Stage transformation

Pokémon Stadium transforming

A stage transformation is a feature that is used for certain stages in Super Smash Bros. Melee onwards. Stage transformations vary greatly in differences, with some stages changing minimally, and others becoming noticeably different. Typically, transforming stages in the Super Smash Bros. series are banned from tournament play, depending on how drastically a transformation can affect a match.

A stage transition is a stage that changes similarly to a stage transformation. However, instead of changing, it simply moves along a determined layout, resetting back to the start as soon as it reaches the end. Like transforming stages, transitioning stages are typically banned from tournament play.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Stage	Games	Transformation type	Notes	Tournament legality
Big Blue		Scrolling	Goes forward on a race track on the Falcon Flyer. Players can also fight on top of the racer's cars and floating platforms that occasionally appear.	Banned
Brinstar Depths		Complete Transformation	As the players are fighting, Kraid will occasionally appear in the background, swiping at the stage with his claws. When hit, the stage will slowly spin either left or right, depending on which claw Kraid uses.	Banned
Great Bay		Platform Appearance	After a certain amount of time, the turtle will sink into the ocean, and will come back up some time later, occasionally facing a different direction. Additionally, Tingle's balloon acts as a platform, though if a player were to remain on it for too long, the balloon would pop.	Banned
Icicle Mountain		Scrolling	Transitions strictly upwards and downwards rather than forwards, a trait only this stage has in Melee. Features a wide variety of platforms to jump on. Topis and Polar Bears appear on this stage in Adventure Mode.	Banned
Mute City		Cruise	This stage starts as a platform and floats along the track, occasionally dropping down on the road, leaving players vulnerable to the racers driving through.	Banned
Poké Floats		Scrolling	A stage that uses enlarged Pokémon as part of the layout, switching between ones such as Squirtle, Onix, and Unown.	Banned
Pokémon Stadium		Complete Transformation	There are five variations: Basic, Grass, Water, Fire, and Rock. One can determine which variation it will change into on the large screen in the background. The layout of the stage will depend on which variation is used. For example, the Water variation features a pond, a windmill that functions as a spinning platform, and two platforms to the right.	Counterpick
Princess Peach's Castle		Platform Appearance	At various points during a match, buttons will appear on the stage. If a player were to press it, platforms and "!" Blocks appear in varying colors, depending on the color of the button pressed.	Banned
Rainbow Cruise		Scrolling	Starting on a flying ship, it flies to a series of platforms that players must jump on, ultimately leading back to the ship.	Banned
Venom		Platform Appearance	While the stage layout itself does not change, the stage will fly through a cave, capable of causing launching players to bounce off of a ceiling or wall.	Banned
Yoshi's Story		Platform Appearance	Lakitu's Cloud, dubbed "Randall", will circle around the sides of the stage as a platform. This has become very infamous in tournaments, as Randall has inadvertently helped players recover when they should've lost a stock.	Starter

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Stage	Games	Transformation type	Notes	Tournament legality
Castle Siege		Complete Transformation	This stage has three different forms, transforming into the second form about 40 seconds into a match. The first form takes place on top of a kingdom, the second stage is in a throne room, with destructible statues functioning as platforms, and an underground level with a somewhat similar layout to Final Destination, before reverting back to the first form.	Counterpick
Delfino Plaza		Cruise	Much like Mute City in Melee, Delfino Plaza starts on a platform, floating across the Delfino Plaza and making occasional stops in the various areas. Unlike Mute City however, there are no stage hazards.	Counterpick
Flat Zone 2		Complete Transformation	This stage has four forms: Fire, Oil Panic, Lion, and Chef, all of which are based on the Game & Watch games that were released back in 1981.	Banned
Frigate Orpheon		Complete Transformation	Every so often, lights will flash and an alarm will sound, and the stage will flip upside down. This can become troublesome, as players can become disoriented by its sudden change and could cause them to self-destruct.	Counterpick
Halberd		Cruise	Starting as a floor with walkoff blast lines, the floor later opens and a platform rises out of it, then becoming similar to Mute City, until stopping on top of the Halberd, becoming a flat stage with a single platform above.	Counterpick
Luigi's Mansion		Complete Transformation	The mansion is completely destructible, divided into four sections. When all sections are destroyed, the stage then has a similar layout to Final Destination, before the stage rebuilds itself.	Banned
Mushroomy Kingdom		Scrolling	A recreation of World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros., albeit with a more aged and decayed design. "?" Blocks appear all over the stage, giving an item whenever jumps into the bottom of it in a similar vein to Mario in his game.	Banned
PictoChat		Complete Transformation	PictoChat contains 27 different variations, including Standard, the standard version, Fire, a variation with fire as stage hazards, and Missiles, a variation with missiles as stage hazards.	Banned
Pirate Ship		Scrolling	As the ship sails, numerous events happen, including a watchtower shooting bombs at the ship, running into a rocky island, and a cyclone sweeping the ship up into the sky before falling back into the sea.	Banned
Pokémon Stadium 2		Complete Transformation	Functions almost identically to Pokémon Stadium. The variations are Basic, Electric, Flying, Ground, and Ice, all with layouts and background Pokémon relating to the variation.	Banned
Port Town Aero Dive		Cruise	Functionally identical to Melee's Mute City.	Banned
Rumble Falls		Scrolling	Functionally identical to Icicle Mountain, albeit with ladders and launchers.	Banned
Summit		Scrolling	After a certain amount of time, the stage will break off and slide down a mountain into the sea, remaining there for some time until resetting back onto the top of the mountain.	Banned
WarioWare, Inc.		Complete Transformation	Around every 30 seconds, the door in the background opens and the players must play a Microgame. There are nine possible Microgames that can be played.	Banned
Yoshi's Island		Platform appearance	The platform in the middle of the stage occasionally tilts left or right, and Blarggwiches will occasionally appear to the left or right of the stage, acting as platforms.	Starter

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Stage	Games	Transformation type	Notes	Tournament legality
3D Land		Scrolling	Functionally identical to Mushroomy Kingdom. Layouts are based on World 1-1, World 8-2, World 4-1, World 4-3, Special 3-2, and Special 6-4.	Banned
Arena Ferox		Complete Transformation	Starting out as a flat stage, platforms occasionally rise from the ground, some of which being destructible.	Counterpick
Coliseum		Complete Transformation	Strikingly similar to Arena Ferox in function, albeit with walkoff blast lines instead.	Banned
Dream Land		Scrolling	Primarily a transitioning stage, but also will transform into the Mt. Dedede Boss Rush Lobby, the Castle Lololo interior, Bubbly Clouds, Castle Lololo exterior, and Dedede's Ring.	Banned
Flat Zone X		Complete Transformation	Exactly the same as Flat Zone 2, except with the addition of Helmet from Melee's Flat Zone.	Banned
Golden Plains		Scrolling	Shifts left and right occasionally, revealing a larger part of the stage with more coins to collect.	Banned
Kalos Pokémon League		Complete Transformation	This stage contains five forms: The Main Hall, the Dragonmark Chamber, the Blazing Chamber, the Ironworks Chamber, and the Flood Chamber, each one containing background Pokémon and stage elements relating to the type represented. Rarely, Legendary Pokémon can be encountered, each with unique special effects that affect the stage.	Banned
Living Room		Complete Transformation	Objects, such as blocks and a toy mouse, will appear at the top of the stage and fall to the ground, changing the layout of the stage and damaging any players that happen to be underneath it.	Banned
Mario Circuit		Cruise	Functionally identical to Melee's Mute City.	Banned
Midgar		Complete Transformation	As players are fighting on the stage, a random Materia appears. Once a player collects it, they will summon something, depending on what color Materia it is. Various things can happen to this stage in turn, such as being slanted sideways by fire, moving platforms, and being sliced in half.	Unknown
Mushroom Kingdom U		Complete Transformation	Contains four variations: Acorn Plains, the default layout, the Rock-Candy Mines, the Slide Lift Tower, and the Meringue Clouds. Kamek will appear at points during the match, casting a spell to cause the transformation to occur. Nabbit will also show up periodically when the stage transforms.	Banned
Mute City		Platform Appearance	The racers periodically drive in, capable of acting as platforms, and will randomly leave. The platforms above have no changes.	Banned
Pac-Land		Scrolling	Follows the layout of the original Pac-Land game, including the town level, the bridge level, the mountain level, and ending at the fairy world. Afterward, the stage scrolls back to the left and repeats the process until the match is finished.	Banned
Paper Mario		Complete Transformation	Contains three variations: The starting layout Hither Thither Hill, S.S. Flavion, and Bowser's Sky Castle. The transformation occurs in a pop-up book style.	Banned
PictoChat 2		Complete Transformation	Contains 26 drawings, including Seesaw, Paper Airplanes, and Pac-Pix, all with different functions and hazards.	Banned
Pilotwings		Cruise	Switches between airplanes and a ceiling briefly appears at a certain point that launching players can bounce off of.	Banned
Prism Tower		Cruise	Starting as a walkoff similar to Halberd, a platform will rise and take players to various locations around Lumiose City in the sky, stopping at certain points and transforming to include platforms.	Counterpick
Rainbow Road		Cruise	Functionally identical to Melee's Mute City, with Shy Guys in karts functioning as stage hazards.	Banned
Reset Bomb Forest		Complete Transformation	Starts on a castle, similar to Castle Siege. After approximately a minute, Viridi appears in the background and drops a Reset Bomb, destroying the castle and creating a white flash. The stage then becomes a forest with the remains of the castle scattered about. A Lurchthorn will also appear in the lower blast line.	Banned
Skyloft		Cruise	Functionally identical to Delfino Plaza, stopping at the various areas of the Skyloft.	Banned
Spirit Train		Platform Appearance	Every now and then, an arrow will appear and the camera will pan over to the front of the train, then coming back to reveal the rear carriage has changed. Platforms, Armored Trains, and Dark Trains appear, also functioning as platforms. Carriages are Basic, Broken, Multi-platform, Coal, and House.	Banned
Super Mario Maker		Complete Transformation	The stage's layout is completely randomized at the start of every match.	Banned
Woolly World		Scrolling	Starts in a hill area, with clouds and a rocket acting as platforms. After some time, the stage moves into the sky and the ground disappears, leaving only the rocket and clouds to stand on. It then transitions to a third area, coming down to the ground with toy blocks instead of a hill, and rises back up to the sky once more, then resetting to the first area.	Banned
Wrecking Crew		Complete Transformation	Like Luigi's Mansion, Wrecking Crew's layout is destructible, except with the use of the bombs that can be found around the stage.	Banned
Wuhu Island		Cruise	Functionally identical to Delfino Plaza. The landmark layouts are Frisbee Dog Park, Swaying Bridge, the boat, rocks at sea, Maka Wuhu, boating gate, Wishing Fountain, Swordplay Colosseum, and Talon Rock.	Banned