matches. It shows honor among competitors and sometimes gives gamers a chance to readjust their skills to put up a better fight

Related: Super Smash Bros: The 10 Best Stages Introduced In UltimateHowever, there's no requirement for players to grant a rematch after a close battle. Too many times, gamers who experienced a close fight will start to figure out their strategy for the rematch only to see their opponents walk away. Ha! Bet they were scared anyway!

1 Bad Sportsmanship Ruins Matches

Super Smash Brothers Nintendo 64 Box Art

When a player is on a roll and winning multiple matches, the end results might be bittersweet. Sure, learning a character and chaining combos to destroy an opponent with a sweet Mario dunk off the edge of the map feels amazing every time. The result was satisfying, but it can demoralize an opponent to the point where they simply jump off the platform on their own.

It's fun to win, but not to see someone else just give up. There are a lot of ways for toxic players to ruin matches, from mean-spirited play to spamming opponents with a single unbeatable move. However, just seeing an opponent self-destruct repeatedly can ruin even the greatest gamer's day.