In Super Metroid speedrunning, which backup Super Missiles are fastest to obtain?

In Super Metroid speedrunning, which backup Super Missiles are fastest to obtain? - Brave doctor in flying superhero cape with fist stretched

Background

I'm learning to speedrun Super Metroid (Any%).

Runners following the old route (KPDR, i.e. Kraid-Phantoon-Draygon-Ridley) as well as the new route (PRKD) both obtain two super missiles tanks in common, and usually only these two:

However, it can be useful for a new runner to pick up backup supers, as insurance. For example,

  • as a backup for Draygon, having missed the 2-tap or the subsequent shinespark.
  • for safety at the end of the game, where the runner must land 9 supers* on Mother Brain's glass enclosure without any getting "sniped" by spitters or running into 3 drifting Rinkas. (Failure here forces the runner to reset. Having performed the zeb skip, the runner cannot return to fill up on missiles, and is locked in a room whose enemies drop nothing.)
  • for extra ammunition when Ridley enters his pogo phase.

Question

Which 3rd set of supers is the fastest to obtain?

Here is a list of supers for reference. Let's constrain the question to Old Route, since New Route runners likely aren't beginners needing backup supers.

I believe the on-route candidates are limited to these:

  • Spore Spawn Supers Room, but this would require deviating the fast Big Pink falling strategy, then having to fire a precise super and jump-morph into the opened pathway, not to mention 2 door transitions each way.

    enter image description here

  • Wrecked Ship East Supers Room, which isn't too out of the way, but is kind of annoying to navigate, and I believe requires power-bombing a Chozo to get through to the hidden area with the supers.

    enter image description here

  • Maridia Main Street via Mt. Everest, which requires walljumps and mid-air morphing into a hidden tunnel, with slow movement plus a bomb jump.

    enter image description here

  • Aqueduct, which is the only option not requiring any door transitions, but requires traversing the entirety of a large room, and performing a tight jump to skip an unneeded pack of missiles.

    enter image description here

What have you tried?TM

So, if you're wondering why don't I just try them all and time their differences, I certainly will attempt to do so, but it's not as easy as it sounds:

  • To say I've timed a strategy, I need to be able to perform the optimal execution of that strategy, i.e. if there was a faster way to perform a room, then it wasn't a fair comparison.
  • That means practicing every room until I get a perfect "take."
  • But having learned 95% of my strategies so far by copying other runners, and never having come up with a strategy better than theirs, I think it's safe to say I'm not going to come up with the best for these rooms.
  • Finally, even if I devised near-optimal strategies, my skills are deficient. For example, for the proposed Aqueduct supers, there are two sets of disappearing blocks one can "eject" through using the right-left technique, but it's difficult to time for me.

So, I'm reaching out to any Super Metroid speedrunners here who can tell me, intuitively and heuristically, what the fastest 3rd super would be, and maybe even what set of routes or techniques would be optimal in that room.






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Quick Answer about "In Super Metroid speedrunning, which backup Super Missiles are fastest to obtain?"

  • The trick required to get to the super missiles without fighting Spore Spawn is actually very easy. ...
  • It's fault-tolerant. ...
  • It's faster than the other super missiles, taking only about 45 seconds to grab with just bombs.


How do you get early Super Missiles in Super Metroid?

The only Super Missile pack that can be obtained early is the one in the room on the top right from the "Green Brinstar Main Shaft". Reaching it entails passing underneath two closing gates over a bridge of breaking blocks. Normally, the Speed Booster is needed to do this.

How many Super Missiles Can you get in Super Metroid?

There are 46 missile expansions in the game. Each expansion increases missile capacity by 5. Opens red doors.

How many Missiles do you need for Mother Brain Super Metroid?

Mother Brain remains in a glass container, which you will need to shoot 6 times with Missiles to make an opening. After that, you can keep shooting the glass to make it easier to hit Mother Brain herself, or just aim at the boss' head.

Where can I find super Missiles?

Super Missile is located in the southern area of Ghavoran. Exit the Elevator to Dairon. Proceed left until you see a green colored door. Use Bomb to reveal a hidden narrow passage.



Super Metroid: Super Missile Locations




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Images: Klaus Nielsen, Yoshi, Denys Gromov, Denys Gromov