Shieldstun

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*'''d''' is the base [[damage]] of the attack, rounded down. Usually that corresponds to the [[damage]] the attack would deal if not shielded. However, many thrown items deal additional damage on hit based on the speed of the item, and that extra damage doesn't contribute to shieldstun.

*'''a''' is <code>0.65 * (1 - ((s - 0.3) / 0.7))</code>, where '''s''' describes the analog shield level used, and is equal to <code>n / 140</code>, with '''n''' ranging between 43 and 140 depending on how much the shield button is pressed.<ref>https://smashboards.com/threads/official-ask-anyone-frame-things-thread.313889/page-28#post-20577303</ref> As a result, '''s''' can be as low as 0.30714 with the lightest possible shield, and caps at 1 with a full shield. Shielding with the Z button corresponds to <code>s = 0.35</code>, or <code>n = 49/140</code>.

**The general formula can be approximately simplified to <code>d * 0.45 + 1.99</code> for a full press ~~(yields correct shieldstun up to d=28%)~~, and <code>d * 1.4 + 2</code> for the lightest press (~~correct stun~~ up to d=26%), resulting in a significant difference. For example, an attack that deals 13% damage will inflict 7 frames of shieldstun with a full shield, and 20 frames with the lightest possible shield.

**The general formula can be approximately simplified to <code>d * 0.45 + 1.99</code> for a full press, and <code>d * 1.4 + 2</code> for the lightest press (accurate up to 28% and 26% damage respectively), resulting in a significant difference. For example, an attack that deals 13% damage will inflict 7 frames of shieldstun with a full shield, and 20 frames with the lightest possible shield.

This amount of shieldstun, while heavily reduced, is still sufficient to leave smart and quick attackers at an advantage. Many moves are unsafe on shield, and it is possible for defending players to capitalize on such hits. But many moves, especially certain aerials, are still safe. Pressuring an opponent's shield is challenging and risky, but highly rewarding. Often, despite a move merely breaking even on shield, or even being a few frames negative, the attacker will still have an advantage. Options out of shield, especially movement, are so limited that good spacing or quick [[dash dancing]] out of lag allow the attacker to safely pressure despite frame disadvantage.

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==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==

In ''Brawl'', shieldstun ~~was further~~ reduced~~. In terms of frame advantage~~, ~~very few~~ attacks ~~are safe on shield~~. Combined with the lowered time to drop shield (taking 7 frames instead of 15), this ~~means that hitting shields in ''Brawl''~~ puts attackers in a much more vulnerable position. ~~This leads to~~ a ~~drastically~~ more defensive ~~metagame~~, ~~where spacing attacks properly on~~ shield ~~is far~~ more ~~crucial~~, or a [[punish]] is nearly guaranteed otherwise. ~~Additionally~~, {{SSBB|~~Yoshi~~}}'s ~~shield is no longer immune to shieldstun~~, ~~and his shield drop takes 15 frames~~ to ~~complete (which is now drastically higher relative~~ to ~~the cast); in combination with him still having one of the slowest shield grabs as well as still being unable to jump~~ out of shield~~, this gives him a significantly worse shield game compared to the rest of the cast~~.

In ''Brawl'', the formula for shieldstun frames is <code>d * 0.345</code>, rounded down. As a result, shieldstun is even more drastically reduced than in ''Melee'', with attacks that deal less than 2.9% damage inflicting no shieldstun at all. Combined with the lowered time to drop shield (taking 7 frames instead of 15), this puts attackers in a much more vulnerable position for hitting shields. As a result, ''Brawl''{{'}}s metagame is considerably more defensive, with very little in the way of shield pressure, instead putting more emphasis on characters keeping themselves away from shielding opponents, as a [[punish]] is nearly guaranteed otherwise. However, shield pushback is increased compared to ''Melee''{{'}}s fully dense shields, unless the attack is [[perfect shield]]ed, which allows a few powerful and long ranged moves with relatively low ending lag, such as {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}'s [[down smash]] and {{SSBB|Snake}}'s [[up tilt]], to remain difficult to punish out of shield if spaced properly.

~~The approximate formula for~~ shieldstun ~~frames~~ in ''~~Brawl~~'' ~~is <code>d * 0~~.~~375</code>~~, ~~rounded down. As a result~~, ~~attacks that deal less~~ than ~~2.7% damage inflict no shieldstun at all~~.

{{SSBB|Yoshi}}'s shield is no longer immune to shieldstun, and unlike the rest of the cast in the transition from ''Melee'', his shield still takes 15 frames to drop. In combination with him having one of the slowest shield grabs, as well as still being unable to jump out of shield, this gives him significantly worse defensive options than any other character.

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==

In ''Smash 4'', shieldstun was originally thought to have been reduced again from ''Brawl'', but further testing showed this to be false. The formula for shieldstun frames prior to version [[1.1.1]] was ~~originally~~ <code>d * 0.39</code> ~~rounded~~ down, ~~which~~ resulted in ~~almost negligibly~~ higher shieldstun than in ''Brawl''~~; only~~ a ~~few key~~ damage values ~~generated one extra frame of shieldstun, even up to notoriously high percents (above 30%)~~, ~~and~~ moves that dealt less than 2.6% damage still inflicted none at all. In combination with the cast's generally higher landing lag, ending lag, and/or lower damage values, especially for top and high tier characters, as well as shield pushback being decreased (with the effect of [[edge slipping]] on it being particularly weakened), this originally made ''Smash 4'' an even more defensive game than ''Brawl'', with heavy reliance on out of shield retaliation instead of direct pressure. {{SSB4|Yoshi}} was also given the ability to jump out of shield and the standard 7 frames of shield drop lag, no longer differentiating his shield game heavily from the rest of the cast.

In ''Smash 4'', shieldstun was originally thought to have been reduced again from ''Brawl'', but further testing showed this to be false. The formula for shieldstun frames prior to version [[1.1.1]] was <code>[d * 1.3 + 2] * 0.3</code>, with rounding down performed twice; first for the portion in brackets, then the final result. This resulted in barely higher shieldstun than in ''Brawl'', being either the same or with a single extra frame for most damage values, while moves that dealt less than 1.54% damage still inflicted none at all. In combination with the cast's generally higher landing lag, ending lag, and/or lower damage values, especially for top and high tier characters, as well as shield pushback being decreased (with the effect of [[edge slipping]] on it being particularly weakened), this originally made ''Smash 4'' an even more defensive game than ''Brawl'', with heavy reliance on out of shield retaliation instead of direct pressure. {{SSB4|Yoshi}} was also given the ability to jump out of shield and the standard 7 frames of shield drop lag, no longer differentiating his shield game heavily from the rest of the cast.

However, following version [[1.1.1]], shieldstun from [[Specials: Direct|direct]] attacks was increased dramatically, to the point of being higher than in ''Melee'', and received further specialization for various cases. The new formula is <code>d * 0.58 * i * p + 2</code> rounded down, with the values corresponding to the following:

Shieldstun: Difference between revisions

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 *'''d''' is the base [[damage]] of the attack, rounded down. Usually that corresponds to the [[damage]] the attack would deal if not shielded. However, many thrown items deal additional damage on hit based on the speed of the item, and that extra damage doesn't contribute to shieldstun.
 *'''a''' is <code>0.65 * (1 - ((s - 0.3) / 0.7))</code>, where '''s''' describes the analog shield level used, and is equal to <code>n / 140</code>, with '''n''' ranging between 43 and 140 depending on how much the shield button is pressed.<ref>https://smashboards.com/threads/official-ask-anyone-frame-things-thread.313889/page-28#post-20577303</ref> As a result, '''s''' can be as low as 0.30714 with the lightest possible shield, and caps at 1 with a full shield. Shielding with the Z button corresponds to <code>s = 0.35</code>, or <code>n = 49/140</code>.
-**The general formula can be approximately simplified to <code>d * 0.45 + 1.99</code> for a full press (yields correct shieldstun up to d=28%), and <code>d * 1.4 + 2</code> for the lightest press (correct stun up to d=26%), resulting in a significant difference. For example, an attack that deals 13% damage will inflict 7 frames of shieldstun with a full shield, and 20 frames with the lightest possible shield.
+**The general formula can be approximately simplified to <code>d * 0.45 + 1.99</code> for a full press, and <code>d * 1.4 + 2</code> for the lightest press (accurate up to 28% and 26% damage respectively), resulting in a significant difference. For example, an attack that deals 13% damage will inflict 7 frames of shieldstun with a full shield, and 20 frames with the lightest possible shield.
 This amount of shieldstun, while heavily reduced, is still sufficient to leave smart and quick attackers at an advantage. Many moves are unsafe on shield, and it is possible for defending players to capitalize on such hits. But many moves, especially certain aerials, are still safe. Pressuring an opponent's shield is challenging and risky, but highly rewarding. Often, despite a move merely breaking even on shield, or even being a few frames negative, the attacker will still have an advantage. Options out of shield, especially movement, are so limited that good spacing or quick [[dash dancing]] out of lag allow the attacker to safely pressure despite frame disadvantage.
@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==
-In ''Brawl'', shieldstun was further reduced. In terms of frame advantage, very few attacks are safe on shield. Combined with the lowered time to drop shield (taking 7 frames instead of 15), this means that hitting shields in ''Brawl'' puts attackers in a much more vulnerable position. This leads to a drastically more defensive metagame, where spacing attacks properly on shield is far more crucial, or a [[punish]] is nearly guaranteed otherwise. Additionally, {{SSBB|Yoshi}}'s shield is no longer immune to shieldstun, and his shield drop takes 15 frames to complete (which is now drastically higher relative to the cast); in combination with him still having one of the slowest shield grabs as well as still being unable to jump out of shield, this gives him a significantly worse shield game compared to the rest of the cast.
+In ''Brawl'', the formula for shieldstun frames is <code>d * 0.345</code>, rounded down. As a result, shieldstun is even more drastically reduced than in ''Melee'', with attacks that deal less than 2.9% damage inflicting no shieldstun at all. Combined with the lowered time to drop shield (taking 7 frames instead of 15), this puts attackers in a much more vulnerable position for hitting shields. As a result, ''Brawl''{{'}}s metagame is considerably more defensive, with very little in the way of shield pressure, instead putting more emphasis on characters keeping themselves away from shielding opponents, as a [[punish]] is nearly guaranteed otherwise. However, shield pushback is increased compared to ''Melee''{{'}}s fully dense shields, unless the attack is [[perfect shield]]ed, which allows a few powerful and long ranged moves with relatively low ending lag, such as {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}'s [[down smash]] and {{SSBB|Snake}}'s [[up tilt]], to remain difficult to punish out of shield if spaced properly.
-The approximate formula for shieldstun frames in ''Brawl'' is <code>d * 0.375</code>, rounded down. As a result, attacks that deal less than 2.7% damage inflict no shieldstun at all.
+{{SSBB|Yoshi}}'s shield is no longer immune to shieldstun, and unlike the rest of the cast in the transition from ''Melee'', his shield still takes 15 frames to drop. In combination with him having one of the slowest shield grabs, as well as still being unable to jump out of shield, this gives him significantly worse defensive options than any other character.
 ==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==
-In ''Smash 4'', shieldstun was originally thought to have been reduced again from ''Brawl'', but further testing showed this to be false. The formula for shieldstun frames prior to version [[1.1.1]] was originally <code>d * 0.39</code> rounded down, which resulted in almost negligibly higher shieldstun than in ''Brawl''; only a few key damage values generated one extra frame of shieldstun, even up to notoriously high percents (above 30%), and moves that dealt less than 2.6% damage still inflicted none at all. In combination with the cast's generally higher landing lag, ending lag, and/or lower damage values, especially for top and high tier characters, as well as shield pushback being decreased (with the effect of [[edge slipping]] on it being particularly weakened), this originally made ''Smash 4'' an even more defensive game than ''Brawl'', with heavy reliance on out of shield retaliation instead of direct pressure. {{SSB4|Yoshi}} was also given the ability to jump out of shield and the standard 7 frames of shield drop lag, no longer differentiating his shield game heavily from the rest of the cast.
+In ''Smash 4'', shieldstun was originally thought to have been reduced again from ''Brawl'', but further testing showed this to be false. The formula for shieldstun frames prior to version [[1.1.1]] was <code>[d * 1.3 + 2] * 0.3</code>, with rounding down performed twice; first for the portion in brackets, then the final result. This resulted in barely higher shieldstun than in ''Brawl'', being either the same or with a single extra frame for most damage values, while moves that dealt less than 1.54% damage still inflicted none at all. In combination with the cast's generally higher landing lag, ending lag, and/or lower damage values, especially for top and high tier characters, as well as shield pushback being decreased (with the effect of [[edge slipping]] on it being particularly weakened), this originally made ''Smash 4'' an even more defensive game than ''Brawl'', with heavy reliance on out of shield retaliation instead of direct pressure. {{SSB4|Yoshi}} was also given the ability to jump out of shield and the standard 7 frames of shield drop lag, no longer differentiating his shield game heavily from the rest of the cast.
 However, following version [[1.1.1]], shieldstun from [[Specials: Direct|direct]] attacks was increased dramatically, to the point of being higher than in ''Melee'', and received further specialization for various cases. The new formula is <code>d * 0.58 * i * p + 2</code> rounded down, with the values corresponding to the following: