Ulevo
Smash Master
I'd like to discuss whether or not Mario Circuit deserves to be a legal stage.
For those of you unfamiliar with the stage, I highly encourage to you look at the Mario Circuit: Stage Research thread to get a better understanding of how the stage works and its layout.
I am arguing from the point of view that Mario Circuit should be legal. In fact, compared to the other two stages often talked about, Wuhu and Skyloft, I feel Mario Circuit is much more deserving of a counterpick spot.
A general overview of the stage. It has roughly the same size base platform as Smashville, while having vertical and horizontal blastzones identical to Battlefield. The base stage layout is very unique in that there is a centre placed platform, much like Halberd, however it is high enough that most characters cannot shark through it with standing hitboxes like up tilt or up smash. This adds for an interesting dynamic and unique alternative to stages like Battlefield, Lylat, and Halberd, where platforming is present but not readily in the way of aerial approaches. The stage transforms much like Delfino, and goes through 8 transformations in total at 16 second intervals.
There are two primary hazards on this stage. The Shy Guys that race around on the track, and the track itself while the stage is in motion. Shy Guys will do 10% total damage to a player, and are capable of killing players at around 135% or higher. Mario will die at the Start Line transformation at 135%, keeping in mind that the blastzone during this transition is much lower. At lower percents, they have relatively low base knock back. The stage will alert the player of the the Shy Guys coming with an alert sign and sound that lasts for 3 seconds, with the Shy Guys arriving 2 seconds shortly after, giving the player roughly 5 seconds to react. The Shy Guys are easily avoided, often times on the side wall of the stage to the players, or underneath where the players are.
What is important to note is that the Shy Guys will not always appear. It a random chance of them appearing in the designated 6 of the 8 locations, and often times you will go several transformations without seeing them. There are other times where only one Shy Guy will appear, as opposed to the usual 8.
There is one spot on the stage where players are most likely to be hit by a Shy Guy, and that is in this location:
As you can see, there is a ramp there. In the event Shy Guys appear on this transformation, some will ride the ramp and can hit players at roughly short or full hop heigh directly at centre stage. It is usually only 2-3 Shy Guys that do this, and is visibly seen well in advance.
The stage itself will only become a hazard during certain points of the transition, and are very easy to see ahead of time once you are familiar with which parts of the stage become active hitboxes. It does 12%, and can kill characters at roughly 125%+ depending on how the player hits the track.
As a comparison, the Bomb on Halberd will do 20-30% to a player depending if it is a direct hit, and is capable of killing Mario at 100%. The Claw will deal 10%, killing Mario at 135%. The Laser, if dealt in full damage, will deal 37% to a player, and is capable of killing Mario at 90%. Both the Bomb and the Claw will allow for 11ish seconds of warning before hitting either player, while the Laser will fire in about 7 seconds after activating.
The most concerning element of this stage concerns a bug that this stage has, which can be seen here:
In order for this glitch to occur, the player needs to hit the track on the price frame the track enters in to its stationary stop, or hit the track on the precise frame it begins to leave. This can be replicated by using Bunny Ears in training mode with a character that has multiple jumps and jumping into the track as it leaves the transformation. While it is lethal, it is requires very deliberate timing, and is rare in singles play.
Something else noteworthy is the following:
Watch until near the end of the video. It is unknown as to whether or not this still exists, as several patch updates have occurred since this.
Overall, the stage layout is quite neutral in many respects. The dangers posed by this stage are similar to Halberd in that they are few in number, telegraphed well in advance, and appear infrequently. The blast zones are consistent with most legal stages, and the dynamics of the stage offer unique aspects not yet explored. It is my feeling this stage should be a legal counterpick.
Thoughts?
For those of you unfamiliar with the stage, I highly encourage to you look at the Mario Circuit: Stage Research thread to get a better understanding of how the stage works and its layout.
I am arguing from the point of view that Mario Circuit should be legal. In fact, compared to the other two stages often talked about, Wuhu and Skyloft, I feel Mario Circuit is much more deserving of a counterpick spot.
A general overview of the stage. It has roughly the same size base platform as Smashville, while having vertical and horizontal blastzones identical to Battlefield. The base stage layout is very unique in that there is a centre placed platform, much like Halberd, however it is high enough that most characters cannot shark through it with standing hitboxes like up tilt or up smash. This adds for an interesting dynamic and unique alternative to stages like Battlefield, Lylat, and Halberd, where platforming is present but not readily in the way of aerial approaches. The stage transforms much like Delfino, and goes through 8 transformations in total at 16 second intervals.
There are two primary hazards on this stage. The Shy Guys that race around on the track, and the track itself while the stage is in motion. Shy Guys will do 10% total damage to a player, and are capable of killing players at around 135% or higher. Mario will die at the Start Line transformation at 135%, keeping in mind that the blastzone during this transition is much lower. At lower percents, they have relatively low base knock back. The stage will alert the player of the the Shy Guys coming with an alert sign and sound that lasts for 3 seconds, with the Shy Guys arriving 2 seconds shortly after, giving the player roughly 5 seconds to react. The Shy Guys are easily avoided, often times on the side wall of the stage to the players, or underneath where the players are.
What is important to note is that the Shy Guys will not always appear. It a random chance of them appearing in the designated 6 of the 8 locations, and often times you will go several transformations without seeing them. There are other times where only one Shy Guy will appear, as opposed to the usual 8.
There is one spot on the stage where players are most likely to be hit by a Shy Guy, and that is in this location:
As you can see, there is a ramp there. In the event Shy Guys appear on this transformation, some will ride the ramp and can hit players at roughly short or full hop heigh directly at centre stage. It is usually only 2-3 Shy Guys that do this, and is visibly seen well in advance.
The stage itself will only become a hazard during certain points of the transition, and are very easy to see ahead of time once you are familiar with which parts of the stage become active hitboxes. It does 12%, and can kill characters at roughly 125%+ depending on how the player hits the track.
As a comparison, the Bomb on Halberd will do 20-30% to a player depending if it is a direct hit, and is capable of killing Mario at 100%. The Claw will deal 10%, killing Mario at 135%. The Laser, if dealt in full damage, will deal 37% to a player, and is capable of killing Mario at 90%. Both the Bomb and the Claw will allow for 11ish seconds of warning before hitting either player, while the Laser will fire in about 7 seconds after activating.
The most concerning element of this stage concerns a bug that this stage has, which can be seen here:
In order for this glitch to occur, the player needs to hit the track on the price frame the track enters in to its stationary stop, or hit the track on the precise frame it begins to leave. This can be replicated by using Bunny Ears in training mode with a character that has multiple jumps and jumping into the track as it leaves the transformation. While it is lethal, it is requires very deliberate timing, and is rare in singles play.
Something else noteworthy is the following:
Watch until near the end of the video. It is unknown as to whether or not this still exists, as several patch updates have occurred since this.
Overall, the stage layout is quite neutral in many respects. The dangers posed by this stage are similar to Halberd in that they are few in number, telegraphed well in advance, and appear infrequently. The blast zones are consistent with most legal stages, and the dynamics of the stage offer unique aspects not yet explored. It is my feeling this stage should be a legal counterpick.
Thoughts?
Last edited: