Stalling should be defined as extensively using a strategy or technique that makes a character virtually invulnerable to another character.
The definition above is a perfect,
objective criteria for stalling. That is, the TO will make no "judgement calls". There will be a lot of reading, but each sentence is for the purpose of perfect interpretation of this definition.
It would be important to further, well,
define this
definition, term-by-term.
Extensively: It is unnecessary to set time parameters for what is extensive and what is not extensive. Only when use of the technique/strategy is
required to catch up to the enemy will it be considered not extensive. All other instances are extensive use.
Strategy or Technique: Maneuvering oneself into a position where their character is "virtually invulnerable", and the execution of specific button commands, respectively.
Virtually: For all practical purposes within a competitive match.
Invulnerable: Unattackable, or attackable only with moves that, in a professional setting (these are tournaments after all), players without mental *********** are able to easily and impassively avoid.
It would also be important to provide Melee-specific examples for these general definitions, to further illustrate how they should interpreted and prove how, together, they form an objective criteria.
Extensively:
If a Jigglypuff with 4 stocks is Pounding under Dreamland, against a Ganondorf who has 3 stocks, then Jigglypuff is stalling. Realize that because Jigglypuff is winning, use of stalling techniques is not necessarily required; Jigglypuff could play well enough on the stage to continue to win against Ganondorf. Hence, were Jigglypuff to Pound under the stage, it would be stalling. Another example would be Peach attempting to recover with her hip stupidity. In that instance, use of her hip is required (her only option), and hence not stalling. Wobbling past the kill% for the most durable character on the largest stage is stalling, as wobbling past that point is not required, and is doing nothing to catch the IC player "up to" their enemy.
If a Jigglypuff with 3 stocks is Pounding under Dreamland, against a Ganondorf with 4 stocks, then Jigglypuff is not stalling. Even if Jigglypuff Pounds until there is one minute on the clock, and comes above the stage and kills Ganondorf, puts percent on his next stock, and the game ends with Ganondorf as the loser, then Jigglypuff was not stalling. Realize that stalling is the removal of the opponent's ability to compete for the win. Because Ganon was winning by 1 stock while Jigglypuff stalled, his ability to compete for the win was not infringed, because he was already winning. He had finished competing when he brought Jigglypuff to 3 stocks and obtained the lead in the first place. When Jigglypuff stopped Pounding under the stage at the end of the match, and engaged Ganon, realize that Ganon was again competing for the win. He lost because he was outplayed fairly during the time Jigglypuff was back on the stage.
The only difference Jigglypuff made while Pounding was limiting the time Ganondorf would compete again to 1 minute, instead of perhaps the 2-3 minutes it would have otherwise taken to knock off Jigglypuff's 3 stocks normally. This is simply a strategy employed by Jigglypuff, not to take away Ganon's ability to compete, but to make the new amount of time that he
did compete in much more critical.
Strategy or Technique:
Peach's hip crap, Puff's pound crap, etc. Realize that most stalling techniques are techniques which maintain the map position of your character for extended periods. They can be used for stalling because the player can put themselves in an unreachable position beforehand.
Virtually:
Picture Falco and Jigglypuff on Dreamland. Jigglypuff begins to Pound under the stage while in the lead. Falco can always drop down and damage Jigglypuff with something like a laser, but Falco will surely die. So although Jigglypuff is not literally invulnerable, Jigglypuff is
virtually invulnerable. That is, the risk-reward is too skewed in favor of the Jigglypuff.
One might recognize this as the first potential area for subjectivity in the rules; one might say that playing defensively and spacing disjointed attacks against a character that cannot punish them is a risk-reward strategy skewed in favor of the defensive player.
"One" would be wrong. Realize that the only practical character with which to engage Jigglypuff would be another Jigglypuff. And that is the
only instance where it is objectively practical to combat this "invulnerable technique" in a competitive setting. In other words, a Jigglypuff stalling under the stage is not in a virtually invulnerable state when facing another Jigglypuff, because both characters can reach the same map position with the same resources available to each, to claim the win competitively.
Invulnerable:
Picture a Jigglypuff Pounding in the air, high above Dreamland. A Peach is Jigglypuff's combatant. Jigglypuff is in a position that Peach's hitboxes cannot reach; Jigglypuff is invulnerable. Furthermore, Jigglypuff is using a technique to maintain this out-of-reach map position. Jigglypuff is stalling. Realize that because Peach could pluck a turnip, double-jump into the air, and throw it up at Jigglypuff, because Jigglypuff can simply nudge their position to the left or right to avoid the projectile, they are still "invulnerable".
This is the only real area where subjectivity can invade the definition of what stalling is. You must assume that it is
easy for the stalling player to avoid the unreliable or projectile-based hitboxes of an enemy. But because this is a rule enforced in tournament setting, the "professional" or "good player" threshold exists. It is stated that, "players are responsible for knowledge of their character to avoid breaking the rules". This was a clause added mainly to illustrate that accidental activation of a glitch by a player was still a violation of the rules; they are responsible for knowing their character well enough to avoid executing button commands that active glitches.
In the instance of stalling, the stalling player is responsible for simple movement of their character. Just because a Peach player *could* float below DL and hit your Jigglypuff with their turnip, or *could* jump up and fling a turnip at your hovering Jigglypuff, doesn't mean that if Jigglypuff gets hit, that she was not in an "invulnerable" state. Jigglypuff was still virtually invulnerable.
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An afterthought on parameters of extensiveness. Consider that Falco can jump higher than any other character. Consider that multiple times in a match, Falco will jump into a region unreachable by certain characters. Realize that this does not mean that Falco is stalling. Even if Falco, say, airdodges up, or firebirds up, after reaching the peak of his jump, it does not mean that Falco is "maintaining an invulnerable position, and hence stalling". Even if he camps platforms and jumps out of the reach of your character multiple times, he is not stalling.
The reason for this: the ability to move in this game will naturally place you out of the reach of another character; the mechanics of the game also allow your opponent's character to move; therefore, your opponent can come within range of your own character; finally, your ability to move out of the range of your opponent's character is limited by the game itself. Because the game imposes direct limits on how long you can escape into an invulnerable position after certain actions, these situations do not constitute stalling. Although common sense, it would still be important to explain a situation for the sake of final, perfect clarification.
You can run to the other end of Final Destination, which would be, say, an "invulnerable" position to a Marth. But Marth can approach and put himself within range to make you vulnerable. You can take further action, and leap out into the air, off of FD, away from Marth. Marth can also leap into the air. Assume you are Fox. You can take further action to reach an invulnerable position by using side-B in the direction away from Marth. Realize that the game forces a limit: you will fall to your death and die, or hit a blastline. At the time when you can reach an invulnerable position with Fox against Marth on FD, the game has limited you and your "stalling" has ended. You have died and your positional invulnerability is replaced by spawning invincibility.
When you jump as Falco, the game imposes a direct limit. You are forced to reach a peak and come down again, into a vulnerable position, before you may reach your invulnerable position again.
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So, finally, to create a "tournament rule":
Stalling in a tournament match is prohibited. Stalling includes:
- Maintaining any map position not on or immediately above the stage via stalling techniques, when in possession of a stock/percent lead (null when both players are using the same character).
- Using an inescapable technique to damage your opponent past the 300% threshold (null when waiting for PS to return to its default layout).
- "Stalling Techniques" include:
-Peach Bomber
-Wobbling
-Blizzobbling
-Rising Pound
-(etc.)
