Skip to main content
Smash Ultimate Online Rulesets

A quick guide about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate rulesets on start.gg

Maddy Madison avatar
Written by Maddy Madison
Updated over a year ago

A ruleset on start.gg is the set of tasks that guide players through online tournament matches. These are primarily used for the purposes of automating online tournaments and are typically not enabled for in-person tournaments.

Start.gg currently has a small selection of rulesets enabled for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that can be selected during the Event Creation process for your tournament page. Enabling a ruleset for your Ultimate tournament will allow players to make character and stage selections in their start.gg Match Window.

Starter Stages are selected in Game 1 of a set. A randomly selected player will strike the first starter stage, then the other player will strike two starter stages, and finally the first player will strike the last starter stage.

Counterpick Stages are only available in Game 2 and onward of a set. The winner of the previous game will ban 1-2 stages--as many as prompted. And then the loser of the previous game will select from the remaining stages available.

The rulesets listed below are officially supported on start.gg.

No Ruleset/Custom Ruleset

If either Ultimate Singles (No Stage Selection) or Custom Ruleset is selected, then players will not be prompted to make stage selections on start.gg.

Note: This is the recommended option if you are running a ruleset that is not listed on this page. Players can use their start.gg Match Chat to communicate stage selections. 

GOML Ruleset

The ruleset established by Even Matchup Gaming for Get on My Level 2020, a Canadian Smash Bros. National.

Starter Stages

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Pokémon Stadium 2

  • Smashville

  • Town & City

Counterpick Stages

  • Kalos Pokémon League

  • Yoshi's Story

Stage Selection Clauses

  • Winner of the previous game will ban 2 stages

  • Players are allowed to counterpick to a stage that they previously won on

GENESIS Ruleset

The official ruleset for Genesis, one of the largest Smash Bros. Events in the world.

Starter Stages

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Town & City

  • Pokémon Stadium 2

  • Smashville

Counterpick Stages

  • Kalos Pokémon League

  • Small Battlefield

Stage Selection Clauses

  • Winner of the previous game will ban 2 stages

  • Players are not allowed to counterpick to any stage that they previously won on

Check out the full ruleset here.

VGBC Ruleset

The ruleset used by VGBootCamp for their major tournaments--Glitch and Pound.

Also used for the Smash World Tour circuit.

Starter Stages

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Pokémon Stadium 2

  • Smashville

  • Town & City

Counterpick Stages

  • Kalos Pokémon League

  • Lylat Cruise

  • Yoshi's Story

  • Small Battlefield

Stage Selection Clauses

  • Winner of the previous game will ban 2 stages

  • Players are not allowed to pick the last stage they won on

Check out the full ruleset here.

The Box Ruleset

A ruleset used by Smash Champion Hungrybox for The Box series.

Starter Stages

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Pokémon Stadium 2

  • Smashville

  • Town & City

Counterpick Stages

  • Kalos Pokémon League

  • Yoshi's Story

Stage Selection Clauses

  • Winner of the previous game will ban 2 stages

  • Players are not allowed to counterpick to the most recent stage that they won on

Check out the full ruleset here. There is also a variation of this ruleset adding Small Battlefield as a Counterpick stage which is labelled The Box (SBF Edition).

Collision Ruleset

The official ruleset used for Collision Online, an Online Ultimate Major.

Starter Stages

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Pokémon Stadium 2

  • Smashville

  • Town & City

Counterpick Stages

  • Unova Pokémon League

Stage Selection Clauses

  • Winner of the previous game will ban 2 stages

  • Players are allowed to counterpick to a stage that they previously won on

Check out the full ruleset here.

MDVA Classic

This is a ruleset that was formerly used by VGBC for their tournaments before the Smash World Tour started.

Starter Stages

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Pokémon Stadium 2

  • Smashville

  • Town & City

Counterpick Stages

  • Kalos Pokémon League

  • Lylat Cruise

  • Yoshi's Story

Stage Selection Clauses

  • Winner of the previous game will ban 2 stages

  • Players are allowed to counterpick to a stage that they previously won on

Experimental Ruleset

This is a ruleset developed by L4st, TO for The Box series, featuring Hollow Bastion.

Starter Stages

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Small Battlefield

  • Smashville

  • Town & City

Counterpick Stages

  • Pokémon Stadium 2

  • Kalos Pokémon League

  • Hollow Bastion

  • Yoshi's Story

Stage Selection Clauses

  • Winner of the previous game will ban 3 stages in a Best of 3, and 2 stages in a Best of 5

  • Players are not allowed to counterpick to ANY stage that they previously won on

    EU Ruleset

    This is a ruleset used by various European tournaments. Has no distinction between Starter Stages and Counterpicks.

    Stages

    • Battlefield

    • Final Destination

    • Small Battlefield

    • Smashville

    • Town & City

    • Pokémon Stadium 2

    • Kalos Pokémon League

    • Hollow Bastion

    • Yoshi's Story

    Stage Selection Clauses

    • In game 1, first player bans 3 stages, then the second player bans 4 stages, and then the first player chooses from the remaining two.

    • In subsequent games, the winner of the previous game will ban 3 stages, loser picks from the remaining.

Panda Cup Ruleset

This is a ruleset developed for use on the Panda Cup Circuit.

Starter Stages

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Pokémon Stadium 2

  • Smashville

  • Town & City

Counterpick Stages

  • Kalos Pokémon League

  • Lylat Cruise

  • Small Battlefield

Stage Selection Clauses

  • Winner of the previous game will ban 2 stages.

  • Players are not allowed to counterpick to the most recent stage that they won on.

The Box SBF Edition Ruleset

This is a ruleset developed for The Box series, an online tournament series hosted by top player Hungrybox.

Starter Stages

  • Battlefield

  • Final Destination

  • Pokémon Stadium 2

  • Smashville

  • Town & City

Counterpick Stages

  • Kalos Pokémon League

  • Yoshi's Story

  • Small Battlefield

Stage Selection Clauses

  • Winner of the previous game will ban 2 stages.

  • Players are not allowed to counterpick to the most recent stage that they won on.

Did this answer your question?