HTB Jargon

Neutral (Neutral Game) - A term used to indicate the phase of the match where both players have all their options available. Generally, the game starts in this phase and switches to a different phase when one player limits the options of the other or lands an attack. One player may have an advantage, but that advantage is always character or matchup related, not caused directly by either player.

Lag - Endlag, or the time a move takes to finish, unless otherwise stated as start lag.

Start lag - The time before a move starts up. For example, Meta Knight's Forward Smash is a move with high start lag, while Falco's bair is a move with low start lag.

*letter* *air/smash/tilt/special* - A general naming scheme applied to movesets in the game. The letter indicates a direction, f-forward, b-back/backward, u-up/upward, d-down/downward, n-neutral. The word after indicates the type of move, air-aerial, smash-Smash attack, tilt-weak directional grounded attack, special-attack executed with B button. Moves are performed by holding the direction indicated by the letter and doing the correct type of attack. Jabs are pressing the A button without a direction, essentially a "neutral tilt". Check wiki for more information.

Disjoint(ed) - The attack is not a part of the character's hurtbox, meaning hitting the attack with another attack will not damage the first attacker. For example, if Marth executes a jab and Ganondorf executes a forward smash, hitting Marth's sword, Marth is not damaged. This means that Marth's jab is disjointed. However, if Captain Falcon jabs and it collides with Ganondorf's forward smash, Falcon will be damaged by the forward smash. The jab is not disjointed. (These are just hypotheticals to explain the term, they may or may not hold true in a match).

Transcendent(transcendence) - The attack will never collide with another attack. For example, Pikachu's jab is transcendent. If Marth and pikachu jab and the jabs overlap, they do not collide (or clank), instead both attacks continue as normal and move through each other.

Clank (collide) - When two non-transcendent attacks overlap, both attacks stop and both attackers get a set amount of endlag, which is the same for both characters. If one attack does 9% more than the other, the attack with greater damage "wins" and continues with no lag, while the other attacker is hit with the attack. If the losing attack is disjointed and the winning attack does not hit the loser's hurtbox, the losing attacker receives endlag that scales with the attack received. Usually this endlag is very significant.

Hurtbox/Hitbox - Hitboxes are the area a move will hit in, or an "area of effect". Hurtboxes are the area a character can be hit in. Together, these definitions mean that if the hitbox of an attack overlaps the hurtbox of a character, the character is hit with an attack. For example, "Pikachu's Quick Attack makes his hurtbox larger" or "Cloud's nair has a large hitbox".

Frame(s) - A single "image". Videos and video games load many of these in a second, to create the illusion of motion. Smash runs at 60 frames per second, so there are 60 images per second. In the context of the game, frames are units of time. Everything is calculated in frames, so time is measured in frames. "Frame data" means the collection of timings of each move, how long they take to start, end, how long they last for, etc.

OOS - Out Of Shield, or an option a character can take directly out of their shield, bypassing the time it takes to let go of shield. In smash, there are options characters can take out of shield. These are Jump, grab, shield drop, and drop (the shield).Through a combination of jumping and executing other moves, other options are available, such as up b. Watch to avoid confusing a shield drop and a drop shield. Shield Drop(ping) is the name of an advanced technique where the character immediately releases shield and drops through a platform, while dropping shield is just letting go of the shield button. Dropping shield gives endlag, while the other options all have no lag.

Perfect shield (powershield) - Pressing shield gives a 3 frame window to perfect shield. If an attack connects during those first 3 frames (or is inside the bubble when the shield appears), the attack is perfect shielded. This means that the shielder skips both the amount of time where they would be locked into shield and the amount of time it would take to drop their shield, should they choose that option. This means that the shielder can capitalize fully on any lag their opponent would have, even very small amounts. Additionally, when an attack hits a shield, the shielder is normally pushed back. When a perfect shield occurs, however, the attacker is pushed back instead. In some scenarios this can kill the attack, such as if they up b'd on to the opponent's shield.

Autocancel - Most aerials have an autocancel window. If the attacker hits the ground during this time, the attacker suffers no lag (aside from the 1-4 frames of normal landing lag present on all landings).

Burst Movement - A move or technique that allows a character to get around much faster than normal, and/or much less predictably. Some side b's function this way, such as Pikachu's, and some directional Up b's function this way, such as Pikachu's or Greninja's. These moves allow the user to surprise their opponent with quick movement.

Juggle - A scenario where one player keeps their opponent up in the air, repeatedly hitting them with upward-launching attacks to prevent them from landing. Usually, one player is repeatedly hitting the other with an up air while the other player tries to escape.

(Super) Armor - A state which some moves give to the user. In this state, if the character with super armor is hit with an attack, they receive the full damage of the attack but do not flinch nor take any knockback. Notably, Little Mac has this on all of his smash attacks.

2 Frame - Not to be confused with the amount of frames equal to 1/30th of a second, a 2 frame is a specific word meaning to hit the opponent as they grab the ledge. Not while they are on the ledge, but during the 2 frames of time that they spend flying to the ledge after they "snap" but before they gain invincibility. The name is derived from the timing.

(Ledge) Snap - When a character "locks onto" the ledge and flies toward it, grabbing it. Most Up b's and some side b's snap to ledge but there are some exceptions. Little Mac and Cloud's up b's (for all intents and purposes) don't snap to the ledge.

RAR - Reverse Aerial Rush, or when an aerial is done in the "wrong" direction, such as a fair done while moving backward or a bair done while moving forward. The term rar almost always refers to a bair, but it can sometimes refer to other aerials. These are executed by pressing the opposite direction just before you press the jump button, so that your character moves one direction in the air while facing the other. This is used to hit an opponent with a move that would not otherwise hit, or to hit with a bair when they are in fair range.

Dropzone - The area below the ledge, especially to the area where the up b of the recovering character will snap the ledge. Players in this area generally are aiming to snap to the ledge, and may become over-focused on this goal, allowing the attacker to more easily edgeguard them.

Sakurai Angle - The angle in the game's code with the value of "361" degrees. This angle launches at around 20 degrees at knockback values, and increases to 40 degrees at higher ones. The name comes from moves with the angle inherently having a chance of tripping at lower percents.

Directional Influence (DI) - A technique to modify the knockback angle from attacks received. There are three types: "Normal" DI, Smash DI, and Vectoring. "Normal" DI, usually just called DI, is the technique where you hold a direction during hitlag to modify the angle of knockback you take once hitlag ends. Holding parallel to the angle of knockback will do nothing, while holding perpendicular will modify the angle in the direction you hold. This is used to help escape combos (combo DI) or to help survive (survival DI). The goal of combo DI is to get out of your opponent's range, while the goal of survival DI is to stay as close to the stage and as far away from blast zones as possible

Vectoring - A form of DI, Vectoring is only in Smash 4 and is the best form of DI for flying horizontally. Vectoring modifies the knockback value instead of angle, and holding parallel to the angle of knockback is the most effective. In Smash 4, since one of the early patches, vertical vectoring no longer exists, only horizontal. Holding inward to the stage allows you to survive longer through vectoring, while holding outward helps to escape combos. Vectoring can be done throughout hitstun, unlike the other two forms of DI which can only be done during hitlag. Vectoring and normal DI are both commonly referred to as "DI".

Smash DI - Another form of DI, Smash DI, or SDI, allows modifying the position of your character before knockback is applied, during hitlag. By repeatedly pressing a direction or by mashing in multiple directions (diagonals + cardinals), your character can move slightly in the direction you mash. Useful for escaping combos, can situationally allow you to survive for a few percent longer. Higher percents mean more hitlag, which means more room for SDIing. Sometimes called "Hitstun Shuffling", which is a bit of a misnomer despite technically being the official name.

Hitlag - The period after a hit is taken but before the knockback is applied. Hitlag, aside from some rare circumstances (and projectiles) applies to both the attacker and the receiver on a hit. The amount of time this hitlag lasts scales with the knockback dealt. Electric moves have higher hitlag, and paralyzers (such as ZSS Dsmash) are basically just attacks with really high hitlag and fancy effects. SDI and normal DI can only be applied during this period.

Hitstun - The period after knockback is taken but before the knock-ed-back character can act. When hitlag ends, hitstun begins.