Olimar’s hurtbox adjustments result in serious shield poking issues in version 3.1.0 of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Patch 3.1.0 of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was perhaps the most influential update the game has received in terms of impactful balance adjustments. A number of top tiers saw a reduction in power while some of the game's least used fighters benefited from improvements.
Among those nerfed were Olimar and Pichu. Since they are both short characters, they can be particularly difficult to hit at times. To weaken this advantage a little bit, both of them received an expansion to some of their hurtboxes.
Although "now easier to hit" is something that is noted for both Pichu and Olimar, only Pichu's changes also include the "increased shield size" adjustment. In other words, Olimar did not receive an expansion of his shield size in compensation in the same way that Pichu did.
Olimar's hurtbox was mostly expanded around his space helmet area. Unfortunately for dedicated Olimar mains, this means that Olimar's adjusted hurtbox pokes out of a healthy shield, if only slightly.
An attack from just the perfect angle can cause Olimar to take a hit from an attack even if he is shielding. In last hit situations, this obviously means the difference between punishing an unsafe attack for the win and losing.
It's currently unknown if Nintendo intends to address this issue in a future update. It's also too early to tell if Olimar will fall from top tier status as a result of the nerfs from this patch.
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Sources: Meshima, Qook, Shuton's YouTube channel.
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