Editing Zelda (SSBM)

Currently, Zelda is 24th on the tier list, the lowest-ranked character in D-tier. She is one of the more unique characters in the lineup for ''Melee'', with the exclusive ability to transform into her alter ego, Sheik. This alternate form is very different from Zelda, and each was intended to help balance the other's weaknesses, so that ideally one would change between the two based on the flow of battle. Zelda's positives include powerful attacks, with the most notable being her [[Lightning Kick]], and a long range recovery move in [[Farore's Wind]], which can also be angled. However, Zelda is greatly hindered by her poor mobility, possessing the slowest dash speed in the game and a slow fall speed, and lacks Jigglypuff's air physics has to alleviate this. [[Wavedash]]ing is of little use to her, since her very high [[traction]] and the aforementioned attributes result in her possessing the shortest wavedash in the game (alongside Peach). Additionally, while Zelda's recovery travels a respectable distance in any direction, it lacks a hitbox when she reappears, leaving her vulnerable to punishes when she tries to land and making it easy to edgeguard and/or edgehog. Overall, these factors contribute to Zelda having terrible matchups against most of the cast and being completely overshadowed by Sheik.

Despite her array of powerful moves and decent platform movement, she suffers numerous other flaws. While Zelda has a lot of finishers, an equal amount suffer from being difficult to land. Her forward and up smash suffer from SDI problems, as opponents can easily SDI out of it before the last hit. Zelda's up aerial, while powerful, is impossible to land on a grounded opponent, as it has some start-up lag and the hitbox is above her. Her Lightning Kicks need to be sweetspotted to KO effectively. Her forward and back throws can only KO at very high percentages when used near the edge, limiting their utility. As such, Zelda's up tilt and down smash are possibly her only reliable KO moves and even those have their flaws; the former is rather slow for a tilt attack and the latter is rather weak for a smash attack. Lastly, some of her toolkit suffers from a lack of applicable uses, which includes her down aerial, her aforementioned Din's Fire and jab.

Overall, Zelda emphasizes a defensive gameplan by trying to find openings for grabs, dash attacks, or lightning kicks. Players must be precise on landing her finishing moves, as their fast startup and strong power can be offset by their difficulty in landing them. She must also try and use wavedashing as well as platforms as much as possible, as her low mobility can prove to be a burden when trying to fight in neutral or against disadvantageous situations. To find success, a player must bait out options and wait for an opponent to make a mistake, else she be overwhelmed by other foes.

*{{Sm|The Lake|USA}} - Considered the best Zelda player in the world prior to his death. He became a respected player in Pittsburgh, ranking as high as 4th on the [[Pittsburgh Power Rankings]] and has one of the most famous Zelda clips with his 4-stock over {{Sm|Nintendude}} in a tournament match.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://youtu.be/8RM-J9V8iP4|title=Nintendude Vs. The Lake}}</ref> In addition, he placed 33rd at {{Trn|Revival of Melee 3}}, which is Zelda's highest result for a supermajor/major. He passed away in October of 2022.

Zelda is currently ranked 24th on the thirteenth tier list, in what is her lowest standing on the list thus far. Prior to the ranking, she was ranked 22nd, with some smashers believing that she deserved to be slightly lower; {{Sm|Mew2King}} notably believed that Zelda [http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/may/02/kirby-and-zelda-are-two-worst-characters-melee-pichu-highly-underrated-mew2king-discusses-his-super-smash-bros-tier-list-pt-1/ was one of the two worst characters in the game], citing her poor frame data and awful approach in his assessment.

Zelda has made little impact in tournaments from the start of the metagame, with very few dedicated mains able to player her at a high-level. Her only modern top representatives are semi-active at best, and usually do not place high in majors and even regionals without using better characters. Additionally, many of the historically best Zeldas, most notably {{Sm|Narcissa}} stopped playing the game entirely, and {{Sm|The Lake}} has since passed away. Usually, the only time when Zelda shows up in top level play is when Sheik players transform into her off-stage to take advantage of her longer [[recovery]] where they would otherwise not be able to recover; if the opponent is aggressive enough, Sheik players may be forced to fight as her until an opportunity to transform back is available.