Smash Bros Ultimate Tournament Rules – Full Rules and Legal Stages
Smash Bros Ultimate Tournament Rules – Full Rules and Legal Stages

Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournaments have elevated action in the game. Players routinely push what can be done in-game, to reach new heights of skill with the varied Smash Ultimate Roster. Smash Ultimate is though, mainly a party game. Smash Bros Ultimate tournament rules are what make it competitive.

The debate over Smash being a competitive fighter or not is a lengthy one. With such a large esports scene though it’s hard to deny that it is not only a competitive fighter though, but one of the best competitive fighters. That’s when you’re using a specific set of competitive rules though. These are the standard rulesets for Smash Ultimate tournament rules, and why they’ve become the gold standard for the title.

Source: Nintendo

Smash Bros Ultimate Tournament Rules

Source: Nintendo

Smash Bros Ultimate is the biggest game yet. There are more Ultimate characters, and more stages, but also more items, hazards and other elements that can pop up. Smash Ultimate does also allow players to set an entirely custom ruleset though. It doesn’t take very long at all to set things up to play on a competitive. These are the standard competitive Smash Bros Ultimate tournament rules that are in use.

Stocks – 3
Time Limit – 6-8
Items – Off
Stage Hazards – Off
Final Smash Meter – Off
Spirits – Odd

This is a ruleset that eliminates most of the randomness. It’s focused on letting players compete in a raw test of skill. Gone are items, hazards, and the spirits which enter other random items and changes in the game. Then there’s the final Smash Meter. While not that unbalanced, these finishing moves can ruin the flow of a competitive game and often give a lifeline to a losing player. Competitive Smash keeps the focus on which player is better, not who gets the better luck in-game.

There’s also the “No Johns rule”. If you’ve not seen it before, it’s basically just an in-joke for Smash tournaments, not a rule you have to worry about if you’re a good sportsman.

Smash Bros Character Bans

A more controversial part of the Smash Bros Ultimate tournament rules is increasing character bans. One of the top fighters in the Smash Ultimate tier list is now routinely banned at local and Major events.

Tournaments like Collision, Coinbox, and more have already outlawed Steve. This is one area where things are changing fast, so it’s best to check with your tournament organizer if Steve has made the cut or not for any specific event.

Source: Nintendo

Stage Smash Bros Ultimate Tournament Rules

Stage legal rules get a bit more complicated since different organizers ban different stages. Most legal starting stages include those with floating platforms like Smashville or a fairly plain layout. These are the main starter stages you’ll find.

Battlefield
Final Destination
Pokémon Stadium
Smashville

Counter picks come after the first battle, where they can be picked by the losing player. These are some of the more exciting legal stages.

Yoshi’s Story
Lylat Cruise
Kalos Pokémon League
Town and City
Northern Cave
Hollow Bastion
Dream Land

The stages that are legal will vary depending on the exact Smash Ultimate tournament rules for each event though. Each one has different standards for what goes for stages.

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