bubbaking
Smash Hero
I always thought that there should be an index of sorts explaining what certain abbreviations, acronyms, and concepts mean for anyone who might be unfamiliar with them. I checked on SmashWiki and the list of abbreviations they had was deplorable:
http://super-smash-bros.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_abbreviations
After pondering the issue for a while, I decided to just make one myself!
Please note that these terms are being defined the way they would be used in a competitive setting. I hope you find this list to be quite useful! You'll notice that my list of abbreviations is much more comprehensive than SmashWiki's.
Abbreviated Terms:
Games and Mods
vBrawl - Unmodded Super Smash Bros Brawl
P:M - Project M[elee] (a mod of vBrawl meant to introduce Brawl characters to a Melee environment; spiritual sequel to Melee)
Brawl- - Brawl Minus (a mod of vBrawl meant to improve every Brawl character to an insane level; balance through buffs)
Brawl+ - Brawl Plus (a mod of vBrawl meant to bring a more competitive setting to the game; first attempt at balancing Brawl)
BBrawl - Balanced Brawl (a mod of vBrawl meant to balance the entire roster of characters; balanced around Diddy Kong)
SSB, Smash - Super Smash Bros. (usually refers to the series)
SSB64, Smash 64, 64 - Super Smash Bros. 64 (a popular term for identifying the first game in the SSB series)
SSBM - Super Smash Bros. Melee
SSBB - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Characters
Jiggs, Puff - Jigglypuff
CF, C.Falcon, Falcon - Captain Falcon
ICs, Icies - Ice Climbers
Ganon, Gdorf, Dorf - Ganondorf
Pika - Pikachu
DK - Donkey Kong
G&W, GnW, GW, Game, Watch, Gdubs - Mr. Game & Watch
MK - Meta Knight
Diddy - Diddy Kong
Oli - Olimar
DDD, D3 - King Dedede
Luke, Lucaryu, Gocario, Gocaryu - Lucario
ZSS, Zamus - Zero Suit Samus
YL - Young Link
TL, Tink - Toon Link
Boozer - Bowser
Samoose - Samus
Squirt - Squirtle
Ivy - Ivysaur
Zard - Charizard
Weegee - Luigi
Kirb - Kirby
Spacee, Spacie, Space Animal - Fox, Falco, or Wolf (the plural term "Spacees/Spacies/Space Animals" generally denotes all three)
PK Kids - Ness and Lucas
Sheilda, Z-Sheik - Sheik and Zelda (usually refers to the act of using or maining both together)
Fast-fallers - Spacees and C.Falcon (sometimes refers to slightly slower fallers, like DK, Lucas, and DDD)
Floaties - Jiggs, Samus, Luigi, Zelda, and Peach (sometimes refers to slightly faster fallers, like Kirby and Marth)
Heavyweights - Bowser, DK, DDD, Charizard, Samus, Ganon, Yoshi, Wario, ROB, Ike (sometimes refers to Snake and, incorrectly, Wolf*)
Lightweights - Jiggs, Pika, G&W, Kirby, MK, Squirtle (sometimes refers to Fox, Falco, and Oli)
*Wolf was a heavy character in vBrawl, but his weight has since decreased in P:M.
Stages
BF - Battlefield
FD - Final Destination
SV - Smashville
GHZ - Green Hill Zone
PS1 - Pokemon Stadium 1
PS2 - Pokemon Stadium 2
YS - Yoshi's Story (Melee)
YiB - Yoshi's Island (Brawl)
FoD - Fountain of Dreams
WW - Wario Ware
DL64 - Dreamland 64
RC - Rainbow Cruise
MC - Metal Cavern
Frigate - Frigate Orpheon
Halberd - Battleship Halberd
KJ64 - Kongo Jungle 64
Attacks
Jab - Neutral A
Ftilt - Forward Tilted A
Dtilt - Downward Tilted A
Utilt - Upward Tilted A
Fsmash - Forward Smash
Dsmash - Down Smash
Usmash - Up Smash
Nair/ANA - Neutral Aerial/Aerial Neutral A
Fair/AFA - Forward Aerial/Aerial Forward A
Dair/ADA - Downward Aerial/Aerial Down A
Bair/ABA - Backward Aerial/Aerial Back A
Uair/AUA - Upward Aerial/Aerial Up A
Zair - Aerial Tether (usually used as an attack)
Glair - Glide Attack
DA - Dash Attack
nB - Neutral B (special)
UpB - Up Special
DownB - Down Special
SideB - Side Special
SideB (smash) - Smashed Side Special (perform sideB like a smash attack, replacing A with B)
Fthrow - Forward Throw
Dthrow - Down Throw
Bthrow - Back Throw
Uthrow - Up Throw
DACUS - Dash Attack Cancelled Up Smash
Dangle - Down angle
Uangle - Up angle
Movement
DD - Dash Dance
DJ - Double Jump
SH - Short Hop
FH - Full Hop
FF - Fast Fall
WD - Wavedash
WL - Waveland
RAR - Reverse Aerial Rush
WB - Wavebounce
GT - Glide Toss
AGT - Aerial Glide Toss
RBR - Reverse B-reversal
Receving Damage (Getting Hit)
DI - Directional Influence
SDI - Smash DI
KO - Knock Out
OHKO - One Hit KO
SA - Super Armor
KB - Knockback
BKB - Base Knockback
KBG - Knockback Growth
CC - Crouch Cancel
CCC - Crouch Cancel Counter
Shielding and Evasion Tactics
PS - Powershield
OoS - Out of Shield
AD - Air Dodge
SC - Shield Cancel (different context from Sonic's SC)
SDI - Shield DI (when not referring to Smash DI)
SSDI - Smash Shield DI
Cancels
JC - Jump Cancel
DJC - Double Jump Cancel
SHFFL - Short Hop Fast Fall L-cancel
DJCFFL - Double Jump Cancel Fast Fall L-cancel
DACUS - Dash Attack Cancelled Up Smash
CC - Crouch Cancel (often refers to jabs when used in the 'cancelling' sense; sometimes refers to crouches out of a run)
SC - Shield Cancel (different context from Sonic's SC)
LC - Landing Cancel
ADC - Air Dodge Cancel
AC - Autocancel
Character-specific
Bowser
CA - Crouch Armor
Diddy Kong
'naner - banana (downB)
Ike
QD - Quickdraw (sideB)
QDJC - Quickdraw Jump Cancel
QDWD - Quickdraw Wavedash
QDWJ - Quickdraw Wall Jump
Jigglypuff (and Kirby)
WoP - Wall of Pain (generally restricted to multi-jump characters; usually reserved for Jiggs)
FoP - Fence of Pain (a less effective version of WoP)
King Dedede
Waddle - Waddle Dee or Waddle Doo (sometimes just refers to the sideB move which would also include Gourdos)
Lucario
OHC - On Hit Cancel
AS - Aura Sphere (nB)
ASC - Aura Sphere Charge or Aura Sphere Cancel (pay attention to context)
BAS - Baby (uncharged) Aura Sphere
FCAS - Fully Charged Aura Sphere
ES - ExtremeSpeed (upB)
DT - Double Team (downB)
FP - Force Palm (sideB)
Marth
DB - Dancing Blade (sideB)
DS - Dolphin Slash (upB)
Meta Knight
DC - Dimensional Cape (downB)
SL - Shuttle Loop (upB)
DR - Drill Rush (sideB)
'nado - Mach Tornado (nB)
Peach
FC - Float Cancel
Pikachu
QA - Quick Attack (upB)
QAC - Quick Attack Cancel
Pit
WoI - Wings of Icarus (sideB)
PK Kids
YYG - YoYo Glitch (Ness specific)
OU - Offense Up (Lucas specific)
PKT - PK Thunder (upB; electric projectile)
PKT2 - PK Thunder 2 (bodily projectile after PKT hits Ness or Lucas)
PKF - PK Fire/Freeze (Fire for Ness and Freeze for Lucas)
Samus
SWD - Super Wavedash
MC - Missile Cancel
SHFFMC - Short Hop Fast Fall Missile Cancel
Sheik
NC - Needle Cancel
RNC - Reverse Needle Cancel
Snake
'nade - Grenade (nB)
Sonic
SC - Spin Charge (downB)
ASC - Aerial Spin Charge (do NOT confuse with Lucario's ASC)
SD - Spin Dash (sideB)
SDR - Spin Dash Roll (grounded rolling attack)
SDJ - Spin Dash Jump (jump attack that can be done out of a SDR)
HA - Homing Attack (nB)
BA - Blast Attack (attack resulting from pressing A during HA's startup)
OoSD - Out of Spin Dash
WDOoSD - Wavedash Out of Spin Dash
Spacees (and Kirby)
SHL/SHB - Short Hop Laser/Blaster (Spacee and Kirby specific)
SHDL/SHDB - Short Hop Double Laser/Blaster (Fox and Kirby specific)
SHTL/SHTB - Short Hop Triple Laser/Blaster (Kirby specific)
Shine - downB (usually reserved for the Spacees only but can also refer to characters with a downB similar to their's, like Lucas)
Squirtle
SS - Shell Shift (skid/running turnaround animation/attack)
WG - Water Gun (nB)
HP - Hydroplane (momentum granted by a Shell Shift utilized in another action)
Miscellaneous (will be organized later into seperate categories)
AT - Advanced Technique
CG - Chain Grab
GR - Grab Release
TC - Tech Chase
IASA - Interruptible As Soon As
SD - Self-Destruct (context)
Tech - Technique (when used as an abbreviation; refer to the concept explanations below for the other definition of "Tech")
64BR - Smash 64 Backroom
MBR - Melee Backroom
BBR - Brawl Backroom
PMBR - Project M Backroom
OP - Overpowered or Original Post (contextual)
TO - Tournament Organizer
CSS - Character Select Screen
SSS - Stage Select Screen
char - character
GG - Good Game
BnB - Bread and Butter
CQC - Close Quarters Combat
plat - platform
Explanations of certain concepts and terms:
Aerial Glide Toss - The act of cancelling a directional air dodge into one's aerial item throw animation, causing the character to drift in the direction of the cancelled air dodge without utilizing any jumps. The execution sequence for this technique is to air dodge in any direction and then input a direction on the C-stick (or press the A button) during the first few frames of the air dodge while a throw-able item is being held. The character will then drift in the air while throwing the item in the direction specified by the C-stick input. Pressing the A button instead of the C-stick will cause the character to simply throw the item in the direction being input by the control stick. The mechanics and physics for this technique are actually very similar to how the momentum of an air dodge is preserved if the air dodge is cancelled into an aerial tether. As such, all tether grabbers are capable of performing aerial movement extremely similar to an aerial glide toss without an item being held.
Base Knockback - The minimum amount of knockback a certain attack will have under any circumstances, with any amount of damage on the target.
B-Reversal - The act of performing a special move and then reversing its direction and momentum during its very first startup frames. The execution sequence for this technique is: Special move forwards > immediate directional input backwards. This will cause the character to turn while performing the special and will also completely reverse the current momentum of the character. It is easier to observe the momentum change for aerial specials. Not all special moves can be B-reversed.
Crouch Cancel - The act of reducing the hitstun and knockback of a received attack by crouching before the move connects. The effectiveness of this technique depends on the damage present on the crouching character, the weight of the crouching character, the knockback of the move being received, certain specific traits of the crouching character, and other factors.
Crouch Cancel Counter - A counterattack performed directly after crouch cancelling an incoming attack.
Dash Dance - To dash back and forth by continually dashing in one direction and then cancelling the initial dash animation into a dash in the opposite direction.
Directional Influence - The act of manipulating one's knockback trajectory after being hit by an attack by inputting a direction on the control stick. Only directional inputs perpendicular to the regular knockback trajectory of the move will allow maximum Directional Influence (18 degrees from the angle of knockback).
Double Jump - To use one's midair jump while in the air. Every character can double jump at least once. Once a character's midair jumps have been depleted, that character may not double jump again until he has touched the ground or grabbed a ledge, at which point he will receive all of his jumps back.
Drillshine - This is a Fox-specific technique (sometimes used for Falco as well) that consists of performing an L-cancelled dair that is followed immediately by a shine. The execution sequence is: dair (drill) > L-cancel > downB (shine).
Dropzone - The act of running, walking, or wavedashing off the stage to perform an aerial action, generally to edgeguard or gimp. This term was originally used for the act of Falcon running offstage and kneeing an opponent after dthrowing him near the ledge. The term was then expanded to include other characters performing a run-off aerial after dthrowing an opponent near the ledge. However, the term is often used much more loosely now.
Edge-cancel, Ledge-cancel - The act of completely negating the lag of a move by sliding to the very edge of the stage or a platform. Technically, the lag of the move is cancelled into the character's teeter animation. Usually, however, edge-cancelling is followed immediately by sliding off of the stage/platform, allowing for escapes and follow-ups.
Edgeguard - To protect the edge of the stage in various ways that prevent the opponent from recovering, such as via edgehogging.
Edgehog - The act of taking up space on the ledge in a certain manner so that the opponent cannot grab onto it. Edgehogging in Melee and P:M can be done by hanging onto the ledge or performing any action on the ledge other than ledgedropping. The opponent cannot grab the ledge while the action is being done.
Falling Speed - A specific character trait that is unique to each character. It controls how fast a character falls normally. Falling speed, combined with weight (another unique character trait), also affects the vertical knockback suffered when hit by a move. For example, Samus, the third heaviest character in Melee, is actually much easier to KO vertically than most Melee characters since she is also the character with the third lowest falling speed. Conversely, Fox, the fifth lightest character in Melee is much harder to KO vertically than most Melee characters since he is also the character with the highest falling speed. Due to combinations of falling speed and weight, Captain Falcon is the hardest character in Melee to KO vertically while Jigglypuff is the easiest character (she is the second lightest character and has the slowest falling speed).
Fast Fall - The act of pressing down while falling to accelerate the character's falling speed. Fast falling can be done with either the control stick or the C-stick.
Float Cancel - The act of landing while performing an aerial that was begun during Peach's float. The regular landing lag of the aerial is replaced by the lag of Peach's normal landing animation and is thus effectively 'cancelled'.
Full Hop - To jump from the ground to a character's maximum jump height by pressing and holding the jump button longer than the maximum press time allowed for a short hop.
Gimp - To cause an opponent's recovery to fail without outright KOing him.
Glide Toss - The act of cancelling one's roll animation into his item toss animation, causing the character to slide across the stage in the direction of the cancelled roll. The execution sequence for this technique is to roll and then input a direction on the C-stick (or press the A button) during the first few frames of the roll while a throw-able item is being held. The character will then slide across the stage while throwing the item in the direction specified by the C-stick input. Pressing the A button instead of the C-stick will cause the character to simply throw the item in the direction that he is facing.
Hit-confirmation - The act of validating that one's attack hit his opponent, allowing him to follow up. Technically, all throws are hit-confirmations of grabs. A hit-confirmation does not necessarily lead into another attack every time. Generally, attacks with more more hitlag, more hitstun, and/or multiple hits are the easiest to hit-confirm and, therefore, the easiest with which to start a combo. In addition, moves with safe frame data that combo into other safe moves very easily are also generally easier to hit-confirm with. Hit-confirmations are often key to starting or extending combos. Several characters rely heavily on hit-confirmations in order to assure that they are using a proper string of moves instead of using sub-optimal attacks for given situation. One way of easily hit-confirming reliably is to automatically use safe strings of moves so that you have time to see if you are actually hitting your opponent and then react appropriately. For example, if Lucario decides that he wants to start a combo with a jab, which is relatively safe, he may commit to also using jab 2, regardless of whether the first jab connected or not. The second attack would give Lucario time to see whether the first attack connected while remaining relatively safe. In addition, the second attack itself can be hit-confirmed in the event that the first attack is dodged or shielded.
Hitbox, Hitbubble - The area of an attack that is able to damage your opponent, a hitbox is a type of collision bubble. This area is usually invisible and is not always part of what is used to attack. Some uses of the term "hitbox" describe the area of an object or character that hitboxes interact with. This area is actually another type of collision bubble, usually called a hurtbox or hurtbubble.
Hurtbox, Hurtbubble - The damageable area of a character or object that hitboxes interact with, a hurtbox is a type of collision bubble.
Interruptible As Soon As Frame - This is the first frame in which a certain move's animation may be cancelled or interrupted by another action. For instance, in Melee, Marth's dtilt was Interruptible As Soon As frame 20, despite the move's total animation time being 49 frames. This means that as early as 20 frames after Marth's dtilt was input, it could be interrupted by performing another action, such as another dtilt. In other words, 29 frames of lag could potentially be removed from Marth's dtilt simply by acting as early as possible out of the dtilt.
Jump Cancel - The act of cancelling the animation of a move with a jump. Only certain moves can be jump cancelled. This term also is often used to describe actions that cancel the initial jump squat animation itself, such as up smash, grab, and certain specials.
Kirbycide - A Kirby-specific technique that attempts to sacrifice, or almost sacrifice, one of Kirby's lives in an attempt to KO the opponent. There are many types of Kirbycides, one of which being the Swallowcide.
Knock Out - To hit the opponent through one of the blastzones in order to remove a stock/life.
Knockback - A measure of how far an attack sends its target. It is affected by many factors, such as the base knockback of the move, the knockback scaling/growth of the move, the target's damage, and the target's weight.
Knockback Scaling, Knockback Growth - The rate at which the knockback of an attack increases as the damage on the target increases. This term can also be interpreted as the amount of damage on the target needed before a certain move reaches KO potential or an otherwise specified amount of knockback.
Ledgedrop - The act of letting go of the ledge by pressing down or away from the ledge. Pressing down causes the hanging character to instantly enter fast fall.
Ledgejump - The act of inputting the jump command while hanging onto the ledge. This will cause the character to leap straight from the ledge and will also give him a little bit of invincibility.
Ledgehop, Edgehop - Often mistaken with the term "ledgejump", this term refers to ledgedropping and then double jumping. This technique does not give any additional invincibility to the character.
Metagame - The metagame is using what is currently known and what is currently possible (practically and consistently) to formulate a general strategy. As such, there is a general metagame for each Smash game, more specific metagames for each character, and a very specific metagame for each character matchup. It is the result of pushing the game, the characters, and the players to their limits. Not every possible technique in the game has to be known to have a metagame. Rather, the current metagame takes into account the advanced techniques that are known while acknowledging the existence of other advanced techniques that may not be known or be able to be done consistently yet. Therefore, the current metagame is also a theory of what the best way to use each known technique is. Consequentially, the metagame is the game when it is played at its absolute best as is known how to. The metagame advances as the general knowledge and skills available grow and develop. It evolves with the players. However, it is still effectively a 'theory' of how to play the game at its best, because it is not absolute but is instead formulated from data taken through many experiences and applications.
Here are some definitions of the concept of "metagame" provided by various sites:
Wikipedia (Metagame)
Urban Dictionary
SmashWiki
Wikipedia (Metagame Analysis)
Meteor Cancel - The act of cancelling the knockback of a Meteor Smash by jumping or performing an upB.
Meteor Smash - A type of move that sends the opponent at a downwards trajectory. The knockback from this move can be cancelled quickly via a technique known as Meteor Cancelling.
One Hit KO - An attack that usually knocks out the opponent at any given damage percent. Some examples of moves that are almost One Hit KO moves are Rest, Ganondorf's up tilt, and fully-charged Eruption. The only true One Hit KO move is a fully-charged QuickDraw attack.
Out of Shield - A description for an action that is done directly out of one's shield. The only actions that can be done while actively shielding are rolls, spot-dodges, jumps, and drops through platforms. Therefore, these actions are the only actions that can truly be done "out of shield". However, the term is also often used to describe actions and techniques utilizing these 'true out of shield options', such as aerials done immediately after a jump or platform drop out of shield, so that they can be done quickly while one is shielding. Using this looser definition of the term "out of shield", it can now be applied to many more actions, such as anything done immediately after a cancelled jump, like a grab, up smash, or special move, or a cancelled roll, like a glide toss.
Platform cancel - The act of dropping through a platform while hitting an opponent's hurtbox or shield with a specific aerial so that the hitlag of the move combined with the re-positioning of the attacker's hurtbox due to the move causes the attacker to land on the platform being dropped through.
Reverse Aerial Rush - The act of instantly turning around and jumping while running in a certain direction, preserving the forward momentum. The execution sequence for this technique is to simply run in one direction and then input the opposite direction followed shortly by a jump. Inputting a direction opposite to the one the character is running in actually causes that character to enter a skid. Jumping allows the character to cancel the skid, allowing him to enter the air while still moving 'forwards' but completely turned around.
Short Hop - To jump from the ground to a character's minimum jump height by tapping the jump button so that the button is held shorter than the minimum press time allowed for a full hop.
Smash DI - The act of moving while stuck in the hitlag of a move by pressing the C-stick ('smash stick') while and/or immediately after being hit. This technique is also influenced to a lesser extent by the control stick. Thus, for maximum Smash DI, it is necessary to use both sticks.
Spacing - A complex term that refers to a character's positioning of its hurtboxes or hitboxes in relation to something else. When referring to a character's positioning, it often entails remaining in a safe area outside of the zone of immediate danger but close enough to be able to punish the opponent's openings in defense efficiently and in a timely manner. When referring to an attack, it usually means positioning the hitbox of said attack so that the startup and lag frames of the move cannot be punished easily while maintaining the general effectiveness of the attack itself.
Spike - Another type of move that sends the opponent at a downwards trajectory. However, the knockback from this move cannot be cancelled quickly like the knockback from a Meteor Smash can be.
Swallowcide - A type of Kirbycide that involves Kirby inhaling his opponent with neutral B (when no power is currently copied) and falling offstage with the opponent in his mouth. Swallowcides can also be performed by King Dedede and by Kirby when he has copied King Dedede's Inhale ability.
Tech - When not used as a shortened version of the word "technique", this term refers to the act of pressing a shield button when in hitstun or the tumble animation right as the stunned/tumbling character contacts a floor, wall, or ceiling. This negates most of the knockback and causes the character to flip upright immediately into a neutral position. Some invincibility is also given during the beginning of the tech animation.
Techroll - The act of holding left or right while teching off of a floor in order to quickly roll in that direction while getting up. Invincibility is also given during the beginning of techrolls.
Wavebounce, Reverse B-reversal, Recoil Special - The act of jumping forward and then starting a special move while 'bouncing' backwards. The execution sequence for this technique is: Jump forwards > special move backwards > immediate directional input forwards. This will cause the character to turn twice and will create the 'bounce'.
Wavedash - The act of jumping and immediately air dodging downwards into the surface jumped from in order to slide along its surface. In other words, it is a jump immediately followed by a waveland. This is the main form of locomotion for some characters, such as Luigi and Mewtwo.
Waveland - This term is often used mistakenly in place of the the word "wavedash" but wavelanding is simply air dodging downwards into a horizontal surface, like the main stage or a platform, in order to slide along its surface.
Waveshine - This is a spacee specific technique that consists of performing a shine which is jump cancelled into a wavedash. The wavedash can be followed up with anything but is often followed up with another shine. The execution sequence is: downB (shine) > jump (JC) > AD towards the ground (WD/WL) > followup action (oftentimes another shine). It should be noted that some characters possess a shine-like downB that allows them to perform their own variation of the waveshine. One example of such a character is Lucas, whose downB (PSI Magnet) is jump-cancellable and has a hitbox, knockback, and hitstun similar to a shine.
Weight - A specific character trait that is unique to each character. It controls the horizontal knockback suffered when hit by a move. For instance, Bowser and Donkey Kong, the two heaviest characters in Smash, will survive a forward smash from most characters at much higher damage percents than Mario and Luigi, two characters of medium weight. Therefore, a character's weight is directly related to how difficult it is to KO that character horizontally. Weight, combined with falling speed (another unique character trait), also affects the vertical knockback suffered when hit by a move.
I plan on making this post more organized in the future, as well as adding more content. If any of you have questions, concerns, and/or comments, please feel free to state them, either in this thread or a PM. Also, I'd greatly appreciate it if you informed me of any terms or concepts that I might have missed or not added yet. Thank you!
I'll just keep a log of changes and updates here:
2/5/13 - Added HP to Squirt-specific abbreviations
1/16/13 - Added WG to Squirtle-specific abbreviations; added OoSD and WDOoSD to Sonic-specific abbreviations
1/7/13 - Added AC to "Cancels" and BA to Sonic-specific abbreviations; also added a note on dropzone's roots; added "Squirtle" section to character-specific abbreviations and put in terms
1/5/13 - Added Zamus as alternative name for Zero Suit Samus
1/4/13 - Added dropzone explanation.
1/3/13 - Added Lucaryu, Gocario, and Gocaryu as alternative names for Lucario.
1/2/13 - MOVED OVER TO SWF FROM SMODS; Added BAS and FCAS to Lucario-specific abbreviations
12/5/12 - Added Diddy- and Snake-specific abbreviations.
12/2/12 - Added BKB and KBG abbreviations.
11/20/12 - Added MK-specific abbreviations and Marth specific abbreviations (as well as a new "Marth" section under "Character-specific").
11/6/12 - Added Ganon abbreviations
11/4/12 - Added more G&W abbreviations, some SSB64 abbreviations, "Smash" as an alternative to "SSB", and Sheik specific abbreviations (as well as a new "Sheik" section under "Character-specific").
11/2/12 - Added hitbox and hurtbox explanations.
10/27/12 - Added RBR abbreviation. Added "reverse B-reversal" as an alternative name for "wavebounce." Added B-reversal explanation.
10/13/12 - Added HA abbreviation.
9/26/12 - Added "edgehop" as an alternative name for "ledgehop"
9/25/12 - Added ADC abbreviation
9/24/12 - Added FB abbreviation and Metagame explanation (it's reeaaally big) :dubious:
9/16/12 - Made correction involving Wolf in Heavyweights abbreviation and added LC and PKF abbreviations
9/10/12 - Fixed Fast-fallers abbreviation.
9/2/12 - Added Kirbycide and Swallowcide explanations.
9/1/12 - Added glair and plat abbreviations. Also, created a new "Cancels" section, moved some miscellaneous terms to that, and repeated a few terms in that section for the sake of consistency.
8/30/12 - Added CA abbreviation and re-ordered the character-specific abbrevs to alphabetic order
8/29/12 - Added CQC abbreviation
8/23/12 - Added KO and OHKO explanations
8/22/12 - Added BnB abbreviation
8/21/12 - Added some MK-specific abbreviations that I'll probably remove if those moves don't end up being in P:M
8/20/12 - Fixed the Falling Speed explanation (Jigglypuff's weight).
8/19/12 - Added abbreviation and added jump-related explanations.
8/18/12 - Added OoS explanation and added to the JC explanation.
8/16/12 - Added Hit-confirm explanation.
8/15/12 - Added Weight, Falling Speed, and JC explanations. Added angle abbreviations.
8/14/12 - Added char abbreviation and IASA explanation.
8/13/12 - Added FF, FC, and WB concept explanations.
8/12/12 - Added KB-related, GT-related, and CC-related explanations. Added a couple abbreviations. Fixed the explanation for SDI. Seperated "Platform Cancel" from "Edge-cancel" and put in its definition. Changed the order of my changelist to most recent edits first. Lolz!
8/11/12 - Created new sections, moved some terms around, and added a few terms. Alphabetized the concepts. Added RAR to explanations.
8/8/12 - First recorded update (even though there were a whole bunch beforehand); added abbreviations and terms to "Characters", added some conceptual explanations, and fixed some explanations.
http://super-smash-bros.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_abbreviations
After pondering the issue for a while, I decided to just make one myself!
Please note that these terms are being defined the way they would be used in a competitive setting. I hope you find this list to be quite useful! You'll notice that my list of abbreviations is much more comprehensive than SmashWiki's.
Abbreviated Terms:
Games and Mods
vBrawl - Unmodded Super Smash Bros Brawl
P:M - Project M[elee] (a mod of vBrawl meant to introduce Brawl characters to a Melee environment; spiritual sequel to Melee)
Brawl- - Brawl Minus (a mod of vBrawl meant to improve every Brawl character to an insane level; balance through buffs)
Brawl+ - Brawl Plus (a mod of vBrawl meant to bring a more competitive setting to the game; first attempt at balancing Brawl)
BBrawl - Balanced Brawl (a mod of vBrawl meant to balance the entire roster of characters; balanced around Diddy Kong)
SSB, Smash - Super Smash Bros. (usually refers to the series)
SSB64, Smash 64, 64 - Super Smash Bros. 64 (a popular term for identifying the first game in the SSB series)
SSBM - Super Smash Bros. Melee
SSBB - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Characters
Jiggs, Puff - Jigglypuff
CF, C.Falcon, Falcon - Captain Falcon
ICs, Icies - Ice Climbers
Ganon, Gdorf, Dorf - Ganondorf
Pika - Pikachu
DK - Donkey Kong
G&W, GnW, GW, Game, Watch, Gdubs - Mr. Game & Watch
MK - Meta Knight
Diddy - Diddy Kong
Oli - Olimar
DDD, D3 - King Dedede
Luke, Lucaryu, Gocario, Gocaryu - Lucario
ZSS, Zamus - Zero Suit Samus
YL - Young Link
TL, Tink - Toon Link
Boozer - Bowser
Samoose - Samus
Squirt - Squirtle
Ivy - Ivysaur
Zard - Charizard
Weegee - Luigi
Kirb - Kirby
Spacee, Spacie, Space Animal - Fox, Falco, or Wolf (the plural term "Spacees/Spacies/Space Animals" generally denotes all three)
PK Kids - Ness and Lucas
Sheilda, Z-Sheik - Sheik and Zelda (usually refers to the act of using or maining both together)
Fast-fallers - Spacees and C.Falcon (sometimes refers to slightly slower fallers, like DK, Lucas, and DDD)
Floaties - Jiggs, Samus, Luigi, Zelda, and Peach (sometimes refers to slightly faster fallers, like Kirby and Marth)
Heavyweights - Bowser, DK, DDD, Charizard, Samus, Ganon, Yoshi, Wario, ROB, Ike (sometimes refers to Snake and, incorrectly, Wolf*)
Lightweights - Jiggs, Pika, G&W, Kirby, MK, Squirtle (sometimes refers to Fox, Falco, and Oli)
*Wolf was a heavy character in vBrawl, but his weight has since decreased in P:M.
Stages
BF - Battlefield
FD - Final Destination
SV - Smashville
GHZ - Green Hill Zone
PS1 - Pokemon Stadium 1
PS2 - Pokemon Stadium 2
YS - Yoshi's Story (Melee)
YiB - Yoshi's Island (Brawl)
FoD - Fountain of Dreams
WW - Wario Ware
DL64 - Dreamland 64
RC - Rainbow Cruise
MC - Metal Cavern
Frigate - Frigate Orpheon
Halberd - Battleship Halberd
KJ64 - Kongo Jungle 64
Attacks
Jab - Neutral A
Ftilt - Forward Tilted A
Dtilt - Downward Tilted A
Utilt - Upward Tilted A
Fsmash - Forward Smash
Dsmash - Down Smash
Usmash - Up Smash
Nair/ANA - Neutral Aerial/Aerial Neutral A
Fair/AFA - Forward Aerial/Aerial Forward A
Dair/ADA - Downward Aerial/Aerial Down A
Bair/ABA - Backward Aerial/Aerial Back A
Uair/AUA - Upward Aerial/Aerial Up A
Zair - Aerial Tether (usually used as an attack)
Glair - Glide Attack
DA - Dash Attack
nB - Neutral B (special)
UpB - Up Special
DownB - Down Special
SideB - Side Special
SideB (smash) - Smashed Side Special (perform sideB like a smash attack, replacing A with B)
Fthrow - Forward Throw
Dthrow - Down Throw
Bthrow - Back Throw
Uthrow - Up Throw
DACUS - Dash Attack Cancelled Up Smash
Dangle - Down angle
Uangle - Up angle
Movement
DD - Dash Dance
DJ - Double Jump
SH - Short Hop
FH - Full Hop
FF - Fast Fall
WD - Wavedash
WL - Waveland
RAR - Reverse Aerial Rush
WB - Wavebounce
GT - Glide Toss
AGT - Aerial Glide Toss
RBR - Reverse B-reversal
Receving Damage (Getting Hit)
DI - Directional Influence
SDI - Smash DI
KO - Knock Out
OHKO - One Hit KO
SA - Super Armor
KB - Knockback
BKB - Base Knockback
KBG - Knockback Growth
CC - Crouch Cancel
CCC - Crouch Cancel Counter
Shielding and Evasion Tactics
PS - Powershield
OoS - Out of Shield
AD - Air Dodge
SC - Shield Cancel (different context from Sonic's SC)
SDI - Shield DI (when not referring to Smash DI)
SSDI - Smash Shield DI
Cancels
JC - Jump Cancel
DJC - Double Jump Cancel
SHFFL - Short Hop Fast Fall L-cancel
DJCFFL - Double Jump Cancel Fast Fall L-cancel
DACUS - Dash Attack Cancelled Up Smash
CC - Crouch Cancel (often refers to jabs when used in the 'cancelling' sense; sometimes refers to crouches out of a run)
SC - Shield Cancel (different context from Sonic's SC)
LC - Landing Cancel
ADC - Air Dodge Cancel
AC - Autocancel
Character-specific
Bowser
CA - Crouch Armor
Diddy Kong
'naner - banana (downB)
Ike
QD - Quickdraw (sideB)
QDJC - Quickdraw Jump Cancel
QDWD - Quickdraw Wavedash
QDWJ - Quickdraw Wall Jump
Jigglypuff (and Kirby)
WoP - Wall of Pain (generally restricted to multi-jump characters; usually reserved for Jiggs)
FoP - Fence of Pain (a less effective version of WoP)
King Dedede
Waddle - Waddle Dee or Waddle Doo (sometimes just refers to the sideB move which would also include Gourdos)
Lucario
OHC - On Hit Cancel
AS - Aura Sphere (nB)
ASC - Aura Sphere Charge or Aura Sphere Cancel (pay attention to context)
BAS - Baby (uncharged) Aura Sphere
FCAS - Fully Charged Aura Sphere
ES - ExtremeSpeed (upB)
DT - Double Team (downB)
FP - Force Palm (sideB)
Marth
DB - Dancing Blade (sideB)
DS - Dolphin Slash (upB)
Meta Knight
DC - Dimensional Cape (downB)
SL - Shuttle Loop (upB)
DR - Drill Rush (sideB)
'nado - Mach Tornado (nB)
Peach
FC - Float Cancel
Pikachu
QA - Quick Attack (upB)
QAC - Quick Attack Cancel
Pit
WoI - Wings of Icarus (sideB)
PK Kids
YYG - YoYo Glitch (Ness specific)
OU - Offense Up (Lucas specific)
PKT - PK Thunder (upB; electric projectile)
PKT2 - PK Thunder 2 (bodily projectile after PKT hits Ness or Lucas)
PKF - PK Fire/Freeze (Fire for Ness and Freeze for Lucas)
Samus
SWD - Super Wavedash
MC - Missile Cancel
SHFFMC - Short Hop Fast Fall Missile Cancel
Sheik
NC - Needle Cancel
RNC - Reverse Needle Cancel
Snake
'nade - Grenade (nB)
Sonic
SC - Spin Charge (downB)
ASC - Aerial Spin Charge (do NOT confuse with Lucario's ASC)
SD - Spin Dash (sideB)
SDR - Spin Dash Roll (grounded rolling attack)
SDJ - Spin Dash Jump (jump attack that can be done out of a SDR)
HA - Homing Attack (nB)
BA - Blast Attack (attack resulting from pressing A during HA's startup)
OoSD - Out of Spin Dash
WDOoSD - Wavedash Out of Spin Dash
Spacees (and Kirby)
SHL/SHB - Short Hop Laser/Blaster (Spacee and Kirby specific)
SHDL/SHDB - Short Hop Double Laser/Blaster (Fox and Kirby specific)
SHTL/SHTB - Short Hop Triple Laser/Blaster (Kirby specific)
Shine - downB (usually reserved for the Spacees only but can also refer to characters with a downB similar to their's, like Lucas)
Squirtle
SS - Shell Shift (skid/running turnaround animation/attack)
WG - Water Gun (nB)
HP - Hydroplane (momentum granted by a Shell Shift utilized in another action)
Miscellaneous (will be organized later into seperate categories)
AT - Advanced Technique
CG - Chain Grab
GR - Grab Release
TC - Tech Chase
IASA - Interruptible As Soon As
SD - Self-Destruct (context)
Tech - Technique (when used as an abbreviation; refer to the concept explanations below for the other definition of "Tech")
64BR - Smash 64 Backroom
MBR - Melee Backroom
BBR - Brawl Backroom
PMBR - Project M Backroom
OP - Overpowered or Original Post (contextual)
TO - Tournament Organizer
CSS - Character Select Screen
SSS - Stage Select Screen
char - character
GG - Good Game
BnB - Bread and Butter
CQC - Close Quarters Combat
plat - platform
Explanations of certain concepts and terms:
Aerial Glide Toss - The act of cancelling a directional air dodge into one's aerial item throw animation, causing the character to drift in the direction of the cancelled air dodge without utilizing any jumps. The execution sequence for this technique is to air dodge in any direction and then input a direction on the C-stick (or press the A button) during the first few frames of the air dodge while a throw-able item is being held. The character will then drift in the air while throwing the item in the direction specified by the C-stick input. Pressing the A button instead of the C-stick will cause the character to simply throw the item in the direction being input by the control stick. The mechanics and physics for this technique are actually very similar to how the momentum of an air dodge is preserved if the air dodge is cancelled into an aerial tether. As such, all tether grabbers are capable of performing aerial movement extremely similar to an aerial glide toss without an item being held.
Base Knockback - The minimum amount of knockback a certain attack will have under any circumstances, with any amount of damage on the target.
B-Reversal - The act of performing a special move and then reversing its direction and momentum during its very first startup frames. The execution sequence for this technique is: Special move forwards > immediate directional input backwards. This will cause the character to turn while performing the special and will also completely reverse the current momentum of the character. It is easier to observe the momentum change for aerial specials. Not all special moves can be B-reversed.
Crouch Cancel - The act of reducing the hitstun and knockback of a received attack by crouching before the move connects. The effectiveness of this technique depends on the damage present on the crouching character, the weight of the crouching character, the knockback of the move being received, certain specific traits of the crouching character, and other factors.
Crouch Cancel Counter - A counterattack performed directly after crouch cancelling an incoming attack.
Dash Dance - To dash back and forth by continually dashing in one direction and then cancelling the initial dash animation into a dash in the opposite direction.
Directional Influence - The act of manipulating one's knockback trajectory after being hit by an attack by inputting a direction on the control stick. Only directional inputs perpendicular to the regular knockback trajectory of the move will allow maximum Directional Influence (18 degrees from the angle of knockback).
Double Jump - To use one's midair jump while in the air. Every character can double jump at least once. Once a character's midair jumps have been depleted, that character may not double jump again until he has touched the ground or grabbed a ledge, at which point he will receive all of his jumps back.
Drillshine - This is a Fox-specific technique (sometimes used for Falco as well) that consists of performing an L-cancelled dair that is followed immediately by a shine. The execution sequence is: dair (drill) > L-cancel > downB (shine).
Dropzone - The act of running, walking, or wavedashing off the stage to perform an aerial action, generally to edgeguard or gimp. This term was originally used for the act of Falcon running offstage and kneeing an opponent after dthrowing him near the ledge. The term was then expanded to include other characters performing a run-off aerial after dthrowing an opponent near the ledge. However, the term is often used much more loosely now.
Edge-cancel, Ledge-cancel - The act of completely negating the lag of a move by sliding to the very edge of the stage or a platform. Technically, the lag of the move is cancelled into the character's teeter animation. Usually, however, edge-cancelling is followed immediately by sliding off of the stage/platform, allowing for escapes and follow-ups.
Edgeguard - To protect the edge of the stage in various ways that prevent the opponent from recovering, such as via edgehogging.
Edgehog - The act of taking up space on the ledge in a certain manner so that the opponent cannot grab onto it. Edgehogging in Melee and P:M can be done by hanging onto the ledge or performing any action on the ledge other than ledgedropping. The opponent cannot grab the ledge while the action is being done.
Falling Speed - A specific character trait that is unique to each character. It controls how fast a character falls normally. Falling speed, combined with weight (another unique character trait), also affects the vertical knockback suffered when hit by a move. For example, Samus, the third heaviest character in Melee, is actually much easier to KO vertically than most Melee characters since she is also the character with the third lowest falling speed. Conversely, Fox, the fifth lightest character in Melee is much harder to KO vertically than most Melee characters since he is also the character with the highest falling speed. Due to combinations of falling speed and weight, Captain Falcon is the hardest character in Melee to KO vertically while Jigglypuff is the easiest character (she is the second lightest character and has the slowest falling speed).
Fast Fall - The act of pressing down while falling to accelerate the character's falling speed. Fast falling can be done with either the control stick or the C-stick.
Float Cancel - The act of landing while performing an aerial that was begun during Peach's float. The regular landing lag of the aerial is replaced by the lag of Peach's normal landing animation and is thus effectively 'cancelled'.
Full Hop - To jump from the ground to a character's maximum jump height by pressing and holding the jump button longer than the maximum press time allowed for a short hop.
Gimp - To cause an opponent's recovery to fail without outright KOing him.
Glide Toss - The act of cancelling one's roll animation into his item toss animation, causing the character to slide across the stage in the direction of the cancelled roll. The execution sequence for this technique is to roll and then input a direction on the C-stick (or press the A button) during the first few frames of the roll while a throw-able item is being held. The character will then slide across the stage while throwing the item in the direction specified by the C-stick input. Pressing the A button instead of the C-stick will cause the character to simply throw the item in the direction that he is facing.
Hit-confirmation - The act of validating that one's attack hit his opponent, allowing him to follow up. Technically, all throws are hit-confirmations of grabs. A hit-confirmation does not necessarily lead into another attack every time. Generally, attacks with more more hitlag, more hitstun, and/or multiple hits are the easiest to hit-confirm and, therefore, the easiest with which to start a combo. In addition, moves with safe frame data that combo into other safe moves very easily are also generally easier to hit-confirm with. Hit-confirmations are often key to starting or extending combos. Several characters rely heavily on hit-confirmations in order to assure that they are using a proper string of moves instead of using sub-optimal attacks for given situation. One way of easily hit-confirming reliably is to automatically use safe strings of moves so that you have time to see if you are actually hitting your opponent and then react appropriately. For example, if Lucario decides that he wants to start a combo with a jab, which is relatively safe, he may commit to also using jab 2, regardless of whether the first jab connected or not. The second attack would give Lucario time to see whether the first attack connected while remaining relatively safe. In addition, the second attack itself can be hit-confirmed in the event that the first attack is dodged or shielded.
Hitbox, Hitbubble - The area of an attack that is able to damage your opponent, a hitbox is a type of collision bubble. This area is usually invisible and is not always part of what is used to attack. Some uses of the term "hitbox" describe the area of an object or character that hitboxes interact with. This area is actually another type of collision bubble, usually called a hurtbox or hurtbubble.
Hurtbox, Hurtbubble - The damageable area of a character or object that hitboxes interact with, a hurtbox is a type of collision bubble.
Interruptible As Soon As Frame - This is the first frame in which a certain move's animation may be cancelled or interrupted by another action. For instance, in Melee, Marth's dtilt was Interruptible As Soon As frame 20, despite the move's total animation time being 49 frames. This means that as early as 20 frames after Marth's dtilt was input, it could be interrupted by performing another action, such as another dtilt. In other words, 29 frames of lag could potentially be removed from Marth's dtilt simply by acting as early as possible out of the dtilt.
Jump Cancel - The act of cancelling the animation of a move with a jump. Only certain moves can be jump cancelled. This term also is often used to describe actions that cancel the initial jump squat animation itself, such as up smash, grab, and certain specials.
Kirbycide - A Kirby-specific technique that attempts to sacrifice, or almost sacrifice, one of Kirby's lives in an attempt to KO the opponent. There are many types of Kirbycides, one of which being the Swallowcide.
Knock Out - To hit the opponent through one of the blastzones in order to remove a stock/life.
Knockback - A measure of how far an attack sends its target. It is affected by many factors, such as the base knockback of the move, the knockback scaling/growth of the move, the target's damage, and the target's weight.
Knockback Scaling, Knockback Growth - The rate at which the knockback of an attack increases as the damage on the target increases. This term can also be interpreted as the amount of damage on the target needed before a certain move reaches KO potential or an otherwise specified amount of knockback.
Ledgedrop - The act of letting go of the ledge by pressing down or away from the ledge. Pressing down causes the hanging character to instantly enter fast fall.
Ledgejump - The act of inputting the jump command while hanging onto the ledge. This will cause the character to leap straight from the ledge and will also give him a little bit of invincibility.
Ledgehop, Edgehop - Often mistaken with the term "ledgejump", this term refers to ledgedropping and then double jumping. This technique does not give any additional invincibility to the character.
Metagame - The metagame is using what is currently known and what is currently possible (practically and consistently) to formulate a general strategy. As such, there is a general metagame for each Smash game, more specific metagames for each character, and a very specific metagame for each character matchup. It is the result of pushing the game, the characters, and the players to their limits. Not every possible technique in the game has to be known to have a metagame. Rather, the current metagame takes into account the advanced techniques that are known while acknowledging the existence of other advanced techniques that may not be known or be able to be done consistently yet. Therefore, the current metagame is also a theory of what the best way to use each known technique is. Consequentially, the metagame is the game when it is played at its absolute best as is known how to. The metagame advances as the general knowledge and skills available grow and develop. It evolves with the players. However, it is still effectively a 'theory' of how to play the game at its best, because it is not absolute but is instead formulated from data taken through many experiences and applications.
Here are some definitions of the concept of "metagame" provided by various sites:
Wikipedia (Metagame)
"Metagaming is a broad term usually used to define any strategy, action, or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. Another definition refers to the game universe outside of the game itself.
In simple terms, it is the use of out-of-game information or resources to affect one's in-game decisions."
"Another game-related use of Metagaming refers to operating on knowledge of the current strategic trends within a game. This usage is common in games that have large, organized play systems or tournament circuits..."
"Recently, the term metagame has come to be misused... to describe an emergent methodology that is a subset of the basic strategy necessary to play the game at a high level. The definitions of this term are varied but can include "pre-game" theory, behavior prediction, or "ad hoc strategy" depending on the game being played. An example of this would be... where a player's previous matches with the same opponent have given them insight into that player's playstyle and may cause them to make certain decisions which would otherwise seem inferior. Another example would be... where the metagame refers to the current playstyle and... choices being favored by high level teams in recent competitive play."
In simple terms, it is the use of out-of-game information or resources to affect one's in-game decisions."
"Another game-related use of Metagaming refers to operating on knowledge of the current strategic trends within a game. This usage is common in games that have large, organized play systems or tournament circuits..."
"Recently, the term metagame has come to be misused... to describe an emergent methodology that is a subset of the basic strategy necessary to play the game at a high level. The definitions of this term are varied but can include "pre-game" theory, behavior prediction, or "ad hoc strategy" depending on the game being played. An example of this would be... where a player's previous matches with the same opponent have given them insight into that player's playstyle and may cause them to make certain decisions which would otherwise seem inferior. Another example would be... where the metagame refers to the current playstyle and... choices being favored by high level teams in recent competitive play."
Urban Dictionary
"The highest level of strategy in many complex games, metagame refers to any aspect of strategy that involves thinking about what your opponent is thinking you are thinking.
Metagame comes into play in any game where no single strategy is dominant and opposing sides are aware of multiple strategies that can succeed dependent upon opponents' actions. In order to perform at the highest level, it then becomes necessary to think about what your opponent thinks you will do (which may depend on what he thinks you think he thinks he will do, etc.) and to make decisions based on clues regarding what level they are thinking on."
Metagame comes into play in any game where no single strategy is dominant and opposing sides are aware of multiple strategies that can succeed dependent upon opponents' actions. In order to perform at the highest level, it then becomes necessary to think about what your opponent thinks you will do (which may depend on what he thinks you think he thinks he will do, etc.) and to make decisions based on clues regarding what level they are thinking on."
SmashWiki
"In gaming, a metagame refers to a set of commonly used strategies developed and employed by a competitive community. In competitive Smash, "the metagame" usually refers to the trends in strategy that appear in high-level play under tournament conditions, and these tactics are often the most influential. The metagame is not static; it evolves over time as players adapt to counter frequently used strategies, and new strategies are discovered or become popular.
For example, suppose Tactic A is effective and popular within a gaming community, and Tactic B offers advantages over Tactic A, but is considered a poor choice in most other circumstances. Some players may employ Tactic B in response to Tactic A, creating a shift in strategy. Tactic C, while usually effective, may be avoided because of its vulnerabilities to Tactic A. Eventually, Tactic A may become less common, as more players begin to use Tactic B to counter it. As a result, Tactic C may then return as a common strategy, or an entirely new effective tactic may be discovered, creating another shift in strategy. These shifts are examples of the way in which the metagame progresses and develops over time.
At the top level of play, "the metagame" can specifically refer to the the habits and skills of the highest performing players. These players focus on employing strategies to win against the small number of other top players who compete with them, as opposed to the trends among players who do not perform as well as they do.
Routine analysis of the metagame has allowed the community to draw conclusions about the relative performances of playable characters in Smash Bros games, and publish them in the form of character tier lists. Each tier list changes over time, alongside the development of the metagame it references, and is updated as significant changes occur."
For example, suppose Tactic A is effective and popular within a gaming community, and Tactic B offers advantages over Tactic A, but is considered a poor choice in most other circumstances. Some players may employ Tactic B in response to Tactic A, creating a shift in strategy. Tactic C, while usually effective, may be avoided because of its vulnerabilities to Tactic A. Eventually, Tactic A may become less common, as more players begin to use Tactic B to counter it. As a result, Tactic C may then return as a common strategy, or an entirely new effective tactic may be discovered, creating another shift in strategy. These shifts are examples of the way in which the metagame progresses and develops over time.
At the top level of play, "the metagame" can specifically refer to the the habits and skills of the highest performing players. These players focus on employing strategies to win against the small number of other top players who compete with them, as opposed to the trends among players who do not perform as well as they do.
Routine analysis of the metagame has allowed the community to draw conclusions about the relative performances of playable characters in Smash Bros games, and publish them in the form of character tier lists. Each tier list changes over time, alongside the development of the metagame it references, and is updated as significant changes occur."
Wikipedia (Metagame Analysis)
Metagame analysis involves framing a problem situation as a strategic game in which participants try to realise their objectives by means of the options available to them. The subsequent meta-analysis of this game gives insight in possible strategies and their outcome.
Meteor Cancel - The act of cancelling the knockback of a Meteor Smash by jumping or performing an upB.
Meteor Smash - A type of move that sends the opponent at a downwards trajectory. The knockback from this move can be cancelled quickly via a technique known as Meteor Cancelling.
One Hit KO - An attack that usually knocks out the opponent at any given damage percent. Some examples of moves that are almost One Hit KO moves are Rest, Ganondorf's up tilt, and fully-charged Eruption. The only true One Hit KO move is a fully-charged QuickDraw attack.
Out of Shield - A description for an action that is done directly out of one's shield. The only actions that can be done while actively shielding are rolls, spot-dodges, jumps, and drops through platforms. Therefore, these actions are the only actions that can truly be done "out of shield". However, the term is also often used to describe actions and techniques utilizing these 'true out of shield options', such as aerials done immediately after a jump or platform drop out of shield, so that they can be done quickly while one is shielding. Using this looser definition of the term "out of shield", it can now be applied to many more actions, such as anything done immediately after a cancelled jump, like a grab, up smash, or special move, or a cancelled roll, like a glide toss.
Platform cancel - The act of dropping through a platform while hitting an opponent's hurtbox or shield with a specific aerial so that the hitlag of the move combined with the re-positioning of the attacker's hurtbox due to the move causes the attacker to land on the platform being dropped through.
Reverse Aerial Rush - The act of instantly turning around and jumping while running in a certain direction, preserving the forward momentum. The execution sequence for this technique is to simply run in one direction and then input the opposite direction followed shortly by a jump. Inputting a direction opposite to the one the character is running in actually causes that character to enter a skid. Jumping allows the character to cancel the skid, allowing him to enter the air while still moving 'forwards' but completely turned around.
Short Hop - To jump from the ground to a character's minimum jump height by tapping the jump button so that the button is held shorter than the minimum press time allowed for a full hop.
Smash DI - The act of moving while stuck in the hitlag of a move by pressing the C-stick ('smash stick') while and/or immediately after being hit. This technique is also influenced to a lesser extent by the control stick. Thus, for maximum Smash DI, it is necessary to use both sticks.
Spacing - A complex term that refers to a character's positioning of its hurtboxes or hitboxes in relation to something else. When referring to a character's positioning, it often entails remaining in a safe area outside of the zone of immediate danger but close enough to be able to punish the opponent's openings in defense efficiently and in a timely manner. When referring to an attack, it usually means positioning the hitbox of said attack so that the startup and lag frames of the move cannot be punished easily while maintaining the general effectiveness of the attack itself.
Spike - Another type of move that sends the opponent at a downwards trajectory. However, the knockback from this move cannot be cancelled quickly like the knockback from a Meteor Smash can be.
Swallowcide - A type of Kirbycide that involves Kirby inhaling his opponent with neutral B (when no power is currently copied) and falling offstage with the opponent in his mouth. Swallowcides can also be performed by King Dedede and by Kirby when he has copied King Dedede's Inhale ability.
Tech - When not used as a shortened version of the word "technique", this term refers to the act of pressing a shield button when in hitstun or the tumble animation right as the stunned/tumbling character contacts a floor, wall, or ceiling. This negates most of the knockback and causes the character to flip upright immediately into a neutral position. Some invincibility is also given during the beginning of the tech animation.
Techroll - The act of holding left or right while teching off of a floor in order to quickly roll in that direction while getting up. Invincibility is also given during the beginning of techrolls.
Wavebounce, Reverse B-reversal, Recoil Special - The act of jumping forward and then starting a special move while 'bouncing' backwards. The execution sequence for this technique is: Jump forwards > special move backwards > immediate directional input forwards. This will cause the character to turn twice and will create the 'bounce'.
Wavedash - The act of jumping and immediately air dodging downwards into the surface jumped from in order to slide along its surface. In other words, it is a jump immediately followed by a waveland. This is the main form of locomotion for some characters, such as Luigi and Mewtwo.
Waveland - This term is often used mistakenly in place of the the word "wavedash" but wavelanding is simply air dodging downwards into a horizontal surface, like the main stage or a platform, in order to slide along its surface.
Waveshine - This is a spacee specific technique that consists of performing a shine which is jump cancelled into a wavedash. The wavedash can be followed up with anything but is often followed up with another shine. The execution sequence is: downB (shine) > jump (JC) > AD towards the ground (WD/WL) > followup action (oftentimes another shine). It should be noted that some characters possess a shine-like downB that allows them to perform their own variation of the waveshine. One example of such a character is Lucas, whose downB (PSI Magnet) is jump-cancellable and has a hitbox, knockback, and hitstun similar to a shine.
Weight - A specific character trait that is unique to each character. It controls the horizontal knockback suffered when hit by a move. For instance, Bowser and Donkey Kong, the two heaviest characters in Smash, will survive a forward smash from most characters at much higher damage percents than Mario and Luigi, two characters of medium weight. Therefore, a character's weight is directly related to how difficult it is to KO that character horizontally. Weight, combined with falling speed (another unique character trait), also affects the vertical knockback suffered when hit by a move.
I plan on making this post more organized in the future, as well as adding more content. If any of you have questions, concerns, and/or comments, please feel free to state them, either in this thread or a PM. Also, I'd greatly appreciate it if you informed me of any terms or concepts that I might have missed or not added yet. Thank you!
I'll just keep a log of changes and updates here:
2/5/13 - Added HP to Squirt-specific abbreviations
1/16/13 - Added WG to Squirtle-specific abbreviations; added OoSD and WDOoSD to Sonic-specific abbreviations
1/7/13 - Added AC to "Cancels" and BA to Sonic-specific abbreviations; also added a note on dropzone's roots; added "Squirtle" section to character-specific abbreviations and put in terms
1/5/13 - Added Zamus as alternative name for Zero Suit Samus
1/4/13 - Added dropzone explanation.
1/3/13 - Added Lucaryu, Gocario, and Gocaryu as alternative names for Lucario.
1/2/13 - MOVED OVER TO SWF FROM SMODS; Added BAS and FCAS to Lucario-specific abbreviations
12/5/12 - Added Diddy- and Snake-specific abbreviations.
12/2/12 - Added BKB and KBG abbreviations.
11/20/12 - Added MK-specific abbreviations and Marth specific abbreviations (as well as a new "Marth" section under "Character-specific").
11/6/12 - Added Ganon abbreviations
11/4/12 - Added more G&W abbreviations, some SSB64 abbreviations, "Smash" as an alternative to "SSB", and Sheik specific abbreviations (as well as a new "Sheik" section under "Character-specific").
11/2/12 - Added hitbox and hurtbox explanations.
10/27/12 - Added RBR abbreviation. Added "reverse B-reversal" as an alternative name for "wavebounce." Added B-reversal explanation.
10/13/12 - Added HA abbreviation.
9/26/12 - Added "edgehop" as an alternative name for "ledgehop"
9/25/12 - Added ADC abbreviation
9/24/12 - Added FB abbreviation and Metagame explanation (it's reeaaally big) :dubious:
9/16/12 - Made correction involving Wolf in Heavyweights abbreviation and added LC and PKF abbreviations
9/10/12 - Fixed Fast-fallers abbreviation.
9/2/12 - Added Kirbycide and Swallowcide explanations.
9/1/12 - Added glair and plat abbreviations. Also, created a new "Cancels" section, moved some miscellaneous terms to that, and repeated a few terms in that section for the sake of consistency.
8/30/12 - Added CA abbreviation and re-ordered the character-specific abbrevs to alphabetic order
8/29/12 - Added CQC abbreviation
8/23/12 - Added KO and OHKO explanations
8/22/12 - Added BnB abbreviation
8/21/12 - Added some MK-specific abbreviations that I'll probably remove if those moves don't end up being in P:M
8/20/12 - Fixed the Falling Speed explanation (Jigglypuff's weight).
8/19/12 - Added abbreviation and added jump-related explanations.
8/18/12 - Added OoS explanation and added to the JC explanation.
8/16/12 - Added Hit-confirm explanation.
8/15/12 - Added Weight, Falling Speed, and JC explanations. Added angle abbreviations.
8/14/12 - Added char abbreviation and IASA explanation.
8/13/12 - Added FF, FC, and WB concept explanations.
8/12/12 - Added KB-related, GT-related, and CC-related explanations. Added a couple abbreviations. Fixed the explanation for SDI. Seperated "Platform Cancel" from "Edge-cancel" and put in its definition. Changed the order of my changelist to most recent edits first. Lolz!
8/11/12 - Created new sections, moved some terms around, and added a few terms. Alphabetized the concepts. Added RAR to explanations.
8/8/12 - First recorded update (even though there were a whole bunch beforehand); added abbreviations and terms to "Characters", added some conceptual explanations, and fixed some explanations.
