Editing Shieldstun

[[File:Shield.jpg|right|thumb|{{SSBB|Zero Suit Samus}} currently in shieldstun from {{SSBB|Snake}}'s jab.]]

'''Shieldstun''' is an inactionable period that occurs when a character's [[shield]] is hit. It is comparable to [[hitstun]], in that it occurs after [[hitlag]] and only for the defending character. While the attacker still experiences the hitlag of the move, they do not undergo shieldstun, allowing them to move again before their opponent can if the ending [[lag]] of the attack is low. During the period of shieldstun, the shielding player cannot perform any of their normal [[out of shield]] options, rendering them stuck. Many multiple-hit moves that hit rapidly (such as [[Fox]]'s or [[Yoshi]]'s [[down aerial]]s) hit fast enough to keep an opponent in shieldstun for the duration of the move, as each hit lands while the opponent is still in shieldstun from the previous hit. In addition to not being able to perform out of shield options, players in shield stun cannot release the shield, adjust the tilt of their shield, [[shield drop]], or change their shield's density. Attempting to perform any of these actions while in shieldstun will have them happen the frame shieldstun ends instead.  

In ''Smash 64'', shieldstun is extremely high. When hit on shield, the majority of moves leave the defending player in such a long period of shieldstun, that another hit is nearly always guaranteed. This is especially apparent with aerials with the use of [[Z-cancel]]ling. This, along with the lack of [[perfect shield]]ing, makes shield break combos easier and far more frequent. Some moves, such as {{SSB|Kirby}}'s [[up tilt]], are notorious for breaking shields on their own with repeated use. The formula for frames of shieldstun in ''Smash 64'' is <code>d * 1.62 + 4</code> (rounded down), where '''d''' is the amount of [[damage]] the attack would deal if it was unshielded ([[shield damage]] dealt by the move is not factored into this formula). In the Japanese version, the shieldstun formula was different, with the formula being <code>d * 1.75 + 3</code> (rounded up). This meant that most attacks dealt even more shieldstun, unless they dealt 1%, 2%, 4% or 5%.

In ''Melee'', shieldstun duration in general was reduced. A large difference to other Smash games is the introduction of analog shielding. The analog shield level used when blocking affects shieldstun: the lighter the shield, the more shieldstun the blocker suffers. The formula for frames of shieldstun in ''Melee'' is <code>200 / 201 * ({[d * (a + 0.3)] * 1.5} + 2)</code> rounded down, where '''d''' is the amount of [[damage]] the attack would deal if it was unshielded, rounded down (shield damage dealt by the move is not factored into this formula), and '''a''' is <code>0.65 * {1 - [(s - 0.3) / 0.7]}</code>, where '''s''' describes the analog shield level used. Fully depressed trigger corresponds with <code>s = 1.0</code>, while the lightest possible analog press that still yields shield has <code>s = 0.30714</code>.<ref>https://smashboards.com/threads/official-ask-anyone-frame-things-thread.313889/page-28#post-20577303</ref> 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.

It is possible to shield buffer some evasive options out of shield in ''Melee'' by holding the C-stick while in shieldstun. The character will then jump (if held upwards), spot dodge (if held downwards) or roll (if held sideways) on the first frame after they leave shieldstun.

{{SSBM|Yoshi}} is a notable exception to this rule. While he cannot jump out of shield in this iteration, he suffers no shieldstun whatsoever, which, combined with the other unique properties of his shield, give his shield game a very different dynamic to the rest of the cast.

In ''Brawl'', shieldstun was further reduced. Very few attacks are safe on shield (at least in terms of frame advantage). 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 very vulnerable position. For most attacks to be used safely on shield, they have to be spaced properly, or the opponent will likely have enough time to punish. The approximate formula for frames of shieldstun in ''Brawl'' is <code>d * 0.375</code> rounded down (shield damage dealt by the move is not factored into this formula).

In ''Smash 4'', shieldstun was originally thought to have been reduced again from ''Brawl'', but further testing showed this to be false. The working formula for shieldstun duration in ''Smash 4'' prior to patch [[1.1.1]] was originally <code>d * 0.39</code> rounded down (bonus [[shield damage]] dealt by the move is not factored into the formula), which results in barely higher shieldstun compared to ''Brawl'' [http://smashboards.com/threads/mechanics-techniques-discussion.368206/page-40].

However, following patch [[1.1.1]], shieldstun from [[Specials: Direct|direct]] attacks was increased dramatically, to the point of being higher than in ''Melee''. The new formula is <code>d * 0.58 + 2</code> rounded down, and for [[indirect]] attacks (such as [[projectile]]s), the formula is now <code>d * 0.29 + 2</code>. [[Powershield]]ing further multiplies the amount of shieldstun by 0.66, so, for versions 1.1.1 and later, the formula is <code>d * 0.3828 + 2</code> for direct attacks and <code>d * 0.1914 + 2</code> for indirect attacks when the attack is powershielded.

Version [[1.1.3]] of the game [https://twitter.com/Ruben_dal/status/990306476219666432 added] an additional wrinkle to shieldstun: if a character is trapped in shieldstun for 10 hits, they are allowed to cancel it with a [[roll]] or [[spot dodge]], and the [[intangibility]] of either option comes out immediately on frame 1, regardless of their coded startup. Practically, there are very few moves that can hit a shield enough times for this to trigger; the looping hit of a charging [[Aura Sphere]] is the most noticeable. In the case of said move, this mechanic allows shielding characters to escape it if they are trapped by it at the ledge, where they would otherwise be forced to [[shield SDI]] or have their shield broken.

Shieldstun has been adjusted further in ''Ultimate'', with the new formula being <code>d * 0.8 * m + 2</code>, rounded down<ref>https://twitter.com/BenArthur_7/status/1073252767496617986</ref>. '''d''' is the amount of damage the attack would deal if unshielded (without counting shield damage), while '''m''' is a multiplier that depends on the type of attack used:

*[[Smash attack]]s use a multiplier of 0.725, effectively resulting in the same 0.58 multiplier from ''Smash 4''.<ref>https://twitter.com/BenArthur_7/status/1079237233192910849</ref>

*[[Aerial attack]]s use a multiplier of 0.33, with the exception of [[grab aerial]]s and landing hitboxes, resulting in an overall multiplier of 0.264.

*Indirect attacks (such as [[projectile]]s) use a multiplier of 0.29, resulting in an overall multiplier of 0.232. For smash and aerial attacks that are also projectiles (such as {{SSBU|Mega Man}}'s [[forward smash]] and [[down aerial]]), only this multiplier applies.

*In other cases, the multiplier is 1 by default. However, specific characters' moves that are not in the above categories can also have their own '''shieldstun multiplier'''. These are mostly employed by [[rapid jab]]s and [[dash attack]]s, which use a higher multiplier than usual to either prevent shielding opponents in range from escaping them or to decrease their [[punish]]ability (respectively), but a few other moves possess them as well, such as {{SSBU|Ridley}}'s [[Skewer]], which uses a lower multiplier than usual to prevent its sweetspot from otherwise producing ludicrously high shieldstun, as its first hit deals 45% damage. Shieldstun multipliers also affect the amount of pushback inflicted on the shielding fighter, further affecting how easy or difficult it is to punish moves out of shield.

As a result, shieldstun remains unchanged for smash attacks compared to ''Smash 4'', but is increased for direct special moves and all other ground attacks; [[tilt attack]]s in particular are noticeably safer on shield. Conversely, it is decreased for aerial attacks and projectiles, most significantly the former. The new 0.85× damage multiplier for aerial attacks performed in a [[short hop]] also further reduces their potential shieldstun. However, due to the universally lower [[landing lag]] in ''Ultimate'', the general safety of aerial attacks on shield remains unchanged, with some of them being slightly safer. Furthermore, shield dropping takes longer (11 frames instead of 7), while [[shield grab]]bing after shieldstun has increased startup by 4 frames, and although the new [[powershield]] mechanics allow characters to retaliate against attacks faster, it is harder to pull off, as it is now triggered by dropping the shield instead of putting it up. Overall, attacking shields in ''Ultimate'' is more favorable, with options to safely punish out of shield being riskier (albeit still highly rewarding), encouraging players to focus more on offense.

The ability to cancel shieldstun with a roll or spot dodge after being locked in it for 10 hits returns from ''Smash 4'', and is now applicable to several other moves, most remarkably every [[rapid jab]], due to their increased shieldstun and much faster hit rate. This renders it vastly more useful in punishing such moves, as in the case of rapid jabs, the shielding character can usually roll behind the attacker, who will then be forced to unleash their rapid jab's finisher and thus become much more vulnerable. This mechanic's larger notoriety has led to it being referred to as '''shieldstun canceling''' by the community.

|[[Areadbhar]] (tip)||1.7 (grounded)<br>2 (aerial)

|Dash attack||1.5<ref>1.875 prior to update {{SSBU|8.0.0}}</ref>

|Forward smash (tip)||1.6<ref>Added in update 8.0.0</ref>

|{{SSBU|Ganondorf}}||Dash attack||1.3

|{{SSBU|Hero}}||[[Kazap]]||0.3

|{{SSBU|Jigglypuff}}||[[Pound]]||1.5<ref>Added in update {{SSBU|6.0.0}}</ref>

|Dash attack||1.3<ref>1.875 prior to update {{SSBU|2.0.0}}</ref>

|[[Skewer]]||0.2

|{{SSBU|Ryu}}||[[Hadoken]]||1.2 (weak)<br>1.13 (medium)<br>1.06 (strong)<ref>Added in update {{SSBU|7.0.0}}</ref>

|rowspan=2|{{SSBU|Sonic}}||Dash attack||0.75 (clean)<br>1.05 (late)<ref>1 and 1.57 prior to update {{SSBU|9.0.0}}</ref>

|{{rollover|Neutral aerial|includes forward and back aerial buffered out of a short hop|y}}