Fox (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Fox has been ranked 7th/8th (tied with {{SSB4|Sonic}} on the last SBR tier list) in all versions of the [[tier list]] to date, placed in the A tier on the final tier list. This is a noticeable improvement from his previous position from ''Brawl'' where he was ranked 15th of 38 characters as an upper mid tier character, and marks Fox's return to being ranked as a top tier character, like in ''Melee''. Fox's strengths include very quick mobility, a fast and [[transcendent]] projectile in his {{b|Blaster|Fox}}, and an anti-[[camping]] move in his {{b|Reflector|Fox}}. Altogether, these grant him one of the fastest and safest [[approach]]es in the entire game and allow him to easily keep up with almost any opponent. Fox also boasts a versatile combo game thanks to his quick, low knockback moves, along with capable KOing power, with a quick and powerful finisher in his up smash.

**{{change|Much like Fox's throw lasers, Blaster's laser now has a unique laser sound effect when it connects (rather than a punch sound).}}

**{{nerf|Fire Fox has more landing lag (18 frames → 20 (normal/30 (RCO lag)).}}

|usmashname=Flip Kick ({{ja|サマーソルトキック|Samāsoruto Kikku}}, ''Somersault Kick'')

''See also: [[:Category:Fox players (SSB4)]]''

*{{Sm|Larry Lurr|USA}} - The best Fox player of all-time who was also a top 10 player for most of the game's lifespan, ultimately ranking 8th on the [[PGR 100]]. Although he never won the major, he came the closest, including placing 2nd at {{Trn|2GGT: ZeRo Saga}} and 3rd at {{Trn|EVO 2017}}.

*{{Sm|Light|USA|p=Connecticut}} - The second-best Fox player of all-time who was in contention for the best in 2018, especially following a string of strong results which included placing 4th at {{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 4}}, {{Trn|Smash Sounds}}, and {{Trn|Shine 2018}}. He is ranked 43rd on the [[PGR 100]], the second-highest Fox player on the ranking.

*{{Sm|NAKAT|USA}} - Co-mains Fox alongside {{SSB4|Ness}} and was one of the best Fox players throughout the game's lifespan. He most notably used Fox to place 9th at both {{Trn|CEO 2016}} and {{Trn|2GGC: Greninja Saga}}. He is ranked 49th on the [[PGR 100]].

*{{Sm|Xzax|USA}} - One of the best Fox players in the world from 2015 to 2016, regularly placing well at SoCal events such as 5th at {{Trn|2GGT: Fresh Saga}} and 17th at {{Trn|2GGT: Abadango Saga}}. Although his results have since declined, he has still seen occasional success, such as 33rd at {{Trn|2GGC: Civil War}} upsetting {{Sm|ZeRo}}, and as such is ranked 92nd on the [[PGR 100]].

 

During the game's release, Fox was considered a mid-tier character by the ''SSB4'' community. Players believed the reductions to his overall damage output, the weakening of his up smash, the heavily increased landing lag on his aerials, the loss of [[Blaster]] [[auto-cancelling]] and shine-spikes, and his increased frailty resulted in him being worse than his ''Brawl'' incarnation. However, they slowly reassessed their thoughts on the character, as the removal of [[chaingrabbing]] and [[edge-hogging]] and the heavy changes to [[hitstun]] cancelling would prove beneficial to Fox, as such mechanics plagued him in ''Brawl''. Opinions on Fox improved further as players discovered the first two hits of his jab could perform [[infinite]]s and easily combo into other moves, including his main finishers. As a result, a massive amount of Fox players rushed into the competitive scene and quickly gained results, with many spamming the infinite as their battle strategy. Ultimately, this "infinite" carried even casual players to victories over experts. While nerfs to his jab in patch 1.1.0 removed the infinite and reduced its combo utility, his results continued to improve thanks to the efforts of players such as {{Sm|Charliedaking}}, {{Sm|Eon}}, {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, and most notably {{Sm|Larry Lurr}}, who consistently ranked in the top 10 on global power rankings. In addition, Fox also notably benefited from the nerfs to {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Luigi}}, who were among Fox's most challenging match-ups prior to their nerfs.

These points have led Fox to be considered a top tier character by the community as the metagame advanced, which is reflected on him ranking at 7th on all iterations of the ''4BR'' [[tier list]]. This also makes Fox the only character to consistently stand on the same placing on each iteration of the tier list (although he shares the spot with {{SSB4|Sonic}} on the fourth and final tier list). However, some smashers such as {{Sm|Dabuz}} and {{Sm|ESAM}} have claimed that Fox should be ranked higher on the tier list due to his dominant results and overwhelming advantage state, with both players ranking Fox among the top 5.

**However, despite his current Japanese voice actor being Takashi Ōhara since ''Star Fox 64 3D'', Kenji Nojima reprises Fox in Japanese by the time of both ''Smash 4'' and ''Star Fox 64 3D''{{'}}s release dates. This trait is also shared with {{SSB4|Falco}}.