The Alabama Wobbling Ban

INTRODUCTION

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To preface, we want to ensure the community that this decision has been amply discussed among our region’s TOs, every single one of which will be explicitly mentioned later in this post. We did not wish to make the same mistakes as some of those before us in taking action prematurely, and we wish to make it known that our opinions are in no way a knee-jerk reaction to recent events; many of our TOs have been deliberating and discussing this topic for some time. However, with wobbling being the subject of frequent discussion among figureheads, players, and spectators alike, we deem it important to speak and act on this matter sooner rather than later.



THE RULING

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First, we will discuss precisely how wobbling will be limited in the context of this rule. The “Wobbling Clause” is as follows: “When the Ice Climbers grab an opponent, the sequence of ‘pummel -> attack’ may only occur three times in the duration of one grab.”



While this rule removes the possibility of a guaranteed kill when grabbing a low-percent opponent, it still ensures that the Ice Climbers will maintain their signature, potent grab game with a number of powerful options at their disposal. This rule is deliberately worded in a way such that players and spectators can identify an infraction with relative ease. At the same time, the term "attack" broadly represents any action such as a tilt, smash attack, or blizzard. We will be open to reevaluating the details of this rule if any unforeseen ambiguities or other such problems are brought to our attention.



Infractions of this rule will result in a warning, a stock loss, a game loss, or a set loss depending on contextual circumstances (such as the presence of a spectator, perceived accidental versus intentional infractions, or infractions in the final stock of a game or set). We expect good faith from every competitor in the same way that we expect good faith when players report set scores or claim that they have been wobbled above 300%. Final decisions will ultimately be up to the discretion of a TO, but we generally advise erring on the side of leniency.



FURTHER DISCUSSION

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This topic presents evidently complex and contentious issues regarding gameplay integrity, competitive integrity, community health, and other similarly amorphous phrases. As such, we acknowledge that there is no single answer to the problem that we are attempting to address with this ruling.



To briefly summarize our perspective, we have jointly come to the conclusion that an unblockable infinite devoid of mid-combo interaction is fundamentally antithetical to a game like Melee in which player inputs—and their opponent's reactions to those inputs—are integral aspects of every interaction. There exists no other legal scenario in which a player is unable to affect their character via controller inputs for an amount of time that is not explicitly decided upon by the game’s engine (as is the case with mechanics such as hitstun or landing lag).



This is just one of many arguments that the greater Melee community has actively discussed. Any counterpoints that misrepresent this perspective as “complaining” or “hating Ice Climbers” are just that—misrepresentations. With this said, we understand perspectives that may disagree on other, more valid grounds.



We want to clarify that this ban is reversible and that any affected TO may withdraw from this ruling at any time. We do not claim that our decisions are infallible; rather, we wish to address this single issue in hopes of either learning a valuable lesson or ultimately helping to change the Melee ruleset for the better. The court of public opinion will be our guide in this regard.



As a brief aside, we also want to make it very clear that we find all talks of banning Jigglypuff (or any other characters, techniques, or moves) to be completely asinine. This straw man exists exclusively to weaken pro-wobbling ban arguments and is in no way a point worth deliberating by anyone.



SIGNATURES

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Following are the Alabama organizers and recurring tournaments that have signed off on this ruling. Please note that this list, to our knowledge, effectively encapsulates the entirety of today’s Alabama’s tournament scene (with one exception, discussed below):

- dron, geg, & Crock (Auburn Altercation & Down B Biweekly—Auburn)

- Apollo (Hidden Power & Secret Power—Mobile)

- Emperor & Mint (TKO & TUB—Tuscaloosa)

- eve (The Pangle—Tuscaloosa)

- Glacinite (King of the Hill—Birmingham)

- Resdan (Magic City Smash—Birmingham)

- Jonk, Nash, & Papa Squat (F-Tilted—Birmingham)

- Hermit (That’s Not Safe—Birmingham)

- Takahiro & Mickdoodle (Trojan War—Troy)

- Envelope (Smash @ Fanatix—Troy)

- DiNKLE (The Comeback Story—Shoals)



Due to multiple factors, the city of Huntsville—home of Versus Huntsville (vsHsv) and Backthrow Thursday—has decided to hold off on making a decision. Its organizers have expressed interest in revisiting the topic at a later date, but at this moment, they do not wish to take part in the ruling. Their hesitation largely stems from an unwillingness to give credence or credibility to intentionally misleading public claims previously made by members of the Tennessee Melee community (of which they are close neighbors). We’ve chosen not to pressure them in our deliberations, and we hope that they are able to come to their own conclusion when they are ready.



Thank you for reading.



—The Alabama TO Community











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