Yeah, but Samus' ranged attacks are rarely capable of knocking someone out. Only her Charge Beam can kill someone. Well, the Super Missles can sometimes, but only if the person is damn-near dead anyway. Aside from that, Samus has to be up close to kill an opponent.

Plus, she's only got two ranged attacks. The Charge Beam and the Missiles. Her Morph Ball Bombs and Screw Attack are close-range. Link has more ranged attacks than Samus does, so that argument doesn't stack up at all.

A "spike" is a downward aerial attack that sends an opponent flying downwards on contact. If you spike someone while they're trying to get back onto the stage, it can kill them very quickly. Ness used to have the best spike in the original Smash Bros, but his Step Kick sucks in SSBM.