Summary
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the most recent entry in Nintendo’s storied fighting game franchise, is well known for its massive collection of playable characters. TheSuper Smash Bros.series has influencedcountless similar fighting games, with recent examples beingMultiVersusandNickelodeon’s All-Star Brawl, but Nintendo’s long-running take on the mash-up party fighter still reigns supreme, in part because of its commitment to providing a wide range of options to its players.
WhenSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatelaunched in 2018, it came pre-packaged with a whopping 69 fighters. In the years following its release, it has expanded this roster, adding another 12 fighters to the game via DLC. With such a massive list of characters to choose from, each with their own unique stats, skills, and applicable strategies. The possibilities for experimentation and optimization are endless. Whether a player prefersSuper Smash Bros.mainstaysor fresh faces, each character is worth delving into, especially as the game approaches its fifth anniversary.
RELATED:Barack Obama Super Smash Bros. Main Revealed
S Tier
Just about everySuper Smash Bros. Ultimatecharacter can be used effectively with the right experience and strategy, but S-tier characters are defined by their ability to output massive amounts of damage through both combos and special abilities. Some S-tier characters, like Sheik, Link, and Joker, leverage speed to deal out quick and devastating basic attacks, while keeping versatility in mind. Others, like Snake, can make use of special B-moves to best their foes, especially once players master their move sets.
Some S-tier characters, on the other hand, are simply broken. TakeMinecraft’s contribution Steve, who has beenbanned in manySuper Smash Bros. Ultimatetournamentsfor being far too powerful. Steve has the speed and special abilities of the characters mentioned above, but players can make use of his moving attack and mining skills to create nearly unwinnable scenarios for their opponents. This is a good example of a character who is almost endless exploitable, and is one of a few DLC characters included in the S-tier.
A-Tier
Moving down from the best of the best, the A-tier is reserved for characters who are fantastic and reliable choices, but may not necessarily have the potential to be completelybrokenSuper Smash Bros.charactersor tickets to instant victories. Most of the characters in the A-tier boast a good mix of strength, speed, and exploitable moves. These characters are easy to figure out, but can be mastered to increase their viability. When it comes toSuper Smash Bros Ultimateonline matches or tournaments, these characters are some of the most commonly seen.
Certain A-tier characters, like Lucas and Ness, are a bit more difficult to get a handle on. New players might have some extra difficulty grappling with these fighters and making them truly effective in combat, but once their particularities are understood, they boast massive potential in a number of different situations, fromonlineSuper Smash Bros.matchesand massive tournaments to casual games between friends. These fighters succeed thanks to a combination of effective special abilities and low-level attacks, which can give them great combo potential and allow for the development of various metas and strategies. Even when these more peculiar characters are well understood, though, it’s much less common to see them completely annihilating in high-level tournaments in a manner similar to Steve, which is what keeps them from joining the S-tier.
Nonetheless, pretty much any A-tier character is a solid option, regardless of player experience or skill. These fighters don’t require knowledge of advancedSuper Smash Bros.moves like edge-guardingor boost-grabbing, although they can become significantly more powerful for those who master these skills.
B-Tier
Characters in the B-tier are still good, and are some of the more popular options in the game. A fighter can fall into the B-tier for a number of reasons, but most of them simply do not have the power potential of those at the higher levels. Moreover, B-tier characters are often missing the X-factor that makes their superiors so powerful, something thatSuper Smash Bros.clonestend to struggle with. Still, these fighters are characterized by their versatility, ease-of-use, and reliable combat options, which makes them solid choices for a wide selection of players.
It’s not uncommon to see beginner Super Smash Bros. players choosing some of these fighters, as they are easy to get a handle on and have numerous powerful moves at their disposal. However, unlike the characters in the A-tier, these fighters have a shorter skill ceiling, maxing out their potential at relatively low points and keeping them from being unstoppable forces, even for advanced players. Put in simple terms, many of the B-tierSuper Smash Bros. characters are satisfyingand enjoyable to play as, but they lack what makes the A- and S-tier options as good as they are.
Another constant in B-tier characters is a fairly straightforward and understandable move set. Fighters like Ness aren’t as easy to pick up and play with due to their unique abilities, but mastering these moves can lead to winning strategies that are hard to counter. Although certain B-tier fighters, such as Kirby, have slightly higher skill ceilings due to their unique abilities, it’s still not common to see players winning major tournaments with them, relegating them to a somewhat average position. B-tierSmash Bros.fighters certainly have room for improvement, but aren’t so bad that they aren’t viable.
RELATED:The Next Smash Bros is Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Plac
C-Tier
The C-tier is where things start to get a bit more critical. These characters aren’t outright awful, but they aren’t great either. Many of these characters are fun to play as, if only due to their novelty, but they won’t be sweeping the floor at tournaments very often.
Sometimes, players with unique play styles or strategies can make these fighters more effective through various metas and exploits, but for the most part, C-tier characters are best suited for casual, low-stakes play, where winning isn’t necessarily the most important thing. Characters like Ice Climbers, for instance, are the quintessential C-tier characters, as they are unique and fun, but don’t have thecombo potential of otherSuper Smash Bros.characters, nor the special abilities to deal out heavy damage with ease, even if some players can master them.
On top of being offensively weak, many of these characters, like Jigglypuff, aren’t particularly reliable from a defensive standpoint, either. Even if certain moves or strategies allow for decent damage output, a lot of these fighters will be easily KO’ed or interrupted before they can make their moves. This makes them risky without offering enough of a reward.
D-Tier
C-tier characters may have some value for those who can master them, but D-tier characters are almost non-starters when it comes to competition. Many of these characters aren’t good fits forbeginnerSuper Smash Bros. players, and veterans won’t want to waste their time with their poor offensive and defensive capabilities. This makes them a sub-par choice for almost any player, outside those looking to experiment and explore the roster.
Some of the fighters in this tier, like Dr. Mario, are simply nerfed versions of other, more effective characters. Others, like heavyweight King K. Rool, are only effective in very specific situations and are not versatile at all, making it easy for most players to best them. The only thing saving these characters from being in the lowest tier, generally speaking, is the inclusion of certain powerful abilities which, when wielded correctly, can result in an advantageous scenario. An example of this would bePiranha Plant, whose Final Smashcan be devastating.
F-Tier
Finally, there is the F-tier. These characters are the bottom of the barrel, and while some players might have fun with them (Little Mac’s high speed can be enjoyable, for instance), they are almost always a bad choice for anyone trying to be competitive, and it’s rare to see them winning tournaments. Even with experience and great strategy, most experienced players will make short work of anyone using these characters.
Some fans may see a few of their favorite fighters on this list, and that’s perfectly fine. Since the days of theNintendo 64,Super Smash Bros.has tweaked several of its core characters and developed rock-solid fighting mechanics for the new arrivals they introduce with each installment. All that is to say that, while it may be more common to see players winning tournaments with certain characters, that doesn’t mean that lower-tier ones are completely useless. Ultimately, just about any character can be a viable option inSmash, if the player is skilled enough and has a winning strategy - it’s just that some characters are better suited to a wide variety of play styles.
It’s also more than possible for these characters to move up or down in the tier list as theSuper Smash Bros.series moves forward. Meta Knight, for example, was infamously overpowered inBrawl, and is now just average inUltimate. With the future of the series uncertain, it’s hard to tell how these characters will change, but that is part of what makesSuper Smash Bros.so exciting.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis available now on Switch.
MORE:A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Sequel Could Learn From Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s Key Concept
