Smash 4 Recommmended Ruleset


Hey Guys, Tantalus here!

As you know, there has been quite a bit of discussion around the Smash Wii U Ruleset lately and a group of organizers has gotten together to present what we will call the "2017 Recommended Ruleset". We are specifically using the terminology "recommended" because we know for sure there will be people who don't agree with rulings or choices made here and that is fine.

When we got together, we got together with a couple of goals in mind:

- Addressing issues with current competitive play
- Fair competition for all characters, retaining the balance we have today
- Still easy to understand

This has been long overdue, but without further adieu, here is the ruleset!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CFaeel_cVIImEZ7ZrIrb_fSva5H3tsN24yp2INyrVLE/edit?usp=sharing

For those of you who don't like reading 5 page documents, allow me to highlight what might be different about this from what you're used to seeing from the existing generally used set. (Though, this post may end up being as long as the rules.)

First, i'd like to identify the contributors to this documentation. While I did the technical writing and contributed my input, Bear led us in discussion with regards to the changes. The following people had input into this:

BAM, Bear, Blind, Champ, D1, Martakia, Tantalus, TLTC, TMPR, Vayseth, Zan (Twitters at end of doc)

Additionally, I'd like to go ahead and acknowledge that we won't be surprised if there is just as much criticism of this set as there is praise, and that's ok. We're very open to healthy discussion here. These contributors represent many regions and many events across the USA. We did the best job we could to come up with a set that is fair and balanced for all competitors. We also want to be as transparent as possible with our process, hence why we've written this post.

So now, let's get to the changes.

First off, i'll cover the more mild changes since I know that will probably be the low point of people's discussion.

- Coaching: This is a new change, but we are actually proposing a 30 second Coaching Call per set, very much akin to a timeout in sports. You will only be able to do this once per set and you will have to designate to your opponent who your coach is before the set. Additionally, if you don't have a coach, that's ok, you can still call timeout for 30 seconds if you need to gather your thoughts or to check your notes.

- Gentlemans Rule: Some places already do this, but we're making it clear now. If people intentionally "Gentleman" to stages, set counts or anything that is outside the normal rules for that stage of the event, they will BOTH be disqualified.

- Settings Check: Our official stance on "incorrectly" played games will be they stand as is. When tournament staff sets up consoles for bracket, we can't guarantee that someone won't later come around and accidentally change a setting. So we are recommending people who find something is off to speak up right away rather than later. So we are going to recommmend that players validate the settings themselves before matches, just to be safe. Unfortunately we don't have a way to lock down this setting, so it is a necessary rule to have. Also, want to dive into why this wouldn't fall under a "Gentleman's" clause, as this would be something that happened inadvertantly, not on purpose. Should we find someone intentionally trying to change the game settings to their advantage, that would fall under our collusion rule.

- Controller Settings: For the first time, we have a large consensus in agreement that as many forms of control should be available for competition as possible. Not everyone owns a Wii U but some players play on the 3DS control option, and we feel that the more control options are available the better. Thus, we've agreed to allow not just gamecube controllers and Wii U Pro controllers, but the complete array of controllers outside of the Wii U Gamepad, which for obvious reasons, is illegal. This includes the Wii Remote + Nunchuck/Classic Controller, as well as the Nintendo 3DS. We think the penalty of complete disqualification should be a strong deterrent to properly manage your controller. We don't think the mismanagement of the few should exclude the many.

With regards to smashbox or things of that nature, we will write an addendum for that at a later date, the discussion is still ongoing.

- Stage List: Last but certainly not least, i'd like to go over the stage list changes that we've put forth. This is probably a pretty drastic change to what you're used to. Additionally, i'd like to address 3 things now before we get started.

First: We understand that, based on some polling, approximately a third of the community is very happy with the existing list. This could be larger or smaller than this number, but we can't poll every single player who owns the game or every single person who watches, so that's what we have to work with.

Secondly: We understand that this affects the existing metagame, and will likely adversely impact certain characters while buffing others. This is a product of change and it happened when we removed Delfino, Castle Siege and Halberd from our stage list, and it will happen again now.

Thirdly: This is a living, breathing document, not a set in stone document. We are open to change and that is how we got to this point, so if this doesn't improve the playing field, we aren't opposed to reverting changes.

With that said, let’s look at the list and rules surrounding it.

Starter:
Final Destination
Battlefield
Smashville

Counter Pick:
Town & City
Dream Land (see below)
Omega Stages (see below)

So before I get into how this works, let’s talk about why 3 stages were removed.

Lylat Cruise - This stage is objectively broken, and it is a matter of time before it costs someone big time. Objectively Broken being this: the stage's platforms have gaps in them which can cause a variety of issues depending on how the stage is tilted. You can sometimes SD, sometimes fall through the stage, and sometimes even make it back when you wouldn't be able to normally. We'd be happy to generate evidence if you're interested.

Dream Land - This stage since the ban of the CS, DP, and Halberd, has served for the most part as an alternative battlefield. If one or the other is banned the other is usually selected. This stage has a strange lip that can catch you under the stage, as well as the potential for the wind to create suicide SD situations, as well as influence the player to SD. Additionally, the tripping mechanics are not normal on this stage. But i'm sure you're thinking, "you still have it on the list!" Let's proceed to the next stage removed, and i'll cover this later on.

Duck Hunt - This stage has been under quite the scrutiny. Defensive play, 2D plane, Ducks that block hits, and the list goes on. Additionally, there are characters who can’t reach the tree platforms without using an attack move that puts them in freefall. Often, much like dream land, this stage is used as an alternative Final Destination when that stage is banned.

If we are just using Duck Hunt and Dream Land as alternatives to the stages we want to go to anyways, why keep them? Additionally, Lylat, while it hasn't happened often, is a risk to events just like Pokemon Stadium is to melee.

So how does the new solution resolve this? Well it's time to cover the other major change - the removal of the "Stage Clause", otherwise known as Dave's Stupid Rule. In this format, there aren't enough stages to have both strikes (commonly referred to as bans) and DSR. Additionally, something that has been discussed is the fact that DSR gives the advantage, especially in a bo3 set, to the loser of game 1, not the winner. The loser of game 1 will have the full compliment of stages to select from, minus a ban, while the loser can not only not pick the banned stage, but also can't pick the stage that was struck to in game 1 which was the "neutral" stage in the matchup where they won. We made a decision to favor the winner of game 1, not the loser by removing this from the ruleset.

Now, each player will proceed with a set as normal, without DSR. If you don't like where you struck down to in game 1, you'll need to ban it on your opponent's counterpick. With this, only 4 stages are selectable by default, but on counterpick, you have some options to you that aren't open in the starter game. Dream Land may be selected instead of Battlefield. If Battlefield is the struck stage, DreamLand is also struck. They are treated as the same stage, similar to how we used to treat Battlefield and Miiverse. This really puts more pressure on bans and gives you more options without sacrificing balance. We have given similar treatment to Final Destination. A select few Omega Stages have been selected as alternatives, most notably Guar Plains (if you prefer an FD stage without the background) and Wily Castle (If you prefer FD with side walls). As was used by some ruling before, banning Final Destination bans Omega stages.

This allows us to keep the balance we had with Duck Hunt and Dream Land 64 but minimize the problems those stages caused. Lylat Cruise being removed unfortunately does change balance, but we feel this to be a greater alternative than keeping it.

I want to delve into why not all of the Omega stages are permitted. By removing Duck Hunt, we no longer have a 2D stage in the game. There was some back and forth debate on whether this should be kept as a strategic option vs it’s detriment to characters who do not excel in these conditions and have to auto ban it. Ultimately, we decided that it would be best to keep things consistent and not have a 2D stage. Additionally, some omega stages have grass coated platforms. The traction is greatly reduced on grass platforms, and because of this certain ATs, such as step dashing, do not work on these stages. Thus, they have to be removed. Additionally, there are certain stages that can’t be on the broadcast due to copyright laws on music, thus it is best for us to keep those out as well. Lastly, there are a few stages that are downright non-functional, specifically Pyrosphere and Boxing Ring. Boxing Ring has a very slight lip on the sides of the stage, and characters who use a teleport recovery will get pushed straight to the side and SD. Pyrosphere’s ledges are broken. Then you have the case of DLC stages like Peach’s Castle and Pirate Ship which may not be on every tournament console. Also, because of complication reasons, we’d like to avoid omegas of the existing stages that are legal as well. The goal of the list is to keep things simple, and listing a banned list of ~20 omega stages is far more complicated than listing a few to be legal. Since this is a guideline and not a mandate, we’d like to list all the omega stages that are deemed “safe” in this scenario, should you want to choose your own:

Mario Circuit, Mario Circuit (Brawl), Delfino Plaza, Kongo Jungle 64, Bridge of Eldin, Temple, Skyloft, Norfair, Woolly World, Orbital Gate, Kalos Pokemon League, Pokemon Stadium 2, Gamer, Coliseum, Port Town Aero Dive, Palutena’s Temple, Skyworld, Halberd, Guar Plain, Wily Castle, Wii Fit Studio, Pilotwings, Wuhu Island, Wrecking Crew, Suzaku Castle, Jungle Hijinxs, Midgar

Overall, we know this was a lot of change and we thank you for reading this whole documentation. This was a lot of sweat and tears. I want to emphasize that we do this for the love of the scene and the game. We are looking forward to the feedback to this posting (both positive and negative (keep it constructive)) and improving YOUR tournament experience, be it as a competitor or a spectator.

Thanks,
Tantalus & Smash 4 T.O.s

Contributor Twitters:

BAM - Caster/Analyst for 2GG - @2GG_BAM
Bear - Lead Event Organizer for Panda Global - @BearUNLV
Blind - Co-Founder of Unrivaled tournaments - @UnrivaledBlind
Champ - Head of 2GGaming - @2GGaming
D1 - Twitch Smash Bros Partner/Caster - @xD1x
Martakia - Florida T.O. - @Martakia
Tantalus - Lead Event Organizer for VGBootcamp - @TheTantalus
TMPR - Head of Smash 4 and Co-owner of BBES - @Eduardo_TMPR
TLTC - Top Player and rep for 2GG - @ImTLTC
Vayseth - Lead Tournament Director for MVG - @_Vayseth_
Zan - Top Player and PG Stats rep - @PG_Zan

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