Game Version
The tournament will use update 13.0.4, but if the game is updated in a reasonable amount of time (estimated seven days before tournament start date), that version will likely be used. The game’s language must be set to English.
Game Settings
Ruleset Settings
- Style: Stock Battle
- Stocks: 3 -Time Limit: 7:00
- Final Smash Meter: Off
- Spirits: Off
- Damage Handicap: Off
- Stage Selection: Anyone
- Items: Off and None
Advanced Ruleset Settings
- First to: 1 Win
- Stage Morph: Off
- Stage Hazards: Off
- Team Attack: On
- Launch Rate: 1.0x
- Underdog Boost: Off
- Pause: Off
- Score Display: Off
- Show Damage: Yes
Options: Smash
- Custom Balance: Off
- Echo Fighters: Separate
- Radar: Small
- Team Highlight: On
Set Procedure
The following steps outline the process of playing a set in Ultimate:
- Declare characters before stage striking. Either player may elect to do Double-Blind Character Selection picking.
- Use Stage Striking to determine the stage to play the first game of the set.
- For subsequent games, the winner chooses their character first, and then the loser chooses their character.
- Players then use Stage Striking to determine the stage the next game is played on.
- Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for all subsequent games until the set is complete. Players can use the Mutual Agreement to skip steps 2 and 4.
Stage List
Starter Stages
- Battlefield*
- Small Battlefield
- Town & City
- Hollow Bastion
- Pokémon Stadium 2
Counterpick Stages
- Final Destination*
- Smashville
*Omega and Battlefield forms of most stages are allowed in place of the normal Final Destination and Battlefield stages. If Final Destination or Battlefield is banned, so are the alternate forms of the stages. The following Omega and Battlefield forms are prohibited (either due to glitches with 2D stages, strange camera mechanics, or music copyright restrictions):
- Dream Land GB | Duck Hunt | Flat Zone X | Fourside | Green Hill Zone | Hanenbow | Magicant | Super Mario Maker | Midgar | Mute City SNES | New Pork City | Onett | Pac-Land | Pilotwings | Summit | Windy Hill Zone
Stage Clause
A player or team cannot pick the stage they have last won on during the set (Modified David’s Stupid Rule). Playing a match on a stage where this rule applies without immediately stopping and notifying your opponent that you wish to invoke this rule implies that you have agreed to play on it.
Stage Striking
For the first game of the set, players strike from the list of starter stages in a 1-2-1 pattern to determine which stage to play on (players can play one round of Rock-Paper-Scissors or flip a coin to determine who strikes first). For the subsequent games, the winner of the previous game bans 2 stages from the full list of starters and counterpicks. The loser then selects a stage from the remaining stages the winner didn’t ban. These bans are only applied for the next game played.
Squad Strike Format
In Squad Strike events, the format is set to Tag Team in the rules and then set to a 3v3 fighter match. A player may not use both a character and their Echo fighter on the same team.
Stage Music Selection
The first game of the set must remain random unless both players mutually agree upon a song or both agree to let one person choose. On Counterpicks, the song cannot be selected by the person who won the last game. A player listening to their own music via headphones or otherwise may not select in-game music. In these instances, the player using game audio may opt to pick the stage music for each game.
Tournament organizers reserve the right to make final judgements, including but not limited to a player’s request, on competitors counterpicking songs to make their opponent uncomfortable or troll including songs that are not on the below list. Players found attempting to intentionally circumvent or abuse the Stage Music Selection rule may be issued a game loss at the TOs discretion.
The following songs may not be picked under any circumstance*:
- All Retro Medleys
- 25m
- Deluge Dirge
- Electroplankton
- Environmental Noises
- Freakyforms Your Creations, Alive!
- Gamer
- PAC-MAN
- Rhythm Boxing
- Ring a Ding
*If both players agree, any of the above are fine with exception of on-stream sets.
Mii Fighter Clause
Mii Fighters must use their default costumes (though players may select any color for their Mii in accordance with Colorblind Clause and Set Length) and must use a Guest Mii. Any player who intends to use a Mii during a set must declare they are creating Mii Fighters before the set. Mii Fighters should be named after a number combination based on the direction of the special moves chosen, listed under format “XXXX” for “Neutral-Side-Up-Down” special. Any combination of moves may be used, but any movesets that any player may want to use during a set must be created before the set begins (up to a limit of three Mii Fighters unless explicitly given permission from the Tournament Organizer).
MLG / PMLG (Steve Technique)
The Steve MLG/PMLG techniques may not be used in any capacity during a tournament set. If a player suspects their opponent has used MLG/PMLG they may save the replay and ask for a tournament official to review the clip. Any competitor caught using the techniques will be issued a game loss, or a set loss for multiple offenses during a set. Due to the time and attention needed to determine the situation, false reporting of PMLG will also result in the same consequences.
MLG: A Steve technique by using a double jump, then an aerial to increase vertical knockback after taking a hit to avoid dying to horizontal blastzones and cancel knockback momentum.
PMLG: A Steve technique by storing the Phantom Block technique to negate an attack’s non-tumble knockback.