SSBB Icon.png
SSB4-U Icon.png
SSBU Icon.png

Pokémon Stadium 2

From SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki
Revision as of 21:48, November 14, 2018 by SonicSpeed48 (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigationJump to search

Not to be confused with Pokémon Stadium.

Pokémon Stadium 2
SSBU-Pokémon Stadium 2.png
Pokémon Stadium 2 in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
PokemonSymbol.svg
Universe Pokémon
Appears in Brawl
SSB4 (Wii U)
Ultimate
Availability Starter (Brawl and Ultimate)
Unlockable (SSB4)
Unlock criteria Clear the When Lightning Strikes event.
Crate type Futuristic (Brawl only)
Maximum players 4 (Brawl)
8 (Wii U and Ultimate)
Tracks available In Brawl:
Pokémon Main Theme
Road to Viridian City (From Pallet Town / Pewter City)
Pokémon Center
Pokémon Gym / Evolution
Wild Pokémon Battle! (Ruby / Sapphire)
In SSB4:
Pokémon Main Theme (Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue)
Battle! (Wild Pokémon) (Pokémon Diamond / Pokémon Pearl)
Road to Viridian City (From Pallet Town/Pewter City)
Pokémon Gym/Evolution (Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue)
Poké Floats
Pokémon Stadium
Pokémon Stadium 2
Battle! (Wild Pokémon) (Pokémon Ruby / Pokémon Sapphire)
Victory Road (Pokémon Ruby / Pokémon Sapphire)
Bolded tracks must be unlocked
Tournament legality
Brawl Singles: Counterpick/Banned
Doubles: Counterpick/Banned
Smash 4 Singles: Banned
Doubles: Banned
Article on Bulbapedia Pokémon Stadium 2 (stage)

Pokémon Stadium 2 (ポケモンスタジアム2, Pokémon Stadium 2) is a stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, based on the Pokémon universe.

Stage overview

Basic Version

Pokémon Stadium 2 in Brawl.

Overall, this stage works very similarly to Super Smash Bros. Melee's Pokémon Stadium: it switches from a basic version to type-inspired transformations. The layout of the basic version is extremely similar to the Melee version, with a main platform with a solid pillar underneath and two floating soft platforms on the sides. The background features a crowd, much farther away than the one in the original Pokémon Stadium, and a screen which, like the one in Pokémon Stadium, displays either the battle, a symbol denoting the upcoming transformation, or the current standings of each fighter and the time remaining.

The other transformations, however, are all completely new. Like in Pokémon Stadium, they appear in no specific order and it is even possible for the stadium to change into the same type twice in a row. However, the stage always begins on the standard arena and has to revert back to its normal state before transforming again. Several Pokémon appear in the background during the various phases, with no actual effect on the battle.

Electric Version

Forgot to snap a screenshot. Oh well.
The Electric version.

The Electric version features two slightly raised conveyor belts which occupy the sides of the main platform, both pushing outwards. The center of the main platform is static. There are three soft platforms in varying locations: two, one above the other, are over the middle of the stage, while the third can be over either conveyor belt.

An Electivire appears in the background on the left side, and a Magnezone pops up and down on the right side hiding behind the machinery.

Flying Version

The Flying version.

The Flying version features fans in the ground which create an updraft, severely lowering the gravity: all characters' jumping abilities are enhanced and their falling time is increased. Characters flung upward have a much higher chance of being Star KO'ed. The updraft only extends above the platform. No other platforms are present, giving the stage a Final Destination style layout. The floor is also slightly raised.

A Drifloon, a Hoppip, and a Skarmory fly about in the background.

Ground Version

The Ground version.

In the Ground version the layout changes to a large solid mound of dirt on the left and a hut built into a tall rock on the right. The hut provides two platforms, the lower one being longer and curved, and the higher one being short and flat. No physics alterations are added.

A Cubone and a Dugtrio appear in the background, along with a fossil (possibly a Helix Fossil) embedded in the rock.

Ice Version

The Ice version.

In the Ice version all platforms and surfaces become extremely slippery, so characters are more likely to trip. A hut can be seen in the background, and there are two icy platforms that slope inwards slightly.

A Snover always appears in the background, and a Snorunt might appear in the hut.

8 Player

Pokémon Stadium 2 in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, during a 8-Player Smash the stage always remains in its basic form and the screen in the background is blank.

Ω form

The Ω form only features the basic version of the stage, with the floating platforms removed but the pillar at the bottom still present. The jumbotron doesn't display any stats and will only show the battle in progress without zooming into any of the characters (except in 8-Player Smash, where the screen will be entirely blank).


Origin

[1]
A battle in the game Pokémon Stadium. Note the Poké Ball logo in the center and the crowd watching the battle.

Like its predecessor, this stage seems to be based on the arenas from the Pokémon Stadium series. Its name could be a reference to the game Pokémon Stadium 2 (either Japanese or international) for the Nintendo 64.

The flying transformation's aesthetics are reminiscent of Valley Windworks from the Sinnoh region: they both feature wind turbines and, in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, the Valley Windworks was the only location where a Drifloon, like the one appearing on this stage, could be encountered.

The electric transformation's mechanical appearance could be a reference to the recurring Power Plant setting in the series, where Magnemite, Magneton and Electabuzz (the previous forms of Magnezone and Electivire) can be often encountered.

Tournament legality

Brawl

Pokémon Stadium 2 is a very controversial stage; it is usually banned in tournaments, although it is allowed as a counterpick in more liberal rulesets. This is because the majority of its transformations are widely considered disruptive to normal gameplay: the electric transformation produces fast conveyor belts that force players to camp the ledge or fight in the middle of the stage; the wind transformation significantly reduces gravity, which slows aerial approaches and results in earlier vertical KOs; and the ice transformation creates slippery terrain which universally decreases traction and slightly increases tripping chance, making more precise movements difficult. Additionally, like the original Pokémon Stadium, all of its transformations except for ice are susceptible to camping.

Some smashers, however, debate this stage's banning, arguing that its perceived disruptive elements are either due to player error or actually beneficial to gameplay. For example, they claim that players can camp out the electric transformation, and that any self-destructs are due to unfamiliarity with the stage rather than a flaw in the stage itself. They also argue that the wind transformation, while actually disruptive, does not last long enough to significantly impact the match. Finally, they suggest that the ice transformation actually enriches gameplay because its terrain boosts the speed and slide distance of DACUSes and slide smashes, and causes shields to be pushed back more, forcing the game to be played more offensively.

Regardless, Pokémon Stadium 2 remains often banned due to the very specific ways in which players have to adjust to the disruptive nature of transformations.

SSB4

Pokémon Stadium 2's physics changes have been seen as detrimental to the flow of the match and the stage is banned in Smash 4.

Update history

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 1.0.2

  • Added 8-player mode version of the stage and its Ω form.

Gallery

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Trivia

Pokemon Stadium 2 cat Brawl.pngSource: Tumblr. The cat portrait as it appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U version of the Pokémon Stadium 2 stage.Close up of cat hidden in Pokemon Stadium 2.
Part of the MediaWiki software. For use in {{ImageCaption}}Part of the MediaWiki software. For use in {{ImageCaption}}Part of the MediaWiki software. For use in {{ImageCaption}}
The hidden cat poster shown in Brawl (left), SSB for Wii U (middle), and its texture (right)
  • The cabin in the stage's Ice mode features a poster of a kitten within its walls. The identity of the cat is unknown, though it was heavily rumored to be Masahiro Sakurai's before he eventually stated this was not the case.[1]
  • Unlike the Melee Pokémon Stadium, characters fly in front of the screen in the background when Star KO'ed.
  • In the original Dojo screenshot of the Flying element of the stage, Drifloon and Hoppip are shown much farther away than in the final version of Brawl.
  • When playing as Wario or Wario-Man in Brawl, using a fully charged Wario Waft on the Flying stage will result in an instant Star KO, even from the ground.
  • If the player is looking through Luigi's Negative Zone at the screen behind the stadium and the screen is showing a place in the Negative Zone as well, due to the double negative the player will be able to see the true colors there.
    • This can also happen if the player uses a hack to use Double Final Smashes.
  • In Brawl, if playing as Zero Suit Samus the monitor on the background will still show the name "Samus" instead of "Zero Suit Samus". This also happens on Pokémon Stadium.
  • Despite its reappearance in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the stage's Pokémon who appear as background character do not have individual trophies.
  • If Fox is chosen in a mini, light Special Smash, using his forward air in quick succession while the arena is set as Flying type will cause him to accelerate upwards infinitely, allowing him to move upwards at incredibly high speed.
  • This stage shares its name with the Pokémon game Pokémon Stadium 2.

External Links

References