Key Takeaways
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate offers a diverse roster for tournament play with adaptive characters and consistent balance patches.
- Characters like Joker, Roy, and Palutena have shown potential and consistency in competitive play despite the changing meta.
- Kazuya, Mr. Fighters like Game & Watch and ROB have maintained their top status with their unique strengths and diverse playstyles.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate We have the largest fighting roster suitable for tournament play. All characters were designed to have great stats but were limited by certain flaws. Sometimes even the worst characters can get higher ranks, but not always consistently.
As the game progresses, some characters adapt to the meta while others fall behind. Balance patches significantly move characters through the tier list, while other patches keep them relevant in recent competitions. After support ends Super Smash Bros. UltimateSome fighters have continued to show their potential while maintaining decent consistency.
12 joker
an unstoppable thief
The Joker was the first broken DLC character to have overall relevance. ultimateThe meta is changing. His moveset gives him multiple options for both long and boxing distances. He can use guns and Aiha magic to weaken enemies' health. His combo game is fast and consistent, giving him strict infinity and confirmed KOs.
Arsene is without a doubt one of the best mechanics in the game. Revealing your mask or glasses will greatly enhance all your attacks, giving you extra hitbox, damage, and range. He still moves with the agility of the Sheik, but hits much harder like Ganondorf. When his persona is revealed, his special moves also change.
His best performance was shown at Evo 2019 by MKLeo, the best player in the world. His broken moveset has been hit with several update patches, nerfing the gun's obscene range, Persona meter, and special counters. These changes were massive, but they didn't invalidate the characters and tools. MKLeo, the best player in the world, still uses him with new main players when needed.
11 roy
royal invasion
Roy perfectly embodies the aggressive style of play. He is designed to be very close range with a sweet spot hilt. Unlike Marth, who needs to be at mid-range to use his sweet spot tipper sword, Roy's greatest damage is within his breathing range. His high speed greatly helps him control his attacks and projectiles before catching his target with a devastating smash.
His main game plan remains the same at launch, with only minor balance changes made to improve hit consistency. No matter how many players try to throw him away, projectiles have no effect on his fast speed and reactions. Kola is a great example of Roy's aggression that overpowers top players like Light.
10 Palutena
divine neutrality
Palutena's designs reached angelic heights upon release. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Her normal attacks are compatible and connect well with sustained hits like Nair. They cover a good area around her with ranged and quick detachments, especially her invincible bear and dash attacks. Her specials are effective over long distances, using her neutral special and side special to zone out, or her up special to mix landings and teleports.
She has been incredibly competitive in previous tournaments. Her overwhelming essential moves have been toned down with a number of balance changes, making her attacks dangerous while also strengthening her combo paths. Her overall strategy was affected, but it didn't lower players' hopes for her. She's still very good at neutral to the likes of Chag, who ranks highly in tournaments like S Factor 11 and Battle of BC 6.
9 Diddy Kong
pass the meta
Diddy Kong was a top veteran who grew from mid-tier to where he is now over time. At the time of release, the KO power was significantly weakened compared to the previous version. He still has great speed with his mobility special move and provides confusion with his side special command grab. Despite building decent damage, he had a hard time finding a critical hit.
During developer support, issues with Diddy's KO option and inconsistent hitbox have been reduced. These modifications really helped my character get to at least a high rank. His potential has been shown through several Diddy mains like Ryuoh and Tweek. Tweek even showed off his best skills by winning this year's Get On My Level X with only Diddy.
8 snake
Brawl Veteran Explosive Power
Snake is a tall, heavy fighter who rarely changes his main game plan between matchups. He maintains the upper hand by trapping the stage with a prominent tool: grenades. This is always a concern as it is Snake's frame 1 escape option in combos and deals a lot of damage. Snake's heavy weight allows him to survive at a higher rate even when explosives damage him. His play remains complex and dangerous, as he has to remember explosive traps and react accordingly.
Even worse, it puts Snake's other tools at a disadvantage. Players like ApolloKage and Hurt show just how impossible avoiding the trap can be, as they have a variety of options at their disposal, such as down special C4 and up smash mortar. There's also Snake's huge, long-lasting Close Quarter Combat hitbox to keep in mind. These overwhelmingly favorable options have kept him at the top since launch.
7 cloud
A soldier who has reached his limit
Cloud is one of the best swordsmen. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Thanks to his massive Buster Sword and impressive skills. His moves have been further nerfed compared to past top iterations, but are still very effective. His attacks are fast with decent range and low risk, especially his fair and fair. Even though his limit has been nerfed, it's still his strongest utility because when it's maxed out, it boosts his stats and one of his special abilities. This helps him greatly in difficult matchups like Snake or Donkey Kong.
Cloud was worse at launch, with several issues including KO acquisition and ledge recovery. Over time, he's been buffed with better shelf recovery and more lethal options like dash attacks and up smashes. Spargo was one of the pro players who gained attention in online tournaments before participating in offline competitions. Even though he's still using a different main, Cloud still has room to challenge the current meta.
6 Kazuya
hell incarnate
Kazuya is what every ideal DLC character wants to be, designed to instill fear when approached. He has the widest array of normal attacks, including over 15 ground moves. Since it's a fighting game character, it has an automatic turnaround feature so you'll always face your opponent even when spamming attacks. His attacks grind several attributes, including invulnerability, paralysis, high shield damage, and stumbling. He also has super armor attacks like forward smash, including Bowser's tough guy passive.
One move that every player hates is his infamous Electric Wind God Fist, a strict but rewarding combo starter. Done right, it gives Kazuya so much time to combo that a variety of zero-to-death paths become possible. Kazuya cannot challenge the move because he is invincible during it. Despite his overwhelming advantage, his complexity requires players to practice gaining experience points. He needs strict framing input and proper approach to achieve a winning strategy. The ideal Kazuya can be seen in mains like Riddles, ranking high in Riptide 2024 and Get On My Level X, showing a dominant role in the meta.
5 Mr Game and Watch
Rise of the 2D Fighter
At the time of release, Mr. Game & Watch was intermediate and confusing compared to the previous version. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. His previous change allowed him to spam the front lines while in the air with a consistent KO option. His new version weakens both options with lower priority and knockback. He seemed to have poor neutrality until players like Maister and Miya revealed the character's true strengths.
What makes him strong from launch to present is his lag-free retro movement. Despite its small size, attacks such as hammers, turtles, chairs, keys, etc. offer decent range with little risk. Not only are these attacks safe, but they can trap the opponent to damage the juggle or make a KO check like his up air, neutral air, or down smash. He has some of the simplest and most effective ledge traps in the game, using his neutral special ability and forward aerial attacks to limit his opponent's decisions.
4 Rob
Spin to Win
ROB is one of the best heavy zones that can beat neutrals in any playstyle you want. His zoning relies on two simple projectiles: a laser and a gyro that cover the stage and horizontally in the air. ROBs can be difficult to approach because they can choose when to protect themselves while charging. If things get too heated, he can fight up close with his fast rotor arm. He also has a simple Zero-to-Death method that applies to the entire cast.
None of his essential moves were significantly touched during developer support. The only major patch removes instant gyro cancellation to improve blendability. Another small change has increased side special consistency, allowing for better hit connections. This makes zero-to-death combos even better, as they can be used without the opponent falling down. Even in the current meta, he is still difficult to deal with in tournaments. Players like Zomba and MKBigBoss have placed highly with ROB in crowded tournaments like Kagaribi 12 and Riptide 2024.
3 sonic
Hedgehog not too slow
Sonic shows the entire roster why he is the fastest hedgehog through his diverse playstyle. He can be overwhelmingly offensive with hit-and-run tactics, or he can be defensive with an incredible bait-and-punish game. His attacks are fast and cartoonishly large, allowing him to tackle a variety of disconnected movements. His specials are always relevant to your opponent because you can choose when to approach them. One mistake can result in the loss of the other person's stocks.
Sonic has only been improved within the balance patch, taking consistent damage and reducing lag on fast attacks. There are very few matchups that can challenge his speed, making him nearly untouchable when he gets on top of the game. He's light so he can't take as much damage, but the hitbox movement helps minimize that concern. Sonic mains like Sonix and Wrath reveal their menacing prowess in both offline and online tournaments, defeating powerful players like Spargo and Esam.
2 protect
Rex's Replacement
Aegis is truly broken by its effective mechanics. The characters are actually two characters who use the same normal attacks but are designed to have different stats. Mithra is faster, similar to Sonic, but has weaker attack power. Pyra is slower overall, but her attacks are much more powerful. Like Pokémon Trainers or Zelda and Sheik, the two complement each other's weaknesses while exchanging and expanding each other's strengths. super smash bros melee. The most impactful update was Airdodge, which nerfed Mythra's intangible frame, making her more vulnerable to attacks. This does not change her special ability to escape combos, similar to Bayonetta's Bat's Within.
The majority confirmed that Aegis is one of the top three fighters in the world. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Swap specials give players great opportunities in all scenarios, whether it's to quickly apply pressure with a safe normal or take an opponent's stock. With several Aegis mains like Shuton and Cosmos, the matchup has proven to be virtually trouble-free. MkLeo and Spargo also play it.
1 steve
meta blocking
Steve was the most underrated and broken fighter during his release due to his block mechanism. Creating platforms and walls on stage opened up many possibilities, including mid-air smash attacks and setting traps. He can cover a variety of options from his opponents, giving him the best advantage in the game. Steve didn't change much after his release. Especially since the pandemic has limited offline activities. At this moment, Steve had time to discover advanced techniques such as Elytra boosting and turnaround block cancellation.
Players like Onin and Acola showed how powerful Steve was in the meta and shaped it with his skills. They easily won several majors such as Super Smash Con 2023 and Get On My Level X. Steve players have become such a consistent and annoying threat in competitive play that community questions have led to Bayonetta-like bans. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
