Secondary

A player's alternate character (often called secondary character, or shortened to "alternate" or "alt") is a character he or she uses often, but not as commonly or as seriously as his or her main character. Most players stick with one or two main characters, but experienced players can often play multiple characters near the level of their main character. These alternates are most often used in specific counterpick situations when that character would have an advantage, or where the player's main would have a disadvantage, that would outweigh the loss of skill. For instance, Chu Dat withholds his main Ice Climbers against Peach, a strong counter. Instead, he uses Pikachu, a secondary who matches more evenly with Peach.

Unlike main characters, alternates are often low tier characters - characters the player cannot rely on during tournaments, but can be used to counterpick or for fun.