Punishment
 | It has been suggested that this article should be moved toPunish. The reason given for the move is:Much more commonly used term in the Smash community (Discuss) |
Punishment is the act of attacking an opponent while they are vulnerable. Being vulnerable to be punished often results from using an attack with slow start-up lag at a inopportune time or having missed an attack with high ending lag. For example, theFalcon Punch is a punishable move since it has long start-up and ending lag; if Captain Falcon uses it against an active and expecting opponent or if the move's target is able to avoid the attack, they have ample time to launch a counterattack. Characters can also be punished if their attack isshielded, such as viashield grabbing orout of shield attacks. An attack that is difficult or impossible to punish is usually known as "safe", usually due to having low ending lag and/or large hitboxes that are difficult to get around. A move's power can make punishment seem more dangerous; as an example, some players may choose to avoid the forward smashes ofGanondorf,Ike, andKing Dedede rather than attempt to punish them simply because of the risk involved. Actions that are less subtle are often punishable as well.
Some characters can use attacks withsuper armor for a unique kind of punish, although this is only prominent inBrawl and significantly more common inSSB4 andUltimate. For example,Ike'sAether has super armor that allows him to tank and punish enemies who attack him before he throws his sword, whileLittle Mac's smash attacks inSSB4 andUltimate all provide super armor, allowing him to punish any sort of laggy attack, weak or strong, by simply plowing through it.
Characters can also be punished if they have used a move that causeshelplessness, or they are in a position where their onlyrecovery option is obvious and predictable.
Crouch cancelling can lead to punishes, usually by using a character'sdown smash ordown tilt.
