Stale Move Negation

Work In Progress

This page is still very much a work in progress, and as such may be missing portions of data. Some data may also not yet have been tested thoroughly yet.

Stale Move Negation, called "Repetition effect" in Smash 4's "Tips" section is a mechanic within all games of the Super Smash Brothers series which punishes the player for using the same move repeatedly without variation. This mechanic causes moves to deal less damage and knockback for instance of that move which resides in the Stale Move Queue. As other moves are used, the 'staled' move returns closer to it's original strength. 'Fresh' moves, or moves which are not stale, have a slight 'Freshness Bonus' starting in Brawl.

Misc Info

  • Moves that don't connect with a damageable hitbox do not stale.
  • Moves stale on a per-move basis, rather than per-hitbox.
  • Certain moves do not stale, or ignore the effects of Stale Move Negation.

Game-Specific Details

Super Smash Bros

Super Smash Bros: Melee

Super Smash Bros: Brawl

Smash 4

Stale Move Negation makes a return in Smash 4, appearing to work much the same as in Brawl.

I'll format this once I have all the information gathered. For now, it's just a list of information

  • How many moves are in the Stale Move Queue?
    • The Stale Move Queue tracks the last 9 moves used.
  • Does Staling only affect Damage or does it also affect Knockback?
    • Staling affects both Damage and Knockback, thought the degree to which it affects Knockback has not yet been determined.
  • Are Stale Moves tracked by the attacking player or the player hit?
    • No surprise, it's tracked by attacking Player.
  • How does hitting multiple opponents affect Stale Move Negation?
    • When hitting multiple opponents with a single move, the move will not degrade before hitting the second opponent, even if they are hit at slightly different times.
    • Hitting two opponents with a single move only add it to the Stale Move Queue a single time.
  • When are projectiles affected by Stale Move Negation?
    • Projectiles damage percentages appear to be set upon creation, similarly to how it works in Melee and Brawl. If a second projectile is created before the first one hits, it still deals the same amount of damage as it would if the first projectile was never added into the Stale Move Queue. If a third projectile was then used, it would be staled twice (assuming both example projectiles 1 and 2 hit an opponent).
  • Are whiffed, shielded, or specially blocked attacks added to the Stale Move Queue?
    • Attacks that miss are not added to the Stale Move Queue.
    • Attacks what hit an opponent's shield are added to the Stale Move Queue.
    • Attacks that hit an invulnerable opponent are not added to the Stale Move Queue.
    • Projectiles which hit Link's Hylian Shield are not added to the Stale Move Queue.
    • Projectiles caught with Villager's Pocket are not added to the Stale Move Queue.
  • Are attacks that hit non-player hurtboxes entered into the Stale Move Queue?
    • If an attack hits an item hurtbox, such as a Crate or Bomb-Omb, it will be added to the Stale Move Queue.
    • If an attack hits an object such as Villager's 'Balloon Trip' Balloons, it is not added to the Stale Move Queue.
      • As of this point, I am unaware of any other objects in the game which share this property with Villager's Balloons.
  • Are there moves that are not subject to Stale Move Decay?
    • Yes, items do not appear to be affected by Stale Move Negation. Due to this fact, moves such as Link's 'Bombs' and MegaMan's 'Metal Blade' all deal the same amount of damage every time.
    • Unlike in previous games, Stale Move Negation applies to Zairs in Smash 4.
  • What are the requirements for a move to not be entered into the Stale Move Queue, or which moves are not affected by Stale Move Negation? (Only Partially Answered due to lacking the full cast in the U.S. Demo Version)
    • Item-based attacks

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