Elite Smash
Elite Smash (VIPマッチ, VIP Match) is an unlockable online mode on Quickplay that allows players above a threshold of Global Smash Power to access. Once a player reaches necessary GSP on a character, that specific character is allowed to fight in Elite Smash. However, if the character's GSP falls below the threshold for any reason, they will be returned to quickplay and will need to raise their GSP again. Characters in Elite Smash will be highlighted on the character select screen, while characters not in Elite Smash can still be played, but will be played in the usual Quickplay instead of Elite Smash. If the game can't find another Elite Smash player, they'll be paired with an ordinary foe.
Elite Smash was first revealed in the November 1st, 2018 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct. In the same Direct, Masahiro Sakurai noted that developers would be looking at fights in Elite Smash to determine how to balance characters in post-launch updates.
The GSP value required to access Elite Smash is not fixed, but rather increases as more players reach the threshold. This means that players can lose access to Elite Smash simply by not playing online for a while, incentivizing players to keep playing and earn more GSP to increase the buffer before being kicked. The win/loss ratio the player has for a certain fighter also influences whether or not Elite Smash can be played as said character.
Players will be notified after the match when they unlock Elite Smash, and will not be able to rematch the opponent. The Quickplay and Background Matchmaking options will have an "Elite" tag on the top right corner.
Battling in an Elite Smash match for the first time will give the player a notice about it.
Update history
4.0.0
- The game will no longer allow a rematch if the player enters or is kicked out of Elite Smash.
5.0.0
- The message for reaching Elite Smash was changed.
6.0.0
- Two new Battle Arena types have been added: "Elite Only" which only allows players in Elite Smash, and "Beginners Only" which specifically disallows players in Elite Smash.
8.1.0
- The GSP threshold for entry into Elite Smash was recalculated to allow more players. Additionally, the way initial values for GSP are calculated was also adjusted.
