Meta Knight (SSBU): Difference between revisions

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→‎In competitive play: entire tier placement and history section was kind of unsalvageable, so just rewrote from scratch. Rewrote the blurbs for the MK players that I believe will stay after we discuss on Discord, and added Metara
m (→‎In competitive play: entire tier placement and history section was kind of unsalvageable, so just rewrote from scratch. Rewrote the blurbs for the MK players that I believe will stay after we discuss on Discord, and added Metara)
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==In [[competitive play]]==
==In [[competitive play]]==
===Tier placement and history===
Hopes were high for Meta Knight before ''Ultimate'' was even released: following a viral [https://twitter.com/_glacey/status/1068339644629176322 leaked video] prior to the game's release, many believed Meta Knight was going to be much stronger than his previous iteration, with some, most notably {{Sm|CaptainZack}}, even calling for the character to be banned in competitive play.
Following ''Ultimate''{{'}}s release, many players believed Meta Knight to be a strong character, although not as much originally anticipated. This was due to his outstanding recovery, great frame data, and great mobility, paired with his early combo potential which in theory could kill players at any percent. Due to smaller characters also being emphasized more, Meta Knight had better matchups against fighters who struggled against short characters. Because of this, many players incipiently considered Meta Knight to be a solid high tier character who was not as strong or broken as he was in ''Brawl'', but just as good as he was in ''SSB4'', if not better.
As the metagame advanced, however, players quickly recognized the exploitable weaknesses of Meta Knight: his terrible endurance, watered down punish game,  weak overall damage output, limited combo starters outside of dash attack and down-throw, and poor range compared to other swordfighters like {{SSBU|Cloud}}. This led many of his most notable players from ''Smash 4'', such as {{Sm|Rags}}, {{Sm|AC}}, and {{Sm|Tyrant}}, to drop him or relocate him to a pocket. This resulted in him being worse than initially imagined, with many top professionals designating him as a mid or even a low tier character.
Despite this, he has amassed a respectable playerbase in ''Ultimate'' and achieved notable results from players such as {{Sm|Abadango}}, {{Sm|Soar}}, {{Sm|BONK!}}, and {{Sm|Yei}}. Abadango notably placed 2nd and 3rd at {{Trn|Kagaribi 8}} and {{Trn|VCA 2022}}, respectively, after a period of dormancy with Meta Knight which called into reevaluations of the character. Meta Knight is currently ranked 51st out of 82 on the current tier list, putting him in B- or on the lower end of upper mid-tier.
===Most historically significant players===
===Most historically significant players===
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''See also: [[:Category:Meta Knight players (SSBU)]]''
''See also: [[:Category:Meta Knight players (SSBU)]]''


*{{Sm|Abadango|Japan}} - The best Meta Knight player in the world, playing the character along with {{SSBU|Palutena}} and {{SSBU|Samus}}. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|Kagaribi 8}}, 3rd at {{Trn|VCA 2022}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Shuton}}, {{Sm|ProtoBanham}}, and {{Sm|KEN}}.
*{{Sm|Abadango|Japan}} - The best Meta Knight player of all-time. He was the first player to place highly with Meta Knight, most notably placing 25th at the supermajor {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}} with solo-Meta Knight. After dropping him by mid-2019, he readded him to the roster in mid-2022 and has seen the highest-placements for a Meta Knight player at a major, placing 2nd at {{Trn|Kagaribi 8}} and 3rd at {{Trn|VCA 2022}}.
*{{Sm|BONK!|USA}} - The best Meta Knight player in the United States. Placed 17th at {{Trn|Glitch - Infinite}}, {{Trn|Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code}} and {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2022}} as well as 33rd at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}, with wins over players such as {{Sm|Ned}}, {{Sm|WaDi}}, and {{Sm|LeoN}}. Currently ranked 6th on the [[Philadelphia Power Rankings]].
*{{Sm|BONK!|USA}} - The best Meta Knight player in North America who has seen several strong runs at majors, including 17th at {{Trn|Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code}} defeating {{Sm|WaDi}} and 33rd at the supermajor {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}} defeating {{Sm|Ned}}.
*{{Sm|Lickey|Japan}} - One of the best Meta Knight players in Japan. Placed 13th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 5}}, 17th at both {{Trn|Sumabato SP 9}} and {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 1}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 3}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Etsuji}}, {{Sm|Lunamado}}, and {{Sm|Sigma}}.
*{{Sm|Lickey|Japan}} - One of the best Meta Knight players in Japan. Placed 13th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 5}}, 17th at both {{Trn|Sumabato SP 9}} and {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 1}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 3}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Etsuji}}, {{Sm|Lunamado}}, and {{Sm|Sigma}}.
*{{Sm|sdsg|Japan}} - Placed 17th at both {{Trn|Sumabato SP 14}} and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 17}} as well as 25th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 15}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Kome}} and {{Sm|Atelier}}.
*{{Sm|sdsg|Japan}} - Placed 17th at both {{Trn|Sumabato SP 14}} and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 17}} as well as 25th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 15}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Kome}} and {{Sm|Atelier}}.
*{{Sm|Soar|Canada}} - The best Meta Knight player in Canada but has since relegated the character to a pocket. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Terry Christmas}}, 2nd at {{Trn|LAN ETS 2020}}, 17th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Myran}}, {{Sm|Riddles}}, and {{Sm|Blacktwins}}. Currently ranked 10th on the [[Smash Canada Rankings Ultimate]].
*{{Sm|Soar|Canada}} - The best Meta Knight player in Canada but has since relegated the character to a pocket. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Terry Christmas}}, 2nd at {{Trn|LAN ETS 2020}}, 17th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}, and 33rd at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Myran}}, {{Sm|Riddles}}, and {{Sm|Blacktwins}}. Currently ranked 10th on the [[Smash Canada Rankings Ultimate]].
*{{Sm|Uto|Japan}} - Placed 13th at {{Trn|Karisuma SP 6}}, and 17th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 3}}, {{Trn|Karisuma SP 5}}, and {{Trn|Mēsuma}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Kome}} and {{Sm|DIO}}.
*{{Sm|Uto|Japan}} - Placed 13th at {{Trn|Karisuma SP 6}}, and 17th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 3}}, {{Trn|Karisuma SP 5}}, and {{Trn|Mēsuma}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Kome}} and {{Sm|DIO}}.
*{{Sm|Yei|Costa Rica}} - Uses Meta Knight alongside numerous secondaries, and is one of the best Meta Knight players in the world. Placed 1st at {{Trn|Smash Legends 2}}, 2nd at {{Trn|Smash Vertex}}, 5th at {{Trn|SWT: Central America Ultimate Regional Finals}}, and 7th at {{Trn|Smash Factor 8}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Maister}}, {{Sm|Joker}}, and {{Sm|Mr. E}}.
*{{Sm|Metara|Japan}} - The best solo-Meta Knight player in the world who consistently places well at events, including winning {{Trn|Ruyubura! Part 2}} over {{Sm|takera}}, placing 13th at the superregional {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 13.5 "U-22"}} defeating {{Sm|Yaura}}, and placing 49th at the supermajor {{Trn|Kagaribi 10}} defeating {{Sm|Miya|p=Honshu}}.
*{{Sm|Yei|Costa Rica}} - Although known for playing a plethora of characters, he is best known for playing Meta Knight and is one of the best Meta Knight players in the world, primarily using the character 2nd at the invitational {{Trn|Smash Vertex}} defeating {{Sm|Maister}} and {{Sm|Meme}} as well as 13th at the supermajor {{Trn|Smash Factor 9}}.
 
===Tier placement and history===
Although initial opinions on Meta Knight were high thanks to leaked gameplay, opinions on Meta Knight have remained rather low since the early metagame. This is due to his nerfs which gave him a weaker combo and punish game than in previous iterations. As a result, although Meta Knight saw some success from players such as {{Sm|Abadango}} and {{Sm|Yei}}, this success was largely complemented with the usage of other, stronger characters, and Abadango eventually dropped Meta Knight by mid-2019. On the other hand, Meta Knight's overall representation was below-average, ranking in the bottom 20 by the end of 2019. This led many players to believe that Meta Knight was a low-mid tier character and a shadow of his former self.
 
However, Meta Knight's results were able to pick up in the post-online metagame as more players began placing more focus on his strengths, primarily his strong ladder combo game at earlier percents. While Yei continued to place well with Meta Knight, the first few months of the post-online metagame saw a few notable runs from {{Sm|BONK!}} while Abadango readded Meta Knight into his roster by mid-2022, most notably using primarily Meta Knight to place 2nd at {{Trn|Kagaribi 8}} and 3rd at {{Trn|VCA 2022}}. Finally, mid-2023 saw the rise of {{Sm|Metara}}, who saw a consistent top 64 presence at majors and even had a few top player upsets under his sleeve. Although Meta Knight's overall representation remained below-average, many players still recognized the dedication from Meta Knight players, and as a result the general consensus had shifted in a more positive light. This is reflected in Meta Knight's position on the current tier list, where he is ranked 51st as an upper-mid tier character.


=={{SSBU|Classic Mode}}: Two Sides of the Same Coin==
=={{SSBU|Classic Mode}}: Two Sides of the Same Coin==