Super Smash Bros. Ultimate hasn’t had an update since June 2025, but Nintendo just had to barge into the competitive space when it saw players attempting to thrive. Developers woke from their slumber like Godzilla sensing another kaiju landing in Tokyo and decided it was necessary to drop Patch 13.0.5, which only came with one single – but negatively impactful – update.
Now the developers have gone back into their underwater cave to rest.
Patch 13.0.5 has one single line. But the implications behind it are huge.
“Fixed behavior that occurs when invalid data is sent or received in online battles.”
Nintendo’s f*** ah patch
Netcode? We don’t need no stinkin’ netcode
While Nintendo didn’t really dive into what this seemingly simple update means, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players knew it was directly aimed at those who use Delay Mod. This is a mod that improves Nintendo’s horrendous netcode, ensuring there is no lagging.
Nintendo has continued to have notoriously crap internet, making competitive Smash quite challenging. Even on the Nintendo Switch, a newer system. This has made it quite difficult for pro Smash players to practice online, since the lag can completely destroy the competitive integrity of a match.
The online matches feel so different from LAN matches that there was a massive debate over if online tourneys even counted during COVID. The online play felt like an entirely different animal, requiring different playstyles, tactics, and strategies to deal with Nintendo’s netcode. Players who dominated Majors found themselves floundering against online warriors who had adapted to Nintendo’s crap internet.
During this time, a lot of pro players looked into mods to fix the lag issues.
A long history of exploring anti-lag cheats
In 2025, top Snake player Hurt announced a self-imposed two-month ban after he was accused of using an input delay mod while streaming. The Japanese player was at the top of his game around this time, having just won Genesis X2 the month before.
ENTER FORCE.36 said at the time: “As a result of our internal investigation, we have confirmed that Hurt had installed unofficial mods on one of the two Nintendo Switch systems he owns.
“According to the person in question, he had only used the equipment when playing private online matches with acquaintances, and the footage in question was an excerpt from a stream of an online match in which he was matched up with an unspecified number of people while unintentionally using the equipment.”
This caused a lot of controversy last year, with many feeling as though he was getting publicly shamed over nothing. What’s the harm in trying to improve Nintendo’s latency issues while playing with friends?
Even though the Delay Mod is only trying to fix what Nintendo refuses to do (possibly in an attempt to hold Smash esports back), it’s still illegal to mod Nintendo consoles. Japanese players have been outspoken about these kinds of mods, as Japanese law prohibits their use. With Japanese players afraid of the consequences, they often find themselves at a disadvantage against players in other countries who are using the Delay Mod.
The hostility within the Ultimate community led to Delay Mod’s creator, Bluejay, getting doxxed. He announced that he’d no longer be developing the mod.
Despite all this, some players were still using the Delay Mod to improve the lag in online matches. It’s being rumored that Japanese players were getting sick of the unfairness and went straight to Nintendo to tattle tale.
Either way, it seems Nintendo just couldn’t stand for this any longer. YOU’LL HAVE HORRIBLE LAG, AND YOU’LL LIKE IT!
Smash players can’t have anything. Well, at least nothing competitive
Nintendo’s latest patch has brought up this conversation once more. The most common sentiment is: “Smash players really can’t have anything.” Especially on Nintendo’s watch.
It’s possible that Nintendo had good intentions with this latest update. There has been a Japanese cheat going around that cuts the opponent’s connection, creating an error that disrupts matches. But with how aggressively Nintendo has consistently gone after the competitive Smash scene, players aren’t too sure. Canceled tournaments, cease and desist letters, and removing Smash from Evo have left a very bad taste in the community’s mouth. I wouldn’t put it past Nintendo to attack a mod that is meant to make practicing easier for pro players.
However, there is no denying that Delay Mod caused significant unfairness. You basically had to use Delay Mod, risking punishment from Nintendo, or you’d be at a significant disadvantage. Many argued that it shouldn’t be allowed in casual online tournaments, not even Elite Smash, and should instead be reserved for online tournaments.
But practicing on Nintendo’s laggy netcode is still going to create a different experience than competing in a Supermajor, rendering the practice a bit useless.
Either way, the biggest takeaway was that Nintendo simply blocked Delay Mod instead of addressing and fixing its internet issues. Typical Nintendo.
While we are still unsure what its true intentions were with this patch, we can all see very clearly that Nintendo has no desire to improve online matches. In fact, you should just be using items and having fun in Nintendo’s eyes. And you should love Steve. He’s fun, right!?
With a possible new Smash title on the horizon, it will be interesting to see if Nintendo finally embraces the competitive side of the game or forces the party game side of things even harder.
