Template:Samus and Dark Samus in competitive play (SSBU)
Use this template to store information relevant to the metagame of Samus and Dark Samus in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Most historically significant players
See also: Category:Samus players (SSBU); Category:Dark Samus players (SSBU)
IcyMist 
- One of the best Samus players in North America in the post-online metagame, peaking at 76th on the UltRank 2022. She is considered one of the best players in the Midwest, regularly placing top 8 at Midwest events including 4th at both Riptide 2023 and The Big House 11. Outside of the Midwest, her best results including placing 9th at Let's Make Big Moves 2022 and 13th at Super Smash Con: Fall Fest, while her best wins include Sonix at Super Smash Con 2023 and Riddles at Fall Fest.
Joker - The best Samus player in North America in the early metagame, peaking at 95th on the OrionRank 2019, and was also a top 10 player in Mexico during this period. His best results took place in the United States, where he notably placed 7th at 2GG: SwitchFest 2019 defeating Nicko and WaDi and 9th at Low Tier City 7 defeating ESAM. In addition, he and his twin brother Meme were one of the best doubles teams during this time, having won many Mexican regionals and placing top 8 at many major doubles events. He became less active in the post-pandemic metagame, though he still places highly at Mexican events when he does attend.
Parme - The best Samus player in Japan in 2019 after YB's performances at Prime Saga. He is known for his strong performances at Sumabato events, most notably placing 9th at Sumabato SP 6 and 13th at Sumabato SP 5, two of the three Sumabato events in the early metagame that were majors. Although his results have since declined, he still remains a threat in Chūgoku and has seen some decent results at majors, including placing 17th at Sumabato SP 47 and 33rd at Maesuma TOP 13.
quiK - The best Samus player in the early metagame and the first ranked in the top 50, ranking 37th on the OrionRank 2019. He was the second-best player in Europe during this time, notably placing 2nd behind Glutonny at Syndicate 2019, Ultimate WANTED 2, and Valhalla III, in addition to placing 7th at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019 and 9th at Albion 4. Though his results have since been overtaken by Sisqui, he remains one of the best Samus players in Europe in the post-pandemic metagame, notably placing 3rd at King Of Fields 95 3 and having a positive record over Sisqui.
Sisqui 
- One of the two greatest Samus players of all-time and one of the best players in Europe in the post-pandemic metagame. He frequently places top 8 at European majors, including placing 2nd at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2023 and 5th at COLOSSEL 2022. He is also the only other European player other than Glutonny who has placed top 8 at more than one major outside of Europe, with his best performances being 4th at both Rise 'N Grind and The Coinbox IRL as well as 5th at Smash Factor X. His best ranking was 21st on the LumiRank 2023.- Teaser - One of the best Samus players in North America, though less present at majors compared to most other Samus players. He is a consistent threat in both Texas and the Southeast, especially with wins over some of both region's best players at ranked events such as Kola, SHADIC, and Wrath and noteworthy performances at Southeast events such as placing 5th at Low Tide City 2024, 17th at Let's Make Moves Miami, and 25th at MomoCon 2022. Outside of his region, he notably placed 17th at GENESIS 8. He was ranked 134th on the OrionRank 2022.
- Toura - The second-best Samus player in Japan who peaked at 97th on the OrionRank 2022. Though overshadowed by Yaura in terms of results and recognition, he has achieved several performances on-par with Yaura, including placing 5th at Umebura SP 9, where he defeated Eim, Atelier, Munekin, and Aaron. Though Umebura was his only top 8 finish at a major, he has came close at several other events, having also placed 9th at both Maesuma TOP 8 and Maesuma TOP 9.
- Yaura - One of the two greatest Samus and Dark Samus players of all-time who was considered the definitive best in the first half of 2024. He is the highest-ranking Samus player, having ranked 13th on the LumiRank 2024.1, which remains the only time a Samus player had placed in the top 20. He has also achieved a slew of top 8 finishes at majors, including placing 2nd at Sumabato SP 46 and 4th at both Maesuma TOP 10 and DELTA 5. He went inactive following the LumiRank 2024.1 season.
- YB - The best Samus/Dark Samus player in the early months of competitive play. He primarily competes on Smashmate and dominated the ladder in the early metagame, ranking first on half of the first ten Smashmate rankings. Though he has only made a few appearances offline, he is best known overseas for his performances during his visit to the United States for 2GG: Prime Saga, which includes placing 13th at the aforementioned event while defeating VoiD and WaDi and finishing top 8 at 2GG: Prime Saga Kickoff and Mega Smash Mondays 185 defeating Ally at the latter event. These were the first notable Samus and Dark Samus performances in competitive play, and despite his low attendance he was ranked 86th on the OrionRank Ultimate: Six Months In.
Tier placement and history
Initial impressions of Samus and Dark Samus in Ultimate were negative, largely due to comparisons with Samus's previous iteration. Players pointed out how she lost the combo potential of her dash attack, one of her most useful tools in Smash 4, along with her general lack of mechanical changes compared to fellow veterans such as Link. Her unsafe jab, seemingly unchanged from Smash 4 and once again acknowledged in in-game tips, became a common point of mockery. However, this viewpoint did not stick for long, as Samus players began demonstrating how her improved projectile game, KO potential, and Charge Shot shield break potential allowed her and Dark Samus to compete in the top level, although the latter was eventually nerfed in updates. Early representation of either character came from YB, who, despite being a relatively unknown player from Japan, shocked the world by placing 13th at 2GG: Prime Saga. Other Samus and Dark Samus players later followed suit, most notably Joker and quiK, both of who became one of the best players in Mexico and Europe, respectively. As such, players in the early metagame considered the Samuses as high-tier characters.
This viewpoint was maintained in the post-online metagame, which saw the Samuses' overall representation improve significantly, notably entering the top 10 by 2022.[1] This rise was due to the continued success of older Samus players alongside the appearances of several other Samus players on the global scene, including Sisqui, IcyMist, and Yaura. Due to this high representation and strong results, the Samuses were ranked 25th on the first tier list. Since then, they continued to be in the top 10 representation-wise, and Sisqui and Yaura remained top level threats in the metagame. As such, the Samuses received a large boost on the second tier list, and they currently sit at 15th in the A-tier.
