Super Smash Bros Ultimate Crews

Fall 2026

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📄 Official Source: View the definitive ruleset on Google Docs →

THIS TOURNAMENT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH, SANCTIONED OR SPONSORED BY NINTENDO OR ANY OTHER GAME DEVELOPER OR PLATFORM.

Looking for Middle School (2v2 Crews) rules? Jump to Middle School section

Competition

Platform & Match Structure

Platforms

• Nintendo Switch Only

Series Lengths

• Round: Single matchup between two players
• Battle: Set of rounds until all members of one crew are eliminated
• Match: Best of 3 battles (first to win 2 battles)

Scheduling

• Match Time: 4pm on Tuesdays (may start early if both teams agree)
• Match reschedules must be already planned by Match Time
• Rescheduled matches must start by 4pm Friday of the same week

Players

Roster & Stock Requirements

Roster

1. Team roster must consist of at least 3 players (more advised) and no more than 6 players
2. Middle school: minimum 2 players, maximum 4 total
3. A player is allowed to represent only one team's roster in the same MiHSEF SSBU season
4. Players only allowed on teams created by official school coaches/advisors
5. Any number of players may be substituted between Battles (NOT rounds within a Battle) in a match as long as they are rostered and meet the requirements

Stocks

• Each selected player gets 3 stocks per battle

Minimum to Compete

• Teams must provide minimum of 2 players for a match (middle school: 1)
• If unable to field required players, forfeit the match
• Teams with only 2 players get 6 total stocks (3 per player) vs teams with 3 players

Pre-Match

Communication & Lobby Protocols

Communication

• All team communication via MiHSEF Fenworks/Discord channel
• No in-game text or voice communication between teams
• Teams encouraged to communicate 15 minutes before match
• Teams not responding by 15 minutes after start time forfeit automatically

Lobby

• HOME team creates lobby and shares Arena ID/Password
• Settings:
  • Type: Host Preference
  • Visibility: Public
  • Format: 1-on-1
  • Style: Stock (3 stocks)
  • Rotation: Bottom One Leaves
  • Max Players: 6 + spectators
  • Time Limit: 7:00
  • Stage Hazards: Off
  • Launch Rate: 1.0x
  • Stage: Choice
  • Items: Off and None
  • FS Meter: Off
  • Score Display: Off
  • Spirits: Off
  • Damage Handicap: Off
  • Show Damage: Yes
  • Voice Chat: Off

Spectating Guidelines

Spectating

• Teams allowed spectators for coaching/streaming
• No stream delay required
• Abusing spectator mode results in revoked rights and penalties

Gameplay

🎮 Official MiHSEF SSBU Stage Wizard (Web Tool)

To simplify stage bans, tracking remaining stocks, and character declarations, coaches and players may use the official MiHSEF SSBU Stage Wizard (https://ssbu.mihsef.org):

• Automated 1-2-2-1 Ban Order: Follows official High/Low seed striking turns with 1-click misclick recovery.
• Stage Permanence Enforcement: Visual reminders that the active stage stays locked for all 9 crew stocks.
• Subsequent Battle Counterpicks: Enforces 3 stage bans and Dave's Stupid Rule (DSR) automatically.
• Character Declarations: Autocomplete search across all 87 fighters with team duplicate prevention.
• Instant Match Sync: Share the 6-character room code or link in Discord or Fenworks to sync with opposing coaches.

Map Pool (9 Legal Stages)

Official matches are played exclusively on the following 9 legal stages with Stage Hazards: Off:

1. Battlefield
2. Small Battlefield
3. Final Destination
4. Pokémon Stadium 2
5. Smashville
6. Town & City
7. Kalos Pokémon League
8. Unova Pokémon League
9. Hollow Bastion

Stage Form Restrictions:

• All maps must be played on their regular / standard version with Stage Hazards: Off.
• Battlefield or Omega (Ω) variations of other stages are strictly prohibited.
• Any reskinned, seasonal, or custom stages released after tournament start are prohibited from official play.

Stage Pick & Ban Procedure

Stage Selection Process

Battle 1: Starting Stage Selection (Alternating Bans)

For the first battle of a match, teams alternate banning stages from the 9-stage pool until 1 stage remains (H-A-A-H-H-A-A-H-H):

1. Home Team strikes 1 stage (8 remain)
2. Away Team strikes 2 stages (6 remain)
3. Home Team strikes 2 stages (4 remain)
4. Away Team strikes 2 stages (2 remain)
5. Home Team strikes 1 stage (1 stage remains)
6. Battle 1 Stage Locked In: The single remaining stage is played for the entire battle.

Alternative (Optional Friendly Agreement): Both teams may mutually agree to pick any stage in the 9-stage pool by gentleman's choice and skip the striking sequence. (If offers differ, standard stage striking must be used).

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⚠️ CRITICAL: Stage Permanence During a Battle (9-Stock Rule)

THE STAGE DOES NOT CHANGE BETWEEN PLAYERS OR ROUNDS WITHIN A BATTLE!
Once a stage is selected for Battle 1, all rounds of that Battle must be played on that exact same stage until one entire crew is eliminated (all 9 team stocks in High School, or 6 stocks in Middle School).
Do NOT re-ban or change stages when a player loses and a new player enters! Stage striking only occurs once per Battle.

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Subsequent Battles (Battle 2 & Battle 3)

1. Winner Bans 3 Stages: The winning crew of the previous battle selects 3 stages to ban for the upcoming battle.
2. Loser Picks from Remaining: The losing crew selects the next stage from the remaining 6 available stages.
3. Dave's Stupid Rule (DSR / Modified DSR): A crew cannot pick a stage they have already won on during the same match (unless the opponent mutually agrees).
4. Lobby Confirmation: Once determined, both players select the chosen stage in the Battle Arena stage select screen.

Character & Player Declaration Rules

Character & Player Declarations

To ensure competitive integrity and prevent counter-picking advantages, player and character announcements follow a strict order:

1. Battle 1, Round 1 (Opening Matchup)

1. Lower Seed Declares First: The lower seed announces their starting player and character first in Discord or Fenworks match chat.
2. Higher Seed Counter-Declares: The higher seed then announces their starting player and character.

2. Between Rounds (Within the Same Battle)

• Round Winner Stays In: The winning player advances to face the opposing team's next player and CANNOT change characters. They must use the exact same character they used previously in that battle.
• Defeated Team Chooses Next Player: The crew that lost the round selects any uneliminated player from their roster, who selects their character to face the returning winner.
• Character Uniqueness Rule: No two players from the same team may use the same character in the same battle (e.g., a team cannot field two Joker players in Battle 1).
• Self-Destruct (SD) Stock Matching: At the start of the next round:
  1. The returning winner must immediately self-destruct (SD) until their starting stocks equal the number of stocks they had when the previous round ended.
  2. The incoming new player must remain completely still (no actions, taunts, or attacks) until all required SDs are completed.
  3. Play begins once the returning player's invincibility wears off on their final entrance and both players return to starting positions (crouch repeatedly or taunt once to signal ready).

3. Between Battles (Subsequent Battle 2 or 3)

• After the new battle stage is selected:
  1. Previous Battle Winner Declares First: The winning team of the prior battle must announce their starting player and character first.
  2. Previous Battle Loser Declares Second: The losing team announces their starting player and character second.
  3. Rostered substitutes may rotate into the lineup between Battles.
• Mii Fighters: Allowed, but all custom special moves must be fully disclosed to opponents beforehand.

Battle Structure

Crew battle by elimination: 1v1 rounds

• Winner faces next player from opposing team
• Returning player must self-destruct (SD) to match remaining stocks
• New player cannot act until SD process complete
• Players indicate "ready" by crouching rapidly or taunting
• In the event the returning player SDs too many times, the round stands and play begins

Self-Destruct Finishes

• Results screen determines winner if round ends by SD

Sudden Death

• Never determines round winner
• If time runs out:
  1. Player with highest stocks before sudden death
  2. If tied, lowest percentage before sudden death
  3. If still tied, play tiebreaker round
• Winner carries forward 1 stock only
• If both players knock-out at the same time and a sudden death is initiated, a tie-breaker round will be played instead

Tiebreaker

• Same stage/settings/players/characters
• Single round with 1 stock, 3 minute time limit

Reporting & Scoring

Breaks

• Teams may take up to 10 minutes between battles
• If time passes without agreement, game forfeited

Scoring

• Report scores in Fenworks by 11:59pm same day
• Enter stocks remaining in "score" field
• Check "Game Win" for team with remaining stocks
• Record knockouts per player
• Points automatically awarded for Swiss scoring

Stoppage of Play

Round Reset Conditions

Player Connectivity

• Round resets only if:
  • Both players have all starting stocks
  • Combined damage ≤ 60%
  • Round played ≤ 1 minute
• Otherwise, disconnected player forfeits round unless opponent agrees to restart
• Server lag resets require mutual consent
• Controller/console disconnects, malfunctions, or battery failures will NOT be paused or restarted unless the opponent agrees to a good-faith restart

Lobby Issues

• In the event incorrect players are present or incorrect settings are loaded in the lobby, the round should be stopped and reset. If a round is completed before realizing the error, the round results stand and the teams should continue to the next round with the correct match settings

Character Restrictions

Characters

• All characters allowed except:
  • New DLC characters (2 week ban after release)
  • Amiibos not allowed
• Mii fighters allowed with full disclosure of abilities

Anti-Cheating Enforcement

Hacking/Exploits

• Any bugs, exploits, modifications, or third-party apps strictly prohibited
• MiHSEF determines violations and penalties

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Middle School — SSBU 2v2 Crews

The Middle School division competes in a 2-player Crew Battle format (sequential 1v1 elimination rounds, 6 team stocks). All lobby settings, stage pick/bans, character rules, and gameplay restrictions are identical to the high school rules above, with the following division-specific roster and match rules:

Middle School 2v2 Adjustments

Format & Team Structure

• Format: 2v2 Crew Battle (1-on-1 elimination rounds, best of 3 battles).
• Match Day: Monday at 4:00 PM EST (Queue window 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM).
• Roster Requirements: Minimum 2 players, maximum 4 players on the official team roster.
• Stocks: Each selected player receives 3 stocks (6 total stocks per battle for a full 2-player crew).

Minimum to Compete & Disadvantage Rule

• Middle school teams must provide a minimum of 1 player to avoid forfeit.
• If a team plays with only 1 player, they are allocated only 3 stocks total for that battle and play at a 3-stock disadvantage against a full 2-player team (6 stocks).

Resources

• Official Super Smash Bros Website
• MiHSEF Discord - For tournament updates and support

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Rule Management & Change History

📋 Rule Administration & Historical Changes

Official Board Approval

Approval Authority	Approval Date	Version
MiHSEF Board of Directors	August 14, 2026	2026.08.14

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📅 CHANGE LOG

Date	Change Type	Description	Affected Section
2026-09-30	Clarification	Clarified 1-2-2-1 stage bans, 9-stock stage permanence, and character declaration sequence; added official Stage Wizard web app tool link	Gameplay & Stage Selection
2026-09-10	Clarification	Added dedicated Middle School 2v2 Crews section and top jump link	Middle School
2026-08-14	Update	Updated ruleset to match Fall 2026	All

Version Information

• Current Version: 2026.08.14