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Tier list: Difference between revisions
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It is a common opinion among new or casual players of a fighting game that all the characters in the series are equal and have the same amount of potential. These players believe that the inherent strengths and weaknesses of characters balance them out, thus eliminating the need for tiers. However, the consensus of competitive players and knowledgeable spectators is that tiers do exist. In reality, it would be almost impossible for developers to balance a game of unique characters, because the differing properties of each character produce a large number of variables that cannot be constantly monitored and modified on the spot for the purpose of perfect balance. Thus, developers may not be able to foresee top level strategies before their game's release date, and even deliberate efforts (i.e. updates to ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'') will not perfectly balance a game at a professional level. Furthermore, [[Masahiro Sakurai]] did not solely intend for the ''Smash'' games to be played at high competitive levels under tournament rulesets, which are what tiers are based off of, and his idea of balancing may have been different from that of other competitive games. | It is a common opinion among new or casual players of a fighting game that all the characters in the series are equal and have the same amount of potential. These players believe that the inherent strengths and weaknesses of characters balance them out, thus eliminating the need for tiers. However, the consensus of competitive players and knowledgeable spectators is that tiers do exist. In reality, it would be almost impossible for developers to balance a game of unique characters, because the differing properties of each character produce a large number of variables that cannot be constantly monitored and modified on the spot for the purpose of perfect balance. Thus, developers may not be able to foresee top level strategies before their game's release date, and even deliberate efforts (i.e. updates to ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'') will not perfectly balance a game at a professional level. Furthermore, [[Masahiro Sakurai]] did not solely intend for the ''Smash'' games to be played at high competitive levels under tournament rulesets, which are what tiers are based off of, and his idea of balancing may have been different from that of other competitive games. | ||
The main disadvantage to having a tier list is that it may eventually become outdated or obsolete as a metagame progresses, or when new characters are introduced and updates bring gameplay-altering changes. Additionally, tier lists that are not based solely on statistics and community results will | The main disadvantage to having a tier list is that it may eventually become outdated or obsolete as a metagame progresses, or when new characters are introduced and updates bring gameplay-altering changes. Additionally, tier lists that are not based solely on statistics and community results will always contain some bias based on the experiences and opinions of the tier list maker. In casual play, the tier list is basically useless, as items, stage hazards and Final Smashes skew the game balance. For example, {{SSBB|Sonic}}’s speed and powerful Final Smash make him a better user of items. | ||
[[Power rankings]] have suggested that the best ''Smash'' players generally use high-tiered characters, with only a handful of outliers; even then, for example, {{Sm|Plup}}, who mained {{SSBM|Samus}}, eventually switched to a higher-tiered character in {{SSBM|Sheik}}, and was ranked higher than in [[2014 SSBMRank|the previous rankings]], while {{Sm|Axe}}, despite continuing to use his lower-tiered main {{SSBM|Pikachu}}, has picked up one or several top tier secondary characters. In ''Melee'', {{Sm|Armada}}, despite being considered the best player in the world for much of ''Melee''{{'}}s history, had to pick up a stronger character in {{SSBM|Fox}} in order to overcome his {{SSBM|Peach}}'s matchup issues against other top players like {{Sm|Hungrybox}} and {{Sm|Leffen}}. For ''Brawl'', {{Sm|Vinnie}} switched from {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}} to the {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}} and immediately saw better results, eventually being ranked 9th in the [[2014 SSBBRank]], and a large amount of the players on said power rankings have a secondary or pocket {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} if they do not main him. Despite being touted as the best {{SSB4|Bowser Jr.}} player in the world, {{Sm|Tweek}} dropped him in favor of {{SSB4|Cloud}}, who he perceived to be a better choice in becoming the best ''Smash 4'' player, and following the switch, he would become one of the best ''Smash 4'' players in the world, eventually being considered the second best on the [[PGR v5|fifth PGR]]. There was also a noticeable trend of players picking up {{SSB4|Bayonetta}} and performing far better than they ever did with their prior main, up to the top level at majors, with some of the most standout examples being {{Sm|Salem}}, {{Sm|Captain Zack}}, {{Sm|Mistake}}, and {{Sm|Lima}}. Generally, after patch [[1.1.5]], a multitude of both Cloud and Bayonetta mains emerged. | [[Power rankings]] have suggested that the best ''Smash'' players generally use high-tiered characters, with only a handful of outliers; even then, for example, {{Sm|Plup}}, who mained {{SSBM|Samus}}, eventually switched to a higher-tiered character in {{SSBM|Sheik}}, and was ranked higher than in [[2014 SSBMRank|the previous rankings]], while {{Sm|Axe}}, despite continuing to use his lower-tiered main {{SSBM|Pikachu}}, has picked up one or several top tier secondary characters. In ''Melee'', {{Sm|Armada}}, despite being considered the best player in the world for much of ''Melee''{{'}}s history, had to pick up a stronger character in {{SSBM|Fox}} in order to overcome his {{SSBM|Peach}}'s matchup issues against other top players like {{Sm|Hungrybox}} and {{Sm|Leffen}}. For ''Brawl'', {{Sm|Vinnie}} switched from {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}} to the {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}} and immediately saw better results, eventually being ranked 9th in the [[2014 SSBBRank]], and a large amount of the players on said power rankings have a secondary or pocket {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} if they do not main him. Despite being touted as the best {{SSB4|Bowser Jr.}} player in the world, {{Sm|Tweek}} dropped him in favor of {{SSB4|Cloud}}, who he perceived to be a better choice in becoming the best ''Smash 4'' player, and following the switch, he would become one of the best ''Smash 4'' players in the world, eventually being considered the second best on the [[PGR v5|fifth PGR]]. There was also a noticeable trend of players picking up {{SSB4|Bayonetta}} and performing far better than they ever did with their prior main, up to the top level at majors, with some of the most standout examples being {{Sm|Salem}}, {{Sm|Captain Zack}}, {{Sm|Mistake}}, and {{Sm|Lima}}. Generally, after patch [[1.1.5]], a multitude of both Cloud and Bayonetta mains emerged. | ||