There are a number of questions that we get about the SSBU leaderboard so I decided to make a FAQ to just clear up the most common ones. Most are related to Classic Mode, however there are some that cover all categories.

Q: Why are Person X’s Classic Mode RTA times much faster than mine when our IGT is so similar?

A: There are a number of factors that go into this:

1. Did you die at any point in your run? Be honest. Taking a death in a run can lose 5 seconds RTA and next to nothing (as little as 0.02 seconds) IGT.
2. Using a character color variation other than their default loses anywhere from 1 second to 8 seconds depending on the character. Always use the default character skin if you don’t want to needlessly lose time.
3. Some stages (such as Tortimer Island and Kalos Pokémon League) take a random amount of time to load. As far as we are aware, there is no way to control this. Sometimes you just have to eat the time loss.
4. Some older versions of the game have faster loading times than newer ones.
5. In order to progress from one round to the next, you have to hit the A button. If your mashing skills aren’t up to par, you can lose a decent chunk of time.
6. At the end of the round, the game zooms in on the player’s character when it shows the score updating. If the player’s character isn’t on the screen (e.g. very close to the blast zone) the game won’t zoom in. This saves about 0.2 seconds every time it is done.
7. If your copy of the game is the physical game cartridge, you have the slowest loading version of the game. Switching from physical to digital can save 5-10 seconds depending on the character you are running off of loads alone. If you do have a digital version of the game, make sure it is downloaded to your Switch and not your Micro SD card. Micro SD cards don’t have the data transfer rate that the flash storage built into the switch does. If there is enough space used up on the Micro SD card, it will begin to load slower than even a cartridge copy of the game.
8. Newer revisions of the Nintendo Switch have a newer Tegra processor than the original. A newer Switch can save 2 seconds in loading over an older Switch.

Q: If there are so many time losses based on loads alone, why aren’t the Classic Mode Leaderboards ranked by IGT?

A: IGT is not the easiest thing to calculate. Thankfully a webapp exists that you can just plug your game timer into and generate IGT: https://damon-murdoch.github.io/ssbu-classic-igt-calc/index.html Unfortunately there are still some issues concerning running with IGT in mind:

1. There are a LOT of runs submitted and accepted without IGT. IGT has never been a requirement for lifespan of the leaderboard, so there are hundreds of runs that would need to be retimed, which is a lot of work for a small mod team.
2. Some runs would be impossible to retime as they were recorded on a phone with low resolution and/or with the timer not fully on screen.
3. Loads can vary on the same version on the same consoles. This makes it impossible to tell if you've PB'd IGT until after you've retimed it. This would inevitably lead to either a lot of good runs slipping through the cracks, or a lot of time spent combing through a recording trying to see if a run PB’d instead of playing the game.

Q: How do I skip the cutscenes for boss fights?

A: Just press the B button and you'll get right into the action

Q: I’m new to the boards and I want to know which character I should speedrun?

A: This is entirely up to personal taste. Seriously: just pick a character that you like and run them. All characters are beginner friendly in this game. You will have an easier time running 0.0 but if you do have the fundamentals of the game down, 5.0 and 9.9 aren’t terribly difficult.

Q: I don’t have a capture card or good enough computer to use one? Am I allowed to submit to the boards anyway?

A: While decent quality footage is a bonus (and preferred), it is not required. So long as you have video evidence of the time you are claiming and mods can see what you are doing, even a video recording from your phone is good enough to submit. Mods will not accept a time without video evidence. If said video evidence becomes unavailable, your time will be removed from the leaderboards.

Q: Do I have to have a timer on my video in order to submit?

A: Once again, this is preferred but not a requirement. An accurate timer on the video makes it much easier for the moderators to verify your run, and therefore makes it a speedier process. That said: if you don’t have the capabilities to add a timer to your run, you will not be disqualified from submitting.

Q: I keep trying to get 9.9 in Classic Mode but can’t ever reach it. What am I doing wrong?

A: Any number of things.

1. What intensity are you starting out at? Starting at too low of an intensity will mean that you will never be able to reach 9.9. Personal anecdote: the lowest intensity I have ever cleared 9.9 from is 3.5. I have only done that once. I consistently can hit it starting at 3.6 or higher depending on the character.
2. Are you avoiding taking damage? If so, are you beating the fights fast? The amount that the intensity increases is dependent on how quickly you can clear a round, and how little damage you take. You can tell that you have done well when “Nice Play” pops up in the upper left corner when intensity increases.
3. Did you die? If yes, your 9.9 run is over. Once you take a death in classic mode, the highest intensity that you will be able to reach is 9.8. The only exception is if managed to reach 9.9 prior to your death, and you use a ticket to continue. If you use a ticket to continue and you have not reached 9.9, you will not reach 9.9.

Q: Why does 5.0 exist as a category?

A: 5.0 existed originally to be the "challenge run," but as deaths were allowed it eventually evolved into something else. Every other Smash Bros. game has a Normal difficulty category, so this felt like a good way to keep that tradition.

Q: I have a really cool idea for a category!

A: Do you want to run that category? If not: you have your answer. If so: Do it. Run your category and try to get a good time with it. If you still think it’s fun, Moderator Jaaay has set up a spreadsheet leaderboard for all kinds of whacky categories. You can find out more here: https://www.speedrun.com/ssbu/thread/yvgaj

Q: When running Co-op, am I allowed to pick a different character with Player 2, or do I have to play the same character?

A: The game allows you to choose whichever character you want, so that isn’t restricted on the boards.