Pummel: Difference between revisions

[[File:GrabPummelSSB4.jpg|thumb|250px|{{SSB4|Ness}} pummeling {{SSB4|Rosalina}} in {{forwiiu}}.]]

A '''pummel''' ({{ja|つかみ攻撃 or 掴み攻撃|Tsukami kōgeki}}, ''Grab, grasp, grip or catch attack''; referred to as '''CatchAttack''' by the internal game files, and officially as '''Grab Attack''' in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'') is an attack usable while an opponent remains trapped in the player's [[grab]]. It was first introduced in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', and is performed by pressing either the attack or grab button after a successful grab. Pummels deal very low damage (usually from 1% to 3% per use), but can be used repeatedly at a relatively fast rate until the opponent is eventually [[throw]]n or breaks free from the grab.

Most pummels consist of knee jabs or headbutts, since the pummeling character will already be holding their opponent using their arms. Pummeling is primarily used to rack up extra damage before a throw, and to restore moves from [[stale-move negation]]. The latter utility becomes more critical from ''Brawl'' onward, as staleness has a greater effect on the [[knockback]] inflicted, allowing pummels to bring KO moves back to full strength, and in ''Brawl'', to keep subsequent throws at the appropriate knockback for [[chain grab]]bing.

Since accumulated damage increases the period an opponent is grabbed for, pummels are more effective at high percentages. If too many pummels are attempted, the opponent can [[button mashing|break free]] from the grab without allowing the pummeler to throw them. Because of this, a player should balance the amount of times they pummel the opponent before throwing, which also depends on their character; those with fast pummels such as [[Fox]] can spare a few frames to get some extra damage on the opponent, whereas those with slow pummels such as [[Ganondorf]] risk the opponent wriggling out of their grab if they pummel at lower percentages, making it more worthwhile to simply throw them.

In ''Ultimate'', while some variance remains between characters, pummels have overall been standardized across the board, much like in ''Melee'', except keeping the average pummel duration closer to that of ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4''; this applies to their damage as well, which is considerably lower overall, with a minimum of 1% and a maximum of 1.6%, and the majority of pummels dealing 1.3%. As a result of these changes, previously fast pummels such as {{SSBU|Lucario}}, {{SSBU|Ness}} and {{SSBU|Samus}}'s deal slightly more damage, but are noticeably slower, while previously slow pummels such as {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}, {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}} and {{SSBU|Robin}}'s are significantly faster, but deal moderately less damage. This eliminates a large part of the imbalance between pummels in previous games, as characters no longer refresh other moves or rack up damage at a disproportionally fast rate compared to others based on pummel speed.

It is worth noting that like other attacks, pummels inflict [[freeze frame]]s (hitlag), and opponents can still [[mash]] out of the attacker's grab during them, so they are another factor to consider for a pummel's practical duration. Because of this, pummels that inflict fewer freeze frames are more advantageous. In ''Ultimate'', the actual duration of pummels is significantly shorter than in previous games (from 5 to 7 frames), but it is augmented by a much higher amount of freeze frames (from 10 to 16), which keep their average speed roughly the same as in previous games.

In the following table, the total duration lists the combined total frames of both the pummels' coded duration and the amount of freeze frames they inflict. The damage values and durations for pummels in ''Melee'' are listed in the above section.

!Damage<br>{{GameIcon|SSBB}}{{GameIcon|SSB4}}

!Total duration<br>{{GameIcon|SSBB}}{{GameIcon|SSB4}}

|[[Banjo & Kazooie]]

|''unknown''

|&mdash;

|&mdash;

|N/A

|N/A

|1.6%, 1.6%

|27

|0.6%, 0.7%

|24

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 3%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 3.1%

|27

|1.6%

|21

|2%

|20

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|18

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|19

|1.6%

|21

|&mdash;

|1.3%

|19

|3%

|29

|1.3%

|19

|3%

|27

|1.3%

|19

|&mdash;

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|18

|1.3%

|19

|&mdash;

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|19

|1%

|16

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 3%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 2%

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 19<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 18

|1.6%

|21

|3.64%

|27

|1.5275%

|19

|3%

|32

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|19

|1.3%

|19

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 1%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 1.2%

|12

|1%

|15

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 2%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 3%

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 31<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 32

|21

|2%

|29

|1%

|17

|&mdash;

|1.3%

|19

|Headbutts the opponent.

|1%

|21

|1%

|16

|3%

|26

|1.6%

|20

|&mdash;

|1.6%

|20

|&mdash;

|1.3%

|19

|&mdash;

|1.3%

|19

|3%

|28

|1.3%

|19

|3%

|24

|1.3%

|19

|&mdash;

|&mdash;

|1.5%

|19

|&mdash;

|1.3%

|17

|3%

|24

|1.6%

|21

|&mdash;

|1.6%

|21

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 1%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 1.55%

|12

|1%

|15

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 2%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 2.1%

|18

|1.3%

|19

|2.1%

|18

|1%

|15

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} {{AuraDamageSSBB|1}}<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} {{AuraDamageSSB4|1}}

|10

|{{AuraDamageSSBU|1.3}}

|19

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 3%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 1.2%

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 16<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 12

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|18

|1.3%

|19

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 3%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 3.2%

|27

|1.3%

|19

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 3%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 3.25%

|27

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|18

|1.3%

|19

|3%

|32

|1.3%

|19

|3%

|27

|1%

|15

|2%

|24

|1.3%

|19

|3.25%

|27

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|27

|1.3%

|19

|3.25%

|37

|1.3%

|19

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 3%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 3.2%

|33

|1.3%

|19

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 1%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 1.2%

|12

|1.3%

|19

|2%/4%

|21

|1%

|16

|3.25%

|28

|1.3%

|19

|3.1%

|26

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|21

|1.3%

|19

|&mdash;

|&mdash;

|1.4%

|18<ref>19 prior to version {{SSBU|2.0.0}}</ref>

|{{GameIcon|SSBM}}{{GameIcon|SSBB}}{{GameIcon|SSB4}} Zaps the opponent.<br>{{GameIcon|SSBU}} Electrically headbutts the opponent.

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 2%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 1.9%

|17

|1%

|16<ref>18 prior to version 2.0.0</ref>

|&mdash;

|1.4%

|19

|2%

|18

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|19

|1.3%

|18

|&mdash;

|1.3%

|19

|&mdash;

|1.6%

|21

|3%

|39

|1.5%

|21

|[[Rosalina]]

|Hits the opponent with her wand.

|2%

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|18

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|18

|1.3%

|17

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 1%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 1.2%

|11

|1.3%

|19

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 3%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 3.1%

|27

|1%

|15

|3%

|33

|1.3%

|19

|&mdash;

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|20

|1.3%

|19

|{{GameIcon|SSBB}} 3%<br>{{GameIcon|SSB4}} 2%

|18

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|18

|1%

|15

|2%

|18

|1%

|16

|3%

|30

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|21

|1.6%

|21

|3%

|34

|1.3%

|19

|1%

|9

|1.3%

|19

|2%

|18

|1.3%

|19

|&mdash;

|&mdash;

|1%

|18

|3%

|28

|1.3%

|20

|2%

|18

|1.3%

|19